I slid onto the seat Jamie had just vacated. I had to work fast if I was going to get my questions in before he returned. “It must be terrible losing Wade that way.”
“Murder’s a horrible thing,” she said softly.
“Especially after the fight you two had last night,” I replied. “You must have been the last person to see him alive.”
Her head snapped up as she stared at me. “What are you talking about? Wade and I never fought.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I heard. A friend of mine was driving by Wade’s place last night and he saw you slap him, and then he heard you screaming at Wade on the front lawn. From what I heard, you were using some pretty stiff language, and you threatened him, too.”
“He was kissing that skank Katy Johnson,” Sandi said, the grieving ex-girlfriend gone for a second to be replaced by a woman fully scorned. “He deserved it.”
“To be murdered?”
“Of course not, but I had every right to yell at him. He shouldn’t have messed around with her, and I made sure he knew it.” She paused, took a deep breath, and then she added, “I didn’t want him to die, though. I had nothing to do with it.”
I nodded. Glancing out the window, I could see Maddy pretend to search for the proper key, but I wasn’t sure how long she could keep that up before Jamie got suspicious.
“You’re a real saint,” I said. “Are you trying to tell me that it was an act of compassion, smacking him like that where everyone could see it?”
“Sure, I slapped his face, but I wouldn’t hit him with a rolling pin. I wouldn’t have been able to, even if I’d wanted. I’m not that strong.”
“You know, it’s amazing what you can do if you’re running on emotion.”
“Are you accusing me of killing him, Eleanor?” Her voice had gotten louder, and I noticed that most of the folks in the diner were listening in on us.
There was a deadly look in Sandi’s eyes, and though we were in a fairly crowded place in broad daylight—not to mention the fact that I outweighed her by at least forty pounds—I felt a little nervous.
“I’m not accusing you of anything at the moment, but people will talk, and right now, you’re the subject of conversation. It’s easy to stop it, though. Just tell me where you were last night, and I’ll make sure everyone knows you couldn’t have done it.”
“She was with me,” Jamie said, surprising me by his sudden proximity. I’d been so focused on watching Sandi’s reactions to my line of questioning that I’d forgotten all about him.
“Is that true?” I asked her.
Sandi never got the chance to respond.
Jamie snapped, “I just told you, didn’t I? Now get up, you’re in my seat.”
All pretense of politeness was gone.
I did as he asked, and then turned to Sandi. “If that’s a lie, trust me, we’re going to find out.”
Sandi stood abruptly and left the grill without looking back, though Jamie gave us enough glares to more than make up for the deficit.
“Should we follow them?” Maddy asked.
“No, I think it’s time to give them some space. I’m not sure how much further I should push Sandi until I have more evidence. I saw something in her eyes that scared me a little, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
Maddy nodded. “I don’t have any trouble believing that. I hope that was the right thing, getting Jamie away so you could question Sandi alone. I didn’t have a chance to check with you first.”
“Actually, it was brilliant,” I said.
Maddy looked to see if I was being serious or sarcastic, and when she saw that the praise was genuine, she smiled at me. “I have my moments.”
Outside, we watched as Sandi and Jamie raced out of the parking lot. A second later, Mark approached us.
“Are you two going to order, or are you still busy running my customers off?”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “She didn’t like talking to me.”
“I can’t imagine why not,” he said as he removed the plates of half-eaten food and wiped the table down. “What can I get you two?”
I looked at Maddy, and then I said, “Well, we do have to eat somewhere. It might as well be here.”
“Be still, my heart. I can’t take that much open praise,” Mark said.
“Quit fishing for compliments,” Maddy said. “You know we like your food.”
He just smiled as he slid two menus in front of us.
After Mark was gone, I asked Maddy, “Are you seriously not going to tell me what that’s all about?”
“I keep telling you, it’s nothing. You’ve got an overactive imagination, Eleanor.”
“And you don’t?”
She laughed. “You’ve got me there. I guess it’s just the family curse.” After we ordered, Maddy asked, “Do you believe Sandi was really with Jamie last night?”
“Not a chance,” I said. “He was clearly covering for her.”
“But is it something we can prove?”
I bit my lower lip, then I said, “I don’t see how we can yet, but that doesn’t mean we should be willing to just let it go. That girl has a mean streak a mile long, and if she thought she was being replaced by someone else, I could easily see her killing Wade.”
“So we’ve got at least one viable suspect. Who do we go after next?”
“I’d like to talk to Art Young, but I’m afraid he’s going to make Sandi look like a cooperative witness.”
“I’ve been thinking. You’re right. We could ask Bob to do it for us,” Maddy said.
“Maybe we shouldn’t dump this on him.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
I grinned at my sister. “Especially if you asked him.”
Maddy clearly didn’t like the tone of my teasing. “He’s a friend, nothing more. I keep telling you that, and yet you refuse to believe it.”
“That’s because I see the look in your eyes whenever he’s around. Why do you keep turning him down? He’s not going to keep asking you out forever.”
“Do you really want to go there? Because I’ve got questions about your love life, too. What are you going to do about David Quinton? Don’t you think it’s time you called him back and made things right? It might take a little groveling, but you can do it. So what if he never returned your last call?”
