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

the most honest, brutal, yet respectful of judges. Though pasta was a passion, pastries were her field of specialty. People saw her as the quirky American with exquisite taste and a peculiar sense of fashion. But more so, she held a reputation within culinary circles for being inquisitive. Wherever Hannah Starvling went, trouble was soon to follow. Often she contemplated why anyone would ever hire her to do her job. She wondered if sometimes, it was more for her skills outside the kitchen than those she maintained within. 
    Indeed, the onetime agent acquired an odd skill set. This began with her upbringing by genius parents and down to earth grandparents. She attended college on a scholarship where she studied criminology and psychology. After graduating, she pulled a brief stint in the FBI, which ended with an injury. She went on to attend one of the top culinary schools in France, L’Académie Gastronomique de Paris. This led to an internship under one of the world’s foremost pastry chefs, Tasha O’Brien. It was at this point that her reputation as a detective and culinary expert began. During her training, her pastry gourmet/mentor met her demise. Peculiar circumstances led to Hannah investigating and she cracked the case. Thereafter, her career took on a life of its own.
    Everywhere she went, the case came up. At the Pasto di Elmo in Italy, she cleared the head chef from a charge of attempted poisoning. As a guest chef at the Hotel Rojo in Mexico City, she disclosed an assassination attempt on the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire. Most recently, she uncovered the true killer of one of America’s top chefs, Julia Karas. Among culinary circles, Hannah Starvling was sought after, and an unofficial security benefit. The go-to person in the event of the unforeseen. The Culinary Detective.
    The thought of the name given her in Louie's article for Food Critic Magazine on the top culinary consultants, made her groan. While she adored her journalist friend, that particular name made her wince. Unlike Gran, who reveled when people called her the Gumshoe Gal, Hannah shied away from her moniker. To her, detective work was something she tried to keep at bay, especially when she was on the job. However, her innate curiosity and superb instincts coupled with her FBI training made it impossible for her to do so. More and more individuals referenced it since Louie wrote his article. Like it or not , she huffed to herself, it’s yours to live with.
    Hannah made her way until she came to the eighth room on the left. She was about to step in when the sound of something thumping in rapid succession caught her attention. Also heard were gasps and the shuffling of people moving away from something. She turned in the direction of the sound, staring down the hall through a parting crowd of individuals. A large, tan form ran straight toward her. Hannah stood her ground, but braced herself. The suddenness of everything made it hard to focus. Her eyes widened when a hound came into sight, tongue wagging about, and a loose leash flopping around. The beast leapt straight for her as she reinforced her position. Upon impact, she tumbled to the ground, the creature on top of her. She cried out, “Critic!” Slobbery licks and love followed. The dog hopped about, tail wagging at high speed. He made a noise that sounded as if he were saying ‘love you’. As the initial shock of the event wore off, the crowd began snapping pictures of the happy reunion.
    Seconds later, a man came running after. “There you are. Heel. Heel.” With reluctance, the canine followed orders, taking a sitting position in front of Hannah. She repositioned herself in front of the hound and scratched behind his ears. The speed of his wagging tail told her the attention was much appreciated.
    “ Good boy. Good boy.” She stood and smiled. “ Louie!” she exclaimed as both moved in for the greeting.
    After releasing him, Hannah stepped back. She scanned over her friend,