Chef's Special Ch. 02

"How is your relationship with Bruno Mensch?" asked Tanya.

"Very good." said Deborah. "He's a tough chef, but we all learn a tremendous amount from him. He's extremely professional in every way."

"Mrs. Gordon," asked Phyllis "have you engaged in sexual relations with Chef Mensch at any time?"

Deborah gave a short nod, as if processing the full import of what was being asked. "Yes." she finally said. "I might as well tell you the whole story. Unlike Alton, Bruno is one hell of a man. He's confident, aggressive, knows what he wants, and he goes for it. Alton, by comparison, is timid. He could be a lot farther along if he had half of Bruno's confidence."

Deborah continued: "A while back, Bruno showed that what he wanted... was me. We were in a hotel room, and I'd had a lot to drink, as had Bruno and Alton. Lauren and Vanessa were there, as well. Lauren doesn't drink; she's a recovering alcoholic. Vanessa was buzzed.

"Anyway," Deborah went on, "my skirt rode up my legs, and I wasn't wearing any panties. Bruno caught sight of my quim, and he got hot. He undid his pants and mounted me, right there in front of my husband and everyone else. He put his cock into me, and I freely admit I wasn't resisting: Bruno is longer and thicker than my husband's average-at-best size." Deborah was trying to make this sound as salacious as possible, realized Phyllis, and she was succeeding.

"Bruno began making love to me, thrusting into me, and I responded." said Deborah. "We fucked like it was our last night on earth. I came hard, then don't remember much else, but I do know Bruno came inside me. Alton sat there like a bump on a log and watched us."

"After that," said Deborah, "I've had sex with Bruno almost every night we've been in hotels while on this tour... and my husband just watches, every time. He just sits there and watches another man mount me and take me. I don't know if Alton's not saying anything because he's afraid Bruno will fire him, and maybe me, too; or if he actually likes watching a real man fuck me. But that's our relationship."

Lt. Price and Detective German were somewhat stunned at what they were hearing, but for some odd reason, Molly, Tanya, and Phyllis were taking it in stride, as if there were no new thing under the sun...

"O-kay." said Lt. Price. "And Lauren knew of this relationship?"

"Oh, yes, of course." said Deborah. "And Lauren was putting out for Bruno, too. She wants to... er, wanted to... win this competition as much as I did. And we women know what we have to do to win."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Celeste, you were near the refrigerator in back." said Tanya. "Did you see anything unusual?"

"No." said Celeste. "People were in and out of that refrigerator, and it gets busier as the last preps are made before the presentations."

"Chef Spencer," said Phyllis, "you are 42 years old? And therefore the oldest chef in this group?"

"That's true." said Celeste, giving a wan smile. "And if any group needs adult supervision, it's this one."

Tanya asked "Do you know of anyone who has peanut allergies, or any kind of allergies?"

"No." said Celeste. "And wouldn't it be very difficult for someone with such allergies to work in a professional kitchen?"

"Possibly." said Phyllis. "So tell me, how do you like your fellow chefs?"

Celeste gave another small smile. "It would probably be more accurate to say I don't dislike them. René is a flirt, but he's harmless, and we've become pretty good friends. He and Bruno don't like each other at all; I'm surprised Bruno let him be in this competition. Alton and Deborah are always sniping at each other in the kitchen; I've heard they get along better at home, but I don't stay around them long enough to find out. Lauren... she was okay, but there was a... 'fakeness' about her. She'd act sweet, but she was very ambitious, and would slit your throat in a second to advance herself."

"What about Bruno Mensch?" asked Phyllis. "What is your relationship with him like?"

"Professionally, he's been good to me." said Celeste. "He's taught me a lot, helped me out, gotten me to a place I don't think I could have gotten to without him. But that has come... with a price."

"You've had a sexual relationship with him?" asked Tanya. Celeste nodded. "Do you know if any of the other women have had sex with Bruno?"

"Oh yes. All of them." said Celeste. "Bruno is insatiable in bed. He and Vanessa Brunson have been dating, and by that I mean more than just a physical fling, for years. He's probably the father of Deborah's unborn child, and he and Lauren have been hot and heavy the last few weeks."

"Has Bruno ever raped anyone?" asked Lt. Price.

"Not that I'm aware of." said Celeste. "If he has, he might've used his celebrity to cover it up, or the network would've covered it up for him. It wouldn't be the first time they've done something like that. But no, I don't think Bruno is that kind of man. He's demanding, but not violent."

