The Gourmet Girl Mysteries, Volume 1

by Jessica Conant-Park

  “This is Josh’s kitchen,” said Brian, sounding like one child blaming another, “and anything that happens here is because of him. But you know what? It’s time for things to change. You told me you were going to get rid of Josh and make me the executive chef.”

  “Josh, you can come work for me!” Tim sounded overjoyed at what he probably saw as the salvation of Essence.

  Maddie spun around and glowered at Tim. “So now you’re going to steal my chef, too? First you leave me, then you open Essence, which is almost an exact duplicate of Magellan, and now you want my chef, too?” Seething, Madeline walked slowly toward Tim and spoke deliberately. “You want the best chef in the city? Too bad. You had him. And you gave him up and left, all because of your little blonde whore.” She snickered. “And you wonder why I sent you Ian? You are so stupid! You didn’t begin to guess.”

  Tim backed into a corner and practically shriveled up.

  Brian, however, was still preoccupied with his boss’s false promises. His face showed shock, but his voice revealed rage. “The best chef in the city? What about me?” Brian screamed. “What about ME!”

  “Brian,” I said gently, “I think Madeline lied to you.”

  Brian looked at me for the first time. “Did you follow me here, Chloe?” he demanded furiously.

  I took a step back to position myself close to Josh. “No, I didn’t follow you, Brian. I came here to warn Josh about you.”

  “Warn me about Brian?” Josh asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “He works at Home Depot. In the paint section. Where he uses neon orange spray paint to label cans of paint. Probably the same paint found near Eric’s body,” I stammered out. I started to shake. “And the knife,” I continued, “the two of you sharpen your knives differently, and—”

  “Shut up, Chloe!” Brian shouted. “Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about! Everything that’s gone wrong is Madeline’s fault!” He turned back to Madeline, his eyes full of tears and fury. “You bitch! I did everything you asked me to. Everything! You promised me!” With speed and agility surprising in someone so clumsy, Brian reached to his right and grabbed a lethal-looking knife from the counter. It was six or eight inches long and had a thin, narrow blade. I had a vague recollection that it was meant for skinning or perhaps for boning fish. “You promised me!” He held the knife out in front of him, his hand surprisingly steady.

  Uninterested in heroism, I backed up yet more and bumped into something. Turning my head, I saw that I was resting against the rim of the gigantic stainless-steel restaurant sink, which had mammoth draining racks and an oversized sprayer. When I looked forward, Brian was moving in on Madeline, his arm raised, the knife heading toward her throat.

  Then, with no warning, Josh rushed at Brian.

  In terror, I turned rapidly around, grabbed the industrial-strength water sprayer from the sink, aimed, and squeezed its trigger. Before Josh could take another step toward the shining blade in his sous chef’s hand, a massive, powerful jet of water caught him in the back of the head, knocked him off balance, and saved him from the knife-wielding Brian. Soaked in cold water, Josh yelped in surprise.

  With superb presence of mind, Madeline, who’d continued to hold the cast-iron pan in both hands, raised it high in the air, moved toward Brian, took an audible breath, and smashed the pan down hard on the crown of Brian’s head. Twice. He fell to the floor, and Madeline raised the pan yet again and was about to deliver a final blow when Tim grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away.

  “Jesus Christ. Okay, Maddie. He’s down. It’s over.”

  Josh got up and rushed over to Brian, who was curled up on the floor and clutching his head in agony. It was hard to believe that he was still conscious.

  “Oh my God. Brian.” Josh leaned over him.

  Brian managed to open his eyes and to speak softly and hoarsely. “I’m so sorry, Josh.” Brian began sobbing. “You know I didn’t take your knife, right? I know better. No one touches your knives, like you always say. I wouldn’t do that, Josh. I’d never do that if you said not to.”

  With gruff affection, Josh replied, “I know you wouldn’t. So who did?”

  “Maddie. She gave it to me.”

  “No!” screamed Maddie, who was still in Tim’s grip. “I didn’t do anything. It was Brian! He did it! He killed Eric!”

