A Killer Cake

by Jessica Beck

  I turned back to the sheriff, and his smile was open and warm now. “That was quite a show. I hope it wasn’t all on my account.”

  “Don’t give yourself too much credit,” I said with a smile. “Moose needs to be reminded every now and then who’s really in charge around here these days, and I’m more than happy to do it.”

  “You’re braver than most men in the county,” the sheriff said.

  “Aw, he’s just a pussycat if you dig down deep enough.”

  “Sorry, but my shovel doesn’t reach down that far,” the sheriff said.

  Moose slid a plate through the window. “Number twelve is ready.”

  I grabbed the sheriff’s plate—fried chicken, fried okra, and a biscuit—and slid it in front of him.

  He studied it for a moment, and then he asked with a smile, “Do you think it’s safe for me to eat this?”

  “Moose takes his food seriously,” I said. “He might browbeat you halfway down the street, but he would never serve anything he wouldn’t be willing to eat himself. If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself.”

  “No, I trust you both,” he said, and then he picked up the chicken and took a healthy bite. “Man, this is some kind of wonderful.”

  “We’re glad you like it,” I said. I knew that I’d have to smooth things over with my grandfather later, but at least I’d managed to keep the sheriff from locking us both up for obstructing justice.

  “Now, about Kelly Raven,” he said as he stabbed a few pieces of fried okra and waved them in the air. “What exactly did she tell you?”

  I glanced at the register before I answered and saw a few people standing in line waiting for me. “Tell you what. You finish eating, and then we’ll talk.”

  “Promise?” the sheriff asked. “What if you get busy again?”

  “Martha will take over the register, and Greg can handle the kitchen by himself. Moose and I will make ourselves available to you, no matter what.”

  “That’s all I can ask,” he said as he took a bite of his biscuit. The look of sheer pleasure on his face was worth watching.

  I rang up the customers, and then I walked back into the kitchen. Greg smiled at me, but Moose had nothing but a scowl for me.

  I took a deep breath, and then I said, “Before you say one word, tell me that I wasn’t right.”

  “About which part?” Moose asked sullenly.

  “About every part,” I answered. “It’s my diner now, right?”

  “Right,” he replied grudgingly.

  “Right?” I asked. “Try to say it this time with a little more enthusiasm.”

  “Right,” Moose said a little more brightly.

  “And I can take care of myself, can’t I?” I asked.

  He stared at me, and then he started laughing. “I can’t very well deny it, can I?” He turned to Greg and asked, “How do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Get along so well with this stubborn, strong minded, opinionated, independent woman?”

  Greg just laughed. “Go ask Martha about being married to someone with those exact same qualities. I’m willing to bet that her answer will be the same as mine. We happen to love the people we’re married to, because of who they are, not in spite of it.”

  “I’m not all of those things,” Moose said.

  I couldn’t help laughing.

  Moose studied me for a few seconds, and then he asked, “What’s so funny, Victoria?”

  “Not a thing in the world,” I said as I reached up and kissed his cheek. “You’re one of a kind. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I’m not sure that you can say that so emphatically. You and I seem to have quite a few things in common.”

  I grinned at him. “I’m taking that as a compliment. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Why wouldn’t you? I happen to think that you’re just about perfect.”

  “You’re just biased because you’re my grandfather,” I replied.

  “I certainly hope so,” Moose said. He glanced out the window, and then added, “Sheriff Sourpuss is just about finished with his meal. I suppose we’ll have to talk to him before long.”

  “There’s no time like the present,” I said.

  “I don’t guess we have much choice,” Moose replied. “Lead on.”

  “We’re ready if you are,” I told the sheriff as Moose and I approached him. “There’s a table free over by the window we can grab.” I hated leaving Martha and Ellen to wait tables and run the register, but hopefully it wouldn’t be for long. At least things were slowing down enough for us to have a few minutes. I found myself wishing that it would just take that long, but I wasn’t about to hold my breath.

