Craig was in the lobby when I arrived about twenty minutes later. He raised an eyebrow at me. I motioned to the door leading to the inner sanctum. “Shall we?”
He led me through the “official” doors and down the hall. I hadn’t been in the office area in a long time—since Grandpa had retired. It still looked the same. The same ratty carpeting in the hall, the same ancient furniture in the offices we passed. The chief’s office—Grandpa’s old office—was on the third floor, and I doubted I’d get invited up for a trip down memory lane.
Craig led me to Ellory’s office. Ellory sat behind his desk, typing on the computer. He was surprisingly fast. He didn’t glance up when we appeared, but he said, “Ms. James. Please have a seat.”
I suppressed an eye roll. He ran so hot and cold. “Thanks,” I said. “And you can call me Maddie. Like you did the other night.”
Craig motioned to a chair in front of the desk and took the other one. Ellory hit a few more keys, shook his head, then turned to me. “Paperwork,” he said. “Even though it’s digital now, it’s still the worst part of the job.”
I smiled. It was a common refrain I’d heard from Grandpa during his career, too. Especially the last part of it, when he was behind a desk most of the time. He’d loved being chief, but his heart was on the street. He’d found any excuse to be out there and avoiding paperwork even at that level. And he hated typing and computers and the like. “I hear you,” I said.
He studied me for a minute, and I resisted the urge to squirm. “So what can I do for you, Maddie?”
I took a breath. “It’s about that woman. Thea Coleman,” I said, with a sidelong glance at Craig.
“Thea Coleman?” Ellory asked.
“The woman who caused a minor disturbance at the cat cafe,” Craig filled in.
“Ah. The one you had words with on the street yesterday,” Ellory said, leaning back in his chair and pressing his fingers together.
He didn’t miss a trick. Although odds were Craig had written it up. I nodded. “She’s a visitor on the island. Apparently she comes here often. She came to my cafe on Wednesday and made a scene about JJ being hers.”
Ellory’s face remained impassive, and he didn’t speak, just inclined his head and waited for me to go on.
I squirmed a bit under his gaze. “So, like I said, she came in and caused a bit of a scene—”
“And you want to file a complaint now?” Ellory asked, a look passing between him and Craig.
“No, actually. I’m hoping she’s going to leave it alone after the conversation she and Craig had yesterday. But there was something else about that visit I wanted to mention in case it was important. That was the last day Jason Holt was there. I think she knew him. I think they knew each other, actually.”
Neither of them was expecting that. I could tell because I actually got a rise out of Ellory—as much of a rise as someone like him would show. Which meant a slight look of surprise and a head tilt as he leaned forward. “The dead writer. You think they knew each other?”
I nodded.
“That’s right, I heard he was a frequent customer,” Ellory said.
“Yes. He’s been in every day I’ve been open for the past few weeks. I … didn’t realize it at first,” I said with a sheepish smile. “My sister finally told me.”
“What was he doing in there? Playing with cats?”
I didn’t like his tone. So much for that truce I thought we’d established. “Actually, he was working. And spending time with cats. It’s kind of what you do in a cat cafe,” I added, unable to resist. “He didn’t say much while he was there. And I left him alone. I try to give people peace and quiet if that’s what they seem to want. He had his computer, a notebook, and he did have a cat on his lap. He paid for a week in advance. He drank coffee and ate Ethan’s pastry. And he was super quiet, even when the construction crew sounded like they were going to knock the walls down around him.”
“So he didn’t speak to you.”
“Not really. Just to ask about a cat’s name, or order something.”
“He talk to anyone else?”
I shook my head. “It’s been quiet in there most days. A few of my regulars would come in, but they only cared about the cats, too. Until … that woman showed up.”
Ellory and Craig exchanged a look. That made me curious.
“Why do you think they knew each other?” Ellory asked. “Did they speak? Hug?”
“Nothing that obvious. They kind of caught each other’s eye—not, like, in a romantic way or anything—and had a little staring contest. I got the sense she wanted to say something, but she didn’t.”
“So they never spoke.”
I shook my head again.
Ellory was silent for a minute. “Maddie. Do you think it’s possible she realized who he was and that was why she was staring at him? When people see someone famous, they tend to do that. And then they tend to rethink it if the other person doesn’t look interested in speaking.”
“I know that,” I said, trying to bite back the irritation. “But that wasn’t the vibe I got. I got the same vibe from him, that he knew her but wasn’t sure what to say.”
“Did you see how she got to the cafe?” Craig asked.
I turned to him, curious about the question. “No. But I was kind of rattled when she left and didn’t even think about it.”
“So you didn’t see her get into a car? Or see a car parked out on the street?”
I thought back. I hadn’t noticed how she’d left the cafe, or paid any mind to a car outside. People parked on our street all the time, whether they were coming to the cafe or not. And yesterday I’d been too focused on why she was in the same place as me to pay any mind to her car. “No. I’m sorry. Why?”
“Did she seem intoxicated when she was in your cafe?” Craig asked, ignoring my question.
“No.” I wished she had. It would’ve explained her insane claims a bit more. “Why, you think this was a drunken hit-and-run?”
Again, neither of them answered me. I sighed. “Of course you’re not going to tell me. But I’m telling you, there was something strange about that woman. Maybe she had a beef with Jason Holt and figured out she had a good opportunity to take care of it. Now that you know her name, you’ll check, right?”
“I appreciate you bringing this to our attention,” Ellory said. “Is there anything else?”
Ugh. I hated his ability to say nothing while saying something.
“One thing, actually,” I said, deciding to throw caution and sisterly trust to the wind. “My sister might have some info. Or know someone who does.” I cringed a little bit in the aftermath, thinking about how Val was going to kill me. But I couldn’t say I talked to Ava-Rose myself. It would make me an accomplice or something.
Ellory and Craig exchanged another glance. “What kind of info?” Ellory asked after a moment.
“Relating to the night the writer got hit.”
“So why hasn’t she come forward with this info?”
I shrugged. “She got it secondhand. It’s not really her story to tell. She’s trying to get the person to come forward.”
“Did this … other person have something to do with the death?”
“No! I think they … were just in the area.”
“Is it Ava-Rose Buxton?”
Shoot. I tried to keep the tell from my face and shook my head. “Definitely not my story to tell. But you might want to ask Dr. Drake…” I hesitated, then decided, no, this was way too important. “You might want to ask Drake what he and Jason Holt were discussing outside the yacht club the night he died.” Phew. There it was. Maybe they would get to him before I did and I wouldn’t have to ask him.
They both stared at me for a minute. I could see on Craig’s face, at least, that he’d had no idea about anything relating to Drake.
Ellory, however, played it closer to the vest. He placed his hands on the desk and rose. “Thanks for coming in, Maddie. We appreciate the information.”
Apparently he was done with me.
“Come on,” Craig said, taking my arm and turning me toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.”