“Yvonne?” Dernice asked. “I checked on her a minute ago and gave her some water. I think she’s feeling better.”
“Thank God.” Carlita strode to the bathroom where she found Mercedes and Elvira standing next to a pale Yvonne. “How are you feeling?”
“A little better. I heard the other guy isn’t doing so well.” Yvonne told her that the paramedic checked on her, offering to take her to the hospital. “I told him I thought I would be okay. The water is helping and the dry heaves stopped.”
“You mentioned you ate a lot of the fettuccine Alfredo,” Carlita prompted.
“Me and the guy the paramedics carted off,” Yvonne said. “I noticed him chowing down on a big bowl of it. It was delicious, although I have to admit I’ll probably never eat pasta again.”
“What happened when you went back for more?”
“The dish was gone, and now I’m glad it was.”
Tony appeared carrying a chair. “I thought this might come in handy.”
“Good idea, Son.” Carlita helped the woman get settled. “Mercedes will stay with you. Let her know if you need anything at all.”
“I will.”
She had a brief word with her daughter and returned to the walk-in fridge where she found the pan of fettuccine nearly untouched.
Working her way from top to bottom, she inspected each of the containers, finding most of the food was gone with only a few leftovers. Had an employee suspected there might be an issue and pulled it from the serving table? If so, who and why?
“How are the guests doing?”
Carlita turned to find Arnie quietly watching her.
“The woman is feeling better. The man is on his way to the hospital.”
He made a choking sound. “The hospital?”
“Both became ill after eating the fettuccine.”
Arnie frowned. “No kidding. That’s weird.”
“Why is it weird?”
“Because the fettuccine went missing. I finally found it.”
“Found it where?”
“Under the buffet table and behind the curtain, barely touched.”
Chapter 5
“The fettuccine was on the storage shelf beneath the buffet table, hidden behind the decorative tablecloth,” Carlita repeated.
“Correct.” Arnie shifted his feet. “I tasted it before I put it out for the guests and feel fine.”
“I sampled it myself, although only a small bite.” Carlita tapped her lip. “Sonny could’ve eaten somewhere else and started showing symptoms after he got here.”
“Except for the fact that the other guest, the woman, also got sick.”
Mercedes popped her head around the corner. “Hey, Ma. The rest of the guests are leaving.”
Carlita slipped out of the kitchen and caught up with the stragglers who were on their way out. Shrimpy was one of them.
“Sorry to hear about the guest who got sick.”
