by Cat Chandler
Her budget was still pretty tight, even with the pickup in her business and the huge rent break she was getting from Maxie, her colorful and eccentric landlady. Jenna also liked to eat on occasion. Her favorite meal was a carryover from her college years, and a perfect fit for this particular client. She loved to dig into a burger, fries, and a soda. Although now that she’d reached the lofty age of thirty, she’d become more health conscious. Which meant she usually substituted bottled water for the soda. But the hamburger was not negotiable. No matter what one of her best friends, Alex Kolman, who was now Dr. Kolman, said about it.
And her favorite hamburger joint in town was Eddie’s Diner. If he’s too tight with his money to pay me in cash, maybe we could trade for free meals for life. Jenna grinned. If Eddie offered that deal to her, she just might take it.
She’d reached the front of the building and leaned forward to peer through the glass window on the upper half of the old door. The inside of the diner was dark. Jenna glanced at her watch and frowned. It was just a minute or two after eight, so she wasn’t early. And Eddie Parker had better not be running late. If she’d dragged herself out of bed at this horrifying hour, then he’d better have done the same.
Impatiently shifting everything she was holding to one arm, she raised her free hand and rapped loudly on the door that was only partially covered with peeling green paint. There was no movement or sound from inside.
Getting more annoyed by the second, she tried knocking louder, thinking Eddie might be in his back office. Another minute ticked by and still nothing. Out of frustration, the tall, thin website designer twisted the door handle then took a quick startled jump backward when it easily opened.
Jenna cautiously stepped up to the threshold and stuck her head inside. “Hello? Eddie? Are you here?”
No greeting came back to her.
I wonder if he forgot to lock up last night?
She immediately rejected that notion. Eddie had told her himself that he always locked up, and the last thing he did every night before going to bed was to take the short walk back to the diner to make sure it was secured. Every dime he was worth was in the slightly rundown eatery, which he’d built all by himself into a popular hangout for the local townspeople. And he owned it pretty much outright. A story he proudly related to anyone at the drop of a hat. She’d never asked what he meant by “pretty much”.
And Jenna could appreciate that. Building any sort of business wasn’t easy to do. But right now, she was wondering exactly where this self-made hamburger king was?
“Hello, Eddie? It’s Jenna Lindstrom,” she called out again, stepping into the diner and closing the door behind her. “We had a meeting set up for this morning. Are you here?”
Nothing came back but a slight echo of her own voice. Frowning, Jenna walked across the checkered-tile floor and around the wide counter spanning the entire back of the diner. She set her laptop and folders on the dull vinyl surface, right next to a cluster of sugar dispensers.
With her hands on her hips, she carefully looked around. Everything seemed to be in order. The tables scattered across the room all had chairs stacked on top of them, the floors looked as if they’d been mopped, and the counter was wiped clean.
The cash register sat on the shelf running along the back wall, and it didn’t look disturbed. Jenna smiled. It was the type that used to be common in every establishment that did any kind of cash business. Sturdy, with push buttons, it harked back to an earlier time and was a far cry from the electronic registers found everywhere today. And even further from the swipe-and-pay cell phone apps that were becoming popular. But that was no surprise. Eddie wasn’t into spending money unless it was necessary. Or into any technology, for that matter.
Shaking her head at what a dinosaur her favorite burger maker was, Jenna headed for the swinging door that led into the back of the diner. She walked through the kitchen toward the very rear of the establishment where she knew Eddie had his office. The narrow cramped hallway wasn’t lit, and there wasn’t any light coming in from anywhere except the kitchen behind her. Feeling her way along the wall, she stopped at a door three-quarters of the way to the end. With a bit of patting around the general vicinity of where the doorknob should be, she managed to locate the handle, frowning when it too turned easily beneath her hand.
Eddie must have been in a big hurry to leave after his meeting last night, Jenna decided. The interior of the office was completely dark. And even though it was obvious Eddie wasn’t in there, Jenna’s fingers ran along the wall until she found the light switch. When the small space lit up to broad daylight under the 100-watt bulb hanging from a cord in the ceiling, her eyes opened wide behind the lenses of her glasses.
