by Jessica Beck
“Suzanne, we need to talk to you,” Grace said solemnly, not matching my jovial mood.
“This isn’t an intervention or something, is it?” I asked them, wondering what the three of them could possibly want to speak with me together for.
“No, it’s nothing like that,” Momma said with a raised eyebrow. She then turned to Grace. “Go on. Don’t keep her waiting. Tell her.”
“Suzanne, I hate to do this to you, but I’ve suddenly been called in to work. I’m going to have to bail on you.”
“That happens,” I said with a bit of alarm in my voice. “Is there something else going on here that you’re not telling me?”
“No, but it kills me to leave you in the middle of an investigation,” she said.
“That’s why we’re here,” Phillip said with a smile. “We’re going to fill in for her.”
“As much as I appreciate the offer, Jake’s going to be home this evening,” I said.
“I know, I called him about a cold case I’m working on, and he told me what happened. Good for him. I don’t blame him a bit for leaving a bad situation he couldn’t make any better by staying.”
“I’m sure he would appreciate that,” I said, “but I’ve got this covered.”
“You’re not doing this alone, even for eight hours,” Momma said emphatically. “That’s that.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I assured her.
From the expression on her face, I knew that I was wasting my breath. “Nonetheless, we are at your service.” She turned to Grace. “Don’t worry, dear. We’ll be fine.”
“I know that,” she admitted. “I just don’t want to miss out on any of the fun.”
“I’ll keep you informed,” I said as I hugged her. “If you’d like, I could call you tonight and give you a progress report.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked softly as she hugged me.
“I’ll be just dandy,” I said with a grin. “Now go.”
“Okay. I can’t believe they are calling me back in on my vacation. There’s one silver lining to it, though.”
“That we’re here to help in your place?” Phillip asked. It was clear he was chomping at the bit to get back into action.
“Sure, but I also get double the time off later,” she said. “You three stay safe, do you hear me? There’s a killer out there who’s not going to like what you’re doing, and if you get as aggressive as you’re going to need to be to get some solid answers, whoever killed Annabeth is going to know that you’re on their trail.”
“We’ll be careful,” I said. “Are you headed to Charlotte?”
“To the airport, anyway. I’m headed out to the west coast. Evidently one of my bosses has resigned suddenly, and my input is required on her replacement.”
A sense of dread swept through me suddenly. “They aren’t going to make you take her place out there, are they?” The thought of losing my best friend from my everyday life was almost too much to bear.
“No, they know better. I refuse to climb any higher up the corporate ladder if I have anything to say about it. Why in the world would I leave the sweet gig I’ve got going right now?” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to hustle if I’m going to make my flight.”
“Save travels, child,” Momma told her and then added a hug of her own before Grace could leave. Phillip smiled and waved, and I watched in silence as Grace took off headed for the sky.
“Don’t worry about bringing us up to speed. We’ve been briefed,” Phillip said as soon as I turned back to them. “Do you have a game plan going forward, or do we need to put our heads together and come up with something? We’re not rookies, you know. Not only was I a cop for a great many years, but your mother and I have worked cases with you before.”
He didn’t have to remind me. This was getting to be a Greatest Hits Tour with Grace, Phillip, Momma, and soon Jake helping with an investigation. George had offered his services as well, and as far as I knew, I might be calling on him at some point, too. It might even take every last one of them to get to the truth, but if that’s what it took, then that was what I was willing to do.
“I don’t know about you two, but I’m kind of hungry,” I told them. “Is there any chance we can stop by for a bite to eat at the Boxcar before we start sleuthing?”
“I could eat,” Phillip said as he patted his stomach. He’d lost so much weight since I’d been gone that I didn’t think one of Trish’s meals would hurt him. “How about you, Dot?”
“Actually, it sounds delightful,” Momma agreed. “I understand they have a new soup-and-sandwich combination that I’ve been dying to try. I just can’t find a decent broccoli-and-cheese soup these days.”
“Then let’s go,” I said.
Chapter 17
“Hey, gang,” Trish said as she greeted us the moment we walked into the Boxcar Grill. I loved that she had remodeled old train cars to make a restaurant, including the kitchen and dining rooms, and it didn’t hurt that the food was great and that it was so close to my cottage and my place of work that I could eat there just about whenever I took a hankering for it. “It looks like I’m getting the whole clan, less Jake. Where’s Grace?” she asked as she watched the door behind us.
“She got called to the west coast,” I said. “Right now she’s on her way to the airport.”
“That girl is a real jet-setter, isn’t she?”
“Do you envy that?” Momma asked her.
“No, ma’am. I love knowing where I’m going to be every day and what I’ll be doing. Some folks might think of it as being in a rut, but it’s what makes me happy. I’ve got my diner, Suzanne has her donut shop, you have your business interests, and Phillip is solving cases from the past that everyone else gave up on long ago. It’s important to feel productive, isn’t it?”
