Gia wiped down the butcher block counter-top on the island in the center of the café’s kitchen. She’d just finished dicing potatoes for home fries and still had to cut up the peppers and onions. She set the giant stainless-steel bowl of potatoes on the counter beside the sink and got to work chopping vegetables. If she did not only enough for the home fries, but for omelets the next morning too, she’d save herself prep time later.
Savannah stuck her head through the doorway and held up a credit card. “Hey, Gia, got a sec?”
“Sure.” She tossed the rag into the hamper. “What’s up?”
“Jeremy Nolan is out front. He just finished dinner with a friend”—her disapproving lifted brow told Gia it was a female friend—“and tried to pay with this.” The credit card she handed Gia had Robyn Hackman’s name on the front.
When she turned it over, Robyn’s signature was on the back. “Hmm.”
“What do you want me to do?” Savannah worried her bottom lip.
A quick glance at the grill told her Cole had everything under control. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it.”
Savannah nodded and left.
Gia followed her out and approached the register where Jeremy waited alone. “I’m sorry, sir, but there seems to be a mistake?”
“What do you mean?” He frowned and glanced at Savannah, who was refilling cake dishes with muffins and discreetly eavesdropping.
He didn’t seem to recognize her, so Gia didn’t say anything about recognizing him from the tasting. Better to see what he was trying to do first. She held up the card. If he tried to say he was Robyn Hackman, she’d call Hunt and let him deal with it. “This credit card. It’s in the name Robyn Hackman.”
“Oh…I…uh…” He studied her for a moment, his mouth and eyes wide in a horrified expression that seemed a bit too practiced. She could almost imagine him in front of the mirror perfecting it. Then he went for a sheepish smile. “I am so sorry. It’s my fiance’s card. I must have given you the wrong one by mistake.”
“No problem. Mistakes happen.” Though she had a feeling he knew exactly what he was doing.
He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed her a card with his name on the front.
“Thank you.” She rang the purchase with no problem, but now what to do? Should she return Robyn’s card to him or keep it and give it to Hunt? She really didn’t have the right to confiscate it, and it could well have been a mistake. She handed both cards back to him, had him sign, and wished him a good day. She’d just tell Hunt about the incident and let him decide what, if anything, to do about it.
“Well?” Savannah appeared at her side the instant the door fell shut behind Jeremy. “What do you think?”
“Honestly?” She watched him climb into a car out front, with a woman waiting for him in the passenger seat. “I think he tried to get away with using his fiance’s card, and when he couldn’t, he acted repentant, apologized for the mistake, and paid with his own card.”
Gia checked the side of the register, where the pin pad sat in plain view. “Why didn’t he use the pin pad?”
Savannah shrugged. “No idea, maybe he didn’t see it. He just handed me the card, and when I looked at it, Robyn’s name was on it.”
“Weird.” Since there was nothing more she could do about it, she took a moment to shoot Hunt a quick text letting him know what happened, then returned to the kitchen. “All right, I’m back. Thanks, Cole.”
Cole set two plates on the dining room cut-out for Savannah to serve, then turned to Gia. “Need me to do anything else?”
She glanced at the clock over the cut-out to the dining room. Almost four o’clock. The lunch rush had ended two hours ago, and Cole had been handling grill while Gia did prep work. While she couldn’t close for the week, she was trying to get out as early as possible so she and Savannah could do wedding and Christmas stuff. “Nah, I think I’m good, thank you.”
“You bet. I don’t mind staying if you and Savannah want to head out early?”
As much as the thought appealed, she’d been absent from the café a bit too much lately, and she realized she missed it. “I’ll be okay, thank you, though. And I appreciate you coming in to open all week. At least, I’ll get to sleep in a little. Maybe. I hope.”
Cole laughed then peered through the cut-out and crooked his finger at someone in the dining room. “I diced the ham already, so you don’t have to do that. And there are steaks marinating in both refrigerators for steak and eggs, since that seems to be your biggest selling dinner item.”
“Thanks, Cole. You’re the best.”
“Any time, dear.” He pulled his apron off over his head, wadded it into a ball and made a two-point shot into the hamper.
“Knock, knock.” Cybil Devane, a woman who had become a good friend to Gia since the first time she’d found her wandering in the middle of the forest, poked her head in and grinned. “Everyone decent?”
“Woman, I haven’t been decent in sev-uh-in a long time.” The corners of Cole’s eyes crinkled as he laughed.
