A Chili Death: A Classic Diner Mystery

by Jessica Beck

I saluted him with a smile. “We will.”

  After he was gone, I turned to Moose. “Are we really going back to the diner right now?”

  “We are,” he said. “I’m hungry, two of our suspects are missing, and the ones we already talked to didn’t give us much of anything.”

  “That’s how it goes sometimes,” I said.

  “Is that your official opinion?” he asked me with a grin as we got back into his truck.

  “You can quote me on it. I have to admit, I miss not running the front of the diner,” I said when I saw that it was nearing eleven, the start of one of my shifts.

  “You need a life, young lady,” Moose said.

  “I’ve got one, and it’s a pretty good one, if you ask me. Come on, I’ll make sure you eat the first thing when we get there.”

  “We’ll both eat,” Moose said. “We can chat while we’re doing it and see what our next step should be.”

  I was hungry, and also completely out of any new ideas about what we should do next. It was one of our family’s mottos that when all else failed, grab a quick bite, and things might just get better on their own. I doubted that it would work this time, but at the very least, I’d get a meal out of it before I got back to work trying to solve Howard Lance’s murder.

  After a bowl of Greg’s chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, I told Moose, “I might as well take over the register until we can come up with something else to investigate.”

  “As a team, I’m sorry to say that we’re turning out to be a real bust.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” I countered. “We managed to learn more than Sheriff Croft was able to in such a short amount of time.”

  “Yeah, but we’re already tapped out of ideas,” he said. “What would one of those books you love be like if it all ended in chapter three?”

  “Not very good,” I admitted.

  “Then think about where else we can look,” Moose said. “Don’t treat this as a real murder. Think of it as a puzzle to solve.”

  I did as my grandfather asked, and started playing around with what we’d learned so far, and what else we might be able to find out. “Well, I suppose we should be willing to entertain the notion that whoever killed Howard Lance wasn’t from around Jasper Fork.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it, Moose. Whoever killed him may have followed him here and done it in town. It makes perfect sense, when you look at it that way. If he was murdered around these parts, especially after the way he’d been acting, nobody would give it much credence that the most viable suspects weren’t from Jasper Fork.”

  “Where was the man from?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ve got an idea.” I went into the kitchen and retrieved the document Howard Lance had served us with such a short time before.

  “What’s going on?” Greg asked as he flipped a burger on the grill with skill and a little panache.

  “I’m not ready to say just yet,” I answered as I walked back past him.

  “Be sure to let me know when you are,” he said with a smile, and then turned his attention to the next order in line.

  “What have you got that for?” Moose asked with distaste when he saw the legal document in my hands.

  “It’s our next lead.”

  “I don’t see how,” my grandfather said.

  “Think about it, Moose. A lawyer wrote this up. Let’s find him and see what he has to say about Howard Lance’s behavior. We might just be able to uncover a whole new list of suspects.”

  “Victoria, I’ve been around a whole lot longer than you have. Getting a lawyer to admit anything, especially about a client, is as easy as turning chili into borscht.”

  “Even if the client’s dead?”

  “The first answer they learn to give is always no,” Moose said.

  “Well, it’s at least worth trying.” I looked at the document and saw that it had been drawn up by someone named M.T. Ingram in Laurel Landing.”

  “That’s less than half an hour from here,” Moose said. “I guess it’s worth a try.”

  “That’s the spirit. Let’s go,” I said.

  “Okay by me,” he answered. Instead of heading for the front door, though, I popped my head back into the kitchen before we left.

  “We’re following up on another lead,” I told Greg, and then looked around. “Hey, I thought you and Mom were working together today.”

  “She had an errand to run,” Greg admitted. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

  I had a hunch that two cooks in one kitchen was one cook too many, but I didn’t say anything about it. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Tracking down a new lead?” he asked.

  “Hopefully,” I replied and hesitated long enough to give him a quick kiss.

  I stopped at the table on the way back and looked for the paper we’d been served with, but it was gone. What had happened to it?

  I was about to panic when I looked at Moose. He was dangling the document in the air.

  “You might not want to just leave this sitting around,” he said when I rejoined him.

  “I figured you’d have it,” I answered. “Let’s go to Laurel Landing and see what Mr. Ingram has to say.”

  We made the drive in good time, and I used my cell phone to find Ingram’s address. The law office was easy enough to spot, since it was right across the street from the courthouse.

  “Let me do the talking this time,” Moose said. “I speak attorney. This is probably some crusty old man with cigar burns on his tie, and we can relate to each other.”

  “You can try, but don’t think for one second that I’m going to let you go in there without me, Moose.”

  “Just watch and learn, youngster,” Moose said as he knocked on the front door.

  There was no reply, so he tried the front door, which was unlocked.

  In the front office, we found a nice looking brunette woman younger than me, dressed in gray slacks and a black blouse.

  “We’re here to see Ingram,” Moose said to the woman, clearly expecting to be ushered straight back into the inner sanctum.

  She glanced at the open appointment book on the desk. “Funny, but I don’t see anyone listed on the schedule today.”

