by Lena Gregory
She lined bacon and sausage on the grill, started the scrambled eggs, filled plates with home fries and grits, added a small bowl of gravy and a couple of biscuits, flipped the eggs, then loaded everything up onto the plates and put them on the cutout counter for Willow.
When she checked the dining room through the window, she spotted Willow taking an order at a table of three. All three of them already had coffee and juice, as did two other tables whose customers sat perusing the menu. Willow was definitely on her game, but a sadness still lingered in her eyes. Whatever was going on with her, Gia felt bad leaving.
Willow handed Gia the new order slip through the window, since she was standing there staring at her, then grabbed the dishes from the cutout and brought them to Earl and Cybil.
Earl and Cybil seemed to be getting along well, both smiling and laughing as they talked. Gia was glad. If nothing else, they’d both shared a meal with someone and maybe made a new friend. She hoped so. Earl had a huge family, between all of his children and grandchildren, and he seemed to have a number of friends, but he still seemed lonely at times, especially when he spoke of his late wife, Heddie.
She returned to the grill, ladled pancake batter onto hot oil, scrambled eggs, heated sausage and bacon, made toast, and fell into the routine of the busy morning rush. She placed order after order on the cutout counter for Willow as she worked her way down the line of tickets.
Willow hurried in and out too fast for Gia to ask her about what happened, but she couldn’t help being worried about Skyla.
When it was almost time for the local churches to start letting out, Cole walked in. “Hey there. I see Willow’s back.”
“Yes.” She scanned the next order and faltered. Oatmeal with blueberries. The same thing Donna Mae Parker, who’d been looking for Harley, had ordered the morning before.
“Did she say if everything was all right?” Cole asked as he washed his hands.
“She didn’t really say what happened, but she did say everything was okay, so I’ll have to take her word for it. For now, anyway.” She made the oatmeal, added a dollop of cream and a sprinkling of blueberries, then started to put the bowl on the cutout for Willow. When she peeked through into the dining room and saw Donna Mae sitting at the counter, she changed her mind. “Hey, Cole, do you mind jumping right in?”
“Not at all.” He already had gloves on and was scanning the first ticket. “Go ahead.”
Leaving Cole to continue banging out orders, she changed her apron and carried the oatmeal into the dining room.
Donna Mae greeted her with a warm smile. “Good morning, Gia.”
“Good morning.” Gia set the bowl in front of her.
“It was so good, I couldn’t resist.” Donna Mae picked up her spoon and dug in. “Mmm…as good as I remember.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“One of these days you’ll have to give me the recipe.”
“Sure.”
Donna Mae set her spoon aside on a napkin and folded her hands on the counter. “Were you able to reach Harley?”
“I put the card in his dinner bag, but I haven’t looked yet to see if he took it.”
She glanced over her shoulder out the window. “Would you, please?”
“I—”
“I know you’re busy, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t urgent that I reach him. Please? I don’t know of anyone else he talks to regularly.”
“How do you know he talks to me regularly?”
Donna Mae hesitated. “I keep an eye on Harley. Please, Gia. I have to find him.”
“All right.” Donna Mae’s sense of urgency had started to make Gia anxious. With one quick glance around the dining room to make sure everything was under control, Gia ran to the back door, cracked it open, and peeked out. The bag she’d left for Harley the night before was gone. She returned to the dining room, uneasy, though she couldn’t place why. If it was the fact that she’d left for thirty seconds, she was in for a rough four days away while everyone else ran the café.
When she returned, it didn’t look as if Donna Mae had eaten even one more bite of her oatmeal, though she clung tightly to her coffee mug.
“His bag is gone, and I put your card in the bag with a note to get in touch with you, so I assume he got it.”
Her smile faltered. “He hasn’t called.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else I can do. If I see him, I’ll tell him to call.”
She was shaking her head before Gia even finished her statement. “You don’t understand. I have to get in touch with him.”
As much as Gia wanted to help, she had no clue what to do. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
Donna Mae grabbed her wrist, looked around the crowded café, and leaned forward, pitching her voice low. “I have to find him. Now. He may be in danger.”
“Danger?”
“Shh…” She leaned back on her stool. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”
Everything seemed to be under control in the dining room. Willow smiled as she took orders and chatted up customers, and Gia had no doubt Cole was fine. Orders continued to come out regularly.
“Sure. We can talk in my office.”
“No. Not here. Believe me, you do not want to be seen talking to me right now.” A tear spilled over Donna Mae’s thick lower lashes and rolled down her cheek.
“Okay, wait. Umm…” Gia tried to think. Harley sometimes hung out in a clearing in the woods behind the café. “I know one place he could be. If you go out the front door and around the side of the building, there’s an entrance to the upstairs apartment. Go inside and wait for me. I’ll see if I can find him, then I’ll meet you there.”
She looked around and nodded, then took a bite of her oatmeal and waited for Gia to leave.
Gia didn’t notice anyone watching either of them as she crossed the room heading toward the back, but that didn’t mean anything. She poked her head into the kitchen on her way past to make sure Cole was okay. “Will you be okay for a few minutes if I run out?”
