by Emmie Lyn
My jaw practically hit the sidewalk. Marty wanted to replace the diner with a fancy schmancy establishment? I looked at Lily and whispered. “Another lie Ray fed you? Didn’t he say he wanted to open a fancy place for you to manage?”
“He wasn’t lying, Dani. They probably stole his idea.”
I hadn’t considered that.
Ava, oblivious to everything but herself, continued whining. “I’m hungry, Marty.”
“Why don’t we go back to the house and eat there? We can enjoy the view of the bay. Wouldn’t that be nice, honey?” He rubbed her back affectionately.
Ava pulled her head into her shoulders like she was pretending to be a turtle. “I don’t want to make something. You promised to buy me lunch.”
I actually felt a tad sorry for henpecked Marty. I seriously wondered what this relationship had in it for him besides a thin, overly made-up trophy wife to parade in public.
“You know,” she continued, “I wouldn’t mind investing in a restaurant if we can’t get the waterfront property.”
Ava had her own money? Interesting. “Marty?” I asked. “How long have you two been in town?”
“A couple of weeks, I guess. Why?”
“I suppose you’ve looked at quite a few properties, right?” I shifted Pip to my other arm.
“Enough. For instance, I’ve had my eye on these two buildings that the diner is nestled between. I do think that a new restaurant with a chef from New York would bring tourists flocking into town.”
Rose took that moment to join us. “Guess what?” I asked her.
She cocked one eye, which meant she probably didn’t want to hear what I was about to say.
I said it anyway. “Rose, these are your new neighbors, Ava and Marty Fontaine. They had their hearts set on eating at the Little Dog Diner and since it’s still closed, I thought it would be nice to invite them to your house; have some lunch; get to know them better. Okay?”
“We couldn’t impose,” Marty said.
“Shut up.” Ava jabbed him in the side. “Don’t be rude.”
Rose looked like she was ready to send me to my room with no lunch, but instead she smiled. “How nice. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do. Luke will be joining us, too, Dani.”
She just proved that two could play at this game, and she was much better at it than I was. I suspected this lunch would be filled with land mines along with our sandwiches and iced tea.
“We’ll head home and then walk over,” Ava said. “You’re the house next to ours?”
“That’s right…Sea Breeze,” Rose answered. “Just follow the steps up to my patio.”
After Ava and Marty left, Rose turned on me. “What are you thinking, Dani? I heard them say they want to buy my property and the diner. I’m not sure I can gag any food down if they’re sitting at my table. Plus, he wants to buy Blueberry Acres. How will Luke manage to be civil?”
“Listen, I agree, but we have to find out where they were yesterday morning. Ava shoots off her mouth like a drunken sailor. I’m thinking if we serve her some wine, and get her relaxed, we might get some useful information. With Luke there too, the tension might draw Marty out.”
Lily had been quiet up to now, but she tossed her braid over her shoulder and said, “Dani’s right, Rose. They have a motive to kill Ray. I think they stole his idea about the upscale restaurant. With Ray out of the way, it would be full steam ahead. I can just imagine Ava parading around as the owner dressed in a tight red dress and loads of jewelry while her New York friends oohed and aahed over her brilliant new place. It makes me want to throw up.”
“And you know you aren’t going to sell, so let’s butter them up and find out as much as we can,” I said, hoping Rose would see this as a winning strategy. “Lily and I will make lobster salad if AJ will let me get food out of the diner’s freezer. Do you think he’ll let me do that?”
Rose nodded. “I’ve noticed how he’s been looking at you, Dani. Is something going on between you two?”
I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Nothing that I know about, but if it helps me get inside, I might flutter my eyelashes a few times. What do you think?” I wiggled my shoulders and made my best flirty face.
“Don’t play with fire or you might get burned,” Rose answered.
I wasn’t sure what she was thinking with that statement as Pip and I approached AJ, but in order to keep my request professional, I didn’t lay on any of my special charm. “Would you consider letting me get some food from the freezer?”
