Chapter 29

  

Halfway through dinner service, Penelope handed the service window over to the sous chef and went out into the dining room. They were down to two servers who had to cover all the tables on their own. Luckily for them, but maybe unluckily for the restaurant, the seating was sparse, with many more cancellations that night than the one before.

Christine looked at Penelope apologetically when she saw her on the floor, but kept her expression neutral when speaking to the guests.

Joey sat at the bar, a frosted glass of amber-colored beer in front of him. He talked easily with Jeremy, who leaned straight-armed on the wood between filling drink orders.

Penelope stepped up behind Joey and tapped him on the shoulder.

“There’s my girl,” Joey said. “Jeremy here was just telling me he’s taking a semester off school to save money, working here as much as he can.”

“Good for you,” Penelope said. “What are you studying?”

“Criminal Justice over at IU,” Jeremy said.

“He’s going to be a lawyer,” Joey said, taking a sip of beer. Some foam stuck to his upper lip and Penelope resisted the urge to wipe it off.

Jeremy chuckled. “Maybe, or a police detective. We’ll see if I can save up enough to pay for law school. By the way, I’m running low on a few things.” He held up an empty bottle of wine, then rattled off a couple of other items he needed. Penelope squinted at the label then jotted down the name on a small pad in her apron and headed back toward the kitchen.

“Penny,” Joey said catching up to her and pulling her into the restroom hallway.

“What’s up?” Penelope asked.

“Something weird. I ran those five names you gave me in all the usual places. There are no files to be found on any of them.”

“That is weird. What does it mean?” Penelope asked.

“Besides the national registry of missing persons, there are no local police files on those missing kids, none that I can find anyway. I have a call into a guy on the job in Indianapolis, a friend of a friend.”

“So it’s like a clerical error?”

“I could see a clerical error if it was one, maybe two files. Not all five,” Joey said. “Anyway, I’ll keep looking.”

“It’s such a well-known case,” Penelope said. “Seems like there should be lots of records on the missing kids.”

The front door opened and Randall and Max Madison blew inside, shaking the cold from their coats. Max headed immediately to the bar with Randall right behind him. Jeremy froze when he saw the two famous actors approaching.

“Hey, guys,” Joey said, coming back around the corner with Penelope. He shook Max’s hand. “Wow, you’re freezing.”

Randall’s laughter boomed as he pulled out a stool and eyed the bottles of liquor behind the bar. Max sat down next to his dad and hugged himself, his teeth chattering.

“What are you doing here?” Penelope asked. The few tables scattered nearby ceased their conversations and stared openly at the father and son duo at the bar.

“I told Dad if we didn’t get inside and have a decent meal, and a decent drink, that I was going back to New York tonight,” Max said.

Jeremy found his voice. “What can I get you, gentlemen?”

“I’ll have a bourbon, neat,” Randall said, shrugging out of his coat.

“Same,” Max said. He took his father’s jacket and his own to hang in the outer vestibule while Jeremy slid menus in front of their seats.

“Poor kid,” Randall said, chuckling. “He made it a couple of days. Pretty good, I have to admit, with this cold.”

“Are you going back to your campsite after dinner?” Penelope asked.

“Um, no,” Max said, still chattering after returning to his stool.

“I think I got the general idea of what it’s like to almost freeze to death,” Randall agreed. “I feel I’m prepared for the role.”

“Better you than me,” Joey said.

Randall picked up his tumbler of bourbon. “Max has been complaining the entire time, but I think overall it’s been a good experience. Crazy enough, we’re not the only ones out there.”

“Who have you seen?” Penelope asked.

“We’ve come across a couple of camps on our hikes.”

“You see any bears?” Joey asked.

“No,” Randall said with clear disappointment.

“These camps,” Penelope said. “Were they campers like you guys or more like homeless people?”

Randall considered. “A little of both, now that I think about it. You know, you’d like it out there.” He flipped open the menu. “It’s good to unplug once in a while, get back to nature.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Penelope said.

Max rubbed his hands together and took a sip of his drink. “Arlena said everyone is sick at the inn, but that you were over here cooking. A Penelope-cooked meal is just what the doctor ordered.”

“You got me there, kid,” Randall agreed. “I do love your food, Pen.”

The front door whooshed open and Sybil walked in, clutching a dark green scarf with a matching leather-gloved hand.

“Sybil, how are Jackson and Dakota feeling?” Penelope asked, helping Sybil off with her camel coat and hanging it in the vestibule with the others.

“Much better, thank you,” Sybil said with relief. “I talked the assistant director into keeping an eye on them tonight so I could venture out for a proper dinner.”

