by Jessica Beck
“Is Ellen working today?” Sheriff Croft asked as he walked into the diner a little after ten. “I thought for sure she’d be home.”
“She wanted to come in, and I didn’t have the heart to turn her away,” I said. “Is something wrong? You’re not going to question her here, are you?”
“No, your friend Rebecca made it clear that I wasn’t supposed to talk to her without supervision,” the sheriff said with the hint of a smile. “That was smart, bringing her in on this.”
“She’s never let me down before,” I said. “If you’re not going to talk to her, why are you here, then? I know that you’re not a big fan of the diner in general.”
“Nonsense. I love your pancakes, and you know it.”
“Still, you don’t eat here very often,” I said.
“That’s because I know where that will lead. If I want to keep fitting into this uniform, I have to watch what I eat. Every now and then, though, it’s good to indulge.”
“So that’s all you want; pancakes.”
“That’s it,” he said.
“Then have a seat, and I’ll be right with you.”
“Does that mean that you’re not even going to let Ellen wait on me?” he asked.
“She can do whatever she wants, but I have a hunch you’re going to end up in my section, no matter where you decide to sit.”
“Understood,” he said. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have a seat at the bar, then.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I followed him. When he sat down, I asked, “Would you like a menu?”
“Thanks, but I don’t need one. I’ll have a half stack of your mother’s pancakes, and a side of bacon.”
“Wow, you really are indulging,” I said. “Would you like some coffee to go with that?”
“Sure, why not?”
I flipped a cup over on its saucer and filled it for him. As I walked into the kitchen, I found Ellen chatting with my mother. “Do I have a customer?”
“The sheriff is here,” I said.
Ellen stiffened instantly. “Did he come here for me?”
“Relax. He says he just wants a half stack of Mom’s pancakes.”
“And why wouldn’t he?” my mother asked as she poured some batter onto the grill. “He used to eat them all of the time back when he first became sheriff.”
“I keep forgetting that you’ve been running this grill for a long time,” I said. “Does it ever get old for you?”
“I don’t imagine how it could. Every order’s different, isn’t it?” Mom said as she deftly flipped three pancakes with her spatula, each one making a perfect landing on the hot griddle. I’d tried to make pancakes once, and they’d been an unmitigated disaster. There was a great deal more art to flipping than I’d realized, and I’d decided to leave them to the experts after that.
“I don’t know. There are at least a dozen diners who order the exact same thing every time they walk through the door. I personally couldn’t eat the same thing every day of my life.”
“I don’t know. There’s comfort in finding something you like,” she said as she removed the finished pancakes, glanced at the order I’d put in line, and added three pieces of bacon to the plate fresh from the grill. “There you go.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Would you like me to deliver that order?” Ellen asked, though it was clear that she had no interest whatsoever in dropping off this particular order.
“I’ve got it. Why don’t you extend your break a little until he’s gone?”
Ellen shook her head. “No thanks. No one’s going to keep me back here, not even the police.” With a firm step, she walked to the counter and grabbed the pancakes before I could get to them. “On second thought, I’ll deliver these myself.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She put on a brave face, and then Ellen walked through the kitchen door into the dining room.
“I’m going to follow her,” I said.
“Victoria, don’t interfere. She has to do this herself.”
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t keep an eye on her.”
I walked through the kitchen, and I saw that though Ellen had dropped off the sheriff’s order, she stayed close by him. They were talking about something, and I didn’t like the fact that the sheriff had apparently disobeyed Rebecca’s request.
“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked.
“No, it’s fine,” Ellen said. “We were just talking about the weather.”
“Was that all you were discussing?”
“Honest, that was it,” the sheriff said as he held his knife and fork up in the air.
“Okay, but I’ve got my eye on you,” I said.
He actually laughed as he responded, “Victoria, I’d be disappointed in you if you didn’t. Tell your mother the pancakes are spectacular, as usual.”
“I will,” I said. “Ellen, it looks like Karen is ready for her bill.” Karen Morgan was our local clerk of court, and she had started eating regularly at the diner lately. Some folks were like that, turning from infrequent customers to steady ones for a while, and then tapering off again. I never knew if it was because of our cooking or something going on in their lives, and it wasn’t exactly a question that I could come right out and ask them. For now, at least, she was getting to be something of a regular, and I knew that her time was limited during lunch hour, so it was important that we be prompt.
“I’m on it,” Ellen said.
As she delivered the bill, I waved at her to ring Karen up so I could talk to the sheriff in somewhat kind of private. “Are you behaving yourself?”
“Mostly,” the sheriff said. “You know that I pride myself on being a man of my word. I won’t ever do anything I’ve agreed not to. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I’m not questioning your ethics,” I said. “I’m just looking out for Ellen.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” The sheriff took another bite, and then he pushed his plate away, though there was still a fair amount of pancakes there. “That’s it for me. I’d better quit while I can.”
“Would you like me to wrap what’s left up for later?” I asked.
