Rubbed Out (A Memphis BBQ Mystery) Read Online Free

castle, appearing bored.
    “This is Lulu Taylor,” he said to the two. “Owner of Aunt Pat’s restaurant.”
    The blond woman nodded but didn’t respond, but the man seemed to summon up interest. “Great ribs! I went there for the first time last week because one of my coworkers said he’d grown up going to Aunt Pat’s.”
    Lulu smiled at him. “Well, we’ve been around for a long time. It was my aunt’s restaurant before I ended up running it.”
    He had a reminiscent expression on his face. “My friend says you’re got the best ribs in Memphis. He goes back every few weeks as a matter of fact. Says eveything is almost exactly the same as it was when he was a kid. Something very comforting in that,” he said thoughtfully. He leaned forward and stuck out a thin hand. “I’m Brody Jenson,” he added.
    Lulu shook his head. “So nice to meet you.”
    Reuben gestured to the blond woman with a sneer. “And that’s Brody’s wife, Sharon. The rude one in the corner.”
    She shot him a glare that could have fried eggs, then stared determinedly down at the floor. Sharon’s blond hair was going dark at the roots, and she had tired eyes and deep grooves making unhappy parentheses at the corners of her mouth.
    “Nice to meet you, Sharon,” said Lulu. The attitudes in this booth were confusing. It was easy to imagine why the Graces weren’t happy with Reuben, but it seemed like the members of his own team shouldn’t have the same issue. After all, they were the ones who chose him as the pit master.
    He didn’t look to be any kinder to his crew than he was to the Graces, though. “See all this stuff around you—the decorations? I came up with everything. Everything. I designed it, I built it, I put it up. I’m a contractor, so that’s the kind of thing I really excel at. And the rest of my team is just around to enjoy the party.” He almost spat the words.
    The tall man stood up straight and his eyes narrowed. “You’ve got selective memory loss, Reuben. I did all the research to come up with the design. And Sharon and I both helped move all the stuff into this booth.”
    Sharon gave a disdainful laugh. “Besides, if your stamp is on most of the stuff in the booth, Reuben, that’s because you’re so pigheaded that you won’t listen toanybody else’s ideas or accept that your idea might not be as good as someone else’s.” Her lip curled and made her pretty face momentarily unattractive.
    “I’ve got a mind to walk right out on you,” said Brody, still fuming. “Then what would you do without your help? Good luck juggling the ribs and the seasoning while you’re cooking for the competition.” The idea seemed to please him and a faint smile pulled at his mouth.
    Reuben’s face darkened. “You wouldn’t do that, Brody.” It sounded more like a threat than a promise.
    “Wouldn’t he?” asked Sharon. “You should try him. And me—because this is really the limit of what I can put up with.”
    Lulu murmured, “I should be getting back to my friends.” No one glanced her way or seemed to notice her or hear her, so she hurried off into the darkness outside the brightly lit tent—and ran smack into someone who was standing right outside the booth.
    “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. But the person was already gone.
    *   *   *
    “Granny Lulu, is it time to go yet?”
    She was ordinarily a morning person, but after staying up late on Family and Friends night at Rock and Ribs, she was dragging this morning. Her twin granddaughters, though, apparently had no such problems waking up. Coco was dressed to the nines and Ella Beth’s chin had adetermined set to it that meant she was ready to take on and conquer her day.
    “Sweetie, we’ll head over to Tom Lee Park soon. Just give me a little while to get all my engines revving. Coco, honey, you shouldn’t be wearing that outfit to the festival,” said Lulu.
    Coco peered down at her linen dress with the satin sash. “It’s a nice