Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 01 - The Chef at the Water's Edge (15 page)

Vera blinked as Cate sat, stunned and silent. “It says here you are to have graduated access to your part of the estate as administered by Louie.”

“My father.”

Hannah looked up at Vera’s shocked, unflinching expression. She then readied herself to catch her should she pass out again. Instead, she stood. “My actual father and mother.”

“Are you okay?” Hannah broached.

“Do you know what this means?” Cate asked.

“Yes.”

Vera paused as Cate and Hannah waited for an unknown reaction.

“It means that I am Julia’s legacy. It means that I have two sets of parents. It means that I am an American. And it means…” Vera slipped back into French. “Je vais TUER mon père pour ne pas me dire!” Cate looked at Hannah for an explanation as she had a better grasp on French. “What did she say?”

“She said she is going to KILL her father for not telling her.”

“I DIDN’T KNOW!” Louie yelled. He was red-flushed, with fingers extended, hands to the side of his head as if it were exploding. Vera watched across from him with a disbelieving face, trying to hold it together. When she did speak, it jumped between French and English.

Buster, Cate, and Hannah observed from Louie’s couch.

Pulling in one corner of his mouth, Buster proposed, “Big guy’s gonna have a heart attack.”

“I hope not,” Hannah admitted, twisting her back from her waist. “Picking him up off the floor once was enough to give me a backache.”

“Maybe you should intervene then, Ms. Drama Queen. This is your fault.”

“I just gave him the facts.”

“It’s not what you gave him. It’s how you gave them.”

Buster rose. “They’ve been at this for half an hour.” He walked over between the two and extended his arms. “That’s enough.”

Vera pointed at Louie. “Comment pourriez-vous lui permettre de me prendre? Comment vous ne pouviez pas savoir?”

“Vera. English,” Buster suggested.

“How could you allow her to take me? How could you not know?”

Louie dropped his head and looked at his palms, as if he were trying to read them. Or perhaps to see the past or maybe the future. “I didn’t know. I promise you. I … did no t… know. It was just one time. That’s all. Just one night. A couple of months before we graduated.”

For a moment, the silence was deafening. He looked up at Vera. “I’m sorry.”

“What happened then?” Vera demanded.

“She left. Right after graduation. Sent me a note. All it said was, ‘I am so sorry.’ He walked over to the picture of Louie and Julia with their graduation class and took it from the wall. He flipped it over and removed the back, producing a small note card. He offered it to Vera. She scrutinized it and then the man.

“Why didn’t you go after her? Did you no longer want her?”

“Of course I did. I was in love with her. I had been for some time. More than you can imagine. After that one night, I thought, ‘This is it!’ I made plans for us both. I was going to marry her. And we would open a restaurant, become a family and live the dream. But they were just my plans. Not hers. She had her own dreams. She told me she loved me and that we would always be friends, with an emphasis on the ‘friends’. I was heartbroken.”

Vera could not take her eyes off the note. Between looks at Louie, she examined the words again and again as he continued.

“When she left, I was angry and hurt for years. I tried to push her out of my mind. I didn’t even want to cook anymore. So I took a job with Food Critic. And that’s when I ran across her again at a culinary event.”

Drawn into the story, Cate interjected, “That must have sent you for a loop.”

Vera handed Louie the note back. He took it with a nod and look of acknowledgment, and placed it back in the frame as he spoke. “Ever had a mule kick you?” He gave a halfhearted, single laugh. Hanging the picture, he turned back and said, “It’s something like that. But imagine the mule having spiked heels.” The bitterness in his voice was obvious. He then sat down.

“What was worse, she was no longer Julianna Durbin. Just Julia. The event was to announce the launch of a new show, Julia’s Kitchen on the Water, centered on her first restaurant. A joint enterprise with Asa Karas, her fiancé.”

Buster blinked several times. “Big guy. That’s just … harsh.”

“Tell me about it. I wanted so much to hate her even more. But when she spotted me and made her way over to hug me…” Louie shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess I realized right then and there that I’d never shake her. I’d have to settle for being a shadow in her life. An old memory. I’d never have a life with her. Or a family.” Vera rose and moved to his chair. She leaned down and put her arms around his neck, drawing him up into a hug. “You can’t say that now, can you?” Once again, silence echoed, and time stopped, if just in the minds of those present. The sound of Buster’s sniffles broke it.