  As we got settled in, the sheriff pulled out his ever-present notebook and pen, and then he looked at us. “Let’s get started. First things first. Tell me everything that happened from the moment you walked in that building.”

  “Actually, it sort of started before we even made it inside,” I replied.

  The sheriff sighed for a second, and then he said, “That’s fine. Start wherever you need to. Just don’t leave anything out.”

  Chapter 4

  “Are you sure that’s it?” the sheriff asked as he finished taking the last note. Between the two of us, my grandfather and I had relayed every word and expression that we’d heard and seen in Roy Thompson’s office during our conversation with Kelly.

  “Every last thing that we heard,” Moose said.

  “Good,” the sheriff said as he stopped writing and closed up his notebook. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

  “That works both ways, doesn’t it, Sheriff?” Moose asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  I explained, “Well, we were pretty forthcoming with you. Can you at least return the favor? What did you find out so far that we don’t know?”

  Sheriff Croft shook his head. “I shouldn’t have to remind either one of you that it doesn’t work that way. I wouldn’t even be here right now if you two hadn’t gotten to Kelly Raven before I could manage it myself.”

  Moose waved a hand in the air. “That’s old business, Sheriff; we’ve been properly scolded already. Surely you can give us something. How else are we going to stay out of your way if we don’t know where you’re headed?”

  He thought about it for five seconds before he spoke. “I’m still collecting information, and I really don’t have much more than what you two got out of Kelly. I will say this. Her story is remarkably consistent in the retelling, from what she told us.”

  “Was it to the point where it sounded memorized, or was there enough variation that it sounded believable?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. She seemed to hit the same highlights with you as she did with me, but unless I knew exactly what she told you word for word, there’s no way to know. You didn’t happen to record your conversation with her, did you?”

  “We’d never do that,” I said.

  “Just because we never thought of it before, but we’re going tape recorder shopping as soon as you leave,” my grandfather said.

  I wasn’t sure if Moose was kidding or not, and clearly, neither was the sheriff. “I would advise strongly against doing that, Moose.”

  “Why? It could be very helpful at some point.”

  “Don’t overestimate its value. We have recordings we take that accompany signed statements that the subject volunteered for the interview, and they still get thrown out on technicalities sometimes. You’re just asking for trouble if you try it, and there’s no real upside to the risk you’d be taking.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re not going to do it.” I turned to my grandfather and asked, “Right, Moose?”

  “Hey, it was just a thought. Don’t worry. I’ve already forgotten it.”

  The sheriff nodded, and then he said, “Now, if you two will excuse me, I’ve got some suspects to interview.”

  “Who are you going to start with first?” Moose asked, clearly eager to get started with our own
investigation.

  “Do we honestly have to have this conversation again so soon? At least for now, I want you both to stay away from James Manchester, Sylvia Jones, and her son, Asher. Do we understand each other?”

  “How long is ‘for now’?” I asked him. “Six hours? Eight?”

  “What? No. Days. I’m talking days.”

  “Well, we both know that’s not going to happen, so there’s no use pretending that it is,” Moose said, and for once, I kept my mouth shut. I happened to agree with him. If the sheriff tried to take every suspect away from us, we’d be left out in the cold, and the threat to our diner’s reputation wouldn’t allow us to sit idly by and trust the sheriff to clear our good family name.

  The sheriff wasn’t all that happy with us, but I agreed with my grandfather. This was not the time to back down. “How about two days, then?” he suggested.

  “We’ll stay away until tomorrow morning,” Moose countered.

  “Noon tomorrow, and that’s my final offer.”

  Moose frowned, glanced at me, and then he saw me nod. In an instant, he stuck out his hand. “Sold. It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Sheriff.”

  Sheriff Croft looked bemused as he took my grandfather’s hand and shook it. “I have a hunch my life would be a whole lot easier if I just locked you both up and forgot where I put the key.”

