A Clue in the Stew

by Connie Archer

  Barry looked crestfallen. “I don’t know what to think. If he had something on his mind, why couldn’t he have come and talked to me? I blab all the time. He knows everything about my life. Not that there’s that much to tell but I don’t have any secrets.”

  “To each his own, I guess. Come on, it’s late, let’s get busy. Maybe we’ll turn something up.”

  Lucky started at the top drawer at one end of the credenza. She patiently went through each file; all were neatly labeled. Tax returns, household bills, bank statements. All current and nothing unusual. “Well, Hank’s nothing if not neat. I’ll give him that.”

  Barry sat back on the floor. He held a folder in his hand. “I think I’ve got something, Lucky.”

  “What is it?” She scooted across the carpet on her knees and looked over Barry’s shoulder. He held a file labeled simply HILARY.

  Barry turned over the pages one by one. “It’s a marriage license and divorce paperwork. Interesting. Look at this.” Barry pointed to the front page of the divorce petition.

  “No children,” Lucky answered. “Well, that solves the mystery of Derek. He’s not Hank’s son.” She took the folder from Barry’s hands. “Her name here is Hilary Means. Must be her maiden name. And it looks like they were married a little less than five years. Hank was the one to file for divorce.”

  “Doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven to me,” Barry stated flatly.

  Lucky agreed. “And I’ll bet Hank must have been thrown for a loop when Hilary Stone, or whatever her name is now, turned up in Snowflake.”

  “What are you sayin’, Lucky? That Hank might have had a motive to kill his ex-wife?”

  “No,” Lucky hastened to assure him. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant maybe Hank could have still had feelings for her. You never know. Or maybe . . . especially if he never talked about the fact that he was once married, he was very sensitive on the subject. And then, for her name to be all over the newspapers and with her planning to live here, it might all have been too much for him.”

  Barry looked at her questioningly. “What do you mean . . . live here?”

  “Oh, I happen to know this only because Eleanor Jensen told me. Hank might not have known. Ms. Stone was looking for a home to buy. She wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of New York and find a quiet place to work on her next book.”

  “Whew,” Barry whistled. “I can see why that would be a bit much. Too close for comfort.” Barry sat heavily in one of the armchairs by the fire and heaved a sigh. “I can’t get over it. That Hank wouldn’t want to talk to me. It hurts, you know.”

  Lucky patted his shoulder. “I’m sure it does. But I’m sure he had some very good reasons for wanting his past to remain private. We’ll find him. I’ll have a quick look in the bedroom and bath and then what do you say we lock up and head home?”

  “I guess that’s all we can do. Except . . .”

  “What?” Lucky asked, slipping on her sweater.

  “I’m taking this.” Barry rose and walked over to the corner desk. He picked up a small, old-fashioned Rolodex. “Tomorrow I’ll go through this and call everyone in here that might have a clue where Hank is, or where he might have gone.”

  “What will you say if someone asks why you’re calling?”

  “Well, anyone who’s on one of these cards knows Hank. I’ll make something up. I don’t know. But it’s the only thing I can think of doing.”

  “Well, it’s a plan. I wish I could think of something better, but I don’t have any good ideas.” Lucky, feeling like an intruder, quickly checked Hank’s bedroom, bedside table, kitchen and medicine cabinet. Nothing looked remarkable, and like the rest of the house, everything was in its place. She returned to the hallway and waited while Barry turned off the lights in the living room. They headed for the front door. “Maybe we’ll find some inspiration tomorrow,” she said.

  Barry was silent as he turned off the hallway light and locked Hank’s front door behind him.

  Chapter 29

  SOPHIE SWIVELED ON her stool, watching Nanette as the woman made her rounds from table to table. She turned back to Lucky with a catlike smile. “I gotta say, she really knows how to work the room.”

  Lucky raised one eyebrow. “Tell me about it. There’s not a man in the place that isn’t checking her out.”

  “And speaking of men . . .” Sophie nodded her head toward the front door as Elias entered. He caught Lucky’s eye from across the room and smiled widely.

