Eggsecutive Orders (20 page)

“Oh my God,” I said again. What had she done?

“What’s wrong?” Mom asked, coming in to the kitchen, still in her nightgown.

I expelled a hot breath and had about one second to decide my next move. “Nothing,” I said. I shut the paper.

“You look like you’ve gotten some terrible news, honey.” Moving toward the countertop, she started to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Why don’t you shower first,” I suggested. “I made that a while ago and it’s probably stale. I’ll make fresh.”

She gave the pot a curious look. “There’s plenty in there.”

“Yeah, but it’s a little weak.” I grimaced, lifting my half-filled mug. “You and I both like it stronger. I’ll put some of the weaker stuff in the carafe for Nana.”

Mom didn’t seem entirely convinced that I gave so much thought to our morning coffee, but she shrugged. “All right. I won’t be long. What are we doing today, anyway?”

“I have to make a few phone calls,” I said. That was an understatement. All I wanted at this moment was for her to leave so I could start damage control. “But I have a few ideas. We’ll talk about it after your shower.”

Finally, she left the room.

Tom answered on the first ring. “So meddling runs in the family, eh?”

“Oh my God,” I said, for the third time. “What am I going to do?”

“
You
are going to do nothing at all,” he said. He gave a short laugh, which I thought was inappropriate, given the circumstances. “I guess it’s like they say: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The next time I chastise you for getting involved in situations you should stay out of, just remind me it’s in your DNA.” He laughed again. “Your poor mom. I know she was just trying to help. How is she taking today’s new twist?”

Nana came into the room. She helped herself to a cup of coffee.

“She hasn’t seen it yet.”

“Are you going to show it to her?”

Nana settled down across from me. She squinted over the top of her mug.

“I don’t think so.”

Tom made a noise. “Do you think that’s best?”

I had no idea what was best. I had no idea which way was up at the moment. I said so.

“Listen,” Tom said, using his serious voice. “This Liss character is nothing more than a pain in the ass. Don’t give him another thought, okay? You got that? People read his column for entertainment, not for news. By next week, they’ll have forgotten all of this.”

“Not if the Egg Roll is canceled.” I was morose and felt like spreading it around. “Then nobody will ever forget. When was the last time they canceled an Egg Roll?” I asked. “I mean, except for weather, or world wars?”

“Ollie.” Still the serious tone.

“Liss paints me as a lunatic chef who would risk her guests’ safety for another shot in the limelight. Doesn’t he understand how much I hate making the front page?” My voice had gone up. Turning my ear toward the hallway, I relaxed when I realized the shower was still running. Nana continued to stare at me, her eyebrows tight.

“Okay,” Tom said, more soothingly than I had any right to expect. “Let’s just take this slowly. I suggest you ignore Liss. He’s the least of your worries right now.”

I groaned.

“You called me for a reason,” he prompted.

“I have a copy of the DVD from Suzie and Steve,” I said. “They gave it to me.”

Instead of being pleased, he got angry. “You couldn’t get a copy from me, so you went out and got one on your own? Ollie, what did I ask you about staying out of this investigation?”

“That’s why I’m telling you. They want me to go over it—heck, they want
you
to go over it—because they believe it will prove that no one in the kitchen could have done anything to Minkus’s food.”

“First of all . . .” I sensed a lecture coming on. “We aren’t going to be able to tell anything from the recording. Give me a break. How would any of us watching know whether that was salt—or arsenic—someone is adding to a dish?”

“Don’t you think the fact that we’re all willing to make the DVD public is proof of innocence?”

“Hardly proof. No matter how much you, or the SizzleMasters, want to get involved, nothing you say or do will be of any help right now. This death has to be investigated step by step. All options will be kept open until we’re able to eliminate—”

“Listen,” I said, interrupting him. “There’s a reason Suzie and Steve want you to see the DVD.”

A heartbeat of silence, then, “A reason.”

“I can’t tell you what it is, but I—”

“Ollie.”

“Trust me here, okay?”

I heard him give an exasperated sigh. “I asked you not to get involved.”

I said nothing.

Tom broke the silence. “What did Suzie and Steve tell you?”

Although I wanted to honor Steve’s request to keep the information about Mary and her history with Minkus to myself, Liss’s column today intimated that it wouldn’t be long before the whole world knew. “They told me something in confidence,” I began. “They specifically asked me not to tell you about it.”

“And you don’t find
that
suspicious?”

“I would, except I know what they’re keeping to themselves. Everyone has secrets, Tom.”

Another exasperated sigh. “You just can’t stay out of things, can you?”

“You told me to go about my business like normal. You told me it was fine to keep in touch with my friends. These are my friends,” I said. My voice had gone up again, just as I heard the shower turn off. Nana still listened.

“These are my friends,” I said again, more quietly. “And if I have to, I will tell you the story they told me. I don’t believe they could have done anything to Carl Minkus, but I do believe there are other reasons they might come under scrutiny.”

Sounds came through the receiver that made me believe Tom was scratching his face. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“For one, you can appreciate that I’m keeping you updated on all this, just like you asked me to,” I said with a little snap. “I’m not getting involved, but as information comes to me I’m sharing it with you. I think that’s fair.”

He didn’t comment.

“I’m going to take a look at this DVD,” I said. “I’ll have Bucky and Cyan take a look at it, too. If we see anything weird, I’ll tell you immediately.”

“Ollie,” Tom said gently, “if anyone in that kitchen had intended to kill Carl Minkus, don’t you think they would have made sure to do it off-camera?”

Frustration worked its way into my voice. “What am I supposed to do? Just sit on my hands until that medical examiner finally gets off his duff and tells the world it wasn’t my fault? This is my career we’re talking about.”