Phyllis nodded. "Chef Spencer, do you know of anyone that would want to harm Lauren Fogle, and why?"

"No, unless Deborah is so desperate to win that she would wipe out her only real competition." said Celeste.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Next was René Descartes. He looked sullen as his rights were read to him.

"No, I saw nothing." he said when asked about the refrigerator. "I had the honor of the main entrée for today's competition, and my lamb steaks were just short of a disaster. I was frantically trying to salvage them."

"Did you have a good relationship with Lauren Fogle?" asked Tanya.

"Oh yes... well, we were once dating, but now just friends." said René.

"What was the cause of the breakup?" asked Tanya.

"The same reason all my relationships break up." said Descartes bitterly. "Bruno Mensch. As soon as I began dating her, he moves in and begins fucking her. Not dating... no relationship, mind you... just fucking her. She would not have anything to do with me after he moved in on her."

"He was having sex with Deborah Gordon, as well, yes?" asked Phyllis.

"Mon Dieu, he had sex with every one of those women." spat Descartes. "He was fucking Deborah right in front of her husband, as if daring Alton to do something about it. In France, this is not the big deal, you know. And of course he was taking Lauren and even Celeste to his bed for his sexual pleasure."

"Did you date Celeste?" asked Phyllis.

"My heavens, no." said Descartes. "She and I have become friends, but nothing more. She was not interested in me early on, so I thought she was a lesbian. But Bruno was laying the pipe to her, as he was laying the pipe to all of the women, even Vanessa Brunson and the female sous-chefs."

"So I take it you and Bruno are not friends away from the kitchen." said Phyllis drily. "What about your working relationship?"

"Sacré bleu! that man and his cooking are trash! Pure garbage!" said Descartes. "He has gotten to where he is with his penis, and by stealing the ideas and recipes of others. The only reason he invited me into this competition is so he can steal my ideas."

"Then why are you competing?" asked Lt. Paul Price.

"How else can I get on television so others can see me?" replied René. "Mensch has all but destroyed my career with the network, keeping me off the air, killing every program I've tried to create for myself. So, when this is over, I will take myself elsewhere, and begin showing the world that Bruno Mensch is an auto mechanic, not a chef like me!"

"Does everyone else feel the same way about Bruno?" asked Molly.

"I do not know." said Descartes. "To speak ill of him gets back to him; there are spies everywhere. These catty women, Deborah, Lauren... they will do anything to get ahead, including telling lies about me so Bruno can go to the tabloids and spread filth!"

"So they all loved Bruno." said Phyllis deftly.

"Ah, non!" replied Descartes, who was getting a bit worked up, and Phyllis was using that to her advantage. He said "Alton hates Bruno. I am surprised he has not stabbed Bruno in the back... literally... while Bruno makes love with Deborah in front of that little cuckold. Lauren hated Bruno, too. She was putting out for him, but he knew if she did not win the contest, she would cut his balls off. Celeste... she was indifferent. She's indifferent to everything. I try to tell her to show more of the passion for the food, for the cooking, but... it is what it is. I don't think she has gotten over her son's death."

"Her son's death?" asked Phyllis.

"Yes, she asked me not to tell anyone." said René. "She said it was a hit and run car accident, very sudden."

"Aw, that's sad." said Tanya, then said to Phyllis. "That might be why she remembered my story."

"That could well be." said Phyllis. "Anyone have any more questions for Chef Descartes?" There were none.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Vanessa Brunson looked composed and almost ready to get in front of a television camera as she sat down. Her rights were read to her from the card.

"So where were you before taking your places for the tasting?" asked Lt. Price.

"Bruno and I were in one of the staging rooms, which we use as a makeshift office." said Vanessa. "We were going over details of tomorrow's show."

"And that's all you did?" asked Phyllis incisively. "Just talked?"

"What are you insinuating, Agent Troy?" asked Vanessa, her face becoming an ugly frown.

"I'll make it clear." said Phyllis, with some authority in her voice. "Were you having sex with Bruno in those moments before coming out for the tasting?"

Vanessa stared down Phyllis, and found she was going to lose. She finally said "Yes, we had sex. With Bruno, it's like bullfighters having sex before going to the arena to fight the bull. When Bruno gets in the mood, he has to have a sexual release to get in the proper mood to go on television and before audiences."

