Dish Best Served Cold (Corporate Chaos Series Book 5)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “You Sarah?” he asked, extending his hand out for her to shake.

  “Yes. Thanks for coming on such short notice. I really appreciate it,” she said, walking him inside.

  She went over all the details with him, explaining how the mice had seemed to pour out of the vent. He listened, made a few notes, and then said he would need to inspect the kitchen as well as other areas in the facility.

  “Well, that’s kind of an issue. I don’t want the owner to know about this mice issue. I mean, you might find that it’s not that bad or whatever, and I don’t want her worrying about it.”

  He nodded his head in agreement.

  “I understand. I can say I’m just doing an annual termite inspection if that makes it easier? If anyone asks, of course. I find that a lot of people don’t really ask me what I’m doing.”

  “Hmm. That would work. Odds are you might not even run into anybody anyway. It’s early, and our event isn’t until much later on. Thanks,” Sarah said.

  “I’m going to go take a look around, but I want to place a few of these in some areas. Just in case. They are humane traps. The mouse will just be stuck inside this plastic thing.”

  He leaned down and placed one under the long counter island that ran in the middle of the kitchen and then went on his way to inspect the mill.

  Sarah looked around the kitchen and paced a bit, unsure of what to do next. She had scrubbed the kitchen floor twice the previous night, with Raffe helping. Mice were dirty, and she didn’t want any trace of them in her kitchen! She bent down slowly to take a peek in the trap that the exterminator had placed under the counter. She really hoped that all of the mice had left the building. Finding one in a trap would creep her out. And if Raffe found it, well, he would probably scream. She walked over to where she kept her files, pulled out the recipes for the evening’s dishes, and started to review them for the last time.

  “Well, this is just really strange.”

  Sarah turned to look at the exterminator, who was standing with his hat in one hand and scratching his head with the other.

  “What’s strange?” she asked.

  “How many mice did you say you saw?”

  “Dozens. Maybe hundreds. I don’t know. They were all running so fast it was hard to tell. The floor was covered with them. It was like a blanket of mice.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. Why?” Sarah asked, starting to get irritated.

  “Well, for that many mice, there has to be a nest. There also would be signs, you know, like droppings or small holes in the walls. I’ve been all over this place, and there’s none of that. Plus, I saw a cat roaming around. If there were mice here, odds are pretty high that cat would have run them all out.”

  Sarah frowned.

  “What about that vent that I showed you? I know that’s where they came from.”

  “Yes, I can see that, but it wouldn’t make any sense for dozens of mice to be together and just happen to jump up into that vent at the same time.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense. I mean, I know there were tons of them. Small, white mice. All over the place. Moving together like a—”

  “Hold on. Did you say white? They were all white mice? Not just a few?”

  “Yes. They were all white. Not just a few of them, all of them. White with those beady pink eyes,” Sarah said firmly. She was positive of that.

  “Well, that explains it. Kind of. Field mice are brown. White mice are what you see sold in a pet store. There’s some in the wild, but it’s an anomaly, and certainly not in the amount you’re talking about.”

  “So what does this mean, then?” Sarah asked.

  “Lady, in my opinion, it means that someone released a bunch of pet mice in here on purpose.”

  Brenda sat in her car, with her giant black floppy hat and sunglasses on, and watched as the exterminator walked out of O’Rourke’s. Ha! If only she had been able to see the look on their faces when all of those mice ran through the place last night. There had been too many people around for her to stay. It had been too risky for her to get caught, so she'd left as soon as she had gotten rid of the mice.

  She'd been able to get a great price on a few dozen of them at the pet store, which had totally been a last-minute but brilliant idea. One of the quickest ways to get a bad review would be a mice infestation at an events hall!

  The outside vent had been easy to unscrew, and she had just poured the mice into the opening. She hadn’t counted on Kidney being outside and seeing her, but as soon as he'd seen the mice, he’d jumped inside the hole too. She had worried he would get stuck, but he didn’t. Ha! A cat and mice running all over that stupid VIP tasting. Maybe the big ball would be canceled. After all, you couldn’t have rodents all over a facility that served food. If the ball was shut down last minute, it would be in the news, and everyone would know.

