by Maddie Day
“Yeah. Well. Never mind,” Danna said. “I’m so relieved he’s okay.”
“Was he alone in the truck?” I asked. I popped in my last bite of pickle. If he’d been seeing a woman other than Danna, that could explain his not responding to her calls and texts last night.
“As far as I know he was.”
Whew. “Danna, you should text Buck, and I’ll let Detective Henderson know.” I added for Abe’s benefit, “Danna thought maybe something had happened to Isaac, and I think Henderson thought he was evading the authorities.”
“Robbie, he didn’t kill that woman. Either of them!” Danna stood and glared down at me.
“Danna, down girl. I said Henderson thought he might have, not that I thought so.” Although I still wasn’t totally convinced of Isaac’s innocence, and it was going to be interesting to hear where he’d been when he surfaced. “Just text Buck, okay?”
She nodded and walked away a few feet to work on her phone. Turner, who had been taking all this in, calmly finished his meal and stacked up all the plates then deposited them in the sink. I’d be willing to bet he was relieved not to play any part in the current drama. The murder a few months ago had included enough family drama to last him years.
“Let me text Henderson,” I told Abe.
“Do what you gotta do, Robbie. I’ll still be here.” He smiled, and his dimple made me want to drop everything and drag him into my apartment. I smiled back and took out my phone, instead.
Chapter Thirty-three
The Asian noodles were a success with the lunch crowd, which was surprisingly light. I had plenty of time to mull over Beth and Ed clearing out but not checking out. Maybe being questioned by the detective had pushed Beth over the edge and she’d demanded to be taken home. Maybe they’d found a place to stay nearer to the festival venue, but I doubted it. Lodging was usually sold out for miles around way in advance way of the festival. Fast approaching was the final weekend with big-name stars being showcased. I might never know where the couple had gone, or why.
After Abe finished his lunch, he left enough money to cover the check and then some, and gave me a quick kiss. “I’m going home for a couple hours. Get cleaned up, pay some bills, that kind of thing. What time do you want me back to take you to the memorial service?”
I’d asked him earlier if he would go with me and he’d said of course he would.
“Are you sure you want to go?” I now queried.
“Robbie.” He laid his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “If you want me to go with you, then I want to. Okay?” He smiled encouragingly.
“Okay. It’s just that you had a disagreement with her, and—”
“And that’s all it was. I didn’t have any problems with her as a person—heck, I barely knew her—and she was a good musician. What matters to me is right now. So what time should I be back?”
I loved this guy and could barely believe my luck at finding him. Or had he found me? “Actually, I wanted to take some food over to Glen beforehand. Can you be here by three? I’d appreciate the company.” If there was one thing I’d learned from the past murders, it was not to do foolish things like visiting a potential killer alone.
“That’s a nice gesture.”
Nice? Maybe. But I also wanted to see if Glen would act like the grieving husband or like a murderer covering up his evil actions.
“Three o’clock it is. With bells on,” he added.
I laughed. “You can probably leave the bells at home.” We said our good-byes and a moment later the cowbell on the door jangled after him. I turned back to my business. It was Friday and a slow lunch. I hadn’t been to the bank all week and the profits from the week were piling up in the safe in my apartment. I headed over to Danna and Turner.
“I’m going to run out to the bank. This doesn’t look like anything the two of you can’t handle, right?”
Danna gave me two thumbs up. “We got it, boss lady.”
Turner nodded his agreement, so I aimed myself for my apartment. I took a few minutes to freshen up, eat an apple, and play with Birdy, whom I felt I’d been neglecting this week. Well, my parents would be gone tomorrow or the next day, and then I’d have my day off. I gave the kitty a rain-check stroke on the head, then filled two zippered bank bags with the cash from the last few days and slid them into a shoulder bag.
“See ya tonight, Birdman,” I told my kitty, who rested sphinxlike with his head up but his eyes closed. He opened one eye to a slit, and his ears moved, then he stilled again.
