The Death of a Celebrity Chef

by Kee Patterbee

  Hannah flipped to the next page. She squinted before opening her eyes wide. “Is this…” she questioned with excitement in her voice.

  “It is the original toxicology report.” Hymn glanced over to Hannah. “See, turns out I’m also an investigator, as well as Boonyville law enforcement.”

  For a moment, Hannah wondered how he knew she had called Zebulon Boonyville. Realization came, and she vowed to kill her best friend. Cate was in the thick of her date and she would pay, but Hannah put that aside to concentrate on the task at hand. She ran her finger down the sheet, reading aloud.

  “Sample shows high levels of the following in the victim’s blood. Nembutal. Approximately 38–66 capsules. Chloral hydrate. Approximately 14–23 tablets.” Hannah frowned hard. Thinking back to her time as an FBI agent, she recalled, “That’s enough to kill more than 10 people.”

  Hymn reached over and tapped the report. “Keep reading, it gets better.”

  There is no trace of capsules, powder, or the typical discoloration in the victim’s stomach or intestines. Suggests the drugs that killed her were not swallowed. If taken over a period of time, accounting for the lack of residues, the victim would have died before ingesting recorded amounts. Further examination of the blood, liver, kidneys, stomach, urine and intestines, deemed unnecessary.

  Hannah frowned. “Why didn’t they examine the other organs? It could have revealed how the drugs got into her system.”

  “Check out the addendum.”

  Hannah read the words twice to herself.

  “At present, all examination samples, photographs, and recordings are missing. An investigation into the incident suggests that the cause is a clerical error. A review of filing procedures to follow.”

  Hannah closed the report and set it aside. “This screams of cover up. Asa had to enlist Miller to pay off anyone who came in contact with either the body or one of the reports.”

  “He does have deep pockets. I’m working off the theory that when he discovered the results of the report, he had Miller approach Dr. Niu. He got Miller to go along since it would be in both their interest to get rid of the findings and keep her image pure. An accidental death is a tragedy, but suicide, that’s questionable and troublesome, and not just for the victim. Assuming it was suicide, both men helped cover up a murder.”

  “This solves one part of the case. We know someone killed her, but it just begs more questions. Did she die of accidental blunt force trauma brought on by long term barbiturate exposure? This would suggest that someone was attempting to kill her in the long-term sense? Or was she killed outright by someone who caused the trauma?”

  “Either way, someone wanted her dead.”

  “Or possibly just out of the way.” In frustration, Hannah slammed her hand open, palm against the dash of the car. “This eliminates no one. Not Asa. Not Miller. Not Jazlyn.”

  “You’re forgetting about Xabiere.” Realizing, Hymn was right, Hannah started thinking about the man. She proceeded to describe his bizarre behavior toward Jazlyn.

  “Wasn’t he the one in the hospital at the time?”

  “He was. Fell down the steps where he lives and banged his head. Bad enough for the hospital to keep him overnight for observation. Still, I’ve always thought that he was in the thick of it somehow. At least paid off by someone. I don’t know. I don’t have a good feeling about him.”

  “Well, regardless of that, if someone fed her barbiturates, it comes down to access, doesn’t it?”

  Hannah considered the question and found Hymn to be onto something. “I guess it does. Jack, Asa, Jazlyn and Vera all had access to Julia the day she died. I can rule out Vera and Jazlyn. Unless I’m mistaken, Vera had the access but not the knowledge. Jazlyn has witnesses to her whereabouts. Besides, it would take someone much larger than either of them to slam Julia against the post. But the men… any of the three was capable of getting rid of her for their own reasons.”

  Hymn turned his car into a small diner on the outskirts of Zebulon. Hannah smiled as it reminded her of The Starvling Diner. The sign read Hoolie’s Burgers, Fries and All That.

  “Did Cate put you up to this?”

  Hymn threw his hands up as if under arrest. “I plead the fifth.” He smiled. “Hoolie was a friend. His son still is. We played college ball together back in the day. He took over when his father passed. The burgers are ah-may-ZING!”

