Too Many Cooks by Joanne Pence Read Free Book Online Page A

restaurateur to suddenly go sailing off a cliff in the mountains for no good reason is more than a little suspicious, if you ask me. Which I hope you do.”
    He walked to the sofa and sat, took a sip of the beer, and placed the glass on a coaster before looking up at her. “Now, how about starting at the beginning?”
    She couldn’t believe how calmly and casually he sat there while she was head-to-toe nerves over all this. “Wait a minute,” she said. “You do know he’s dead, right?”
    â€œWho’s dead?”
    She threw up her hands. “Karl Wielund! Who do you think I’ve been talking about?”
    â€œUntil you said he was successful, I thought you were talking about Henry.”
    â€œHenry! It’s just his show that’s dead, not Henry. He’s alive and well and probably in his restaurant giving customers ptomaine right as we speak. I’m talking about Karl. We ate at his restaurant the other night.”
    â€œThe owner of Wielund’s is dead? The owner of the place that’s so popular you said other restaurant owners would love to skewer him like a shish kebab if they ever got him in a dark alley?”
    She frowned. “I did say that, didn’t I?”
    â€œWhat happened to him?”
    â€œThey say it was an accident in the mountains. But I was talking to his assistant manager, Eileen Powell, who flew back from Paris when she heard the news, and I told her I used to be a good friend of Karl—or notsuch a good friend, but you know what I mean—and she said nobody believes Karl went to the mountains. It just wasn’t like him.”
    â€œI see.”
    He saw, all right, and he’d known this same thing to happen many times in the past. People get involved in a murder, like Angie did last October, and next thing you know they’re seeing murders under every corpse. He gazed at her, at the excitement in her face—the thrill of the chase, so similar to the look he’d seen on the faces of rookies when the dispatcher gave them their first big call.
    â€œI’m sorry to hear he was in an accident, Angie. But he was up in the mountains, and it’s winter, even though you might not know it looking out at the blue skies of San Francisco. The Sierras are treacherous this time of year.”
    â€œI know. I grew up hearing gory tales of the Donner Party. But that’s not what happened. Something more did. I can feel it.”
    â€œThe Sierras aren’t my jurisdiction.”
    She folded her arms. “But he lived in your jurisdiction. What if he was forced there from his house?”
    He shook his head.
    She said in a hushed voice, “What if he was kidnapped?”
    â€œI doubt that.”
    She paused. “Are you hungry? How about some dinner? You can relax; then maybe we can talk about it more later.”
    â€œActually, I came by to ask you how you’d feel about a pizza and a movie.”
    She looked at him with surprise. “Why, that sounds great. We’ve never gone to the movies together. And Ilove films. In fact, there’s a new Czech film playing at the Bridge that I’ve wanted to see. Do you mind subtitles?”
    â€œNo. But instead, how about German, like the new Schwarzenegger movie at the North Point?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “How do you feel about Tom Cruise?”
    He winced. “Chuck Norris?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Sean Connery?”
    He grinned. “Sold.”
    â€œLet’s go.” She grabbed her purse. “But first, are you busy Sunday night?”
    â€œThat depends on what you had in mind.”
    â€œYou are so full of yourself sometimes, Inspector. Anyway, Eileen said—”
    â€œBy Eileen, you mean the manager of Wielund’s, right?”
    â€œAssistant manager. Eileen said she and the chef, Mark Dustman, will hold a memorial service at Karl’s restaurant late Sunday, after most of the other restaurants are