  Brian shook his head a little. I had to strain to hear him. “She said she’d make me executive chef. She said she’d give me your job. That’s all I wanted, Josh. I just wanted to be like you. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble, Josh. With the health code stuff, you know? But I figured you’d be okay, right? And I didn’t mean for you to get hurt by the fire or the knife I put in the drawer. I just wanted to get you out of the kitchen for a while so I could have my chance.” He looked up at me. “Chloe, you’re right about everything. About the paint, about … She said she had to destroy Essence.”

  I had to ask. “Did you sharpen the knife before you killed Eric?”

  “Yeah,” Brian nodded. “And then, that night, when Maddie told me to, I just snuck over to Essence. No one even paid any attention to me. Ever. No one ever even noticed me.” Brian passed out.

  Josh pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. I saw him dial 911.

  “Josh,” I said, “remember you told me Maddie kept calling Tim that night to check on how things were going with Eric? She was waiting to see if there was an opportunity to send Brian over to kill Eric.”

  Madeline began ranting. Brian was delusional, she claimed. He had a concussion and was delirious. He was imagining things! Who could believe—

  “Madeline, shut up!” Josh snapped before telling the 911 operator to send an ambulance and the police to Magellan and giving the restaurant’s address.

  I guessed that it would take the paramedics and police at least ten minutes to show up. I was wrong. In no time, Detective Hurley came bursting in through the back door. “Chloe, I told you to go home. You’re not on the payroll, you know,” he huffed. Looming over the unconscious Brian, he said, “Forensics is running a check on the knife as we speak. What happened here?”

  I sighed. “Brian isn’t the only person in major trouble here.”

  The detective looked to Josh.

  “No,” I said, “not Josh. Madeline.” I gestured behind me. “She convinced Brian to murder Eric. She promised to make him her executive chef. Her divorce from Tim wasn’t the amicable parting of ways everyone thought. She hated Tim. She wanted to see him suffer. She wanted Essence to fail. Getting Brian to murder Eric guaranteed that he wouldn’t put money into the restaurant, and at the same time, it tarnished Essence’s reputation. Brian admitted it before he passed out.”

  “Where’d she go?” he asked.

  I looked toward the spot where Tim and Maddie had been standing. They had disappeared.

  TWENTY-ONE

  At eleven o’clock the next morning, I snuggled up to Josh and kissed him awake. “Hi, sleepy,” I murmured.

  “Hey, babe.” Josh gave a stretch and growl of contentment. “Finally,” he sighed.

  “I know. I was starting to doubt whether we’d ever—”

  “Oh, but we did,” he cut in. “And it was goood!” He laughed. To prove his point, he moved on top of me.

  When we finally emerged from the bedroom, I went to the kitchen and opened the new coffeemaker Josh had bought for me. When Detective Hurley had finally finished questioning us on the previous day, we’d left Magellan and both gotten into Josh’s Xterra. I’d been too shaky to drive and had yet again left my car illegally parked.

  “We’re going to get you a new coffeepot,” Josh had announced. “And then I’m taking you home, making love to you all night, and waking up to—what will it be? An improved cup of coffee. Among other things.”

  In fact, we decided to spend the entire day making coffee. So to speak. And other things. I called in sick to my field placement. I’d eventually have to return to Naomi and her miniature office, w
here I’d be drowned in syrupy hugs and forced to participate in hand-holding that I couldn’t face yet. As it turned out, Josh, on the other hand, didn’t even have a job to go to.

  Here’s why. When Tim and Madeline disappeared from Magellan, they didn’t flee to some exotic country or do anything else juicy and dramatic. Rather, the police found them together at Essence. In spite of everything Tim had just seen and heard, he refused to believe that Madeline had participated in arranging Eric’s murder. As Josh and I learned when Tim called on Wednesday, he was so outraged at the accusation against dear Maddie that he had hired the best criminal defense lawyer in Boston to represent her. Tim’s loyalty to his ex-wife failed, however, to stop him from begging Josh to come to work for him at Essence. On Thursday, when he again called to try to steal Madeline’s chef, we learned just how good the lawyer was: Madeline wasn’t even in custody. As Tim pointed out, it was Brian’s word against hers. Despite Brian’s injuries, he actually was capable of speech, or so Tim reported. Unlike Madeline, he was, however, in no financial position to hire a lawyer and was consequently in the hands of a court-appointed defense attorney. What’s more, the evidence against him was and remains strong. He’ll probably go to prison and, specifically, to a prison kitchen. At least he’ll have a chance to keep cooking, and the other inmates will no doubt notice a remarkable improvement in the food.

