Take Dietrich, for example. Shortly after the line cooks headed back to the kitchen, the head chef came out to the alleyway.

  What a nice development that was. I had been hoping to catch a moment with him alone. Or, at least, when he wasn’t yelling at his fellow cooks in the kitchen.

  This seemed like the perfect time to strike up a conversation with him. He was away from the kitchen. In fact, it was just me and him in the alley.

  Before I was able to even get a word out, Dietrich grabbed his phone. Despite the fact that he buried his head in his phone and appeared to have no interest in talking to me, I became determined to speak with him.

  “Rough day?” I asked.

  He replied without even looking up from his phone. “Same as always.”

  “Do you mean that in a good way or a bad way?”

  “Look. I only get ten minutes for my break and I’m kind of in the middle of something here.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  He went back to messing with his phone.

  I grimaced as I tried to figure out my next step.

  I looked over at him again.

  He must have caught me glancing at him out of the corner of his eye because he turned to me with an accusatory look on his face.

  “Do you have a problem?” he asked.

  “Actually, yes.”

  He threw out his arms. “What do you want?”

  I pulled a cigarette out of my pocket. “Do you have a light?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  Dietrich grabbed a lighter from his pocket. I then walked over to him and he lit my cigarette for me.

  Now we were getting somewhere. Guess it paid off bringing that pack of cigarettes with me as a prop. Of course, with the cigarette lit, I would have to actually smoke it. Although I found the habit to be disgusting, I pushed my feelings aside. If taking a few puffs of a cigarette could help me break this case wide open, it would be worth it.

  “Thanks. Who knew that cigarettes would be such a life-saver?” I said.

  He laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” I wondered.

  “In one way, that statement is probably the most truthful thing ever said. In another way, it’s dead wrong,” Dietrich replied.

  “Look. I get it. Smoking cigarettes will kill you. But the stress of working in the restaurant industry could also do you in,” I said. “That’s why it’s nice to have a little something to take the edge off.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir here. I know exactly what you mean.”

  “How do you handle it? The pressure, I mean?”

  “Poorly.”

  I chuckled. “I didn’t expect that answer.”

  “I’m just being brutally honest.”

  “The key word being brutal.”

  “Hey, it’s a tough line of work. If you can’t deal with honesty, you should do something else for a living.”

  “Like what?”

  “Do I look like a shrink to you?”

  “No.”

  “Good. I’m not in the business of giving out free therapy. I have my hands full running that kitchen.”

  “All right. Calm down. There’s no reason to bite my head off. I just asked you a question.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Do you mean that?”

  “Yes. Like I said before, I don’t always handle pressure all that well. That’s why I come out here on my break. To take the edge off.”

  “It looks like the edge is staying with you tonight. Are you having a particularly rough night?”

  “No. It’s just that people usually leave me alone when I’m on my break.”

  “Oh. Sorry. I was just making conversation.”

  “You didn’t know. But now you’re aware for the future.”

  “I suppose.”

  Dietrich headed toward the doorway. “Enjoy your smoke.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “I need to get back in there. I don’t want my sous chef burning the place down.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It was sad to say, but that conversation with Dietrich was the closest that I got to a big break that evening. What a shame. Unfortunately, my alleyway experiment didn’t quite pay off at all.

  Over the next few days, I continued to do everything in my power to make progress with this case.

  Yet, despite all of the different attempts that I made to get my co-workers to open up to me, by the time Monday night rolled around, I still had not gotten the information that I was looking for. When I first took this case, I certainly didn’t expect it to stretch on this long. It was getting close to becoming one of the longest investigations I had ever worked on. Honestly, sometimes I felt a lot less like a private eye and a lot more like a waitress.

  It was a strange thing to say, but for a lot of the employees at the bistro, Monday night was cause for great celebration. Why? Because it was the end of their work week.

  If you’re confused by that statement, allow me to explain. Unlike typical nine-to-five jobs where the arrival of Friday evening signaled the dawn of the weekend, in the food industry, working Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday night was the norm. In fact, Friday and Saturday night were the two busiest evenings of the entire work week.

  Because of that, restaurant employees often got Tuesday and Wednesday off. Or Wednesday and Thursday. For a number of the workers at the bistro, the end of their shift this evening was the beginning of their weekend.

  For them, it was a cause to rejoice. For me, it just meant that I might have to wait a few more days to get answers.

  Or, so I thought.

  As I was performing my closing duties, Julie approached me with a smile on her face.

  “Are you going to join us tonight?” she asked.

  I gave her a blank stare. “What are you talking about?”

  “Are you coming with us?”

  I shrugged. “Where?”

  “Gallagher’s.”

  “What’s going on there?”

  “Wait. Has no one told you?”

