A Burned Out Baker: Classic Diner Mystery #7 (The Classic Diner Mysteries)

by Beck, Jessica

  “That about sums it up, actually,” Moose said. “Hol…Judge, if it’s true, then that makes her a prime suspect in his murder.”

  The judge started to stand, the anger clear on her face, but after a moment’s pause, she sat back down again, the fury now gone. It was an amazing thing to see, and I would have been in awe if I hadn’t been so directly involved with the transition. “I need you both to step outside for a moment while I look into this.”

  “We need to…” Moose tried to say before I grabbed his arm and started pulling him outside.

  “Take all of the time you need, Judge,” I said. “We’ll be waiting outside.”

  “Thank you. Shut the door behind you, if you will.” It was clearly a command, an order that couldn’t be refused. I would hate to ever stand in front of her during a trial, especially if I were guilty. Shoot, I was ready to confess now, and I hadn’t even done anything.

  The wait was considerably longer than the time Judge Dixon had promised us, but neither one of us was bound to complain. After a full ten minutes, the door opened again, and a robed finger beckoned us inside.

  I didn’t like the look of that, and I tried to prepare myself for the worst.

  “Have a seat,” the judge said, and Moose and I obeyed instantly. After we did as we were told, she moved back to her desk and faced us with a grim expression. “I just spoke with Natalie. She’ll be here in one hour.”

  “We’d be happy to go there, Your Honor,” I said. “We don’t want to inconvenience her any more than is necessary.”

  “This isn’t for anyone’s convenience,” she snapped. “Listen to what I’m about to tell you very carefully. You will not speak with my granddaughter unless I am present. Am I making myself understood?”

  Moose frowned. “We’re not trying to make her our scapegoat. We’re just looking for the truth.”

  “I’ve made my decision,” she said, giving Moose a look that expressed a lifetime of meaning. While I’d always thought that the judge still had a huge crush on my grandfather, she was protecting her own right now, and any fanciful thoughts she might have had about him were being subjugated by the instincts she was feeling about her granddaughter.

  Moose started to reply when I tapped his leg lightly as I said, “Thank you, Judge. We’ll be back in an hour.”

  My grandfather looked surprised by my total capitulation, but at least he waited until we were back outside of the judge’s chambers before he spoke.

  “I can’t believe that you just caved in like that,” Moose said.

  “Did you honestly think that there was anything either one of us could say to make things better once she’d made her decision?”

  Moose thought about it for a moment, and then he finally shook his head. “No, it was pretty clear that Holly’s mind was already made up.”

  “That’s what I thought,” I said.

  “So, what do we do in the meantime, just sit out here and wait for Natalie to show up?”

  I looked at my watch. “No, I think we should go back to the diner.”

  “Didn’t you get enough to eat before?” Moose asked incredulously.

  “Of course I did. I’m going back so I can give Martha a break.”

  “What am I supposed to do while you’re ringing up checks?” he asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you could spend a little time with your wife,” I added with a smile.

  “And get grilled about our meeting with Holly? No thanks. If I do that, I’m going to have to tell her that we’re coming back again, too.”

  “She’s not that scary,” I said, chiding him a little.

  “Says you,” Moose answered, but he still followed me out to his truck. When we got to the diner, he pulled up in front but didn’t shut off the engine. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Are you seriously not coming in with me?” I asked. “What am I supposed to tell Martha?”

  “Tell her that I couldn’t make it,” he said.

  I stayed right where I was. “You tell her yourself.”

  “Victoria, that would kind of defeat the whole purpose of not going in, wouldn’t you say?”

  I looked at him and tried my best not to grin as I asked my grandfather, “Are you really sure you want her to hear my interpretation of our earlier meeting?”

  “But nothing happened,” Moose said.

  “So you say,” I answered, now letting my grin show completely.

  “Fine. You win.” He parked the truck in a spot near the door, and we both got out. “You’re more stubborn than I am; you know that, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know that I’m more stubborn,” I said.