  Hymn’s enthusiasm was charming and Hannah found herself staring at the man. Her thoughts drifted into the future. Reality called when both their phones rang, almost in unison. Answering, both of them listened for a moment. They answered almost in unison. “I’ll be right there.” Hanging up, they looked at each other. Hymn was the first to respond. “Hospital or studio?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Cate, Buster, Louie, and Vera were in the front lobby when Hannah arrived. Shaken, Vera clung tightly to her father. Hannah noticed the smell of smoke on all of them. Scorch marks ran along the sleeves of both Louie and Buster’s suits. “Are you two okay?”

  Noticing Hannah’s observation, Buster ran his arm along his sleeve. “I’m fine, but poor Jazlyn…” He trailed off.

  Louie drew Vera close. “They haven’t said anything yet.” He looked around.

  Hannah anticipated her question. “He dropped me off. He’s headed to the studio.”

  Cate held out her tablet for Hannah to see. “Check it out. It’s already on the net. It’s all queued up.”

  Hannah took the device, hit play and watched as the events unfolded. As usual, she clicked off notes to herself. She could tell from the vantage point of the recording device it was a cell. The recording took place without permission. From the conversations surrounding the recordist, he was young, male, and bored. An adult told him to put it away at one point, but the recordist shifted it to the other hand and out of the way of said adult. He was sitting center audience. She noted this information, in particular, just in case she needed to find the young man at some point in the future.

  The movement of the camera/cell made it difficult to stay focused, but in persisting, Hannah hoped the recording would reveal something. Soon, Jazlyn Karas stepped center stage and showed a natural talent and beauty for her work. It was clear the audience was enjoying her presentation. She’s a natural, Hannah thought.

  There was a larger burst of light as a huge fireball erupted from the oven when Jazlyn opened it. She gave an agonized, guttural cry that made Hannah flinch. In an instant, smoke and fire flew around the young chef as she writhed in agony, trying to remove the apron that was on fire. She dropped to the floor. The ensuing screams and sudden shaking of the camera made it hard to hear or see anything. Still, Hannah watched the unfolding horror, trying to catch any detail that might be relevant. She heard Buster’s distinct voice cry out, “Call 911!” She could see Louie and him running toward where Jazlyn struggled to douse the blaze that worked to consume her. Two stagehands with fire extinguishers appeared. They smothered the flames as both Buster and Louie patted at Jazlyn in an attempt to douse the blaze. Hannah also thought she saw Xabiere, Vera, and Asa amongst the confusion at various points during the ensuing chaos.

  Whoever had uploaded the video, had managed to make their way to the back of the seating area, to get a better view from the upper seats. Many audience members had or were in the process of fleeing the scene. From this point on, the video became steadier and clearer.

  Hannah broke contact with the video when she saw Asa appear at the edge of the room and call Vera over. Reaching him, Vera and he hugged. He then talked with her. His body language suggested to Hannah he was informing her about Jazlyn. She watched the exchange for a few seconds before she returned to that which she found more interesting - the event.

  Turning once more to the tablet with Cate, they saw a group form a circle around Jazlyn. It was an attempt to keep those, who had not fled the building, and were now gawking, at bay. One individual appeared to be examining her and giving orders. Hannah heard the recordi
st talking and made out “I think he’s a doctor. They have those on cooking sets, don’t they?” More mumbles of confusion followed. A voice echoed through the hall, calling for calm and the audience to return to their seats or leave.

  Cate pointed to the screen as the doctor whispered to Asa. Shock, disbelief, and great concern were present everywhere. The emergency personnel entered with a stretcher and people moved aside, enough so that Hanna could just make out Jazlyn moving. “At least she’s alive,” Cate remarked as she watched again with Hannah.

  The recording showed, seconds later, paramedics rushing Jazlyn from the studio. As it came to a close, Hannah noticed Xabiere following after. It surprised her to see him present at the taping, thinking he shouldn’t have been there. Thinking this over, Hannah determined in all the commotion, it was improbable Asa noticed him in the crowd. It was also without question, at present, Xabiere was somewhere nearby in the hospital.