  She hoped that the news about this would hit soon. Thanks to social media, it would take no time at all to spread.

  Something wasn’t right, though. She looked around. The parking lot only had a few cars in it. Where were the news crews to report about the mice infestation? Why weren’t there mobs of people there, taking pictures or hoping to get a glimpse of Gertie to put her under the gun to answer why she thought it was okay to have events when her place was full of gross mice? Actually, it looked like Gertie’s van wasn’t even there!

  She saw the exterminator get into his van and scooted down in her seat so he couldn’t see her. As she sat back up after he drove by, she saw Raffe and slid down again, her heart beating fast. If he saw her, it would definitely raise a red flag! Sitting back up after he drove by, she tapped the steering wheel with her nails. She needed something bigger that would draw some publicity. Bad publicity. Something that would shut this place down for good. Everything she had tried had somehow failed, only causing a minor inconvenience. She needed to step her game up. Fast.

  “So, what did the exterminator say?” Raffe asked, looking around the kitchen. He was hungry and had hoped there would be leftovers. He really missed having Sarah’s cooking available all the time. His house used to be filled with her recent food creations. Now it was just full of takeout boxes.

  “He said that someone did it on purpose.”

  “Really?”

  “They were white mice, which aren’t wild mice. Those are brown. The white mice are what you get at a pet store, so he said it’s most likely that someone set them loose in here on purpose. And that explains why there were so many all at the same time. He set up some humane traps, and I have a few for upstairs, but I don’t think we need them up there. It’s just a precaution, in case there are any that didn’t find their way back outside last night.”

  Raffe looked around nervously. He really hated mice.

  “Why would someone do that? Set a bunch of mice loose in here? I mean, what’s the point?” Raffe asked, his eyes getting bigger as he watched Sarah take some food out of the walk-in.

  “Do you want some?” she asked, taking off the plastic that was covering the large metal sheet. “It’s just some of the hors d’ouveres. And the Kobe dish. Everything else is gone.”

  “That would be great.”

  He watched as Sarah put the food in the oven to warm it up, shifting on his feet a bit, feeling uneasy. He had decided that he would just tell her how he felt today, but getting the words out was harder than he thought it would be. He felt like a teenager again, unsure of how she would react, or if she even cared at this point.

  “I’m not sure why someone would let a bunch of mice loose. It doesn’t really make any sense. I mean, it isn’t like Gertie has any enemies,” Sarah explained as she flipped the broiler on to crisp up some of the food.

  “Well, between that and the misdirected food delivery, it does seem like someone wants to screw things up around here,” Raffe said.

  “And don’t forget about the grease that was thrown all over the walkway. You think they are all connected?” Sarah asked.<
br />
  Now that she was saying it out loud, it did seem like maybe those were all targeted and on purpose. It was too much for a coincidence. But why?

  “I don’t know why, but I have an idea,” Raffe said.

  “I’m listening.”

  “I’ll give Logan a call and see if he can set some cameras up quick, before the ball tomorrow night. That way we can see if anyone’s screwing around. Odds are that if they are, ruining the ball was their main objective, and they still need to accomplish that!”

  “Great idea. If he can possibly do it today, that would be…”

  Sarah noticed a blur out of the corner of her eye and instinctively hurled a large pan at it. The loud banging noise made Raffe jump back.

  “What the heck was that for?”

  “I thought I saw a mouse,” Sarah said, walking slowly toward the overturned pan.

  Raffe stepped as far away from her as he could. She flipped the pan over. Nothing was underneath it.

  Raffe let out a sigh of relief.

  “Have I ever mentioned how much I hate mice?” he asked nervously.

  13

  Gertie waited impatiently in the hallway outside of the elevator, hoping that Edward would leave soon. She could hear his voice echoing throughout the lobby as well as Myrtle telling him that he should just come back tomorrow and that he would see Gertie then, at the ball.

