Killer Cuisine

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Excellent flavor. World-class. The taste just bursts on the tongue,” Lucretia said.

  “Beautiful presentation,” Cora said. She sliced a piece and sniffed before closing her lips around the fork. “Umm. It’s…it’s…” Her eyes widened. “Acrid…burns…” Her hands grabbed her throat. Her face flushed red and she gasped for breath, clutching at her chest. Her eyes rolled back and she keeled over to the floor. The audience gasped in horror.

  “Cut. Someone get a doctor,” Lanie called out. “She’s having a heart attack.”

  “Pull the curtains,” Kendall instructed. The panels zipped shut to block Cora from the audience view. No one wanted their heart attack broadcast on YouTube. Shandee started screaming, which helped matters not at all.

  Dante pushed through the curtain and skidded to the floor beside her. “If a doctor isn’t available, I have combat medic training.” He rolled Cora flat on her back. Luke, Logan and Alex dropped down beside him.

  “Who’s in charge of security?” Logan asked Kendall.

  A hulk of a man stepped forward. He was completely bald and he wore a wire attached to his ear to communicate with his staff.

  “Is there a defibrillator on site?”

  He shook his head. “Not to my knowledge.”

  “What about a first aid kit? We need a CPR mask or microshield to do mouth-to-mouth.”

  “On it.” He hustled away.

  Luke placed his hands in the center of Cora’s chest, one hand on top of the other. Keeping his elbows straight with his shoulders aligned above his hands, he compressed her chest for several seconds. He stopped and Dante checked her breathing. He shook his head. With one palm, Dante pushed her forehead down while he used the other to tilt her chin forward to open her airway. He dipped his ear to her mouth, apparently checking for breath. He shook his head again. He grabbed the resuscitation mask the security agent tossed to him, affixed it over her mouth and puffed, keeping his eyes trained on her chest. Nothing. He tilted her head again and breathed into her mask. Still nothing.

  “Hey, somebody, get security over there.” Alex pointed to two teenagers who had snuck between the curtain with their cell phones, filming the life-saving efforts on Cora. The man in charge spoke into his mic and stomped forward to stop the kids and confiscate their phones.

  Luke started compressions again and then stopped after thirty so Dante could resume mouth-to-mouth. The next cycle, Logan took over the chest compressions, giving Luke a rest and Alex took over for Dante as they worked hard to save Cora’s life. At some point, Dan moved beside Kait and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against his body. Absently, she noticed Dorian had done the same for Kendall, but all of her concentration was on the floor. They worked for what seemed like forever, until a medical crew rushed in. Dante gave them the details and soon they were using paddles to shock her heart.

  One of the medics checked her pulse. “Very weak but we’ve got one. Let’s get her out of here.” They loaded Cora onto a stretcher and spirited her out of the building.

  Taylor threw herself in Dante’s arms. Jade did the same to Logan. Luke was still kneeling on the floor, his head down. Her brother didn’t have a current significant other like his friends. Kait broke from Dan’s arms to comfort him. When he stood, she wrapped his arms around him. He was so solid. Her rock.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Shaken. You?”

  “I’m okay, but I’m afraid we couldn’t save her.”

  “But they found a pulse…”

  She felt him move his head from side to side. “She went too long without breathing. My guess is that she’s brain-dead, but her body hasn’t gotten the message yet.”

  Tears sprang to Kaitlyn’s eyes. The woman was an icon, an industry legend. Her death would rock the culinary world. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

  When she felt strong enough, she pulled away from Luke and wiped her face.

  “She should be kicked off. It was her dish that poisoned Cora Crenshaw,” Joy alleged loudly, shaking her finger at Kait. Kait’s mouth dropped open.

  “I didn’t—”

  “Yeah,” Darrin chimed in. “If she dies, it’s Kaitlyn’s fault.”

  She staggered back a step. They were blaming her? Before she could respond, she was surrounded by a wall of tall, muscular, pissed-off males, and one small, sleek gay man. At the menacing looks on the faces of Luke, Dan, Alex, Logan, Dante, Dorian, Mason and Ronald, the two accusers backed down. They all looked like they wanted to say something but it was Ronald who spoke first, stepping forward with a reproving finger.