He shot her a quick thumbs-up and continued what he was doing.
She pushed out the back door and did her best to ignore the dumpster as she jogged across the lot. It wasn’t only Bradley she’d found in the dumpster; Harley had been hanging out of that same dumpster the day they’d first met.
She stepped onto the grass between the trees without looking and caught a flash of something green skittering up a tree trunk at her side. Startled, she jumped back before a fairly large lizard hopped from the trunk to a bush beside the tree. One of these days she would probably get used to the wildlife in Florida, but for today, she couldn’t even believe she’d almost bolted into the woods without so much as a glance at her surroundings. And her bear spray was tucked safely in her purse in the desk drawer in her office. Good place for it. Unless of course she came across a bear or any other wildlife set on eating her.
Moving more cautiously than she had been, she made her way to the clearing where a tree stump stood empty. No Harley.
The chances of him being there had been slim, but that didn’t curb her disappointment. Seemed like whatever she tried to do lately wound up at a dead end. Maybe getting away for a few days was a good idea; it might give her a fresh perspective.
She emerged from the narrow strip of woods, brushed off her clothes and shook out her hair, which did nothing to relieve the sensation of things crawling on her. She shivered beneath the hot sun and strode across the parking lot toward the apartment door. She was done playing around. Time to get some answers.
She rounded the corner of the building, intent on making Donna Mae Parker tell her what was going on, and plowed straight into a man’s back.
Chapter 12
Harley stumbled away from the wall he’d been leaning against, tearing his gaze away from the apartment d
oor. “Oh, Gia. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were there.”
Gia bit back an angry retort. She wasn’t mad; he’d just scared the daylights out of her. “No, Harley, it’s my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m sorry.”
Harley smiled and smoothed a hand over his more-gray-than-blond beard. “It’s okay.”
“What are you doing here anyway?” Now that some of the shock of running into him had passed, she was beginning to realize something was off.
“Just watching.”
A car horn beeped, and Harley whirled toward the street.
Harley didn’t quite seem himself. Tremors rocked his hands, and he seemed jittery, jumping at every sound. “Watching what?”
“Watching her.”
“Watching whom?” Gia reminded herself to be patient. Getting information out of Harley could be a bit like pulling teeth.
“My girlfriend.”
“Your…girlfriend?” Harley had a girlfriend? Wow, the rumor mill sure had dropped the ball on that one.
“Not anymore. But once.” Harley zoned out, staring off into space, a content smile softening his features. Then his expression hardened. “That was before.”
“Before? Before what?”
“Before my brother…” He hesitated, his gaze somewhere far away. “He shouldn’t have.”
“Shouldn’t have what?” Gia was more confused than she’d ever been in her life. She hadn’t realized Harley had family around. “Who is your brother?”
“My brother?” Harley scratched his head through the long tangle of hair that hung limp down his back past his shoulders.
“Yes. You said you had a brother. What’s his name?”
“Mitchell.”
“Mitchell?” What had Donna Mae called Harley? Harley Anderson? Surely, he couldn’t possibly be talking about Mitch Anderson.
“Yes. But that was a long time ago.” Harley started off at his regular stilted pace, limping a little worse than usual.
Gia called after him. “Where are you going?”
He kept walking.
She tried again. “Are you okay, Harley?”
This time he stopped and turned. “I’m good.”
“Why are you leaving? Didn’t you get my note that Donna Mae wants to speak to you?”
Harley’s eyes clouded over. “Yes.”
“She’s upstairs now. You know that, right?”
He nodded and turned away, then hobbled across the back parking lot and kept going without looking back.
Gia thought briefly about running up and telling Donna Mae he was there, but she stopped herself as she watched Harley limp into the patch of woods behind the parking lot. If Gia told her, she’d go running after him, and she’d most certainly catch him, so Gia would keep her mouth shut. If Harley didn’t want to speak to her, whatever his reasons, she’d respect that.
But she was going to get some answers.
She whipped open the door and found Donna Mae standing in the small foyer. “Donna Mae?”
“I heard.”
Gia looked over her shoulder, but Harley was no longer in sight. “I’m sorry, I tried to—”
She held up her hand. “I know. I heard.”
“But you didn’t come out.”
“No.”
“Why not? I thought you wanted to talk to him?”
Her hands trembled as she dug a crumpled tissue out of her bag. “If he was watching me, he already knows.”
“Knows what?”
“That we’re in danger, all of us.”
“Who’s in danger?”
“You seem like a really nice person, Gia, and I’m happy Harley has you for a friend.” She lowered her gaze and started past her.
“I thought you said you wanted to talk privately?” No way was she walking away with no explanation. Gia grabbed her arm. “Please, tell me what’s going on.”
“I can’t. Not here, and not now.” She pulled her arm away. “I have to get my shop open. Thank you for breakfast. It was very good.”
With no way to stop her—short of knocking her over, restraining her, and demanding answers—Gia watched her go. But she couldn’t shake the feeling Donna Mae’s odd behavior had something to do with Ron Parker’s death. Especially if her suspicions were correct, and Harley’s brother was actually Mitch Anderson.
