Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 01 - The Chef at the Water's Edge Read Free Page A

more nefarious reasons.” From the tone of his voice, Hannah detected concern in her handsome friend. She took a breath, and then tried to ease his fears. “Look, Buster. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to rain on his dreams. I had planned to go to the event anyway. But it’s nice of him to put us up. While I’m here, I will be happy to check out his theory. And, of course, I will look into the death of Julia in more detail, as well. I must admit that the news reports seemed rather shallow for such a famous person.”
    Reassured by Hannah’s words, Buster perked up. “They say Julia’s companies have struggled ever since. But with his niece stepping up to continue the dream Julia started, they are beginning to come alive again.”
    This new information intrigued Hanna as she began to consider all the facts of the looming case. “Her name is Jazlyn, right? Jazlyn Karas? I’ve read about her. Impressive resume. No doubt, Julia was grooming her for big things.
    “I’m sure. Trust me, this is the one I want to see. If her pictures do her justice, she is a sight.” Buster drifted off for a second, mumbling as he recounted out loud what he remembered of the woman. “I saw a picture of her. Short, glossy black hair. Piercing green eyes and a cocky grin. Curvy, with big--”
    Cate interrupted Buster by snapping her fingers inches from his face.
    “Hey. Snap out of it, lover boy,” Cate insisted. It caused him to jump, much to both Hannah and his cousin’s amusement.
    Returning to the subject, Cate drew down her brow and twisted a lip, which was a sign Hannah knew to mean hard concentration. “Jazlyn. Jazlyn. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her, but then I don’t follow the culinary world.” She reached over and tapped on Hannah’s shoulder. “That’s what you are for.”
    “Uh-huh. You and everyone else. Anyway, she’s not well known, and for a reason. Julia’s husband, Asa, has been keeping her close at hand. I had to go through my professional channels to find out anything on her. She’s cute, all right. I can see why Buster has ideas about that one.”
    “He has always been partial to tall women with black hair,” Cate continued to tease. “Yes, I think we are in for a Buster show.” Hannah and Cate laughed as Buster rolled his eyes.
    After a moment, when the women’s laughter died down, Hannah once again turned her attention to the subject at hand. “I have read that some of Julia’s old chefs are preparing food in hopes of getting their old jobs back.”
    Cate nodded, running a hand through her short black hair. “Yeah, Julia and Asa paid well, but in return they expected absolute loyalty. When that story broke on an insider giving out secrets about the house that Julia built, it was the beginning of the end of a dynasty.”
    “Most of them have scattered, from the news I read,” Buster added as he looked down into an empty bag. “We should have brought more snacks.”
    Cate grabbed the bag and looked inside at all the empty wrappers. “Oh for heaven’s sake.” She held the bag out for Hannah to see.
    Hannah peeked inside. “Not unexpected.”
    “Anyway,” Cate continued, “Julia’s first assistant, Vera Bessinger. She was heir to the show right up until just before Julia’s death, and stayed on. But, for some reason, that’s all changed now.”
    Hanna stared ahead and mulled over what she had gleaned so far. “A deceased celebrity chef. A festival in her honor. A town hanging onto a past lost forever. A distraught husband. An assistant spurned in favor of the beautiful niece who stepped into her place. And an overzealous fan convinced she faked her own death.” Clicking off the information in her head like a laundry list, she thought to herself,
As cases went, this one has an auspicious beginning
. “It’s going to be an interesting weekend.”

Chapter 2
    Nearing the small, private airport for Zebulon, Hannah radioed the tower for clearance. One uneventful landing