I went back through the restaurant and was almost to the front door when it opened in front of me. Isaac stood in the entrance, nearly filling the space with his bulk.
“Hi, Robbie,” he said in his deep, soft voice. For such a big guy, he spoke with one of the gentlest voices I’d ever heard. “Can you spare Danna for a couple minutes?”
“Come in and shut the door, Isaac,” I said. “We’ve been having a fly problem.” That was a half-truth, but mostly I wanted to hear what he said to Danna.
As he obliged, I surveyed the restaurant. One new group of three had come in while I was in my apartment, but otherwise only four tables were occupied and they’d all been served. I could postpone my trip to the bank.
“Sure I can spare her.” I took another look at him. His eyes looked haunted. Was it the dark shadows beneath them, or a dark look in them? “Are you all right?”
“I am.” His gaze was fixed on Danna’s back as she stood at the grill.
I stared when he brought his hand up to rub his forehead. The hand had fresh cuts on it, especially in the purlicue, the soft space where his thumb met the rest of his hand.
When he didn’t say anything else, I offered, “I’ll get her.”
I hurried over to the kitchen area. “Danna, you have a visitor. Take a few minutes break. I’ll wait to go to the bank.”
She whirled. Her eyes went wide, and she wiped her hands on her apron as she strode to Isaac. They stood with arms around each other for a moment. I finally had to avert my eyes at such a private vignette. When I looked again, they’d moved almost out of sight behind the cookware shelves. I stashed my bag under the counter, washed my hands, and got to work.
I jotted down the new customers’ orders while Turner did dishes. After I’d carried over the threesome’s two burgers with coleslaw and one order of Asian noodles with a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, I busied myself busing a few tables. Still Danna and Isaac hadn’t emerged. I glanced at the wall clock. They’d been talking for fifteen minutes.
I’d taken a couple’s money and thanked them when Danna hurried toward me. I stepped away from the table.
“Robbie, you have to talk to him. He won’t listen to me.” She was half breathless and rushed her whispered words. “I told him he has to tell the detective where he’s been. He says it’s none of her business.”
“Did he tell you where he was?”
She shook her head hard. “I’m sure he didn’t do anything wrong. I know it.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to convince him if you can’t.”
“Will you at least try?” She glanced over at the cookware area. “Before he disappears again?”
I nodded and walked toward him, trying to figure out how to approach this gentle but clearly conflicted man. I came around the end of one row of shelves to find Isaac gazing out the front window, fists clenched. Uh-oh.
I scuffled a foot on the ground, making a noise before I spoke so I didn’t startle him. “Hey, Isaac.” I kept my tone casual.
He turned slowly. “Robbie.”
I cleared my throat. “Isaac, you know Detective Henderson is looking for you, right?”
He stiffened. “So? Does she have a warrant for my arrest?” His face got that flat look again.
“Not that I know of. She’s simply trying to follow up all possible leads in the murders.”
He leaned his head forward a little and light reentered his expression. “Murders plural? There was another
one?”
Could he really not know? “Yes. Sue Berry was killed yesterday morning.”
He took in a sharp breath. “Not Ms. Berry. She was such a nice lady.” His eyes shifted left and right under a frowning brow, as if he was searching for something in his mind. His huge hands unclenched. He focused on me again. “Oh, I am so screwed,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I am so very screwed.”
Chapter Thirty-four
I stared at Isaac. “What do you mean?” Surely he wasn’t saying he was screwed because he’d actually killed Sue. What possible motive would he have?
He let out the deepest, longest sigh I’d ever heard. He met my gaze with those unusual eyes of his. “I mean because I was having one of my . . . uh, incidents.”
“What’s an incident?”
“It’s when my PTSD flares up. I have to go off by myself and I barely remember where I’ve been or what I’ve done. The cops are going to have an effing field day with that.”
I wrinkled my nose. I imagined they would.