  Elias slid onto a stool at the counter next to Sophie and reached across to squeeze Lucky’s hand. “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Oh, fine.” Lucky smiled in return, a flush creeping up her cheeks. Elias always had this effect on her. She didn’t mind the warm feeling that suffused her when he walked into a room but could never seem to conquer the blush that she knew always hit her cheeks.

  “We were just discussing the male attention being paid to the new waitress,” Sophie leaned over to whisper to Elias.

  “Ah, yes. I’ve been hearing about her.” He turned on his stool to survey the restaurant and discreetly caught a glimpse of the infamous Nanette. He turned back and smiled at Lucky. “She still driving you crazy?”

  “Absolutely.” Lucky sighed. “But what can I get you this morning?”

  “A bagel would be great with some cream cheese and a coffee. I don’t have much time. I’m just back from Lincoln Falls and I’m due at the Clinic in half an hour.”

  “Just take a second,” Lucky replied. She popped a bagel in the toaster and poured a mug of coffee for Elias.

  “So what do you think, Elias?” Sophie asked.

  He took a sip of coffee. “About what?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “Nanette, of course! The new waitress,” Sophie replied in exasperation.

  “Oh, hmm, well, I can see why she’d appeal to certain tastes.” He held up his hands in surrender as Lucky placed his order on the placemat. “Not me. Don’t look at me.”

  Lucky laughed. “Stop giving Elias a bad time,” she said to her friend.

  “Okay, I’ll be good.” Sophie smirked. “I’m taking off now, but I’ll be back later to meet Sage. Let me know if I can help out, okay?”

  “I think we’ll be all right. As much as I hate to admit it, our new hire is a good waitress. She is very competent. And that reminds me. I’ve got to pin her down about producing her identification.”

  “You’re kidding!” Sophie exclaimed.

  “No. I’m not. That’s what started the argument between me and Jack. In fact, I could use your help for a couple of minutes right now.”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “Can you take over the counter for a minute. I need to have another word with her.”

  “Hey, Lucky,” Elias asked. “Before you disappear, how about going out to a nice dinner this weekend?”

  “Oh, I’d love to. Did you say ‘out’?”

  “Yes. I was thinking why don’t we go someplace special—maybe the Mont Blanc at the Resort?”

  “Wow! Okay. Is this a special event?”

  “No. Not really. I just thought it would be great to not inflict my cooking on you another night.”

  Lucky laughed, “Your cooking is wonderful and that sounds fantastic. I’ll be back in just a minute.” She ducked under the counter hatch and walked over to Nanette.

  “Nanette, can you come into the office for a minute?”

  “Well, I’ve got a bunch of orders right now.”

  “Just leave them on the hatch for Sage. This will only take a second.”

  “All right,” Nanette answered sulkily.

  Lucky walked down the corridor to the office and held the door open for Nanette. “Please come in.”

  Nanette walked in without a word.

  “Look, Nanette. You’re a ver
y good waitress, but I’m sorry, I have to put my foot down. Either you bring in your identification so I can make a copy or don’t bother to come back tomorrow.”

  “You can’t mean that!” she cried out.

  “I’m sorry, but I do. I can’t run a business this way. I can’t have employees who are off the books. You have twenty-four hours.”

  “You are such a hard-hearted woman. I can’t believe you’d treat me like this.”

  “I—”

  “Ah’m gonna have a talk with Jack. I told him I’ve just moved and I can’t find my identification. I know it’s in a box somewhere, and I’ll find it.”

  “You expect me to believe you’re driving around with no driver’s license in your possession? That alone is against the law.”

  Nanette’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m gonna have to talk to Jack. He said I had all the time in the world and not to worry about it.”

  “Don’t bother talking to Jack. I’m the one who runs this restaurant and makes the decisions. It’s me you have to answer to.” Lucky wasn’t sure where her resolve was coming from but this was something she just had to deal with.

  Nanette stifled a sob and ran down the corridor, her heels clacking against the wooden floor. Lucky was sure she’d be in Jack’s ear at the cash register in one second. She didn’t relish another argument with Jack, but she had to pin this woman down. Her story was utter nonsense.

