Leona put an arm around Lila.
“That sort's harder to get rid of.” She looked at Mina, as if expecting her to speak.
Mina took a deep breath. She didn't want to give too much away, but it was clear these women had been where she was, or somewhere like it. The sadness in Lila's face made her wonder what had happened to her. One thing was clear. Whatever it was, she'd had support through it. Maybe it was time for Mina to accept help. She was tired of carrying everything by herself.
She let the breath out slowly.
“This person feels wronged.” She licked her lips, trying to carefully word things so as not to give away too much. “I think they want revenge.”
Chapter 18
Midwest Mouthfuls
Bernadette burst through the diner door, her stomach twisting in a way that would put her yoga instructor to shame. She flashed a big smile at Doug, hoping she could play her part just right. Today could change everything for Doug.
He looked up from the register, a reluctant grin spreading over his face.
“What is it? What am I in for?”
“Remember that video we made?”
“For the Facebook page? Where I was supposed to talk about the Gut Buster Burger, but mostly I just kept cracking up and you said never-mind, you were giving up on me?”
“That's the one. Guess what I did with it?”
“You gave it to an agent and they said I'm gonna be the hottest thing since Bernadette Fairchild?”
She slapped her palm playfully against his stubbly cheek, and his eyes flashed to it, the corner of his mouth tugging up. She pulled back her hand, clutching it in a fist against her chest as she worked up the nerve to go on.
“I sent it in to Diner Discoveries on the Good Eats Network. They want to run it on TV, as part of a series called Midwest Mouthfuls.” She shrugged. “They love alliteration.”
“Are you serious? When?” His wide eyes were like looking at a clear sky on a too-bright day, his whole body suspended as if the energy was waiting to spring all at once upon her reply.
“Yes. And today. I know it's crazy, but one of the places went out of business and they had to pull it, so they put you in.” She waited, hoping he bought the story. The part about the last minute change was somewhat true. When they'd seen Bernadette was involved, they'd fit Doug's into the schedule immediately.
A joy-filled growl burst out from Doug. He launched forward, grabbing Bernadette as if she weighed nothing at all and began spinning her around.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and threw her head back, laughing. If he was happy about this, what would he do when he got the real story?
A buzz went through the morning diners, and Griz started a round of clapping.
Doug set her down, fixing her shirt collar with awkward hands and stepping back.
“When does it come on?”
“Five thirty. And spread the word that there will be a party, with free samples while we watch it.”
As they cheered, Doug grabbed an apron from behind the counter and tossed it at Bernadette.
“The whole country's going to see me acting like an idiot.” He grinned. “It'll be great for business. We better get cooking.”
She followed close behind him as he headed to the kitchen. He turned abruptly, and she bumped right into him. Doug took her face in his hands, looking at her with those electric eyes.
“Bernie, I don't know how to thank you—for everything you've done here. I know I've given you a hard time. I don't really know why you stuck around. But I'm glad you did. With all the crazy stuff going on around here, I don't know what would have happened to this place. And it's ... it's nice to have you around again.”
His warm hands on her face, the way he looked at her, made her heart hurt. She took hold of his wrists, pulling his hands away, but not ready to release them.
“What are the chances of all that stuff happening right outside your diner? It's just bad luck.”
“Doesn't help that that vulture Susan's been circling around waiting for bad luck. She's been playing it up, giving dramatic performances of the day she fell. She's decided now it was the ghost of the murder victim. She's telling people it's not safe to be here.”
“That's ridiculous.” The thought sent a chill through Bernadette all the same.
Doug shrugged, heading toward the large refrigerator in the back. “People have seen enough weird around here to believe it. It's hurt business. But people have been coming in to see you like crazy.” He pulled a container out of the fridge, his brows knotted. “We’ll have to make more dough.”
“We could always call the bakery if we need extra buns for the samples.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Doug threw his arms out. “You've not only brought me customers, all these ideas you have are going to keep this place afloat.”
