The Death of a Celebrity Chef Read online

  Hannah leaned forward to get a better view as they passed the main gate. “It never dawned on me that Karas, Inc. had so much wealth. Or that this was going to be so huge.”

  As the RV came to a stop and everyone began exiting, Louie continued to tell them about Asa Karas. “He’s an astute businessman, to say the least,” Louie scoffed. “Before becoming the largest land baron of the county, or should I say the state, he was already wealthy. Made his money in oil. He became even richer after Julia married him.”

  Buster moved to the front of the RV and opened the door. “A billionaire, right?”

  Louie affirmed with a nod. “A couple times over.”

  Buster shook his head as he climbed from the vehicle. “Now, that’s wealth.”

  Hannah pulled on a coat in case the buildings were cold. She also settled her top hat with goggles in place. Cate and Louie emerged behind the others, putting on the protective UV sunglasses Louie had provided for them against the morning sun.

  Louie stopped dead in his tracks and his face turned pale as they proceeded to the studio tent setup for media. “It’s almost like looking into the past,” he mumbled aloud. “She could be Julia.”

  The group’s eyes followed to where the man was looking. Behind a desk under the tent was a petite, thin, yet curvy young woman. She wore conservative, oversized clothing while passing out materials and directing the workers. She had large glasses, which half hid her violet eyes, with dark brown hair rolled in a tight ponytail at the back of her neck.

  “Could she be a relative of Julia’s?” Cate whispered to Louie.

  Louie shook his head to clear it. “I don’t know. I guess so. I mean, I could have sworn it was Julia. My heart stood still for a moment.”

  “That is odd,” Hannah stated in a questioning tone. “She does resemble her, but…”

  Louie stiffened and shook his head again. “No, she doesn’t. She can’t. It’s a trick of the memory.”

  Hannah turned to Louie for answers. “Come on. Let’s find out who this is.”

  As the four approached the woman under the tent, another woman stood behind and was in a discussion with a man. Something about the intensity of the ongoing dialogue caught Hannah’s attention. The man was tall and slim. Hannah estimated him to be in his late forties. He sported a close-cropped black beard and hair to match. She also noticed a small scar on his forehead over his left eye. The woman was tall, thin, with short-cropped black hair, and from Hannah’s vantage point, deep green eyes. She determined her to be in her early twenties. Hannah watched as the beautiful young woman listened to what the man was saying before taking a manila envelope from him. She nodded as he left then stepped up beside the first woman. From her official photos, she was a familiar face to Buster, Hannah, and Louie.

  “Jazlyn Karas!” Buster exclaimed much to the surprise of all present. “Wow!”

  Jazlyn appeared surprised and pleased to find herself noticed by the handsome man. “Thank you.” In a breathy voice she added, “You’re kinda wow, yourself.”

  The other woman, who was passing out papers, tapped Jazlyn on the shoulder and thrust some papers her way.

  Before he could stop himself, Louie blurted out, “Excuse me, but are you related to Julia?”

  Taken aback, the young woman paused. She turned to Jazlyn for answers before turning back to stare at the group. “No.” Her tone was sharp and stern.

  “Allow me to present to you Ms. Vera Bessinger,” Jazlyn explained to the group. Hannah noted a slight distaste in Jazlyn’s voice. “I suppose she does bear some resemblance to my late aunt, doesn’t she?”

  “Some?” Louie added in disbelief.

  Everyone turned to look at the woman, who fidgeted under everyone’s scrutiny. “Here’s the material for later on. If you’ll excuse me.” Hannah noted a hint of a foreign accent. French, perhaps? she questioned herself.

  Louie’s eyes followed Vera’s every step as she headed back to the studio, and departed the area through a large metal door. Cate put a comforting arm around his side, bringing him from his thoughts, as Jazlyn called after, “Thank you, Vera. I’ll see you in a bit.” She turned and looked at the group.

  “Vera has worked for Karas, Inc. for quite a while. Uncle Asa kept her on working with us in an executive position. She was going to take over Aunt Julia’s spot on the show. After the accident, he felt that her similar looks might cause problems for the audience. I guess that’s why he brought me in to replace her on the show. I am a chef, as well, and a family member.” She added with a smug air, “I guess her loss is my gain.”

