Candy Slain Murder

by Maddie Day

  At the table, Geller sat first.

  The woman said, “You sit there, Jimmy.” She gestured to the seat to Geller’s left.

  “Mom,” the boy complained in his best teen sullen.

  “You know Uncle Bill’s a lefty like you. That way you won’t bump elbows when you eat.” Shaking her head, she gave me a What can you do? look.

  I left them to work out their family interactions and bustled about tending to diners. I was clearing a table near Geller and company when a woman wearing a well-sprayed white coiffure walked up to him.

  “Doctor Geller, I just need to shake your hand.” Her voice was shrill and loud. “You were the best anesthesiologist I ever did have when I was in last year to get my lady plumbin’ taken out. Previous ones, they did not treat me well. With whatever all you give me, I didn’t feel a thing and wasn’t sick after, either. I never got to thank you, and I want to do that right here and now.” She stuck out a heavily be-ringed right hand.

  The doctor stood and took her hand in both of his. “I want you to know I appreciate that, ma’am.”

  “You are most welcome. And let me express my condolences on the loss of your dear wife and her sister.” She shook her head but the hair didn’t budge. “It’s a sadness and a pity, that’s what it is.”

  By now everyone in the place was watching the two, even Danna. Geller’s smile turned forced. He murmured his thanks and released her hand, sitting and facing his sister. The woman beamed down at them, but finally got the message that he had moved on. She set sail for the door, trailing way too much perfume in her wake.

  I hurried over to Danna when she hit the bell.

  “That man’s in again.” She gestured toward Geller with her eyes. “I’m glad Marcus isn’t here.”

  “Or Phil, for that matter,” I agreed. “On the other hand, a woman just complimented the doc on his skills with anesthesia, and he apparently has a sister and nephews who care about him. Nobody’s all bad, Danna.”

  She didn’t comment, instead pointing to a slew of plated meals. “Those are ready for that group of ladies at the big table, and these are for the couple in the back.”

  I loaded up and headed out, set down the meals, and returned for more. Buck was the next customer to come in. He’d inhaled a ginormous breakfast only two hours ago. Could he really be hungry enough for lunch already? He moseyed toward me, tugging off his cap. I pointed to the area in the back near the restrooms and met him there.

  “Hey, Buck. You’re hungry again?”

  He wagged his head. “You know me, I can always eat. But no. I’m here to tell you Shirley’s brother is status quo. Nobody over there’s seen her or heard from her. Irregardless, it was a good idea you had, checking into him and all.”

  “Thanks. Sorry it didn’t pan out. Abe said he’d stop by this morning. He went to school with Shirley. He might have an idea about some friend of hers or a favorite place she used to go.” I scanned the restaurant and frowned. Where had Geller gone? The sister and nephews were where I’d seated him. Maybe he’d had a call and had gone between the shelves in the retail area to take it. I realized I’d never gotten back to take their orders. I’d tend to them once Geller got back to his seat.

  “Welp, I want to thank you for lending your ideas to the case. You’d make a fine homicide detective if this restaurant thing doesn’t work out.”

  “Thanks, but I’m happy cooking and stuff.” I tilted my head and gazed up at him. “So, no real progress in either case?”

  “Nope, more’s the pity.”

  “That thing about Kristina hating attics is really bugging me, Buck.”

  “You and me both, hon, with Octavia looped in for good measure.”

  Behind us, the door to the men’s room opened without a sound and Geller emerged.

  “Excuse me, Lieutenant,” he said.

  Buck startled, but stepped aside. I got out of the way, too.

  “Ms. Jordan, we’d like to place our order when you get a chance.” Geller moved toward his relatives.

  “I’ll be right there,” I called after him as I watched him go. Huh. The restroom doors always clicked. The lack of a noise made me think Geller might have started to open it but stopped when he heard Buck and me talking. Exactly how much of our conversation had he overheard?

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Lunch continued as packed as the morning had been. It turned out Buck hadn’t come to eat, but he promised he’d be back in early afternoon for lunch. Geller and family had eaten, paid, and left, with him giving me an odd look before he walked out.