  “If you don’t believe me, go ask your husband.”

  “Moose, he’s been married to me long enough not to ever answer a loaded question like that.”

  As we walked in, Moose said, “I should have known. He’s a smart man.”

  Martha looked surprised to see us back so soon. “That was quick.”

  “We have to go back in about an hour,” Moose said.

  As he started to explain, Martha said, “Save it, Moose. There’s someone here to see you.”

  “Who wants to see me?” he asked as he looked around the crowded diner.

  “Actually, he’s here for Victoria, but he mentioned your name as well.”

  “What’s this about?” I asked her as I scanned the room, too.

  “He wouldn’t tell me. It’s the man in the three-piece suit over at that corner booth nursing a cup of coffee. I’d appreciate it if you’d see what he wants. He’s taking up one of our best booths.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” I said as I walked toward him.

  “I’ll come, too,” Moose said, and then he added apologetically to Martha, “Just in case.”

  “Go on,” my grandmother said. “You and I will have plenty of time to talk later.”

  It was clear that Moose didn’t like the sound of that, but at least for the moment, he’d won a temporary reprieve.

  Now it was time to see what our visitor in the suit wanted from me.

  “May I help you with something?” I asked the man as Moose and I approached his booth. I’d thought he was in his late fifties when his back had been to us, based on his thinning hair and his portly shape, but when I saw his youngish face, I lowered that estimate by half.

  “Are you Victoria Nelson?”

  Before I could reply, Moose stepped forward. “That depends on who’s asking.”

  I gave him a nudge as I replied, “Please excuse my grandfather. Yes, I’m Victoria. And you are?”

  He got out a business card and handed it to me. As Moose read over my shoulder, I saw that it said, “Thomas P. Graves; Holland, Sherman & Graves, Attorneys at Law.”

  “You’re awfully young to be a partner in a law firm,” Moose said.

  “That’s my father,” the attorney said. Was that a bit of a blush on his cheeks? He must have gotten the question a lot, and it appeared that he hadn’t found a way to easily answer it so far.

  “What can we do for you, Junior?” Moose asked.

  “Actually, I prefer Thomas, or simply Mr. Graves,” the attorney said.

  “Yeah, well I prefer a steak cooked perfectly medium, a wife who doesn’t argue, and a fat wallet full of big bills, but the only one I get with any regularity is the first one on the list.”

  “Martha is standing right over there listening to you, you know,” I said to Moose as I pointed at my grandmother.

  Moose turned and shrugged sheepishly in her direction before he continued. “Mr. Graves, what can my granddaughter do for you?”

  “I’m here to serve papers for you to appear in civil court for assault,” he said as he tried to handle a legal document to me.

  “Don’t take it, Victoria,” Moose said.

  “I assure you, this is just a formality,” the attorney said. “My client is ready and willing to pursue all legal avenues against you.”

  “When did this supposed assault take plac
e, and who’s making the complaint?” I asked.

  “My client in this matter is Mr. Barry Jackson, as you’ll see on that document,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “Mr. Graves, do you know that your client is dead?” I asked him.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, clearly unsure if we were joking or telling the truth.

  “Pick up a newspaper, sport,” Moose said. “Barry died in a fire at his bakery, so he’s going to have a hard time suing us for damages.”

  This new information seemed to throw young Mr. Graves off his game. “Am I to believe your word in this matter?”

  “Extra, extra, read all about it,” Moose said as he grabbed a nearby newspaper one of our customers had left earlier.

  The attorney took the paper from my grandfather, began to read the headline, and then he abruptly stood. “I’ll look into this promptly.”

  “You do that,” Moose said to the attorney’s retreating back. “That was easy enough.”

  “How do you know that he won’t be back?” I asked, worried that Mike Jackson might change his mind and continue the lawsuit on his brother’s behalf.

