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Emma picked up her food and turned to head to the front door. She acknowledged assorted hellos from people sitting at their tables as she passed by and thought how good it was to be home.
Reaching the front door, Emma lifted her hand to push, but before she could, it was pulled open from the outside and a bustling little man rushed inside, plowing right into Emma, knocking her food to the floor, and causing a commotion.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. That was your dinner, wasn't it? Oh dear, let me help you."
The man was short in stature, and his full beard went well past his chin, lying on his upper chest. For a moment, Emma had the image of a small garden gnome and had to stifle a giggle.
The man was busy trying to pick up the mess he had made when Susie came bustling over.
"Accidents happen, sir. Emma, take a seat. I'll get you another meal to go."
In her efficient way, Susie quickly took charge of the situation, dismissing the man's apologies and pointing Emma back to the seat she had just left.
"Emma? Emma Cassidy? What luck to have found you here. Although not in the most graceful manner. I would have been looking for you shortly. I'm a friend of the Andersons and Midge told me all about you. Please, may I join you while you wait for your dinner?"
Without waiting for an answer, the man led the way over to where Susie had pointed and pulled out a chair for Emma. It left her with little choice but to sit next to the man, and she had to admit she was curious.
"Thank you, Mr.—?"
"It's Oswald McAllister. And I'm so pleased to meet you. Allow me to buy you a cup of coffee while we wait for your food order to be filled."
Susie overheard the man and gave a nod, bringing over two cups and filling them. Emma was still staring at the strange man as she absently put in creamer and sugar and stirred.
"I knew I was going to meet you eventually, but I never intended for it to be like this. I do hope you will accept my apologies. I'm a friend of the Andersons. I'm a very close friend of Mr. Anderson and I've known his family for years. I watched Travis grow into the young man he now is. I lost track after Mr. Anderson passed and sadly, I never really got to know Midge as well as her husband. Mr. Anderson and I usually met at his office or the clubs."
He paused and studied Emma for a moment and then gave a slow smile.
"I can tell from your expression that you're wondering why I'm sharing all this information with you. It's because of the ornaments. Midge filled me in on what was going on and now, with the disappearance of Kevin, I'm very concerned. Combined with the paperwork that has also gone missing, this is not a simple theft of opportunity. I want to offer my assistance in any way that I can to your investigation."
"I—"
"I know, I know you're wondering. Who is this little man and what business does he have getting involved? I'm sure between you and the police, everything is in very capable hands."
"Frankly, Mr. McAllister, that is exactly what I'm wondering. I would have thought Midge would have let me know about you."
"I'm sure she would have if she'd known I was going to come into town to look into this on my own. You see, I am a collector of rare Tiffany ornaments, and the Anderson family has one of the finest collections. Mr. Anderson and I often spent hours searching into the history of the ornaments. As a matter of fact, I helped him procure a few that were missing from the original set. I know things about the ornaments that most people would not. Things which would make it very easy to identify if anybody were to claim them as their own or pawn them." The little man smiled at Emma and continued.
"Kevin often joined us when we were researching. And he kept meticulous notes on what we discovered. Of course, there's a copy at Mr. Anderson's office in his safe, but Kevin had a copy so they could continue to keep track of the value of the ornaments. And I think he enjoyed doing a bit of research after Mr. Anderson died. I believe he felt connected to Mr. Anderson by doing something they both enjoyed so much."
Mr. McAllister picked up his coffee and took a sip, studying Emma's reaction.
Emma wasn't sure how to react. The man had given her a fistful of information, and she didn't know what to do with it. Midge had told her that Kevin and Mr. Anderson were more than just employee and employer, they had a close friendship as well. Now it seemed this funny little man sitting next to her was part of their friendship. Travis had mentioned that his mother had little to do with her husband's work and rarely went to the office. She kept herself busy with her own interest in charities, and that had worked out well for the two of them during their married life.
"I appreciate the information, but I'm not sure how you can help." Emma finally answered. The man was silent for a moment, letting Emma think about her statement, and then he slowly smiled. He gave a nod, as if pleased with her answer.
"Oh, I cannot help you with solving the murder that occurred at the Andersons' home. But I want to help you understand the history of those ornaments and be here for Kevin's return." The man paused and looked sad as if he knew something she didn't.
