Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 01 - The Chef at the Water's Edge (12 page)

The woman continued to glare with rage. Her body twitched, and her breathing was audible. “Damn it. Damn it,” she echoed, mumbling.

Hannah motioned to Cate for the two to leave but stopped one last time. She looked around the room and said, “You know what I find interesting? You. Living here. In this mansion in Karas Chateau Plantations. I’ll be sure and mention that to the police. They’ll want to follow up, no doubt. Questions will arise. About the finances and your salary as a county medical examiner. What does that pay? Sixty, maybe seventy thousand a year?”

As Hannah watched, Niu’s face was changing from one of anger to one of concern. Her mouth fell agape, and Hannah could sense she was on the right line of questions. So she continued. “You’ve been on the backside of an investigation. You know what it’s like. People crawling through your life. Uncovering every little secret. Scrutinizing. Judging. And given that this was THE Julia Karas, beloved by all, it might even warrant a federal investigation. You remember when she was the White House guest chef for the Queen’s visit, Cate?”

“Sure do. That was something. Bet she made some friends.”

“Oh, she did. The president came to her funeral. I’m willing to bet that if the word gets out that this wasn’t an accident, but murder, there will be an investigation. A huge, invasive one. So you think of that doctor. You can talk to me or air everything out in the court of public opinion. It’s up to you.” Looking to Cate, she then said, “You have my number. Don’t wait too long. The police station is just three miles down the way.”

Before the two had made it out the door, Niu called out. “Wait.” The two turned to look at her as she took a breath. “Did Mr. Miller send you?”

Neither answered.

Niu glance down at the floor. She fidgeted in a noticeable agitation. She looked up at the women standing before her and sized them up. She was looking for a way out. Thinking over her situation, it was obvious when she gave up. Her only choice was to cooperate. “I should have known this would come back on me. I had an honest career right up until that time.”

“What happened?” Cate asked.

“A hasty agreement a year ago to withhold certain information.”

Hannah nodded, thinking
This is huge
. “Go on.”

Niu stared at Hannah. “I never meant for this to happen. The police felt it was an open and shut case. I did it to preserve her dignity, so I changed ... changed my report. The toxicology,” she said as tears welled in her eyes.

Neither Hannah nor Cate moved or said a word. They just listened.

“There were barbiturates in her blood stream in a high dose. I was going to report it as an accident while attempting suicide. All the signs were there. Stress. Rumors. A public life. Every day her private self was exposed in all the papers and magazines. The press humiliated her almost every day. It is a normal reaction sometimes.”

“So you covered it up?”

“Yes. He convinced me that she was gone, and there was no reason to dirty her reputation now. So I removed the part about the suicide.”

“And that’s how you got all this,” Hannah indicated with a point of a finger around the room.

Niu’s face flushed with shame. “This came after. His ‘assurance’, I suppose. I didn’t ask for it, but I took it all the same.” She looked up to the ceiling, as if a thousand pound weight lifted from her shoulders. “I did the deed for good reasons. It never occurred to me that it was murder. Not after the tox screen results came in. It seemed so cut and dry.” Pausing, she looked between Hannah and Cate. “What makes you think she was murdered?”

“A witness has come forward and new evidence uncovered that will force an investigation. They’ll have to exhume the body.”

Niu moved back to her chair and sat. “I told myself I did it for the good of her family. For those that loved her. For her fans. You know. She was more than just a chef. She was a beautiful hero to so many hungry people through her nonprofit food programs. She donated her time. Her good will.” Niu trailed off as she shook her head in disbelief. “And I gave her misguided justice.” She then looked around the room in disgust. “This. This is my reminder. My shame. Hard as that may be to imagine. I hate every bit of it.” She produced a meek smile. “I suppose I should thank you. No matter what comes. Whatever happens to me, I’m glad it’s out there.”

“I believe you. But I’ll need you to confirm with the police that it was Asa Karas that bribed you to alter your report.”

Niu sat up with a look of surprise on her face. “No.”

Hannah and Cate looked at the doctor with quizzical expressions.

“It was Jack Miller.”

After finishing with Niu, both Hannah and Cate returned to the car in silence. Once inside, they sat for a moment to reflect on what had just occurred inside.

