MURDER IN THE SPOTLIGHT (Food Truck Mysteries Book 2) by Chloe Kendrick Page B
Authors: Chloe Kendrick
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was you who found the bodies. How horrible.”
I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected the family to react like this to my presence. I had thought it more likely that they would resent me attending the services, given my role in locating the bodies and calling the police. I had never thought for a moment that they would feel that I hadn’t deserved that fate. It was a kindness that I was unprepared for.
“Come up here with us,” she said. “My name is Rochelle. I’m Annabella’s sister—well, half-sister. We had the same mother but different fathers. Long story,” she said with an insincere smile and a wave of the hand. “Actually, I suspect you’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I talked to the producers. I was a silent partner in Annabella’s food truck. I put up part of the cash for the truck, and I’m going to take over the operations of the business once the will is read. We had it set up so that the truck would revert to me if anything happened to her. So legitimately I’ve been a bit player on the show all along.”
She prattled on as she moved us to the folding chairs near the grave. She acted like all of this was small talk, but in actuality, she’d just given herself two motives for murder. Rochelle could have wanted the cash that would revert to her if Annabella passed away. And as I’d seen today, there were a lot of people who took these shows seriously. If Rochelle was one of those people, then she could have done away with her sister to get the notoriety that would come with being on the show.
I had wondered what would happen to Annabella’s place. The show had been built around releasing one food truck a week from the competition, which meant that one missing food truck would have left the show a week short on the schedule. They would have either had to host one week with no one leaving or cut the series short because of the situation. While fans would have understood, I wondered if the advertisers would. This sort of publicity would drive millions to their TV sets.
Land sat down next to me near the graveside. The service was simple and short. A minister said a few words over the casket, and it was lowered into the ground. We left earlier than the rest, but the press patrol was smaller and less intrusive here. There were no questions and no microphones stuck in our faces.
On the way back to my car, I thought about the two services and the differences between them. There were stark contrasts even though we’d learned about potential motives at both events. I looked at Land, “What if all the emphasis is on Marsha, but Annabella was the real victim here? We just assumed that someone associated with the show would go after Marsha, but that doesn’t explain why they would kill Annabella too.”
Land continued to face forward. “I would guess that Annabella was killed because she got in the way of the killer doing away with Marsha. She was collateral damage in the murder.”
I thought about what he had said. It made more sense, but then I was living proof that life didn’t always make sense. I had inherited a food truck and was making a living from it, although I had a degree in business. I should be in an office somewhere, not collecting cash from people buying hot dogs and coffee. My life had not followed my plan at all.
I still wasn’t convinced. “Suppose Annabella had gone to Marsha with the name of the person behind the pranks. That would have been reason for both of them to be murdered—if the killer didn’t want to be named. Or there could be a reason for Annabella to be murdered and Marsha was the collateral damage in the case.”
Land glanced at me for a minute before turning back to the road. “You’re just determined to make this case twice as hard as it needs to be. You should stick to the obvious. We’ll get this done, and then take home the prize for best food truck. Business goes up and I get to run the second truck.” He gave me a smile that let me
I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected the family to react like this to my presence. I had thought it more likely that they would resent me attending the services, given my role in locating the bodies and calling the police. I had never thought for a moment that they would feel that I hadn’t deserved that fate. It was a kindness that I was unprepared for.
“Come up here with us,” she said. “My name is Rochelle. I’m Annabella’s sister—well, half-sister. We had the same mother but different fathers. Long story,” she said with an insincere smile and a wave of the hand. “Actually, I suspect you’ll be seeing a lot more of me. I talked to the producers. I was a silent partner in Annabella’s food truck. I put up part of the cash for the truck, and I’m going to take over the operations of the business once the will is read. We had it set up so that the truck would revert to me if anything happened to her. So legitimately I’ve been a bit player on the show all along.”
She prattled on as she moved us to the folding chairs near the grave. She acted like all of this was small talk, but in actuality, she’d just given herself two motives for murder. Rochelle could have wanted the cash that would revert to her if Annabella passed away. And as I’d seen today, there were a lot of people who took these shows seriously. If Rochelle was one of those people, then she could have done away with her sister to get the notoriety that would come with being on the show.
I had wondered what would happen to Annabella’s place. The show had been built around releasing one food truck a week from the competition, which meant that one missing food truck would have left the show a week short on the schedule. They would have either had to host one week with no one leaving or cut the series short because of the situation. While fans would have understood, I wondered if the advertisers would. This sort of publicity would drive millions to their TV sets.
Land sat down next to me near the graveside. The service was simple and short. A minister said a few words over the casket, and it was lowered into the ground. We left earlier than the rest, but the press patrol was smaller and less intrusive here. There were no questions and no microphones stuck in our faces.
On the way back to my car, I thought about the two services and the differences between them. There were stark contrasts even though we’d learned about potential motives at both events. I looked at Land, “What if all the emphasis is on Marsha, but Annabella was the real victim here? We just assumed that someone associated with the show would go after Marsha, but that doesn’t explain why they would kill Annabella too.”
Land continued to face forward. “I would guess that Annabella was killed because she got in the way of the killer doing away with Marsha. She was collateral damage in the murder.”
I thought about what he had said. It made more sense, but then I was living proof that life didn’t always make sense. I had inherited a food truck and was making a living from it, although I had a degree in business. I should be in an office somewhere, not collecting cash from people buying hot dogs and coffee. My life had not followed my plan at all.
I still wasn’t convinced. “Suppose Annabella had gone to Marsha with the name of the person behind the pranks. That would have been reason for both of them to be murdered—if the killer didn’t want to be named. Or there could be a reason for Annabella to be murdered and Marsha was the collateral damage in the case.”
Land glanced at me for a minute before turning back to the road. “You’re just determined to make this case twice as hard as it needs to be. You should stick to the obvious. We’ll get this done, and then take home the prize for best food truck. Business goes up and I get to run the second truck.” He gave me a smile that let me
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