  Louie interrupted her reflections. “Asa just told Vera that Jazlyn’s unconscious and will be until the morning. She has first-degree burns on her abdomen, under her arms, and on her hands. No second or third degree. Thank the lucky stars for that.” He squeezed Vera tightly, who once again hung close to his side.

  Vera gave a weak smile to her group of new found friends and reaffirmed. “They won’t release any information tonight. They’ll give me an update later since I am part of the show’s operations.”

  Louie looked to everyone. “So, what should we do? Stay or go?”

  Hannah had a feeling Jazlyn’s accident somehow was relative to Julia Karas’ death, just how, she did not know. The case had been frustrating so far. Since Julia had died twelve months ago, it was not as if there was still any concrete evidence lying around. Or is there? She thought. “Guys, I think I’m headed over to the studio. Hymn’s there and there might be something worth taking a look at.”

  Within twenty minutes, Hannah and Cate were at the studio where Louie dropped them off. Vera agreed to stay with her father, and he wanted to remove her from the chaos as soon as possible. Buster went as well to clean up and shake it off as he put it.

  Once on scene, Hannah texted Hymn. They waited just beyond an imaginary boundary separated by emergency vehicles and the studio. News crews, who were still filing reports, respected the line. Hannah saw Hymn’s car and two police vehicles, as well as a fire truck. The whole area outside the studio glowed blue and red as lights flashed, giving it an eerie, surreal feel. The young redheaded officer, who was at Louie’s the night of the shooting, stood guard at the door. She answered her radio and looked around. Seeing the women, she waved them in and anticipated their question. “He’s over by the set.”

  As they approached, Hannah and Cate saw firefighters talking amongst themselves. One in particular was speaking with Hymn. Hannah found him to be in his late forties, thin, taller than average. He was handsome in a boyish manner. Seeing the two, Hymn gave a formal introduction.

  “Ladies, this is Chief Rogers.”

  Rogers tipped his helmet. He glanced up at Hannah’s hat. “Cory.” His expression matched his serious tone.

  Hymn motioned toward the burned set. “Could you tell them what you found?”

  Rogers nodded. “Of course, follow me. Hymn says you were at Zebulon Medical. How’s the girl?”

  “It looks like just first and second degree burns to the abdomen, under her arms, and her hands. They’ll know more in the morning,” Cate explained.

  “She’s going to hurt then, I can assure you of that. But she’s damned lucky, that’s all I can say.”

  Stopping before the spot where Jazlyn had collapsed, Rogers pointed to a burnt, crumpled pile of material. It was wet from where the stagehands had doused it with fire extinguishers. “That was one intense fireball. It didn’t burn her face off, which is a miracle. Now, check this out.” He pointed to the back of the oven, now removed and placed on the floor. Lifting a tube on the back, he ran his finger along the side of it. “See this?”

  Hannah leaned in and her eyes narrowed. “A puncture.” She pointed it out to Cate.

  “Yup.” Rogers moved to the front of the piece and squatted down. He opened the door. A small metal rod connected to the front was visible. “If you look inside, you’ll see a stone plate.” Both Hannah and Cate bent over to peer inside. There was a small rectangular stone mounted just inside the mouth of the oven.

  Cate studied the device for a second. “Some kind of sparking device.”

  “Clean. Precise. Simple,” Hannah judged. “Clever. This was intentional.”

  Rogers rose. “No doubt. That girl is just lucky it didn’t blow the door off, but the way it’s designed, maybe that was the intention.”

  Hannah’s face tightened. “What do you mean?”

  Acting out the scene and gesturing, Rogers explained the door acted as a kind of shield, protecting Jazlyn’s face. “Given her height in relation to the placement of the oven, she would have just gotten it open this far.” He indicated a distance of a few inches.

  “So, whoever did this didn’t want her dead, just injured?”

  Rogers thought for a second before committing. “Yes, in my opinion. They just didn’t foresee the apron catching on fire.”

  “Thank you.” Hannah rolled her tongue.

  Rogers and Hymn stepped away as Hannah stood with Cate, both contemplating the information. After a short time, Hannah motioned to Cate. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Cate crossed her arms in defiance, anticipating her friend’s suggestion.

