Burgers and Bodies

by Gretchen Allen

  Joss, thinking on her feet, quickly replied, “That must have made for an interesting partnership, but as you said, you gained clients every time, so it can’t be all bad.”

  “Interesting.” Judy chuckled. “You can definitely call it that.”

  “Normally, I wouldn’t be so nosy, but I wanted to ask. How is Natasha’s fiancé dealing with everything?” Joss purposely left out the fact that she remembered Andy’s name just fine.

  “I wouldn’t have any idea about Andy.” Judy’s detest for the man was evident.

  “My apologies. I didn’t know. I just assu…”

  “There’s no way you could. Andy wasn’t my favorite person, and Natasha knew that. Heck, some of her closest family members felt the same way about him, so she never told us a thing. Of course, things didn’t start out that way.” Judy looked away, as if remembering something specific.

  “Do you happen to know where Andy is staying or maybe even where he works? I’d love to send him something, a casserole, even a sympathy card.”

  “Beats me. I attempted to send something as well, thinking it would be a kind gesture, even though we weren’t always on the best of terms.”

  “Attempted?” Joss asked.

  “I didn’t know where Andy was staying, but I knew he worked at Cartwright Construction. He was an architect and traveled a lot working on some high-profile jobs. That’s why the night was such a big deal for Natasha, I think. He hadn’t been around in weeks. I had some flowers sent, which in retrospect, probably wasn’t the best choice, but the flower shop called me to let me know that there was no one that worked there by that name, and the delivery had been refused. Of course, I called the company right away. I was so upset about it. Come to find out, Andy never worked there at all. They’d never even heard of him. So yes, I attempted to be kind and show my sympathy for the man my business partner and best friend was engaged to, but some things never change. Andy has been lying to Natasha for a long time, and I always just looked past it. If I were you, I’d stay away. I know you mean well, but seeking out a man like that may not be in your best interest.” Judy spoke clearly, emphasizing the last few sentences.

  Joss wasn’t surprised to hear that. No matter how much she wanted to see the good in people, sometimes it just wasn’t there. Not only had Andy lied to that woman on the night of the catering event about where they were, but he also lied to Natasha about where he worked. If that was the case, it was probable that he’d lied about plenty of other things.

  “That’s quite a lot to handle. I think I’ll take your advice and stay away. I appreciate you being so honest with me,” Joss said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “It may be a farfetched thought, but if you took the time to extend that man kindness, I wouldn’t put it past him to make a move on you. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “What? He didn’t… I would never.” Joss was surprised.

  “I didn’t mean with you. I mean with Natasha’s cousin. Gloria was the only person I knew that stood up to him and Natasha both. She tried her best to keep them apart, but Natasha believed Gloria wanted him for herself. It’s all a big mess, really. And I’ve bored you long enough. I’m sorry for unloading all of this on you, but I just wanted you to be cautious around Andy. He’s not who he portrays himself to be.”

  “Of course. It’s no trouble at all. I’m glad you told me,” Joss said, rising from her seat. “Thanks again for your honesty and the generous tip. It was much more than necessary.”

  “Like I said. You deserved it. You’d never have gotten a thing if we left it up to Natasha. She liked to spend money… just in all the wrong places.” Judy stood, walking Joss out of the office.

  Chapter Twelve

  “So, I hear you met my sister,” Ryan said, sitting on the fourth stool from the register, his designated favorite spot.

  “I did.” Joss nodded, hoping Rachel had spared him the details.

  “She said you were looking for a new place to live. How come I had to find that out from my sister?” Ryan asked, looking concerned.

  Joss breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that was what Ryan had chosen to focus on. Not that Tyla had been peering in her windows, or that Joss had said something about Rachel dating her brother.

  “I found out that my landlord is selling the house. I don’t need to leave yet or anything, but I’m pretty sure it’s not too far off,” Joss explained.

  “Can he do that? Have you looked over your lease?” Ryan asked.

  “No.” Joss shook her head. “But I’m not going to try to fight it or anything. He came to me right away. Nothing has even happened yet.”

  Ryan looked skeptical. “Are you sure? It’s possible that there may be something in the lease that can protect you.”

  “I’m okay.” Joss laughed. “I don’t need protection. I just need a new place to live. I’ve lived there for a long time. Maybe a change will do me good.”

  “If you say so,” Ryan replied, still looking unsure. “What else have you been up to? I tried calling you a few times, but it just kept going to voicemail.”

  “About that….” Joss began. She wanted to be honest with Ryan, no matter how embarrassing. “I was in the back working the other day when Tyla came to tell me someone was here to see me. My first thought was you, and while you were here, you were also here with another woman. I might have misunderstood things a little.”

  When Ryan finally finished laughing, he spoke. “You thought… You thought I brought another woman to the diner and requested to see you? What kind of person would do that? I did bring her in to meet you, but she’s just my sister.”

  “I know that now, but I was distracted when it wasn’t you at all that wanted to see me. It was Verona.”

  “Oh, boy. You in trouble with the law?” Ryan teased.

