FOOD TRUCK MYSTERIES: The Complete Series (14 Books)

by Chloe Kendrick

  Land smiled. “That was the same thing that my guy said.”

  “Is he on the guest list?” I asked, wondering exactly who this man was.

  “Not the wedding type,” Land said by way of explanation. “He’s more the security for the wedding type.”

  I nodded. I knew that some of the people that Land knew lived outside of the norm, and I respected that. I had no desire to push anyone into a box they didn’t want to inhabit. “I haven’t found anything that specifically states that it’s the Lemarchand building.”

  “Then Danvers won’t go for it. You’d think he would. I mean, if the action occurs right outside of the police station, it would be a black eye to CCPD seen by the entire world. He would easily lose his job over that.”

  I thought about the ramifications for a second. Danvers, who practically lived for his job, could likely lose his identity as such. I tried for a few seconds to muster some real empathy, but I couldn’t. He’d done so many things to us over the years that I had a hard time feeling sorry for him. Yet, I knew that I’d end up trying to save his career and reputation, if for no other reason than I didn’t want my wedding ruined. It might have been a selfish motive, but I’d seen too many Bridezillas to think that I was being over the top.

  “So what do we do?” I asked.

  “Here’s what I was thinking. The three of us could all work the first food truck together. It splits the difference on whether or not to have a truck at the Square tomorrow. Then we run the truck while we look around. We might be able to see how the attempt is going to be handled, or we might even find the people behind this.”

  I was impressed. Land had apparently been thinking the entire strategy through while talking to Danvers. He knew, as well as I did, that Danvers would not be moving at the needed speed to get a plan in place. His first priority had been to confiscate the copies of the flash drive. Given the lateness of the hour, I wasn’t sure that anything could be done tonight. He might not even print the files until tomorrow at some point after the tech team finished with the drive. Would he really call in the entire team on this because I’d had a hunch about what was to come?

  I doubted it. He was known for ignoring my advice to him, and on several occasions, it had turned out poorly for him.

  Land took a stack of papers and plopped down in the chair in the corner of the room. He threw his legs over the arm of the chair and began to read the documents. I kept scanning the blueprints and even got a Google Maps shot of the exterior of the Lemarchand building. There were no apparent discrepancies between the building and the plans, but I probably could have said that about a number of multi-story buildings downtown. I remembered the case involving my aunt, and how familiar I’d become with the building where Danvers worked. I’d been hit on the head and watched other people be slaughtered. I didn’t want to have any similar experiences here.

  We stayed up until nearly midnight, which was a rarity for me during the week, but I wanted to be prepared for what was to come. I didn’t know how we could stop someone from being shot. It was far easier to solve a past crime than it is to prevent something from happening.

  Chapter 11

  Four o’clock came way too early for me. I grumbled around, thinking that I really didn’t want to have the wedding photos taken with my eyes suffering from dark circles and bags. It would not be the way to remember this event.

  Land and I stumbled to the kitchen. He made the coffee for us, which was nice since I’d be making coffee all day at the food truck. I was truly looking forward to some time off.

  After the second cup, I began to feel human. Land filled two to-go mugs, and I grabbed the folder of papers I’d read last night. We decided to go in the Buick since the other people involved in this case had already checked my car for the flash drive.

  When this was over, I planned on telling Danvers how his crew had missed the flash drive in Land’s car. He would make some lame excuse, like he didn’t want to damage Land’s toy, but it would still be fun to see his face.

  We opened the truck together that morning, something we had once done every day, but now we rarely worked in the same truck. Both of us quickly fell into the old routines. Land had actually come up with a new condiment for the truck that morning. I didn’t know where he’d found the time.

  It was definitely a pizza-inspired hot dog, topped with marinara sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. I could smell the familiar odors of pizza in my nose, and I was hungry long before the first customer came to order one.

  The plan was that Sabine would be there by 7 a.m. One of us would leave the food truck and look around Government Square to see if we could find a good vantage point for the speech. Land had volunteered to go, because at some point in his past, he’d watched for snipers.

  Then I was going to go inside of the Lemarchand building, and find out if the upper floors had the same floor plan as the documents we’d found on the flash drive. I’d report back with anything I found.

  Then we’d be as prepared as we could be for the ambassador’s speech at noon on the square.

  Sabine showed up a few minutes before seven. She looked good, even at that time in the morning. She grabbed a cup of coffee and sipped on it. “Please tell me that you’re serving this at the reception. The whole family will be there if you do.” She flashed a smile at both of us. She knew that we’d argued with their grandmother, who had wanted to invite innumerable cousins that I’d never met. I was a bit sensitive about it, since my side would consist solely of my parents.

  Land excused himself, not wanting to get into any discussion of the wedding guest list. I went back to serving coffee to the masses. The line for coffee seemed longer than usual today, and I was busy until after nine working on the steady flow of people wanting their caffeine fixes.