  “He’ll never win a civil suit unless we’re found guilty in criminal court, and there’s no way that case is ever getting prosecuted. Don’t worry about him, Victoria.”

  “Moose, you know as well as I do that worrying comes with the territory when you run this place,” I said.

  He nodded. “I get it, but we have more pressing problems at the moment.”

  “Like Natalie Dixon,” I said. “I’ll try not to let Mr. Graves bother me anymore.”

  “That’s the spirit. One problem at a time, granddaughter.”

  “That’s true. This investigation seems to be supplying its own set of difficulties, isn’t it?”

  “Nothing we can’t handle together, though,” Moose said.

  “You’re awfully optimistic, aren’t you?”

  “Hey, it’s the only way to be when things get tough.”

  I nodded, and then I walked over to my grandmother. “How would you like to take a break? I can’t stay for much more than half an hour, but I can at least relieve you that long.”

  “I’m fine, dear,” she said. “Go spend it with your husband.”

  “I really don’t mind,” I replied. “I can catch up with Greg tonight. Go on. I insist. Why don’t you get Moose to sit with you, and I’ll take your lunch order myself?”

  “Well, I could use a bite to eat,” she conceded. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive,” I said.

  “Excellent, but you stay at the register. I’ll let Moose fetch my food for me.”

  “Yeah, that probably is better,” I said with a smile.

  She winked at me before she joined my grandfather. I loved the way that the two of them interacted, but I was glad that Greg and I had less drama in our married lives than they did. I knew that he’d understand my decision to relieve my grandmother instead of visiting him in the kitchen. If anything, my husband was more into our family than I was, and that was saying something.

  For the moment, I just wanted to get lost in my work and forget all about arson and murder.

  After all, our appointment with Natalie and her grandmother would be happening soon enough.

  Chapter 14

  “It’s time to go, Victoria,” Moose said as he approached the register and tapped his wristwatch.

  “Give me one second,” I said as I finished ringing up Penny Winston’s ticket. “Have a nice day, Penny,” I said as I handed over her change.

  “Right back at you,” she replied.

  I looked over at Martha after Penny was gone. She noticed the attention, stood, and joined us at the register. “Thanks for the break, Victoria.”

  I hugged her. “Thank you for filling in for me,” I said.

  “It’s honestly my pleasure,” she replied.

  “The clock’s ticking,” Moose said softly in my ear.

  “Okay, okay. I’m ready.”

  Once we were outside, Moose said, “Thanks for abandoning me, by the way. Why didn’t you take Martha up on her offer to watch the front while you spent a little quality time with your husband?”

  “I figured that the two of you had a few things to talk about,” I said with a slight smile. “Was I wrong?”

  “Well, I don’t know how much talking I did, but Martha surely got enough words in for the both of us. It’s amazing to me that she had any time left over to eat.”

  “She’s had a lot of practice scolding you over the years,” I said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that she could do that on autopilot.”

  “You’re probably right, not that I haven’t deserved it most of the time.”

  “Most of the time?” I asked him as he drove toward the courthouse for our appointment.

  “Okay, nearly all of it. Is that better?”

  “Much,” I said as he parked in the lot and we made our way inside. I wasn’t expecting open arms when we arrived, but I did think that the door to the judge’s chambers would at least be open. Instead, we found Lenny there again, guarding it like a watchdog.

  “Is she ready for us?” Moose asked as he started to reach for the handle.

  “No,” the bailiff said as he continued to block our way.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked him lightly.

  “Not as far as I’m concerned. I’m just doing as I’ve been told.”

  “Good for you,” Moose said, the irritation thick in his voice. “Just exactly how long are we supposed to hang around here waiting?”

  “I personally don’t care if you leave right now,” the man said. “All I know is that you’re not getting through this door until the judge says it’s okay.”

  There didn’t seem to be a lot of room for debate, so I guided my grandfather back to the bench we’d so recently occupied together, and we both sat down.

