Ray did something almost stupidly simple.

He pulled out a hot pot and got it boiling.

Hot pot and barbecue—both threw off a smell so rich it could travel for miles. As the hot pot bubbled and popped, the aroma drifted into every corner of the hotel.

Before long, people all over the building couldn't help themselves. Doors flew open, and they came stumbling toward the smell.

The first to show up were four men who screamed "bad news" from a mile away—suits, even, though they'd layered thick bl