  “You are a bully, Joy. You’ve done nothing but insult and harass Kaitlyn from the beginning for no reason whatsoever. Keep it up and I’ll file a slander suit against you myself. And for God’s sake, drop the southern accent,” he snapped. “It sounds ridiculous.” He turned to Darrin. “And you, you know your ass is on the line. Your meal looked like shit and apparently tasted like it according to the judges. You’re trying to throw Kait under the bus to save your sorry hide.”

  “Well, yeah. I don’t want to lose.” The man shrugged his shoulders. Then his gaze sharpened. “I don’t need some homo—”

  Before he could finish the sentence, Dan was in his face. “I’d be very careful about the next words that come from your mouth.”

  Darrin looked from Dan into the faces of the other men. With a negligent shrug, he sauntered away. Dan turned his glare to Joy. She lifted her nose in the air and spun around to Shandee.

  “What a coward to have those men protecting her. Looks like she’s a slut, too.”

  This time it was Luke who lunged for her. It took Logan, Dante, Alex and Dorian to hold him back.

  “She’s not worth it, bro,” Logan said “Her opinion means shit.”

  “Nobody talks about my sister that way,” he growled.

  “I can handle it, Luke,” Kait said. “You taught me to fight my own battles.”

  He inhaled deeply, the struggle going out of him.

  Shandee’s voice lifted. “Leave me alone, Joy. I don’t want your venomous tongue around me. All you do is put people down and criticize. Well, I won’t listen to it anymore.”

  Shandee stomped off, the sound of her spike heels reverberating in the cavernous warehouse. Kait felt like clapping.

  A commotion over by the curtain had everyone turning to the sound.

  “I need to get in there.”

  “No one is allowed inside, sir,” the security guard insisted.

  “Mom?” Dion McArthur brushed by the guard before he could stop him. He rushed forward, his normally perfectly-coiffured looks in disarray. He spotted his mother and his shoulders visibly relaxed. “I heard a female judge had a heart attack.”

  “I’m perfectly fine, Dion,” Lucretia said with all of the warmness of an iceberg.

  Dion glanced around at the gathered crowd. “Who was it?”

  “Cora Crenshaw,” Lanie told him.

  Dion’s mouth dropped open. “Cora Crenshaw? My God. How is she?”

  “We don’t know.”

  Two detectives arrived with a team of cops in tow. They hustled everyone away from the area. Kendall’s phone rang and she excused herself to answer.

  “Why are you making us leave? Is this a crime scene?” Kait gasped.

  “Until we hear otherwise,” one of the detectives said.

  “I’m not taking any chances,” Taylor said in lawyer mode.

  “Officer, you should check her out first,” Ronald said, pointing to Joy. She glared at him.

  Dante pulled the detective aside. Kait inched closer to hear what he was saying.

  “The victim complained of an acrid, bitter taste before she seized.”

  “Poison,” the detective guessed.

  “Sounds like it. Some mimic a heart attack.”

  “I’ll call the hospital, request an immediate tox panel.” He stepped away to make the call.

  Kait turned to Dan. “Did I do this? Did I po
ison her?”

  He shook his head and ran a hand down her hair. “No, baby. Logan’s guess is potassium cyanide.”

  “Potassium cyanide…but how? Why?”

  “That we don’t know yet.”

  “Is that why Dante used a mask to do mouth-to-mouth?”

  “Yeah. Safer that way.”

  Kait watched as technicians snapped photos and then bagged all of the food and utensils. Everything felt surreal. She’d been so happy after hearing Grady Cannon’s comments and then horrified when Cora fell to the floor.

  Lanie ushered everyone to the other building and they settled in the green room. Cameras followed them inside and continued to roll. A few minutes later, Kendall walked in with Dorian. She glanced around the room. “I just spoke to the hospital. Ms. Crenshaw passed away in the ambulance and they couldn’t revive her.” Gasps and sounds of disbelief rang throughout the room. “Right now it looks like a cardiac event, but the medical examiner will autopsy the body to be sure. Mason is getting the van ready. Go home and rest. We’ll meet back here tomorrow at ten to discuss how we’ll handle the show from here on out.”

