Page 45 of Evidence of Secrets

Oh God. Why did she think that? The worst that could happen is that she could take their money and then lose the bistro. Her friends would lose their money. Then they’d hate her. Not happening.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

Ryan followed Jaimie into Salt & Sea. It was mid-afternoon Sunday. Brunch was over, and there was a lull in service. Laura never got back to Jaimie about showing him the bistro or Jaimie never asked—didn’t matter. He was here now.

Jaimie thought it was the perfect time to show him the bistro since she wasn’t working today.

He’d eaten in the dining room, so there wasn’t anything there to entice him. He hadn’t come to look at the dining room.

“Come on.” Jaimie took his hand and walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll introduce you to Levi, our daytime chef, and show you the kitchen.”

Ryan didn’t care about Levi, the daytime chef. “Great, lead the way.”

Levi was a gray-haired, fifty-something man. He was cleaning up when they entered.

“Oh goody, you’re still here,” said Jaimie. “Levi, I’d like you to meet Ryan Hall. He’s interested in buying a restaurant, and I thought I’d show him Laura’s for inspiration.”

Levi and Ryan shook hands.

“Look around all you want. I’m just finishing up. Then I’m heading home.”

The kitchen was a surprise. For some reason, Ryan imagined a typical cold, stainless-steel working area in his mind. However, Laura had created a warm workspace that would still meet stringent health inspections. Stainless-steel countertops, shelves for plates, and the enormous commercial stove took up a lot of space but didn’t make the room look crowded. Scents of lamb and mint tantalized his nose.

“Hmmm, something smells delicious.”

“Laura likes to try new recipes. Today we used ground lamb in an Eggs Benedict dish and made lamb sausage hash,” said Levi.

“Interesting. Do you try out a lot of new menu ideas?”

Levi nodded. “It’s one way we keep trying to stay on top of the competition. Our menu is eclectic, and people enjoy it.”

He finished putting the food away, wiped his hands, and took off his apron. “Okay then, I’m off. Laura will be here later if you have questions for her.” Levi left through the back door. It slammed shut behind him, and Ryan noted that the back door was noisy. He looked around but didn’t see any cameras. Too bad for Laura, good for him.

Jaimie opened a stainless-steel door. “We have a small cold storage room, although most of our food is made fresh.”

Ryan peeked in. He wasn’t interested in the cold storage. There was only one room he wanted to see.

“This is the pantry,” said Jaimie as she opened a sliding wooden door.

Ha. Pantry to Jaimie. Entrance to riches to him. The secret room was here—somewhere.

Where to look, though? The weathered brick walls looked old—that was a good sign. Somewhere along the line, someone, perhaps Laura, had installed metal shelving on one wall. That would be a problem. Along another wall were bulk containers of dry ingredients.

Finding the room was going to take a little longer than he thought. Besides, there were the employees who were always around. Laura kept irregular hours. Monday, when the bistro was closed, might be his best bet. If he came in after midnight on Sunday, he’d have all day Monday to look for it. The door had to have some kind of invisible spring that opened the secret room.

“Hello?”

Shit. He and Jaimie turned. Laura was standing in the doorway.

“Oh Laura, hi. Levi just left. I was showing Ryan the bistro.” That was one long sentence. Ryan mentally shook his head.Guilty some, Jaimie?

He put on a big smile. “Sorry if we’re intruding. “Jaimie here volunteered to show me the inner workings of yours.” Ryan bit his lip, hoping he looked contrite. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Hmmm.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t mind. We’re in between service, so it doesn’t affect anything.”

“Glad to hear that.” He opened his arms. “This is warm and inviting. In fact, the whole bistro is special. You’ve done a wonderful job.”

Laura relaxed. “It is pretty special to me. Has Jaimie shown you the dining room?”

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