  I was on the grill when a ruddy-cheeked Abe slipped in at a little after noon. Smelling of fresh air, he sauntered over to me after hanging up his jacket and his Greek captain’s hat. He bussed my brow, which was hot from the grill and from the speed at which I was trying to move. I knew I looked frazzled, too.

  “Things seem kind of busy here today, hon.” He glanced around. “Where’s Turner?”

  “He had a family thing. Busy isn’t the half of it.” I gestured to the full sink and to customers waiting patiently and not so patiently for their meals, drinks, checks. “It’s gonzo busy. I mean, it’s totally crazy in here and we have four hours to go.” We opened an hour later on Sundays but we also closed an hour later.

  He grabbed a clean apron off the stack and slid it over his head. “Tie it for me?” He turned his back. “I’ve never mastered making a bow behind my back.”

  “Sure, but what are you doing putting on an apron?”

  “I happen to have a couple free hours, so I’m helping my best girl. How hard can it be to do dishes and clear tables?” He winked, picked up a tray, and headed for a table currently sans diners but avec piles of dirty dishes, silverware, and napkins.

  “Thank you,” I murmured, then flipped a beef patty in time to save it from the burnt pile. My man was also an excellent cook and personable to the general public. He could fill in for either of us. I caught sight of Danna high-fiving Abe on her way back to the kitchen.

  “Nice job recruiting the boyfriend.” She poked her thumb over her shoulder. “Want me to call Isaac, too? I should have offered. He’s not a bad cook, either.”

  “I think we’ll be fine with Abe. He said he has a few free hours, but thanks. Good to know you think Isaac might be willing to help out in a pinch.”

  Danna looked over my shoulder and pressed her lips into a line. I twisted to see Josie at the door looking in our direction.

  “Aren’t you going to go say hi to her?” I asked Danna.

  “I guess.” She trudged off, clearly still upset with her grandmother from yesterday’s revelation about Marcus.

  I finished four orders, plated them up, and hit the bell. Danna returned with a frown on her face.

  “What?” I asked.

  “She says she wants to talk to you.”

  I turned to look. Josie stood near the entrance, her blue wool coat still buttoned, a purple beret at a slant on her silver hair. I waved her over.

  “You don’t know what it’s about?” I asked Danna before Josie reached us.

  “She wouldn’t tell me,” she muttered.

  What had Josie learned? Was it something about Marcus, or about one of the murder victims? Abe arrived at the kitchen area at the same time as Josie. He stacked his trayful of bused items and started the water running into the sink. The woman of a recently seated couple waved a hand.

  “Can you get that couple’s order, please?” I asked Danna. If Josie didn’t want to tell Danna what this was about, she wouldn’t want her lurking and listening, either.

  Danna gave one look at her grandma and headed away from the kitchen.

  “Good,” Josie said. “Robbie, I think you should read this article.” She pulled a newspaper from her huge designer handbag and held it up, since I had a spatula in each hand. The paper was folded open to an article in today’s Brown County Democrat. My eyes widened of their own accord when I saw the headline, AREA MAN SUSPECTED IN MURDER. The real shoc
ker was the photograph of Marcus, a shot that revealed his taqiya. The byline was James Franklin.

  I whipped my head to look at Josie. “He’s not a suspect, not the last I heard. A person of interest, maybe, but Buck hasn’t been talking about Marcus for the murders, believe me. He and Octavia have others they’re looking into.” At least I hoped they did.

  She folded the newspaper the opposite way so the article and picture were hidden. Abe gave me a quizzical glance. I focused on my meat patties, buns in the toaster, and a cheese omelet. What did Jamie know? Was he reporting only on what the police had told him, or had he also been investigating on his own?

  “Better not let Danna see that,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth when I spied her turning toward us, order slip in hand.

  “I’ll drop it on your desk,” Josie whispered in return. She brightened when Danna arrived. “Well, I’m off, sweetheart,” she said in a regular voice. “See you at the tree lighting?”

  “I haven’t decided if I’m going.” Danna didn’t return her grandmother’s smile.

