CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The following morning, given that there was no competition happening, the team met once again for breakfast, half contemplating to return to Belle Fleur for the day. But they wanted to be close to the center, just in case.
At their massive table, they all looked up to see AJ walking toward them.
“Well, if you’re here that has to mean you’ve found something that I won’t like,” frowned Luke.
“It’s something that none of you are going to like.” AJ took his seat, accepted the hot cup of coffee from Sara, smiling and nodding at her. She placed a plate of beignets in front of him and he gave her a playful wink.
“Any time now lover boy,” frowned Wilson. Sara laughed.
“He’s just being sweet, babe. Go on AJ.”
“Milton is right. He owns the contest and all the debt that came with it. Or at least that’s what he wants everyone to believe.” The group frowned waiting for him to continue. “He borrowed the money to resurge the competition from Louis Castellano.”
“Are you fucking joking?” frowned Luke.
“I’m afraid not. Initially it was just a million dollars, then it was another four million.
With that, he did all the things he told you last night but also something else.
Something worse. He purchased small life insurance policies on every baker entering the contest. It was supposed to cover death by faulty equipment, accidents on the baking floor, or… ”
“Or accidental food poisoning,” said Taylor.
“Yep. Each policy was five-hundred thousand, which means he’s collected a million and half so far. I’m sure he hoped to have two million with the death of Adrian but we got there first. Cam and Eric are with him at the hospital, ensuring that no one bothers him.
“I decided to contact Castellano this morning. He confirmed that he’d been paid back the one-point-five million but the rest is due by Friday or Lebeau will pay with his life, his home, and his family’s antiques.”
“That’s reason enough to arrest him,” said Rett, “but we all know he’d get out on bail and disappear. We have to find those poisons and get a confession from him.”
“He’ll be at his home today given that there’s nothing happening in the center,” said Sara. “I don’t know that he’d allow anyone into the home, especially his kitchen if that’s where things are hidden. He could have hidden everything in another location.”
“You’re right,” nodded Luke, “but we can get into that center and take a look at things more closely. We can pick the lock on the judges pantry and see what we find.”
“I’d say lets do it,” said Gator. “Tailor and Alec, will you stay here with the girls today?”
“Our pleasure, brother,” nodded Alec. “Ladies, how about some retail therapy and lunch at your choice?”
“I think that sounds perfect,” smiled Sara.
An hour later the teams were on their way, while the girls shopped the small boutiques along Royal and the riverfront. Alec and Tailor were ever-present, not allowing anyone to get near them.
Passersby stared at the two giants, believing the women were famous to have such large bodyguards. They only laughed, shaking their heads. No one knew this was what life was like as the wife of someone at Belle Fleur. It was a good life. A safe life. A life that most could only pray for.
The women knew how lucky they were and never once complained about it. These men, and others, had saved them at some point in their life. Saved them, loved them, and protected them.
When they finally stopped for lunch, Tailor and Alec ordered nearly everything on the menu. There were po’boys of various seafood and meats, gumbo, jambalaya, cornbread, and much more.
While waiting for dessert, Adrian called the team.
“Adrian, how are you?” asked Sara with the speaker on.
“I’m well, thanks to all of you and my handsome bodyguards,” he chuckled. They could hear Eric and Cam laughing in the background. “Sara, I owe you everything. These guys were telling me what you’ve found so far. I can’t believe it but I need to tell you something that I found out by accident.”
“Okay, that sounds ominous,” frowned Luke.
“Not really but kind of. Every competition has a guest judge on the final day. Jacques accidentally found out and told me. I never put two and two together. The judge for the wedding cakes is Anna Louise Palermo.”
“Who is that?” asked Luke.
“She ran a restaurant here for years,” said Sara. “She’s got to be in her eighties or nineties but she was famous for her homestyle Italian cooking and the best tiramisu I’ve ever had in my life.”
“She’s famous for something else,” said AJ. “She kept her maiden name of Palermo but her son is Castellano.”
“Oh, shit,” muttered Tango. “She was going to ensure who won the contest in order for her son to get most of his money back.”
“If she chose the winner and that winner happened to be dead, so receive the award posthumously, guess who gets the cash?”
“The contest,” whispered Sara. “Oh, God. We’re on the top of that list. But. But how? I mean there are six of us. If something happened to one, the others would get the money and it’s not much. I mean it is, but not millions.”
“You missed the fine print, Sara,” said Adrian. “If you win all the categories, your prize money goes up to one-million. And as for the other bakers, it falls to the main name on the contestant’s entry. That would be…”
“Me,” whispered Janie. “I-I filled out all the paperwork. I didn’t think twice about signing my name, not Sara’s.”
“Rightfully so,” said Sara. “We’re a team. I didn’t care who signed everything. I mean, I care now.” She gave a weak smile to Janie and the other woman tried to smile back.
“This changes everything,” said Luke. “We make our move on his house tomorrow during the competition but there will be additional guards at our baking station.”
“My team has backed out,” said Adrian. “I don’t blame them and I don’t want to attempt to get started again. But I will volunteer to help your team.”
“We could use it with the size of the wedding cake,” said Sara. “Janie? What do you think? Do you want to continue? You could back out and we’d say Adrian is your replacement.”
“No. No. If I’m there, sooner or later he’s going to try to make a move at me. We need to be certain we don’t eat anything, taste anything, touch anything that isn’t ours. But I’m not backing out.”
Elias hugged his wife, giving her a nod.
“No one will touch her.”