Eggsecutive Orders

Table of Contents

 

 

Praise for
HAIL TO THE CHEF

“A gourmand’s delight . . . Julie Hyzy balances her meal ticket quite nicely between the glimpses at the working class inside the White House with an engaging chef’s cozy.”

 

“The story is entertaining, the character is charming, the setting is interesting . . . Fun to read and sometimes that is exactly what hits the spot. I’ve found all of Hyzy’s books to be worth reading and this one is no different.”

—
Crime Fiction Dossier
(Book of the Week)

“[A] well-plotted mystery . . . The White House Chef Mystery series is a must-read series to add to the ranks of culinary mysteries.”
—The Mystery Reader

 

Praise for
STATE OF THE ONION

“Pulse-pounding action, an appealing heroine, and the inner workings of the White House kitchen combine for a stellar adventure in Julie Hyzy’s delightful
State of the Onion
.”

—Carolyn Hart, author of
Dare to Die

“Hyzy’s sure grasp of Washington geography offers firm footing for the plot.”
—Booklist

“Topical, timely, intriguing. Julie Hyzy simmers a unique setting, strong characters, sharp conflict, and snappy plotting into a peppery blend that packs an unusual wallop.”

—Susan Wittig Albert, author of
Wormwood

“From terrorists to truffles, mystery writer Julie Hyzy concocts a sumptuous, breathtaking thriller.”

—Nancy Fairbanks, bestselling author of
Turkey Flambé

“Exciting and delicious! Full of heart-racing thrills and mouth-watering food, this is a total sensual delight.”

—Linda Palmer, author of
Kiss of Death

“A compulsively readable whodunit full of juicy behind-the-Oval-Office details, flavorful characters, and a satisfying side dish of red herrings—not to mention twenty pages of easy-to-cook recipes fit for the leader of the free world.”

 

 

“Deliciously exciting.”—Nancy Fairbanks

“A well-constructed plot, interesting characters, and plenty of Chicago lore . . . A truly pleasurable cozy.”

—Annette Meyers

“[A] solid, entertaining mystery that proves her to be a promising talent with a gift for winning characters and involving plots . . . Likely to appeal to readers of traditional mysteries as well as those who enjoy stories with a slightly harder edge.”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“The fast-paced plot builds to a spine-chilling ending.”

 

“A nicely balanced combination of detective work and high-wire adventure.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Riveting . . . A twisty, absorbing, headline-current case. First rate.”—Carolyn Hart

“A well-crafted narrative, gentle tension, and a feisty, earthbound heroine mark this refreshingly different mystery debut.”
—Library Journal

STATE OF THE ONION
HAIL TO THE CHEF
EGGSECUTIVE ORDERS

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
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Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

EGGSECUTIVE ORDERS

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with Tekno Books

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / January 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Tekno Books.

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form
without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in
violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eISBN : 978-1-101-17128-8

BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group
(USA) Inc.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Sincere thanks to the great people at The Berkley Publishing Group, especially Natalee Rosenstein and Michelle Vega. And to copyeditor Erica Rose. And to the folks at Tekno, especially Marty Greenberg, John Helfers, and Denise Little.

A big and special thank-you to my daughter Sara, who always reads first.

It’s great to have experts to turn to—and my sincere gratitude to Diane Springer who—between VJA marching band competitions—helped me come up with an efficient way to kill a character. Any and all errors with regard to this method, and its subsequent discovery, are mine.

Thanks to reader Barbara Czachowski for her catch in
State of the Onion
. Ollie greatly appreciated Barbara’s kind correction and made note of it in this adventure while she and her family toured the National Mall.

Thanks to Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Thriller Writers of America for camaraderie and support, and thanks especially to wonderful readers who take the time to let me know what they think of Ollie’s adventures.

CHAPTER 1

THE PHONE RANG WHILE I WAS BRUSHING MY teeth. Phone calls at four in the morning usually mean one thing: bad news.

I quickly swished water in my mouth to clear away residual foam, and hurried to my bedroom to stop the unnerving jangle.

As executive chef at the White House, I make it a point to get to work every morning before the sun comes up, so I reasoned that this might be one of my staff catching me at home to call in sick. Either that, or my mom and nana were having trouble getting to the airport. Despite the fact that our kitchen had a lot to do before the Easter Egg Roll next week, I sorely hoped this was, indeed, a staffer calling in. I didn’t want to think that my mother and nana might cancel their plans to visit me.

I reached for the handset. A split second before I answered, I glanced at the Caller ID.

Not my mom. Not a staffer.

The display read simply: “202.”

The White House was calling
me
.

“Olivia Paras here,” I said as I picked it up.

“Ollie, it’s Paul.” Paul Vasquez, the White House chief usher, wouldn’t call me at home unless it was a dire emergency.

“What happened?” I asked.

“There’s a car waiting for you downstairs.”

“Downstairs, here?” I asked. Although I’d been awake for nearly an hour, my brain was slow to comprehend. “Downstairs where I live?”

“That’s right,” he said slowly. “Two agents will escort you to the residence today.”

“Why? What happened?”

“You’ll be briefed when you get here. Just hurry. They’re waiting for you now. Follow their lead.”

“But—”

“Ollie.” His tone forced me to focus.

“Yes?”

“For God’s sake, don’t say
anything
to
anybody
.”

He hung up before I could ask what he meant.

 

 

Two Secret Service agents were waiting for me in the lobby when I came out of the elevator. Both male, both large, they were clad in nearly identical outfits of navy pants and gray sport coats, and wore similar buzz-cut hair. In a more chipper situation, I may have asked them if they were Tweedledee and Tweedledum, but I didn’t recognize either of these guys, and neither wore an expression that encouraged levity.

The one closest to me nodded solemnly. “Ms. Paras?”

I nodded back.

“This way,” he said. He started for the front doors, gesturing for me to walk directly behind him. I couldn’t see around his broad back, and was about to step aside when his twin came in close behind, effectively making an Ollie sandwich.

I started to ask, “Why all the—”

But shouts from outside drowned out my question. “There she is!”

I still couldn’t see much, but just as the damp morning air hit my skin, the sound of agitated scuffles reached my ears. A crowd rushed up, encircling us. Stark bright lights silhouetted the agent in front of me. I winced at the intensity and at the sharp shouts: “Ms. Paras, Ms. Paras!”