  “Indeed.” Louie tone sounded noticeably of disappoint. He extended his hand to Jazlyn. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Louie Woolridge. These are my associates. This is Buster and Cate Jordan, and Hannah Starvling in the hat.”

  “Well, hello to you all, so nice to make your acquaintance.”

  Jazlyn looked up to Hannah’s top hat. “Nice hat,” she cooed, “Steampunk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we must talk sometime.”

  “I’m sure we will.”

  She turned to Louie and Jazlyn studied him. “But I do believe I have heard the name Woolridge before.” Her eyes narrowed a bit. “Did you know Aunt Julia, by chance?”

  “Why, yes, I did. We went to school together a long time ago. She became a chef. I became a critic.”

  “Oh, my, I can’t believe it is you. Julia often talked about her best friend in the world when she was younger. A thousand times. Louie Woolridge. She called you… what was it now… Louie-Louie?”

  Louie blushed at the memory and nodded. “That she did,” he added. “Jules used to tease me like that.”

  “It is such a pleasure to meet you. We must have dinner soon, so that you can tell me all your stories about my aunt. I miss her so much.”

  “Of course, I miss her, too. I’ll never forget her. I doubt anyone who ever met her would.”

  Buster stuttered. “Excuse me for butting in, but could I be so bold and ask you to sign an autograph for my… mother?”

  Jazlyn was all smiles, and Hannah noted that she seemed pleased that handsome Buster asked.

  “Let me do something for you a little better than that.” She quipped. “Follow me up to the studio? I have some press photos there that I can sign… for your mother.” She was looking straight at Buster. There was no denying the instant chemistry between the two. “I can show you all… around my studio.”

  “The studio? You’ve got to be kidding!” Buster exclaimed, exchanging an excited look with Louie. “I’d love to!”

  “Wow,” whispered Hannah to Cate, “she’s nice.”

  “Yeah, well, Buster kind of has that effect on women,” Cate noted with a half-grin.

  “Well, in truth, the estate belongs to Asa, now that poor Julia is gone. But seeing as your mother is such a fan, it’s the least I can do.” Jazlyn responded with a laugh. “Anyway, how will I find out where such a handsome man comes from? Come on. We can take the shuttle car up.”

  Chapter Four

  The ride over to the studio did not take long. Within a few minutes, they had reached the main entrance to the complex, bypassing the crowded front iron gates to the studio. They stopped once to answer the directions of the guard. After acknowledging Jazlyn, he waved the group along.

  Hannah glanced over at Louie to see how he was doing. He seemed lost in thought. Thinking this was not easy for him, and wondering why he did not bow out of this trip, was something that mystified her. Was the shock at seeing Vera too much? Enough to push him over the edge? Concerned, she decided to keep an eye on him over the next few days.

  The small electric vehicle came to a stop before a massive, multi-story, red brick building. Jazlyn piped up, “Welcome to the studio which I call home sweet home.” She waved them along, adding, “There are three complete apartments upstairs. There was nothing available close to the studio when I started, so Uncle Asa offered it to me.”

  “Isn’t she
amazing?” Buster whispered as they all walked toward the entrance. “I mean, she seems so down to earth.”

  Hannah looked over at Cate, who grinned and gestured in the direction of Jazlyn. “Sounds like you got a thing for her already.”

  Buster smirked. “If by ‘thing’ you mean I think she’s fine, yeah. I got a big thing for her.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Men.”

  As the small group entered the massive structure, Jazlyn led them toward a large, arc-shaped desk manned by a guard in a uniform. He stood as the group approached and nodded as he waved them on. “Miss Jazlyn.”

  Jazlyn smiled as she passed by. “Malcolm.”

  Before they reached the door behind the guard, it opened and Vera stepped out. At first, she looked taken aback, but her face changed to a look of annoyance. She gave Jazlyn an irritated glare.

  “We meet again.”

  Hannah considered Jazlyn’s expression was more a snarky grin than genuine smiling.