  Because of the police activity, they weren’t allowed back onto the set to retrieve their knives or purses. The head of security promised the building would be locked down tight once the crime unit finished processing the scene. The ride back to the house was tense and silent. Ronald refused to let go of her hand. Shandee refused to sit with Joy, so she and Ronald made room for her in their seat. Joy seethed, mumbling under her breath. Darrin was surly and quiet. Even Mason and Abby seemed to be fighting. All the while, Keisei typed away on his iPhone.

  When they returned to the house, all Kait wanted to do was climb into bed and sleep for a week. Her head hurt and her heart hurt. Cora Crenshaw was dead. She couldn’t help but feel responsible.

  “Do you want to watch a movie?” Ronald asked.

  She shook her head. “I think I’ll just go to bed.”

  He hugged her. “I’m right next door if you want to talk.”

  Kait thanked him as she entered her room and headed to the bathroom. She washed the makeup off and brushed her teeth. After pulling her hair in a ponytail, she flipped off the light and gasped. Dan was sitting on her bed. She tugged the bathroom door closed and locked it for good measure.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Not really,” she admitted.

  He stood and held out his arms. She walked into them, feeling like she was home. It wasn’t the first time he’d comforted her after a death.

  Kaitlyn’s heart pounded when the principal came into her classroom and called her name. She stepped in the hall to see Ben waiting with a look of worry on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  He lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  “Come with me, Ben, Kaitlyn,” Mrs. Mefford said gently. She placed a hand on both of their backs, led them into her office and closed the door. Kait’s heart stopped when she saw Grant inside, tears running down his face. And Luke! He was supposed to be at college. His eyes were red and swollen. Ben started crying. “What’s wrong?”

  “Mom and dad,” Luke choked.

  Kaitlyn didn’t hear the rest of his words. She shook her head as the room spun and her world shattered into a million tiny pieces. Luke pulled her into his arms and she felt Grant and Ben’s arms wrap around her but she couldn’t stop screaming. This had to be a bad dream. She’d wake up and her parents would be there to tell her it’d just been a silly old nightmare. Life would go on as normal.

  But it wasn’t a dream and life didn’t go back to normal. It would never be normal again. She refused to let go of Luke so Grant drove them home. She didn’t even bother with her backpack. She would later learn that Dan had gathered her things for her.

  When they got home, people kept stopping by to bring food. Dan and his aunt arrived. Trudy took charge of answering the door and accepting the donations and sympathies, much to her brothers’ gratitude. When Kaitlyn saw Dan, she burst into tears again. His bony arms wrapped around her and let her cry. Then he led her outside to her mom’s swing. They sat, not saying a word, for hours. Just his presence comforted her.

  At some point, she fell asleep because she woke up in the middle of night alone in her bed. She didn’t know if Dan had carried her there or more likely, Luke. She tossed back the covers and raced downstairs to her parents’ bedroom. She knew they would be in there. She’d convinced herself she’d dreamed the horrible evening. The kitchen light was on so she hurried that way. Maybe her mom was making hot chocolate. But it wasn’t her mom. Luke was seated with papers spread in front of him. His elbows were on the table and his hands supported his head. His shoulders shook. Kaitlyn burst into tears and ran to her oldest brother, throwing her arms around him. He pulled her to sit in his lap and he held her until she cried herself to sleep.

  She didn’t remember anything about the next few days except that time passed. Trudy purchased a black dress and shoes for her to wear, and then she stopped by and helped her get ready for the funerals. Dan’s brother Logan came home dressed in his white Navy uniform. His hair was almost completely buzzed off and he looked so much older than when he left. Dan wore a new suit and when they were ready to leave, he held her hand and gave her a pink rose she wore in her hair. She still had it pressed in a book in her hope chest.