  “I don’t know anymore. I haven’t heard from her since, but nothing seems to have changed, so I’m not really sure where I stand.” Joss shrugged.

  “Wait. I was kidding. What are you talking about?”

  After explaining everything that had happened to Ryan, Joss had to walk away to take care of her other customers. The diner wasn’t terribly busy, and Dina was there working as well, but she still wasn’t speaking to Joss, so Joss had to make sure to keep an even closer watch on her tables. Normally, they all looked out for one another at the diner, but things with Dina were still awkward. Thankfully, Ryan was the only one at the counter, and the rest of the customers were in the larger section of the diner, not near where Ryan and Joss were talking, giving them a little more privacy.

  “Have you been sitting there with your mouth open the entire time?” Joss asked when she’d finally made her way back to Ryan.

  “I’m a little surprised is all. Are you okay? Have you been…trying to, ya know?” Ryan asked, cryptically.

  “To what? Solve the murder?” Joss asked, grinning. “I’m an interested party who heard a few things that I wasn’t supposed to hear. You’ll be happy to know that I was going to try to find Andy, but was able to find out some things about him before I had the chance. After that, I decided it was better for my safety that I didn’t try to find him.

  “Let me make sure I get this right. I’m supposed to be happy that you didn’t see him because if you did, it might have been dangerous?” Ryan asked.

  “Sounds about right.” Joss laughed, refilling Ryan’s root beer.

  “I’m glad you didn’t get to go. I don’t think you should be purposely putting yourself in danger.”

  “I didn’t purposely do anything. I had no idea that this guy was as bad as Judy claimed he was. In fact, I still don’t even know if she was telling the truth or exaggerating or what. All I know is that she said that Andy was a liar and that I should stay away from him. I also know she gave me a two hundred dollar tip.”

  “Dang! You taking me out on a date?” Ryan joked, his eyes twinkling.

  “I’m giving half to Garth for helping me with all the food,” Jos
s said, rolling her eyes. “A hundred dollars can still go a long way, though. We really should do something again soon.”

  “We should.” Ryan nodded. “And we will. How about we go to an amusement park this weekend? I hear one opened up not too far away from here. A couple of hours, but that’s not too bad.”

  “I haven’t been to one of those in years! What’s it called? I’ll have to check it out online. I gotta see what rides they have so I can prepare myself for scary roller coasters before we go. I’ll also be researching all of the midway games if they have any. I like to think of myself as a professional whack-a-mole and ski-ball player.”

  “Of course you do. Game on, by the way. I’m the ski-ball champion,” Ryan boasted. “It’s Jamboree Junction. You may remember it as Riverside Park though, it was closed down and abandoned for years, but I heard that whoever bought it really fixed the place up nice. So, it’s a date?”

  “It’s a date.” Joss grinned, excited to talk to Ryan again. She felt a little foolish for ignoring his calls and assuming the worst when it really hadn’t been anything bad at all.

  “Hey.” Ryan pointed. “Is that the older couple you talk about all the time?”

  Joss looked out the window. Jack, Hazel, a second older man, and a woman about her age were all on their way into the diner.

  “Yes. It’s weird to see them here so late in the day, though, and together, for that matter,” Joss mused. “This oughta be interesting.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Look who’s here!” Joss exclaimed, greeting Jack and Hazel at the door.

  “We weren’t going to come here at first, but when we ran into Hazel, she insisted,” Jack said.

  “I’m glad you changed your mind.” Joss smiled, gesturing for the group to have a seat.

  “They were about to go to some restaurant in the city, but I saw them at the gas station and suggested they come here instead. I thought it was a much better option,” Hazel said, still standing.

  “Well, sit, why don’t ya?” Jack looked toward Hazel.

  “No, no. This isn’t my meal,” Hazel said, holding up her hands.

  “Nonsense. Tell me you didn’t just follow us here to make sure we arrived safely. Sit down and eat with us,” Jack said again.

  Joss watched the older man and younger woman that had come along. They were looking back and forth at Jack and Hazel as though they were watching a tennis match.

  “Do they do this often?” the man asked.

  “Oddly enough, yes.” Joss nodded. “But it’s all in good fun. I think…”

  “Ernie, Gloria, this is Joss. My favorite waitress,” Jack introduced his friends, still waiting for Hazel to sit.

  “Nice to you meet you both,” Joss said. “Are you from around here?”

  “We live in the city. We had a family member pass away, and we had some things to take care of here,” Gloria explained.

  It took Joss’ mind a moment to register, but the second it did, she gave Hazel a look.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. Are you here for Natasha Farrell by any chance?” Joss asked.

  “Yes. That’s right. I’m her cousin, and this is our grandfather. Did you know her?” Gloria asked, nudging Ernie.

  Joss gave a brief explanation, not wanting to impose on their lunch.

  “On that note. I’m going to head out,” Hazel said, winking at Joss. “Enjoy your meals.”

  “She sure is an interesting woman,” Ernie pointed out.

  Jack nodded.

