by Sarah Fox
“I was late, remember?”
“Sure, but you walked your kids to day care. Didn’t anyone else see you there?”
“I exchanged hellos with a couple of other parents, but it’s the time between leaving the day care and arriving here that’s the problem.”
“That should have only taken fifteen minutes or so on foot. Surely Sheriff Georgeson can’t think that was enough time to kill Jimmy, especially since your car wasn’t working.”
“Except it took me half an hour, and I could have intentionally drained the car’s battery afterward to make it look like it wasn’t working that day.”
Ivan muttered a curse under his breath, one that summed up my own opinion of that theory.
Leigh wiped at another tear. “And Greg can’t vouch for the fact that the battery was dead because he left the house before I tried starting the car that morning.”
I focused on her earlier words. “Why did it take you half an hour to get here?”
“I was only five minutes away when a car drove through a big puddle and splashed me. I was completely soaked through to my skin, so I ran home to change before coming here.”
“But somebody must have seen you.”
Leigh shook her head, fresh tears escaping her eyes. “The fog was too thick. I don’t think the driver of the car even saw me.”
My shoulders sagged as I realized she was right. The dense fog had shrouded the entire town for hours that morning. Even Leigh’s neighbors wouldn’t have been able to see her coming and going from her house.
Leigh dropped her head into her hands again. “What am I going to do?”
I put a hand on her back as she sobbed. When I glanced Ivan’s way, he took a step back into the hallway.
“Coffee,” he said gruffly.
He strode off toward the kitchen, but not before I caught a fleeting glimpse of a crack in his usual glower. Although the set of his jaw never changed, the sternness in his eyes had softened, just for a split second. As fierce and intimidating as the chef was, I knew then that Ivan truly cared for Leigh.
Returning my attention to the distraught waitress, I gave her back a comforting pat. “Everything will be all right, Leigh.”
She raised her tear-streaked face. “Will it? I’ve got kids to take care of. I can’t go to jail.”
“You’re not going to jail,” I said firmly. “You know you’re innocent and I know you’re innocent. Somehow we’ll figure out how to prove it. I promise.”
As Leigh gave me a tremulous but grateful smile, I sincerely hoped that was a promise I could keep.
—
Once Leigh had cleaned herself up and Ivan had supplied her with a cup of hot coffee, I ensconced myself in the office, determined to deal with some of the most pressing paperwork before we opened for business. Focusing wasn’t an easy task, but I forced myself to buckle down and get to work. Whatever would happen to The Flip Side now that Jimmy was gone, I was determined that the business wouldn’t suffer because of any action or inaction on my part.
After I’d taken care of some unpaid invoices and made a phone call to one of The Flip Side’s suppliers, I pushed back my chair and glanced at the clock on the wall. The time had ticked past seven o’clock as I worked and I knew the first customers of the day would arrive soon, if they hadn’t already. Yet, instead of getting up and joining Leigh in the dining area, I sat back and closed my eyes, finally letting my thoughts stray away from business matters.
I didn’t want to question Leigh about Jimmy and remind her of her predicament while she was working, but maybe I could start by asking Ivan the same questions. Not that I relished the idea of seeking answers from the burly chef, but now that I knew he had a softer side somewhere beneath all those muscles and tattoos, I wasn’t quite as scared of him.
I was about to get up out of my chair when Brett appeared in the open doorway.
“Morning,” he greeted with a brief smile.
“Morning,” I returned, my heart giving a little skip.
“Got a minute?”
“Sure.” I shut off the computer monitor. “What’s up?”
The remains of his smile faded away as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “I came by to see how you’re holding up. Yesterday…that couldn’t have been easy.”
I swallowed against a sudden welling of emotion, clasping my hands in my lap as a way to control the resurgence of grief. “It wasn’t easy,” I said once I had my emotions in check, “but I’m doing all right. Did you hear that your uncle thinks Jimmy was murdered?” I didn’t bother to add that Leigh was his prime suspect.