  Vera nodded at Jazlyn but ignored Hannah, Buster, Cate, and Louie, as she walked out of the building. Following her every step with his eyes, Louie confessed, “Her likeness to Jules is… amazing.”

  Hannah took the chance to jump on Louie’s comment and pry for information. Trying not to be obvious, she glanced around in every direction, but Jazlyn’s, before asking, “Was Julia close to Vera?”

  Jazlyn nodded. Looking back to the young woman, Hannah judged her expression to be somewhere between jealousy and envy. “Yes, she took a personal interest in Vera and groomed her from the beginning. At some point, she became her benefactor, but for the life of me, I never knew why. My aunt had a public persona, and a private one, even a peculiar one at times. Vera was part of the latter. Now, she works here helping to manage things. Uncle felt it was something that Julia would want, so he honored her. When my aunt died, he found a place for her here. She’s still adjusting, a year after the fact.”

  Hannah thought she detected a note of sarcasm in Jazlyn’s voice, but she was not sure.

  “Now, who’s ready for a tour?”

  “If it isn’t too much trouble,” Louie answered. “My magazine has asked me to write the details of the company that Julia and Asa created from the ground up. Any access to the inside of Julia’s life would make a much better story.”

  Hannah watched as Louie waited for Jazlyn’s decision. This would be his crowning glory, if he were able to pay tribute to Julia now, given how he had known her long before she went to Paris.

  The smile that beamed from Jazlyn gave away her decision before her words. “I can arrange whatever access you need. I’m sure Julia would have liked you to do the honors. Follow me.”

  Jazlyn led the group through the same door Vera had exited. “This is the office floor,” Jazlyn explained, pointing to several entryways. “We call it the cube farm,” she added. Hannah detected a hint of superiority in her voice. A glance over to Cate revealed she had the same idea. A large glass window allowed an open view inside where many cubicles were visible. Workers darted in and out, performing their various duties.

  Buster glanced around wide eyed. “Wow. I didn’t know it took so much to run a studio.”

  “This is nothing,” Jazlyn answered. “You should see our Atlanta office. That’s where the majority of Karas, Inc. businesses operate. We also have offices in New York and Dallas.”

  Buster smiled as he turned to gaze at Jazlyn. “But your office is here, right?”

  “Yes, down the hall, next to my Uncle. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  Jazlyn led the group to two offices that were the furthest away from the front of the building. Approaching, she pointed to two massive oak doors. “That’s Uncle’s.” She pointed to a single oak door. “Here’s mine.” She opened the door for all to see. It was typical of an office, but had touches that Hannah assessed, served the purpose of making it Jazlyn’s, and Jazlyn’s alone. A framed degree from culinary school. Pictures of her with various other celebrity chefs. A brass trophy composed of a hand thrust upward holding a spoon. Hannah walked over and read the plate, which read, “Second Place: Quinoa Recipe Cook Off.” Not bad, but not perfect, Hannah thought to herself.

  Noticing Hannah studying the trophy, Jazlyn urged everyone forward. “Let’s move on.”

  As they stepped out the door, Cate whispered to Hannah, “Not one single picture of Julia in the room. Her Uncle was in various photos, but not one of her aunt. Interesting, huh?”

  Hannah looked back toward the room. “Interesting.”

  As they continued their tour, Jazlyn showed them two studios. In both, three cameras pointed toward the kitchen counter island. Huge monitors hung from the ceiling above each, which Jazlyn explained were Teleprompter's. Above these, there was an open grid of studio lights. As the group looked around, Buster appeared confused. He stared at each set. Both rested against different color backdrops. The back wall of one was green, the other one blue. “This is the set?” Buster inquired with curiosity. “I thought there would be a full kitchen. And what’s with the background?”

  Again, Jazlyn produced a charming smile that Hannah noted appeared whenever Buster spoke. “New technology. Uncle had everything updated and revamped. We will digitally insert the rest of the kitchen. On green days, no wearing green. On blue days, no wearing blue. Otherwise, you won’t show up,” she stated with a short laugh while looking at Buster.

