Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 02 - The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen (7 page)

Hannah found herself relieved and her faith restored.
“Ever the gentleman,” she said in a whisper. In her mind, Hym could not even talk of intimacy yet. The fact that he did not expect it until the relationship was ready for it spoke volumes about the man. “So, now that we have that out of the way… for now. How are you feeling?”

“
Tired and guilty, and wondering how many zillions of roses amounts to forgiveness. I blew the perfect opportunity with a perfect woman.”

Hannah
’s smile deepened. Her eyes glazed over as she considered his words. “One. and a favor.”

“
Name it.”

“
Can you stay awake long enough to meet Papa Jay? It will give you a chance to impress him with your insistence that the two of you meet.”

“
My insistence?” Hym joked. “Two Gun, huh?”

“
Yup, but he didn’t bring them with him, not that I know of, anyway. Let me find a wheelchair and we’ll get out of here.”

Hym sighed.
“Joy, not even engaged yet, and already you’re pushing me around,” he added.

Hannah laughed. She could not help feeling happy for the first time
that day. The hours and Elias’ situation took their toll on her.

As promised, Dr. Tompkins sent a nurse to Hym
’s room with discharge papers. She also brought a wheelchair. Not seeing Papa Jay and Gran in the waiting area, she assumed they were talking to Janine and Wexler still. She asked Hym if it were okay to go up and he agreed.

As they made their way through the hospital toward the room, Hannah once again hit the highlights with Hym on her trip. Approaching the area, she saw Janine leaning into
Wexler. He was holding her, patting her back. It was clear something upset her.  

“
Janine,” Hannah said with an inquiring tone.

As with
her father, Janine came and hugged Hannah. “He’s getting worse,” she whispered, before turning away. Her head dropped as she and her father headed back to be with her husband. Hannah turned to Papa Jay and Gran for an explanation.

“
I thought he was getting better.”

“
Was, but then he took a turn. All this moving I’d imagine. Staph infection. Fever. It’s not looking good.”

“
He could die?”

Both her grand
parents and boyfriend watched as a quietness overtook Hannah. Papa Jay’s face strained, as he said the words that his granddaughter did not want to hear. “It’s a possibility.”

Hym blew out a breath.
“If that happens--”

“
It would make it murder,” Hannah interceded.

Hannah ran her
fingers through her hair and yawned. It caused a chain reaction of similar responses. Stretching, she looked at a wall clock and shook her head. She then made introductions between Hym and Papa Jay, which they sealed with a handshake.

“
Don’t you have to work in the morning, Sweetness?” Papa Jay inquired.

“
I do. I need to be there around 10:00 AM.”

“
You two need to get to bed,” Gran said with a smirk.

“
Scooby,” Papa Jay responded in a harsh tone.

The elder snoop gave her usual
‘what’ gesture response.

Papa Jay rolled his eyes. Looking at Hym through his wise eyes, he said.
“Don’t mind her, son. She’s hell bent on great-grandbabies. Something in her DNA, I suspect.”

Hym gave a forced smile. He pointed in the direction of Elias
’ room. “Was that Johnny Wexler?”

“
Good eye, son.” Papa Jay nodded with approval. “That’s him.” He glanced back toward the room. “They both look worn out. I think I’ll stick around and catch some winks here. Make sure whoever did this don’t come back.”

He turned to look at Hannah and Hym.
“You should go and get some rest before work, Sweetness.” Addressing Hym, he added, “Take care of the ladies, will you, son?”

Hym agreed, but Gran would have none of it.

“You think I’m leaving you up here alone with nurses. No way, mister. Where you lay your head, I lay mine.” She grinned at Hym. “Get her to bed.”

Both Hannah and Papa Jay rolled their eyes. Hym took it in stride.

Hannah gave a thankful smile. “Papa Jay, you are the sweetest, but Gran and you came for a vacation, not to play security.”

The elder Starvling waved off his
granddaughter’s implied suggestion. “Nonsense. ‘Sides, do you think I haven’t been through this before? If there’s a case at hand…” Papa Jay motioned toward Gran, “Scooby there’s going to be in the thick of it.”