Papers were strewn all over the floor, and the desk chair was tipped over on its side. All the drawers were open, and so were the doors to the overhead cupboards. Jenna took another slow look around before carefully backing out of the office.
Something was definitely wrong. As her other best friend, Nicki Connors, liked to say, this whole scenario just wasn’t adding up. Every door she’d tried was unlocked, and now the office had been trashed? It had the earmarking of a break-in. And Eddie was nowhere to be found.
Jenna stood perfectly still, holding her breath and tilting her head to one side, she listened for any telltale sounds. But she didn’t hear a thing. Sucking in a big breath of air, she did a quick trot back down the hallway. As she passed the counter, she reached out one long arm and grabbed her computer and file folders and kept going right out the front door. She didn’t take in another breath until she was sitting in her car, her heart pounding wildly as she pressed the button for the door locks. The comforting loud snap of them sliding down had her closing her eyes in relief. At least no one was going to jump out at her from one of the dark corners in the diner.
She stared out the front window of her Honda as she dialed the number for the local police station that was barely a mile away. I guess it says something about my life that I have the police on speed dial. She tapped a finger against the dashboard as she waited for someone to answer the phone.
“Soldoff Police Department. How can I help you?”
Jenna let out another long breath of relief. “Fran, is that you?”
“Who else would it be?” the raspy voice on the other end of the phone responded. “Who’s this?”
“It’s Jenna. Jenna Lindstrom.”
“Why, hello honey. You sound a little shaky. Something wrong, or has your friend Nicki discovered another body and you were elected to call it in?”
Jenna let out a giggle that sounded hysterical even to her own ears, and Fran must have thought so too.
“Do you need me to send one of the boys out to your place, Jenna?”
“Get a hold of yourself, Lindstrom,” Jenna said under her breath. She closed her eyes and chewed on her lower lip, concentrating on slowing her breathing and hopefully the painful pounding in her chest. It was only a break-in. Nothing serious.
“Jenna! Can you hear me?”
The sharp crack in Fran’s voice had Jenna’s eyes snapping open. “Yes. Yes. I’m sorry, Fran. I’m fine. And I do need you to send someone out here. But I’m not at home.”
“All right.” Fran’s voice came down several notches. “Where are you, honey?”
Jenna smiled at the homey endearment. It did more to calm her than all those yoga breathing exercises Alex was constantly harping about. “I’m at Eddie’s Diner. I think someone broke into it.”
“Someone broke into Eddie’s?”
Jenna certainly couldn’t fault the surprise in the police clerk’s tone. Eddie’s Diner wouldn’t have been her first pick to rob either. At least not if the burglar actually wanted to walk away with something of value.
“I had a meeting scheduled with Eddie, but when I got here, the door was unlocked, and his office was trashed,” Jenna said. “And I don’t see Eddie anywhere.”
“Okay,” Fran said slowly. “Now honey, I want you
to walk out of there and get someplace safe. Maybe lock yourself in your car.”
Good idea, Jenna didn’t mention that she’d already done that. “Okay, Fran. I’ll sit in my locked car and wait for someone to come.”
“You do that. And I’ll send one of the boys out right away.”
For the first time since she’d pulled into the wide gravel parking lot that was a good deal bigger than the diner itself, Jenna grinned. She wondered how the definitely middle-aged chief would feel about being called “a boy”, although the description fit his young, and only, deputy pretty well.
“I’ll be here.” Jenna pushed the disconnect button on her cell phone. Setting it on the dashboard where it was within a quick and easy reach, she took a slow look around, wondering where Eddie was. It could be that his appointment the night before had run long, and the diner owner had overslept this morning. Mentally chastising herself for not simply calling Eddie and asking where he was, Jenna picked up her cell phone again. Scrolling rapidly through her contacts list, she found Eddie’s number and hit the call icon.
