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MY ALARM WENT OFF at 8:00. I must have gotten some sleep because it unquestionably woke me up! I groaned as I hit the snooze button. Henry also groaned, then turned around, so his tail was now in my face. Evidently, all my tossing and turning had kept Henry up most of the night as well.
“Sorry, boy,” I said as I patted his rump. He groaned at me again. I lay there, in the dark of the blackout curtains in Julie’s guest room, my eyes wide open. When the alarm went off again, I turned it off and got up. I had to go into the store today. The inaugural recital for the festival is tomorrow night, and I had so much to do. I quickly checked my phone for any messages or emails. There was none from Detective Winn, so that was a tremendous relief.
I headed into the shower. I took the time to blow dry my hair and put on makeup. Might as well look composed and solid on the outside, even if my insides were like jello.
When I got finished getting dressed and beautiful, I went to get Henry’s leash. Julie was sitting on her couch in her robe, looking at her laptop.
“Emails,” she muttered as Henry, and I scurried past her and out the front door. When I got back inside, she had moved into the kitchen.
“Hungry?” Julie was vacantly staring into her fridge.
“Yes, but why don’t you get dressed, and we can hit The Caffeine Machine? You cooked so much yesterday, let’s let Hannah have her moment today! Her biscuits and gravy sound amazing!” I smiled at Julie. She nodded and shuffled off to her room to get dressed. Based on Julie’s manner, I don’t think she got much more sleep than Henry and I did last night!
Julie and I each took our own cars to The Caffeine Machine. I needed to go to the store after breakfast, and Julie had to go back to work at her place. She had lost a lot of work time yesterday, between the search for people with D names and preparing countless quiches.
I got to The Caffeine Machine before Julie and went inside to get a table. Paige was working, and it was nice to see her again.
“Good morning! Lisa, wasn’t it?” Paige asked as she handed me a breakfast menu.
“Lisa is correct. How are you doing, Paige? Getting used to Fairview?” I set the menu down and smiled up at her. Paige had a cute country girl vibe going on, with auburn hair and freckles.
“I am slowly figuring it out. It is odd having Jeff, that’s my husband, home all day.” Paige flipped her ballpoint pen on and off as she spoke.
“I can imagine! And your daughter? Emmy, wasn’t it? Is she enjoying school?”
“Yes, Emmy. You have a wonderful memory! Yes, she is doing very well. Kids are pretty good at change! It’s the adults that grumble!” Paige and I laughed, both of us knowing how true that was. “Anyway, can I get your order?”
“Yes, could I get a large chai with almond milk and a large hazelnut latte for my friend? Can we order our food when she gets here? She constantly changes her food order, so I can’t just order for her.” I smiled.
“Certainly! I’ll get those drinks, then come back for the food order when she arrives. And nice chatting with you!” Paige returned my smile, put her pen and pad back in her apron pocket, and headed back to the counter to make my tea and Julie’s coffee. I was watching her, lost in thought, when Julie sat down at the table. I hadn’t even seen her come in!
“You are really off somewhere, Lisa!” Julie surmised as I watched her stuff her fuzzy pink gloves into her bag.
“Yeah, I was just talking to Paige and....”
“Who’s Paige?” Julie was befuddled.
“Paige. Over there. Red hair. She is Hannah’s new waitress. They just moved here. Her husband is working from home, and they have an eight-year-old daughter.” I explained.
“Ah, a piano student prospect!” Julie knows me too well.
“Yes, there is that. I was just thinking about what it would be like. You know, with a husband and kids. I have always been so focused on work, I haven’t given it much thought. Have you?” I stared at Julie.
“Some. Until the right husband candidate comes along, though, there isn’t much that can be done. Did you order for us?”
“Chai for me, hazelnut latte for you. I didn’t know what you wanted to eat, so I said we would order food when you got here.”
“Works for me!” Julie smiled and picked up her menu. A few minutes later, Paige brought our drinks to the table.
“Paige, I’d like you to meet my friend Julie Harkness. Julie, this is Paige. Ugh, I’m sorry, I don’t know your last name.” I began.
“It’s Taylor. Paige Taylor. Nice to meet you, Julie.” Paige held her pen on her notepad.
“It's a pleasure to meet you, too. Welcome to Fairview!” Julie responded.
“Thank you! Can I get your food orders? Did I give you enough time?”