  On Friday, Tim quit trying to lure Josh to work at Essence, which he had finally decided to close. To my astonishment, he informed us that he was rejoining Madeline at Magellan. I assume that Madeline was taking back her ex as a ploy to convince everyone of her innocence. In any case, the newly reunited couple, angry at Josh’s continued insistence on Madeline’s guilt, immediately fired Josh.

  Madeline, with her usual spin-doctor charm, used all of her media contacts to play the story in her favor. She skillfully presented herself as a superlative restaurant owner who gave a troubled young sous chef a chance to work in a top restaurant. Unfortunately, the young man was more disturbed than she’d known and had gone to extreme lengths to climb the culinary ladder. In her version of the story, Brian was furious at her for not promoting him and killed Eric in an attempt to frame her. Oh, please. Tim was welcome to her. When asked why her executive chef was leaving, Madeline insisted that it was a mutual parting of ways and that she wished Josh Driscoll the best. Bitch. As it turns out, Madeline was far from the generous, giving, supportive ex-wife everyone thought she was. So much for my personality assessment skills. I’d have to read up on pathological lying, among other things. God, wait until I got back to Group Therapy; my classmates would have a field day with me.

  That weekend, as Josh was cooking another phenomenal dinner for me, I asked him what would happen to all the staff from Essence. Cassie and Katrina? Joelle? Garrett and his kitchen staff?

  “See? That’s why you’re in social work school. God, I haven’t even thought about those guys.” Josh shook a hot skillet full of squash, mushrooms, and red peppers. “I’m not sure. They’re all great. Some of them might go back to Magellan, but I definitely know that Garrett’s out of a job. Tim’s blaming him, among other people, for Essence doing so badly. I’m sure I’ll run into some of them again. Boston is not that big a town. Every time I go out to eat I see someone I know working there. Anywhere.” He smiled at me. “They’ll be okay, don’t worry.”

  “And what about you? Do you have any leads on another job yet?” I knew Josh was miserable about losing the best cooking gig he’d ever had. And for having had so much faith in Madeline.

  “No. I’ve got some calls in to friends around town, but there aren’t that many good chef jobs out there. There’s some crappy stuff, you know, working in corporate cafeterias, universities, all that stuff. Those have good benefits, at least.”

  Oh, no. The thought of Josh’s talent going to waste in a college dining hall made me sick to my stomach. “No, Josh. You are not taking a job like that. There’s got to be something else.”

  “We’ll see,” he said with obvious doubt in his voice. “I’ve got a headhunter to call, too. He might have something.”

  “I’m sure he will. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around his chest. “Oh, hey. I’ve been meaning to ask you. Did you know that Tim and Veronica had a thing together? He told me that before we went into Magellan.”

  “I didn’t know about that one until Maddie called her a blonde whore. But I’m sure Veronica’s downstairs right now with Noah, if you want to go ask her about it. Half those people have slept with the other half, but I had no idea about Tim and Veronica. I always tried to keep out of the gossip since I could never keep up with it anyway.”

  “Are you telling me you weren’t ever part of that gossip?” I teased.

  “Of course not. I was all innocent and sweet until you corrupted me.” He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. “And, truthfully, I’m feeling a little vulnerable right now.”

  “I intend to take full advantage of that. Right after you finish cooking.” I hugged Josh tighter. “Oh, and what about Ian? I can’t imagine Tim would give him a reference!”

  “Not likely, but he’ll get another job somewhere, no problem.”

  I guess the Ians of the world are everywhere. Perfect chefs, of course, are not. But I got lucky. I found mine.

  RECIPES

  You don’t have to be a professional chef to make the romantic dinner that Josh served to Chloe. Here are the recipes for all three courses. Notice that many steps in the preparation may be completed well ahead of time. Bon appétit!