“Okay,” Cate expressed. “That was interesting. Where does it leave us?”

Hannah rubbed her temples. “With more questions than answers. So many pieces to this puzzle. My head hurts.”

Cate rummaged around and produced aspirin for her friend.

“Thanks.” She uncapped her bottled water and swallowed the pills before continuing. “Well, first things first. We need a motive.”

“It could be the same as Niu’s reason for changing the report. To maintain her dignity. Or, it’s more probable that he thought he would lose money, maybe millions, if it came out she committed suicide.”

Hannah disagreed. “I don’t see that. I think he would stand to make more. I’m sure he owned a piece of everything associated with her name. If she died by suicide, he’d be up for books, movies, talk show circuits, re-runs, and rehashes.”

“Maybe. But given how controlling Asa is, how much say would he allow Miller to have? Not much, I’m guessing.”

“True. But there had to be a reason he wanted the drugs hidden.”

“Could he have killed her?”

Hannah had not considered the possibility. “For what reasons? The altering of the report suggests that for whatever reason, he had more to lose by her death by drugs than to gain. She was, as Mr. Borg said, his bread and butter.”

Both women paused to contemplate before Cate started the car, rolled down the driveway and onto the street. “So what do we do? Confront him?

“I don’t think so. Not yet. Even if we released the information to the police or the press, he’d just claim the same as Dr. Niu. That he was protecting her memory. No. We’re still missing pieces.”

“And let me guess. You have an idea where to find them.”

“Not per se. But I know where we may find some,” Hannah respond

There was a long pause before Cate said, “Well, are you just going to leave me hanging here?”

“We’re going after that safe.”

“The safe. On the old set. With the security cameras. That’s bolted to the bottom of a drawer in a hidden compartment. That’s locked. With no key that we know of. That safe?”

“Yup.”

Cate rolled her eyes. “Well. This is going to be an interesting day. I hope you are a safecracker.”

“Not on my resume. But I’m sure we need to find a way into that box.”

“I’m sure you’ve thought of that key on Julia’s necklace. The one she had on the night she died. “

“I did. And I’m sure that’s it. But Asa has the necklace. Thus, the key. I bet he doesn’t even know what he has. ”

“So, ideas?”

“Well, the way I see it, we can either break into Asa’s place and face possible jail time…”

“Next.”

“We find Vera and see if she knows what is in it. Julia didn’t trust Jazlyn. I bet Asa is unaware of what the key went to. But she trusted Vera. Maybe she confided in her.”

After a short drive back to the studio from Dr. Niu’s estate, the women found that getting to the media area where the RV was to be challenging. There was a huge line of cars and vans, and Cate determined that security was already closing off the area. “See if you can get Louie on the phone. Maybe he can work some magic and make sure we can get in.”

Hannah made the call and Louie said he would do what he could. He needed to make a few phone calls. Waiting for him to call back, Cate turned to Hannah and asked, “So. What is your honest take on him?”

Although the question threw Hannah a bit, it was not unexpected. Cate was her best friend and she could never hide anything from her. Cate always could read her, “Like a book,” she would often quip.

Hannah let out a sigh. “I like him. I do. But I can’t trust him. Not as far as this case goes. He’s too close to it. He was in love with Julia. That compromises him. I know he’s your friend. I hope I can think of him that way, too. But I can’t. Just not yet. I hope you understand.”

Cate nodded. “Honey, I do. In fact, I count on you to see things like this. Buster and I, we love that man. He’s always been kind to us. He and Pop served together before he went off to school in Paris. Same as Julia. They were close. When Mom got sick, he came and watched after us. Cooked for us every day until she came home. Stayed around as she drifted away. I will always love him for that. But the truth is the truth. When it comes to Julia, he’s not stable. And when it comes to Louie, Buster and I wear rose-colored glasses. You do what you have to do. That’s what you are here for.”

Cate’s words relieved her. Cate’s mom was ill for some time. She remembered Louie came while Hannah was away with her parents during the winter. Although she had heard of him, she had never met him until they arrived the few days earlier.

