FOOD TRUCK MYSTERIES: The Complete Series (14 Books)

by Chloe Kendrick

  “Do you have the footage?” I asked.

  “Yeah, do you really want to watch all of that? I can burn you a DVD, if you’d like.” Gina stood up again and made for the computer. “I’ve got the whole thing here. It’s no problem.”

  I asked for a copy, and Gina put a DVD in the drive. She clicked a few things and the whir of the drive started up. I started flipping through the photos as we waited.

  Gina popped the drive open and pulled out the DVD. She wrote a few words across the front of it with a Sharpie and handed it over to me. “Here you go. Have fun with this.”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Not at all. I have some leftover champagne, but you’ll want to watch that by yourself. I don’t know if I can watch it again. It’s that bad. It’s like a ‘behind the scenes’ movie or something.”

  I laughed, but I had a small amount of hope that I’d see something in that video to help out with the investigation. I was running out of options.

  I stayed until late to look through the photos. I found the shots that Jason had talked about where the bridesmaids were all lined up. The photos were cute, and I would never have been able to tell that the best man was trash-talking me in the background.

  Since tomorrow was a Saturday, I decided to stay up and watch the video when I got home. I made some popcorn, grabbed a soft drink and curled up under a blanket. The May weather had turned cool, and without another person to cuddle with, the room was chilly.

  Gina had been right about one thing. The video was long. There was a ridiculously long montage of images while Gina was getting ready. The video showed the bridesmaids arrive in their cars to dress and prepare together. I knew that Christie had not been in the wedding, so there was no real reason for me to watch all of this, yet I did. I was determined to find any clues that this video had on it, and I persevered.

  Just about when I thought I’d go crazy if I had to watch one more discussion over curls, the video switched to the men. Trent arrived with David. I still hadn’t seen Christie, which must mean that she’d arrived on her own. Jason showed up not too much later. The men stood around pretending to be waiting for the women, which was a tradition I could do without.

  Then it showed the men having their photos taken simultaneously to the bridesmaids. I watched in surprise. Perhaps this was what Jason meant when he talked to David about my virtue. However, the men were lined up by their height after David as the best man. Jason was the shortest of the men, and that meant he was the furthest from Trent and David. It confused me to think that David had passed up the chance to talk to either of the other groomsmen in order to just tell Trent about his so-called relationship with me.

  I paused the video. I had to think about this. If what I was seeing was correct, then Jason was not telling the truth. He’d said that he’d talked to David during the women’s photos and at that time, David had told him stories of his conquest. Yet here he was during that time period, and there was no interaction.

  That meant two things to me. First, Jason’s testimony was incorrect. Land’s lawyer could use this to get him free. There was no evidence to show that David had really said this to Jason. Why would he lie about this? Jason had to be involved in some way if he was making up stories that would incriminate someone else. Jason’s statements about David’s comments had to be somewhat official, or else they would not have felt comfortable in arresting Land.

  If the police were relying solely on the testimony of one man, then Land would have no motive to kill David. Without motive, then why would someone kill David? The one thing we’d all been sure of was David’s philandering, but what if that wasn’t true? What if he hadn’t been cheating on Christie all this time? We were so certain to believe her, but what evidence did we have that he’d really been fooling around with other women? Only Christie’s word for it.

  Granted that David had disappeared at times, but people had assumed that he’d left with another woman. He could have been doing any number of things instead. I started trying to ponder what he could have been doing at the restrooms if he wasn’t there on a rendezvous with another woman.

  I struggled to think about what could have made David disappear at odd times later in the evening. I began to wonder; what if David had been diabetic? If he’d spent the evening drinking and eating, then perhaps he might have gone to a secluded place to check his blood sugar? That would explain the disappearances and the food in the pocket.

  If he’d been eating a sweet glaze like the sweet and spicy dogs, then perhaps he’d not felt well. He could have gone off to check his blood sugar and then met someone who he argued with. He could have hit his head during an argument, but already been sick from the poison.

  That would mean that he’d been poisoned earlier than the police thought. They’d assumed that he was poisoned at the restroom, but my theory suggested he was already sick when he headed to the restroom, which would mean that he’d eaten the poisoned hot dogs by the time that happened.

  The most likely person to have fought with David would have been Jason, mainly because he’d been so anxious to push the crime off to someone else. His story about me had been a convenience to push the guilt on to Land. In retrospect, the story had been weak and missing a number of details. He kept saying that he hadn’t been expecting to repeat the stories, but he’d been clear enough on David’s comments about me.

  He’d been unsure as to the answers to several of my questions, and now I could show that the timing did not reflect his testimony. Jason was free to change his story, but that would make the court case even more difficult. Green would have to think twice about her evidence and the case.

  Still it wasn’t enough to get Land free. I wanted him to be considered “not guilty” instead of “not proven.” That meant I would have to come up with the rest of the story. As I sat there, I began to put together a few pieces.

  I fast-forwarded the video to the end of the reception and then slowed it down again. I found what I wanted to see. Christie was at Table 15 with a bottle of mustard. The video didn’t show her writing the words, but she was definitely there at the end of the ceremony, writing the words.