  Biff and Radicchio Salad

  with Three-Tomato Vinaigrette

  1 head Bibb lettuce

  1 head radicchio

  2 ounces goat cheese, dry enough to crumble

  Remove the stems from the Bibb and radicchio, and wash and dry the leaves very carefully. Layer the leaves, alternating colors, on individual serving plates. Use four or five leaves of each. Drizzle with the tomato vinaigrette and then crumble the goat cheese around the leaves.

  Three-Tomato Vinaigrette

  1 red tomato

  1 green tomato

  1 yellow tomato

  1 tbsp. minced garlic

  2 tbsp. red onion, diced

  2 tbsp. fresh oregano or ½ tbsp. dried

  2 tbsp. fresh marjoram or ½ tbsp. dried

  ½ tbsp. honey

  ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar

  ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

  Salt and pepper, to taste

  Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out and discard the seeds and liquid. Dice up enough tomato to make one cup, and place in a bowl with the garlic, onion, and herbs. (If you are using fresh herbs, remove the leaves from the stems and add whole to the dressing.) Mix in honey, vinegar, and oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the dressing stand for at least an hour before serving, or make the day before and store in the refrigerator.

  Spiced Tuna

  2 tsp. minced garlic

  2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

  2 tsp. ground cumin

  2 tsp. ground coriander

  4 tbsp. olive oil

  2 fresh tuna steaks, approximately 7 ounces each, preferably 3 inches thick

  ½ tsp. salt

  ½ tsp. pepper

  1 tsp. sugar

  Mix the garlic, ginger, cumin, and coriander with the oil. Rub both sides of the tuna steaks with this mixture and let them sit for approximately 30 minutes. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. While waiting for the pan to get perfectly hot, sprinkle tuna with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Sear tuna on both sides for 1½ minutes per side. The tuna should be very rare inside, with a beautiful seared crust on the outside. Serve with the cardamom sweet rice and bok choy slaw. If you’d like, you can drizzle the plate with a little sweet soy to enhance the flavors.

  Baby Bok Choy Slaw

  2 heads of baby bok choy

  1 tbsp. honey

  ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
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  ½ cup salad oil

  1 tsp. ground coriander

  2 tsp. salt

  1 tsp. pepper

  1 red pepper, julienne

  1 yellow pepper, julienne

  ¼ cup cilantro, whole leaves

  Cut off the stem from the bok choy and julienne (thinly slice) the entire head.

  To make the dressing, mix together the honey, vinegar, oil, coriander, and salt and pepper. Let the dressing sit out at room temperature to have the flavors meld together.

  Mix the peppers and bok choy together and gently toss with the dressing. You may serve the slaw cold, or you may heat it for a minute or two in a hot skillet. Don’t actually cook the slaw, but heat it up just enough for the bok choy leaves to begin to wilt. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

  Cardamom Sweet Rice

  1 cup sushi rice

  ¼ cup sweet soy sauce

  1 bunch chopped scallions

  1½ tsp. cardamom

  1 tsp. ground coriander

  1½ tsp. sesame oil

  ½ tsp. salt

  If you have a rice cooker, cook the sushi rice in it with 2 cups of water. If not, you may cook the rice on the stove top, following directions on the brand you use. Simply mix the rest of the ingredients with the hot rice and serve.

  Warm Chocolate Cake

  5½ ounces dark chocolate (not baking chocolate), preferably Valrhona

  5½ ounces butter

  3 eggs

  3 egg yolks

  ¾ cup sugar

  ⅓ cup all purpose flour

  fresh berries or other seasonal fruit

  ice cream

  Preheat oven to 400°.

  Melt the dark chocolate and butter together over low heat and set aside. Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the eggs and the yolks together with the sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow and almost doubles in volume. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate mixture and then the flour. Let the batter sit for about an hour or until it is somewhat firm. Fill small brioche molds (or other individual-size oven-safe nonstick dishes) about three-fourths of the way up with the batter. Bang the dishes on the counter to make sure the batter fills up all of the crevices. Place the molds on a cookie sheet and bake for 4 to 7 minutes. The edges should feel set, but the center (about a quarter-size area) should still be jiggly. Do not overbake the cake, or you will lose the delicious, gooey center. Unmold cakes and serve with ice cream and fresh fruit.