  “We all know that you’d never do that, no matter how tempted you might be,” I said with a grin as the front door opened, “but if you ever decide to, Rebecca will have us out in a heartbeat, and nobody will be happy after that.”

  “Did someone just mention my name?” my best friend asked as she walked into the diner.

  “Speak of the devil, and he appears,” Moose said with a grin.

  “Actually, she appears,” Rebecca said with a grin. “Was there something I could do for you, Sheriff?”

  “I was just leaving, counselor,” he said, and did as he promised.

  After the sheriff was gone, Rebecca asked, “What was that all about? Or do I really want to know?”

  “Sometimes ignorance is bliss,” I said. “It’s nice to see you. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked. “I’m here all the time.”

  “Not that often,” I corrected her, “and rarely in the afternoon.”

  “What can I say?” she asked with a smile. “I just felt like playing a little hooky. Care to join me, or are you too busy with your murder investigation?”

  “How did you know we were investigating Roy Thompson’s murder?”

  “Come on. He died eating a slice of your cake. Why wouldn’t you dig into it? Was that why the sheriff was here? Did he tell you to stay out of it?”

  “He did, but just for twenty-one hours,” I said.

  “Then you have time for a little shopping,” Rebecca said.

  I looked at Moose. “What do you think? We don’t have much to go on without those three suspects. I can spare an hour, can’t I? My next shift here doesn’t technically start until five.”

  “Go,” he said agreeably, something that instantly got my suspicions up.

  “Moose, you’re not going to do anything foolish like investigate on your own without me, are you? We promised the sheriff, remember?”

  “If memory serves, we agreed to stay away from three specific suspects. Knowing Roy Thompson, I’m willing to wager that there were more folks than that who wouldn’t mind seeing the man dead.”

  I turned to Rebecca. “Sorry, but I can’t go. I have to babysit my grandfather.”

  “I understand,” she said as she started to stand.

  Moose said angrily, “Nobody, and I mean nobody, needs to babysit me.”

  “Then promise me you’ll stay here, or I’m not going anywhere.”

  Moose mulled that over, and then finally, he said, “How about if I make a few telephone calls from the office in back? That would keep me here. Would that make you happy?”

  “More than I can express,” I said as I kissed his cheek, and then I turned to Rebecca. “Let’s go. I’m all yours.”

  I waved happily to my grandfather as we walked out, and after a moment, he smiled and waved back to me. I had no doubt that he’d make productive use of the time I was gone, but I needed to relax a little with Rebecca. We spent far too little time together these days, and I found myself missing her.

  It was just too bad that murder had a way of getting between us.

  By the time I got back to the diner, I was feeling much better. Spending time with Rebecca always seemed to do that to me. She was one of those old friends that, no matter how long the gap between our visits, it was as though no time at all had passed between us when we managed to get together again. The feelings of happiness I was experiencing didn’t last all that long, though. My grandfather was waiting impatiently for me by the front door when I walked in, ready and eager to go. I just hoped he had a lead worth following that didn’t include the list of suspects that the sheriff was currently pursuing.

  “Come on, Victoria. Let’s go,” Moose said as he clutched his coat in his hands. “I’ve been on the phone since you left, and I’m getting some real gold from my contacts.”

  “He wanted to call you a dozen times, but I wouldn’t let him,” Martha said calmly after she finished ringing up one of our customers.

  “She’s worse than you sometimes,” Moose said with a hint of ire in his voice. If there was one person around who could control my grandfather besides me, it was his wife, not that I thought I could ever manipulate Moose into doing something that he didn’t want to do. The man could be so stubborn at times that it was a job convincing him that a plan had been his in the first place.

  “I told you it wouldn’t kill you to wait,” Martha said with a soft smile.

  “Okay, I didn’t die from it, but it pretty near knocked me unconscious. Now, are we going to stand here all afternoon gabbing, Victoria, or are we going to go follow up on my new leads?”