“Come on in, Cybil. Sit. It’s so good to see you.” Gia hadn’t seen Cybil in a few weeks, and she always enjoyed her company. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“No, I’m good, thank you.” Cybil pulled a stool from the counter and sat.
The first time Gia had met Cybil, the older woman had been wandering through the woods, a long, flowing hooded cloak concealing most of her body, giving the appearance of a frail stooped woman. She’d come to know Cybil was anything but. While she was petite, and very thin, she had the same kind of spunk as Savannah, and Gia adored her.
Cybil patted her flat belly. “Cole and I are going to walk, and I don’t want to do that on a full belly.”
Gia couldn’t blame her. To Gia going for a walk meant strolling along Main Street to the park, maybe doing some window shopping along the way, or taking Thor to walk one of the numerous walking trails dotting the area. Cybil gave whole new meaning to the phrase, often hiking miles and miles through the woods with her newest addition, a beagle mix she’d adopted from the same shelter Gia had gotten Thor from. She thought nothing of making that trek, even after dark, which it would be soon. Gia worried about her wandering the deepest parts of the forest alone, but she always insisted she’d been ambling through those woods since she was a kid and wasn’t about to stop now. Unfortunately, the loss of her husband had left her walking alone. Until now, apparently. Gia didn’t push the subject; she was just glad Cybil had found someone to walk with.
“So, what’s new and exciting?” Cybil’s deep blue eyes sparkled. Her jeans, sweatshirt and hiking boots didn’t quite suit her the way the long, dark cloak did, with her long, thick, salt and pepper hair hanging down the front of her body from beneath the hood. The first few times she came upon her, Gia had been eerily certain she held some kind of psychic powers.
Gia continued to chop vegetables while she chatted. “You mean other than the murder at the caterer like a week before Savannah’s wedding?”
Cybil tilted her head and studied Gia. “I suppose that is enough. How’s Savannah taking it?”
“Better than I would be, for sure.” Gia sighed. After the intense scrutiny, she’d been hoping for some words of wisdom.
Cybil only grinned and twisted back and forth on the stool, sending her long hair swinging back and forth. She wasn’t much for staying still. Again, like Savannah. “I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”
Gia longed for a return to the time when she’d have assumed that was a premonition, but she’d pegged Cybil way wrong. “Me too. It’s just frustrating when Savannah’s caterer is on the suspect list, and the woman’s place of business is closed down while rumors of her infidelity with the deceased’s fiancé abound.”
Gia hadn’t meant to blurt all that, but Cybil exuded that special kind of warmth that just invited you to open up. With a quick glance over her shoulder into the dining room to be sure no one could overhear their conversation, Gia continued. “That’s all anyone’s been able to talk about all day.”
“Well, you know how it is once rumors get started.”
Gia did, all too well. She knew exactly what it was like to be on the suspect list in a murder investigation. She knew the way strangers and acquaintances watched from the corners of their eyes when you walked into a room, how even friends glared with suspicion when they thought you weren’t looking. She’d have to reach out to Alyssa when her husband wasn’t around—whenever that might be—to see how she was really holding up.
“And don’t forget…” Cybil reached across the counter and patted Gia’s arm, then sat back. “Just because you can sympathize with someone’s circumstances, doesn’t mean that person is not guilty.”
Gia’s gaze shot up, and she nicked her finger with the knife. “Ouch.”
“Oh, dear, are you alright?”
She hurried to the sink, dropped the knife inside, ripped off her gloves, and washed her hands, lathering good despite the sting of the soap in the wound. The juice from the onion she’d been cutting stung a whole lot worse.
Cole stood over her shoulder, staring down at her finger, Band-Aid held at the ready.
“It’s okay.” Thankfully. She had to be more careful.
Cole wrapped the Band-Aid around her finger tight enough to cut off the trickle of blood. “You two sit and chat while I finish cutting the vegetables, since Gia’s multitasking skills leave a lot to be desired.”
“I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t mean to catch you off guard like that.” Cybil chewed on a thumbnail, clearly distressed.
“No.” Gia waved her off. “It was totally my fault. I won’t lie and say I’ve never wondered if Alyssa could have had anything to do with Robyn’s murder, but I’ve kind of been going on the theory that just because someone’s spreading rumors doesn’t mean she’s guilty.”
