SEVEN
Piper walked to the station she had been using for the competition. Clara, her Souse Chef, had all ready prepared all the ingredients for the day's competition.
"Your entry looks great," said Clara as she watched Piper prepare it.
"Thanks," said Piper. "It's not really fancy but it's the best French meal I know."
"I'm sure it will do very well today," said Clara.
"You look kind of tired today," said Piper. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," said Clara. "My daughter didn't want to go to bed last night. She's the light of my life but sometimes she can be a handful."
"I can imagine," Piper said. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll outgrow it soon. So, how old is your daughter?"
"She's eight," said Clara. "She's very talented, too. She made this for me."
Clara pulled a necklace out of her pocket. It was a small gray stone on a silver-colored chain. As Piper looked at it the stone suddenly changed from gray to green.
"She's just discovered mood stones," said Clara. "She says they're cool."
"My grandmother had a ring like that when I was a kid," said Piper. "They're supposed to change color based on your mood. Actually, they just react to a person's body heat."
"Yeah, I know," said Clara. "I didn't have the heart to tell her that. She was really excited about it. She made me promise to wear it for good luck."
"Well, don't burst her bubble about it," said Piper. "Let her dream some. It can't hurt anything."
"Oh, I just remembered," said Clara. "Mr. Wise, one of the producers, asked if you'd let them know what dish you're preparing today."
"I told him this morning," said Piper. "I even gave him the recipe card."
"All I know is he said he needed your entry," said Clara.
"Well," said Piper, "Calvin has all ready gone home. And I really need to finish the cooking."
"I can run it over," said Clara. "I'm finished preparing everything."
"You don't mind?" Piper asked.
"Not at all," said Clara, smiling. "One I'm finished with the preparation I'm pretty much finished for the day anyway. I'd be glad to."
"Thanks," said Piper.
Clara picked up a copy of the recipe card and headed for Wises' office. As she entered the office she noticed Wise sitting behind the desk. Smiley was also in the office. So was Walt, the lead stagehand. Clara dropped the recipe card on the desk.
"That's Piper Halliwells' recipe entry for today," said Clara.
"I all ready have her entry," said Wise.
"I needed a reason to come in here," said Clara, removing the necklace and laying it on the desk. "It turned green."
"So, she is a witch," said Smiley.
"So it would seem," said Wise. He picked up a small vial that was sitting on the desk and handed it to Clara. "Get this into her meal. The contestants spend all day sampling what they're preparing for the competition. It should take affect well before the end of the day. Then we can deal with the witch."
"That should be easy enough," said Clara, taking the vial.
"You really think we need that?" asked Walt. "You did say she was still under the influence."
"No sense taking any chances," said Wise. "And we don't know how long that influence will last. We need to deal with this quickly."
"Walt," said Smiley, "take her to the back storage area. Make sure she's securely bound and gagged. We can't have her using her power on us or casting any spells. She's got a sister. Do you think that one's a witch, too?"
"Probably," said Wise. "It does run in families. If she shows up again we'll deal with her. But for now our main concern is the Halliwell contestant. She needs to be removed before she can discover what's going on."
Just then there was a knock at the door. Wises' secretary opened the door and stuck her head inside.
"Mr. Wise," said the secretary, "there's a Cole Turner here to see you."
"Turner?" questioned Wise. "Send him in." He turned to the others. "Take care of this as quietly as you can."
Cole stepped to one side as Clara, Smiley, and Walt all filed out of the office. As he entered the office he noticed Wise scooping the necklace into an open drawer that he closed immediately.
"Mr. Turner, what a pleasant surprise," said Wise, moving over to shake Cole's hand. "I was told you wouldn't be able to attend."
"I changed my mind," said Cole. "Assuming you're still interested and there's room for another judge."
"Certainly, certainly," said Wise. "It would be an honor to have such a distinguished attorney from one of the most esteemed law firms in San Francisco on the panel."
"Great," said Cole. "I just came by to see what I needed to do."
"The part of the show that involves the judging," said Wise, "begins taping at four. If you could be here at, say, three thirty, so we can get your ready. Then all you have to do is sample each meal and give it a rating score between one and ten."
"Sounds simple enough," said Cole.
"Oh, it is," said Wise.
"Well then," said Cole, "I guess I'll see you at three thirty then."
"I'll be looking forward to it," said Wise.
As Cole headed for the exit, Wise headed for the back storage area. He had a witch to prepare for. Cole stopped at the exit and looked back at the people preparing for the days' competition. Smiling to himself he left the building letting the door close behind him.