After her failure to enlist Chief Jimbo’s help, Alice didn’t know what to do. She ate a sandwich for lunch, barely tasting the ham and cheese on rye. Then sat at the diner counter, turning a spoon in a cup and staring down at the dredges of black coffee.
Becca, standing behind the counter, refilled her cup.
“Why so glum?” she asked.
Alice explained what she’d learned about Darrell Townsend and his dollar pendant. Then the bonsai with the white flowers that Susan Malone dumped in the trash—and the gold chain with three heart pendants.
“Oh, that?” Becca chuckled. “She used to have just one heart, but over time she’s added to it. I bet it’s got something to do with Vince.”
It made sense. Everything about the heart pendants led back to Vince. Which brought Alice to why she was feeling to down. She told Becca about the photo she’d seen at Bonsai & Pie in which Andrea wore the necklace—and how the chief of police didn’t take Alice’s concerns seriously.
“Chief Jimbo didn’t even react when I told him she was fleeing town. He said she must be going for a hike.”
She’d expected outrage from Becca. Instead she got a shrug. “Maybe, for once, he’s right.”
“But Andrea’s the most likely suspect…”
“And whenever someone puts on hiking boots and heads for the woods, what’s the most likely explanation? If Andrea had been fleeing town, she wouldn’t escape on foot.”
Alice sighed. She put down the spoon and took a sip of coffee.
“Anyway, I feel terrible about the whole thing.”
“And why is that?”
“Honestly, I had my heart set on Darrell Townsend.”
“Because he’s the big bad wolf?” Becca laughed. “He may not have murdered Vince, but that doesn’t mean Darrell is innocent. You’re right to look into Andrea’s relationship to Vince, though. There’s something there.”
“But Andrea,” Alice said with a sigh, “is so nice.”
Becca nodded. “Well, you know what Mr. Jaggers tells Pip in Great Expectations?”
Alice didn’t.
“‘Take nothing on its looks,’” Becca said. “‘Take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.’”
“You’re saying Andrea isn’t guilty until we know more.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Becca winked. “It’s what your mom would’ve said, too.”
“I keep meaning to ask you—which mysteries did my mom get involved in?”
Becca shrugged. “Which ones didn’t she get involved in? She investigated the ghost in the old Townsend mansion, and revealed that it was only Mad Dog Murray getting a kick out of scaring everyone. She solved the mystery of the missing marquee letters, helping the Bowers family recover their signage for the theater. And—most importantly—she helped my grandmother catch the thief who threatened to bankrupt the diner.”
“Wait, someone tried to—”
Becca smiled. “That’s a longer story for another time. My point is, you’ve got the Hartford sleuthing gene. Now, what’s the next step?”
Alice sipped her coffee, thinking. She forced herself to calm down and put her thoughts in order. She considered the next step. Becca was right about suspecting Andrea—suspicion wasn’t the same as proof. And she hadn’t followed up on every clue that had come her way. Or every person involved.
“Everything leads back to Vince and those necklaces,” she said. “And there’s one person who must know more about Vince than anyone else. And she wears a necklace.”
Becca smiled. “And I can tell you where she lives.”