  “Well, can I get you all anything to drink while you look over the menu?” Joss asked, her mind spinning. It wasn’t hard to figure out that this was Natasha’s family. Tyla had said Natasha’s cousin found her and Judy mentioned the name, Gloria. She wondered how Hazel knew that Joss would want to talk to them, it was like that woman had a sixth sense about things sometimes.

  The group ordered their drinks and food at the same time, making the process much quicker. All Joss could think about was getting a chance to talk to Gloria. It seemed that Ernie was rushing everyone along, as though he didn’t want to be there for any longer than he had to.

  After delivering their food, Joss left them alone, glancing over to see if she could catch Gloria’s eye. At one point, she raised her hand, calling Joss over.

  “Can we get the check please?” she asked.

  “I’m not even done eating yet,” Ernie said.

  “Where’s the race?” Jack asked, chuckling. “You that eager to get back to the city traffic?”

  “Very funny,” Gloria grumbled. “I remembered I have an appointment this evening and can’t be late. We should get going, Grandad.”

  The group finished up their meals, taking the leftovers in to-go boxes. Ernie paid the bill and Gloria ushered him out of the diner.

  “Is she always like that, or did I do something wrong?” Joss asked Jack.

  “I think it’s hard for them to be here is all. When you mentioned knowing Natasha, it may have been too much. I believe they were a really close family.”

  Before Joss got the chance to reply, Gloria came running back into the diner.

  “Quick, I told my grandfather I needed to use the restroom before we made the trip back home. I just had to ask you something before we left.”

  “Okay.” Joss nodded, wondering why she was in such a rush.

  Jack stepped away to give them some privacy, looking at the wall décor as though it was his first time seeing it.

  “You were there the night she was killed,” Gloria stated.

  Joss frowned. “I was catering an event at her home, yes.”

  “Did you notice anything strange?” Gloria asked. “Everyone we ask that was there says everything seemed normal as ever. But you being an outsider may make a difference.”

  “I mean, I wasn’t really looking for anything out of the ordinary. I think Natasha and her fiancé may have had something going on,” Joss began.

  “See? I knew that jerk had something to do with it!” Gloria said. “Did he say anything to you?”

  Joss sighed. She was afraid to explain what had happened, but finally decided it was best her family knew. After telling Gloria what had happened between Andy and that woman, Joss noticed Jack heading outside to Ernie’s car.

  “I’d been warning Natasha to stay away from him since the beginning. I had a gut feeling he was lying to her, and apparently, I was right.”

  “Didn’t she believe you?” Joss asked.

  “No,” Gloria said, shuffling her feet. “Unfortunately, Natasha and I weren’t on great terms. She always refused advice from me because of something that happened back when we were in college. We were both interested in the same man and when I won, so to speak, she told everyone that I stole him from her. Ever since then, she refuses to listen to anything I say. For crying out loud, Andy was about the sketchiest man I’d ever encountered, and the only thing Natasha could think about was how I was feeding her bad information about him so I could have him for myself.”

  “I had no idea. He seemed so nice at first, but when I heard him outside, I just wasn’t sure what to do. Is all of what you just mentioned the reason you weren’t at the party?” Joss asked.

  “She invited me, actually. Which I’d say was a surprise, but she always invited me to business events because I work in marketing and advertising. She knew having me around was good for business, if it was a personal event, she’d have never invited me.” Gloria glanced out the window. “I’d better get going. Here’s my card. Give me a call. We should get together again and talk more. I’d love to nail Andy to the wall. He’s a fast talker and great at distracting people, so they don’t think anything of his scams. If you see him, watch out,” she said, rushing back outside.

  Joss thought back to when she’d talked to Judy. She had gotten the feeling that Natasha used business money for personal events but still called them business events to cover up where the money was going. Maybe Judy was wrong. Gloria had just said that Natasha would have never inv
ited her to a personal event. Hopefully, Judy didn’t have the wrong information, because spending shared business money on a personal event was certainly a solid reason for Judy to be upset.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Scooping up the last bit of rolled silverware, Joss carried it over to the bucket where Dina was sitting in the reservation room used for large parties, rolling her own silverware for her after shift side-work. She sat there at the table with Dina for a few moments trying to decide if it was worth trying to make conversation again. There was only so many times that Joss would make an effort before giving up. Chasing people wasn’t something she was interested in doing.

  The decision was made for her when her phone started ringing. Not missing the serious eye roll that came from Dina, Joss answered, seeing Tyla’s name on the caller-id.

  “Hello.”

  “You are never going to believe what just happened! I’m at the barber with Austin. I tricked him into taking me with him, so I could go shopping in the little shops near where he goes while he was getting his hair cut. Apparently, a lot of the cool shops that used to be here, aren’t here anymore, so I just went back and sat at the barbershop. I wasn’t there five minutes when a woman came in looking for a guy named Andy. The owner of the place said he was out due to a death in the family and wouldn’t be back until next week.”

  “Andy?” Joss guessed. “This is great! Now we know where he works and that he for sure lied about being an architect. What did the woman say? Do you think it was the same one from that night?”