Brett gave a grim nod. “I wondered if that would be the case.”
“Why? What made you think that?”
He hesitated.
“Something to do with Jimmy’s body?” I guessed.
He nodded again. “There was blood on the back of his shirt and two slits in the fabric. They could have been from the rocks, but they were both similar in size. That made me wonder if he’d been stabbed.”
So Jimmy could have been killed before he went over the cliff. The blood wasn’t necessarily the result of him hitting rocks on his way down, as I’d assumed. I didn’t know which scenario was worse. Maybe they were equally bad.
“I guess that’s what tipped your uncle off right away too,” I said. “Did you notice the glitter on Jimmy’s shirt?”
“Glitter? No.”
“It probably doesn’t mean anything.”
I stared at a spot on the desk, trying to stop my imagination from conjuring up vivid images of Cousin Jimmy getting stabbed in the back.
Brett glanced over his shoulder. “I also came to introduce you to someone. If she ever decides to show up.”
He stepped back out of the office doorway. Curious, I got up out of my chair as he waved to someone out in the dining area. A woman in her mid-twenties came down the hall to join us, tugging a cardigan on over her aquamarine top as she approached. Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, and when she drew closer, I noticed that her eyes were a similar shade of blue to Brett’s.
“You couldn’t have waited for me?” she said to Brett when she arrived.
“You were taking too long,” he replied.
The young woman harrumphed, but the bright smile on her face gave away the fact that she wasn’t really annoyed.
“My sister, Chloe,” Brett said.
“Younger sister,” Chloe added, getting an eye roll out of Brett. “Much younger.”
She opened her arms and I accepted her hug.
“I’m so happy to meet you,” she said as she drew back. Her bright smile faltered. “Of course, I wish it were under better circumstances. I’m so sorry about Jimmy.”
“Thank you.”
Chloe elbowed her brother in the ribs. “Did you invite her?”
“Not yet,” Brett said. “I was getting there.”
“We’d like to have you over for a barbecue tonight,” Chloe said. “We understand you might not be in the mood to socialize, but we also thought you might like to have some company.”
“Company would be great,” I said, liking the idea since the alternative was to be alone with my melancholy thoughts. “I’d love to come.”
“Perfect!” Chloe took a step back, smiling again. “I have to get moving or I’ll be late for work, but I’m so glad you’re coming tonight.”
“Do you want me to bring anything?”
“Just yourself.” She waved and hastened off down the hall in her high heels.
“She can be a whirlwind at times,” Brett said as soon as she was out of earshot.
“She’s sweet.” I realized that I had no idea where to go for the barbecue. “Do you live close by?”
“Just a few minutes’ walk away, on the corner of Saratoga Street and Sea Breeze Drive. White with green trim. You won’t have a problem finding it.” He fished his cellphone out of the pocket of his jeans. “But in case something comes up, I’ll give you my number.”
&nbs
p; I grabbed my own phone and we exchanged numbers. Once that was done, I realized I didn’t want Brett to leave quite yet.
“Do you have time for some coffee or tea?” I asked.
He glanced at his watch. “Sure, coffee would be great.”
The reappearance of his smile—slightly lopsided—did something funny to my insides, something along the lines of sending thousands of butterflies into sudden flight.
“How about some breakfast?” I suggested. “On the house.”
“I’d be a fool to pass that up.”
“Any preference?”
“Whatever you choose. Anything Ivan cooks up is great.”
“I can’t argue with you there.” I gestured at the chairs in front of the desk. “Take a seat. I’ll be right back.”
I slipped into the kitchen and asked Ivan for two servings of maple pecan pancakes. His scowl never wavering, he gave me a curt nod in response. As I filled a mug with coffee and another with hot water for my tea, I glanced out the window to the dining area.