Bernadette gave him a weak smile. He shouldn't depend on her. She knew the extra customers wouldn't last long. They'd be gone as soon as she was. Even the big surprise was a long-shot. She wasn't sure how much the exposure would help a diner hidden in small-town Nebraska. But if people knew how great Doug's food was, she was sure they'd come. It had to at least get him through this rough spot.
Her stomach sunk. If she succeeded, it would be time for her to move on.
“Doug, you need to have faith in yourself. Yours is still the best burger I've ever had.”
Doug raised a brow and gave her a cocky smile, which was so out of place on his completely genuine face it made her laugh.
“It doesn't matter how far you go,” he said. “Once you've had a taste of Doug you have to come back for more.”
“I guess you could say that.”
***
Doug stared anxiously at the crowd drifting into the diner.
“Why are they so early?”
Bernadette wrung her hands together and shrugged. She pulled her eyes away from the door long enough to smile at Doug.
“Everyone's excited.”
Lou sauntered up to the counter. “I heard there were going to be free samples.”
“I'll get them going as soon as I can,” Doug said. “Hey Griz, will you turn on the TV?”
“Let me get you a soda, Lou.” Bernadette led Lou to a chair, glancing over her shoulder at Doug. She hoped they showed up soon. Doug was going to be upset if he turned on the show and wasn't featured on Midwest Mouthfuls.
“Think I should start those patties?” Doug asked as Bernadette hurried to the soda machine.
“Give it a few more minutes. People might order drinks.”
Doug grinned. “Always thinking.”
More like stalling, Bernadette thought.
He stepped out in front of the counter and cleared his throat loudly.
“I'd like to thank all of you for taking a chance and coming down to the diner today. Take comfort in the fact that Doug's has now been accident-free for nine days.” A few people chuckled as Doug nodded to Griz. “Looking good, Griz.”
“You all know that buying this diner was a dream come true for me.” He glanced briefly at Bernie. “You don't get everything you order in life, but thanks to dear friends, I like to think I'll be serving up burgers 'til I'm at least as old as Frank, there. Now, if you'll give us a few minutes, we'll start up the grill. It's going to be an evening of great food and public humiliation.”
As everyone clapped and cheered the front door opened, the little bell somehow cutting through the clamor. All heads turned as a tall man with black hair and a neatly-trimmed beard, closely followed by a filming crew, walked in.
Doug's eyes widened. If the man was a ghost Doug wouldn't have looked less shocked.
“Blaise Harding? Bernie, you didn't tell me—This isn't Midwest Mouthfuls. This is Showdown with Blaise Harding!”
Blaise smiled, approaching Doug. “I hear you've got a pretty good burger here at Doug's Diner.”
“Y-yeah, the folks in Auburn are pretty fond of it,” Doug sputtered.
&n
bsp; “Is it good enough to take me down in a cook-off?” Blaise asked.
“Are you kidding me?” Doug's voice rose, and his blue eyes were watery. He grabbed Blaise in a big bear-hug and squeezed. A smile cracked through Blaise's smooth persona.
***
Doug and Bernadette had worked for an hour, frantically cooking up patties and putting together giant burgers while the crowd spilled from the diner onto the sidewalk outside. But the energy of a couple hundred excited customers and friends couldn't match Doug's. He couldn’t stop talking about Blaise Harding and the competition.
“Do you know he's my favorite celebrity chef? Of course you know, that's why you—” he stopped for a moment and looked Bernadette in the eyes. “I never dreamed something like this—thank you.”
When he turned away she released the breath she'd been holding, then grabbed another platter of burger samples to pass around outside.
Whenever Doug lit up like that she got sucked right in. She believed in whatever he believed in, and was ready to commit herself to it wholly. Perhaps that was part of the reason she ran before, instead of coming to Doug for help. If she wasn't careful, she was in just as much danger of being tethered to Auburn now.