“
I’ll take a turn,” Hym chimed in yawning, “tomorrow, when the medication wears off. Not like I’m going to be doing much as it is.”

Papa Jay gave Hym a head nod and a thumbs up. Hannah
shook her head with frustration. “Are you now? And if they do come after Elias or Janine, what are you going to do? Roll over them?”

Hym removed his cell phone.
“Throw this at their head. It’s says it has a security feature.” He suppressed the urge to laugh at his own wittiness. Gran and Papa Jay both laughed, but Hannah shook her head.

“
Fine, whatever, but that will have to wait until later. For now, I’m getting you in the bed.” Hearing the words escape her mouth, Hannah paused and closed her eyes.  She winced her face before turning to look at the others. Gran said nothing, but she grinned. “Let me rephrase that,” Hannah said. “I’ll be getting you to the hotel, in your room, alone. You will be alone. I mean I won’t be there. I’ll be…” Her words faded as even Papa Jay worked to cover his laughter. Now flushed with red, she added, “Right, we’ll be going now.”

“
Of course, dear, and don’t worry about us. You wouldn’t believe some of the places we’ve slept in.” She gave Hannah and Hym a wink.

“
TMI,” Hannah said. “Too much information.” She began pushing Hym toward the elevators.

Chapter 6

Though it was quick, the ride to the Hotel Victoria was pleasant. The conversation started on the case at hand, but silence overtook the two as Hannah leaned into Hym’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in his ear.

Hym
’s face lit up. “Missed you too. I was so looking forward to this. I’m so sorry.”

“
No reason to keep apologizing. You’re here now. If you can’t go romping about with me, at least I can pick your brain about this whole mess.”

Hym drew his brow down as he nodded.
“So, no idea who this Dahlia is?”

“
Not a clue, and I can’t think of any other connection. If Elias wakes up, he might be able to give a clue, but until then, I’m stumped.”

“
Sounds like you need to find that guy you saw at the location.”

“
Yeah, I do, but I’ve got to find out who he is first.”

Hym leaned over and kissed the top of Hannah
’s head. “You will. You always get your man.”

I hope
that’s true
, Hannah said to herself as she squeezed Hym’s arm.

Once at the Hotel Victoria, the pair ran into
Serizawa ‘Ducky’ Kamo, the young hotel worker whom Hannah met on her first day. He insisted on carrying Hym’s luggage up, much to the chagrin of the on duty porter. After Hannah requested Ducky’s specific help, the porter gave into the deviation in the usual work pattern.

On their way up, Hannah questioned the young man
about any knowledge of the man she saw from the squad car where Elias fell.

“
I’m afraid I didn’t see him, Ms. Starvling,” Ducky said.

Hearing him, Hannah thought she detected some hesitance in his response
, but as tired as she was, she decided she would ponder it later.

“
Would you let us know if you run across someone of that description?” Hym requested.

Ducky
agreed. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground.”

Hannah reached in her purse and handed him a twenty. Looking the bill over, he shook his head.
When he offered it back, Hannah held her hand up to halt the transaction.

“
Keep it. Think of it as a contribution. We might be working together someday after you finish school.”

Ducky produced a smile.
“Okay, an investment, but I consider myself on retainer with this. Anything else I can help you with, let me know.”

Hannah and Hym agreed as the young man departed. After getting Hym settled, Hannah could see that her companion fought exhaustion. He struggled to remain alert.

“You’re struggling,” she suggested.

Hym yawned
. “You’re one to talk. Painkillers. I never can handle them.” Stretching, he lay back on the bed. “So what’s next on your agenda, Sherlock?”

Looking out the window over the balcony, Hannah could see the sun
beginning to rise. She walked over and looked out toward the shoreline. Already, the glow of the sun was lighting the area and people were making their way along the water’s edge. She thought back to Ducky’s words and his hesitancy, once again filing it for later consideration. She stretched, yawned, and looked at the time. It read 6:07 AM.

“
I think I’ll try to get a few hours’ sleep. When I get through judging, we’ll figure out what comes next.”

