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“Oh, that makes much more sense,” she smiled. “I’m so sorry, chef. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life. I just thought I was part of your personal life.”
“Listen, away from the restaurant, let’s keep it to Wes,” he grinned. “I’m just glad we figured this out. Now, maybe this stubborn asshole can tell you all his secret recipes, and you can help me make La Fromage famous!” The room chuckled, nodding at the two.
“Can I come back and see you tomorrow?” asked Casey. “Please. Dad.”
“Yes. Yes, I think I might like that,” he said, nodding with tears in his eyes.
“Come on, kid. We’ll give you a lift home. Nice to meet you, Weston,” said Otto.
“Nice to meet all of you,” he smiled.
“Tomorrow, Dad.”
“Tomorrow.”
CHAPTER NINE
As with the previous nights, Nine, Ghost, Ian, and Gaspar were waiting for the three men to return. They looked exceptionally tired tonight, and they were late, which had them worried.
“Everything okay?” asked Gaspar. He hugged his two brothers, kissing the side of their heads. As the oldest brother, he always hugged his younger siblings, always. He’d learned from his parents that you never know when it might be your last opportunity.
“We’re good, big brother,” smiled Luc. “Found a little mouse in our kitchen tonight.”
“A mouse?” frowned Ian.
“Casey. The young girl we said was acting weird. She thought Islip was her father. Had the same name, a daughter about her age, all of it. Turns out, he’s been helping her real father, who lives at Peaceful Endings.”
“The hospice house in the arts district?” frowned Nine.
“Yep. He has end-stage HIV-AIDS. He didn’t want to expose his wife and daughter to the disease, so left them. He was working as a chef and then got banned because of it. Wes Islip found out and started helping Weston Islip. Sorry, that’s the only way to keep them separate.”
“Now that’s a strange turn of events,” smirked Ghost. “So, the girl doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on?”
“Not that we can tell,” said Otto. “In fact, it seems she and Islip, the chef, have a good relationship. Plus, he’s been helping her father for years now. I think they both found a new friend and needed it.”
“Anything we can do for her father?” asked Nine. “Maybe the pond?”
“Already thought of that,” said Luc. “I called Riley and Gabi. They both said they didn’t feel as if it would help him at all. He’s pretty far gone. I’d guess maybe a few weeks left.”
“Well, whatever we can do to help, just let us know. What about our maggot server?” frowned Ghost.
“No clue yet. The boys will be there tomorrow to install the cameras. Hopefully, we can get something from the feed. If not, we’re still on kitchen duty,” said Gabe.
“We can send a new crew,” said Gaspar, staring at their raw hands.
“No. That would be strange. They’re used to working with the same team of people every night. Maybe we start looking into the background of some of the staff. Like, is anyone in financial trouble?”
“We can do that,” nodded Nine. “For now, get some well-deserved rest. You’re off tomorrow. Don’t come to the morning meeting. No training. Just sleep. You all need it.”
“I won’t say no to that,” smiled Otto.
“Me either,” said Luc. “Besides, my dishwater hands are killing me. I’m going for a quick dip in the pond.” The four older men chuckled as they watched the younger men make their way to their cabins.
“Alright, so we have one definite no on our suspect list. Now we just have to figure out the rest,” said Ian.
“Maybe I’ll go into the city on Tuesday and ask a few other places if they’re experiencing any issues. Just pretend we’re checking for a friend,” said Ian.
“That could help. Let’s ask Sara and Dylan as well. I know most of our stuff is grown right here, but we still get some shipments from the city. I haven’t heard them say anything, but you never know,” said Ghost.
