Turn up the Heat

the one who seemed most alone. Yes, she now had roommates, but she was coming off years of fending for herself, years in which she’d had no family or no close friends. Now, just as she’d been settling into a job she loved and into a new life, a dreadful crime had occurred and, worse yet, had occurred in a place that she must have seen as the representation of her newfound safety and stability. “How are you holding up, Isabelle?”
    “I’m fine. I mean, it’s really sad and all about Leandra, but I didn’t know her too well or anything. But you know what I can’t help thinking? If Leandra had lived, Gavin might have married her, and she really wasn’t such a nice person. I know I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but it’s true. Gavin deserves much better than what he got from her. He is really so nice, Chloe!” Her face colored, and she fidgeted with a paper napkin on the table. “I know there are a lot of complaints about Gavin, but he’s doing the best he can. Really he is. He just wants Simmer to run as smoothly as possible, and it’ll take a while to get everything going perfectly, right? I know everybody hates that restaurant management program on the computer, but eventually it’ll even out and all the problems will be fixed. He has a plan.” She spoke with confidence that went beyond optimism. What I heard in her voice was more than hope; it was absolute belief.
    “I’m sure he does,” I said with a reassuring smile. In fact, I felt far from reassured. I still wasn’t used to hearing about staff discontent with Simmer’s owner. Most of my knowledge of Simmer came from Josh, who’d painted a picture of harmony among the staff and grateful respect for Gavin.
    A female voice called out, “Chloe Carter?” It was my turn to be interviewed by the police. A detective, Patricia Waters, had me sit with her at a table for two. Detective Waters tucked her shoulder-length auburn hair behind her ears and flipped a notebook open to a clean page. I provided basic information about who I was.
    “And your boyfriend is the chef here? Josh Driscoll?” she asked, scanning her previous notes.
    I nodded.
    “Take me through everything you can remember from this morning, okay?”
    I narrated the details of picking up Owen and talking with Snacker. The linens had been delivered, I said. Owen had used the office for faxing. Finally, I described the gruesome discovery of Leandra’s body. I consciously opted to avoid mentioning the lines of cocaine I’d seen in the bathroom, and I said nothing of my suspicion that not all the employees here were legal residents of the U.S.
    “Tell me why Owen’s truck was parked here overnight. And did you know Leandra well? Were Owen and Leandra involved?”
    I explained that Adrianna was pregnant and went on to say that because she’d been exhausted last night, she’d wanted Owen to drive her home. He’d done what Adrianna asked, and then he’d walked to his nearby apartment. In response to the question of whether I’d known Leandra well, I said no. I added that she’d been involved with Gavin Seymour, who’d seemed to be crazy about her. No, there was no relationship between Owen and Leandra. Owen was going to marry Adrianna. Just because Ade and Snacker had had a meaningless fling a while back didn’t mean that my friends weren’t perfect for each other! I stressed that no one should listen to anything Snacker had to say about Owen, because Snacker was not his biggest fan. As I didn’t say aloud, I resented the implication that Owen had had anything to do with the murder. Instead of saying outright that Owen shouldn’t be treated as a suspect, I emphasized his loyalty to Adrianna. I didn’t say this aloud, either, but if Owen had been going to kill someone, it would’ve been Snacker! “Owen was the one who wanted me to see his truck,” I said. “It’s not like he was hiding it from me.”
    Detective Waters continued her questions. “Was Leandra involved with anyone before Gavin? While she was with Gavin?”
    I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I knew her from spending time here because of Josh, but we weren’t close. Not by any means.”
    “Gavin is a handsome man, don’t you think? There must have been other women who were interested in him.”
    “Probably,” I said. Women who could’ve killed Leandra to get a shot at him? Obviously Isabelle’s harmless crush didn’t count, and I certainly didn’t want to bring up her name. “I’m