Blaise's crew had found a place to set up an outdoor kitchen. He was grilling up miniature patties and assembling the sliders for his assistants to hand out.
Betsy Barker's voice could be heard above the noise. Bernadette turned to see her playing it up for the camera.
“These little baby burgers sure look fancy. I guess that's the kind of thing they like in the city. But here we do things big.” Betsy raised her brows and gave an exaggerated smile before continuing. “Our Doug's going to win this thing.”
It was always good to have Betsy on your side.
Bernadette made her way back into the diner. Doug was still doing ten things at once in the kitchen, but the smile still hadn't left his face.
He brought another platter of burgers out. Bernadette stopped him.
“Let me take those out.”
“It's all right. I got it.”
“You should probably start making your masterpiece. The judging begins in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh!” His eyes bulged. “Okay, you take them.”
“Doug, behind you!” Eddie Barker shouted.
Out of the corner of her eye, Bernadette saw flames rise from the kitchen.
There were screams as people shoved around the overcrowded diner, some trying to get out, others moving forward to help. The alarm shrieked over the chaos.
The platter shattered as Doug dropped it on the floor. He pushed his way into the smoke-filled kitchen.
“Where's the extinguisher? It's not here!”
Junie Ellison, who must have heard someone was looking for something, tugged on Bernadette's sleeve, pointing toward the back door. Someone had just slipped through it.
Bernadette fought her way into the kitchen and to the back. A flash of red caught her eye in the open trash bin near the door.
“Here!” She grabbed the extinguisher and thrust it at the closest person, then went for the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the culprit.
She stepped out the back door, squinting into the alley. Before she could turn to look the other way a calloused hand wrapped around her mouth, and stubble scraped her face. A harsh whisper pressed into her ear.
“Where's your bodyguards?”
She was flung around and pushed into the building. Bernadette stared into the face of the tall man who had assaulted her in the diner.
He sneered. “I had to come back to see you. I thought maybe there's things you do better than cookin'.” There was alcohol on his breath.
Bernadette freed her hand and thrust the heel of it into his nose. He growled in pain and she took her chance to run.
Before she made it to the door he grabbed her arm and spun her around. She filled her lungs to scream, but before she could let it out she heard a clunk. Her assailant's eyes lolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground.
Bernadette stumbled backward, shaking. Her eyes darted around the alley, but there was no one.
On the ground behind the unconscious man was an old iron skillet Doug had tossed in the dumpster that morning. She couldn't look away from the puddle of blood collecting around the man's head and smeared across his face.
She backed toward the door, her chest heaving.
Eddie Barker opened the door, waving his arms wildly to push the smoke outside. His eyes lit on Bernadette.
“Bernie, honey, what's wrong?”
Then he saw the body on the ground. He flew to Bernadette, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her inside.
“Somebody get the sheriff.”
Chapter 19
The Better Burger
So much for accident-free. It wouldn't have been the first time Doug was distracted enough by Bernie to let the world around him go up in flames. But this wasn't his fault. The conversation he'd had with Bernie about the diner being haunted crept into his mind. He chided himself for thinking it as he dumped the charred remains of several burgers into the trash.
What was crawling under his skin as he scraped gunk off the grill was the fact that whoever was responsible for this was long gone now.
Eddie Barker grabbed Doug's arm. “We got a guy in the alley. I sent somebody to get Frank, but Bernie—”
Doug flipped around, panic seizing his chest.
“Where's Bernie?”
“She's right here, Doug. She's okay.”
Doug wiped his hands on his apron and hurried over to Bernie. He placed his hands on her shoulders and crouched down to look her in the eyes. They were wide, her pupils crowding out the color. He felt his face flush with anger.
“I saw him run out the back door. I didn't mean to hit him that hard,” she said.
“Who was it?”
“I don't know.” Her eyes darted away.
“You shouldn't have—Did he hurt you?”
“No. If anything I think I hurt him.”
