“The muffins are good,” Mercedes said.
“They are.” Carlita studied the diners. From her vantage point, she had a bird's-eye view of the server’s station and the kitchen’s pass thru.
She spied Sandy Sue strolling by. A man wearing a hairnet and white cotton shirt appeared. He tapped the bell. “Order up.”
Carlita’s eyes shifted to the large picture window overlooking the lot. It wasn’t a prime piece of real estate as far as restaurants went, but the lot was large – large enough for expansion.
Carlita watched Luigi enter the restaurant. He paused when he reached their table. “Mercedes?”
“Hello, Luigi.”
Luigi glanced around and leaned in. “What are you doing here?”
“A little intel.” Mercedes pressed a finger to her lips.
“Ah.” Luigi cast Carlita a glance. His eyes narrowed. “Ca-“
Mercedes cut him off. “Luigi, this is my grandfather, Calvin.”
“Calvin. Enjoy your lunch, Mercedes and Calvin.” Luigi winked at them before strolling off.
Angel appeared a short time later, placing platters of food on the table. “Would you like some sauce? We have original, sweet and smoky, spicy or slap happy pickle.”
“Pickle?” Mercedes asked.
“The name is weird. The sauce is delicious. It has a hint of smoke, combined with a tongue-twisting tartness.”
“We’ll take that and the original.”
Angel dropped off the condiments. After she left, Carlita studied her plate before nibbling on the ribs and then sampling the chicken. The meat, the sides, the slap happy pickle sauce were all tasty and the portions generous. “The food is good.”
“It is good, but not as good as yours,” Mercedes said.
“We need to find out more about the restaurant’s employees,” Carlita whispered. “Start questioning Angel when she returns. Ask her if she worked for Sandy Sue at her other restaurant, stuff like that.”
“Right.”
Angel returned to check on them. “Is y’alls food okay?”
“It’s delicious,” Mercedes said. “We heard Sandy Sue previously owned a barbecue place out by the highway.”
“Big Hog’s BBQ. I worked there for a couple of years before Sandy Sue opened this place.”
“Big Hog’s BBQ,” Mercedes repeated. “So, the owner, Sandy Sue, owns both barbecue restaurants?”
“Sandy Sue sold her half to her brother, Gordon.”
Mercedes and her mother exchanged a quick glance. “I’m surprised they didn’t expand and open this as a second restaurant.”
“Are you kidding?” Angel laughed. “It would never happen. Those two can’t stand each other.”
Chapter 14
The server realized that she’d said too much and quickly clammed up. “I mean. You know how families go.” Angel stepped back, colliding with another server, who was attempting to slink by.
As if in slow motion, the server’s plates tottered back and forth. With zero chance of recovery, the food hit the floor first. The plates weren’t far behind.
“Oh my gosh, Mei. I didn’t see you coming up behind me.” Angel grabbed a set of silverware and a handful of napkins and began scooping up the piles of food.
Mei joined her, casting a frantic glance toward the kitchen. “It’s okay. It was an accident.”
“We need more napkins.” Angel darted to the back. She returned with a roll of paper towels and Sandy Sue. “What happened?”
“It-it was an accident,” Angel said. “I didn’t see Mei trying to slip past me, and I ran right into her.”
“Mei should’ve let you know she was coming up behind you.”
There was some discussion about the incident, and when Sandy Sue realized her lecture was drawing unwanted attention, she motioned for her servers to follow her into the back.
Because of their proximity to the kitchen, Carlita could hear raised voices. A teary-eyed Mei emerged first.
Angel appeared moments later; her face red as she stopped by their table. “Can I get you anything else? More tea or perhaps dessert?”
“No.” Mercedes offered her a small smile. “We’re good.”
Angel set their check on the edge of the table before gathering a handful of dirty dishes and returning to the kitchen.
“I’m gonna go use the restroom.” Carlita slid out of her chair and followed the signs. Easing the women’s restroom door open, she almost ran into a woman who was coming out.
The woman gave her an odd look. “The men’s restroom is next door.”
Carlita mumbled an apology and slowly made her way into the men’s restroom.
She locked the door behind her and approached the mirror. A small, red welt was forming near her eye. “Uh-oh.”
Carlita hurried back to the table. “We gotta get out of here. I’m having a reaction.” Without thinking, she scratched the side of her cheek.
Mercedes made a gurgling sound. “Grandpa.”
“What?”
“You scratched your face.”
Carlita lifted her finger and was horrified when she discovered there was a thick layer of flesh-colored makeup on it. “My disguise is melting. Grab my credit card.”
Mercedes shook her head. “You gotta pay in cash.”
Carlita shot her a puzzled look.
“Your card has your name on it… Carlita Garlucci.”
“Crud.” Carlita began digging for dollars. She had enough cash to pay for the food, but not enough to cover the entire tip. She emptied her coin purse and began counting out the contents.
Angel returned. “Can I help you?”
“Grandpa is a little short on cash for the tip,” Mercedes said.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Angel scooped up the money and dumped that, along with the bill, into her apron pocket. “Thank you for stopping by and trying Sandy Sue’s.”
“I’ll be back to make good on the tip.” Mercedes followed her mother out of the restaurant. They didn’t stop until they turned into the alley.
As soon as they were out of sight, Carlita grabbed a tissue Elvira had given her and swiped at the makeup.