  She returned to the counter, and sure enough, Nanette was at the cash register, tears streaming down her face, whispering in Jack’s ear. He patted her hand and did his best to make change for a departing customer while trying to reassure her that he’d try to straighten things out. Lucky glared across the room at her.

  Sophie ducked under the hatch and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Everything all right?” she asked, glancing at Lucky’s face. “Your face is bright red.”

  “I do think there’s gonna be fireworks soon. But I’m fine. You go on. Nothing to worry about.”

  Sophie nodded and waved good-bye to Elias. He rose from his stool and said, “I have to run too. Sorry. I’ll call you later, Lucky.”

  “Oh. Okay. Bye, you two,” she said to Elias’s retreating back.

  • • •

  ELIAS REACHED THE sidewalk and spotted Sophie heading toward Chestnut Street. He hurried to catch up. “Hey, Sophie.”

  Sophie turned. “Elias! Thought you were going back to the Clinic?”

  “I am. But I just wanted to catch you alone for a minute.”

  Sophie waited. She couldn’t imagine what Elias could possibly want to talk to her about.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a small box. “I don’t mean to put you on the spot, but I need a woman’s opinion.”

  Sophie grinned from ear to ear. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Elias took a deep breath. “It was my mother’s. I think it’s really lovely, but it’s old-fashioned and I’m not sure if Lucky will like it. Tell me what you think. If you think it won’t do, I’ll get something more modern.”

  Sophie clicked open the small jewel box. The square-cut diamond sat within a border of tiny diamonds. The sides of the band were set off with more sparkling stones on each side of the main gem. “Oh. It’s gorgeous, Elias! She’ll love this. I know she will.”

  “You’re sure. She won’t think I should be buying her a new ring?”

  Sophie tilted her head to one side. “Elias. Please. This is Lucky. She’d be thrilled if you gave her a Captain America decoder ring from a cereal box. You know her better than that. She’ll be blown away. She’ll probably be afraid to wear it.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so nervous about this. I don’t know why, but I am.”

  “That’s what the special dinner date at the Mont Blanc is about?”

  “Yes.” He nodded.

  “Well, I’m thrilled and it’s about time you popped the question. I thought you were never gonna get around to it.”

  Elias’s face fell. “I would have done this a long time ago, but we’ve had our ups and downs. I’m sure you know all that. I thought for a while that it was over between us. I just wanted to make sure we were still on an even keel.”

  Sophie nudged him with her elbow. “I’m just teasing you. Don’t be so sensitive.”

  “Okay. Okay. You’re right. I’m just a little touchy right now. Please don’t say anything about this, all right? Not even to Sage?”

  “What?” Sophie squeaked. “I can’t tell Sage?”

  “Well, okay, you can tell Sage, but he’s got to keep his mouth shut. I really want this to be a surprise.”

  “I promise.” She reached up and gave Elias a hug. “Good luck. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

  “Thanks, Sophie. Sorry, I gotta run.” Elias turned and hurried down Broadway in the direction of the Snowflake Clinic.

  Sophie watched him until he turned the corner. She smiled to herself. Now she could be a bridesmaid and pay Lucky back for all the work she had done for her own wedding.

  • • •

  JACK SHOT LUCKY a look that seemed to be pleading with her. Lucky shook her head ever so slightly. She knew Jack agreed they couldn’t possibly have employees who weren’t on the books. Nanette had calmed down somewhat but she was definitely sulking. It didn’t matter. This was ridiculous and couldn’t possibly go on. If Nanette couldn’t provide identification, she would have to be let go. Even if Meg pitched a fit and walked out. They couldn’t risk breaking the law or getting the business into any kind of trouble.

  The worst of the morning rush seemed to be ending. Lucky was considering taking a break in the kitchen with Sage when the front door flew open, the glass panes rattling in their frames. Flo Sullivan paused on the threshold. Her halo of psychedelic orange hair stood out from her head. She was dressed in flowing pants and a top in a red, orange and yellow floral design. We’ll all need sunglasses, Lucky thought to herself. Jack, panicking, half rose from his stool. Flo ignored him and headed straight for the counter. She stood with her hands on her hips. “Is it true?” she demanded of Lucky.