“Of course, that’s true,” Cybil agreed. “But it doesn’t mean she’s innocent either. Only the courts can decide that, which they will once Hunt and Leo finish their investigation.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Gia frowned. Cybil was a tell it like it is kind of person. In fact, her first statement to Gia had been that she was following the wrong path. Boy, had she been right. Hmm…maybe there was some solidity to her statement. A fact Gia really didn’t want to consider. “Do you know Alyssa?”
She shrugged one very slim shoulder. “We’ve met.”
Gia waited, but she didn’t elaborate. “I take it you’re not a fan?”
“I don’t know her well enough to offer an opinion one way or the other, but I did attend an event she catered, and that husband of hers followed her everywhere. Every time she turned around, she practically ran into him.” She nodded knowingly. “That can get old real quick.”
“I would imagine.” Gia’s thoughts turned to Hunt, who seemed to be willing to give her as much space as she needed. He never gave her a hard time if she wanted to hang out with friends, simply met up with her a different time. Even when one of her best friends was Trevor, a young, handsome in an endearing sort of way, perfectly eligible bachelor.
What would it be like to have someone on you constantly, everywhere you went, not in a loving, caring, enjoying time together kind of way, but in an I-don’t-trust-you, stalkery kind of way? Suffocating. Could that have pushed Alyssa into an affair? Come to think of it, why was Carlos so possessive? Was it a fault in him, a lack of the ability to trust? Gia could certainly understand that. Or was it because Alyssa had given him reason not to trust her?
Cybil grinned. “Don’t think so hard, dear. You’re going to hurt yourself. The only thing I know about Alyssa that matters right now, is that the food at the event she catered was amazing.”
Gia’s mouth watered at the thought of all the food they’d tasted, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything but one cranberry muffin all day. Maybe she could talk Savannah into stopping by Xavier’s to pick up dinner on the way home. With any luck, Hunt, Leo, and Trevor would be able to join them. Though Trevor usually kept the shop open late, he’d been closing earlier this week in order to tend to any last-minute preparations. Besides, by the time they went all the way out to Xavier’s and back to Trevor’s, it would be late, so he might be home anyway.
“If you’re good, then, Cybil and I are going to take off.” Cole scraped the last of the peppers off the knife into the full stainless-steel bin, set the bin aside for Gia to cover, and dropped the knife into the sink. Then he kissed her cheek. “Behave, and stay out of trouble.”
Gia grinned. “Now you sound like Hunt.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” He winked. “Listen, I already made Harley’s dinner. It’s in the fridge, so you can just heat it up and leave it out back before you go.”
Harley was a homeless man who hung around the neighborhood. Because he couldn’t bring himself to go inside buildings, he most often roamed around the park. He’d become a good friend to Gia and Savannah, and Gia always left dinner on a table beside the back door for him. “Thanks, Cole, you’re the best.”
Cybil hugged her and said goodbye.
Once they were gone, Gia peeked into the dining room to be sure there were no orders coming in. Acid burned in her stomach. If it was going to be at least ten before they got to eat dinner, she was going to need something to hold her over. Again, she peered through the cutout at the empty dining room.
Savannah strode through the room setting everything back in place. She changed placemats, replaced dirty cushion covers on the seats, and restocked condiments.
“Hey, Savannah?” Gia called through the cutout.
She hefted a bus pan onto her lip and looked up. “What’s up?”
“Have you eaten anything today?”
“Not since this morning. Why? You hungry?”
“I was thinking barbeque for dinner later,” Gia said.
She considered for a moment. “Yeah, that works.”
Gia’s stomach growled. “But do you want to split an omelet now to hold us over?”
“Sounds good.” She returned to working even faster.
Gia tossed some of the peppers and onions Cole had finished cutting onto the grill along with a handful of diced ham from the fridge. While it heated, she put together the home fries and scooped out two small helpings. She scrambled a couple of eggs and added them to the mixture on the grill. As much as she’d love to add cheese and bacon, she refrained, since this wasn’t actually dinner. She definitely didn’t want to be too stuffed to eat barbeque.
When the omelet was done, she split it onto two plates and added them and the home fries to a tray, then carried it out into the dining room.
Since no customers had come in, Savannah had already set a table for them and poured drinks. “I hope lemon water was okay? I didn’t figure you’d want coffee or soda now.”
“No, lemon water is perfect, thank you.” Gia set the food out, and they both sat.
“I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was.” Savannah opened her napkin and spread it on her lap, then dug in.
“I didn’t either, until Cybil said something about attending an event Alyssa and Carlos catered. I’m pretty sure it was the memory of the bruschetta chicken that drove me over the edge.”
