Chapter 16
“The Health Department is here for a surprise inspection?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Carlita squared her shoulders. “Thank you for not letting me be blindsided.” Picking up the pace, she strode through the dining room to the lobby.
A woman holding a clipboard stood perusing the menu board listing the daily lunch specials.
“Hello.” She offered the woman a tight smile. “I’m the owner of this establishment.”
The woman held out her hand. “Angela Ernst from the Georgia Coastal Health District. We received a tip from a concerned citizen about a recent incident where multiple customers became ill.”
Carlita feigned ignorance. “When did this alleged incident occur?”
The woman consulted her clipboard. “During a private event.”
“You’re talking about a private party for a family friend. Those who attended were not paying customers, but guests.”
She arched her eyebrow, glaring down at Carlita. “Regardless, a complaint has been filed. The health department is required to investigate.”
“What would you like to know?”
“I’m here for an inspection.”
“I see. For the record, this claim hasn’t been proven.” Carlita led her through the dining room and into the kitchen. “The man who became ill during the party was transported to the hospital where he was starting to recover from his symptoms.”
“But died a short time later.”
“Correct, although the cause of death hasn’t been determined.”
“An investigation into the matter has been opened.”
“I think…”
Ernst cut Carlita off. “I would like to start my inspection in the walk-in freezer.”
Biting back a snappy response, Carlita marched across the room, down the hall, and into the freezer. She stood off to the side, watching as the inspector slipped a pair of rubber gloves on. She slowly, methodically, and systematically searched every square inch of space.
Every so often she paused and jotted notes, clearing her throat multiple times with a sour frown on her face.
Finally, Carlita couldn’t stomach another “harrumph.” “My walk-in freezer, storage spaces, work areas and kitchen are inspected, checked and in compliance. In fact, I would be shocked if you found a single item to be cited.”
“It’s not bad.” The woman peered at her over the rim of her glasses. “I reviewed your previous inspection, specifically addressing food storage. The noted issues appear to have been rectified.”
“Of course.”
“There is, however, another concern.” The health department employee went into a long spiel about cross-contamination, lecturing Carlita about how the county viewed contamination issues as being a serious matter.
“I appreciate the lectu…err…letting me know what to keep an eye out for. Are there any other areas of the restaurant you would like to inspect?”
“Addressing the potential food poisoning, do you still have the food items?”
A prickle of concern inched up Carlita’s back. This…this was the real reason the woman was there. To personally inspect the food she’d served. “As soon as the guest fell ill, we covered the leftovers and placed them in the side-by-side refrigerator.”
“Which is…”
Carlita reluctantly led her to the refrigerator. She opened the door, her heart plummeting at what she found. Despite having put a note on the containers, they were gone. “The containers were stored on these shelves.”
“Hmm.” Ernst clearly wasn’t buying it.
“I don’t know what happened to them.” Carlita excused herself and hustled into the kitchen. Thankfully, Arnie had returned. She caught his eye and motioned him off to the side. “A health inspector is here. The woman asked to see the food from the party. It’s gone.”
“Gone?” Arnie blinked rapidly. “Are you sure?”
“Positive, despite having taped a do not touch sign to the containers.”
Arnie eased past Carlita, walked to the fridge, and opened the door. “The leftovers were there last time I looked. Let me check with the employees.”
The woman tapped the top of her clipboard with her pen. “This is an interesting turn of events.”
“The only thing I can think of is the note I stuck on the food fell off and one of the kitchen workers cleared the shelves, unaware of what had transpired.”
An uncomfortable silence ensued, except for the occasional clicking of Ernst’s teeth.
Finally, Carlita spoke. “Is there any other area you need to inspect?”
“I’ll take a look around the kitchen.” Turning on her heel, the woman strode into the kitchen. Starting at the far end, she poked, swiped and scrutinized the kitchen’s surfaces.
Halfway through her inspection, Arnie returned. “Paisley cleaned the fridge out. She said she didn’t see a sign and thought she was being helpful.”
“What did she do with the food?”
“The animal feed company stopped by last night and picked it up along with some other scraps.”
“Crud.” Carlita had contracted with a local animal feed company that picked up the scraps every week. Through some sort of mechanical process, they dried the food and used it for feed.