She was still holding the phone to her ear, listening to it ring for the tenth time, when a police cruiser came racing into the parking lot, spitting up gravel and dust as it slid to a stop next to her Honda.
Rolling her eyes at the overly dramatic entrance, Jenna was still shaking her head when she got out of the car. She stood inside the opened door, turned, and leaned her forearms on the roof. She looked over at the deputy who’d leaped out of the cruiser and stood with his legs braced apart, ready to take on a whole gang of bad guys.
“Hi, Danny.” Jenna lifted one hand in greeting before letting it drop back onto the top of her car.
“Are you all right? Fran said you were at the scene of a crime, waiting for assistance.” The deputy, with his brown hair, brown eyes and clean-cut good looks, imitated an owl as he swiveled his head around to look over the gravel lot.
Jenna rolled her eyes. “What I’m doing is sitting in the parking lot of the local diner that I’m pretty sure was broken into last night.”
Danny’s shoulders relaxed, and he stuck his thumbs in his belt. “Eddie’s? Not much to take in there besides helping yourself to the ice cream machine and some soda. Probably kids. Where’s Eddie? Is he inside?”
“I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him, and he isn’t answering his phone.”
The deputy looked from the diner back to Jenna. “How’d you know there was a break-in? Is the lock busted?”
He didn’t wait for an answer but walked over to the door and squatted in front of it. Jenna had followed behind him, so she stopped and waited while he examined the lock.
“Doesn’t look busted,” he commented, easily rising to a standing position in one fluid motion, reminding Jenna that she’d heard Danny had been quite an athlete back in his high school days. Not that those were all that far behind him.
“I didn’t think so either,” Jenna said. “It was unlocked when I got here.”
Danny glanced over his shoulder at her. “Maybe you should wait out here while I have a look around.”
“Oh I don’t think so, Deputy.” Jenna shook her head. “I’m staying right with you, and that very big gun you have on your hip.”
He grinned at her. “I thought you didn’t like guns.”
Jenna gave an exasperated snort. “Usually I don’t. But since you have one, I’m sticking with you. I wouldn’t want you shooting me by mistake.”
“Funny,” Danny muttered as he pushed open the door and stepped inside the diner. He stood looking around, his thumbs back in his belt.
“I’m not seeing anything here that indicates a break-in, Jenna.” He shrugged. “Maybe your imagination got away with you because Eddie forgot to lock up.”
“Forgot to lock up, forgot about our meeting, and trashed his own office?” Jenna’s eyebrows shot up. “Not likely.” She gestured toward the swinging doors. “Go have a look for yourself.”
“You stay here.” Danny pointed a finger at her. “And I mean it this time. Stay here.”
She grabbed a chair from the nearest table, turned it over and set it onto the floor. Plopping into the seat, Jenna crossed her arms. “Sure.”
He chuckled as he walked across the tile floor and disappeared through the doors leading into the back. Jenna thought he’d be gone for a while and was considering getting her laptop out of the car, when she spotted him through the cutout window which served as a pass-through to the kitchen. He was walking slowly with his head bent.
Tapping a finger against the tabletop, Jenna watched him in silence for a second or two before her curiosity got the better of her. “What are you doing?”
“Following some blood smears, I think,” Danny called back. He didn’t raise his head or spare her a look, but just kept his slow walk toward the far corner of the kitchen.
“Blood…?”
Jenna was on her feet in a flash and headed for the kitchen. She came up behind Danny just as he stopped in front of the huge metal door that led into the diner’s walk-in freezer. She looked at the floor. The trail of dark red splotches ended there. One hand flew to her mouth and her eyes got as big as saucers as she and the deputy exchanged a horrified look.
“You don’t think…” Jenna couldn’t finish saying it out loud. Eddie couldn’t be in the freezer, could he? She swatted Danny’s shoulder. “Just don’t stand there, he might be trapped inside.”
“Right.”