  Josie walked off and Danna faced me, arms folded. “What did she tell you? Was that a newspaper she gave you?”

  “Hang on a sec.” I finished everything that was cooking and plated it before I responded. No sense burning perfectly good food, plus it gave me time to think. If I lied to cover Josie’s rear end, all Danna had to do was pick up a newspaper. And if she didn’t, her mother certainly would. I happened to know that Corrine read the Democrat cover to cover every week. If I pretended Josie didn’t tell me anything, or said I didn’t know why she’d come in, Danna would stop trusting me, which I did not want. If I told her, she might get mad at Josie, but they’d loved each other every day of Danna’s life. They would work it out. And she had a right to know about a story naming her half brother.

  “Josie brought in the paper, the latest Democrat.” I laid a hand on Danna’s arm. “There’s an article saying Marcus is a suspect in Toni’s murder.”

  She opened her mouth in outrage, nostrils flared.

  “Hey,” I said. “I haven’t read it yet. Josie knew you’d be upset and she didn’t want me to tell you. But I figure you deserve to know. You’re as much an adult as she is.”

  “At least somebody treats me like one.”

  “I haven’t heard Buck say anything about Marcus in relation to Toni’s murder. I don’t know what Octavia is thinking.”

  “Who’s the liar who wrote the article?” She slid fists to hips.

  The bell on the door jangled yet again. Jamie trudged in, covered with snow. I sucked in a breath. I’d been ignoring the snow, but that hadn’t made it stop falling. I needed to get back out to shovel again, and soon.

  I pointed to him and waited for her to look that way. “The byline read James Franklin.”

  Chapter Forty

  Danna still glared at Jamie, but he hadn’t noticed. She looked like she was about to go over there and confront him. Yes, she was an adult, but she was a relatively young one with heightened passions. Right now it was time for me to exercise my best management skills.

  “Danna, please take over on the grill. The last three tickets you brought over need filling. I’ll deliver these.”

  “But I need to talk with Jamie. He’s totally wrong.” She couldn’t wrest her gaze away from him. “Saying something like that about Marcus is so not fair.”

  Jamie, on the other hand, had perched on the waiting bench and was leafing through a magazine, apparently unaware of our mini-drama.

  I moved in front of Danna and pulled up to my full five foot three. “Danna?” I pointed to my face to get her attention. “Right now you need to cook. We have a full house and then some. Okay?”

  She focused on me and took a deep breath. “You’re the boss, boss.” She read the first ticket and went to work.

  Abe cleared his throat. “Robbie, the dishwasher is full. Where’s the detergent? And is the machine quiet enough to run while customers are eating?”

  “Thank you. I totally owe you.” I pulled out a dishwasher pod from under the sink and handed it to him. “We need to run it, and it is pretty quiet. Use the express setting or we’ll run out of dishes before we close.”

  “You got it. But I can always hand-wash plates and mugs, if it comes to that.”

  “Of course.” I grabbed the waiting plates and headed for the hungry diners who had ordered them. I tended to a few others, then approached Jamie.

  “Did you want to eat, Jamie?” I asked.

  He glanced up from under his Neanderthal-worthy brow. “Yes, ma’am, I do. Do you happen to have a free table?”

  I surveyed the restaurant. Abe was clearing the two-top of a couple who had paid me a few minutes ago. “Yes. But first, can I ask you where you got the information you based your article about Marcus Vandemere on? I’m afraid I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I saw the headline and the photo.”

  He stood, looming over me. “Here and there. I’m a journalist, Robbie. I can’t reveal my sources.”

  “Was one of them the police?”

  He gazed at the corner of the room. “Of course I integrate the information from the department’s press releases and press conferences.”

  They’d held a press conference? I wasn’t aware of one, but then, I hadn’t exactly had time to sit down and watch the news, either on TV or my tablet.

  “Have you been talking with William Geller?” I asked.

  His chiseled lip curled. “Why would I speak with that man? What he did to Kristina was criminal.”

  So much for that theory. “Marcus is my assistant’s brother. She’s pretty upset by your story.”

  He shot a glance at Danna for a moment, then flipped open one hand. “Names make news, what can I say?”

