Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 01 - The Chef at the Water's Edge Read Online Free PDF

at the TV studio on the edge of town. There’s plenty of room there to support the crowds. Asa’s had massive tents trucked in and set up on the land near the main studio, for the food tastings and such. It used to be farmland. The food samples are coming over from the studio test kitchens. In addition, he called in favors. It would seem many people owe him. The state highway department is helping lay out navigation routes into the town. That should keep the flow of traffic as efficient as possible. He’s hired retired military for security and stationed them everywhere. The gravesite is of special concern. There are always some vultures who want to grab a piece of history and Asa intends to nip that in the bud.”
    “I’ll give this to the man,” Buster said as he stepped into the RV, “he believes in control.”
    Once Louie introduced everyone to the driver, they settled into the rear of the vehicle and chatted. Along the short trip to the studio, all could see from the side window crowds already wandering the town’s streets.
He was right
, Hannah considered to herself,
this is going to be huge
. From where she sat, she could see the studio on a knoll in the distance. Pointing to the structure, Louie explained that it was the main studio and well over 70,000 square feet
    “It never dawned on me that Karas, Inc., had so much wealth. Or that this was going to be so huge,” Hannah said. She leaned forward to get a better view as they passed the main gate.
    As the RV came to a stop and everyone began exiting, Louie continued to tell them about Asa Karas. “He’s an astute businessman, to say the least,” Louie scoffed. “Before becoming the largest land baron of the county, or should I say the state, he was already wealthy. Made his money in oil. He became even richer after Julia married him.”
    “A billionaire, right?” Buster asked.
    Louie affirmed with a nod, adding, “A couple times over.”
    “Now, that’s wealth,” Buster said as he climbed out of the vehicle. Hannah pulled on a coat just in case the buildings were cold. She also put on her top hat with goggles in place. Cate and Louie emerged behind the others, putting on the protective UV sunglasses provided to them against the morning sun.
    Louie stopped dead in his tracks and went pale as they proceeded to the studio tent setup for media. “It’s almost like looking into the past,” he mumbled aloud. “She could be Julia.”
    The group’s eyes followed to where the man was looking. Behind a desk under the tent was a petite, thin yet curvy young woman. She wore conservative, oversized clothing while passing out materials and directing the workers. She had large glasses, which half hid her violet eyes, with dark brown hair rolled in a tight ponytail at the back of her neck.
    “Could she be a relative of Julia’s?” Cate whispered to Louie.
    Louie shook his head to clear it. “I don’t know. I guess so. I mean, I could have sworn it was Julia. My heart stood still for a moment.”
    “That is odd,” Hannah stated in a questioning tone. “She does resemble her, but…”
    Louie stiffened and shook his head again. “No. She doesn’t. She can’t. It’s just a trick of the memory.
    Hannah turned to Louie for answers. “Come on,” she said, “Let’s find out who this is.”
    As the four approached the woman under the tent, another woman stood just behind and was in a discussion with a man. Something about the intensity of the ongoing dialogue caught Hannah’s attention. The man was tall and slim. Hannah decided him to be in his late forties. He sported a close-cropped black beard and hair to match. She also noticed a small scar on his forehead over his left eye. The woman was tall, thin, with short-cropped black hair, and from Hannah’s vantage point, deep green eyes. She determined her to be in her early twenties. Hannah watched as the beautiful young woman listened to what the man was saying before taking a manila envelope from