THE REAL GYRO (Food Truck Mysteries Book 4) Read Free Page A

I was here to serve and make cash.
    After a few more minutes of talking, Sam turned and stormed away. He deliberately walked the longer way around the square to avoid my truck’s location. Instead of letting him down easy for being too pushy, I was being purposely ignored by a date I hadn’t wanted. I didn’t know whether I should be relieved or annoyed.
    I shrugged and tried to play it off, but Land kept watching me even as he went back to the kitchen area of the truck. I went back to work and tried to not think about what I’d just seen.
    It seemed very odd that Sam had not mentioned Janelle when he’d learned what I did for a living. It would be an open invitation to ask if I knew her. For some reason, he’d wanted to keep that information to himself and not ask about her. I wondered why.
    The most obvious answer was that he’d had a previous relationship with Janelle. Given that he’d come to see her at work, it was likely a fresh break-up. I wondered which of them would be more likely to drop the other.
    We finished up the shift. I was about ready to close the window when Detective Jax Danvers showed up for some coffee. He looked as rough as Land. Danvers, who prided himself on his appearance, had the top button of his shirt undone and his tie pulled down to hide the second button. I comped him the coffee just because I didn’t want to have to recount the register’s till from today—and I might have felt the slightest bit sorry for him too.
    He looked over to where Land was at and said, “You left your phone at my place last night.” He put the cellphone on the counter and left it there. Land glanced at me before picking up the phone and stuffing it in a pocket.
    I wasn’t entirely surprised. I already knew that Land and Danvers had had some sort of prior history before coming to Capital City. I suspected it was military in some manner from hints that had been given over the past year, but no one ever would tell me exactly what the relationship was. Land was not one to give up his secrets easily. Yet it made for an uneasy relationship between the two men now that one was a police officer while the other was a chef. I suspected—or maybe hoped—that Land had been the senior officer during their previous working relationship. In part I suspected as much because Danvers could be almost deferential to Land in certain matters.
    The men were mostly pleasant to each other, but were not friendly in the slightest. Land had warned me on several occasions about Danvers, telling me that I shouldn’t trust him. So for them to be seeing each other during their non-work time meant that something criminal was likely to be happening.
    Of course, Land didn’t say anything. Danvers watched both of us, likely wondering what I knew about his working relationship with Land.
    “So how have you been?” I asked, trying to be polite even though I was left out of this conversation.
    “Good. I’ve been busy with work. That’s about all.” He shrugged which pulled a side of his shirt out of his waistband. Whatever had kept Danvers up last night was important enough for him to ignore his grooming today. I had rarely seen him this disheveled, even after being shot at.
    “Did Land tell you that we’re getting ready to open a second truck?” I asked. If no one was going to spill about last night, I would just change the subject.
    “No, he didn’t, but that’s great.” Danvers took a long swig of his coffee. “I have to run. See you around soon, I’m sure.”
    With that, Danvers was gone, and it was just the two of us again. I finished my work, and took the food truck back to the secured lot. I stayed around long enough to talk to the lot manager about a second spot in the secured parking lot for the new food truck and then headed home.
     
    Carter was back the next day. He was waiting for the food truck on Elm Street when I arrived with the truck. I hadn’t yet given him a set of keys to the food truck. That required a