  Bang!

  She heard a loud noise coming from the kitchen below. What could that have been? She crept closer to see if she could hear more, trying to stop her wheelchair from entering the lobby, but it was too late. Edward had spotted her. She had hoped to avoid him. He had been pestering her to go out for lunch today, but her mind and focus were on the ball, not going out. She sighed and continued to roll over to where Edward and Raffe were standing by Myrtle’s desk.

  “Myrtle, are you keeping these two out of trouble?” she asked.

  “Gertie, you look stunning as always,” Raffe said.

  Myrtle winked at him. She liked Raffe. Hopefully he was there to visit Sarah.

  “Thank you. I smell a new scent… Is that a new cologne one of you is wearing?” Gertie asked.

  “Yes, it’s me. I met with Sarah earlier and was just… uh… trying out some new cologne,” Raffe explained, seeming to be embarrassed.

  “Well, it smells wonderful. I’m sure Sarah thought the same.” She really hoped that those two could work things out. She'd been thrilled when Sarah had called her about working for her but had felt bad that the reason was because she didn’t want to work with Raffe anymore.

  Edward cleared his throat, instantly irritating Gertie. She knew he was most likely doing it because he hadn’t been addressed yet. She glanced down at his left hand, which was holding something. It was a crossword puzzle. Her mind started to race. Why hadn’t she realized this before? Edward was lonely and loved to travel. Myrtle was lonely and loved to travel. Edward loved crosswords. Myrtle loved crosswords. Edward was a foodie. Myrtle was a foodie. This was brilliant!

  “Eddie, what’s that? A crossword? Looks like it’s not finished. Have you asked the crossword expert for help?” Gertie asked.

  Edward looked perplexed.

  “Huh? Who is that?”

  Gertie rolled her eyes.

  “Well, it’s Myrtle. For crying out loud, you mean to tell me that you’re here almost every day, camping out at Myrtle’s desk, and you’ve never noticed that she always has a crossword puzzle on her desk?”

  Gertie glanced at Myrtle. Was she blushing? It was hard to tell with her bright-red eyeglass frames and matching beads.

  “Well then, if you like to do crosswords, what’s a four-letter word for Sicily Smoker?” he asked Myrtle, as if he were challenging her.

  Gertie held her breath as she waited for Myrtle to answer. Come on, you have to know this one, she thought. Show him up!

  “Etna!” Myrtle said, adjusting her eyeglasses as she did so.

  Edward looked at her suspiciously then looked down at his crossword.

  “How about that. You’re right. I get it, Mount Etna. The volcano, it smokes. Very good!” he exclaimed as he wrote the letters in.

  “Mount Etna is on my bucket list,” Myrtle said.

  Gertie smiled as Myrtle went on to explain how she figured out it was Etna, and as she and Edward started to talk about how pretty Italy was, she decided that she had been somewhat successful in having Edward recognize that he and Myrtle shared a lot of the same hobbies. She headed toward the kitchen to see about that ruckus she’d heard.

  “Oh, it was just a pan. It slipped through my fingers,” Sarah explained to Gertie as she tried to subtly kick the mouse trap farther under the table with her foot. It was a small one made out of plastic, and it made a noise when she hit it with her sneaker.

  “Oh, okay. It sounded like a bit more than that, but maybe it’s my hearing,” Gertie replied, looking around the kitchen. “I saw Raffe was here. Did you two patch things up?”

  “Not quite yet. He was here to ask about the honey scallops. He loved them as much as everyone else did and wanted the recipe for his chef. I hope that’s okay?” Sarah felt bad lying to Gertie, but she couldn’t really tell her that Raffe had come by to see what the exterminator had said.

  “Of course, dear,” Gertie said. “So, how’re things for the ball? Are you ready?”

  “Good. Great, actually. Everything is all set. Is there anything you need me to do?” Sarah asked her.

  “No, not unless you can make the dress that Edward made for me to wear disappear.”