The sound made both daughter and father laugh, not with sadness for lost years, but with happiness. Louie leaned back to give Vera a good look. He gave a big smile. “You look so much like her. Your being here, it’s a miracle, you know. She wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant.”

Vera once again wrapped her arms around her new found father. “I’m mad at her. She should have told us.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons. We’ll just have to figure them out together.”

Vera affirmed with a smile. “I like the sound of that.”

“This has been an … eventful day,” Hannah interrupted.

“To say the least,” Cate agreed. “Not to break the family dramatic reveal, but now comes the obvious question. What next?” She held up the papers from the safe. “These little jewels mean a lot of things to a lot of people.”

Louie rubbed his jaw. “Yeah. It means Asa stands to lose a lot of money to my little girl here.” He looked at Vera and winked. “You are going to keep daddy up in the lifestyle he is accustomed to, right?”

Vera looked at him with a quizzical expression.

“Just kidding, dear. Just kidding. I’m new at this whole father-daughter thing.”

“And you’re off to a whiz bang start,” Cate joked. “Anyway, we can’t forget Buster’s ex.”

“She’s not my ex,” Buster insisted.

“Of course she’s not,” Cate offered in a sarcastic tone. “Anyway, she also stands to lose. Wait until word gets out about Julia Karas’ daughter. That is going to put a kink in Jazlyn’s working booty.”

Vera stood silently. The expression creeping onto her face told Hannah that the idea of putting Jazlyn in her place sounded delicious to her. “The tiger awakes,” Hannah noted to herself.

Hannah agreed with both Louie and Cate. “Her romance du jour with Miller also gives him a motive. I’m willing to bet his intentions are less libido driven and more monetary.”

Vera considered Hannah’s proposition. “He did ask me if I could get him a copy of her contract with Asa.”

Hannah grinned. “If he could get her to sign with him, Asa couldn’t force him out and he could assure his meal ticket. If he somehow stumbled across what Julia was working toward, he’d have, in literal terms, millions of reasons to kill Julia.”

Cate blew out a breath. “Three possible motives. Three potential killers.”

Louie frowned. “Wait. Just tossing this out there to be on the up and up. Aren’t I a suspect now? After all this?”

Everyone paused and waited for Hannah to answer before giving their opinions.

“I’ll be honest with you. I have had my concerns. Julia meant so much to you that at times it clouds your judgment. But a man showed me that gut instinct is a valuable thing. And I’m going with mine. I don’t think you could hurt Julia, regardless of how angry you got. You’ve had chances over the years. Opportunities. Been within her proximity because you both run in the same circles to a degree. But you never have. Don’t give me a reason to believe otherwise and I won’t.” Looking to Vera, she added. “Same goes for you.”

“I can make you that promise,” Vera confirmed. “So what should I do?”

Hannah leaned down and picked up the papers. “First, we find a safe place for these.”

“I’ve got a safe.” He pointed to Critic, who had been sitting next to Hannah during the past half hour. “And a guard dog.”

Critic wagged his tail at Louie’s recognition and Buster laughed aloud.

“Old Critic? Big Guy, I love him as much as you, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Louie snapped his fingers and Critic jumped to his feet. “Buster is going to get your bone!” Louie said and pointed. The Mastiff started toward Buster, teeth flared, head down, and eyes forward. He emitted a low, deep, threatening growl. He stopped just before Buster but remained poised and snarling. After a second, Louie snapped his fingers and said, “Friend.“ Critic sat, and his tail began to shift back and forth. “Make up.” Critic leaned forward and put his head down, ready for pets, which Buster gave with no hesitation.

“Are we good now, old boy?” Buster asked in a nervous voice.

“You’re good,” Louie affirmed. “But I wouldn’t go anywhere near that safe. I’m putting his bone in there with these papers.”

“Great,” Hannah said. “Tomorrow, we find the attorney that drew these up and start sorting through all this.”

Louie looked around at everyone. “You know what? This has been a lot to take in today. To be honest, it’s taken a lot out of me. I’m hungry. What say we celebrate with some late night fare?”

