Chapter 15

"Hey, Drew, I hope you checked that we are not going to have food poisoning by eating expired stuff, right?“ Mason shouted. 

"Don't worry. We are safe. She just restocked the fridge,“ Drew chuckled before continuing with his cooking.

He added another tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the diced onions and sauteed it over medium-low heat until the onions were translucent and softened. Then he added the garlic slices and sauteed it for thirty seconds before pouring a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon, he scraped up the bacon bits that were stuck in it. 

Adding the chicken back into the pan, along with the sliced carrots and about a half bottle of wine that reached up to just the tops of the chicken pieces, he placed a lid over the food and allowed it to cook at medium heat for thirty-five minutes. 

“Lest I forget. Who do you think this Leon is?“ Mason asked his brothers. 

"I have no idea," Calvin replied. ‘I only remember Drew calling his name and his uniform had the writing pastry chef on it." 

“We have to start by searching for any restaurant that starts with Wal. That would be our first. step in knowing anything about this Leon,“ Drew rationalized 

"That makes sense. At least, for the first we are actually heading toward something," Mason asserted. 

“Yeah, and hopefully we will get to know the truth and find some peace," Calvin whispered.

There was a calm silence in the kitchen after Calvin whispered those words. The only thing that could be heard was the low humming of the fire and the crispy noise of the hot oil.

“Do you need me to help with that?“ Mason asked Drew, being the first to break the silence. 

Drew got back from his little trip to wonderland and looked to see what his brother was referring to. He was chopping some parsley before he zoned out. Calvin's words had hit home 

"Nah, just check to see if she has any baguette in the fridge. You always love eating a Coq Au Vin Blanc with a baguette,” Drew answered. 

“Sweet Jesus! It worked!“ Calvin shouted.

Mason, on the other hand, had a huge grin on his face. The cooking escapade had helped Drew in drawing out a bit of his memory. He no longer felt left out by his brothers. At last, things were starting to work in their favour. 

Mason ignored Calvin's continuous chants of being their saviour and went to check the fridge while Drew continued with his cooking. 

Drew removed the lid from the pan and stirred in the cream. He then added a pinch of salt and pepper. After stirring the mixture, he raised the heat to medium-high and allowed it to simmer and bubble away for another ten minutes.  

Mason placed the bread on the table as they all anticipated the outcome of the meal.

They were enjoying their time in the kitchen cooking and laughing at the few memories of themselves that they could recall. Drew went back to the chicken as it simmered while also making contributions to the discussions between his brothers. 

They were all engrossed in their chat and the cooking, so much so that they didn't notice the door of the apartment opening. 

Amanda stepped into her apartment. wondering why it smelt like a cooking show was going on. She thought the aroma of the food was coming from one of her neighbours, but it became dominant as she stepped into her apartment. 

Amanda closed the door to her apartment after stepping inside and listened around for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. She could make out the voices of people chatting and plates clattering in her kitchen. 

Did the founders of Chopped decide to use my apartment for their show? Amanda wondered as she took prudent steps towards her kitchen. 

The closer she got to that room, the more intense the aroma and the noises.  

If it's that greedy ghost raiding my fridge again, I swear I'm going to make it sit and eat my terrible food for a whole week, Amanda muttered. 

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she pushed her kitchen door open and ran inside screaming. "Begone greedy ghost!" 

Drew and his brothers were in shock as Amanda ran into the kitchen, screaming like someone who had escaped from the asylum.

 “Can she see us?“ Calvin asked. 

“Of course, I can!“ Amanda shouted before realizing that her eyes were not open. She had only heard someone ask if she could see them and her reflex had swung into action. 

Gathering enough courage, she opened her eyes but the sight that greeted her wasn't what she was expecting. 

“Oh, you're a hot-sexy ghost!“ Amanda mumbled before she passed out on the cold floor. 

"Busted!" Calvin whispered.