  “Really? Edward’s designs are usually really nice,” Sarah said. He had designed a lot of gowns, and Sarah couldn’t recall any of them being bad.

  “Oh, it’s a beautiful gown. But I don’t want to encourage him. You know what I mean?” Gertie said. “In fact, I think he would be better with Myrtle. Don’t you agree? I wonder what size she is. We're very close in shape. Maybe Edward’s attentions would be better directed at her.”

  “Really? Myrtle?” Sarah asked. She had never thought about the fact that Myrtle might be lonely, never mind a potential girlfriend for Edward. But now that Gertie mentioned it, the two did have a lot in common, and Myrtle did always seem to take some pleasure in making Edward crazy when he was trying to see Gertie. Maybe that was Myrtle’s way of flirting.

  “Actually, Gertie, maybe you’re right about Myrtle and Edward. Good matchmaking. Maybe you should consider doing that. I’ve been meaning to ask about Noah. How is he doing?”

  Gertie sighed heavily, and the smile faded from her lips.

  “Oh, I don’t know, dear. That place he’s in, it gives me the willies. I just feel like something is off. It’s hard to tell if he’s really making any progress when he’s doped up all the time.”

  “But it’s one of the best in the country, isn’t it?” Sarah asked. She knew that money hadn’t been an issue when Gertie had been looking at mental health facilities. She just wanted the best for her grandson.

  “Yes, it is. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just get the sense that something isn’t right there. You know I call every other day and visit as allowed. I just get a strange feeling. Oh, heck. I don’t want to fill this place with negativity right now!” she said, throwing her arms up in the air. “Maybe a nice cocktail is in order.”

  Sarah looked at the clock on the wall over Gertie’s head. It was only three o’clock.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s five o’clock somewhere!” Gertie joked.

  Sarah grinned.

  “Well, why don’t you take the rest of the day off, dear. Tomorrow’s a big day, and I want you well rested.”

  “Are you sure? I was going to hang around in case anything came up.” Sarah wasn’t sure what could possibly come up, but she wanted to be there if something did.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m telling everyone to go home early today, so just lock up and get a good night’s sleep.”

  Sarah wished her a good day and was unbuttoni
ng her chef’s jacket just as Veronica and Harper walked into the kitchen.

  “Wanna join us for some drinks?” Harper asked Sarah. “We can talk about… uh, talk.”

  Sarah knew that they didn’t want to talk about the problem there anyway, just in case someone overheard and told Gertie.

  “I sure do,” she replied, reaching for her jacket and checking the rear door to make sure it was locked before she followed them out of the kitchen, shutting off the lights before she left.

  “So, the exterminator is positive that someone planted the mice? That they basically bought them and set them loose at O’Rourke’s?” Harper asked.

  Sarah nodded, her mouth full of the chicken nachos that the trio had ordered. Flanders had great bar food. That was for sure.

  “Yup. So, based on that and the other weird things that happened, Raffe dropped by earlier and mentioned that maybe he should call Logan and see if Logan can set up some cameras around the building. You know, just to see if anyone’s messing around.”

  “Ahh, that’s why he asked me what rooms would be empty. To set up the cameras,” Harper said. “But what if Gertie sees him?”

  “She won’t. We can make sure of that. Besides, she’s so busy with the events that she won’t have time to be anywhere aside from the kitchen and the ballroom,” Veronica said, loading some salt onto her sweet potato fries.

  “Good point,” Sarah said.

  “So, Raffe seems to be popping by a lot lately, and now he’s helping figure out what’s going on. Have you two worked things out?” Veronica asked.

  Sarah shrugged. “Kind of. We still have a way to go, but I think we will get there. We are both kind of stubborn, so it’s taking forever to actually talk about the real issues, you know what I mean? Plus I’ve been busy focusing on the charity events.”

  “Well, I think it would be great if you got back together. TJ would love to have his BFF back.”

  Sarah laughed.

  “So, if you get back together, will you go back to work at EightyEight?” Harper asked, her tone more serious.