"Well, I certainly would love any information you can give. We appreciate any tip or help with the ornaments that might also solve the murder and figure out what happened to Kevin. I admit, this has all become more than I expected when I agreed to help Midge and Travis."
"Judging from the state of Kevin's home, I find myself fearful of his safety or his return."
Emma looked at the man in astonishment. She didn't remember seeing him around town, and yet he had managed to get himself into the crime scene. Before she could ask him, he smiled and held up the clipboard he had carried into the diner.
"It's quite easy to get yourself into places with a clipboard and an official manner. I don't regret duping that poor officer on duty to guard the house. I disturbed nothing, so it's no harm done. I believe you also got a look at the house under somewhat false pretenses."
How in the world did he know that? Emma thought. Then she grinned at the man like a co-conspirator and leaned in closer so they couldn't be overheard. "Okay, Mr. McAllister, tell me what you think happened to Kevin and the ornaments."
"Of course. You really must call me Oswald."
While they waited for Emma's food to arrive, Oswald kept her entertained with stories about Travis as a young man. It was as if he was deliberately not talking about Travis's father or his connection to the Tiffany ornaments. Emma felt no unease at being in the man's presence. He seemed harmless enough, and of course, she was in the diner with plenty of people around. But she also felt his story needed to be backed up, and she discreetly sent Travis a message that simply stated "Diner, now".
She knew her way around the keyboard of her phone well enough to not have to look down to type those two words, and she was counting on Travis to understand her message.
Susie had also caught on to a few subtle motions that Emma had made, and her dinner was taking much longer to arrive than it had the first time around. Oswald seemed oblivious to what was going on, which Emma was thankful for. He seemed like such a nice man, and she didn't want to insult him, but she also knew she should be cautious.
It only took ten minutes before Travis burst into the diner and stood at the front door, looking around. He quickly caught sight of Emma and smiled broadly when he saw who she was with.
"Oswald McAllister! What are you doing in Citrus Beach?" Travis called out to the man as he made his way across the diner, and the older man waved his hand in greeting and then looked at Emma, giving her a wink. "Very smart, my dear. It's always good to be cautious."
Before Emma could respond, Oswald got to his feet and cheerfully embraced Travis with the hug of an old friend. Emma sighed in relief, feeling foolish for calling Travis, but knowing she had done the right thing.
"Does Mom know you're here?" Travis asked as he sat down on the other side of Emma, putting her between the two men.
"No, and I'd rather she didn't. She called me a few hours ago to let me know about Kevin missing the appointment. You know as well as I do how out of character that is, so I immediately hopped in the car and started driving. I only just got here, and the first person I met was your friend Emma."
"I'm glad you're here. Mom's beside herself over Kevin's disappearance, and the sheriff has been out at the house again snooping around, making accusations, and asking questions that are so far out of left field it's making me nervous."
"What do you mean he's been out at the house? Sean said nothing about going back out–"
"I doubt Sean even knows the sheriff came out. The man's asking stupid questions, actually insulting ones, trying to get mother's staff to turn on each other and point the finger at one of them as a murderer."
"Geez, what great investigation skills," sneered Emma.
Travis nodded in agreement and continued. "He's got Nancy so terrified she's hiding in her cottage, and Marianne is dropping hints and snooping even more than normal. I have a feeling things will get ugly pretty quickly."
"Chin up, Travis. Once I talk to Kevin, I think I should have some answers. Answers that will help Emma here in her investigation." Oswald patted Travis's back and gave Emma a confident grin. "Now, Emma, why don't you fill us in on your findings this morning at Kevin's house?"
"You didn't go alone, did you?" Travis quickly asked her.
"No, it was a joint effort between Jake, Kim, and me. And we found some interesting things."
Emma filled Travis in on their visit to Kevin's house. She included Oswald in the conversation, opening up now that she knew for sure that he was who he said he was.
As Emma finished, Travis's phone rang. He glanced down and recognized the number. "I need to take this," he said before answering the phone. Emma was close enough to him that she could hear Sophie's hysterical voice.
"This is terrible. The police have just arrested Nancy for the murder of Cindy."