by D. S. Butler
I didn’t have time to dwell on the fact Yvonne was missing for long, though. Loretta was in a tizzy. She swooped around me as I hung up my coat in the back room, turning in circles so fast it made me feel dizzy.
“I take it there’s no sign of Yvonne, then?” I asked Loretta.
“Forget Yvonne! I have news!”
I plucked a clean apron from the peg and raised an eyebrow at Loretta. She was clearly bursting to share her news with me.
I have to say I wasn’t very excited. The last time Loretta had been like this, it turned out she just wanted to tell me that Archie had swapped the supplier for the bacon delivery.
“Go on, tell me quickly. I’ve got to get to work.”
Loretta chuckled, pleased with herself. “You just missed a mysterious stranger, who came to the diner asking about Yvonne and Carol.”
I shouldn’t have doubted her. This was much more exciting news than Archie changing bacon suppliers.
I opened my mouth to ask a question, but I didn’t get a chance before Loretta continued, “He was ever so handsome. Dashing, in my opinion. Archie told him that Carol and Louise were staying at The Oceanview Guesthouse, so I think that’s where he’s gone now.”
Loretta looked terribly pleased with herself, and my curiosity was piqued.
“Who was he? What was his name?”
Loretta’s beaming smile shrank noticeably. “I didn’t catch his name. He was already talking to Archie by the time I’d noticed him.”
That didn’t matter. I could ask Archie about him. I began to move towards the kitchen and then turned and said over my shoulder, “How did he know Yvonne and Carol?”
Loretta gave a little huff. Obviously, she wasn’t pleased with my reaction to her news. “I can’t tell you everything. You may not have noticed, Harper. But I can’t actually ask people questions anymore, since I am a ghost!”
Loretta folded her arms over her chest and hovered round in a circle so she could turn her back to me.
I paused by the door and then turned around, walking back over to Loretta and stepping in front of her so I could look her in the eye.
“I’m sorry, Loretta. That is very interesting news. I think it’s an important development. Well done.”
Loretta loved to be complimented, and I could see the frosty mood thaw from her eyes.
“That’s okay,” she said, smiling again. “I knew you’d be interested. That’s why I listened in on his conversation with Archie.”
I grinned at her, thanked her again and then went off to the kitchen to find Archie.
I had to find out who this mysterious stranger was.
Archie was whistling to himself as he was frying up eggs.
“Good morning, Archie. How are you?”
I was determined to act casual and wait for him to bring up the news of this mysterious stranger. After all, I couldn’t very well tell him my source of information was a ghost who lived in his diner.
Archie turned around and gave me a brief smile before turning his attention back to the pan of eggs. “Not too bad,” he said. “But I am looking forward to Sarah getting back next week. All these extra shifts and working in the kitchen have really taken it out of me.”
I began to set up a new batch of coffee for the coffee machine.
“Oh, I’d love one,” Archie said, hinting, even though I always made him a coffee when I got in. He didn’t need to ask. It was one of our daily rituals.
I grinned at him. “Sure thing.”
I entered the diner and made my way to the coffee machine, which was set up by the counter.
Old Bob already had a cup of coffee and was waiting anxiously for his normal breakfast of eggs and extra-crispy bacon.
There was nobody else in the diner, so I poured Archie and me a cup of coffee and carried them back through to the kitchen.
“Here you go,” I said cheerfully, putting the cup of coffee down on the stainless steel counter.
I lingered in the kitchen, eager to give him the opportunity to tell me about the man who’d called into the diner not long before I’d arrived.
I wished I’d turned up a little earlier so I could have seen the mystery man for myself.
Archie gave me a sideways glance. “Don’t you have tables to clean?”
I groaned. There were only two tables waiting to be cleared. They could wait. I was far more interested in what Archie could tell me about this stranger. But Archie didn’t appear to be in a very talkative mood this morning.
He needed prompting, and I wasn’t very good at that. It needed a light touch, tact and subtlety, and I was afraid I took after Grandma Grant on that score. I had as much subtlety as a sledgehammer.
Still, I tried my best.
“So, did anything out of the ordinary happen this morning before I got here?”
Archie used the spatula to flip the eggs and then looked at me with a puzzled frown on his face. “What are you talking about, Harper?”
“I’m just making conversation,” I said defensively.
“Well, there’s a time and a place for conversation, and it's when you’ve finished clearing off the tables.”
Frustrated, I walked back through to the diner to do what Archie had asked me.
On a usual day, I would have cleaned the tables straightaway, but I was dying to find out who this mysterious man was. I couldn’t believe Archie hadn’t told me as soon as I’d walked in. We had plenty of tourists in Abbott Cove, but Archie knew this man wasn’t a tourist. He was connected to Yvonne. Archie loved a little gossip, so I’d expected him to blurt out everything that had happened as soon as I arrived.
But I hadn’t given up. I cleaned the tables as fast as I could and then carried the plates back into the kitchen to load up the dishwasher.
Now it was time for attempt number two.
“I thought I saw somebody coming out of the diner earlier,” I lied. “He didn’t look like a regular. Was he a tourist?”