“Don’t tempt me,” he said as he slid a ten under his plate. “I’ve got to be going. Thank your mother for me.”
“I will,” I said. “Sheriff, thank you for taking it easy on Ellen.”
“Don’t mistake my actions for leniency,” Sheriff Croft said as he stood. “Ellen doesn’t have an alibi for the murder of her ex-husband, and everyone knows that she had reason enough to wish him harm. She’s by no means off my list.”
“You’re not going to arrest her, are you?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine Ellen ever getting over being handcuffed and led away from The Charming Moose Diner by the police.
“Not until I have a lot more evidence than I do at the moment. How’s your investigation going?”
“What makes you think that I’m doing anything?” I asked.
“You and Moose would have to be locked up in one of my cells not to dig into Gordon’s murder. Just be careful. We don’t know who did it, but one thing is certain. The man didn’t kill himself with that pipe. There’s someone dangerous on the loose, and I mean to find them and lock them up, no matter who it turns out to be.”
“I understand,” I said. “Just don’t be surprised when we give you someone else’s name as the killer, and not Ellen’s.”
“Don’t get yourself killed,” the sheriff said with a smile. “I don’t want to deal with the paperwork that would bring.”
“We’ll do our best,” I said.
Ten minutes later, Mitchell Cobb came into the diner. We were getting quite a crowd for a time that was nearly too late for breakfast, but still too early for lunch. I wasn’t about to turn anyone away, though. Our bottom line could use every customer who came through the door.
“Sit where you’d like,” I told h
im.
Mitchell nodded in my direction, but instead of finding a table, he walked straight over to Ellen. I wanted to follow him so I could eavesdrop, but unfortunately, at that instant, half a dozen customers all decided at the same moment that it would be a good time to settle up their bills.
By the time I finished ringing everyone up and making change, Mitchell was on his way out the door, too, a scowl plastered to his face.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him as he brushed past me.
“Nothing you can do anything about,” he lashed out at me just before he escaped.
I glanced over at Ellen, who was visibly shaken by something.
“What just happened?”
“Mitchell told me that he loved me,” Ellen said, her voice shaking a little as she relayed the information to me.
“That can’t really come as a big surprise,” I said. “He’s had a crush on you forever.”
“It’s not just that. He said that after what happened, I owed him.”
“What did he mean by that?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. I told him that I was with Wayne now, and that he was too late saying things like that. A few years ago I might have gone out with him, but I’ve got someone important in my life now.”
“How did he take it?”
“You saw him. He nearly ran you over trying to get out of here,” Ellen said. “You know what? Maybe coming in wasn’t such a good idea after all. I hate to do it to you, but is there any way that you can cover for me for the rest of my shift?”
It wasn’t even eleven yet, and Ellen was due to work three more hours. We’d handled things the day before, but I hated to put that kind of burden squarely on Martha’s shoulders. “Let me call Jenny and see if she can come in early.”
“I hate to ask her to do that,” Ellen said.
“That’s okay, you’re not asking her anything; I am. What’s the worst that can happen? All she can say is no.”
“I appreciate you asking her,” Ellen said. “If she can’t make it in, don’t worry about it. I’ll find a way to deal with it. I won’t let you down, Victoria.”
“Let’s just see what she says first,” I said.
Jenny usually worked from four to seven every evening. I knew that she had classes in the morning before work and an active social life afterwards, but if we got lucky, maybe she’d have some time to lend us a hand. “Hey, Jenny, it’s Victoria.”
“I was just going to call you,” Jenny said, and I felt my heart sink. Was she going to call in sick? I didn’t know what we’d do without both of our servers.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, but I’ve got an offer for you. I know that Ellen’s going through a rough patch right now, and I doubt she’s all that crazy about coming in and working her shifts. My class schedule is fairly slow right now, and I can get some notes from my friends on what I miss, so if you’d like me to work double shifts for the rest of the week, I can make that happen.”
“You are a lifesaver,” I said. “Are you sure?”
“To be honest with you, I could use the extra money. Tuition keeps going up, and I could always stand a few more dollars in my checking account. Can Ellen afford to give up her shifts?”
“I have a hunch that right now money is the least of her problems,” I said. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, that would be fantastic.”
“Hey, it’s a win/win. I can be there in ten minutes, if you need the help today.”
“That would be tremendous. I’ll let her know.”
“Go on and send her home. I’m on my way.”
I hung up and told Ellen what Jenny had said. “She’s worried that she’s taking money out of your pocket,” I said. “Can you afford to take some time off?”
“Mom and Dad have already offered to help me with my bills this month,” Ellen said. “The only silver lining in this whole thing is that it’s clear that they’re both really on my side. I think they blamed me a little when I married Gordon on such short notice, and then the kids came along so fast, there was a rift between us that’s just now starting to go away.”
“Well, it’s good to be able to count on them,” I said. “You can go ahead and take off. Jenny will be here soon.”