“When I feel one coming on, I’ve learned to go into the woods and stay there until I feel normal again. Early on I didn’t know how to deal, and I got into some pretty bad bar fights. So the woods is where I was.”
That must be where he’d gotten the cuts on his hand. I hoped. “So your being in the woods coping is the reason you stood Danna up and weren’t answering your phone or texts? Does she know this about you?”
He winced. “That’s the reason. I wanted to tell her but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. She’s a great girl, and I’m damaged goods.” He seemed to have shrunk a few inches all the way around. “And now . . . it’s all too big to explain.”
“She is great, I agree. And too smart not to sympathize.” I patted his arm. “Tell her. She really likes you. She’ll understand.”
“I guess.”
“Then call the detective. It only looks worse the longer you don’t get back to her. Promise?”
He nodded somberly. “All right.” He took another look at me. “How’d you get so people smart, Robbie? You’re a cook. A carpenter. You’re younger than me, I think, or nearly the same age. But you sound like some wise teacher. A guru.”
I did? “I don’t feel like one. But thanks, I guess. Let me go get Danna.”
When he nodded, I scurried away. “Go,” I told Danna. “He has something to tell you.”
I watched her head back to her man. Isaac might need a lawyer, too, but at least he was being honest now. That counted for a lot.
Before I could turn back to the myriad tasks running a restaurant entails, the front door opened again, to admit Adele. I lifted a hand in greeting and started toward her, kissing her soft papery cheek when I got there.
“Are you here for lunch?” I asked.
She glanced around with a furtive air. She grabbed my arm, pulling me close. “I have something to tell you,” she whispered.
“And it’s a state secret?” I murmured.
“No lip, now,” she scolded. “Seriously, you got a minute?”
“That’s about all I have.”
“I paid a visit to Gail.”
“Who’s Gail?”
“Gail Broward. Chase Broward’s wife. Remember I told you we were in a wood-carving club together?” She kept her voice low, but at least she’d stopped whispering.
I nodded.
“So I thought I’d stop by, say hey, see what she knew of her husband’s shenanigans. We got to talking, one thing led to another, and don’t you know, she told me she took and put a tracking device on his car without him knowing.”
My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped. “She did?” This could be really important. Maybe the break in the case Detective Henderson needed.
“Yup. She can check on him from her computer any time she wants.”
“She needs to tell the detective. Has she?”
“Precisely what I said to her. Gail told me she doesn’t want to get him in trouble with anybody else except her.”
“But the tracker could show if he went out again that night, either night,” I said. “Where he went. When he came back here.” She had to tell Henderson, and soon.
“Exactly.” Adele nodded, her eyes twinkling.
“Did she tell you what she saw on the tracker?”
“No. She said her lips were sealed on the matter. But how come you don’t know Broward’s comings and goings? You’re a landlady now. Or an innkeeper, more so.”
“I know. But I don’t hear a thing from my apartment. And the parking and outside door for the guests are on the far side of the building. I’m going to put a camera up on that side but I haven’t had time to yet.”
“Anyhoo, I steered my conversation with Gail around to passwords,” Adele went on.
What? “Why in the world would you talk about passwords?”
“She told me hers was GailChase1997. The year they met.”
“And you talked about passwords why?” I asked again, wishing I could hurry her up.
A new party of four had come in. Two tables were finished and gathering their things. The smell of overdone hamburger wafted my way. Turner was moving as fast as he could, but with neither Danna nor me helping him, he was starting to throw frantic looks at me.
“So Phil can tap into her computer. Find out where Broward went. Then we’ll crack the case.” Adele looked inordinately pleased with herself.
“You want Phil to hack in remotely.” Was it even possible? “Adele, that’s crazy. All we have to do is tell the detective. She’ll subpoena the system or whatever they need to do.”
“But then Gail won’t never speak to me again.” My aunt set fists on hips and pressed her lips together.