Archie was now humming away to himself, plating up Old Bob’s eggs.
“Sorry, what was that, Harper?” Archie said as he handed me the plate to give Old Bob.
“Never mind,” I muttered and took the plate.
I was so desperate for information about this mysterious stranger I almost asked Old Bob if he’d overheard anything, but I doubted he would be able to tell me much. Old Bob was not the talkative type.
He nodded his thanks as I put down his plate of eggs and began methodically to demolish them, pausing only for sips of his black coffee.
I was starting to get annoyed now. After all, Abbott Cove was a small town where everyone knew each other’s business. What’s the point in living in a small town if you didn’t get to hear the gossip?
I marched back into the kitchen, determined to get it out of Archie one way or another.
“Who was the stranger who turned up earlier asking for Yvonne and Carol?”
Archie looked up. “How did you know about that?”
I shrugged. I’d already fibbed once this morning. Would one more fib really hurt?
“Old Bob told me.”
“Oh, right. He said his name was Brian Constantine. Apparently, he used to be Yvonne’s business partner.”
Archie paused to wipe down the worktops and then picked up his coffee to take it through into the diner because he didn’t like to eat or drink anything in the kitchen.
I picked up my coffee and followed him.
“Brian Constantine,” I muttered. “It was strange Yvonne didn’t mention him.”
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken those words aloud until Archie looked at me sharply and said, “Well, why would she? It’s not as if she knew you very well, and I have to say, Harper, you weren’t always very friendly towards her.”
I bit back my response. Just because I hadn’t fawned all over Yvonne, didn’t mean I wasn’t friendly. Although Archie was right. Her prickly nature had put me off right from the start. But of course, Archie didn’t know how much time I’d spent
with Yvonne after she died and became a ghost.
I was starting to realize just how much Yvonne had been holding back from me. Firstly, she’d been hiding the fact she’d been bribing the Mayor, and now I’d found out she had a business partner she hadn’t bothered to mention. There were all kinds of possible motives that could be tied to a business partner.
“He was a rather surly character,” Archie said before taking a sip of his coffee.
He could have been a charming man, and Archie would still have said that. He wouldn’t believe anyone was good enough for Yvonne.
“Maybe I should go and talk to him,” I suggested. “I could go to the guesthouse and…”
Archie shook his head firmly. “Not a chance. It’s only you and me this morning, and we need all hands on deck.”
I felt a bubble of panic build up inside me. What if Brian Constantine left town after speaking to Louise and Carol? He could be our only suspect.
“But Archie, what if he was involved in Yvonne’s murder,” I whispered, even though our only customer was Old Bob, who was far too busy concentrating on his eggs to listen to us.
Archie puffed out his cheeks as he exhaled a long breath. “Harper, it’s none of our business. I’m sure the chief and Deputy McGrady will be questioning him in due course.”
Archie trusted the law enforcement in Abbott Cove, which was odd because after the last murder in Abbott Cove, Deputy McGrady and the chief had considered Archie a suspect.
I looked longingly at the door, but Archie shook his head again, and I knew it was hopeless. I would have to hope that the chief and Joe McGrady had learned of this mysterious stranger.
“Perhaps I could call the chief and tell him about Yvonne’s business partner.”
“There’s no need. Deputy McGrady called in to pick up coffee and muffins this morning. He spoke to Brian and made arrangements to speak to him later today.”
I nodded. There wasn’t much else I could do. I may not have been able to talk to Brian Constantine, but at least the chief and Deputy McGrady would.
Chapter 18
My luck changed right around lunchtime.
“There he is,” screeched Loretta as the bell above the door chimed, and the tall, dark, handsome stranger, Brian Constantine, walked into the diner. He was followed by Deputy Joe McGrady and Chief Wickham. I guessed they’d been talking to him and then brought him here for lunch. Abbott Cove’s law enforcement officers were nothing if not hospitable.
Loretta had been right. Brian Constantine was dashing. There was no other word for it. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. His dark hair was slicked back and slightly too long. His skin was tanned and smooth, and he had high cheekbones and smoldering brown eyes.
All three men took a seat, and Joe and the chief waved their hellos to the other customers in the diner.
“I told you he was handsome,” Loretta said as we both stared at Brian Constantine.
I nodded. “He’s gorgeous,” I muttered as I walked toward their table.
Joe looked up sharply and frowned at me.
I blinked and came to my senses. Darn it. I needed to be more careful. What was wrong with me?
I smiled and asked to take their orders.
The Chief and Brian Constantine asked for lemonade, but Joe ordered coffee.
I brought them their drinks and tried to pick up a little of their conversation, but annoyingly, they paused when I came to the table with the tray and didn’t continue talking until I left again.
I wished Yvonne was here, so I could at least ask her about Brian. I knew absolutely nothing about him.
While I was stacking the trays under the counter, Joe got up from the table and walked across to me. He downed his hot coffee in two gulps and held out the cup for me.
“Could I get a refill, please, Harper?”
I was a little taken aback at how quickly he’d finished his coffee. He was obviously a man in need of caffeine.
“Sure,” I said taking the cup from him and taking it over to the coffee machine.