"Okay, so when you returned to this area to get ready for the tasting," asked Tanya, "did you see anything at all out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing at all." said Vanessa.

Tanya continued: "You've been with the cooking network pretty much since it's inception, about ten years ago?"

"That's right." said Vanessa.

"So you know all of these chefs pretty well?"

"Very well." said Vanessa. I'm one of the producers of several of the shows. All of us on executive staff do vetting on the people who want to work on our network. The competition is fierce, almost crushing. And getting on the network is just the start; the chefs work like dogs to stay on top, to stay relevant and fresh. No disrespect to any of you, but you have no idea of the pressure they're constantly under."

"Oh, I dunno." said Tanya, glancing at Phyllis with a cherubic grin. "I've worked for the Iron Crowbar. But what I'd like to ask you about is each of these chefs that are here, including Bruno. What can you tell us about each of them? Bruno first."

"Bruno Mensch is a great man." said Vanessa. "You mentioned the Iron Crowbar, and I've heard of him and his reputation. Bruno is to the culinary world what the Iron Crowbar is to law enforcement. Bruno is demanding, a perfectionist, is never happy with his own work and always seeks to improve it. He loves the network as much as he loves being a chef, and we've made a great team.

"And before you ask, yes, he and I were lovers for several years." Vanessa went on. "Thought we might even tie the knot, but it just never happened. We're still great friends and like I said, our minds are very much alike on what we're doing with the network."

"Before you go further," said Phyllis. "You're aware that Bruno has sex with many other women?"

"Oh yes." said Vanessa. "And this might shock you, but even when we were dating, we had what would be described as an 'open' relationship. Yes, Bruno tries to get into every woman he sees. But I've had my... liaisons, as well. I find that a man's sexual performance in bed is a very good indicator of how good he will be with a television camera in his face and an audience of skeptical women watching his every move."

"So you've slept with Alton and René?" asked Phyllis.

"With René, yes." said Vanessa. "Very charming man, but very high-strung underneath. Alton came as part of the package with Deborah, so I didn't bother with him."

"Ahhh." said Phyllis. "That is interesting. So I apologize in advance for this question, but do you have similar relationships with the women?"

"No, I'm a man's woman." said Vanessa. "But many of our female chefs are lesbians or bisexuals, and a number of our male chefs are gay, so that's not an issue on our network."

"Of course not." said Phyllis. "So, and just speaking professionally, Bruno is a tough man to work for?"

"Demanding, yes." said Vanessa. "He has a reputation for being hard to work for, but in reality once you get used to him, he's not bad at all. You see that his demands are to get more out of you, to make you better and to strive for more. Hercule Le Fleur has worked with us for years, and has learned to just take Bruno's bitching and keep going."

"Alton and Deborah Gordon?" asked Tanya.

"Deborah is one of the most beautiful women we've ever had on our network, but she's also a really good chef." said Vanessa. "I think she does love her husband, but they do bicker in the kitchens while cooking. We have to keep them separated if we're filming the cooking. Alton... well, he's very knowledgeable about cooking, actually has a good screen presence. But he can be a prick at times, and there are times Bruno has yelled at him to just shut up when Alton gets sarcastic and starts running his trap."

"How did they arrive at your network?" asked Phyllis.

"We discovered Deborah doing a cooking show for a public access cable network, and we brought her in for an audition." replied Vanessa. "Bruno really wanted to bring her in, and she used that leverage to make us bring Alton in, also. But it's worked out okay."

"Would either of them have a reason for harming Lauren Fogle?" asked Phyllis.

"Not that I know of." said Vanessa. "Well... let me take that back. Deborah and Lauren were the top two in the running to win the grand prize, but I don't think Deborah is bad enough to kill over it. She's going to do very well whether or not she wins this competition."

"Okay, what about René Descartes?" asked Tanya.

"He came to us four years ago, right out of culinary school." said Vanessa. "He's very passionate about cooking, which comes through the camera very well, and he has some great concepts in his French-Asian Fusion cooking. But he and Bruno really do not like each other. I don't know if it's a German-French thing, or personalities, or what. But René has outright accused Bruno of stealing some of René's recipes and cooking ideas, and Bruno delights in seducing the women René dates."

"So why keep René?" asked Phyllis. "Obviously Chef Mensch is the cornerstone of your network; he's not going anywhere. And why would René even participate in this competition?"

