Free Hot Stuff by Don Bruns Page B

questions.”
    Smiling, I reached out to shake his hand. He didn’t reciprocate.
    â€œI’m Skip.”
    â€œYou work here? Or you stealin’ food from the walk-in?” Stepping back, he folded his arms and watched for my reaction.
    â€œStealing food?”
    â€œCould be both. You could work here, and you could steal food. Believe me, it’s been done. Just don’t steal it on my watch, okay?”
    â€œWho are you?”
    Studying me for a moment, he wiped his hands on his apron.
    â€œMikey. Mikey Pollerno. Again, whatchu doin’ here?”
    â€œMy friend, he’s new here, he had to come early to get something from his locker and I—”
    â€œHe gonna walk some meat out to his car? Not on my watch. There be no food stealin’ today.”
    â€œNobody’s walking any food out of here, okay?”
    â€œDamn straight. There’re two locks on the walk-in. Two padlocks. Ain’t nobody walkin’ free food.” A grin broke out on his face. “Unless it’s me.”
    â€œYou take food?”
    â€œNo. Come on, man. It’s a joke. No way. Two locks on thecooler. And Marty and Chef Jean? They don’t trust nobody. Understand? Nobody. Sophia had ’em install cameras, dude. Three of them security things mounted outside the locker, just waitin’ for you to walk some food out the door.”
    I was thoroughly confused.
    â€œI’m messin’ with you, dude. You couldn’t take the food if you wanted. Although, some people try when the walk-in open. Steaks, lobster, scallops, they have a way of just disappearin’. So now, locks and cameras.”
    I hadn’t considered taking anything. My mission was to get information.
    â€œSo, lots of excitement here a couple of nights ago.”
    â€œYeah. Your friend, he takes the Wright girl’s place?”
    I was the one who was supposed to be asking the questions.
    â€œWhat exactly happened?”
    â€œThe girl was cut up. Out in the alley. You don’t know? Like a side of beef, man. Pretty nasty stuff.”
    â€œYeah, yeah, I know. I just wondered why?”
    I found myself almost shouting over the loud music.
    Mikey smiled. “Oh, there could be lots of reasons. Boyfriend—”
    â€œDid she have a boyfriend?”
    Glancing around the room, he said, “I got to get these tables wiped down and set. Cloths, candles, flowers.”
    â€œYeah. Big job. Did Amanda have a boyfriend? Somebody who worked in the kitchen?”
    â€œLook, man, I din’t know her. There’s talk, you know. And why are you so interested?”
    Why was I interested? I manufactured a reason that wasn’t far from the truth. “I told you, my friend is working back there. I’m looking out for him. I guess I wanted to know if it’s dangerous.”
    â€œIs he gonna piss people off? Is he gonna promote himselfwhere he shouldn’t be promotin’? Is he gonna play like his shit don’t stink?”
    â€œThat’s why she was killed?”
    He stared at me.
    â€œIs that what she was like?”
    â€œI don’t know nothin’. Okay?”
    â€œHey, I’m just asking. I heard one of the cooks say that maybe she was seeing Joaquin Vanderfield.”
    His eyes narrowed and he took a step back.
    â€œI din’t say that. Who would say that? What goes on in that kitchen I don’t know nothin’ about.
Yo no sé nada
.”
    It was the second time I’d heard that phrase in the last two days. I know nothing.
    â€œJust wondered.”
    â€œMaybe you shouldn’t wonder so much,” he paused and then turned away, picking up his rag and a spray bottle, and moving to the next table. The conversation was obviously over.
    As I walked back into the kitchen, I wondered if I’d received a veiled threat. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. The walls echoed with Alley Boy’s “Gonna Rob Me a Nigga.” I couldn’t