  “I prefer this to be confidential. I’m sure your boss will understand, and if you don’t let us see him, he’s not going to be very happy with you, I can promise you that.”

  “Know him well, do you?” the woman asked, not intimidated by my grandfather at all.

  “I know enough. Let’s just say that he’ll want to hear what I’ve got to share as soon as possible,” Moose answered. It was clear that he was trying to get past the receptionist, the attorney’s only line of defense.

  She leaned back and put her heels on the desk instead of being the slightest bit intimidated. “Well, at least you’ve got my attention.”

  I got it instantly, but Moose clearly didn’t grasp it yet. He said, “I’m not going to prove the value of what I’ve got to say to you. Let me talk to your boss.”

  “If you won’t give me any idea what this about, then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” she said firmly.

  “Moose,” I said as I tugged at his arm.

  “Not now, Victoria.” He was irritated by my interruption, but the woman simply found it amusing.

  “You might want to listen to her,” she said with a smile

  “What is it?” Moose asked as he stared at me.

  Instead of answering him, I walked over to the woman and stuck out my hand. “M.T. Ingram, I presume?”

  A broad smile spread out on her face. “At your service. And you are?”

  “I’m Victoria Branson, and that gentleman over there slowly turning red with embarrassment is my grandfather, Moose Nelson.”

  Her smile died instantly at my grandfather’s last name. “I’m sorry, but it’s not appropriate for us to be speaking.”

  “Howard Lance is dead. Has anyone told you that?” I asked softly.
r />   “What? Are you certain?” She was clearly surprised by my news.

  “Feel free to call around and check,” I said.

  “I’ll be right with you,” Ms. Ingram said as she disappeared into her office.

  When she was gone, I turned to Moose. “That was smooth, Moose. Thanks for the lesson in how to deal with people. I should have taken notes.”

  “How was I supposed to know that Ingram was a woman?” Moose asked. “If she’s really the attorney, why was she sitting behind the receptionist’s desk?”

  “I don’t know, but you can ask her yourself when she comes back.”

  “No, thanks,” Moose said. He chewed his lower lip for a moment, and then asked, “Would it help if I apologized?”

  I was surprised to hear his offer, but I had a hunch that it no longer mattered. “Let’s just see what she has to say first.”

  “I like that plan,” Moose admitted. He wasn’t a big fan of handing out apologies, no matter how much they were merited, and I knew that it would have been tough on him doing it.

  Three minutes later, Ms. Ingram came out of her office, a troubled expression on her face. “Our chief of police just confirmed the news. I’m sorry, but I’m still not at liberty to disclose anything that passed between my client and me.” There was something in her glance that told me she wanted to help, but was bound by her ethics.

  “We get it,” Moose said as he started for the door. “It’s just like I told you, Victoria. This was just another dead-end.”

  I had a hunch, though. “You go on without me. I’ll be right out,” I said.

  My grandfather wasn’t at all pleased with my suggestion, but when he looked at me, I narrowed my eyes, and to my delight, he did as I asked and kept going out the front door.

  Ms. Ingram studied me a moment after he was gone, and then she said, “I’m really sorry, but I meant what I said. I can’t disclose anything about Mr. Lance or the business I might have had with him.”

  “Understood,” I said as I took a step forward and held out my hand. “Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. As I said, my name is Victoria, but I didn’t catch your name in that barrage of initials you use.”

  “I’m Monica,” she said as she took it. “I find the initials are useful at times.”

  “I have no trouble believing that.”

  “By the way, I love the way you handled your grandfather.”

  I had to smile at that. “Oh, Moose is pretty harmless if you know what you’re doing.”

  She shook her head. “I doubt that. He reminds me a lot of my grandfather, and there’s not a week goes by that I don’t miss him. You’re lucky to still have him.”

  “It doesn’t always feel that way, but I know what you mean. Do you mind if I ask you a nosy question?”

  “That depends. Does it have anything to do with Mr. Lance?”

  “No Ma’am,” I said.

  “Then I’m game.”

  “You’re clearly very good at what you do, so I’m curious. What made you set up practice here?”

  She offered the hint of a smile as she explained, “I was born just outside of town, and when I left for Duke, I had grand dreams, but this place kept calling to me, and as soon as I finished law school, I came back home. There’s just something about small town life, isn’t there?”

  “I know. I couldn’t imagine ever leaving Jasper Fork. Monica, I need some advice.”

  “That will cost you a dollar,” she said with a slight smile.

  “You actually charge for giving people directions?” I asked.

  “If you want our conversation to be just between us, pay me the retainer and I’m all yours.”

  I smiled as I handed her a buck. “Those are pretty good rates for a Duke graduate.”

  She scribbled out a receipt and handed it to me. “What can I say? You caught me on a good day. Now, how can I help you?”

  “I understand that you can’t talk about your relationship with Howard Lance, but I was wondering if you might tell me where I might go to get a few answers.”

  “In general, you mean?” she asked, clearly leading me in that direction.

  “Of course. Any overlap of information would strictly be a coincidence.”

