Page 20 of Death of a Grill Master

He smiled at her. “You heard the speech.”

“I’ve heard lots of speeches. I’ve given some. Doesn’t mean I always follow through.”

Sergio looked at her for a long moment. “I meant it.”

There was a pause.

“Can I ask you something—off the record?” Hayley said.

“Hayley …”

She gave him a look. The one that always wore him down.

He sighed. “What?”

“Photos. In Hank’s office. People are talking.”

His expression didn’t change, but his eyes flared slightly.

“You know I can’t comment—”

“But you will. Because I’m charming and persistent and you’re tired of pretending you don’t like telling me things.”

He hesitated. Then drained his glass and leaned closer.

“We found a manila envelope in a drawer at Desmond’s Slaughterhouse. Inside were half a dozen photos. High-resolution. Someone snapped Kylie and Chase together. The kind of photos best left out of the family album. Different times. Different places.”

Hayley blinked. “They were having an affair?”

“Clearly. And someone wanted Hank to find out.”

“Did he know?”

“Not until those photos showed up. They were sent autonomously.”

Hayley paused.

“Oh, you mean anonymously.”

Sergio frowned. “Isn’t that what I said?”

“Sure.”

She thought it best to just let it go.

“Anonymously. No note. No fingerprints.”

“Why invite Chase to the boat?”

“I think Hank was planning to confront him.”

Hayley frowned. “Was it blackmail?”

“We don’t know. But Hank was close to a big distribution deal for that new barbecue sauce line of his. Image was everything. If word got out that his wife was sleeping with a drunk investor, it could’ve ruined the whole deal.”

Hayley muttered, “Someone was stirring the pot.”

Sergio nodded grimly. “And Hank Desmond definitely got burned.”