Not all food scraps were used for the program, but items such as grains, breads, fruits, and vegetables were recyclable. It was a win-win. The animals were fed, and Carlita was thrilled to be doing her part to help the environment and not waste food.
“Animal feed?” the woman echoed.
“A company recycles our leftovers and scraps. It saves us from having to dump them.”
“The containers the food was stored in have been…”
“Run through our sanitation system,” Arnie said.
Carlita almost mentioned having dropped off samples at the lab for testing, but kept quiet, thinking it would be some sort of admission of guilt.
The woman scribbled additional notes. She made her way into the dining room, which is where she concluded her surprise visit.
“I’ve finished my inspection. A written report will be submitted to the county, and a copy mailed to you within a week.”
“I’m sure Ravello’s passed with flying colors.”
“There were a few minor issues. All in all, it was a positive inspection. Unfortunately, I had hoped to examine the food from the party.”
“And I do apologize. I had no idea it was gone.” Carlita accompanied her to the door and watched her leave.
“Well?”
She spun around and found Arnie standing behind her. “How did we do?”
“Pretty good considering the circumstances.” Carlita told him about Creed, the party guest who had been visited by the authorities. “He specifically said the cops called it a homicide.”
“So the police will be back to ask more questions.”
“Without a doubt. We should call the animal feed company.”
Arnie interrupted. “I’ve already talked to them and told them to toss the food and not feed it to the animals.”
“Wonderful. Thank you.” Carlita, noticing it was time to open, carried the sign listing the lunch specials out onto the sidewalk. She made a minor adjustment and stood back to check the angle.
“Hey, Ma.”
She turned to find Mercedes, her server’s apron draped over her arm, strolling toward her.
“Hey, Mercedes.”
“I didn’t know you were working today.”
“I’m not on the schedule, but I had some stuff to do, so I decided to come in. It’s a good thing I did.” Carlita told her about the surprise inspection.
“Did the inspector ask to see the party leftovers?”
“Paisley gave them to the animal feed people last night when they stopped by. She told Arnie she didn’t see the sign I taped on them.”
“Which might be a good thing.” Mercedes leaned in. “Did you tell the inspector we took samples to the lab?”
“I thought about it but figured it would be viewed as some sort of admission of guilt so I kept quiet.”
“True. I would’ve done the same thing.”
Toot…toot. The Big Peach, Reese Magillicuddy’s old town trolley, rumbled around the corner and coasted to the designated stop. She tooted the horn again and gave Carlita a friendly wave.
“I’m gonna go say hi to Reese.”
“While you’re over there, ask her about Sonny. Reese knows almost all the locals.”
“You read my mind.” Checking for traffic, Carlita crossed the street and waited for her friend to lower the driver’s side window.
“Morning, Carlita.”
“Hey, Reese.” She motioned to the red and green garland draped across the window. “I see you’re ahead of the game and got a head start on the holiday season.”
“I figured, what the heck. Besides, the riders like the decor and the new Christmas tunes I’ve been playing.
” Reese greeted the boarding passengers before resuming the conversation.
“I would ask how it’s going in Walton Square, but after watching the news last night, I’m pretty sure I already know. ”
“You saw the Channel 2 hit job about Sonny Skidz’s death?”
“I caught the tail end of it on the TV, so I searched for it online.”
“It’s a mess,” Carlita sighed. “The police are calling his death a homicide.”
“I stayed until almost the end of the party but never realized there was a problem. What happened?”
“Sonny ended up getting sick in the bathroom. As luck would have it, one of the guests was a paramedic and called an ambulance.” Carlita filled her in on what had happened, how she and Elvira visited the hospital later that evening. “He seemed to be improving and went downhill fast.”
“Who would poison him?” Reese asked.
“From what Dernice told me, Sonny was messing around with another biker dude’s chick.”
“He was poisoned because of a woman?”
“Possibly.”
“Sonny was a city employee and a regular on my route.”
Carlita’s heart skipped a beat. “You knew Sonny?”
“I wouldn’t say we were best buds, but he would sit up front and chat with me. We even talked at the engagement party. It must’ve been before he got sick.” Reese tapped her lower lip. “You know what? Now that I think about it, I remember something he said that might be worth looking into.”