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“Let me ask you something, Drayton.”
“Hmm?”
“Holly told me that Jeremy Slade made a two-hundred-thousand-dollar investment in the Imago Gallery and that they’d run through most of it.”
“Goodness, no wonder Mr. Slade is upset.”
“But here’s the thing, Drayton. Two hundred grand is a whole lot of jack, don’t you think?”
“Indeed it is.”
“But what did Holly actually use all that money for? What has she got to show for it? I mean, from the way she’s been talking, it’s as if the money’s all been spent.”
“Maybe it has been,” Drayton said.
“Spent on what? Think about this. We charged them three thousand dollars for the catering. Rent for their gallery space must be, what? Maybe four thousand a month?”
“Something like that.”
“So where’s the rest of the money?” Theodosia asked. “Where’d it go? What was it spent on?”
“Party invitations? Liquor?”
Theodosia looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.
“I see what you mean,” Drayton said. “Can’t you just come out and ask Holly?”
“Not that it’s any of my business, but I’m going to try to do exactly that at dinner tonight. But only if there’s a good opening.”
***
Theodosia pulled up in front of the Boldt Hole, where parking wasn’t a problem since it was still early and most customers of the soon-to-be-open restaurant came in through the back alley.
“Here we are,” she said.
They got out and gazed at the front of the restaurant. It was done in a modified Tudor style with brickwork, stucco walls, and a steeply pitched gable roof. The lower part of the exterior was accented with window boxes that held some kind of prickly greenery. A dark blue awning over rough-hewn double doors proclaimed the boldt hole. Underneath were the words fine dining, wine, and mirth.
“Catchy,” Drayton said.
“Philip does have a laid-back sense of humor,” Theodosia said. “I only wish some of it would rub off on Holly.”
“I hear you. She does seem a bit twitchy.” Drayton put his hand on the front door and pulled it open for Theodosia to step through. They both walked in and found...
Darkness.
The interior of the restaurant was dark as pitch with only a faint bluish light shining at the back of the place. As their eyes grew accustomed to the dimness, they could see chairs stacked on top of tables.
“Hello? Is anybody here?” Theodosia called out.
“Are we even in the right place?” Drayton asked. He peered into the darkness. “This really is a phantom kitchen.”
“Ghost kitchen,” Theodosia said. “But you’re right. It does seem awfully deserted.”
Just as they were about to give up, a door flew open in back. Then there was the patter of feet and Holly came running out, waving her arms.
“Apologies,” she squealed. “I didn’t realize the front door was unlocked. We figured you’d come in through the alley. That’s where everyone always comes to grab their orders.”
“Of course,” Theodosia said. “Because it’s a ghost kitchen.”