  “I’m ready to go wherever you lead me,” I said.

  “Then the first place we’re going is out of this diner.”

  “Don’t I at least have a second to say hello to my husband?” I asked as I spotted Greg through the order window.

  I waved, and he returned the gesture as he said, “Go on. He’s been driving us all crazy ever since you left. You’ll be doing us all a favor if you go with him wherever the man’s headed.”

  “I’d resent that remark if it didn’t serve my purposes,” Moose told Greg.

  “That’s about what I figured, or I wouldn’t have said it in the first place,” my good-natured husband answered with a big grin. It took a lot to rile him up, and I’d only seen it a few times since we’d been married, but it was something that I was in no hurry to witness again. My husband, level-headed and easygoing, could be pushed to the point where he struck back, but it took a lot to do it. Once it did, though, I pitied the person who mistook his calm demeanor for someone who was a pushover.

  “Come on, then. Let’s go,” I said.

  As we got outside and started walking toward Moose’s truck, I asked, “Where exactly are we going, or is it a secret?”

  “No secrets between us,” Moose said. As he opened the passenger side truck door for me, he grinned. “Did you know that Roy Thompson was seeing someone on the sly?”

  “You don’t mean romantically, do you?” I asked, aghast by the claim.

  Moose looked at me carefully. “Why does that surprise you, because of his age?”

  “Heavens, no. I’ve been at the diner too long not to realize that men of any age can be fools for love. I just can’t imagine anyone loving that old sourpuss back.”

  Moose grinned. “I’ll give you that one. If you think that’s something, wait until you hear who it was.”

  He’d pulled out of the parking lot, and I knew the general direction we were going on. I tried to think of any women in town who might be able to stand Roy, but I drew a total blank.

&nbs
p; Then we pulled up in front of Chris’s Barbershop.

  “You’re kidding me,” I said as I looked through the painted window inside to see three women, spaced from their thirties to their sixties, all cutting hair. Most folks seemed surprised to find an old fashioned barbershop just off Main Street with three women working the clippers, but for me, it was all that I’d ever known. In my opinion, it was odd to think of barbershops being run by men.

  “It’s not Chris, is it?” I asked. She ran the place, and had Casey and Taylor cutting with her. Was it just a coincidence that all three women had names that could have just as easily been men? It had to be, but I didn’t want to try to figure the odds.

  “It is, indeed. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, Casey’s too young for him, at least I hope she is, and Taylor tends to like her men on the younger side, if what I’ve seen in the diner is any indication. I don’t know. I always figured that Chris was too smart to be hoodwinked by a man like Roy Thompson.”

  “Granddaughter, not everyone saw the same man you did when they looked at Roy. I know what a pain he was at the diner, but he could also be charming when it suited him.”

  “I don’t like this,” I told Moose. “How are we going to broach the subject with her? It’s not exactly common knowledge that they’d been dating, or I would have heard about it. I’m not so sure she’d appreciate us outing her like that.”

  “My, don’t you have a high opinion of your knowledge of our little town,” Moose said with a smile.

  “Hey, you didn’t know, either,” I protested.

  “That’s a good point.”

  “So, I’m curious,” I asked as we got out of his truck. “Who was your source?”

  “I may not work for the newspaper, but I still can’t reveal it,” Moose said solemnly.

  “Not even to your partner?” I asked.

  “I was asked to keep it quiet, and I’m going to keep my word.”

  “That’s all I needed to hear,” I said. Keeping your word was a big deal in my family, and we’ve been known to lose opportunities to make some good money in the short term when someone violated their bond. Some tried to make it up to us, giving in and claiming that they meant what they’d said all along, but they were always met with resounding silence. If you couldn’t trust someone to keep their word on a handshake and a promise, there was no contract ever written that could make any of us ever enter into a deal again with anyone who had lied to us in the first place.