I shook my head. She and I rarely came into conflict and I didn’t quite know how to handle it. So I took the chicken’s way out. “I have to get back to work. Thanks for telling me. Can you hold off on asking Phil to hack in, please?”
“Too late.” Her tone was borderline triumphant. “I already did.”
Chapter Thirty-five
By two o’clock the restaurant was empty. “I’m running out to the bank,” I told Danna and Turner. “I’ll help with the cleanup when I get back, and then you both can leave early, okay? It’s Friday, after all.”
“You’re the boss,” Danna said, grinning at Turner.
“Boss,” he finished, then gave Danna a high five.
“Geez, you guys,” I said with a laugh. “Give me a break.” Cleaning up wouldn’t take long, since they were good with wiping down and scrubbing as they cleared tables and cooked. On my way out I turned the sign to CLOSED half an hour before the posted closing time.
Danna’s mood had lightened considerably after her second conversation with Isaac. He’d left, and Danna told me he planned to head over to the sheriff’s office and tell the detective where he’d been. Good. One murky question answered. I hoped.
My own mood had darkened after Adele’s visit. Phil should not be hacking into anybody’s computer. He could get into big trouble for hacking, especially if the goal was to find information Adele could pass along to the police. I’d sent him a text saying exactly that but I hadn’t heard back. Adele had left after saying she’d see me at Pia’s memorial service. I’d asked her if she’d known Pia and she said no, but maybe the murderer would be there.
“And you would know this how?” I’d asked.
“Clues, my dear. Clues.” With that she’d bustled out the door, acting way too cheerful.
Clues. Right. My aunt was getting out of hand. Was this how the homicide detective viewed my own efforts?
Once I’d returned and Turner and Danna were on their way to whatever their Friday held next, I gathered the restaurant laundry and headed into my apartment for a little downtime. I started a load, washed up, and changed into a memorial service outfit. I’d checked the weather on the front porch and the sunny day had turned breezy with clouds scudding past, so I opted for black slacks, a simple fuchsia silk shell, and a black and whi
te linen jacket. Somber but not grim. I brushed out my curly hair, which I always had to tie back in the restaurant, and left it loose on my shoulders. A bit of lip gloss, some silver earrings, black sandals, and I was ready. Abe was picking me up at a few minutes before three to make our condolence visit to Glen. I would have rather had a long, strenuous bike ride on such a pretty day, but once again a ride wasn’t in the cards for this afternoon.
Shoot. I needed to give the detective a heads-up on Gail’s tracking device. I’d saved her number to my phone, so I whipped it out and called her.
“Henderson.” The name came out fast and curt.
“Detective, I learned something this afternoon I think you should know.”
“Is it about Mr. Rowling? Because he’s here.”
“I’m glad he is. He promised me he would go right over.” Whew. One thing had gone right, at least.
“He did, although the fact that no one saw him or can vouch for his whereabouts is frankly disturbing,” she said. “So if not about him, why did you call?”
“My aunt, Adele Jordan, knows Gail Broward, Chase Broward’s wife. Adele went to see her this morning. It turns out Gail suspected her husband was having an affair, so she secretly put some kind of GPS tracker on his car. I thought you should know.”
“Very interesting. Was your aunt planning to let me know?”
I swallowed. “Um, well, I’m sure she was. The thing is, the wife didn’t want to get her husband in trouble with anybody but her, so she didn’t want Adele to tell you. I think Adele was worried about her friendship.”
A snort came over the phone. “I’m sorry, but a double murder investigation trumps friendship every time. And you can tell your aunt I said so. I appreciate you coming forward.”
Adele was going to kill me, but I knew it would only be figuratively. “Do you need Chase’s home address?” I asked. “I have it on his paperwork.”
“No, thank you. I have it, as well. Good-bye, Ms. Jordan.”
“Wait.” I caught her before she disconnected. “Do you know there’s a memorial service for Pia this afternoon at Indiana University?”