Danny cleared his throat before grabbing up a dishtowel lying on the counter next to the freezer, then using it around his hands as he took hold of the wide silver handle. He pulled it down until Jenna heard the distinct sound of the door unlatching. He tugged it open enough for both of them to peer around its edge.
“Oh no,” Jenna breathed.
She had to lock her legs in place to keep them from buckling beneath her. A body was sprawled out in front of them, his face up and eyes staring up at the ceiling. The hefty, dark-haired man was wearing a plaid shirt that was part of the diner uniform, with the name “Eddie” embroidered on the front pocket.
Danny walked forward and knelt, placing two fingers against the side of Eddie’s throat. He counted off a good ten seconds before straightening up and leaning back against his heels. He glanced over at Jenna, his mouth pulled down at the corners, and shook his head.
“It’s Eddie.” He looked at the body. “And there’s more blood on the floor around the back of his head.”
The deputy pushed himself up to his feet and walked backwards until he was again standing in the kitchen next to Jenna. “I have to call this in.”
He latched onto Jenna’s arm and pulled her along with him. Once they were outside in the fresh morning air, he steered Jenna towards the Honda. “I want you to sit in your car while I call Fran and have her track down the chief. He’s out handling a domestic dispute, but Fran will know how to get hold of him pretty quick. You should stay here on the scene until the chief arrives. He’ll want to talk to you. Are you okay?” He studied Jenna’s face. “You don’t need to lie down or anything like that, do you?”
“No,” Jenna croaked out. “I’m fine. I’ll sit in my car and stare out the windshield.”
“That’s good.” He took the key from her hand and unlocked the car. “Get in now. That’s right.” Once she was behind the wheel, he handed the key back to her. “Play the radio. That should help.” He shut the door and did a quickstep over to his squad car.
While the deputy was talking rapidly into his radio handset, Jenna blinked once and then twice before giving her head a good shake. She wasn’t cut out for stumbling across dead bodies. But she knew someone who was. Picking up her phone, she punched in a number she’d memorized long ago, breathing a sigh of relief when it was answered on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Nicki, it’s Jenna. I think we’re going to have to have another informal gathering of our little club.”
“Which little club, Jenna? And what a
re you talking about before nine in the morning?” Jenna heard the yawn come through her earpiece. She couldn’t fault her best friend for that. She’d have done exactly the same thing if she hadn’t just seen a dead body.
“Wake up, Nicki, and get over to Eddie’s Diner right now.”
There was a brief pause and then the sound of laughter. “I’m not in the mood for a hamburger for breakfast, and you shouldn’t be having one either. Come on over and I’ll make you some eggs.”
“I’m not home and I’m not finagling for you to make breakfast. Believe me, I’m not hungry. I’m at Eddie’s Diner and so are the police, since Eddie’s dead and all.”
“What?”
“Just get here.” Jenna disconnected the phone and ignored it when it began to ring again. She didn’t want to waste any time with more explanations that she didn’t have. She just wanted Nicki to get here. And soon.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Nicki held her phone out and stared at it in confusion before narrowing her eyes. She rapidly punched in seven digits then put the device up to her ear and waited.
“Come on, Jenna. Pick up. This isn’t funny,” she breathed, waiting.
Ten unanswered rings later, Jenna’s voice mail kicked in. Nicki didn’t bother to leave a message. Disconnecting the call, she turned and faced Maxie and Suzanne. The two women had stopped by to help plan the gourmet cooking classes both of them had talked Nicki into giving.
Maxie, the older of the two and Nicki’s landlady, was staring at her with concern in her eyes.
Nicki considered herself very lucky to be one of the few select tenants in Maxie’s “artists’ colony” that she had built on the far end of her large property. The well-known genealogist rented out the townhouses, which were built in pairs, for a reduced rent to anyone she deemed “a fellow writer or artist”. Since Nicki wrote freelance articles on the food and wine events in the valley, plus a series of novels featuring Tyrone Blackstone, superspy, Maxie had been happy to welcome her into her little community.