Although only a few minutes after seven, customers had already occupied two tables. Leigh appeared to have everything under control, however, so I returned to the office and handed the mug of coffee to Brett.
“Do you take cream or sugar?” I asked.
“No. Black is good, thanks.”
I set my tea mug on the desk and sat down facing Brett. “So, it’s really been eighteen years?”
“Yep.” He sat back in his chair. “How come I never saw you again after that?”
“After Jimmy’s wife died I stopped coming as much. My mom and I came over for a long weekend here and there, but I mostly spent my summers in the city after that.” I took an experimental sip of my tea but found it too hot, so I set it down again. “You wanted to be a lifeguard.”
“You remember that?”
I smiled. “I also remember that you had a thing for licorice ice cream.”
He mirrored my smile. “I still do, and I got my certification and worked as a lifeguard in the summers to put myself through college.”
Leigh appeared in the doorway, the redness gone from her eyes now. She entered the office and set two plates of pancakes and a handful of cutlery on the desk. “Here you go. Hot off the griddle.”
We both thanked her, and she flashed me a smile before leaving the office and shutting the door behind her.
“Where did you go to college?” I asked once we’d had a chance to sample the pancakes.
“The University of Oregon. I majored in business and then moved to Seattle for a few years.”
“You were in Seattle?”
All the times I’d thought of him over the years, I’d never imagined he was in the same city as I was.
“For a while. I worked for a company downtown.”
“Whereabouts?”
“Near Sixth and Union Street.”
“Really? That’s not far from where I work.”
“If only I’d known.”
I shared that sentiment.
He swallowed a bite of pancake before adding, “One thing I miss about downtown Seattle is the Mexican restaurant on Fourth Avenue.”
My face lit up. “Rinconcito Mexicano! I love that place. They have the best enchiladas.”
“And the best nachos rancheros.”
I realized I was smiling. “It’s kind of crazy that we never ran into each other there.”
“Crazy bad luck.”
I tried to keep my smile from getting out of control. To buy myself a few seconds, I ate another piece of pancake before saying, “But now you’re back here.”
He nodded and took a drink of his coffee. “I realized that a life behind a desk didn’t suit me, so I came home to Wildwood Cove and started my own business.”
“What kind of business?”
“Lawn and garden care. Cutting grass, trimming hedges, pruning trees, that sort of thing. It keeps me busy for about eight months of the year. During the winter I help out with my dad’s business. He’s a contractor. Home renovations, mostly. What about you?”
I tried my tea again and found it cool enough to take a long sip. “I majored in English at UW, but I wasn’t sure what to do with myself after I graduated. In the end I became a legal assistant.”
“Do you like it?”
I shrugged. “It’s all right when people aren’t yelling at me.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“More than you might think. The firm I work at specializes in family law. A lot of the clients are stressed and angry. Unfortunately, they often take it out on me.” I took another sip of tea. “Some of them are really sweet, though.”
“Sounds stressful.”
“I guess it can be.” I glanced his way and opened my mouth to say something more, but then I closed it and shifted my gaze to the remains of my pancakes.
“What?”
I hesitated, unsure if I should say what was on my mind. In the end, I decided to go ahead. “We haven’t seen each other in almost two decades, but somehow this seems…” I chickened out then, wishing I’d kept quiet. I lowered my eyes to focus on my plate again.
“Natural?” Brett said.
My eyes shot up to meet his. “Yes.” He’d surprised me by knowing what I meant.
“I agree.”
Butterflies flitted about in my chest, partly because he felt the same, but mostly because of the way his gorgeous blue eyes held mine. Realizing that I’d stopped breathing, I broke eye contact and drew in a breath. Unable to sit still any longer, I finished off my last bite of pancake and checked Brett’s coffee mug. It was empty.
“Want a refill?”
“I’m good, thanks. And the pancakes were delicious.” He pushed back his chair. “I should probably get to work.”
I got to my feet and stacked our empty plates.
