Free Murder for the Halibut by Liz Lipperman Page B

snoring like a chainsaw.
     He could have passed for one of those big trucks himself, maybe even the brother of
     the famous Grave Digger, one of the more popular trucks on the circuit. She peeked
     around the corner and realized Marsha had gone back into the bathroom. After racing
     to the table for one last brownie, she tiptoed past the bathroom door with Rosie following
     close behind.
    Quickly, she opened the door, and the two of them bolted down the corridor, passing
     a steward along the way who was carrying a tray with a pot of coffee and several cups.
     Beau’s wake-up call, no doubt. By the time they made it to their own room, they were
     laughing out loud, celebrating their good fortune over not being caught by sharing
     the stolen brownie.
    “Mmm. These could be my new solution to not having a boyfriend right now.” Rosie licked
     her lips. “I guarantee I’ll have this recipe figured out before we dock in Miami.”
    Jordan high-fived her friend. “And we didn’t even have to entertain Big Beau like
     Marsha did.”
    That brought on another round of giggling as the two women got ready for bed.
    “Rosie, are you thinking the same thing I am about what we heard Marsha say on the
     phone to Casey?”
    Rosie climbed under the covers. “I’m trying not to think the worst, but it really
     did sound like maybe there was something going on before the competition.” She sighed.
     “We need to tell Ray what we overheard.”
    Jordan shot up in the bed. “Are you crazy? Now that we’ve escaped that compromising
     position in the closet, I’ve reconsidered telling Ray what we just heard. We’d have
     to admit we stole Casey’s key and broke into their room.” She shook her head. “No
     way. Let’s just keep our eyes and ears open until we have something more solid to
     go on before we go running to him with our suspicions.”
    “What about the peanuts I found in the drawer?”
    Jordan thought for a moment. That one was not as easily explained, but she had to
     convince Rosie not to run to Ray just yet.
    “You saw the way Casey can put away food. It’s probably just something she brought
     with her for a late-night hunger attack.” She blew out a breath. “Come on, Rosie.
     You know Ray will freak out when he finds out we’ve been breaking and entering. Let’s
     wait awhile and see what happens. I promise we’ll go to him the minute our own investigation
     uncovers something worth reporting.”
    “I hate to admit it, but you’re probably right. I’m not in any mood to hear one of
     Ray’s lectures.”
    “So, we agree? Starting tomorrow, you and I will be on the lookout for any clues that
     might indicate the women are up to something sinister,” Jordan said, satisfied she
     had convinced her friend not to tell Ray just yet.
    “Okay. It’s probably just our overactive imaginations, anyway. We’ll look like fools
     if it turns out there isn’t anything suspicious to find.”
    Jordan narrowed her eyes. “Then why were those two sneaking around in the kitchen
     before the competition?”

CHAPTER 7

    “Rosie, you have definitely outdone yourself,” Jordan said, popping the last bite
     of lunch into her mouth before licking her lips. “No wonder so many readers raved
     about this recipe last week.”
    “Calling it Pollo de la Hacienda del Rey was genius,” Lola commented, pushing her
     empty plate away. “That gives this mouthwatering Tex-Mex dish a little class. And
     if you ever decide to open up a real restaurant, it would jack up the price at least
     five bucks.”
    Rosie giggled. “When the Latinos realized that Pollo de la Hacienda del Rey was actually
     my aunt Lolly’s famous King Ranch Chicken, they’d probably start another Spanish war.”
     She stood before glancing up at the huge clock on the wall and plopping back down.
     “I should get back to the kitchen, but I can’t resist sitting a littlelonger with you all. I’m sure the guys can handle it by themselves for another