“I have to wait on Mom, anyway. Her car is in Wayne’s shop, so she’s got mine. I’ll give her a call to come pick me up.”
“You can wait in back until she gets here, if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but I might as well work while I’m here,” she said.
I was relieved that Jenny was coming in to lend a hand. I hated the idea of leaving Martha at the diner to handle things on her own while Moose and I were off investigating murder, but with a full complement of servers, it wasn’t an issue. I didn’t know whether Jenny really needed the money or not, since I knew that her parents were helping her finance her education. She had a good heart, though, so her offer didn’t surprise me in the least. We had been lucky with our hires at The Charming Moose, and I couldn’t imagine running the place without either one of our current servers. Moose claimed that the diner always attracted the right people precisely when the place needed them, and I didn’t have any evidence to the contrary to prove him wrong. I didn’t want to have to deal with replacing either one of my friends, though if our luck held, I wouldn’t have to anytime soon. I knew that someday Ellen would probably get married, and Jenny would graduate from college. That would mean finding a new crew, but at least I didn’t have to do it today, or even think about it.
Our family at The Charming Moose was intact, and I meant to keep it that way if it was in my power. Now all I needed was my grandfather to get there with his wife so we could start investigating Gordon Murphy’s murder again.
Chapter 9
“Where’s my daughter?” Opal asked a few minutes later as she rushed into the diner. “Has she already left?”
“It’s okay, Opal. She’s in back with my mother,” I said.
“What’s Jenny doing here?” Opal asked as she pointed toward our other waitress with a look of concern. “You didn’t fire my daughter, did you? None of this was her fault. It’s not fair, I tell you.”
“Hang on a second. First of all, would you please lower your voice?” I asked. “Ellen is in back taking a break. Nobody’s getting fired. Why would you even think that I’d do something like that?”
“I don’t know. I’m beside myself with what’s happened,” Opal said, her voice near its breaking point. “I need to see Ellen.”
“Opal, would you like some free advice, worth every penny that it’s going to cost you? You’re not going to do Ellen any good right now with the way you’re behaving. You need to take a deep breath, have a cup of coffee, and compose yourself before you speak with her. Can I pour you a cup?”
Opal resisted the idea at first, but after a few seconds, she nodded as she slumped down into one of the booths. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m beside myself. Victoria, would you join me?”
The diner was starting to fill up, but I knew that Jenny could handle things for a little while. I wanted to talk to Opal about what had happened to Gordon Murphy, and I wasn’t about to get a better opportunity. “I’d be delighted.” I went for a coffee pot, and as I passed by Jenny, I asked, “Would you cover things for a few minutes? I need to talk to Opal.”
“Sure thing, Boss,” Jenny said with a smile. “Man, there are some really good tippers this time of day, aren’t there?”
“I hadn’t noticed, but I’m glad that you’re doing well,” I said. “Thanks again for covering the extra shifts.”
“Keep it coming, I say,” she said, and then her smile dimmed a bit. “I’m not happy about what Ellen’s going through; you know that, don’t you?”
“Nobody’s going to doubt your motives, Jenny,” I said.
“Good.”
I poured a cup of coffee for Opal, and then I filled another up for myself. It felt good sitting down with her, but I wasn’t exactly on break. I
needed more information on Gordon, and I hoped that Opal had some for me.
“It’s a shame about your former son-in-law, no matter how you might have felt about him,” I said as I took a sip. Usually I drank sweet tea, but I had the occasional cup of coffee, too. Any way I could get my caffeine was okay with me. When my dad had experienced his episode, he’d given up all caffeinated beverages, but I didn’t know how he did it. My father was a lot like my grandfather in that respect. He had a tough time passing up a good story. Whenever someone asked him if he wanted a soda or a sweet tea, he’d tell them that the last one he’d had was in Intensive Care. I honestly believed that was what kept the man from having another one since.
“Gordon was a weasel, plain and simple,” Opal said as she took a long sip of coffee. “I warned Ellen about marrying him, but she wouldn’t listen, and now look what’s happened.”
“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” I asked her.
“What do you mean?”
“Opal, please tell me that you don’t think that your daughter had anything to do with what happened to Gordon,” I said.
She looked shocked by the question. “Of course not. My Ellen would never do something like that.” She took another sip of coffee, and then Opal looked steadily at me. “There is something on my mind, though. Have you spoken with Robert?”
“Your husband was in here the day Gordon was murdered,” I said.
“That’s not what I meant. Have you spoken with him since it happened?”
“Not very much, but then again, we haven’t had the chance to really chat,” I admitted. “Why, do you think that we should?”
Opal shook her head. “No, I’m sure that Robert is innocent. I’m sure of it!” Why wouldn’t Opal make eye contact with me all of a sudden? Did she suspect that her husband may have had something to do with Gordon’s murder? And if she did, was there cause to believe that it might be true? One thing was clear; Moose and I needed to speak to Robert and decide for ourselves.