In a short time, Louie buzzed back and said he had arranged everything. Although the area was now closed, the guard would allow them in. All they needed to do was give him a call when they got close. Reaching the secured area, Cate gave the guard their names. He pointed out the area where the Food Critic RV was, and passed them through. Hannah called Louie and he met them as they arrived.

“Welcome to the madhouse,” he exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air and bearing a big smile. “And just think. The main event isn’t even underway.”

“Still think we can get into the show?” Cate asked.

“Can’t say for sure.” He handed them two passes with thin neck cords. “But these will help.”

Hannah looked around as she slipped the cord around her neck. “So where is Buster?”

“With Jazlyn, I’d imagine,” Cate said. “She is going to be hard for him to shake loose.”

“Like a leech, that one,” Louie suggested.

Cate grinned. “Ooooh. Well played, sir. Well played. What’s the time of the show’s taping?”

“Oh. This isn’t a taping. It’s going live,” he said, pointing over toward the stage. “But they’ll do a sound and lighting check first, test the set changes, etc.”

“They’re doing it here? Outside? That’s rather … different, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. A last minute thing. One of Asa’s ideas. He wanted to get as large an audience as possible to launch the show. When he saw how many people were coming, being the consummate Barnum that he is, he figured, ‘The studio’s so small. Why turn so many away when I can just make a bigger stage?’ He turned a negative into a positive. I gotta give him his props. He’s one hell of a business man.”

Cate and Hannah took in all the fanfare as workers set up chairs before a large platform stage. The area itself was under a large, improvised, green covering that extended around three sides. Monitors were at the stage edge, and several cameras were set to capture every angle of the kitchen mock up.

“This must have cost a fortune to do on the spur of the moment,” Hannah observed.

Louie scratched his face over his day old beard growth. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t feel too sorry for the guy. He’s got it. In spades.”

“I can see that,” Hannah concurred.

As the lighting technicians were folding up their ladders, Jazlyn walked out onto the set. She cleared her voice and spoke for the sound checks.

Louie, Cate, and Hannah watched for a moment as the crew tested various levels. “She’s going to look great on camera,” Cate decided.

Louie watched. “Did you think Asa would revive the show without assuring of that? He’s got too much invested.”

As they continued to look on, a young woman with a clipboard approached Jazlyn and motioned toward the rear of the stage. Hannah could make out that whatever he said pleased her, and she exited in the direction indicated. Without looking away, Hannah asked Louie, “Can we wait here until Buster returns? We all need to talk.”

“Sure. Something new?’

“Just some things that I need to share and something needs doing. Do you know where we can find Vera?”

“Not at the moment. I’d imagine she’s up in the studio, away from the limelight. I’m sure Buster still has her number from yesterday. Give him a call, then have him call her.”

Just then, Buster appeared from behind the impromptu staging area opposite from where Jazlyn had gone. There was a look of pure frustration on his face.

“Something wrong, cuz?” Cate quizzed.

“I’d rather not discuss it,’’ he snapped as he passed the group by.

“All right. But can you call Vera and get her out to the RV? If she feels safe,” Hannah called out with some hesitation.

Buster halted and turned. “Sure. Why not,” he said in an irritated voice. Even though upset, he pulled out his cell and dialed. He struck the digital keyboard with enough force that Hannah was uncertain whether he would break it. While waiting for Vera to answer, he walked out of earshot of the group.

“Wonder what that’s all about?”

Cate watched her cousin as he kicked at the dirt with his sneakers while he spoke with Vera. “Oh, I could venture a guess.”

A short time later, he returned to the group. “She’ll meet us at the RV in fifteen minutes. Let’s go.”

As Buster headed off in a direction away from the stage, Louie called after. “Dude. RV’s this way.” Buster stopped and turned to see everyone headed back around the back of the stage. He winced and waited for what came next as his friends started around the back of the staging area and stopped dead in their tracks. After a hesitant pause, he headed over to them and saw what they were seeing. Something he had seen just a few moments earlier. On the opposite side of the rear of the stage, Jazlyn was leaning against a frame post. Pressed against her, locked in a passionate kiss was Jack Miller. So involved were the two that they never noticed the stunned faces locked onto them. Cate lifted an eyebrow and shot Hannah a look of surprise.