  I threw out my arms. “About what?”

  “Every Monday night, most of the staff goes to Gallagher’s for karaoke.”

  “That’s news to me.”

  “I’m glad I brought it up then. So, are you coming?”

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  ***

  Talk about the break I had been looking for. Almost the entire staff went to the karaoke bar. Everyone but Steven.

  In fact, it seemed like all of the employees were invited except for the boss. It didn’t take long for most of my co-workers to get hammered. I’m talking about an aggressive level of sloppy drunkenness.

  Even Dietrich got in on the action. Suddenly, I saw a different side to the head chef. He was actually cutting loose for once. I even saw him smile.

  Julie was having a good time as well. She was buzzed beyond belief.

  With everyone drinking up a storm, it was hard for me to resist having a drink. I knew that I had to remain sober, however. Technically, in terms of the investigation, I was still on the clock. There would be time for me to cut loose later. Right then, I had work to do.

  Of course, I pretended to order some liquor. I didn’t want to let anyone know that I was stone cold sober. But before my drink arrived, I went up to the bar and had the bartender just pour me a water. From that point on, I just pretended that it was vodka.

  No one questioned my drink. They were too busy getting hammered.

  Shortly after saying good-bye to their sobriety, the karaoke began.

  One of the line cooks went first. That cook then egged Dietrich on.

  “Come on, King,” the line cook said.

  Another cook joined in, chanting, “King.”

  At that point, I turned to Julie.

  “Why do they keep calling him King?” I asked.

  “It’s Dietrich’s nickname,” Julie replied.

  I shrugged. “Where did that come from?”

  It was then that Julie’s heavy drinking paid some serious dividends for me. She blurted out an answer that would change the course of my entire investigation.

  “It’s a name he gave himself. Also, it’s going to be the name of his restaurant. King Dietrich’s,” Julie said.

  My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. What restaurant?”

  “The restaurant that he’s going to open.” Julie’s nose scrunched. “You haven’t heard about it?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m surprised. He’s trying to get half of the staff to come with him when he opens it up,” Julie said.

  “Oh really?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “I’m sure he’ll get around to asking you eventually. Anyway, I need another drink,” Julie said.

  She then got up and headed to the bar.

  Like that, the case took on an entirely different complexion. I suddenly had all of the information that I needed. When I got home that evening, I called Steven and set up a meeting for the following day. I had big news to share with him.

  Chapter Twelve

  When I told Steven what I had found out, the restaurant owner became enraged. To the point where he looked like he was going to blow his top.

  He pounded his fist on my desk. “That is outrageous.”

  “Mr. McMurray. Don’t shoot me. I’m just the messenger,” I said.

  My attempt to calm him down failed miserably. He snarled as he let his emotions hang out. “I can’t believe this. Talk about some serious betrayal.”

  I put my hands up. “Look. I understand that you’re upset, but will you please stop yelling?”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t have screamed at you.”

  When I saw Steven’s mood leveling off a little, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I’m sorry that I had such bad news to share with you. I really wanted this case to turn out differently.”

  “You and me both. I mean, having suspicions is one thing. Finding out that one of your employees is plotting behind your back is just maddening.”

  “That is quite a blow. It definitely turns your business upside down.”

  “You’re not kidding. My restaurant will never be the same. Nor will my life. After all, I was the one who gave Dietrich his big break. I promoted him to head chef when no one else was willing to give him a shot. And this is how he repays me.”

  I grimaced. “Mr. McMurray, you’re yelling again. Pretty loudly, might I add.”

  “Sorry. I just can’t help myself. This is just ridiculous.”

  “I know. I’m on your side. Remember?”

  “Right. I guess I’m just letting my emotions get the best of me. I shouldn’t do that. You had nothing to do with this. You were just doing your job.”

  “Exactly.”

  “And you did a great job. I’m so glad I hired you.”

  “Really?”

  He stared at me.

  “Why do you look so surprised?”

  “When I look at your face, glad isn’t the first word that comes to my mind.”

  “When it comes to this situation, I’m incensed. But at least now I know the truth. I can’t tell you how blind-sided I would have been if Dietrich picked up and left out of the blue.”

  “At least now I know what his plans are. What crazy plans they are too.”

  “That’s why I always trust my gut. My instincts were telling me that trouble was brewing.”

  “You were right. There’s no doubt about that. I guess the question now is, what are you going to do about it?”

  “To start, I’m not going to let him steal my staff from me.”

  My nose scrunched. “Don’t get me wrong. I certainly understand where you’re coming from. But how can you stop him from poaching some workers from you? After all, they are employees, not property.”

  “I understand that. They also happen to be my employees. And I plan to do everything I can to keep them around.”

  “Such as?”

  “The obvious choice it to throw more money at them. Or additional benefits.”

