The Missing Ingredient by Brian Lancaster

Author:Brian Lancaster [Lancaster, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-64080-274-2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2018-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

ELEVEN thirty Wednesday night, Marcus lay on top of the thick cotton quilt in his hotel room in Birmingham, mulling over the lease signing meeting, which had gone so much better than expected. As usual, a lot of the negotiation points had been complicated, but since the opening of Shepherd’s Bush three years ago, he surprised himself at how much he now understood. Nevertheless, that kind of detail bored him—Marcus preferred to be holed up in the kitchen, playing with knives and fire and creating magic.

Which was one of the reasons he had excused himself to use the washroom on Tuesday during a particularly long and arduous debate on renewal clauses. Wandering the corridors of the large law firm, he had tried one door after another until he had stumbled upon a fully kitted-out kitchen. Inside, one of the suits from the firm, taking a break to use the snazzy Italian coffee machine, had explained that the kitchen was only ever really used for firm functions. After getting directions to the toilets from the guy, and then having a quick snoop around the surprisingly well-equipped kitchen, he had found his way to the restroom. And as he had pulled out his phone to check messages, the small piece of paper Daniel had given him fell out of his pocket. On impulse, he’d decided to give the number a ring.

“Brackley Moor Manor House. How may I help you?”

“Yes, hello. May I speak to Laura Kitchener in bookings?”

“Speaking.”

“Yes, hello there. My name’s Marcus Vine.”

After a slight pause at the end of the phone, the woman continued.

“Marcus Vine?” A touch of suspicion crept into the tone. “As in the well-known chef?”

“It is, actually. But I wouldn’t exactly call myself famous.”

“Oh my goodness, it is you. I would recognize your voice anywhere. My husband and I saw you on the celebrity chef feature on Channel Four on Tuesday. We’ve been to your Edgware Road restaurant three times. Every time the food has been amazing. We’re both huge fans.”

“I’m honored. And thank you so much for your support. The thing is, Laura—is it okay to call you Laura?”

“Of course! Oh my goodness. Wait until I tell Bobby, my husband, that you called here.”

“The thing is, Laura, a good friend of mine made a booking at Brackley Moor around eighteen months ago. I just wondered if you’d have kept any details. Her name is—was—Mrs. Lorraine Bradford.”

“Yes, I certainly do. A policeman asked me the same question recently. Told me what had happened to her. And he also said a friend of his might call, but I never imagined it would be you.”

“Police Sergeant Mosborough? Yes, we’re good friends.”

“That’s the one. Mrs. Bradford—God rest her soul—placed a tentative booking for the second Saturday of last November. A hundred people. Said it was for a seventieth birthday party. But we never received the deposit or any follow-up confirmation, so we naturally had to let the booking go, I’m afraid. Don’t tell me you were going to do the catering?”

“No,” Marcus laughed.

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