As we hurried up onto the stage, I glanced around at the other competitors. Everyone else was there, except the Charlotte team. If Kenny and Anna didn’t make it in time, they’d be disqualified, and our competition would suddenly drop to two other pizza making teams.
Ten seconds before the digital clock ticked down, they appeared on stage, both breathless and disheveled from hurrying to make it in time.
The only problem was that Luigi himself was absent.
Where could the man be?
Finally, after what seemed like forever but was in fact just four minutes past our starting time, Jack Acre took the stage and took the microphone from the judge’s table. “It seems that Luigi has been held up, but there’s no reason to keep you folks waiting. Tonight’s contest will center around our new thin crust dough, something we’re all very proud of at Luigi’s. Contestants, you have one hour to produce your best pizza and present it to the judge. Good luck.”
Maddy looked at me and asked, “Where do you suppose he could be?”
“I don’t know, and at the moment, I don’t really care. We need to do better than we did this afternoon. I can’t imagine Luigi being quite so generous with us this time.”
“We’ll be fine. We just had the jitters before,” Maddy said as she looked past me and waved to someone in the crowd. I turned to see David and Bob sitting in the front row, and I waved to them myself. They both gave us their thumbs-up signal, and Maddy and I got to work.
The first thing I did was take the dough we’d been given and put it on the counter to rest and warm up a touch. That had been my mistake earlier, and I wasn’t about to repeat it.
Maddy stared at me a few seconds as I stood there doing nothing, and then asked, “Have we decided to take the casual approach this time?”
I said softly, “This dough is different from ours on so many levels. It needs a chance to warm naturally if we’re going to make a pizza worth eating. We have some time to spare before we prepare it.”
“Just in case though, why don’t we take more dough out of the fridge like we did this afternoon?”
We’d been supplied three premade balls of dough, so I did as she suggested and took another ball out of the mini fridge.
“Why not take out all three to be on the safe side?” Maddy asked.
“What if I’m wrong?” I asked in return, adding a grin. “We should leave it right where it is, just in case.”
“That’s what I love about you, Sis. Your confidence is so underwhelming sometimes.”
“I don’t know. I have more hope than I did when this whole competition started. For whatever reason, we have a legitimate shot at the grand prize.”
Maddy looked surprised by the comment. “Do you honestly believe that, even after what Tina Lance said?”
“The more I consider the possibility of a rigged contest, the more I find it hard to believe that Luigi would take a chance on monkeying with this competition,” I said. “He’s got too much at stake here, and too much to lose. I have a feeling that Tina was just trying to get a juicy quote from one of us for her article.”
“Well, that puts the pressure back on us if it’s true then, doesn’t it?”
I smiled at her. “Come on, Maddy. We can do this.”
“I’m game if you are.”
“Why don’t you prep the cheese while I test the dough?” I suggested.
“Good. At least that will give me something to do other than stand here looking pretty.”
“Not that you’re not great at that,” I said with a grin.
As Maddy began grating and blending the cheese for our thin crust pizza, I checked the dough with my index finger, pressing it lightly to see if there was any bounce back at all. So far, there was no response. As I looked around at our competitors, I saw that every last one of them had already formed their pizza doughs into their pans, and were prepping their sauces and toppings. Was I making a mistake waiting? No, I had to believe that I was right, no matter how difficult it was watching everyone else work while we stood idly by. Todd and Reggie from Raleigh were working with quiet efficiency, almost as though they were communicating on their own twin frequency without saying much of anything aloud. There was something underlying the serenity though, and I could feel the tension radiate off them like heat from a lamp. Jeff and Sandy from Asheville were quiet as well, but again, there was nothing peaceful about their behavior. If I had to guess, I’d say that their argument about Luigi was still brewing just below the surface. I’d never seen Luigi flirting with anyone the entire time I’d known the man, but that didn’t mean that it hadn’t happened. Just how far had the man pushed the Asheville pizza makers? It sounded as though Luigi had stepped way over the line with Sandy, and I could understand the way Jeff must have felt. Our last competitors were Kenny and Anna from Charlotte. I hadn’t paid them much attention since they’d arrived so late, but it was clear that I’d missed something along the way. Kenny looked extremely upset about something, and Anna was really awkward around him, apologizing every time she got in his way, which seemed to be constantly. All in all, the stress and strain seemed to be showing on all of us in one way or another. If Tina Lance had been telling the truth, they would have the least amount of pressure on them of any team, but you couldn’t tell that by watching them. I was scanning the audience for Tina Lance when Maddy nudged my elbow.