  What about substantiating a claim before publishing it? I swallowed down my retort. “I’ll show you to your table.”

  I seated him, got his order, and took it to Danna. Abe was elbows deep in suds at the sink. I clipped the order to the carousel.

  “I asked him about his sources, Danna, and he wouldn’t tell me. No spitting in his coleslaw, now.” I waited for her to show her agreement before pointing to three plates. “Are those ready?”

  “They need pickles,” she said. “The jar ran out.”

  “I’ll get another one from the cooler, then I need to go out and shovel.”

  Abe cleared his throat without turning around. “I shoveled on my way in.”

  I stared at him. “You did?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I wrapped my arm around his neck and planted a big wet kiss on his cheek, even though I had to stand on tiptoes to do it. “You’re the best, you know?”

  “My middle name is Aim-to-Please.” His dimple deepened. “You can make it up to me later, baby,” he said, his voice almost imperceptibly low—and very sexy.

  My neck grew hot. I gave him one more squeeze and hied myself off to find the dills. I cooled down quickly in the walk-in, and as I did, I remembered I hadn’t asked Abe about Shirley yet. I hauled out the gallon jar and set to slicing pickles lengthwise, adding them to the small metal bin we kept at the ready for this garnish. We could buy them pre-sliced, but it was more expensive. This way we had the ends and odd bits to use in our homemade relish.

  Abe was off busing and wiping down tables again. I delivered the ready plates and returned to my slicing. Danna heaved a heavy sigh, assembled a cheeseburger, and slapped it onto a plate.

  “Here’s the liar’s order.” She shot a daggers glare in Jamie’s direction. “And no, I didn’t spit on it. Can’t say I didn’t want to.”

  “Thank you.” His order was the last on the carousel. “We seem to be caught up for the moment. Why don’t you take a quick break while you can?”

  “Thanks.” She tossed her apron in the bin and headed for the retail area, pulling out her phone as she went. I delivered Jamie’s order. He thanked me without looking up from his own phone.

  Back at the kitchen, I wi
ped down the grill and bit off half a slightly charred sausage.

  “Is that lunch?” Abe asked.

  “It’s a start.”

  “You texted that you wanted to ask me something about Shirley. I’m here, and it looks like we have a reprieve. What’s up?” He leaned an elbow on the counter. “Is she really missing?”

  I swallowed. “According to Buck and Octavia, she is. You went to school with her. Is there a relative she might be visiting? Or did she have a favorite hideout anywhere?”

  He frowned. “A hideout? Shirley was a pretty straight arrow in school. You know she was an athlete. I don’t think she smoked pot, and she certainly wasn’t part of the drinking party scene.”

  “Were you?” I asked with a smile.

  “Once in a while. Not to destruction, and never while I had Dad’s car. So if she had a hideout, I didn’t know about it. She did talk about her grandfather some, her dad’s father. They seemed very close. He was an immigrant from Hungary. I met him once. Short little guy with an accent straight out of a Dracula B-movie.”

  “I wonder if he’s still alive.”

  “I don’t know. He lived in Columbus.”

  “Indiana or Ohio?”

  “The former.”

  Interesting. The town, full of buildings designed by famous architects, was only twenty-five miles to the east from here. And it was where Dr. William Geller practiced medicine. I closed Pans ’N Pancakes on Mondays and suspected a field trip to Columbus might be in my very near future. Did I need to tell Buck about Shirley’s grandfather? Not yet. He might have died long ago. If I found Shirley, then I would communicate her whereabouts—or convince her to return.

  Danna returned from her break. Three women signaled for their check. A family of five pushed through the door. It was back to business as usual.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “Man, Birdy,” I said to my kitty at four o’clock. “What a day.” I spooned out half a small can of what we called his treat as he purred, chirping and twining through my legs. I set it down and drew my own treat out of the apartment’s fridge, a cold IPA. A moment later, pint glass and reading material in hand, I settled onto the couch with my feet up. After the first delicious sip, I set down the beer and picked up the newspaper Josie had brought. I wanted to search for Shirley’s grandfather on the Internet, too.