Party Perils Patti Benning (ereader iphone .TXT) 📖

“It’s all right,” Lacey said, her gaze blank as she stared off into the distance. “I would want answers too, if I were you. I still don’t know what to think. I don’t know if I hate you or if I want to pity you.”

Caroline’s expression was stricken, and Hannah moved over so she was standing next to her friend. “If you want to talk about it, we’re here,” she said.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Lacey said with a moan. “I don’t want any of this to be happening, but I need to know how it did. So, you can tell me.” She straightened up, setting her shoulders as she looked at Caroline. “Tell me, please, how peanut oil got into my husband’s soup.”

Caroline blinked, and even Hannah was taken aback. Before she could open her mouth to defend her friend, Caroline said, “I can assure you, it didn’t. I used sesame oil, and I made sure I got a brand that was peanut free. Trust me, it was hard finding one that didn’t process peanuts in the same plant, but I managed. Whenever I cook for the two of you, I'm careful. I take every precaution available, and I never would’ve put Edward at risk. I don’t want to accuse anyone, but all of you were in the kitchen while I was cooking. Anyone could have added an ingredient while I wasn’t looking.”

“Peanuts were the only thing he was allergic to,” Lacey said. “And I know that for a fact; he had multiple allergy tests done because his reaction to peanuts was so extreme that we wanted to make sure there weren't any other dangers lurking out there. The only thing that he had eaten all afternoon was that soup, and he keeled over. So, you tell me how he had an allergic reaction to peanuts, if there weren’t any peanuts.”

“There weren't!” Caroline exclaimed. “I swear. There weren't. I never used peanuts or peanut oil or peanut powder or anything similar in anything I made for him. None of the ingredients I used had ever come within sight of a peanut.”

“The police are going to be running an analysis on the soup,” Lacey said. “I’m sure they’re going to find something. Can both of you really say you didn’t taste any peanuts?

Caroline opened her mouth, then shut it again. Hannah frowned, thinking back. Had she tasted peanut oil in the soup? It was hard to remember. Sesame oil had always tasted somewhat similar to her, and she didn’t cook with either enough to be sure of the difference. It seemed that even Caroline wasn't certain.

“Listen,” she managed after a moment. “I will swear on anything – my life, Dean’s life-that I did not purposely put anything involving peanuts in any of the dishes I made last night. The bottle I used was sesame oil, guaranteed to be peanut free. I still have it at home – I’m happy to show it to you or to the police. I opened it that night. If it really was peanut oil, then the factory must’ve mislabeled it, but I’m not sure how that’s possible since they didn’t make peanut oil in the same building. If they did, they wouldn’t have been able to label it peanut free.”

“I believe you,” Lacey said after a moment, holding Caroline’s gaze. “That’s why I'm not sure how to feel. I’ve known you for years, Caroline. You’ve never been anything but a wonderful friend and a wonderful cook in that time. You are one of the few people my husband and I trusted to make safe food for us. I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. It’s just the truth. And I think I know you well enough to know that you would never make that mistake casually or on purpose. But something went wrong last night, and I need to know what it was. I – I don’t know whether we can be friends anymore, but if there’s any chance of salvaging this friendship, I need to know exactly how an ingredient got to the soup that ended up killing my husband.”

Caroline nodded. Hannah looked over at her to see tears burning in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice shook. “I understand. Trust me when I say I want to get to the bottom of this, too. I know that you aren't feeling very friendly toward me at the moment, and I don’t blame you, but I promise you that I will do everything I can to figure out why your husband had the reaction he did to my soup, and if you need anything else at all, anything, you can call me.”

“I think I've got all the help I need here, but please do let me know if you manage to figure out how Edward died. I’m sorry, Caroline, but I'd appreciate it if you didn’t contact me until you know what happened. I’m trying very hard to treat you fairly, but right now all I can think of when I look at you is that you’re the reason my husband died last night. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry. If someone else is responsible, then they’d better run while they have the chance because I’m going to make them regret it.”

Her jaw clenched, Caroline nodded again. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Lacey. I’ll let you know what I find.”

She turned and strode out of the kitchen. Hannah paused long enough to give her condolences to Lacey as well and promise that she would help Caroline get to the bottom of it before she followed her best friend out. She felt terrible for Caroline, but she couldn’t blame Lacey for acting the way that she was. All in all, she thought Lacey was being very rational about the whole thing, and hoped that they would have news for her soon.

The next day was Monday, and Hannah had to work the morning shift. There was no