  I noticed then that Land had not come back. I began to worry. The building was only 100 yards from the truck, and it seemed like an unusually long time to be gone. I checked my phone and found that Land was in the building next to the Lemarchand building. I groaned. I bet that he was visiting Danvers.

  I texted him with a message to hurry back. He returned the text stating that Danvers was currently holding him in an interrogation room until further notice. Knowing that Sabine would be on board, I left the truck in her hands and marched over to the police precinct. I didn’t stop at the desk except to sign my name as a visitor.

  I strode back to Danvers’ desk and looked for him. He wasn’t there. I did notice that he had a photo of Sabine on his desk, despite the fact that they had been broken up for quite some time. I stopped an officer who pointed me to a series of rooms along one wall. I’d been in those rooms once, but it had been a long time ago.

  I texted Land again and told him I was outside waiting for him.

  The door to a room opened and Danvers stepped out. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

  “I’m saving you from a huge mistake,” I said. I walked into the room, where Land merely raised an eyebrow at me. “Has he arrested you?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” Danvers said from behind me. “But if he moves to leave, then you can bet I will, and I’ll be sure to make it stick long enough for him to miss the wedding.”

  I fumed. He had me in a tight spot and we both knew it. I wouldn’t have put it past him to do just that. “What’s the charge?” I asked, watching Land. I was hoping he would give me a sign, but he just sat there.

  “Loitering. Intent to do something,” he said. He shrugged to show that he really didn’t care what he did at this point. I wanted to throw him out of the wedding at that moment, but since Land had chosen him as best man, I had little say in the matter.

  Instead, I looked at Land, who gave me a smile and a wink. That was his way of telling me I could do what I saw fit, even if we had to postpone the wedding for a few days or weeks. “Then I’m going to leave here and start sending out emails to the press. I’ll tell them that you’re covering up information about an attempt on the ambassador�
��s life. That way, if anything happens to him, they’ll all come back and want answers from you.”

  I turned on my heel to leave. I didn’t move quickly, hoping that Danvers would fall for my bluff. The truth was that I would have postponed my wedding to save a man’s life, but at the same time, I had no desire for it to go that far.

  When I put my hand on the door, Danvers said, “Wait a minute. You’re just stubborn enough to do that.” He looked at Land. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

  Land stood up and smiled. “See you tomorrow at the wedding.”

  Detective Danvers sighed. “I have a feeling that I’ll see you today sometime, and it won’t be good.”

  I waited until we were clear of the precinct to talk to Land. “What did you find out? I figure that you had to learn something for Danvers to keep you locked up like that.”

  Land looked at me for a long moment before speaking. “Not as much as you’d think. I wonder if this is just his way of trying to keep us safe until the wedding. Is that part of a best man’s duties, making sure that the groom stays alive?”

  I was surprised by the words. I hadn’t thought of this as a case of life or death – except to the ambassador and perhaps Carona. “Are we in danger?”

  “It depends. It certainly was for Carona, but she was a known operative. Unless we pose an immediate threat, then I doubt that we’ll be in much danger.”

  We stopped when we got to Government Square, and Land pointed up at the building. “About the third or fourth floor would likely be best for a shot. I don’t get the feeling that we’re dealing with a top professional here. So the target has to be closer than it might otherwise be.”

  I thought about the statement, trying to come to the same conclusion, but I struggled. Some of the things I’d seen had been very professional.

  Land gave me a smile. “The technology they’re using to track us was a few years old. The newer devices are smaller and less noticeable. The weapons they’ve used are not the latest models or even set up for what they do. The ballistics test showed that the bullets came from an older model of gun. They make all plastic weapons that can get through metal-detectors, but I don’t think that happened here. They either came by car or purchased weapons after they arrived. So they’ve left a trail for the police to follow. Granted that their operation may be complete by then, but they’re likely to get caught eventually.”

  I took his hand in mine, thinking that we’d likely be solving crimes for a long time to come, and the moment between us just felt right.

  Of course, the mushy moment couldn’t last long. The food truck had a long line in front of it, and I could see Sabine trying to serve and take money as best she could. The trick is all in taking the gloves on and off, so you can handle food and the money.

  We hurried our pace, and both of us jumped in to help. Land took over the food prep, while I began to take the money and give change. The rush was soon under control with three people working. I kept a running tally of what our totals were, and I was surprised at the uptick in business for the morning. Apparently, a number of people had come downtown to hear the speech and meet the ambassador.

  After things had settled down for a bit, I decided to do my own investigations. Land had pointed out the floors of the building that could most likely be used for an assassination attempt, which gave me a place to start my own search.

  I had taken photos on my phone of the blueprints, so they were available, yet inconspicuous. I made my way across the square, walking quickly through the growing crowds. I wanted to ensure that I was back to the food truck in time to plan any operations we’d need to carry out to stop the attempt.

  The elevator was empty as I took it to the fourth floor. It pinged and opened its doors to an expanse of unused office space. I was surprised at the vacancy, given its location. Most of the other buildings around Government Square were close to capacity.

