Shifting her attention to Cole, Alice asked, “Crestview contacted you?”
He nodded.
“I thought I would drop by later, see how he’s doing.” She knew better than to demand that Cole accompany her. Cole’s relationship with Robert had always been strong, and that hadn’t changed when the accident happened.
Cole nodded again, took the offered scorecard, and followed Sam down the long line of self-declared chili experts. They listened to the list of ingredients, which almost always included something secret or one handed down through generations. Tasting five samples and scoring each one, they dropped their cards in the ballot box at the end of the row of tables, their bowls in the trash, and meandered toward the pie table that occupied a tent as big as the one that housed the chili contestants