Hannah waited for a response. She heard the sound of a low rumble. Looking back,
she saw that Hym was sound asleep. His mouth was open and snores rolled out in a rhythmic pattern. “Cute,” she said. The sound reminded her of her grandfather. Papa Jay was a snorer. Hym was an amateur by comparison.

Finding paper and a pen in
the  desk drawer, Hannah left Hym a note explaining her plans. She ended it with the words ‘if not back by 1:00, Boo Boo, send in the Ranger. Love Yogi.’  She then taped it to the television remote before returning to her room.

She lay back on her bed and blew out a breath. She wanted to sleep, but kept
thinking through all the elements of the case thus far. At the moment, she found everything muddled due to weariness. Then her mind drifted over to Hym. A smile ran across her face and she drifted off into a pleasant dream.

Hannah awoke with a start a
nd to the sound of room service making a requested complimentary wake up call. After hanging up the phone, she looked over at the clock.
8:45
, she read.
Morning. Coffee. Need
. She rose and opened the door between Hym’s room and hers to check on him. He was still out, snoring, with an arm thrown over his eyes. She yawned through a smile and was ready to snuggle up next to him when she heard a knock on the door. A glance at the clock told her it was now 9:00 AM. When she opened the door, Ducky stood smiling with a cart full of food and a pot of coffee. Seeing the expression on Hannah’s face, he stiffened and took half a step back. Her hair was askew, her eyes bagged and droopy, and she smacked her lips together like a hungry beast. She still wore the clothes from the day before, only now, wrinkled and disheveled appearing.

“
Um, Ms. Starvling, you put in a request for breakfast yesterday at registration?”

“
Coffee,” Hannah uttered as she waved him in.

Once inside, Hannah sat on the edge of the bed as Ducky poured her a cup of steaming brew.

“Sugar and Cream?”

Hannah held up two fingers and Ducky obliged. He poured in cream until she indicated for him to stop. After stirring, he handed her the cup. To his amazement, she turned up the piping hot liquid, gulping it down in one fell turn. She handed it back and indicated again. This ritual continued through three cups. Ducky stood stunned
, but said nothing. Finally, Hannah stretched and asked what she had ordered. “Coffee. Two pots. Eggs, ham, biscuits and gravy, grits, milk, a muffin, and a banana.” Reading it off, his eyebrows lifted up and his eyes widened. He looked at Hannah, before preparing everything for her. Hannah took in the smell and smiled.

“
Do you have a minute?” she asked.

“
I guess.”

Hannah indicated for him to sit down. As she ate, she asked him a few questions.
“You always seem to be around.”

“
I try to keep busy. You know, make myself useful. It passes the time.”

“
What exactly do you do here?”

Ducky threw his hands out in a bold gesture.
“Just about anything and everything. Today, I’m delivering food. Later, I’ll drive the shuttle. Porter. Bellhop. Kitchen. All around slave. Whatever it takes. That’s my job.”

Hannah nodded between bites.
“You want some?” she asked, pointing to the food, but Ducky declined. “Yesterday, with my friend, did you see anything?”

“
No, ma’am. I was coming back from a shuttle to the airport run when I saw all the crowd. I thought I’d check it out. Mr. Babel was on the car when I got there.”

“
You know him?”

“
No, although I did meet him, Mrs. Babel, and a Mr. Wexler in the lobby a few days earlier.  I carried their luggage up.”

“
All in the same room?”

“
Mr. Wexler is on this floor. Next door, as a matter of fact.”

“
Did Mr. Babel have a special container with him?”

Ducky shook his head.
“Not that I saw. How big though? Could it have been in their suitcases? They had three between the two of them. Usually, women have the two. The guys carry one. No offense.”

Hannah smiled and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“The truth is the truth. I have three.” She pointed to the corner where two large and one bag sat.

Ducky smiled, but it fell away.
“That’s just it, though. Two were Mr. Babel’s. He was real particular about one.”

This information caught Hannah
’s attention. She sat up straight as she downed a bite of biscuit covered in gravy. “Can you describe it?”