“I do have a taste for some waffles,” Vera admitted.

“That was your mother’s favorite,” Louie said in a pleased voice. “How about I whip up a batch?”

“I don’t want you to trouble yourself. Besides, it’s late. And I need to get home.”

It was late, but Hannah remained wide-awake. Something bothered her, and she was not quite yet willing to give in to sleep. “Given everything, it might be best if you stayed here. I doubt Louie would mind.

“Need you ask?” Louie piped in.

Turning to Hannah, Cate asked, “So who is this attorney we’re going to see again?”

“Gus Sullivan. According to the will, he’s the one who drew it up.”

As they all finished their breakfast, the group retreated to the car. Buster parted company with the gang and headed for the festival. “I’d be in the way,” he explained. “Besides, today is the sampling day! You can tell me all about it later.” With that, he headed to the cab that was waiting outside. The rest headed for downtown.

The trip was short, and the law office was easy to locate. Once inside, the group encountered the attorney’s secretary who tried to set a meeting for a later date. Once Louie announced who he was and introduced Vera as his daughter, remarking about the Will, she called her boss. Seconds later she pointed the way into his office.

After making introductions to all as Gus Sullivan, he arranged for everyone to have a seat. Hannah sized the man up, per usual. Short. Thin. White hair. Mid sixties. Perhaps sixty-five. Intense. And at the moment, unsettled.

Although he had been cordial upon their entry, he frowned at them over his reading glasses. “What’s this about Ms. Karas and her will?” He spoke in a gruff, almost accusatory voice.

Vera handed Sullivan a copy of the will they had made, and he scanned it. Hannah could tell from the speed in which he did so that he was already familiar with the document. “Where did you get this?”

Vera looked at him with a calm expression. “From my mother’s safe. The key came to me after she passed.”

Well played
, Hannah considered to herself. Everything Vera said was true, but the circumstances were more complicated. It was a fact she was not going to reveal until necessary. Although prepared to speak on Vera’s behalf, Hannah was content for now to just listen and watch how she handled it herself.

“Mr. Sullivan, we’re concerned about this will as it pertains to my mother’s death.”

“Yes,” affirmed Louie as he readjusted himself and cleared his throat. As Hannah understood this, even after all that had happened, the word ‘death’ in relation to his beloved Julia was hard for him to hear. But at least now he was acknowledging it.

The attorney’s expression changed. The unsettled expression gave way to reflection and concern. “I knew something was wrong. She seemed troubled when she asked me to draw these up.”

“Troubled?” asked Vera. “How so?”

“Well, for one thing, it all came about so strangely.”

After an exchange of looks between everyone, Vera looked to Hannah, who took it to mean that she was unsure how to proceed. Hannah turned back to Sullivan. “Could you explain a little more? “

“Ms. Karas and I met about a year-and-a-half ago at her annual food charity event. The Ball of Bellies masquerade. I was there just to drop off a donation, and maybe get a picture for the wall.” He pointed to the bookcase behind his desk. On the upper shelf was a picture of him smiling in a tuxedo, his arm locked with Julia’s. “Clients love that kind of thing. Anyway, we chatted just for a moment, and when she found out I was an attorney, she asked me for my card, which I thought was odd.”

“Why?”

“Well, for starters, she husband must have had a slew of my kind on the payroll. Why would she need me? Then I wondered if she might be getting a divorce. But given the stakes to such a thing, a woman of her means wouldn’t turn to some everyday street lawyer such as myself. Regardless, I gave her one. She thanked me, and we went our separate ways. Then about two weeks before she died, she just shows up without an appointment and asks if I could draw up a change of will. She handed me all the paperwork I would need right then and there.”

“Is that unusual?”

“Yeah. Most people have no clue. They get the basics from the Internet, but there’s always something they forget. Not her. From her understanding of the process, I’d say she had been researching it. She had specific designs for it. To be honest, it was almost as if she were hiring me just for my signature.”

“When did she pick them up?”

“About a week later. She wanted to look them over before signing and having them notarized. I assumed she would do that here, but she never made it back. We had an appointment for the next week to complete the process but of course, that’s when she passed.” He looked down at the papers. “I guess she took care of it herself.”