That was hitting a little too close to home for my taste. Despite my earlier protests, I’d kept hoping David would call me back and set up another dinner, though it was clear I hadn’t welcomed it before. We weren’t dating—at least not what I’d call dating—but over the past few months, we’d gotten closer, and I missed him, whether I was willing to admit that to my sister or not.
“Okay, let’s make a new rule. From now on, we don’t talk about the men in our lives,” I said.
“Or even the men not in our lives,” Maddy said as she extended a hand across the table. I shook it solemnly, and after a few moments, she asked, “So, what does that leave us to talk about?”
“Wade Hatcher is a subject that comes to mind,” I said. I was about to expound on the thought when our food came. Burgers thick with toppings of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickles were placed in front of us, and plates of French fries and onion rings soon followed. Maddy and I rarely got a chance to eat out, and we were taking full advantage of it.
As we ate, our conversation seemed to deteriorate into mono-syllables.
Mark approached a handful of minutes after he’d served us. “How is it, ladies?”
“Excellent,” I said after swallowing another bite of burger.
Maddy just nodded as she devoured another onion ring.
He laughed. “That’s what I like, happy customers.”
After we finished stuffing ourselves, Maddy asked, “Where do we go now?”
“I don’t know about you, but I need a nap.” I wasn’t used to eating anything like the feast we’d just enjoyed.
“Come on, woman, shake it off. We’ve got work to do. Ho
w often do we get a free day to investigate a crime without worrying about the Slice?”
I got out enough money to cover both bills, along with a healthy tip. “It would be nice to have a day off without thinking about anything, but there’s not much chance of that, is there?” I said.
“Dream on,” Maddy replied. When she saw how much money I’d laid out, she said, “Hey, you don’t have to buy my lunch, too.”
“I think your smooth move getting Jamie out of the way deserves some kind of special recognition for a job well done.”
She smiled. “If that’s the case, then it was at least worth a steak, don’t you think?” Maddy bit her lip, and then added, “Speaking of steak, that’s precisely the way that Jamie was looking at Sandi, like a hungry bear eyeing prime rib. You noticed it, didn’t you?”
“I thought I saw something there too, but he said they were just friends.”
“He lied,” Maddy replied.
“Probably,” I answered. “But how do we prove it?”
“I’m just saying, maybe we should keep an eye on both of them. Jamie should be on our suspect list, too.”
“Honestly?”
She nodded, obviously getting enthusiastic about the idea. “What better way to make room for his own play than to get rid of his competition? Whether Sandi and Wade had broken up or not, it’s pretty clear Jamie knew he’d never get anywhere with Sandi as long as Wade was around.”
“That sounds kind of drastic, killing a rival for a woman’s affection.”
“I’m just saying.”
“You’re absolutely right,” I said. “We need to put him on our list. We should talk to Roger Henderson, too.”
“Wade’s boss?”
“Sure. He might know something we don’t, and even if he doesn’t, we need to meet him and see what he has to say about Wade.”
“By all means, then, let’s add him to the roster,” my sister said.
After saying good-bye to Mark, Maddy asked me in the parking lot, “Do we go after Jamie now?”
“No, he’s still with Sandi, and it’s no good tackling them together. We need to get him alone when he’s not so worried about protecting her. Maybe he’ll let his guard down then.”
“How about Roger Henderson, then?”
“Why not? He’s as good a place as any to start.” Art Young, the loan shark, was really the number one name on my list, but I wasn’t in any hurry to brace him without reinforcements.
We drove to the accountant’s office, an unpretentious place in what passed for a strip mall outside town. Henderson Accounting wasn’t much more than a glorified storefront, with barely enough room for two desks, two computers, and a potted plant that hadn’t been dusted in years.
A thin, nervous-looking man in his forties stood as we came in. “The pizza business must be good if you need an accountant,” he said as he tried to offer us a smile.
“We’re doing okay,” I said. I’d seen Roger in the Slice on occasion, and he’d even asked for my business a few times in the past.
“You must be if you’re ready to let me take over your bookkeeping.”
I was about to tell him no, when Maddy said, “We’re considering it, but given your current status, we’re not sure you can handle the work all by yourself. It was tragic about Wade, wasn’t it?”
I saw where Maddy was going, and decided it couldn’t hurt anything to play along. “How are you ever going to replace him?”
“It will be tough, but I’ll manage. Wade will be missed around here.”
“Were you two close?” Maddy asked as she walked up to the desk.
Roger shrugged. “You work in an office this size, you get to be friends, or it drives you crazy.” He paused, then Roger added, “I’ve got a new employee starting next week, so it won’t take long to bring her up to speed.”
“That was quick,” I said.
“What can I say? The business is bigger than either one of us. I’ll miss him, but it’s my company, and Wade was just an employee.” He hesitated before adding, “I know that must sound callous, but I have to move on.”
“Where were you when it happened?” Maddy asked. “I can’t imagine how you must have felt when you found out.”
“I was home watching a movie,” he said.
“Alone?” I asked.
