Getting Rich (A Chef Landry Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

and a disheveled woman wandered in.
    I jumped to my feet and hurried over. “I’m sorry. We’re closed for the evening.”
    The woman stood her ground. There was something unnerving about the way she stared at me.
    I smiled uncertainly. “You’ll have to come back another day.”
    “Nice place you got here,” she said, and then to my surprise, her face contorted into a mask of fury. She pointed a finger at me, yelling, “It’s just too bad you’ll have to give it back!”
    “What are you talking—”
    She cut me off. “Don’t imagine for one minute that you’re getting away with it. I am going to get even with you if it’s the last thing I do.”
    She was going on so loudly that Charles and Jennifer appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking from her to me, worried. I shook my head slightly, but Charles either didn’t see or disregarded my silent message.
    He strode over purposefully, taking a protective stance next to me. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.
    The woman jutted out her chin. “This bitch stole my restaurant from me.”
    “Your restaurant?” He searched my face. “What is she talking about?”
    I shook my head, as confused as he was. “I don’t know any more than you do.” I spotted the demented gleam in her eyes. As she went on, I became convinced the woman was mentally ill. “Perhaps I could give you a reservation for some other evening,” I said pleasantly, looking for a way to calm her. “Would you—”
    She took another step forward, jabbing her finger at my arm. “Don’t pretend with me. You know damn well what I’m talking about. This restaurant is mine. You think you’re going to get away with stealing it from me? I’m going to get it back even if I have to kill you for it.”
    Whoa . As pacifying as I wanted to be, getting death threats was not something I took idly. Apparently neither did Charles. Before I had a chance to open my mouth, his eyes had narrowed and he stepped forward. “I suggest you leave right now, or I’ll call the police.”
    “Oh, I’m leaving, all right. But this isn’t the end of it. You and bitch over here are going to pay.” She smiled, but it looked more like a snarl. “If I can’t have it, then you sure as hell won’t.”
    Somehow, I snapped out of my shock and concentrated on her appearance. If I had to give her description to the police I had better memorize as much of it as I could. I noted the tangled dark hair, the light blue eyes lit with an eerie brightness. Her clothes looked old and filthy. Her coat was like an oversized tent, making it impossible to gauge her size. Her hands were delicate, without an ounce of excess flesh and with long, chipped red nails. Her legs were encased in high boots, the leather worn and stained with road salt. The heels were dated but high, at least three inches. That made the woman about the same height as me—around five foot four—but thinner.
    Charles took another step toward her. I suspected he was trying to look intimidating, but he looked more frightened than frightening. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m warning you. I’ll call the police.” And to punctuate his words he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
    “Fine.” She marched out, leaving Charles and me staring mutely at the door as it swung shut.
    I recovered my voice. “What the hell was that?”
    Charles let out a long breath. “Now there goes what I call a raving lunatic.” He attempted a smile. “As scary as she was, I doubt she’s dangerous, just nuts. With all the hospital budget cuts, the mentally ill have nowhere to go, so they wander the streets. Nothing to worry about.”
    It was easy to be brave now that she was gone.
    He gave my shoulder a pat. “Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? By tomorrow morning you’ll have forgotten all about this.”
    I nodded slowly. “But the real question is, will she have forgotten about us?”
     

suffocating in a cloud of mac translucent powder

    I arrived at