Mitch Anderson, who was supposedly good friends with Ron Parker. Ron Parker, who was Mitch Anderson’s opponent.
Gia gave up trying to make any sense of it for the moment, but when she got home, she’d have to remember to add Donna Mae and Harley’s names to the chart she’d started. Though she had no idea how the two of them could be connected to Ron’s murder.
She made a mental note to update the chart as she tried to bring it into focus in her mind. Harley Anderson. And…wait a minute…what had Donna Mae’s card said? She hadn’t paid close attention at the time, but if she remembered correctly, her name was Donna Mae Parker. Coincidence? While Anderson and Parker were two common enough names, what were the chances of first Harley, then Donna Mae, sharing names with two people connected to this whole mess and not being related to them? Slim to none in Gia’s mind.
As she rounded the front of the café, she glanced down the street. Storm Scoopers should be open now, people sitting at the few wrought-iron table sets Trevor kept out front. Somehow, the town seemed emptier without Trevor’s shop open.
After being gone longer than she should have already, she tucked the thought aside for later. She scanned the dining room as she hurried back into the café, greeting people as she moved through the room, but not stopping to chat. The room was packed, and she’d left Cole alone on the grill. A pang of guilt shot through her. Cole had agreed to pitch in and help, not run a busy lunch shift by himself.
She rushed into the kitchen, donned her apron, washed her hands, and pulled on gloves. “I’m sorry.”
Cole frowned at her while flipping three eggs and didn’t lose one yolk. “Sorry? For what?”
“Leaving you alone while it’s so busy.” She scanned the order slips tacked above the grill and counted what Cole had already started.
Cole laughed. “No worries, Gia. I told you when we first met, I sometimes miss the rush. Sometimes, mind you. I don’t want to go back to doing this all day long, every day, but I’m not gonna lie—it sure is nice sometimes. Keeps the mind sharp and the fingers nimble.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Everything’s set up”—he gestured toward the line of plates on the counter—“if you could just add home fries and bread to each.”
She glanced at the tickets, popped four slices of whole wheat bread and two slices of rye into the toasters, then spooned out six helpings of home fries and one of grits, buttered the toast, added strawberry jelly to two slices, arranged them on the plates and held them out for Cole to add the eggs and meat, then slid them onto the cutout. She filled a bowl with gravy and put it on a plate, then added two biscuits. Cole added scrambled eggs and bacon and slid the plate onto the cutout for Willow.
The two of them worked smoothly together, each able to anticipate what the other would need. Though Gia usually worked the grill, while Cole did the extras, he seemed content, so Gia left him to it. She kept up with the breads, fruits, a couple orders of oatmeal, breakfast pies…
Her mind wandered as she worked in smooth rhythm with Cole, wondering about Harley’s involvement and Donna Mae, the mysterious Allison, the Fischettis, Skyla’s odd behavior of late and Trevor, whom she still hadn’t heard from despite him having been released at least twenty-four hours ago.
She contemplated motives for murder. What made people kill? Jealousy. Who could have been jealous of Ron Parker? Greed. What could Ron have had that someone else could have wanted? Revenge. Had Ron done something so awful to someone it had led to his death
? To keep a secret hidden.
“Gia!”
She jerked back to reality just in time to avoid burning six slices of toast. “Oh, no.”
“Your mind seems a million miles away today. You all right?” Cole stacked pancakes onto a plate and slid it onto the counter for Gia.
As soon as she finished buttering the barely salvaged toast, she added a side dish of butter and a small carafe of warm syrup to the pancake plate and stuck it on the cutout. “Yeah, sorry. Just a lot on my mind.”
“You know there’s nothing you can do right now, right?”
She shrugged. “I just wish Trevor would call. I’m worried about him.”
“Have you tried calling him?”
“Not lately.” She didn’t add her promise to Hunt that she wouldn’t. No sense opening that particular can of worms. “But I left a million messages for him, and he hasn’t returned my calls.”
“I’m sure he has his reasons.” He handed her another filled plate. “He’ll call when he’s ready.”
“I guess.” But Gia didn’t share his certainty. And trying to figure out why he wasn’t calling made her as crazy as wondering if he was okay.
“So, what did you decide about the steak and eggs? Want to give them a try as soon as you get back from your trip?”
“Trip?”
Cole just stared at her. “Seriously? Do not let Savannah hear you say that.”
Ah jeez. He was right. She really had to get her head in the game. “Yes. We’ll give it a try as soon as I get back. I’m excited about it. I think that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for to bring in a busier dinner crowd.”
“Get Earl to come in for dinner one night, and we’ll try it out on him.”
Gia laughed. “I’ll see what I can do, but after the breakfast that man packs away, I can’t imagine he’d be hungry for dinner.”
Cole pointed with the spatula. “You could be right.”
She felt bad she hadn’t gotten back out to see Earl and Cybil before they’d left, though Willow had let her know Earl had picked up the bill, despite Gia’s continued insistence that he didn’t have to pay. And Cybil had eaten every bite. She made a mental note to call Cybil and see how picking up Caesar had gone.