Vanessa said "René has been the one sticking point between Bruno and myself. René is a good chef, and I would like to help him find a place where he's happy and thriving. Putting him in this competition will give him additional exposure that he hasn't gotten in the past, so I'm hoping it will all work out."

"But Bruno doesn't?" asked Phyllis.

"I think once René and Bruno are apart, things will calm down and they'll forget about each other." said Vanessa.

That makes one of us, thought Phyllis, but she continued: "So René had no issues with Lauren?"

"Not that I'm aware of." said Vanessa.

"Okay, Celeste Spencer." said Tanya.

"She came to us a couple of years ago." said Vanessa. "Applied as a sous-chef. We ran her through the cooking and prep tests, and found that she was not only great in organizing and doing the sous-chef things, but she had tremendous potential to be a top level chef, as well. I know René has tried to draw out her passion for cooking, which she seems to have but doesn't let it out; and Bruno has been encouraging her to explore her ideas and be more than she currently is. He all but insisted she be part of this competition."

"Does she have a chance to win it?" asked Phyllis.

"Probably not." said Vanessa. "She's not the most telegenic person, but Bruno has had her film some 'tips and tricks' spots for the network that have been really well received. But she would never be Deborah or Lauren in front of the camera."

"How is she with the other chefs?" asked Phyllis.

"She's not particularly outgoing, but she and René have a good rapport." said Vanessa. "And she and Lauren worked together well. She didn't seem to like Alton and Deborah, and while she's respectful of Bruno and works hard for him as his sous-chef on his programs, she hasn't been as responsive to him as other women are. We thought she might be a lesbian, but she slept with Bruno, too, so who knows."

"And Lauren herself?" asked Tanya. "And don't hold back; we need to know all we can about her, good or bad."

"I understand." said Vanessa. "Lauren was very beautiful, had a great on-camera personality. She had some problems with alcohol several years ago, which was holding her back. We sent her to rehab and got her cleaned up, and she really took off like a rocket after that. She was probably going to win this competition, and would've been featured even more on the network."

"Anyone else have any questions?" asked Tanya, looking at Paul Price.

"Just one." said Lt. Paul Price. "Vanessa, are you aware of any threats made not only towards Lauren, but maybe to Bruno Mensch, as well?"

"Uhh..." said Vanessa, a bit taken aback, "no, not that I'm aware of."

"Not even from Chef Descartes?" asked Price.

"Oh, no." said Vanessa, looking stunned at the very idea. "They don't get along, but I've never heard René pop off or threaten Bruno in any way."

Part 7 - Teutonic Revelations

Everyone took a potty break. Then Phyllis had Tanya go down the hallway for a moment of private conversation, saying quietly to Tanya "I called my son. He's going to have his Mouseketeers get data on everyone here, then bring the information over to us."

"Good." said Tanya. "But you know, I'd love to solve this one without the Iron Crowbar's help."

"He has expressed a strong interest in keeping himself out of this one." said Phyllis. "So your wish might well come true. So, how do you want to approach our questioning of Bruno Mensch?"

"Just like the rest of them." said Tanya. "And we'll see what shakes out and open new lines as we go along..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Okay, now for the big one... Bruno Mensch." said Tanya, when everyone was reassembled.

"Pun not intended, I'm sure." said Phyllis. Molly burst out laughing.

*BRING!* *BRING!* *BRING!*

"That's my phone." said Tanya. She took the call, and after a moment hung up.

"That was my lab people." Tanya said, as she took an iPad out of its pocket under the armrest of her wheelchair. "They're sending some preliminary reports, and Martha has sent a preliminary autopsy report which I'm told is shocking."

As Tanya set up, she got out her iPhone. "I'm going to use a personal hotspot. I don't trust the WiFi of this hotel." She set up, and soon was downloading the sent data. She and Phyllis perused it as everyone looked on.

"Okay." said Tanya. "First, the epi-pen. There were traces of blood on the needle. It's Lauren's blood type, but they're not sure if they can get a better match because there's not much blood there. Inside the epi-pen were traces of epinephrine, no surprise there, but there were also traces of sodium thiopental, a.k.a. sodium pentathol."

"Is that what stopped her heart?" asked Lt. Paul Price.

"Well, let's look at the autopsy." said Tanya. After a moment, she said "Humph!" in surprise.