“Sure. I’ll escort you inside.” He put his hand on my back and whisked me into the diner like I was some sort of royalty instead of a part owner. “What do you need?”
“Some lobster for our lunch and maybe a blueberry pie for dessert.” We walked around all the flour and mess still on the floor. I tried not to think about the disaster, but even with my focus on the freezer, I couldn’t ignore the crunching under my feet or the conversation of investigators doing their job.
“Sounds delicious. We haven’t had time to stop for lunch today.”
Was he angling for an invitation or trying to distract me?
We stopped in front of the walk-in freezer. “Okay, Dani,” he said. “Get what you need, but I’ll have to check everything before it leaves the diner.”
I handed Pip to AJ. “Here, I’ll need both hands.” I ignored his shocked expression and complained, “You make me feel like I’m stealing my own stuff, AJ.”
I completed my list, held up each item to show him, and stacked them on top of each other—a blueberry pie, lobster meat, and rolls. “That’s it,” I said. “No, wait, I’m adding a bag of frozen blueberries to have on hand until I can get back in here.”
“Okay. Enjoy your lunch,” AJ escorted me past the crime scene and out the door where I enjoyed a deep cleansing breath of fresh air.
I had successfully hidden an envelope taped to the top of the blueberry pie under the other items. This secret at the bottom of my stack of food made me feel like I did actually sneak contraband out of the diner.
AJ put Pip down. “I think Ray would be happy that you’ve taken charge of his beloved little dog.” He paused, then put his hand on my shoulder. “You know, Dani, I’ve been thinking about Ray a lot lately. He and I were drifting apart. I don’t think he liked me telling him he was headed for trouble with, what I considered to be, unsavory characters. I told you this before, but it needs repeating—be careful, you and Lily.”
My heart pounded from this warning and the mystery of the message in Luke’s handwriting taped to the frozen blueberry pie in my arms.
Chapter Sixteen
I casually walked to the Blueberry Bay Grapevine driveway, feeling Detective AJ Crenshaw’s eyes on my back the whole time. I couldn’t figure out what, if anything, his new friendliness meant, but I planned to chalk it up to him doing his job as a dedicated employee of Misty Harbor. No sense in reading anything more into it, especially since I had no interest in AJ, except as a friend now that he wasn’t behaving like a silly teenage boy any more.
With the food balanced on one arm, I opened the passenger door for Pip. By now my little companion knew the routine and happily settled into her spot as my co-pilot.
I put everything I took from the diner’s freezer on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Fortunately, Rose’s Cadillac was already gone so, I had time to read the letter from Luke away from her prying eyes.
I tore the envelope off the frozen pie and stared at my name written in Luke’s distinctive left-handed style. It brought back memories of letters he wrote to me when he first left for college, before things fizzled out between us. A deep sigh escaped my lips as I slid my fingernail under the envelope flap. I slipped out the single sheet of paper that was neatly folded in thirds.
Dani,
I’m back to help my father on the farm. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pleasure of bumping into you today when I delivered the blueberries, but our paths are bound to cross. Looki
ng forward to seeing my old friend!
Luke
He hadn’t planned to blindside me with a surprise visit after all. I wasn’t sure what to make of the note, except I shouldn’t overthink it. We were both surprised when Rose invited him into the Blueberry Bay Grapevine office. I decided to give him a second chance after the awkward misunderstanding when we found ourselves together in Rose’s kitchen earlier. Why not enjoy a renewed friendship while he was here?
Why not indeed? I could think of one big reason, which had to do with my fragile heart, but I ignored that in favor of spending time with Luke. We both could use a trustworthy friend, right?
“Ready, Pip?” I turned the key and backed out. AJ waved, sending a chill through me. What did he know about Ray’s wheeling and dealing to make him give me two warnings to be careful?
“I wish you could tell me something about Ava and Marty,” I said to Pip. “You must have been with Ray when he met with them since he took you everywhere. Did they argue? Did one of them threaten Ray?”