Savannah laughed. “I guess that was a good choice then.”
“Indeed.” Since a customer could walk in any minute, Gia didn’t linger over her food, just started to eat.
“Oh,” Savannah pointed at Gia with her fork. “Mallory called.”
“Is everything okay?” If that woman gave Savannah any more trouble—
“Fine. I have to stop by tomorrow morning to sign the papers and drop off the deposit so she can make the offer. Leo is meeting me out there; do you want to come?”
“Sure, I’d love to.” It might give her another opportunity to question Mallory. Who knew? Maybe she’d slip up about her past again.
“Thanks.” Savannah took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “Leo called too.”
“He have anything to say?”
Since her mouth was full, she just rolled her eyes, then swallowed. “They had to pick Isaac up again.”
“Seriously? What for?” Wow, did that guy ever learn his lesson?
“Apparently, he was stalking Jeremy and Ethan, sitting outside Jeremy’s house until all hours of the night. Jeremy called nine-one-one and insisted Isaac tried to break into the house,” Savannah said.
That seemed kind of extreme, even if Isaac did think Jeremy killed Robyn. “Did he actually try to break in?”
She shrugged and sipped her water. “Leo wasn’t sure. There were pry marks on the back door, and they did find Isaac sitting out front, but he swears he never left the car, and he offered to let them search the car, which they did, and there were no tools, not even the stuff you’d need to change a flat tire.”
“Even I have that much in my car.”
Savannah held up a finger. “Exactly.”
“Huh…so what did they do? Arrest him?”
“Nah, just another warning, since they didn’t find any evidence that he tried to break in. Not even any fingerprints on the door, though he could have worn gloves.”
“And ditched them with whatever tools he used. Are they searching the bushes and stuff by any nearby houses?” Gia asked.
Savannah stared at her, lifted a brow, then grinned.
“Oh, all right.” So she sometimes forgot she wasn’t the detective. Of course, Hunt and Leo would have known to search the area.
“I think you missed your calling. You should have been a detective.”
“Ha ha.” But maybe she wasn’t completely off base. Gia did love solving puzzles. “You know. I was thinking.”
Savannah’s fork stopped partway to her mouth.
“Don’t be a smart aleck.”
“Did I say anything?” She lowered the fork to the plate.
“You didn’t have to, and you know it.” Gia smirked at her. “Just for that, I might not share what I was thinking now.”
“Okay.” Savannah shrugged and went back to eating.
Hmm…Gia hadn’t expected that. Savannah was usually pretty gung-ho to go along with whatever Gia had in mind. “Okay, fine, you twisted my arm. I’ll tell you.”
Savannah sat back to listen. “Is this plan of yours, whatever it is you were thinking about, going to get me into trouble with Hunt?”
Gia paused. “Does it matter?”
“Not really,” she shrugged, “just curious.”
“Well, I don’t think it will anyway. I was just thinking it would be nice to bring a basket, maybe some bagels and muffins and stuff, to Isaac and Jeremy.” After all, she hadn’t offered either of them her condolences. And if one or the other let something slip while she was there, then so be it.
“And you think the two of them are going to share breakfast together without one or the other of them winding up in jail?” Savannah’s eyes went wide in mock terror.
“Ha ha. No, I was thinking of bringing each of them their own basket.”
“Why?” She sipped her water.
“Because it would be a nice thing to do.” Mostly.
“And?”
Gia feigned innocence. “And what?”
“Gia, I have been friends with you for a long time, and you are a kind woman. A good woman. When tornadoes hit Boggy Creek last year, after you first moved here, and you didn’t even know anyone and were still thinking about moving back to New York, you opened the café to help, donated whatever you could, and tried to help anyone in need. So don’t take it wrong when I say, that story ain’t no relation to the truth.” Savannah picked up her fork and went back to eating.
“Oh, okay, fine. I just wanted to poke around a little. That slip of Mallory’s at the house yesterday has me wondering what her past relationship with the police has been, and no one I’ve talked to seems to know much about her. I figure either Isaac or Jeremy should, and maybe they’ll let it slip. I’m sorry, but I don’t love the idea of you doing business with someone I don’t know anything about, especially when said someone was present during a murder and tried to blackmail you once already. Plus, I want to offer my condolences.”
“Okay.”
Gia opened her mouth to further her argument, then paused. “Wait. Okay? That’s it?”
“Yup. I’ll go with you.” She waggled her eyebrows up and down. “But you already knew that before you asked. You had me at, I was thinking.”