  Cate leaned over once again to Hannah. “I may be marrying into culinary royalty by relation,” she quipped. Hannah let out a furtive giggle before she covered it with a fake cough.

  Jazlyn introduced the group to the director and the different technicians around the studio. She led them back into the outside hall where a multitude of photos lined the walls. One was a picture of Julia and Asa standing on the studio steps on their wedding day.

  “I remember this.” Hannah frowned in concentration. “They got married on the set. She made the cake and everything leading up to the day. It was huge. The first time anybody had ever done anything like that.”

  “That was Uncle’s idea,” Jazlyn clarified. “Speaking of my Uncle…” She looked back down the hall. “There he is now. Would you like to meet him?”

  Louie’s face constricted a bit. “Of course.”

  Hannah noted the strain in his voice.

  All eyes followed her over toward the man, who had helped Julia get to the top of the culinary world. As he approached, Hannah noted details about the man, making mental notes, which she clicked off like a list in her head. Sharply dressed per his station. Fit. Impressive, with a confident, determined posture and walk. Appears around 5’10”. Deep blue eyes. Graying, thick but shortcut hair. Focused. Attuned to his surroundings. Hannah followed Asa’s gaze. He focused on Louie. He apparently disapproved of the interloper.

  Stopping before the group, the man looked around at the group before speaking in a deep, rich voice. “Greetings.” He turned to Jazlyn. “I was unaware we had guests today.” His tone was calm but restrained as he continued. “I would have hoped to have a proper welcome for an old friend of Julia’s.” With that said, he let his eyes look at Louie. “I recognize you from Julia’s description and from all the photos, but I’ve never had the actual pleasure.” He extended his hand to Louie.

  Taking it as offered, Louie smiled in a somewhat awkward manner. “No, we haven’t, but long overdue, wouldn’t you say?”

  Hannah read the two men’s body language as that of silent gladiators. They all put forward a face of cordiality, but under the surface was a tension that was almost palpable.

  Jazlyn interjected herself into the situation, but held a nervous, uncomfortable smile. “This was an impromptu thing. I met them over at the media tent and recognized Mr. Woolridge.” She reached out and drew her Uncle in to hug him. “And I knew you were busy, so… please, don’t let us change your schedule.” She stepped back, but hung onto one of his hands. Hannah watched as, within seconds, his body relaxed. He gazed down into Jazlyn’s eyes with clear devo
tion to her.

  Once again, Cate whispered to Hannah, “Somebody’s got somebody wrapped around her little finger. Man, I bet she gets away with murder around him.” Hannah bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud at her friend’s joking innuendo, but considered the possibilities of it. She watched with fascination, studying the emotions that flittered across Asa’s face. In a short span of time, he had gone from a man trying to intimidate and guard his territory, to one willing to agree with the wishes of his niece. This led her to wonder about the extent of the relationship. She did not have long to consider the possibilities before Asa interrupted her thoughts with his booming voice.

  “All right, I’ll leave you with your short tour, but remember, you’ve got a lot to do before tomorrow.”

  Both Hannah and Cate caught the emphasis. He leaned down to kiss Jazlyn on the cheek. “I have to run into town. I have a meeting with the mayor, the governor, and some journalists at the town hall. Everyone wants something today. I’ll be late. Good luck with the run.” Asa turned to the group. “If you will all excuse me.” With a brief nod, he turned and headed toward his office. Reaching the massive oak doors, he opened both sides to enter and disappeared through the center. Power play, Hannah thought to herself.

  “He’s something, isn’t he?” Jazlyn voice sounded near-cooing as she led the group in the opposite direction.

  “Yes, something,” Louie whispered to Hannah as Buster and Cate walked ahead with Jazlyn. “I may have stirred the beehive a bit.”

  Hannah nodded in agreement, but remained quiet. Security cameras were everywhere. She had the feeling whoever was watching, monitored every movement with scrutiny. She made a concerted effort not to peer up at every camera they passed, so as not to draw attention to her suspicions. She had no particular reason to believe this. There was nothing to affirm her theory. These two facts alone made her feel all the more disturbed.