Doug kneeled, grabbing her hands.
“You're shaking, Bernie.”
“There was so much going on. He scared me. That's all.”
This was getting out of hand. Maybe he was cursed. Whatever the reason, Doug's was officially a disaster zone. He'd almost grabbed hold of something he hadn't even dared dream about, but it didn't matter now. It wasn't worth Bernie getting hurt. Anyway, he'd had his restaurant for a while, just like he'd had Bernie for a while. Both were worth it, even if neither lasted.
He shook his head and wrapped his arms around Bernie, pulling her in close.
“Frank will be here soon. We'll get it all worked out. Let's just send all these people home.”
She pulled back. “You can't do that.”
“Bernie, this just wasn't meant to be. The place is a mess. We need to make sure you're okay. I want to know exactly what happened.”
“No.” She sat up straight. “I didn't arrange all of this for nothing. I'm fine. If the grill is okay, you need to get back to work. I promise we can talk about it later. And we'll know more after that guy, uh, comes to.”
“You knocked him out?” Pride welled up inside him.
She nodded.
Bernie lifted her chin. “Whoever is responsible for this, you have to show them that they can't stop us.”
Doug was torn with indecision, and the way she'd said “us” made it even harder to focus.
“You're sure you're okay?”
Bernie stood up and walked briskly to the counter. She picked up Doug's spatula and handed it to him.
“This will be the most dramatic episode of 'Showdown' ever aired. They'll eat it up, figuratively, and before you know it, literally. I'll go tell Blaise it's still on.”
With that she stalked out of the kitchen. She paused when she saw the video camera that had been filming the scene, then flung open the door and left the diner.
Doug looked at the chaos around him. She was right.
They'd stopped the fire in time. There was no reason not to finish this. The best way to protect Bernie was to win this thing and send her back to Hollywood. He wasn't convinced she was happy there, but there was no future for a superstar in a jinxed small-town diner.
He cleaned up the mess just enough to get back to work, then assembled the ingredients once again. He'd saved the crispest lettuce and the tomato with the perfect red hue and ripeness. He watched the burger on the grill, removing it when his instincts told him it was cooked just right. Then he assembled everything with a surgeon's precision.
When he placed it on the plate a cheer went up in the diner. He'd been concentrating so hard he hadn't even realized he had an audience. He'd done his best, and he had the support of good friends. If he lost, at least he'd know he put up a good fight.
The door opened and a panel of judges walked in. Doug recognized a thin man named Oscar Simmons. He was a judge in every cook-off. He had severe features, but when he tasted something he liked, you could see the rapture in his face. Doug always watched for this “tell.”
Following him was Susan Walters. Somehow she'd gotten herself on the panel. Doug winced. She'd do anything within her power to make sure his burger was cooked. Scorched, in fact.
The third judge was the celebrity guest. They always had a different one. Doug had no idea who she was. Her earrings were huge, dangly, spiky things. In fact, every motion she made was big. She wore a gold, shimmery dress that accentuated big curves.
He started when a voice whispered in his ear. He hadn't seen Bernie sneak in beside him.
“That's Tana Lamont, Soap Opera Queen. She really likes attention, as you can see.”
“I wouldn't have guessed that.” Doug and Bernie laughed under their breath, as if they were misbehaving in church.
Blaise squared up to the camera.
“We've never had such a dramatic sequence of events unfold at one of our competitions. We were told the people here in Auburn, Nebraska were tough, especially restaurant owner Doug Baxter. He's been running Doug's during some pretty hard times, as many business owners in this economy can relate to. But he's had more than his fair share of misfortune. He's had equipment failures, some unfortunate accidents, and most shocking of all, a body was recently discovered right outside his establishment, one who is believed to be the victim of a crime committed at least twenty years ago. If all that weren't enough, a fire was set in his kitchen today in the midst of our competition. We don't know much except that a suspect is in custody.”
The Stranger's Obituary Page 12