  The only person who could be writing that particular plea at the end of the reception would be the one who knew that tragedy was coming. She’d had the most opportunity to poison her date, and apparently she had. I always marveled at how people got away with the actual crime and managed to screw up on the aftermath. Why bother for the melodramatic message? Why not leave it as a death in the bathroom?

  While I was ruminated, an image on the screen caught my eye. Jason moved out of the frame of the video, heading in the direction of the restrooms at about the appropriate time. While it didn’t prove things, it would be another point that he’d neglected to mention and that he would have to explain in his latest statement to the police.

  If he’d been at the scene of the crime, he’d have a lot more explaining to do than just overhearing David talk about his relations with the food truck owner, aka me. Now he would be front and center, and he’d have to explain his own presence at the restrooms. Good luck with that.

  I didn’t want to deal with the drama of accusing anyone of the crimes. In this case, I wanted the evidence to go to the police, and let them deal with the aftermath. So the next morning, I called Detective Danvers as soon as I woke up. Normally on a Saturday, I would sleep in, but today I was on my second up of coffee by 7am.

  Danvers, who used Land’s help on a number of investigations, agreed to meet me, even though he had no jurisdiction.

  I had another pot of coffee brewing by the time he arrived. He was looking harried and tired. “So what’s the information you have?”

  I explained the situation in detail. I showed Danvers the video clips of Jason lying about his testimony and the video of Christie getting ready to vandalize the tablecloth.

  Danvers eyed me askance. “Do you want me to arrest her for vandalism? That’s pretty small time
for you. I was expecting a serial killer at least.”

  I sighed and started again. “Don’t you think that it’s suspicious that Jason said that he heard it during the photography, but he couldn’t have. He was nowhere near the victim.”

  Danvers nodded. “Yeah, it’s going to cause Green some heartburn. I would suggest giving this to Land’s attorney. I’ll give a copy of it to Green, and see what she wants to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if she drops the charges. It’s never good to find out that your star witness lied to you.”

  I beamed at him. “Good. I have a hunch that he lied to cover up his own involvement in the case,” I explained. I told Danvers about the scenes in the video where Jason had left in the direction of the restrooms.

  Danvers shook his head. “That’s even worse. Why exactly did you bring this to me?” he asked. He continued to look at me suspiciously. “Why aren’t you crowing about this and making Green feel like an idiot?”

  I furrowed my brow, thinking that this must be how Danvers sees me – whereas I see myself as a helpmate to justice. “I want this to be above reproach. I don’t want Green to get pissed at me and refuse to change her mind. I don’t want to have messed up the evidence. I want to make sure that everything is just right so that Land can get out of jail and move on with his life.”

  Danvers scoffed. “You definitely have it bad for him, don’t you? Geez, I hope he doesn’t let you down, like all the others.”

  I just put this down to Danvers being a jerk. Land hadn’t dated anyone since I’d known him, so I didn’t see how many women he could have let down in that time. It was all ancient history to me.

  “I’d do the same for anyone I cared about. You know that. I just am not used to dealing with a hard-nosed woman cop. I know she doesn’t like me, so I want it to be wrapped up right. That’s all.” I remembered what Sabine had said about an engagement ring, and wondered if Danvers knew as well. He certainly wasn’t going to tell me about it, since he was too busy hinting that I would soon be another forgotten memory to Land Mendoza.

  Chapter 11

  Two days later, I opened the door to find Land standing there. He was a bit thinner than he’d been before and his skin had an ashen pallor that hadn’t been there before, but overall, he didn’t look the worse for wear.

  I didn’t bother with any kind of greetings. I threw my arms around him and hugged him as tightly as I could. He paused for a second and then slid his arms around me as well. I could feel every inch of him against me, and I cherished every second of that moment.

  After Danvers had called Green, she’d scheduled a new interview with Jason, who had promptly fingered Christie for the crime. The pair had been having an affair for nearly a year, and they’d deflected any suspicion by accusing David of being the philanderer. No one had suspected them at all.

  When questioned, Christie had broken down and confessed everything to the police. She’d admitted to bringing some poison that Jason had kept in his studio. Apparently, Jason used cyanide as part of his sculpting process, and he noticed some was missing after the wedding. However, suspecting Christie, he’d not said a word about it to the police.

  Green had dropped the case, and Land was released. His lawyer had called and informed me of that development last night. I wasn’t given any details about his release, but I’d waited on pins and needles. I was the type who wouldn’t believe it until I saw it.

  I did see the paperwork that the civil case against the food truck was dropped. The confession from Christie destroyed her case for suing me. Life was almost back to normal now that I was holding Land next to me.

  Land finally broke away from me and gave me a big smile. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “You’d have done the same for me,” I replied, knowing he would have.

  He nodded. “In a heartbeat, I would.”

  Before I could say anything else, he slipped into a routine conversation about the food trucks, business, and what was happening in the outside world. I waited for a break, wondering if he would say anything about the disaster in his house or the prying family, but he didn’t mention them.