  “That might work.”

  “If it doesn’t, I’ll be forced to find some new staff members. But I’m not going down without a fight.”

  “I’ll bet you won’t,” I replied. “Well, whatever tactics you decide to use, I wish you luck.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to need it. This is going to be a dog fight, that’s for sure. But if I have anything to say about it, I’m going to come out on top.”

  Epilogue

  That evening, when I got off of work, my boyfriend decided to do something a little different. Rather than taking me out to dinner, or hanging out on the couch at my house, he invited me over to his place.

  That was fine by me. I was in no hurry to rush out to a restaurant for a while. And not just because of the cattiness or the back stabbing that I had uncovered at the Majestic Cove Bistro.

  There was something magical about a home-cooked meal. Especially one that was made by someone I cared about. Granted, Scott didn’t have the cooking skills of a professional chef. On the flip side, he also wasn’t an ego-maniac like Dietrich was either. That was a huge plus in my book.

  All told, Scott ended up surprising me. With a grilled cheese sandwich, no less. Was that a five-star meal? No. Was it tasty anyway? Absolutely. In fact, it was completely delicious. It was amazing how great bread, butter, and melted cheese tasted.

  In addition, the old saying was definitely true. The thought definitely did count. A lot.

  In the end, I loved Scott’s meal. But that wasn’t all.

  There was more to our evening together than just dinner. After we finished our meal, we followed it up with some dessert.

  My eyes lit up when I saw Scott pull out a few brownies. It was probably a weird statement to make, but I immediately recognized where those brownies had come from the moment I saw them. How, you might ask?

  Because they had a little bit of chocolate frosting on top. Not enough to overpower the taste of the actual brownies. Just enough to add some extra flavor to the dessert.

  As far as I knew, Majestic Cove Bakery was the only place in town that did that. Granted, Scott could have tried to replicate the recipe himself at home, but I was pretty sure that he had not spent his afternoon baking these. After all, he had just gotten off of work an hour ago.

  In my mind, there was nothing wrong with picking up store-bought goods. There was something to be said for playing to your strengths. Sometimes, there was strength in knowing that a bakery made better dessert items than you did.

  It was safe to say that we made quick work of the brownies.

  After that, we moved into the living room. We had some television-watching ahead of us. Scott was also generous enough to give me a shoulder rub. My aching muscles welcomed a good massage. As he rubbed the knots in my shoulder, I couldn’t help but reflect on what a great time I was having.

  “Wow. What an evening,” I said.

  “Really?” Scott replied.

  “Of course. Every night that ends with a massage is a winner in my book.”

  “For me, the brownies were the highlight.”

  “It was definitely the tastiest part of the evening.”

  “Kristina sure knows how to bake some amazing desserts.”

  “It’s her calling, all right. I can’t imagine her doing anything else with her life.”

  “Me neither.”

  “You, on the other hand, might have picked the wrong profession.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “This massage is so incredible.”

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Trust me, I’m not the only one who would like a massage like this. You have a magic touch.”

  “Look at you, heaping on the praise.”

  “I know you think I’m just being nice, but there’s a chance that you missed your true calling.”

  “What are you saying, that I should give up being a police detective to become a masseuse?”

  “It’s definitely a safer line of work.”

  “Trust me. You don’t want me to become a massage therapist.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because if I spent all day massaging other people, I wouldn’t have any energy left to give you a shoulder rub when I got home at night.”

  “Good point.”

  “That’s not a bad call. You’re good at your job.”

  “I sure hope so. Being bad at police work is the sort of thing that can get you killed.”

  “Wow. This conversation just got bleak in a hurry.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. That’s just the kind of weird week that it has been.”

  “Let me say this. I’ll bet we can both agree that we’re happy to not be working in the restaurant business.”

  “Isn’t that the truth? Talk about a cutthroat business.”

  “If it’s all right with you, I’m just going to stick with police work.”

  “That’s not a bad call.”

  “I agree.”

  “Anyway, back to this evening. Thank you so much. Not just for the food, but also for the rub.”

  “It’s no problem. I know how rough of a week you had.”

  “Yeah. Go figure. Who knew that my week would be more stressful than yours?”

  “What can I say? That’s just how things go sometimes.”

  “Which is why I’m so glad that it’s finally over.”

  “I second that.”

  “Here’s hoping that next week is a lot better than this one was.”

  “I’m definitely going to keep my fingers crossed.”

  “Thanks. You’re the best.”

  “You’re welcome. Anything to make your life better.”

  “I can think of one thing that can make my life better right now.”

  “What’s that?”

  I turned around and gave him a kiss.

  “I like the way your mind is working,” he said.

  I then gave him a big smile and kissed him again.

  The End.

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