Over my shoulder, I said, “So, who is the mystery man?”
I thought I’d asked the question casually, but Joe’s tone was cold when he replied, “You mean the gorgeous mystery man?”
I flushed.
Darn it. He had heard me.
I grinned and shrugged. There was no point in pretending. I said, “I’m only human.”
Joe frowned. “He’s Brian Constantine, Yvonne’s old business partner.” Joe turned back to look at the table where Brian Constantine was deep in conversation with Chief Wickham. “We asked him to come down to the station and answer a few questions. The Chief invited him to lunch, but I don’t like him.”
Interesting. I wondered if he could be a potential suspect.
“Why not? Do you think he killed Yvonne?”
“Keep your voice down, Harper.” Joe took the cup of coffee I held out to him.
“He doesn’t look like a murderer,” I mused, trying to imagine those nicely manicured hands tightening Yvonne’s scarf around her neck to throttle her.
I shivered.
“There’s more to people than how they look, Harper,” Joe said.
“I’m perfectly aware of that, thanks.” I narrowed my eyes. “Besides, Deputy McGrady, I’m sure your looks have helped you to get out of a tight spot on more than one occasion.”
“My looks?” His mouth quirked upwards in a smile. “Is that a compliment?”
I shrugged. He could take it any way he wanted. He was trying to flirt with me; I was sure of it. But it hadn’t come to anything last time. It was probably something he did to pass the time, and I wasn’t prepared to fall for a player.
I started to turn away, but before I did my gaze flickered over his face. There was no denying that Deputy McGrady did have gorgeous eyes and…
I mentally shook myself.
Snap out of it, Harper. Concentrate.
* * *
Half an hour later, the chief and Joe left Brian Constantine in the diner, reading the Abbott Cove Gazette.
I’d served all the other tables and now hovered beside the counter deciding how to proceed. What I really wanted to do was go over, introduce myself and try to get Brian talking. But it was hard to go up and talk to somebody I didn’t know. What if he thought I was just being a nosy gossip?
Finally, I took a deep breath and headed over to the table. I needed to take a chance. It could be my only opportunity to talk to him if he left town this afternoon.
I slipped into the opposite side of the booth without waiting for an invitation.
“Hello, I’m Harper,” I said brightly, giving him my most dazzling smile.
Brian seemed rather shocked and sat back abruptly in his seat.
He hesitated for a moment before folding the newspaper and saying, “I’m Brian.”
I nodded. “I know. You were Yvonne’s business partner. I was very upset to hear about Yvonne. Were you very close?”
If Brian was puzzled by my sudden line of questioning, he hid it well and smiled charmingly at me. “We were. We’d been business partners for a number of years, and I only just learned of her death yesterday. It was such a tragedy.”
I gave him a sympathetic smile.
Now that I was up close, I could see him more clearly. He was certainly good-looking, but his eyes were a little too close together… Oh no, now I sounded like Grandma Grant and Loretta. Their craziness was rubbing off on me.
“Have you been to see Carol yet?” I asked. “She’s been ever so upset.”
Brian nodded. “I imagine she would be. She was very close to her sister. I haven’t been yet, but your colleague, the one I spoke to earlier, told me they were staying at The Oceanview Guesthouse.”
I nodded. “That’s right. It’s just down on the harbor front. It’s a lovely little guesthouse, but I don’t suppose Carol is really in the mood to enjoy it at the moment. Louise is still there, too. She was Yvonne’s personal assistant. Did you
know her?”
Brian suddenly seemed evasive. A frown flickered across his face and then he said, “Oh, not really. I may have met her once or twice.”
I nodded and opened my mouth to ask another question, but he cut me off, “If you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time I went to the guesthouse now.”
He stood up and tucked the paper under his arm. I watched him stride toward the exit.
I wasn’t sure about Brian Constantine. There was something not quite right about him. He reached the door and then turned around to look back at me. When he saw I was still watching him, he gave me a brief smile and opened the door.
As he did so, Yvonne zoomed in floating right through him. Brian didn’t even blink.
“What is he doing here? That rat!” Yvonne exclaimed as she sped into the diner and floated up to me.
I couldn’t exactly answer Yvonne in the diner full of customers, and as I looked around, I saw that there were a couple of people who needed top ups for their drinks. I tried to signal to Yvonne discretely, indicating with a nod of my head she should go into the back room. I was planning to go and talk to her as soon as I could.
Yvonne went off muttering away to herself, “Of all the low down, dirty, backstabbing…”
I quickly dealt with the customers, making sure everyone was all right and then nipped into the back room.
I was so glad to see that Yvonne was still okay. I had been worried about her.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Brian Constantine?” I demanded as soon as I shut the door behind us.
“Well, that’s a lovely welcome back,” Yvonne said sarcastically. “Hello, Yvonne, how lovely to see you. How have you been?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m glad you’re back. I’m sorry we argued, but we’re on the same team.”
“That is hardly what I would call an apology, Harper.”
Despite the fact I’d been regretting my harsh words since Yvonne had disappeared, I felt my anger bubble to the surface again. Why should I apologize? After all, she was the one who’d lied to me.