“Duh. Because they’re classics? You have to have a shower scene.”
“I thought that went out of style afterPsycho. Hard to beat the master of suspense.”
“Well, it still works, doesn’t it? I mean, I can’t watch a scene like that.” She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Now I gave myself away.”
He laughed again.“You’d make a terrible killer. You’d crack during the first interview, and confess all of your crimes.”
“I wouldn’t even be interviewed. I’ve got one of those innocent faces. The police would take one look at me and would know I could never commit murder.”
“That’s true enough,” he admitted. “You’ve got one of those honest, open faces. A face that displays everything that goes through your mind.”
Oops. She hoped that the fact that she had a big secret to hide would never go through her head. Aaaand of course it just had. She tried to look innocent, opening her eyes wide and giving him her best, innocent smile.
“Now you look like you’re about to lay an egg,” he said skeptically.
“I do not!”
“Just kidding.”
They sat there for a moment, enjoying a cup o’ Joe and each other’s company, and she wondered if there would ever be a repetition of the kiss he’d given her the other day in her parents’ backyard. She’d kinda liked that kiss, and had hoped there were more where that one came from.
They locked eyes for a moment, and she wondered if he could read that particular thought on her face. He gave her a small smile, and she returned it.
“So, the crime scene,” he said finally, ending their little moment.
“Yes, the crime scene. Tell me all about it. In gruesome detail.”
“Though not too gruesome. Well, apparently the killer somehow managed to stuff the body of our celebrity chef into the oven and—”
“Wait, stuff him in the oven? How big is this oven?”
“Big enough to roast a body, which is what they did.”
“Niklaus Skad was roasted?”
“Yes, roasted like a pig. Or a duck. Or whatever you want to roast.”
“Eww. Now I don’t want to roast anything.”
“Yeah, me neither,” he admitted.
“At least did they kill him first before roasting him?”
Chase lifted his massive shoulders in a shrug.“Dunno. It’s up to Abe to figure that out.”
Abe Cornwall was the county coroner and a very able professional. If anyone could figure out what had killed the celebrity chef, it was him.
“I’d say he’s got his work cut out for him,” Chase continued. “The body was completely unrecognizable. Had been simmering all night.”
Odelia shivered in spite of herself. Now here was one of those moments she wanted to close her eyes and then peek at the screen from between her fingers.“Yuck.” Her eyes widened. “You don’t think they shoved him in there alive, do you? That would be a terrible way to go.”
“Abe doesn’t think so. If that were the case there would have been claw marks or signs that he’d tried to escape. Most likely scenario is that he was knocked out—either dead or unconscious—before being cooked.”
“So do you and Uncle Alec have any suspects?”
“Plenty. There’s the owners of the restaurant, who were afraid to lose their business if Niklaus labeled them incompetent. There’s the chef, who seemed to be the one Niklaus singled out for abuse the most. And then there’s the other staff, who clearly all hated Niklaus and wanted him gone.”
“I talked to the Stowes. They have an alibi.”
She explained to him about the Echo, and Chase had to laugh.
“That must be one of the most original alibis I’ve ever heard. Oh, and we’ll definitely check if it’s true.”
“I’ll bet you will,” she said with a grin.
“Don’t worry. I’ll give you the PG-13 version,” he said.
“Hey! I may be scared of scary movies, but I’m old enough to hear all the saucy bits they ordered on Amazon!”
His grin spread.“I’ll bet you’re dying to find out.”
“So I can order some of that stuff myself? In your dreams, buddy.”
“You’re right about that,” he said, and his look gave her an instant hot flash. Oh, boy. Was she in trouble or not? “Anyway,” he continued. “Next on our list is Hendrik Serarols, who’s pulled a disappearing act.”
“Have you tried his house?”
“Apartment. Yes, a couple of unis went by his place. Nobody home.”
“Unis?”
“Uniformed officers. Sorry. Force of habit.”
Just then, Odelia’s phone rang and she saw that it was her grandmother. “I have to take this. It’s Gran.”
“I’ll get us another round, shall I?” he suggested, and disappeared inside.
“Hey, Gran. What’s up?”
“Odelia, honey, the strangest thing has happened. I was opening a present I got from Leo and—”
“Who’s Leo?”
“Oh, just a guy I’m seeing.”
“You’re seeing a guy?”
“Yes, I’m seeing a guy. Can’t I see a guy? You’re seeing a guy.”
“I’m not seeing a guy.”
“I saw you kissing that cop.”
“That was… nothing.”
“If that was nothing I’d like to see what something looks like.”
She pressed her fingers to her brow.“So you were opening Leo’s present?”
“Yeah, a nice cashmere sweater. Not sure why he would buy me a cashmere sweater in the summer, unless it’s to tell me he wants me to cover up more, but from the way he’s all over me every time we go out I can tell that’s not it. So that’s a mixed message right there. Anyway, I guess there’s no accounting for taste.” She paused. “What was I talking about?”
“You opened the present and something strange happened?”
“That’s right. There was a note inside the sweater.”
“A note? What note?”
“I didn’t see it at first. I just saw it when I cut off the label. I always cut off the label. It just pricks my skin. I hate it. Don’t you hate it? They should make it softer. Like velvety soft. I’ve got delicate skin, so—”
“Gran…”
“So I cut off the label and there it was, neatly folded inside the label, a little note. I had to put on my glasses to read it.”
“What did it say?”
“Wait—where are my glasses? They keep stealing them from me. Oh, they’re on top of my head. Hey, not so fast! Sit down and wait. The doctor will be with you soon!”
Gran was obviously at work, at Dad’s doctor’s office, bullying the patients into submission as usual. “So what does the label say?”
“Hold your horses. Not so fast. Lemme just put these on and… ‘WE PRISONERS! PLEASE HELP PLEASE!’ Notice how it says Please twice? Whoever wrote this has got good manners. Want me to read it again?”
“No, I think I got it,” she said, holding the phone away from her ear. Gran had shouted the message so loud her eardrum was still buzzing. She watched as three cats came trudging up to her. They were Max, Dooley and Brutus, and they looked like they had some very important news to impart. “Isit all right if I drop by later? I’d like to take a closer look at this note.”
“Sure thing, honey. I’ll be here all day. Sit down, buddy—this is my final warning! SIT! Like I said, I’ll be here all day, helping these nice people.”
Odelia disconnected, and wondered what this was all about. She’d heard about people finding messages in their clothes or household devices. Stuff made in developing countries, where working conditions were appalling. This was probably such a case. It just hurt her heart when she heard stories like that.
“Hey, you guys,” she said, lowering her head to the three cats. “Any news?”
“Yes,” Max said. “The new cat? Diego? He’s got to go. He’s bad news.”
Chapter 5
“That cat’s got to go,” I repeated, in case Odelia hadn’t heard me the first time.
“Yeah, he’s a terrible, horrible animal,” Dooley chimed in.
“He took Harriet away from me,” Brutus said. “Just like that.”