Chapter 6
“C
heck it already, will you?” she asked. “We’re losing valuable time here.” There was some real strain in her voice, and I knew that this prize was as important to her as it was to me. It wasn’t just about the money, either. If we won, it would be something we could point to as a stamp of approval for our skills, even if it was just coming from Luigi.
I tested the dough, and it finally had some give to it.
“It’s ready,” I said.
“Finally,” Maddy answered, the relief clear in her voice.
I took the dough, kneaded it gently in the pan, and then made sure that the crust was thin, and more important, uniform. When I had it right, I stopped adjusting it and added a touch of our sauce to the top of it. It was important not to use too much, something that could be overwhelming in a thin crust pizza, at least in my mind. I slid it over to Maddy, who added the cheese in a very careful and measured application. For tonight’s pizza, we were going bold, making it a simple five-cheese blend with no other toppings. On the way to the competition, we’d debated long and hard about what to make, and she finally gave in to my opinion, something that was rare enough on most occasions to celebrate. I felt that in our earlier attempt in making our kitchen sink pizza, we’d used more toppings than we normally did at the Slice, but that seemed to suit our regular crust. With the thin crust though, I felt it was important to showcase the pie itself, and not the additions we might bring to it. Joe and I had experimented with dozens of cheesy combinations when we’d first opened A Slice of Delight, and we’d finally settled on a mix that Maddy and I still made ourselves at least once a week.
My sister looked at the nearly naked pizza, and then back at me. “Are you sure about this? Are we committing to this style?”
I looked around at the other entries, but I couldn’t tell exactly what toppings they’d used on their pizzas. When I looked at ours before I got ready to slide it into the oven, it looked kind of naked to me, and for a second, I almost gave in to the temptation to load it up.
But just for a second.
“It goes in as is. Did you check the cord this time?” I didn’t want any replays of what had happened earlier.
“We’re all set, and I’m going to watch it the entire time,” she said.
I opened the portable oven door and slid our pizza into the oven. The regular crust had gone on top of the pizza stone inside, but this one was going in on a special pan made just for thin crust pizza.
There was no going back now. We were committed to our bare bones pizza.
I just hoped that I hadn’t made a mistake.
As it was baking, Jack Acre joined us all on stage and summoned one member of each team together. I went for our team, as did every other lead pizza maker. Once we were together, Jack said softly, “This won’t take a second, but Luigi is still missing, and he’s not answering his telephone. Frankly, I don’t know where he could be.”
“Does that mean all of our work has been wasted?” one of the twins asked pointedly. “It’s not fair, you know.”
“Hang on a second,” Jack said. “The competition is going forward. Provisions were made for emergencies, and this is covered. I’m going to judge tonight’s entry myself, and I’m sure Luigi will handle tomorrow’s two competitions once he shows up again. How soon will your pizzas be ready?”
We were the last ones, set to pull out our pizza in eleven minutes.
Jack nodded. “Very good. There’s no need to wait any longer, then. Whatever you have baking now is going to be your entry for tonight’s competition.” He looked pointedly at Maddy and me as he added, “There won’t be any second chances tonight. Do you all understand?”
I got the message, and I saw that some of the other contestants were nodding their approval of this change in rules. Had there been complaints about our second entry for the regular crust phase of the competition, especially after we’d taken second place? Knowing some of the teams we were going up against, it wouldn’t have surprised me one bit.
That was fine with me tonight, though. I didn’t need any more second chances. I nodded my agreement along with everyone else, and then Jack smiled. “Good. I’m glad we got that settled. I’m going to make an announcement, and then we’ll turn off the big timer.”
Jack Acre turned to the crowd as we rejoined our teams, smiled, and then said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to thank you for taking time out of your evening to join us, and we won’t waste any more of your evening than we have to waiting for the full hour to pass. As soon as the final pizza comes out of the oven, the judging will begin.”
Someone from the back of the room shouted out, “Where’s Luigi?”