  Finally, he looked at me again. “Maeve, there’s something I want to ask you. Something important.”

  ~ To be continued ~

  A GRAVE CONCERN

  Chapter 1

  I got my head for business and numbers from my dad, who is a hardcore numbers addict. He understands finance and taxes like nobody I know. I love to sit and crunch numbers sometimes. It calms me. However, I like to think that I got my empathy and compassion from my mother. She always has a kind word for people, and while she might be pushy when it comes to asking about my love life, she truly has a heart of gold. There are much worse people in the world to take after.

  That’s one reason why I give away hot dogs. Not to everyone who comes to my food truck, Dogs on the Roll, but at the end of the day, the truck typically has 5-7 extra hot dogs and some spare condiments. I make up the remaining hot dogs with the condiments of the day and give them to the homeless people who reside on Government Square. Since Dogs on the Roll has become a fixture on Elm Street, it’s become a daily practice of sorts for me.

  Fall was quickly approaching. Technically, the calendar said it was already fall, but the temperature hadn’t gotten the message. Today had been a clear 75 and sunny. While the truck was still open for business during the winter, I always tried to be a bit more generous at this time of year, making sure that these folks had a good meal in them. Soon they would hopefully move into the local shelters before the true cold came to Capital City.

  I’m sure the homeless issue occurs in most cities, but this time of year also brought the elections, and for some reason, the small congregation of homeless people downtown had become an issue for the city council this year.

  Capital City has a council of nine men and women who serve under the mayor. They’re elected every two years while the mayor is elected every four. This frequency in voting for the elected leaders means that campaigning is nearly a constant fact of life in the area.

  I tend to be a fairly apolitical person. Don’t get me wrong. I vote and participate in the elections and watch the debates. I’m just not the type to get into a big fight on social media about my views. My thoughts on homelessness were that nobody deliberately wants to be without a place to call their own.

  By the time that fall rolls around, I typically have a group of regulars to feed. They know that I give away the hot dogs shortly after I close at 2 p.m. I’m open for breakfast and lunch, with the majority of hot dogs being sold at the lunch rush. I am majority owner of a second truck that serves a more upscale Basque cuisine for dinner, so all of the major meals are covered. I know that Land gives away his meals, as well, though it’s more awkward to pass out soup and entrées than it is to distribute hot dogs.

  That second truck is run by my business partner and recent fiancé, Land Mendoza. He’s Basque and an incredible cook, so I don’t have to worry about work after 2.

  Today I handed out eight hot dogs. The truck’s chef, Carter Smith, had been over-optimistic when he threw on the last batch of dogs. I slathered on the last of the condiments and took them out to the people on the street, three at a time.

  Part of me worried when a regular didn’t show up for a few days, but today everyone I knew was accounted for. I even had two new faces that I didn’t recognize. The first ate with all the grace of a ravenous dog. I watched him, unable to pull my eyes away from the gorging. Part of the reason was the manners, but the other part was that I was sure that I’d seen this man before. Not in this context, but somewhere that I couldn’t recall. Since I was only 25, I couldn’t blame my age, but the thought nagged at me. Where had I seen this face before?

  Typically, I was able to determine where I knew someone from, and then it became a task of trying to remember their name. Yet, I couldn’t place this man at all, which made me wonder if I’d only met him briefly, or had just seen him fro
m a distance.

  I shrugged it off and gave the remaining hot dog to an older man who waited patiently to the side. I’d noticed him watching us as I’d been trying to place the previous customer. He thanked me quietly and went on his way.

  Since I was feeling virtuous for my daily good deed, I stopped and got a couple of cookies from a local bakery on the way home. I was glad I had a sugar fix, because when I arrived home, the most recent bridal magazines had arrived.

  I know that I never wanted to be one of those brides who spent thousands on a wedding. However, since my engagement, I had been known to look wistfully at the dresses, imagining my auburn hair falling over the shoulders. With Land working tonight, I had a night to myself. I curled up with a meal that he had made and left for me. He knew I often ate takeout or from a box, so he liked to leave nutritious things for me, as well.

  Of course, I wouldn’t be able to fit into those dresses if I kept eating like this. My poor metabolism was used to few calories and lots of time on my feet. Now I was eating a healthy, filling dinner most evenings, and I didn’t want to become one of those brides who puts on twenty pounds just before the wedding. I value my health enough that I didn’t want any extra weight since I had an active job.

  So on my evenings off and without Land, I’d taken to jogging. I’d run frequently when I was in college. The constant pressure and exams had stressed me, and running had helped me to relieve some of that stress.

  I finished lacing up, tucked my phone into my sweats pocket, and headed out for my standard three-mile run. I don’t go too far from home, usually a quick run around the apartment complex and a mile through the local park. I usually don’t listen to music when I run. The time gives me an opportunity to people-watch, plus I feel safer when I know that no one can sneak up behind me like they could if I had earbuds in place. In the years since I started working at the food truck, I’ve seen more than my share of violence, and it’s made me more aware of personal safety.