  The church was packed and so many people stopped by to offer their wishes. Luke and Grant handled everything. Somehow, they made it through. Kait had been too mired in grief to even think about what would happen next.

  Luke sat her and her brothers down that night and told them that he’d given it a lot of thought the last few days and he’d decided to drop out of college to move back home and take care of them. Grant protested, saying he was old enough but Luke said that if he didn’t come back, they would all be separated and sent to foster homes. Both of their parents had been only children and their grandparents had passed on, so there was no immediate family. They argued and cried. No one wanted Luke to give up his chance at college and the NFL. In the end, he won the argument, moved back and entered the police academy. Once he passed, he began taking classes at night so he did eventually earn his college degree. He just didn’t get his shot at football stardom.

  Kait felt guilty that Luke had to quit and then she felt guilty that she was happy he did, otherwise they would’ve taken her away from her brothers. She was the youngest but she needed to do something to contribute. That’s when she started to cook.

  They made it through the first year and life settled into a routine. But as the first anniversary approached, Kait dreaded the day, not knowing if she would be able to face it. Dan arrived at her house early that morning to accompany her to school. Before they went inside, he handed her a box. She opened the lid to see a beautiful bracelet lying on a bed of cotton. It had two hearts, each engraved with her parents’ names. It was the most beautiful gift she’d ever received. She was sure it was Trudy’s doing, but she didn’t care. Every year following, he gave her a charm to add to her bracelet. She began to look forward to see what the charm would be each year. It might be something silly, like a frog after they had to dissect one in biology, or a car after she got her license. Even if they were fighting, there would be a package in the mail on the exact date. No note or card, just a charm to add to her bracelet.

  Somehow, he’d managed to turn the day she dreaded the most into one she looked forward to every year.

  Kaitlyn wished she had her charm bracelet with her right now. It was her talisman. Just holding it gave her comfort, but it’d become too bulky over the years. Now she carried it in a velvet pouch in her purse so she always had it with her. But her handbag was back at the studio. She did have the one thing that was better than the bracelet for comfort…Dan.

  “Will you hold me tonight?”

  He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. She was afraid he’d refuse.

  “Of course.” Relief washed over her. “I need to check in with Mason and mak
e sure everything is secure and then I’ll be back.” He brushed a kiss across her lips and then disappeared.

  She climbed into bed and counted the minutes until he returned.

  Chapter Ten

  Dan headed down the hall, hoping like hell he had the strength to just hold Kaitlyn. He wasn’t sure how true the adage about abstaining from sex before a big game was, but he didn’t want to find out. If he was going to be the next US Ninja Warrior, he had to stay sharp. His focus was already shot. He’d be worrying about Kait the whole time. He planned on phoning Mason during breaks.

  And what was he doing even thinking about having sex with Kaitlyn? She had a boyfriend. What would old Frankie do if he knew Dan would be lying in the same bed, holding her in his arms? Hum…maybe he could pay that Keisei guy to snap a few innocent pics and upload them to snapchat or Tumblr or whatever. The dude had like a billion followers. What were the chances that Frankie was one of them?

  He found Mason lifting weights in the gym. Ronald and Shandee were outside frolicking in the pool. Keisei was sitting on the deck in a lounger, his fingers flying over his iPhone. Dan didn’t know for sure, but he thought the thing might be surgically attached to his hand. He didn’t know where the other two were and he truthfully didn’t care. “How’s the leg?”

  “Getting stronger.”

  “Where’s Abby?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Mason groused. “She said she had errands to run and took off.”

  “Isn’t she supposed to stay in the house?”

  “Yep.”

  It looked like there might be trouble in river city…or in this case, the Rossi marriage. Although he desperately wanted to get back to Kait, Mason looked like he needed a friend. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Mason restacked the weights on the rack. “What’s there to say? My marriage is over. My wife’s having another affair in a long line of them.” He wiped his face with a towel.

  “That’s rough.” And one of the reasons Dan never wanted to get married. If his wife cheated on him, it would crush him. He already harbored feelings of inadequacy next to his SEAL brother. He didn’t need a woman he pledged his heart to stomping on it like ripe grapes.