  “Is what true, Flo?”

  “Is it true you’ve hired another waitress?” Flo demanded shrilly. Several heads turned to stare. Jack’s complexion had blanched.

  Lucky nodded, wishing she had spent the day in bed with the covers over her head.

  “Yes, we have, Flo.”

  “Who? That’s what I want to know. Who is this woman?” She spun around and spotted Nanette. “Is that her?” Flo shouted, pointing a finger at Nanette. Nanette stopped in her tracks. The room became silent as death. “Why didn’t you call me first, Lucky? You know I can come back at any time! Jack!” Flo turned in his direction. “Why’d you go and hire this cheap hussy?”

  “Who you callin’ cheap, you scrawny scag?” Nanette’s voice was even louder.

  “I tell it like I see it,” Flo retorted.

  “Why you . . .” Nanette flew across the room and, reaching out, grabbed a handful of Flo’s orange hair.

  Flo flailed against Nanette’s attack in vain. “Help!” Flo screamed. “Help!”

  “Hey, stop!” Lucky shouted. She ducked under the counter and wrestled Nanette away from Flo. Nanette’s body was solid muscle. She could barely hold on to the woman. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sage fly through the kitchen door and insert himself between the two women.

  “Stop that! That’s enough,” Lucky shouted. She grabbed Nanette’s arm. “In the office, you.”

  “I’m not puttin’ up with this kind of treatment,” Nanette bawled. “I’m going home.” She flung her order pad on the floor and charged through the swinging door to the corridor.

  “Good. That’s a good idea,” Lucky replied to Nanette’s retreating back. “And Flo, I think you should leave now. You’ve caused enough trouble.”

 
; Flo patted her head. “Told you. She’s a cheap hussy.” This last remark was directed at Jack, who was scrambling to follow Nanette down the corridor. Flo stuck her nose in the air and marched out of the Spoonful. Her exit was followed by a burst of applause from a group at the large round table in the center of the room. It was joined by others who clapped at the performance.

  “You okay?” Sage asked.

  Lucky nodded. She turned around to face the room, “Excitement’s over, everyone. Sorry about the disturbance.” Someone from the rear of the room shouted, “Best show in town, Lucky.”

  Lucky looked at Sage and heaved a sigh, “Why don’t you just shoot me?” She picked up Nanette’s order pad from the floor and handed it to Sage.

  “Come on, Lucky, just a few more hours to go,” he replied. “Besides, this is all Jack’s fault. He shouldn’t be leading these ladies on the way he does.”

  Lucky laughed in spite of herself.

  Chapter 30

  WHAT’S WRONG WITH this woman? Nate thought as he glared at Sylvia Stone. She lounged lazily in the chair of the sitting room and couldn’t seem to string a coherent sentence together. She held a coffee cup in her hand. Nate wondered what was really in the cup.

  “I just want to go over your movements again on the night Ms. Stone . . . Hilary . . . died. Can you just tell me that?”

  Sylvia yawned. “As I said before, I can’t really remember. All I do remember is being bored out of my skull at that stupid book signing and having to watch Derek act like he ran the show. I think I fell asleep. I came back here with Audra. She gave me a lift. Derek, of course, had to watch over Mummy and hold her hand all evening.”

  “You didn’t like your mother-in-law very much, did you?”

  Sylvia shot a look. “She was a royal witch and you can spell that with a B.”

  “Oh?” Nate remarked pleasantly. “Why exactly do you say that?”

  “Well, she didn’t like me. That’s for sure. She was furious when she found out we were married. For once, Derek did something on his own before asking Mummy”—she spoke the word in an affected tone—“for permission.” Sylvia stretched and took another sip of the brown liquid in the mug. “But it was too late. Hilary couldn’t do anything about it. And I told her so.” Sylvia barked a mirthless laugh. “It was so classic. She even offered me money to go away.”