Free Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 02 - The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen by Kee Patterbee Page A

her friend Cate often noted. “When all the shadows move to the music, you see the one standing still. Then you ask why,” the beautiful, black haired, honey brown skinned librarian once told her. “Then you give a scenario where it’s planning on putting an end to the others, just to see if it plays out. You evaluate, analyze, and give it reason before asking it why?”
    Cate , Hannah thought, I need to call you . She pulled out her cell, but glancing down, saw that the battery was low. Crud . Digging through her luggage, she retrieved her charger and plugged it in. She then checked the time to find she needed to ready herself for work.

Chapter 7
    Though having only gotten a few hours’ sleep, she found herself more awake than usual. The thought of Hym being next door invigorated her and just knowing he was there for her made her face light up.
    After a brisk shower, she dried her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She put on a black pantsuit with a black jacket. Underneath, she wore a black blouse with a priest collar neckline. She slipped on black pumps and picked up her trademark black Victorian top hat to finish everything off. Before putting it on, she studied it for a moment. She missed having the goggles that once adorned the brim. But once destroyed in a foot chase several months back, she had not found the time to replace them. Now, the new look had grown on her. Hannah checked in on Hym once more. She woke him long enough to get a kiss and tell him to call her if he needed anything. Struggling, he said, “More sleep.” After another light kiss, he leaned back on his pillow and once again fell into a sound sleep. Hannah ran her fingers through his dark hair and struggled with words that played through her mind. She left with yet another smile on her face.
    On her way down to the lobby , she made a call to the hospital. Reaching the lobby, she headed toward the hotel’s event area. Hannah paused long enough to make another call to Gran and Papa Jay and give them her itinerary for the day.  Answering, Papa Jay put the phone on speaker.
    “ How did y’all sleep?” Hannah asked.
    “ Not too bad. Gran sweet-talked the nurses into cots for Janine and Wexler. We cozied up on that big lounger thing in the waiting room. Just us in there for the night.”
    “ How’d you and Hym sleep?” Gran asked from the background.
    Hannah could almost see the mocking grin on Gran’s face. She rolled her eyes.
    “ Fine, Gran, and in our own beds in our own rooms.” She wasn’t sure, but Hannah believed she heard Gran comment, “What a shame.” What she definitely heard was Papa Jay make a ‘humph’ sound before asking, “What do you have going on today, Sweetness?”
    “ Judging,” she informed her grandparents, “Pasta dishes. Original and traditional creations.”
    “ How do you stay so thin?” Gran asked.
    “ My mind is always running,” she quipped. “What do you plan on doing?”
    “Well, Johnny’s up. He picked up breakfast for everyone. We’re headed back now to get some more sleep and shower. If you don’t mind, we figured we would check you out in action. Then maybe we would take a look around the town a bit before heading back to the hospital. I take it with all the food you are getting, lunch is out?”
    “ I do a lot of tasting and a lot of spitting.”
    Papa Jay frowned. “Hmm. Because it’s so bad?”
    Hannah laughed. “No, because if I ate every bite I’d be sick after thirty minutes.”
    “ Well, I suppose we’ll check you out, dear,” Gran affirmed.
    “ Come on then. You can find me out on the floor before judging. Call if you need me.”
    Hannah tried to refocus her mind on the task at hand. The festival sought her out and was generous in their compensation. As a culinary consultant, she maintained a stellar reputation. She travelled the world advising on menus, overseeing culinary competitions, and judging them. In her work as such, she gained the reputation of being