Jack held up his hands. “He’s been unavoidably detained, but as his second in command, I’m taking over for him in his place. There’s no need to worry. The contest will go on.”
There were a few murmurs from the crowd, but there wasn’t really anything anyone could do about it. Where
was
Luigi, though? He loved the limelight; that much was clear. So then why had he given up his opportunity to have a captive audience? It must have been important; that was all that I could say.
Maddy was still staring at our oven when I rejoined her.
“How’s it looking, Sis?” I asked.
“We’re good so far,” she said as she kept her glances darting from the oven to the power cord and then back again, “but I’m not lowering my guard for one second. Has anybody pulled their pizzas yet?”
I looked around, and saw that the team from Charlotte was cutting their pizza already. It had an abundance of ham and pineapple on top, and the aroma wafting over to our station was heavenly. “The Charlotte team went Hawaiian,” I said.
“I can smell it from here. Wow, that’s going to be tough to beat. How about the Raleigh team?”
I glanced over at them and said, “Nothing yet. Asheville’s pulled theirs out, though. They went with a kitchen sink pizza this round.”
Maddy frowned. “How is a thin crust possibly going to hold it all?”
I had the same concern. There was a danger of losing toppings if a thin crust was overtopped. Then I looked closer at their pizza. “They’ve done a fine petite cut on all of the veggies. It looks pretty amazing,” I admitted.
I noticed one of the twins removing their pizza, and my heart sank a little. “The Raleigh team went with straight cheese, too. Their pizza looks amazing.” It did too, with bubbling brown and golden cheese covering the top of a perfect-looking crust. I knew right then that we didn’t have a chance tonight against this competition.
“I’m not feeling so sure about my choice anymore,” I said.
“Well, on the plus side, ours is almost finished, too. Let’s not give up yet. Get the Parmesan and the grater ready.”
It was our final touch, a light brush of olive oil on the exposed crust, and then a fine grating of fresh Parmesan cheese. Hopefully it would be enough to set us apart from the rest of the competition. I pulled our pizza out of the oven, Maddy and I put the finishing touches on it together, and then I cut it and plated a piece.
Jack nodded when he saw that we were finished, and he motioned us all to present a slice of each of our pizzas. I was so nervous my hands were shaking, but I managed to hold onto the plate as we each carried a slice to Jack where he sat alone at the judge’s table. He looked pleased to be in charge, and I had to wonder if he’d found a way to distract Luigi himself just so he could preside over the festivities instead of his boss.
We put our plates down in front of him. He took a single bite of each slice, and then made several notes on his judging sheet.
When he was finished, he stood and addressed the crowd. “Tonight’s fourth place entry is the team from Charlotte.” He said it with a hint of satisfaction, as though the outcome had been predetermined in his mind. So much for Tina Lance’s theory that the contest had been rigged. Or was the fix just in with Luigi? Without their silent business partner judging, it looked as though they might have to win this contest on their own abilities. That explained why the Charlotte team looked shocked by the announcement, as well they should. They’d gone from first place to last, putting them now squarely in the middle of the pack. “The third place entry tonight is from Timber Ridge.”
I felt my heart sink a little. I must have made a mistake going with such a simple pizza. My fears were confirmed as Jack awarded second place to the team from Raleigh. That made the Asheville pizzeria the winner for the night. The tension melted a little between the husband and wife team as they accepted the crowd’s applause, but it was clearly still there.
Jack finished up by saying, “Thank you all for coming. By my calculations, the race is dead even right now. In other words, the competition is wide open, and our contestants are in a dead heat as we go into the next round. Join us tomorrow morning for the deep dish entries, and again tomorrow afternoon for the final stage. Finally, be sure to join us tomorrow evening when we crown our champion pizza maker and award our cash prize.”
Folks were starting to stand when our chief of police trotted up the stairs and took the stage rather unexpectedly. He grabbed the microphone from Jack and addressed the crowd. “If everyone would please sit back down, I have an announcement to make.”
There were quite a few comments from the crowd, but I knew that Kevin Hurley wasn’t about to say anything until he was good and ready. He glanced back at Maddy and me and I could see an apology in his glance for just a split second.
What was that about?
I found out soon enough as Kevin addressed the crowd. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you folks tonight. There’s been a murder here at the hotel today, and at the moment, nobody’s going anywhere.”