  “If I’d known she was going to pull this, I never would have left in the first place,” Moose said a little sullenly.

  “This is no time to jump to conclusions. We have no idea what’s going on back there.”

  My grandfather shook his head. “Victoria, if Holly isn’t back there talking to Natalie at this very moment, I’ll buy you a brand-new hat.”

  “I don’t wear hats, and you know it,” I said.

  “It’s just an expression.”

  “Really? I’ve never heard it before.” I leaned over and asked Lenny, “Have you ever heard of that?”

  “Not even once,” the bailiff said, proving to me that he was indeed eavesdropping on our conversation. It might be wise for us to watch what we said in his presence. There was little doubt in my mind that Lenny would tell Judge Dixon everything that my grandfather and I discussed while we were waiting for her summons.

  Moose said sullenly, “Well, I’ve heard it plenty of times.”

  “I’m sure that you have,” I said, trying to mollify him.

  It didn’t work.

  He was as impatient as a child going to an amusement park, and I wondered if the door would ever open, when finally, the handle turned, and the bailiff stepped aside.

  After a whispered conversation, he turned to us and said, “You can go in now.”

  It was showtime.

  Soon enough, we’d find out what all of the secrecy had been about, and if we got lucky, maybe we’d learn one way or the other if Natalie Dixon was really carrying Barry Jackson’s baby.

  There was an attractive young woman sitting in the chair that Judge Dixon had pulled up beside her own, and it was clear in more ways than one that battle lines had been drawn. The massive desk separated Moose and me from the two Dixons, and I wondered if this was going to be the start of a new family feud.

  “Moose, Victoria, I’d like you both to meet my granddaughter, Natalie,” the judge said formally.

  Moose and I shook hands with her as she stood, and the beginning signs of pregnancy were clearer now. I’d known Barry Jackson for years, and I’d
never found him to be all that charming, let alone attractive. So how had he been able to woo this particular young lady? I desperately wanted to know, but it wasn’t a question that I could just come out and ask.

  After the introductions were made, the judge said, “Before you start asking questions, Natalie would like to say something first, if there aren’t any objections.”

  I couldn’t imagine there being any, and I was proud of Moose for remaining silent. “Please go on,” I said, and Judge Dixon nodded, adding the grim hint of a smile.

  When her granddaughter didn’t speak up right away, the judge looked at her and said, “Go on, Natalie. Tell them what you told me earlier.”

  “I can’t,” the young woman said, nearly breaking down in tears. “It’s too embarrassing.”

  “Nevertheless, it needs to be done,” Judge Dixon said. To soften the harshness of her demand, she reached over and patted her granddaughter’s arm gently. The treatment of her kin was just like I imagined her demeanor in court must be, firm but fair.

  “Okay,” Natalie said as she turned toward us. “I would never sleep with Barry Jackson, and there’s no possible way that this is his baby,” she said in a rush of words. The young woman looked at her grandmother, and the judge nodded, her smile obvious now.

  “Tell them why you said what you did,” Judge Dixon said.

  Natalie moved her gaze to the hands in her lap as she said, “My folks have hated my boyfriend from the start, and my dad threatened to kill any man who got me pregnant before I was married. When I found out I was pregnant, I’d just been to the bakery. I panicked when my father asked me who had done this to me, so I said it was Barry.”

  “What happened next?” I asked softly.

  “My dad went to the bakery and accused Barry Jackson of knocking me up,” she said. “Barry was there with his ex-girlfriend at the time. Evidently she was trying to patch things up with him. Anyway, Dad confronted Barry, and before long there was an ugly scene. My mom managed to drag Dad off, but not before he told Barry that he’d be back for him.”

  Moose said, “Sandy never told me about that part of it.”

  Natalie spoke up. “She probably didn’t know about it. Dad said she took off the second he showed up. She’s not exactly brave, at least according to him.”