Murder for the Halibut by Liz Lipperman Page A

over her stomach, she added, “There’s
     a lot more room left under this thing.”
    “That a girl,” Rosie said before she turned to Michael, a confused look on her face.
     “What was all that talk between Beau and your boss last night? Are they old friends?”
    “Were,” Michael said, leaning in to whisper. “Wayne said they were pretty tight in
     high school where they both played football, but he said Beau was a jerk even before
     he got so famous.”
    “That doesn’t surprise me,” Lola said. “A snake is a snake even after it sheds its
     skin.”
    “He’s a snake, all right,” Michael continued. “Wayne said he severed their friendship
     when Beau did something so nasty, even his popularity and good looks couldn’t save
     him from public ridicule.”
    Everyone at the table inched closer.
    “Don’t stop now, sweetie,” urged Victor. “Inquiring minds and all that.”
    Michael swept the room with his eyes before speaking. “I wouldn’t want this to get
     out since Beau is a judge, but Wayne said he stole the recipe for his Sinfully Sweet
     goodies from a young girl back in high school.”
    “That makes him a jerk, but why would that be the talk of the town?” Lola asked, nearly
     lying across the table to hear better.
    “Not that.” Michael dropped his voice even lower. “Apparently, the girl was the daughter
     of a local minister and never dated. She was as homely as she was shy. Somehow, Beau
     slithered his way into her life and got her pregnant, then dumped her after she gave
     him her grandmother’s recipes.”
    “Sheesh!” Jordan exclaimed. “Why am I not surprised? The guy’s a piece of work.”
    “It gets worse. Apparently, the girl’s father disowned her, and she wrapped her car
     around a pole one night. Wayne said she never came home from the hospital, and Beau
     didn’t even send a card. Even laughed about it. After that, Wayne said he couldn’t
     stomach the guy anymore.”
    “Then why did Wayne sign him on for this contest?”
    Michael laughed. “It was Emily’s idea. Wayne wanted so much for this first cook-off
     to go over big, he thought he could get past all the old stuff. Apparently, Beau agreed
     because he thought it might be advantageous to mingle with the A-list people in the
     food industry—aka, George Christakis. That and the fact he couldn’t resist meeting
     a woman with more money than him.”
    “So Wayne put aside the fact that this guy is a seriousdirtbag and signed him on, all in the name of promotion?” Rosie asked, shaking her
     head.
    “Pretty much. Personally, I wonder if it was worth it,” Michael said.
    “Here you go.” The waiter placed the dessert in front of Victor, Jordan, and Lola.
    And Rosie’s cake didn’t disappoint. As they dug into the rich chocolate layers, Ray
     walked through the door with a good-looking middle-aged man. When the two sauntered
     over to the table, Jordan and her friends could see the man had two black eyes and
     a large cut on his forehead.
    “Is that what I think it is?” Ray slid over two chairs and sat down on one before
     motioning for the newcomer to take the other.
    “Yes, and it’s going fast, so you’d better hurry. You might even want to start with
     dessert today since what you see is almost the last of it.” Rosie waved to the waiter,
     then took a moment to check out the man with Ray. “Do you want to try a piece?”
    “Absolutely.”
    His smile was enough to send a warm pink blush across Rosie’s cheeks, but the color
     deepened even further as he extended his hand across the table to her. “Jerry Goosman,
     but all my friends call me Goose.”
    “Goose is head of security,” Ray explained. “He and I have been poring over yesterday’s
     security tapes from the kitchen.”
    Jordan shot a quick look Rosie’s way, but the fiftyish woman was checking out the
     new arrival, her hand still in his.
    “Where’d you get those shiners, Goose, if you don’t mind me asking?” Victor