“I believe it’s one of the keys to a long and happy life,” Momma said. “Any chance broccoli-and-cheese soup is on the menu today?”
“You’re in luck,” Trish said. “Lately we serve it only on days that end in ‘y.’”
“Does that mean that there’s no variety through the week?” Phillip asked. “I’ve never been a big fan of broccoli.”
“Until Hilda learns to make smaller batches of soup, I’m afraid that’s all we’re going to be offering for the foreseeable future,” she said with a grin.
“Well, I’ll do my part to lessen the surplus,” Momma said.
“You folks find a table, and I’ll be right with you,” Trish said as Sandy White and her son, Thomas, presented their bill to pay.
“Don’t rush on our accounts,” Sandy said. “Hey, folks. How are you? Suzanne, it’s so good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back,” I told my friend and loyal customer. “How have you been?”
“He’s growing like a weed, isn’t he?” she asked with a smile as she rubbed her son’s head.
“Mo-o-mm,” he protested.
“Wha-a-t?” she asked, mocking his inflection.
“I’ll see you two later,” I said with a smile. Sandy, her best friend, Terri, as well as five or six dozen other folks made me glad that I’d stayed in April Springs.
Once we had our table, Phillip took his time perusing the menu. “Why do you insist on doing that?” Momma asked her husband with mock disdain. “You know what you’re going to get. It never fails that you order the same thing every time we eat here. For the past eight times we’ve been here, you’ve gotten a club sandwich, no tomato, French fries, and sweet tea.”
“You never know. I might just fool you one of these days,” he said as he continued to study the menu, squinting a bit as he read the fine print.
“Glasses, Phillip,” Momma reminded him.
He sheepishly pulled out a pair and put them on. “You’re right. That’s much better.”
“I’m glad,” she said, and then she turned to me. “Now, while he’s deciding on his next exotic choice, let’s chat. It must have been hard to learn that Annabeth’s death wasn’t an accident after all.”
“We’re still not one hundred percent sure,” I said, hedging my bets a little. After all, it was possible that my friend had been paranoid in the notes she’d left me, though the positioning of that ladder would bother me until I could prove that she hadn’t fallen from it, and there were just too many people who wished her ill.
“What does your gut tell you, though?” Momma asked.
“That she was killed by someone else. There’s no doubt about it.”
“Then that’s the premise we work from. Have you spoken with Alyssa about your theory?” she asked carefully.
“She agrees with us,” I said. “As a matter of fact, she’s doing everything in her power to aid in our investigation.”
“And why wouldn’t she?” Momma asked softly. “If our positions were reversed, I would never sleep until I brought your assailant to justice.”
“Same here,” I said as I patted her hand lovingly.
Trish approached the table with three sweet teas on a tray. Momma looked at her with amusement clear on her face. “I’m sorry, I must have blacked out there for a moment. Did we already order our drinks?”
“No, ma’am, but if you’d like something else, I’d be happy to fetch it,” Trish said with a grin. She was one of the few folks in the world that my mother didn’t intimidate. Most of the time, anyway.
Momma smiled openly at her. “What can I say? You’ve called my bluff. I’d adore some of your sweet tea.”
“I would, too,” I said. “Phillip?”
“Yes?” he asked as he looked up. Had he really been that absorbed in his menu, or had he simply been giving Momma and me a chance to chat? The man was sweeter than I’d ever given him credit for when he’d been our chief of police. Either he’d changed over the intervening years or I had.
“How does sweet tea sound to you?” Momma asked him.
“Like a sip of nectar,” Phillip said with a smile. “Yes, please.”
“Are you ready to order, or do you need more time?” Trish asked us.
“Phillip, are we ready?” Momma asked him.
His gaze returned to the menu. “You two go first. By the time you’re finished, I’ll be ready.”
“Very well,” Momma said. “I’ll have the lunch soup and sandwich. Roast beef, please.”
“Suzanne?” Trish asked.
“I’ll take a burger, you know the way I like it, and fries,” I said.
“That’s what I like, a woman I can depend on,” Trish answered. “Chief? How about you?”
“I keep telling you, it’s ‘Phillip,’” he said. “Now this tuna fish sandwich, is it from a can or is it fresh?”
“The tuna is from a can. Everything else we supply here,” she said with a smile.
“Okay, got it. Do you make the chicken Kiev yourself as well?”
“Not me personally, but Hilda does every morning.”
“One more question. Are you still serving the Boxcar Special Breakfast Platter, or am I too late for that?”
She glanced at her watch. “The menu changed over to lunch half an hour ago, but for you, we’ll make an exception.”
“No, that’s fine, I was just curious,” he said as he finally pushed the menu aside. “I’ve decided what I want.”
“If you’d care to share that news with me, I’ll have Hilda whip it up for you,” Trish said with a smile.
“After much consideration, I’ve decided to have a club sandwich, hold the tomato, and an order of French fries.”
“An excellent choice,” Trish said, still smiling.