  I felt a small sense of nervousness as I stepped out of the elevator and looked around. The space was silent, probably from the insulated walls and windows that kept the outside noise at bay. I was used to that noise, being on the square. I could see the food truck from one set of windows and the platform for the speaker from another set of windows. I could understand Land’s concern about the location and the threat to the ambassador.

  I looked for any signs of a tenant but the space, which had to run to several thousand square feet, was totally empty. No desks, no cubicles, no signs of occupancy. I searched for signs of advertising for any client new or old, but the space looked like it had been purged of all indications of business.

  I walked back to the bank of elevators and pressed the button. I was going to investigate the third floor as well, but I had to admit that this looked like a great place to take a shot at someone without interruptions.

  The doors didn’t open. I sighed and pressed the button again. Nothing happened. I looked around and saw the fire door on the far side of the room. I made my way over to the door and pushed it open. The cement staircase was entirely silent, almost eerily so. I got goosebumps and I texted Land a message using one thumb while the phone remained in my pocket. It was a trick I’d learned in college, and I thought it might come in handy here if anyone was watching me or listening to my progress down the stairs. I thought I heard a door close at one point, but the sound was soft and distant, and I wasn’t sure that it had anything to do with me.

  I got to the landing for the third floor and tried to open the door. Nothing doing. It was locked. Given that the previous floor had been empty, I assumed that there might be people on this lower floor. Certainly the people behind this didn’t have enough money to rent two floors. Regardless of the number of times I pounded on the door, nothing happened.

  I sighed. It was only two floors to ground level, so I started down the stairs at a moderate pace. There was no reason to delay going back to the truck. The building really hadn’t told me much, except that the fourth floor could be used as a perch.

  I was only a few steps from the bottom of the stairs when I heard a voice in the dark corner of the staircase say, “Hello, Ms. Kinkaid. How are you today?”

  Chapter 12

  My blood ran cold. I hadn’t been expecting anyone when I was so close to being out in the sunlight and away from this concrete and metal behemoth. I was just steps away from visibility and safety. I turned around slowly.

  Carona was standing in near darkness in the far corner of the stairwell. Even though I had only met her once, I recognized the light accent in her voice even at a whisper. Except for Land and Sabine, I typically heard only Midwestern accents in my daily life. She would have been obvious at any decibel level.

  I tried to keep my cool as we spoke. I had texted Land who was only at the food truck. He could be here in a matter of seconds, which actually meant that he should have been here already. The problem was that this was a huge building, and likely to have multiple stairwells. It might take him several minutes to search each one and find me.

  That thought made me worry. I assumed that she was carrying a gun, and the stairwell was only about 10 feet by 10 feet, which made me a very easy target. I decided to try to make her talk to me first. It had worked before, on my very first murder case, and I was still here to solve other cases.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, though the answer seemed obvious.

  She laughed. “That’s a good line. I highly doubt that Land believed I was really dead. The bullet holes looked convincing, but I didn’t have time to come up with any amount of blood and I had to take the casings with me. I didn’t want anyone to see that it was my gun that fired the bullets.”

  “We found the flash drive,” I threw the line out there like a gauntlet to be crossed.

  “I assumed that you would, and that’s why you’re here. You made the proper connections and figured things out.”

  I was slightly stunned for a second. I had assumed that I was in danger from this woman. She had come up behind me in a stair
well in a building with thick walls. It seemed like the ideal place to get rid of someone. Yet she was lauding me for figuring things out. It didn’t make much sense to me.

  “Land thinks the attempt will come from this building,” I added. “He was just here a little while ago.”

  “Outside, yes, I saw him. He was always good with that type of thing. I saw him do it, and I knew that he suspected this building. That’s why I’m here too.”

  I felt puzzled. “You’re not here to kill me?” I asked. I had assumed that she’d also been the one to execute this plan, but as I reviewed this conversation, I had to doubt my assumptions. She’d expected us to find the flash drive and end up here. She’d wanted our assistance in finding the logical place to assassinate the ambassador. She’d only come into the building after Land had done the research and decided on this building.

  All of this pointed to her being an ally, rather than the enemy. I was taken aback by the revelation. She’d gone from someone requesting help to a potential enemy, and now we were working on the same side. Espionage was way too complicated for me to keep track of without a spreadsheet.

  She gave me a smile. “I might if you annoy me too much, but no, that’s not my plan for today. Now we’re just going to stop the assassination and its negative repercussions for us.”

  I nodded. “So what do we do now?” I asked, feeling more at ease.

  “We have to wait,” she said. “If Land is right, and I assume he is, then the parties involved will have to arrive shortly, or they’ll never make it past the security for today.”

  I checked my phone, since I seemed to be in the presence of an ally at the moment. Ten minutes had gone by, and Land had not responded. I wondered what was going on. I had expected him to be here and ready to help me out. Instead, all I had was radio silence.