“Of course. Could I get the biscuits and gravy with a side order of bacon?” I handed my unopened menu back to Paige. I didn’t need to look at it.
“Could I get the mushroom and cheese omelet?” Julie closed her menu, then handed it to Paige.
“Perfect!” Paige wrote down the orders, picked up the menus, and went back toward the kitchen.
“She seems nice.” Julie turned back to me.
“She does. Now, back to the situation at hand!” I put my icy hands around my chai cup to warm them up.
“Did you call Detective Winn?” Julie took a sip of her latte and jumped. It was evidently a little hotter than she was expecting.
“No. What am I going to tell him? A violin professor is in town. She used to teach in Chicago. Not much to go on.” I less than gracefully stuck my tongue into my chai cup to see how hot it was. Not too bad! I took a full sip.
“But what about Gina Miller? Don’t you think that is a piece of the puzzle?” Julie blew on her coffee.
“I would like to think so, but I can’t make it fit. Being a concert harpist isn’t illegal. Neither is going to school in Chicago.” I felt defeated. Last night, I had felt so sure that we had come up with something. Now, in the morning light, it all seemed somewhat inane.
“You think it is just a coincidence? That it is just random that this Dr. Evangeline person just shows up to attend the chamber music festival when people have been murdered?” Julie stared at me.
“Yes. I guess. I think so. I can’t put the pieces together in a way that makes any connection. Dr. Tate is very well respected and has had a very impressive career. I really don’t think she would randomly show up in a Podunk town, like Fairview, and start suddenly murdering people? It just makes little sense, I wish it did.” But, ruefully, it didn’t.
“How about Gina Miller? What do you know about her?” Julie’s detective gears were turning full steam ahead.
“Nothing really. I didn’t even know her husband’s name was Wayne until she mentioned it last night. You saw her Facebook page, too. You know as much as I do.” Just then, Paige came over with our plates. We stopped talking long enough for her to set them in front of us.
“Thank you!” Julie looked at Paige and then picked up her fork.
“Yes, thanks!” I beamed, the bacon looked really crispy!
“You are both welcome. Can I get you anything else?” Paige asked. Both Julie and I shook our heads. Paige nodded and headed over to another table to take another order.
“I think we need to find out more about Gina. Something tells me there’s a connection.” Julie took a bite of her omelet.
“Well, I can’t just march up to her and demand to know more about her. Or call her out of the blue and invite her to lunch! She’s my mother’s friend.” As soon as I had said it, I knew full well what Julie was going to say next.
“But you can call your mother and invite her to lunch! Your mother knows everything about everyone!” Julie looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary! Except it wasn’t a canary. It was a mushroom omelet with lots of cheese.
“Afraid you were going to suggest that. I can’t do lunch today. I have got to show up at the store some time!” There, that should get me out of lunch with Mother.
“Have dinner then.” Julie was now winding the cheese from her omelet around her fork like spaghetti.
“Dinner?” Dang it! I hadn’t thought of that!
“Yes, dinner.” Julie looked at the wound cheese on her fork. “Call her, go to dinner.”
“You don’t think she will suspect something? I don’t think I’ve called my mother to go out to dinner ever. Not once in my entire life. Ever!” I really do love my mother and enjoy spending time with her. It was just that this fact-finding-mission dinner was not sounding like something I would enjoy. At all.
“Make it casual. Burgers or something.”
“Who are you? Have you met my mother? She doesn’t do casual burgers. Besides, I would really need some reason to get together with her. She would be suspicious. She knows how busy I have been with the festival.” I was working hard to find an excuse, and I wasn’t doing that great a job of it, either.
“You said she was going to help with the festival. Make her head usher or something for the recitals. Tell her you need to meet to give her all the details and instructions for her very important job. There! That will do it! Problem solved!” Julie put down her fork in presumed victory and beamed at me.
“Ugh! Ok, that makes sense. When I get to the store, I will call her. I shoved a bite of biscuit into my mouth. I preferred not to have dinner with my mother. Quiet time at home with Henry was what I wanted.
“Good. Still no word from Detective Winn?” Julie stabbed the tomato slice that was on the side of her plate with her fork.
“Nothing at all. Hopefully, that means that I can go home. It’s all been quiet.” I licked the gravy off my fork with relief just as my phone rang. It was Detective Winn.