“
It was heavy. Heavier than the other two, anyway. You know, enough to catch your attention. Black. So big.” Ducky indicated the size with his hands.
He then studied Hannah for a moment. “Um, can you tell me what this is about?”

Hanna
h considered his question. Her questions triggered a response from the young man and she needed to be cautious in her response. Time seemed to freeze for her as she ran everything she observed about Ducky up until that moment. He was always around. He picked her and her grandparents up at the airport. He knew who she was. He was there at Elias’ landing point. Now, he delivered the food she requested the night before.
Coincidence
, she considered,
or is he playing me?
She twisted her nose back and forth.
Could it be he was searching for the truffles as well? He did suggest he was in need of money for school. If he indeed wanted to go to culinary school, and read Food Critic, he would have been aware of Elias’ work and obsession
. 

As recently as four months prior, the magazine contained an interview with the gourmet about truffles. It covered Elias
’ meteoric rise to the top of the field. Hannah tried to recall if the article mentioned her friend carrying truffles on his travels. After a brief consideration, she found the specifics eluded her at the present. She was certain even a small amount equated to valuable. Elias often carried large amounts, enough to serve exclusive dining events up to one hundred. He mentioned planning on preparing some for a special dinner in honor of the primary judges. There were fifty primary judges. He was going to be a judge, alongside her. Each judge could invite up to three guests. This meant a total of two hundred potential guests. While talking to the gourmet earlier in the week, he told her that the recipe he planned called for two ounces per serving. The sleuth tried to calculate an amount in her head.
Two hundred guests times two ounces, equals four hundred ounces. Sixteen ounces equals a pound. Elias’ special truffles sell for $3600 a pound.
Hannah’s eyes shot open. The number she came to caused her to stammer, even in her mind.
He’s carrying over $90,000 in truffles.
 

Hannah eyed Ducky once more. The amount Elias carried was enough to pay for a lot of the young
man’s hoped for education
, if he’s telling the truth about wanting that
. She then played out a scenario in her head.
He knows or finds out about the truffles. Sneaks in after he sees him leave. Elias returns. They scuffle. Ducky pushes him out the door. He trips on the frame and goes over the balcony. A possibility?
 

“
Ms. Starvling? Are you okay?” Ducky asked.

The would-be chef
’s question caught Hannah off guard and brought her back to the conversation.

“
Oh, I’m sorry. Did I drift off? Still tired I guess.” She finished off her muffin and peeled the banana. “To answer your question, I’m just trying to work out how and why anyone would want to hurt my friend.”

“
You don’t think he…” Ducky gestured a fall with his left hand.

Left handed,
Hannah noted. She added this to previous observations of the young man favoring the sinister appendage
.

“
I suppose it’s possible, but I doubt it. You seem to be in the know around here. What’s the scuttlebutt?”

Ducky twisted and made an uncomfortable face. It did not quite read as guilt to Hannah, but spoke of unease
on the subject. Still, she waited for a response.

“
Well, that he fell. That’s what the police assume. At least that’s what they told my manager, but they’re still looking into it. It seems there was a fight going on at street level at about the same time he took the fall. Theory goes that he heard the commotion, ran toward the window to see what was happening, tripped on the door seal and went over the edge.”

“
What do you think?”

Ducky smiled as he rose.
“I think I better go before I lose a job I can’t afford to lose.” He turned and headed toward the door but stopped. He turned back to look at Hannah. “Just leave the cart outside the door when you’re done. And for the record, from what I’ve read about him, Mr. Babel didn’t seem the type to get excited over street fights, unless, of course, it was about truffles. Call me if you need anything, Ms. Starvling.” With that, Ducky exited and shut the door behind him.

Hannah once more considered Ducky. The young man knew a lot more than
the average hotel worker did. In truth, she compared him to herself at that age.
Curious. Observant. Ever present.
Although only six or eight years younger than herself by her estimate, he showed a great many similarities.
He’d make a great detective
, she decided.
But what is his true path?
Student? Criminal? Something else? How does he fit into all this? Does he even play a part?