NOW, SOMETHING TO know about JJ is that he was developing a radar for liars. Considering he was knee-deep in his own lying mess, it took a liar to spot a liar, one might say. And it also probably helped that Chef Pierre was a pretty terrible liar. One of the worst.

Chef Pierre finally sighed, and said, “Do you know how hard it is to be a chef at a fancy hotel? Everyone assumes that you’re some sort of cooking genius. And I’m not! My skills are very limited.”

“Breakfast was pretty awesome,” JJ argued.

The chef sighed and dropped the spatula he’d been scraping the griddle with. “That’s just bacon and eggs. Anyone can make that.”

“And those little sandwiches yesterday—those were great,” Penny added.

But the chef’s face dropped. “I didn’t make those. I only know how to make kids’ food: pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers. I love making food for kids—c’est ma . . . It’s my passion.”

“I’m not seeing the problem here,” Penny said. “I love pizza and hamburgers!”

The chef said softly, “I bought the sandwiches from the deli in town.”

“Oh.” Penny tried to think of something nice to say, but she had nothing.

“And the cupcakes weren’t mine either,” Chef Pierre said. “I bought them from the cupcake shop in town. I wasn’t even here when Mr. Barclay ate that cupcake. I was on my way into Aspen Springs, and on the phone the moment I got into cell phone range of the place to order. C’est—it’s embarrassing.”

Penny thought about that for a moment. “That means you didn’t have opportunity to kill Mr. Barclay. We just need to prove it.”

Chef Pierre nodded, but he looked sad.

“Wouldn’t your phone records show that you were going into town?” JJ said, feeling a lightbulb go off inside his head. “There was no way you could be on a cell phone call if you were here, which means you have an alibi!” He was talking fast now because he was so happy.

This revelation could help his mom too! Because if the chef’s alibi was a phone call, his mom would be cleared for the same reason: she was on a conference call at the time of the murder. The lack of cell phone reception at the hotel turned out to be the saving grace for both his mom and Chef Pierre.

Pretty smart thinking on JJ’s part.

“Oui,” Chef Pierre said, and gave him a half-happy, half-sad smile. He still looked devastated that his secret was out: he wasn’t the chef everyone thought he was.

JJ turned to Penny. “I need to go find my mom. I might have found a way to clear her name.”

“Let’s go!”

The two left the confused chef, but JJ didn’t have time to explain. He had a clue, and an important one . . .