Page 26 of Lion & Lamb

1:07 p.m.

VEENA LIONwas horrified the moment she stepped into Chef Roy Nguyen’s cramped kitchen.

Not by the kitchen itself, which was compact, clean, and tidy. So tidy, in fact, it looked as if Chef Nguyen rarely cooked a meal at home. No, Veena was horrified by the lunch Chef Nguyen was currently preparing: leftover spaghetti. At some point, the sauce-heavy pasta had been a take-out meal, and now the chef was frying it up in a high-end skillet over a medium flame. Sauce smoked and splattered as the chef pushed a wooden spoon around the edge now and again.

“Hungry?” Chef asked.

“I had a late breakfast,” Veena lied. “So, I understand Ms. Hughes let you go fairly recently?”

“Let me go?” Chef asked. He made an annoyed huffing sound. “Let’s get it straight. That snooty bitchfiredme. Over, like, nothing.”

“Have you found employment somewhere else?”

Chef Nguyen stared at the tangled strands of spaghetti as if they could tell his fortune. “It’s not exactly easy to line up another gig like that one. You have no idea how hard I busted my balls trying to get her attention in the first…hey, you’re not even listening to me!”

Chef had looked up in time to catch Veena furiously thumbing her phone.

“I am listening to every word. But I’m also texting a headhunter friend of mine, who will be contacting you within the hour. She specializes in matching executive-level chefs with discerning families.”

Chef’s grimace disappeared. “Are you…are you serious?”

“Just pay attention to your phone over the next hour. Her name is April White.”

“Why would you do this? You don’t even know me.”

“You’re actually doingmea favor. April’s clients will be falling all over themselves to retain your services. But help me understand something.”

Chef turned his attention back to his sizzling pasta, which was on the verge of burning. “Sure. Yeah. Anything.”

“Tell me about your time in the Hughes residence. Sounds like they were a very tight-knit family.”

“Ha. Only three members of that family were truly tight.”

“Mom and the kids?”

“Please. Parents aresupposedto be tight with their kids. I’m talking about the threesome.”

“You’re going to have to tell me more.”

“First I want you to try some of this.”

“No, really, I’m fine. If my assistant, Janie, were here, she’d be all over your, uh, leftovers.”

“I really just insist. I can see you give me thoseEw, grossstares. You think I’m just heating up leftovers, but don’t judge it until you put a forkful in your mouth.”

With a flourish that finally revealed the man’s skill, Nguyen spooned a small sample of the fried pasta into a glass bowl. He stabbed the pile with a tasting fork, then slid the bowl across the counter toward Veena.

“Go on,” Chef said.

Veena knew the point wasn’t negotiable. She twisted the fork around until she had a few thick strands of pasta in a tight little ball and put it in her mouth. She had to admit, the fried spaghetti was insanely flavorful, with a perfect blend of crispy bits and soft noodle bits. It was an entirely different approach to the household staple.

“You seriously need to make this for April,” Veena said. “She’ll lose her mind.”

“Oh, this? This is nothing. Just lunch, you know?”

Veena made a series of mental notes (which she would commit to a yellow legal pad during the train ride home):Chef Nguyen more than what he shows on the surface. He hides his massive ego behind a faux everyman exterior. He is the savory bite behind the fried pasta. What is he hiding?

“So tell me about Archie, Francine, and Maya.”

---