Penelope laughed when she pictured the nervous young man, who always seemed at a loss for what to do around the kids, wrangling the two young actors into bed.

Sybil stopped short when she noticed Randall at the bar. “Randall Madison, after all these years.”

Randall did a half turn on his stool and eyed Sybil, his face breaking into a wide grin. “Have we met?”

Sybil blushed and adjusted her scarf. Penelope thought she looked lovely, considering she’d been holed up in a room with two sick children the last couple of days. She was dressed casually in skinny jeans and a sweater, but Sybil always looked pulled together.

“We were in a movie together many years ago,” Sybil said.

“Wait, I remember,” Randall said. “Sybil Wilde. You’re on that soap opera, right?”

“Was,” Sybil said, waving a hand. “And I can’t believe you actually remember me. I had a bit part with one line in Murderous Night. I was on the set for two days, playing the hotel clerk who checks you in during the opening scene. It was my first movie.”

“But I do remember. I never forget a beautiful face,” Randall said. He stood up and took her hand, bending to kiss the back of it. Max tossed Penelope an amused glance from behind his back.

“Sybil,” Randall said, releasing her hand. “My son, Max, and I were just about to have dinner. Would you care to join us?”

Sybil smiled gratefully. “That would be lovely, if you’re sure I’m not intruding.”

“Of course not,” Randall said, not consulting Max before answering. “And this is our friend, Joey. Four is a nice round number. Let’s all of us get a table.”

Penelope led them to a spot near the fireplace. After they were seated, Christine handed them menus and told them about the specials, her hands tucked pertly together at the small of her back.

Penelope retreated to the kitchen to check on the chefs and let them know about the newly seated VIP four top.

“Ava’s here,” the sous chef said as he pulled an order ticket from the machine.

Penelope stuck her head inside the office. “Celebrity-laden table has just been seated by the fire. They’re causing a bit of a stir in the dining room.”

“Really?” Ava said, looking up from the screen. Her eyes were puffy and she’d pulled her hair into a messy bun on top of her head.

“Randall and Max Madison, my boyfriend, Joey, and Sybil Wilde,” Penelope said. “Also, we need to do a wine order. They’re low on a couple of bottles at the bar.”

Ava sat up in her chair and pulled the elastic band from her hair, letting the dark locks spill over her shoulders. She pulled a mirror and a tube of lipstick from the desk drawer, applying the dusty-rose gloss to her lips then rubbing them together to smooth it out. “I’m going to send them a complimentary bottle.”

Penelope was used to people acting star struck around Arlena and her family, but it still amused her when it happened. “Sure. I know they’ll appreciate that.”

Ava brushed a few strands of loose hair from her sweater and headed to the dining room. Back at the service window, Penelope slid tickets across the silver strip, expedited orders, and dressed the plates for the servers, stepping back to the grill to sear off steaks and pork chops when needed. The kitchen hummed along with the sounds of clanging pans and low chatter, the crew moving like a well-oiled machine. Penelope glanced down the line at the chefs, dressed in crisp white, and knew for certain they didn’t need her. A head chef would eventually have to be brought in to guide them, keep the menu fresh, and create new specials, but maintaining where they were right now wouldn’t be difficult for this crew.

After calling out the order for Randall’s table and watching Christine load up her tray, Penelope followed her out to the dining room to oversee the service. Ava was standing at the table, and Penelope watched her laugh and toss her hair over her shoulder. Her hand rested on the chair behind Sybil’s back as she listened to one of Randall’s stories.

When the food was served, Ava stepped back, telling them to enjoy and thanking Penelope. She brushed Sybil lightly on the upper arm as she left, and Penelope watched the actress glance at her sleeve after Ava departed.

“I’m so happy right now,” Max said, eyeing the plates in front of him. He looked hungry enough to polish off his own dinner and everyone else’s too.

Penelope topped off their glasses, emptying the bottle of wine Ava had brought them as she listened to Christine explain their entrées. When she’d finished, Penelope carried the empty bottle to the bar and set it down. “Another of these, Jeremy.”

“That’s not one of our usual bottles,” Jeremy said, shaking his head at the label. “Must be from Ava’s private stash.”

“Private stash?” Penelope asked. She recognized the swan logo and the name of the wine, Cygne Reseau, as one of Denis’s brands, and thought again about the missing box of wine samples.

Jeremy slapped a towel over his shoulder. “It’s not in my stock.”

Penelope took the empty bottle back to the kitchen. When she saw the office door was closed, she went to knock, then paused, glancing down and rolling the green glass back and forth in her palm. She opened a cabinet below the service window and tucked the empty bottle out of sight, then headed back out to the bar to select another label for her friends.