Pip looked at me and wagged her tail. Apparently, she liked it when I talked to her, but she wasn’t spilling any secrets.
Lily’s car was parked in front of Rose’s garage, so I left the MG outside. I balanced the food in my arms and led Pip through the front door, following the soft murmur of voices into the kitchen.
Lily had a glass pitcher of what I assumed was her special blend of cranberry juice, red wine, seltzer, and fruit slices—perfectly refreshing for a warm, early summer afternoon and a get-to-know-the-neighbor drink. Rose had filled a tray with silverware, napkins, and plates. Now, I guess it was up to me to finish preparing lunch for our guests.
“Did AJ give you any trouble about taking food from the diner?” Lily asked as I unpacked my ingredients next to the sink.
“No. He only needed to inspect what I was taking away from the crime scene in case it was evidence. Thankfully, whoever trashed the diner hadn’t touched the freezer. All the prepared food and frozen ingredients should be salvageable. The rest of the place? A jumbled mess. I’m afraid everything not nailed down might be ruined.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Rose said. “Maybe it’s time for an upgrade to the Little Dog Diner. It’s closed now anyway. Perfect timing. Let’s talk to Luke about redesigning the interior.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why ask Luke?”
“Ask me what?”
I turned around just as Luke arrived. Before I could catch his eye, he picked up Pip and gave her a cuddle. The dog loved him if her wiggly body and quick kisses were an indication of affection.
I leaned against the counter with my arms crossed. “Ask you about redesigning the diner. Rose thinks this would be a good time for it. What do you think?”
He grinned at me and then Rose. “I think I’ll be happy to help with whatever you three want.” His smile traveled up to the corners of his eyes, making little creases that spread his version of sunshine even wider. “I don’t have a lot of free time, but I could squeeze some renovations in.”
“That’s settled then,” Rose said, cutting off any further discussion. She was like that. What she wanted, she got. I couldn’t really argue since she owned the diner building and if she wanted to stick money into it, great. But why hire Luke?
“What about your part time police job?” I asked.
Pip squirmed out of Luke’s arms and padded around the floor sniffing for scraps. Luke’s eyes followed her for a few moments, then admitted, “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
I must have looked surprised because he said, “AJ’s got me on the suspect list, remember? You know…means, motive, and opportunity. It really boils down to the fact that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s having trouble checking my alibi.”
Before any of us could commiserate, we turned toward the voices coming in from the bay side of Rose’s home. “Must be the guests. I’d better get going with lunch,” I said.
“Guests?” Luke leaned forward to glance through the window overlooking the patio.
Rose explained in a low chuckle, “Dani decided to invite the horrible neighbors for lunch—Ava and Marty Fontaine. You’ve met them, Luke.” Rose picked up her tray and prepared to greet her neighbors. “If you can stomach sitting with them, come on out and join us.”
“We’ll be out as soon as we finish setting up lunch, Rose,” I said as she disappeared onto the patio.
Luke’s face darkened at the mention of the Fontaines, which didn’t surprise me.
“I don’t know,” Luke said. “I told you about my tantrum when Ray brought Marty to the farm. Maybe I should leave.”
“Wait,” I said. “I’m not a fan of them either, but I want to find out where they were when Ray was murdered. According to Ava, Marty has big plans for a lot of property in town, and Ray might have conned them with a worthless chunk of land. That’s a motive, right, Lily?”
Lily turned from the salad she was tossing. “Uh-huh. Luke should stay. Pretend to reconsider about selling the farm and see where it leads. Ava’s an open book, but Marty is more reserved. We have to get him to open up.”
Luke tilted his head. “You think Marty murdered Ray?”
“We think it’s a possibility that AJ might be overlooking,” I said. “Ray apparently had a big plan for an upscale restaurant in town and now Marty is bragging about that same thing. Maybe he wanted Ray out of the way, so he didn’t have competition for the property he wants—the diner, Rose’s building, and possibly the real estate office that Lily now owns.”