“Let me help you with that.” Brett grabbed the stacked plates and carried them into the kitchen for me.
From there, I walked with him to the front of the restaurant.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said as he put a hand on the door.
“What time?”
“Around six?”
“Sounds good.”
He gave me another glimpse of his smile as he headed out the door. “See you later.”
With a smile of my own, I watched him walk off down the promenade.
Chapter 7
When I turned away from seeing Brett off, I found several pairs of eyes on me. Although The Flip Side had opened only half an hour earlier, a third of the tables had already been claimed by customers. Perhaps I should have expected that the pancake house would be busier than usual, filled with diners genuinely sad to hear of Jimmy’s death as well as a few curious souls seeking juicy tidbits of gossip.
I hesitated, unsure of how to handle the situation.
Leigh rushed over and put a hand on my arm. “I can take care of things out here if you’d rather stay in the back,” she said in a low voice.
I drew in a deep breath and gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Leigh, but I’ll be all right.”
“Are you sure?” She didn’t seem convinced.
“I’m sure. Besides, if this is how busy things are before the usual rush, you’re going to need me.”
I returned to the office, staying just long enough to retrieve my apron. Then I joined Leigh out front, as ready as I’d ever be to face all the questions and condolences that were bound to come my way.
Two of the first customers I served were Gary Thornbrook and his buddy Ed. Although I didn’t allow my hesitation to show, I felt uneasy as I approached their table, knowing as I did that the paintings stolen from Gary’s house had somehow ended up in Jimmy’s workshop.
“It’s a real shame about Jimmy,” Gary said as I filled his cup with coffee.
“It is,” I agreed.
“We’ll sure miss him,” Ed chimed in. “Everyone will. This town won’t be the same without him.”
“Sure won’t.” Gary added a genero
us dose of sugar to his coffee.
I set the coffeepot on the table and jotted down their orders for blueberry pancakes, sausages, and bacon. Before I could turn away and head for the kitchen, Gary spoke up again.
“I got a call from the sheriff yesterday.”
“Oh?” I tucked my pen into the pocket of my apron.
“Turns out a couple of my stolen paintings have been found.”
“You don’t say?” Ed took a sip of his coffee. “That’s some good news.”
“Yes. That’s great.” I tried to sound happy, but my stomach twisted as I wondered just how much information Ray had shared with Gary. “Did he mention where they were found?” Somehow I managed to keep my voice sounding normal.
“Nope,” Gary replied, and I relaxed with relief. “He said he couldn’t tell me much since the investigation is still ongoing. And he couldn’t return the paintings yet, but it’s nice to know I’ll be getting at least some of the stolen items back.”
“I’ll say.” Ed sat back in his chair. “If they found your paintings, they must be getting close to catching the culprit.”
“I sure hope so,” Gary said.
“I’m glad about your paintings, Gary.” I took a step toward the kitchen, wanting to escape from the conversation. “Your pancakes won’t be long.”
“Thanks, Marley. And I really am sorry about Jimmy.”
“Thank you.” I hurried toward the kitchen and relayed the latest orders to Ivan. As I delivered plates of crêpes to another pair of diners, I wondered if Gary would still feel as bad about Jimmy’s death if he knew where the stolen paintings had been found.
—
The Flip Side remained busy for much of the day. Although there were a few times when the crowd thinned out temporarily, Leigh and I barely had a moment to rest. As much as I wanted to question Ivan about any enemies Jimmy may have had, I didn’t get the chance. All my trips to the kitchen were hurried, and I couldn’t afford to linger and attempt to wrest answers from the reticent chef.
Toward the end of the lunch rush, Jonah walked in, this time without Goldie. I held my breath as he ran his eyes over the dining area and let it out only when he strode to the back of the restaurant and sat down at a table under Leigh’s care. I caught his eyes on me once or twice as he ate, but somehow I managed to hold back the shudders that wanted to run along my spine.