“I know,” he said. “And you know I can’t share information with you. What I can tell you is that we’re working around the clock to get this thing settled. The best advice I can give you right now is to find something to keep you busy. To take your mind off of the problems.”

I blew a raspberry into the phone.

“I understand this isn’t easy. Use this time off as a gift. You’ve got your mother and grandmother there keeping you company. I suggest you enjoy your time with them.”

When we hung up, Nana’s mouth twisted sideways. “Who hasn’t seen what?” she asked.

Hoping my mom was still busy in the bathroom for a few more minutes, I opened the page to Liss’s article and turned it to face Nana. I let her read a little bit before explaining, “Mom sent in a comment to his website yesterday. I don’t think she realized what a Pandora’s box she would open.”

Nana put a finger on the paper to hold her spot. “What does Tom say about this?”

“He wants me to ignore it. Pretend it doesn’t exist.”

Nana kept reading.

I stood and began pacing the small kitchen, thinking about how Bucky’s space was so much more the sort of kitchen I should have at home. Quick pang of jealousy. Why was it that when things were bad, suddenly
everything
seemed negative? Why did my tiny kitchen bother me today? It had never bothered me before. But I’d never been served up on a silver platter before, the way Liss was doing—with my mother’s help. “How can I ignore that when he’s clearly skewering me? I mean, this is personal!”

“What’s personal?” Mom asked, as she came into the kitchen. Her hair was still wet, but she was dressed and made up.

Nana answered before I could. “That damn medical examiner.”

She gave me a look that warned me not to contradict.

“Why?” Mom asked, making her way around the table to read over Nana’s shoulder. “Did he say something more in the paper today?”

As unflappably as anything, Nana turned the page before Mom could see Liss’s article. “No, there’s nothing in here today about that. We were just talking about Ollie not getting back into the kitchen yet.”

Mom gave me a funny look when she noticed the coffee hadn’t changed. “I thought you were going to make fresh.”

I apologized. “I wound up talking with Tom for quite a while. Sorry. I’ll make some now.”

She waved me away. “Don’t worry about it.”

Nana and I shared a conspiratorial look. She pushed herself up from the table, and tucked the newspaper under her arm. “I guess I’ll get in the bathroom next.”

Mom pointed. “I haven’t read that yet.”

Nana unfolded the paper, and dropped a few sections back onto the table. “Here’s the weather, the fun stuff . . .” She rattled off a few more. “You’re lucky I feel generous today,” she said with a wink. “Usually if you snooze, you lose.”

My mom rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and didn’t seem to notice at all that Nana had tucked the front-page section back under her arm.

I did a few morning chores, checked my e-mail, then called Bucky and Cyan.

Mom and Nana were at the kitchen table looking ready to go, when I approached them with an idea. “How about you two come with me to Bucky’s place?”

At their confused, expectant looks, I explained.

“First of all, I really wanted you to meet my team, and although this isn’t the most optimal of circumstances, I think it could work.”

“You’ve got a funny glimmer in your eye,” Nana said.

I pointed to her. “That’s because I want to put you both to work. Bucky, Cyan, and I are convinced that Paul Vasquez—he’s our chief usher and in charge of just about everything at the White House—will eventually tell us that the Egg Roll is back on. I want to get started on boiling eggs.”

“Should you do that?” Mom asked. “Until the medical examiner—”

“This isn’t that
CSI
TV show. It may be months until we get a definitive answer.” I shuddered at that thought. “I just have to do something. I mean, if the Egg Roll is canceled then we’re stuck with a roomful of eggs. I get that. But what if they decide that the event will go on after all? What if they decide that on Sunday afternoon? Then what? We’ll never get enough eggs boiled in that amount of time.”

Nana said. “I’m up for it.”

Mom nodded. “Me, too.”

“Good. Bucky’s expecting us there later this morning. If we work all afternoon, we can still quit in time to come back here and change before going to Minkus’s wake tonight.” The idea of going in there by myself was unpleasant at best. And if my family was with me, I figured I could make a polite and fairly quick exit after paying my respects. “You are both planning to come with me, aren’t you?”

My mom’s face went red. “Of course. I wouldn’t want you going alone.”

Nana laughed at her. “And you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to pay your respects to—or should I say flirt with—Kap, would you?”

Darn. I’d forgotten about him.

“At a wake?” my mom asked with a touch of indignance. “I wouldn’t do anything like that.”

I could have kicked myself for forgetting about Kap. “I can go alone.”

“No,” Mom said, too quickly. “We wouldn’t want you to have to face those Minkuses on your own, honey.”

I swallowed my reply.

CHAPTER 15

CYAN PULLED ME TO THE SIDE MOMENTS AFTER we’d arrived at Bucky’s. “Did you
see
this place?” she asked gesturing around the rooms with her eyes. “It’s gorgeous. I don’t know what I expected, but it sure wasn’t this.”

Bucky was still near the front door, hanging up coats, making small talk with my family.

“I know what you mean. I was here the other day for the first time—which is why I knew his place was perfect for our project. But”—I ran my hand along the living room sofa again—“purple suede?”

“Is he married?”

We were still talking in whispers. “I asked. He said, ‘Not yet.’”

“Lots of work ahead of us today,” Bucky said, clapping his hands together. He seemed unnaturally cheerful, and completely at ease with the four of us just hanging out at his house. “Let’s get started.”

Again, he was dressed in shorts, with an apron over. He ushered us all into the back of the house and his expansive kitchen. Mom and Nana exclaimed delight when they stepped into the bright, professionally appointed space. Cyan’s mouth dropped and she turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. “Wow,” she said. “If they ever decide to renovate the White House kitchen, I think you should design it.”