Cast Iron Stake Through the Heart by Jodi Rath

Author:Jodi Rath [Grubb, Jodi Roth and Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery, murder, mystery, small town
Publisher: MYS ED LLC
Published: 2020-05-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

As worries about murder filled my mind, a mouthwatering aroma filled my kitchen. It was our second (uninterrupted) online class, and we were cooking steak. Ava had given pointers on what to look for when purchasing steak at the butcher, how to season, and the differences in the cooking temperatures, from rare to well-done. Then I had stepped in and given my usual safety tips about preheating the pan and began to demonstrate cooking a New York strip steak to perfection.

It hadn’t been very long since the unplanned meeting to decide if we should continue the class after Darla’s murder, so I wondered if some students would skip class, but a few minutes before class started, they had begun popping onto my monitor one at a time. Bea’s screen had stayed blank, and she had typed, “Girls, my camera isn’t working but I can see and hear you just fine,” into the chat. I had remembered what the back of the receipt for the sunglasses had said: Skip class or camera off so no one can see. What was she hiding?

“That’s fine, let us know if you have questions,” I had written back and had given the camera a thumbs up.

All of the students had shown up, and were quiet but attentive. They didn’t know that the police had a search warrant and had installed spyware on the laptop that would record the class session. Tabitha, working for the police, sat just out of sight of the cameras, watching the laptop. Technically, she was there to monitor the equipment and make any adjustments needed; however, she was also a full-time therapist, so I guessed that all of the students’ vocal inflections and facial expressions were being noted by her watchful eye.

“It is important to let the steak rest before serving.” I gestured to the foil tent that I had instructed them to place over the steak once they had transferred it to the plate. “Cooking drives the moisture into the center of the meat. If you allow five to ten minutes for the steak to rest, the moisture redistributes and rehydrates the protein fibers—and bingo!” I pulled the tent off with a flourish. “Perfect steak!” Bradley zoomed the camera in on the plate.

We wrapped up the session and signed off. We were all pretty happy that it had gone off without a hitch. Tabitha collected her equipment and departed without much discussion. I wondered if it was difficult for her to separate Therapist Tabitha from Investigator Tabitha.

Next class we were teaching the side dishes: glazed carrots and parmesan asparagus. But getting through this session was one big thing off of my list for the week. Tomorrow was the town hall meeting. Carlos and the front staff agreed to cover us so Ava and I could attend.

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