He nodded. “I don’t date much these days.” Roger practically rubbed his hands together when he added, “If you’ll start bringing me your bills and deposits, I’ll handle everything. If I may, I’ll take your corporate checkbook now so I can familiarize myself with your assets.”
This was going too fast for my taste. “Thanks for the offer, but I need a little time to decide,” I said.
“The sooner we get started, the quicker I can relieve you of the burden of watching your money.” The man sounded sincere, and I found myself nearly taken in by his presentation of concern.
“Thank you,” Maddy said. “We’ll be in touch.”
He forced business cards on us before we could manage to escape.
Once we were outside, Maddy said, “He’s good at what he does, isn’t he?”
“I don’t know what kind of accountant he is, but he’s a pretty pushy salesman.”
My sister nodded. “At least we’ve had a chance to talk to him. Could you see him killing Wade?”
“Anything’s possible, but unless I hear something else about him, there’s no reason not to believe him, but something’s bothering me.”
“What?”
“I can’t help thinking that he was trying to sell us something more than his accounting services in there. He pressed me awfully hard for my company checkbook a few minutes ago, don’t you think?”
“He must be delusional if he thinks you’re making enough money to have a company checkbook.”
“That’s beside the point. I had a feeling he was kind of desperate for our business.”
Maddy shrugged. “You might be right, but I don’t know what it means just yet. What do we do in the meantime?”
I thought about it for a second, and then I took a deep breath and said, “I think we ought to pay Bob Lemon a call, if you really don’t mind asking for his help dealing with Art Young.”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I did,” she said.
As we drove to the attorney’s office, I wondered how far he’d go to impress Maddy. This was above and beyond the call of love, and he had every right to refuse us.
But I hoped he didn’t. I wasn’t all that anxious to tackle the closest thing we had to a gangster in Timber Ridge without at least some kind of backup.
Chapter 6
“Sorry, ladies, but I won’t do it,” Bob said as soon as he heard our request. In his early fifties, Bob had a fair amount of gray hair, and a huge crush on my little sister. He kept fit by walking around town whenever he could, and I often saw him pass by the pizzeria on his lunch hour, logging in a great many more miles than slices of pizza.
“Why not?” Maddy asked. “I’ve never known you to say no to me before, and I have to say, I’m not all that fond of hearing it.”
He shook his head, whether because of her request, or her reaction to his refusal. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t approve of the way you two butt into police business, and as an officer of the court, I’m certainly not going to help you.”
“Then we’ll go see him ourselves,” Maddy said. “Don’t think you can keep us from doing it, either.”
I wasn’t all that fond of the new plan, but my sister was right. We needed to talk to Art Young, and though it would have been easier with Bob’s help, we couldn’t let his refusal stop us. Greg was in trouble that seemed to grow deeper with each passing hour, and neither one of us was about to abandon him in his time of need.
“I’m serious. You can’t go,” Bob said, the frown across his brow growing deeper. “I won’t let you.”
Maddy laughed. “How on earth do you think you can stop us?”
Bob reached for the telephone. “I can call th
e police chief.”
Maddy arched one eyebrow. “Go ahead. But I’m warning you, if you make that call, don’t bother coming around me anymore. What little chance you have with me right now will be gone forever, and I mean it. Look at my face, Bob. I’m not bluffing.”
It was clear to me that she meant every word of it, and I hoped Bob realized it, too.
“I guess I don’t have much choice, then, do I?” He dialed the telephone, and Maddy started for the door. Bob held up one finger, commanding her to wait. I was actually shocked when she did just that.
“This is Lemon. Is he in?”
After a long pause, Bob said, “Art, I need a favor, but you’re under no obligation to give it. I have two women in my office who want to talk to you. No, it’s nothing official. They’re friends of Wade Hatcher’s, and they’re digging into his murder.”
I shook my head and mouthed to Bob, “The truth,” and he added, “Strike that. They are more like friends with his brother. The police aren’t looking at any other suspects, and these women believe he’s innocent.” Bob frowned as he listened a few moments, then he answered, “Okay, I suppose I have to. If you want to put it like that, I’m calling in the favor you owe me.” After another pause, he said, “My office is as good a place as any. That’s fine. We’ll see you in ten minutes.”
Bob hung up the telephone, and then he stared hard at Maddy. “You should know that this goes against every principle I have, and just cost me the only leverage I have on this man. You’d better make good use of the opportunity.”
Maddy shocked all three of us by going around his desk and kissing him full on the lips. “Does that convince you that I appreciate it?” she asked.
Bob looked a little off-balance as he replied, “Maybe I should go against my principles more often.”
Maddy grinned at him. “Maybe you should.”
“I hate to break this up,” I said, “but I have a question. Just how dangerous is this man?” I knew we had to talk to him to find out his exact arrangements with Wade, but it wasn’t going to be easy without accusing him of some pretty bad things.
“Don’t kid yourself,” Bob said, suddenly going sober. “He’s trouble. But you should be fine here in the office. Just don’t push him. If he doesn’t want to answer your questions, he won’t. He’s doing this as a favor to me—don’t forget that.”
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