  “We have to consider Vera again.”

  “You know she didn’t do this,” Cate answered in a cold, calculated voice.

  “I can’t say that for sure, can you?”

  Cate huffed with displeasure and soured her face. “Why are you wavering on this girl? You’ve spent time with her. You’ve been around her. Yet now, you accuse her again after dismissing her. What gives?”

  Taken aback by Cate’s aggressive stance, Hannah found herself on the defensive. “I never accused her. I just said we have to consider her again. There is a difference, you know.”

  “Is there? With you, I’m never sure.”

  Gathering her thoughts, Hannah took a moment. She turned to look at Cate straight on. “Can you look me in the eyes and say one hundred percent she didn’t have a reason for revenge, which this is? If you can, I’ll back off. Right here. Right now. But is this about Vera? Or are you afraid of how it would hurt Louie if I am right?” With that, Hannah turned and started toward the exit.

  “Hannah, wait.” Cate walked to where Hannah had stopped. “Look, I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m just a little too close at the moment, but isn’t there anyone else?”

  One corner of Hannah’s mouth turned into a smile. “There are always possibilities.” She motioned with her head for Cate to look at a person sitting in a darkened part of the seating area.

  Cate’s brow furrowed as she tried to make out the figure. “Xabiere? What’s he still doing here?”

  “I think I’ll ask him.” Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “Do me a favor and ask around. See what else you can find out. I’m going to see where I can get with him.”

  Cate’s expression said she did not care for the idea of Hannah approaching the chef alone. However, the protest was pointless, so she headed back to where she had earlier spied some members of the set crew. Meanwhile, Hannah headed toward Xabiere. Approaching the man, Hannah could see he focused on what Hymn and Rogers were doing. Calm and steady, she noted to herself as she approached. “Mr. Dauphin.”

  The sound of Hannah’s voice made Xabiere jump and straighten up in his chair. A flash of anger ran across his face. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask the same of you.”

  Xabiere’s eyes refocused on what was happening on the studio floor. He settled back down into his former position. “I was prevented from going to the hospital with her. I stayed to see if they found out who did this to Jazlyn.” Hannah watc
hed him until the air between them became uncomfortable. “Is there something else?” he snapped, irritated.

  “You were talking to Jazlyn the day Miller assaulted her.”

  “So, what business is that of yours?”

  “It was just an observation.” Hannah studied him for a moment. “I’m surprised to see you here at all, considering how she reacted to you.” Her statement caused Xabiere to bristle. His head lowered, and he glared ahead. Recognizing she had hit a nerve, Hannah pressed on. “I can tell you this much. It was interesting to say the least. Her kicking you to the curb.” Xabiere’s brow began to twitch, and he was blinking fast. He clutched hard at the arms of the chair. Hannah leaned his way. “Was she sleeping with Miller, too?”

  With that, Xabiere jumped from his chair and stepped toward Hannah. She took a defensive stance, fists ready, feet planted. He clenched one fist and pointed at her with the other. In a deep, emphatic, and paced, loud voice, he yelled, “You best be careful what you say, bitch!”

  Hannah grinned. “Your accent’s slipping, country boy.” Xabiere’s eye’s flared, and he let out a growl of sorts. He slung his fist forward, making an awkward attempt to hit her. Hannah could tell he was not a fighter. The move caused him to lose balance enough so that she could slam him once in the ribs. He let out a yowl of pain and fell back into his seat. “Just stay there.” Hannah heard the sound of several individual’s footsteps approaching. Still, she did not take her eyes off her opponent.

  “Stand down!” Hymn called out.

  Xabiere gave a quick glance over before relaxing and letting his fists unfurl. In time, Hannah dropped her arms and eased her position. She glanced over to see Hymn making his way up the stairs to where the two were facing off.

  Hymn pointed to Xabiere. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

  Rising from his chair, Xabiere cracked his neck as he clutched his side. “Neither is she.”

  “She’s here with my permission. You, sir, are not.” Hymn looked to Hannah. “You all right?”