Steamed

talked to Brian earlier, and he’s all good, so no worries there. These guys’ll be done soon and back at the restaurant in time for dinner. We prepped everything last night, so they’re in good shape.” He looked back at me, “I just have to grab my toolbox, and we’ll go. And, Maddie, I’ll see you Monday.” I didn’t know chefs had toolboxes, but I would’ve waited all night for a ride home from him.
    I said good-bye to Madeline and in an undertone thanked her for heroically saving me from the Raffertys’ clutches. In an overly dramatic voice she called after us, “Have fun, kids! Don’t be out too late! Drive safe! Fasten your seat belts!” She giggled and whirled back around.
    I followed Josh out through the kitchen door to his car, the Xterra I’d seen in the driveway. Following Maddie’s instructions, I buckled my seat belt and gave Josh directions to my condo. I felt way too giddy for someone leaving a memorial service, but I was riding in a cool car with a cool boy. Yay me!
    “I didn’t know chefs carried toolboxes. What do you keep in it?” I asked.
    “Oh, I use it to carry around my knives and other kitchen tools. And top secret recipes,” he teased.
    Josh and I talked during the short ride home. He was just as captivating as I’d hoped. I said nothing about leaving my car near the funeral home. If he dropped me there, how could I invite him in? And from what I’d gathered, he was off work for the rest of the day. I had him pull into my parking spot at home.
    “Thank you for the ride. I hope it wasn’t too much out of your way?”
    “No, not at all. My pleasure.”
    “Where do you live?” I asked.
    “Over in Jamaica Plain.” This was totally out of his way!
    Time to be brave. “Listen, do you want to come up for a while?” I asked.
    “Yeah, sure. Um, but listen.” Josh shifted in his seat, and I braced myself for the inevitable: He has a girlfriend. He thinks I’m a dork. “I feel uncomfortable saying this, but I should probably tell you that the police have been questioning me about Eric’s murder. And, well... at the moment, I’m their prime suspect.”
    Oh, crap.
     

NINE
     
    “DETECTIVE Hurley thinks you killed Eric?” I was in disbelief. I finally find a seemingly normal, attractive man who cooks , and he’s a murder suspect? This would not do at all.
    “He’s not ready to haul me off to jail just yet, but he questioned me for a long time about where I was on Sunday night, which I had off. He seems to think that I could’ve been trying to sabotage Essence by killing off one of their investors. I’m as competitive as the next guy but not that competitive.” Josh looked simultaneously depressed and annoyed at the thought of being a suspect. “Um, and, well, the knife used to kill Eric was mine. But anybody could have gotten hold of it. It was in my toolbox that I keep all my knives and stuff in, and I just leave it open in the office at Magellan.”
    Although Josh’s owning a knife used as a murder weapon wasn’t necessarily a good sign, I decided that my newly acquired social work credentials provided me with excellent insight into the human personality and that I was amply qualified to determine that Josh was indubitably innocent. In other words, Josh was way too cute to be a killer.
    “Okay,” I said, “but if the detective thinks there’s competition between Magellan and Essence, why isn’t he questioning Madeline? I mean, she owns Magellan, so I’d think she has more to lose if Essence does better than Magellan.” I liked Madeline and all, but she wasn’t the one making me all sweaty with lust.
    “The detective has talked to her, but it’s pretty obvious to everybody how well she and Tim get along and how much help she’s given him starting up his new place. There’s no evidence to show she’d want anything bad to, happen to Tim. Plus, she was at Magellan that night with plenty of witnesses. And it’s true that they get along. I know both of them, and I know Maddie would never hurt Tim. Much less murder anybody, that’s for sure.”
    I tried to smile reassuringly at Josh. “Well, I’m not worried you’re going to hack me to death if you come inside. Why don’t you come up and tell me the rest.”
    Josh returned my smile and took the keys out of the ignition. I led him up the side of the house, deliberately stomping past Noah’s door and up the fire escape to my condo. Josh sat down on the couch while I went to the kitchen to get