Chili Cookoff Murder by Sara Bourgeois

Author:Sara Bourgeois [Bourgeois, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

The next day, there was only one check-in scheduled at the Sunny Side Inn. Rebecca insisted that she could handle it herself and that I should go run some errands. I thought her behavior was odd, considering how irritated she had been with me the day before for not being around to help with check-ins.

“Are you sure you don’t need me here?” I asked. “I don’t really have anywhere I need to be today.”

“Oh, no, it’s just one person, I’ve got it covered,” Rebecca said, practically pushing me out the front door. “You should go do something fun for yourself. Get out of the inn for a bit!”

I stood on the front porch confused. Why was Rebecca so adamant about me leaving? As I glanced back through the window, the reason became obvious - I saw Chet Ennis sauntering down the stairs.

Of course. Rebecca wanted time alone with her ex-boyfriend. I sighed, knowing there was no way I could stick around as a third wheel.

I was trying to figure out where to go to kill time when Charlie Thompson came bounding up the walk.

“Hey, Emily! I was hoping I could steal you away to keep investigating the case today,” he said eagerly. “I thought we’d take a drive into the city where Silas lived and see what we can find out about him and those chefs he ruined.”

“Now, that sounds like a plan.”

The air buzzed with the promise of discovery as Charlie and I piled into his trusty pickup truck, the early morning sun casting long shadows on the ground. “I’ve got a full tank of gas and a playlist of the greatest hits from the ‘80s,” Charlie declared with a grin as he started the engine. The roar of the old truck was comforting, like the purr of an oversized cat.

I laughed, settling into the passenger seat. “Sounds like we’re ready for an adventure then.”

As we drove out of Maplewood, the tightness in my chest began to loosen. It was a welcome change from the stress that had knotted my muscles since Silas’s death. With each mile, I felt myself unwind, trading suspicion for scenery as buildings gave way to open fields.

Charlie caught me humming along to an old tune and threw me a playful look. “Didn’t peg you as a fan of hair bands.”

“I’m full of surprises,” I shot back, my voice light. “Besides, how can anyone resist belting out these classics?”

He laughed, and for a moment, we were just two friends on a road trip, not amateur sleuths chasing down leads on a murder case.

“So,” Charlie said after we had exhausted our duet to ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’ “we’re looking for chefs who might have held a grudge against Silas?”

I nodded. “Yeah. He was notorious for his brutal reviews. If someone’s livelihood got torpedoed by his pen, they might have motive.”

Charlie whistled softly. “That’s quite the needle in a haystack.”

“We have to start somewhere,” I replied.

The city skyline crept into view as we approached our destination—a bustling metropolis that seemed worlds away from Maplewood’s quaint charm.

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