  “Well, I’ve always found that if there’s something I want to know about anyone in a town that’s new to me, I head over to the restaurant closest to the town square.”

  Was she trying to tell me something? It was time to probe a little more. “And if we were discussing Laurel Landing?”

  “Oh, I’d say the BBQ Pit would be the place to go.” She gave me a simple set of directions, and I knew that we’d have no trouble finding it.

  “Good,” I said. “We’ll do that. Is there anything else I should know before I go stumbling blindly around looking for information?”

  “Well, folks around here are pretty willing to chat, especially if they know why they’re being asked questions. Women in particular might be your best bet.” It was clear she was straining to stay within her boundaries, and still somehow help us. This was the kind of woman I liked.

  “Do you happen to know Rebecca Davis?” I asked on a whim. “She’s an attorney in Jasper Fork.”

  “We’ve never met, but I’ve heard good things about her,” Monica said.

  “You should look her up when you get the chance. She’s my best friend, and I have a feeling that the two of you would get along just fine.”

  “I’ll make it a point,” she said. “I wish I could do more, Victoria, but I’m afraid I can’t say much else.”

  “I totally get it,” I said as I offered her my hand again. “Monica, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

  “The same, right back at you. And don’t forget, I’m on retainer now, so if you need me, I’m just a phone call away.”

  I thought she was half joking, but I accepted the offered card from her just the same. While I had Rebecca to handle any jams I might find myself in, it couldn’t hurt having another attorney on my side if I needed her.

  “You should come by our diner sometime and I’ll treat you to a free meal,” I said.

  “I might just take you up on it. What’s it called?”

  “The Charming Moose,” I said, “all evidence you’ve seen so far to the contrary.”

  “Oh, I can believe he’s charming enough when he puts his mind to it. I’ll see you there sometime, Victoria.”

  “Until then,” I said and walked out of her office.

  As I was tucking the receipt and her business card into my handbag, Moose was leaning against the side of his truck.

  He asked, “What took you so long?”

  “I was having a nice conversation with Monica,” I admitted.

  “So, the M stands for Monica. I really botched that one up, didn’t I?”

  “You did fine,” I said as I patted my grandfather’s shoulder. “I think you helped break the ice with your bluster, and when you left, she and I had a nice little conversation.”

  “What did she say?”

  “I’d tell you,” I said as I got the receipt out, “but I’m afraid that it’s covered under attorney-client privilege now.”

  “You hired her?” he asked incredulously.

  “I did.”

  I retrieved the receipt and offered it to him. He took it gingerly from me, shook his head when he saw the amount I’d paid, and then handed the paper back to me. “Are you sure you got what you paid for?”

  “Are you questioning my judgment?” I asked him.

  “What? No, of course not. I’m sure you did what you thought was right. So, was she any help at all?”

  “She advised us in a roundabout way that we might have some luck if we go to the BBQ Pit. It’s two blocks over and one down.”

  “You don’t have to tell me where it is. Charlie and I go way back, if the old scoundrel is still running things there.”

  “Moose, we’re not going to have a repeat of what just happened, are we?”

  “Victoria, you might be
better with lawyers than I am, but I can handle anyone from a fry cook to the head chef if I need to. It doesn’t matter what we cook; we all speak the same language. If there’s any information here to be had about Howard Lance, I’ll get it.”

  “Well, if nothing else, I admire your confidence,” I said with a laugh as we got into the truck and drove over to the BBQ Pit.

  Chapter 8

  “Charlie, you old horse thief. Don’t tell me you’re still hanging around this joint after all these years.”

  “Moose, when did you get out of jail?” he asked my grandfather with a grin.

  “They’ve never been smart enough to catch me,” he replied, and the two men started laughing. Their conversation had attracted a great deal of attention from the other patrons there, but as soon as they saw that Charlie was happy about seeing Moose, most of them went back to their meals. The BBQ Pit must have spent every dime they earned on their food, since their decorations appeared to be unchanged from the fifties. It wasn’t one of those sleek, retro look places, either. The walls had earned every faded square inch of paint and paper, and the floor was a uniform gray concrete that offered a roadmap of stains and spills from over the years. The place would have been depressing if not for the lively music coming from a jukebox in the corner, and the satisfied smiles of diners all around me. The place just oozed character, and despite my recent meal at The Charming Moose, I felt tempted to try the food there. How had I missed this place, being just half an hour from home? I suppose it was because I spent so much time in our diner that I didn’t care much for checking out other places on one of my rare days off, but I was beginning to think that might have been a mistake.

  “Come on back to the kitchen,” Charlie said. “I want to show you my new smoker.”

  “You actually cracked open your wallet and bought something new?” Moose asked in genuine surprise.

  “No, I swapped for it. I catered a big wedding in Lenoir, and they offered me the smoker in exchange for it. It works like a charm.”

  “This I’ve got to see,” Moose said as the two men disappeared into the kitchen.

  It appeared that, at least for now, I was on my own. I took a seat at the double U serpentine shaped bar and grabbed a menu. Though the restaurant looked old and worn, the menus were spotless, something I appreciated, running The Charming Moose.