“I didn’t think about that,” Lily said. “Marty probably expects that I’ll want to unload it. He knows those three buildings make up a prime location in town and he’ll try to buy them. If that’s all true, Marty is the sleaziest guy I’ve run into, and we have to stop him.”
“Are you in, Luke?” Rose surprised us by popping back into the kitchen to check on lunch. She’d been eavesdropping on our conversation.
“I’m in but only if I get the remodeling job at the diner,” Luke answered, giving her a wink. “I want that challenge, and I already have lots of ideas swirling around in my head.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Sinclair, and I love it.” Rose said. Satisfied we had everything under control, she looped her arm through Luke’s and headed to the patio. “Come on. We’ll leave these two to finish making lunch.”
Pip trotted after them to check out the guests, too.
“Want to know what I think, Lil?” I said after they’d gone.
“Not usually.”
I ignored her dig. “I think Rose is motivated by Ray’s idea of an upscale restaurant in town. She’s not going that route, but I think that’s where this remodeling idea came from.”
“It’s about time. That diner hasn’t seen any upgrades since I’ve been alive.”
“True.” I wondered what ideas Luke had swirling in his head because I had some of my own. We’d have to work together on this project, which made a smile grow on my face.
Lily tapped the frozen lobster on the counter. “Were you planning to use this today?”
“It was my plan, but I guess my defrosting timing was off. Any other ideas?”
Lily opened Rose’s pantry. “There’s canned tuna fish, and I’m sure she has cheese, too. How about we whip up tuna melts with,” she looked around the kitchen, “tomato slices? How does that sound? Should we check if it’s okay with everyone?”
“Are you kidding?” I quickly opened three cans of tuna. “They get what they get, and they don’t get upset.”
“Ha! I’ll bet you a buck that Ava has something to say about it, and I don’t mean that in a, thank you-this-looks-delicious, way either.” She hitched her hip to one side, tossed her head back, and flexed her wrist like it was a dead fish. “Tuna? That’s so common. With cheese? I’m allergic to cheese. I’ll just have carrot sticks, please.”
I doubled over laughing at Lily’s exaggerated accent. “I may as well give you a dollar now because you’ve nai
led her snooty attitude.”
Lily filled up a cookie sheet with bread and slid it under the broiler to toast one side. When that was done, I added the tuna fish mixture, cheddar cheese, and tomato slices. “At least they’re colorful.” I slid the tray back under the broiler waiting for the bread to crisp and the cheese to melt.
“Is it hard seeing Luke again?” Lily asked while I had my back to her.
Good question, and I wasn’t really sure how to answer it. I was absolutely shocked when I saw him walk into the Blueberry Bay Grapevine office, and my embarrassment went off the charts when I asked him about his divorce that didn’t exist. Now, though, I was looking forward to chatting with him.
“Yes and no,” I told Lily. “I’m over the surprise of seeing him, so I hope we can become friends again.”
Lily said, “Rose told me she thought she’d really screwed up when she brought him into the office, surprising both of you out of the blue like that. And, she believed his dad when he told her that Luke and Jennifer were divorced. When you disappeared this morning, I had to do some major reassuring to ease her worry.”
“I was upset, angry, and embarrassed all wrapped up in an emotional meltdown,” I said, cringing at the memory. I took the cookie sheet out. Eight perfectly bronzed tuna melts sizzled on the pan.
“I’m lucky that Pip is a good listener,” I said reaching for my spatula, “And she doesn’t give advice.” I transferred the tuna melts to a platter, snipped some fresh basil over the tops, and looked to Lily for an opinion. “What do you think?”
She gave them a thumbs up. “As good as they’d get at the diner, only don’t tell Ava that or she’ll be worried about food poisoning.”
We shared a laugh as we carried the platter and Lily’s salad to Rose’s patio table. The big umbrella provided plenty of shade from the afternoon sun and the breeze coming off the bay was as refreshing as a gentle fan.
Everyone had a glass of Lily’s wine cooler. Based on the level in the pitcher, she might need to make more.