“I’m just curious, but would any of the other options have been less than ideal?” he asked her, returning her grin with one of his own.
“Not as far as I’m concerned,” she said as she left to place our orders with the kitchen.
“What was that about?” Momma asked him after Trish was gone.
“Dot, you’re always telling me that it never hurts to explore your options, but there’s something to be said for going with the familiar and comfortable choice.”
She reached over and patted his hand affectionately. “I think so, too.”
“Suddenly I’m wondering if we’re still talking about food,” he replied with a tender look toward my mother that made me happy she’d been lucky enough to find love twice in her life.
“You just keep on wondering,” Momma told him before turning to me. “So, what’s our first stop after we leave here? I must admit, I’m excited about the prospect of working with you again.”
“Hey, I’ll be there too, remember?” Phillip reminded her.
“How could I possibly forget?” she asked him. “Well, Suzanne?”
“I promised Alyssa an update when we spoke last night,” I told her. There was no reason to tell Momma and Phillip about the loan Annabeth had made to her mother just before she died. I couldn’t imagine the circumstances in which it was pertinent to our investigation. I knew people had killed their loved ones for money before—shoot, I’d even investigated cases like it in the past myself—but if Alyssa had killed Annabeth, I didn’t want to be a part of this world anymore.
There were some possibilities that I simply refused to consider.
“Then we’ll go there,” Phillip said.
“If you don’t mind us being present when you speak with her,” Momma added.
“Dot, we might not be working this case with Suzanne for very long, but while we’re doing it, we’re not letting her go somewhere in this investigation without us.”
“Even to Alyssa’s?” Momma asked.
“Even then,” Phillip said. “I’m not saying that I suspect her of killing her own daughter; I just don’t think it makes sense to take chances we don’t need to take.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, patting his hand.
“You’re more than welcome, but at least half of my reasoning is so I don’t have to explain to your husband why I let anything happen to you on my watch,” Phillip admitted.
“Still, I appreciate the sentiment,” I said as our food arrived.
Momma tried the soup, smiled, and told Trish that it was delicious, and then we all started to eat our meals. There weren’t a great many words spoken while we dined. We were all too engrossed in the food in front of us.
Momma deftly snatched the bill from Trish after we finished, and I decided not to fight her for it. I was going to try to be as gracious as George had been when I bought him a donut, though it was still a bit of a struggle for me nonetheless.
We were about to leave when Trish called out, “Suzanne, do you have a second?”
Momma got the hint immediately. “Come, Phillip. Let’s take a stroll through the park to work off some of that meal.”
“If I do too much exercise, I’m just going to get hungry and have to eat again,” he said with a smile. “It’s a vicious circle, you know.”
“I’m willing to risk it if you are,” she said before turning to me. “Suzanne, we’ll be outside. Take your time.”
“Thanks, Momma,” I said. After she and Phillip were gone, I turned to Trish. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”
“Suzanne, you don’t think Annabeth’s death was an accident, do you?”
Chapter 18
“Why do you say that?” I asked Trish, trying to put on my best poker face.
“Come on, I’ve known you too long not to recognize it when you’re working on a case, and the only death we’ve had around here recently is Annabeth’s.”
“Everyone says that it was an accident,” I told her, keeping my voice down so her other diners couldn’t hear our conversation. I knew that word w
ould get out soon enough what I was up to, but the longer I could delay it being general knowledge, the better.
“Annabeth didn’t fall off that ladder, and we both know it,” Trish said. “She was either pushed or she wasn’t on it in the first place. How can you tell if someone hits their head falling or if someone knocks them on the back of the noggin instead? I doubt the two acting chiefs could tell them apart, or even Chief Grant, for that matter.” She got a little closer as she added, “Suzanne, she was my friend, too. If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to do it.”
Trish looked as though she were about to cry, a rare show of emotion for her. I knew that she and Annabeth had stayed in touch more than the two of us had. Didn’t she have as much right as I did to try to find our friend’s killer? “Fine. I don’t think it was an accident.”
Trish nodded. “Thanks for being honest with me. How can I help?”
“First of all, don’t do any prying, I’m doing enough of that myself, but if you overhear anything about Martin Lancaster, Bonnie Small, Kerry Minter, or the artists Galen and Christopho Langer, let me know immediately.” I took a deep breath and made sure that I had her full attention. “Trish, it’s important that you don’t do anything to find out about any of them. Let me handle that part of it.”
“Why should you get to have all of the fun?” she asked me with a dark smile.
“If you want to help me, and help Annabeth too, you’ll do as I ask.”
She must have seen how serious I was about my request. “Okay. I get it. The last thing I want to do is make your investigation harder for you. What’s the plan, anyway?”
“I’m still trying to figure it out, with a little help from my friends and family. Is it all right with you that I didn’t ask you for help earlier?”
“Sure. I just want to be sure that I’m on the list, no matter how far down the chart I might be,” she said with a weary smile. “Are you trying to get alibis for the time of the murder from your list of suspects?”
