“She’s not remotely snaky, but she
“Would you like to tour the kitchen before you go?” Ralph asked the Caseys.
Hearing his voice prompted Claire to put her glasses back on and fool with the powerful mike to try and listen in on their conversation.
“We’d love to.” Emma answered for both of them. “That was excellent. In fact, I’ve already told Cain we have to come back soon.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Ralph pulled Emma’s chair out for her and helped her up. “I come to work every day and feel like I’m living a dream. Thank you both for trying the place.”
“You’re quite welcome. And thank Kevin for his little gift. I’ll put it to good use.”
Cain helped Emma with her jacket, peeling off some money to pay the bill. She enjoyed watching Emma fall back into the wife-of-Cain-Casey role she’d long ago perfected. Anyone who met her seldom forgot her soon. Emma made others feel loved and at peace.
Most of the kitchen workers glanced up from their tasks and smiled as Ralph took Cain and Emma through. The space looked chaotic, but in actuality it was like a coordinated ballet. Each person had a role, and the whole of their skills produced the food the restaurant was quickly becoming known for.
“I hope to see you both again soon,” Ralph said as he showed them to the back door. “Here you go.” He handed the keys to his car over to Cain. “Keep it as long as you like, and if you need anything else, just call me again.”
“When you finish tonight, Ralph, our car and driver will take you home, and I’ll have your car delivered to you no later than noon tomorrow.”
Cain and Ralph shook hands again, and Ralph returned to work.
Forty-five minutes later, Joe went to the bathroom, taking the long way around to peek into the kitchen to see what Cain and Emma found so interesting. Merrick and Katlin hadn’t moved from their table. Only the larger guard Shelby had reported earlier had stepped out for a smoke behind the building. The Bracatos were also watching the entrance to the kitchen, waiting for the women to reemerge and hoping to follow them to their next destination.
The chef the Caseys had been talking to was busy flipping something on the multiburner stove with no audience but the people who worked for him.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Joe muttered as he continued into the kitchen, sure that Emma and Cain were gone.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but you can’t come in here,” a waiter emerging with a loaded tray said. The sudden stop he’d made trying not to crash into the agent made the plates slide precariously to the edge. “Can I get you something?”
“I was just looking for some friends.” He glanced around, trying to spot a nook the women might have slipped into. “I saw them come in here and was waiting to tell them hello.”
“Unless your friends work for the restaurant, there’s no one back here, sir.” Another man dressed in kitchen attire took Joe by the arm and led him back toward the tables. “If you need anything else, please ask your waiter.”
“But I saw them come in here,” Joe insisted.
“You were just in the kitchen. They’re not here. It’s just employees, I tell you.”
“The bird we’ve been watching has flown,” Joe said into the mike in his sleeve.
“Not through the front door,” Claire answered.
Joe looked out the window to confirm that the driver and five other guards Cain had arrived with were still there. Most of them were leaning against the car talking and smoking cigarettes.
“I realize that.” Joe stepped through the front door and headed to the back of the place. “There’s a back door through the kitchen. What we don’t know is what they left in.” He looked at the door Cain had obviously used, then the parking lot. Cain had outfoxed them again since the getaway had to have been planned ahead. “She knew we’d be watching.”
“Not a stretch, Sherlock, since we’re always watching,” Anthony said as he joined his colleague.
“If you’re not out here to help me, can I suggest you just fuck off?” For the first time since they’d met, Joe used his height and weight to try and intimidate the shorter agent, making him take a step back. “I’ve had it with the attitude, just like I’ve had it with this case. We’re no closer than Kyle to catching this woman doing something wrong.”
“Perhaps it’s time we took a page from our old boss’s tricks,” Anthony said, looking at the smug guards.
“That’s it. Get the fuck away from me.” Joe called for Lionel inside and headed to the truck across the street.
Anthony walked toward the city, alone.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“You can come out now.”
Emma laughed at Cain’s words, watching as Lou emerged from the backseat where he’d crouched down.
“You’d think they’d learn to count heads by now,” Cain continued. “It’s not like they haven’t taken a million pictures of everyone on my crew.”
“The feds slip up every so often, and you’re complaining?” Emma asked.
“Me complain?” Cain laughed at her as they stopped for a traffic light. “Never.”
