Free FIVE WILL GET YOU TWENTY (Food Truck Mysteries Book 9) by Chloe Kendrick Page A

almost had to bite my tongue. Today had gone okay, and I had made it, but the level of concentration and effort meant that I would not be able to investigate much until we found someone else to help out. I had no ideas for another chef. I was an only child. Land had other family members, but he’d be less than inclined to suggest another after Sabine. Carter had a husband, but Aaron had his own career. I was definitely on my own.
    He took a deep breath. “I knew you’d be mad, but she wasn’t taking it seriously. She thought she was entitled to a day off since she’d worked with you last night.”
    “We weren’t working. She wanted to investigate the phony money, and I let her go along with me. That’s not quite the same.”
    Land shrugged. “She called it ‘comp time.’”
    I thought for another moment, before speaking. “I wonder if we could hire someone from Ryan Pohler’s trucks to help out on Dogs on the Roll. That would kill two birds with one stone.” I made a mental note not to say that again since Pohler had been killed.
    Land nodded. “That could work—if we knew any of them or even knew how to find out who they were.”
    I had to agree with him. While I had the name and number of his widow and their daughter, it seemed in the worst of taste to ask one of them if I could poach an employee. I would have to think of another way.
    “Why don’t you ask that girl? What’s her name?” Land suggested.
    I automatically knew whom he meant. We’d certainly developed our own cues over the years. He was referring to Paula Reyes, who owned a truck near where Pohler had parked his original food truck. Besides being in a close proximity to him, Paula was something of a gossip. She’d be just the person to know the information.
    I had her phone number saved on my phone, and I called her immediately. She answered. After a few greetings, I explained to her what I wanted.
    “You don’t waste any time,” she said, chuckling.
    “It’s something of an emergency. Land’s sister was helping out temporarily, but due to a family crisis, I need to find an experienced worker ASAP.” While I hadn’t lied to her, I hadn’t been entirely honest either. I had no desire to make Land’s personal life material for Paula’s gossip. One of the things that he appreciated about me was my ability to keep his personal life out of the investigations and the press.
    She laughed. “I understand. It’s hard to rely on family for long, isn’t it?”
    I wasn’t sure if she knew the truth or not, so I just made a small sound of grudging agreement.
    “So you’d be looking for a cook, right? You do the cash and coffee. I think I have someone in mind for you,” she said without pausing. “It’s okay that it’s a man, right? The last cook was a guy, right?”
    I agreed with her. “But what about the salary?” I asked. I was still concerned about the new truck and its viability. I didn’t want to hire another person for a large salary at this point.
    She cackled into the phone. “After what Pohler paid them, your salary will seem like CEO pay.”
    “What makes you say that?” I asked, wondering about her sources. I’d never heard of anyone talking about the Pohler employees.
    “I hired someone away from Ryan. Boy, was he pissed about it. He came over and threatened me in a very ugly way. Anyway, when I got the paperwork on the girl, she had to list her last job and salary. My teeth almost fell out right there. It was obscene. Under minimum wage and no benefits at all.”
    “I thought those were required by law,” I said, remembering my labor law classes.
    “They are, but he had ways around picky little things like the law. I’m sure I could tell you all the details, but Thomas can tell you about it later today, if you want.”
    She told me that she’d have him there in an hour if he was interested. I related all of what she’d said to Land, who looked relieved to hear about a resolution to the family issue. His