As the taxi pulled out of the driveway, Millicent leaned back and thought about Old Salem Tavern. She hadn’t eaten there in a long time, and she was looking forward to a quiet meal at the restaurant with Nick.
She closed her eyes and let the history of the area flow through her mind. She thought of the tenacity and determination of the first settlers.
Old Salem had been founded by Moravians, a denomination that broke away from the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia. They were located in the town of Moravia and named themselves after the town. In 1724, they fled to Germany to avoid religious persecution, and in 1788 they came to America for the same reason. They settled mainly in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where they are still concentrated.
In North Carolina, they founded the town of Salem just south of Winston. Though Winston had not been settled by the Moravians, the two towns decided to merge and become the city of Winston-Salem. The Moravians were a simple, peace loving, independent, and self-reliant people who believed in working hard and taking care of their neighbors. They were known for their unique way of preserving and preparing their food. Old Salem Tavern still featured many of the settlers’ old recipes.
* * * *
At exactly six-thirty, Nick walked into the Tavern. Millicent had already been seated, and she sipped from a glass of wine. He double-checked his watch to make sure he was on time.
“Don’t worry, Nick,” she said as he approached her. “You’re not late. I left the house early because I couldn’t take any more of Vernon. He came home in a foul mood. I assume something at work set him off.”
Nick took the seat in front of her. “I probably would have wanted to leave, too.”
“You would, I’m sure,” she said with a chuckle.
The waiter came to their table. “May I get you another glass of wine, Ma’am?”
“No, thank you. I’ve had my limit. I’ll have iced tea now.”
“Iced tea is fine for me, too,” Nick said.
“Very good. I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you,” Nick said. He picked up a menu. “Have you decided what you’d like to eat, Millicent?”
“I think I’ll have their specialty, the chicken pie. I like it with the unique slaw they serve. How about you?”
“I’m going to have the bratwurst, and I definitely want to save room for a piece of their famous sugar cake.”
“Rebecca loves that, too. Wilma comes to Winkler Bakery to buy it often.”
The waiter returned, and Nick placed their orders. When they were alone again, Nick looked at his companion. “Now, Millicent, I know you wanted to have dinner with me for a reason other than the fact that we’re flirting with each other. Are you ready to tell me what it is?”
“Maybe I’m just a crazy old woman who likes to go out to dinner with handsome young men.” She turned her head to the side and smiled at him.
“Then I’d say I’m a lucky man, but I have a feeling that isn’t your reason.”
“I’m not sure where to start.”
“I’m in no rush. Take your time.”
“First, I’m still convinced Vernon killed Mindy.”
“I figured you were.”
“I want you to find out how he did it.” When Nick started to speak, she raised her hand and said, “I know. Rebecca says he was home that night and we both believe her, but he could have hired someone else to kill Mindy. I just want you to keep an open mind.”
Nick nodded. He didn’t want to voice the fact that nothing would please him more than to prove Vernon Armfield had perpetrated the crime.
Millicent continued, “Willard Brookmeyer is the company attorney. I went to see him this morning to find out what he had to say about the company’s dwindling profits. He gave me some cock and bull story about the demand for product being down and a loss of employees. I knew he was putting up a smoke screen, but I pretended to believe what he said.” Before Nick could reply, she went on, “There’s proof of what I’m saying, if I can just find it.”
“What do you mean, there’s proof?”
“Mindy told me…” She let the word trail off as the waiter brought their food.
Only after he refilled their tea glasses and moved away did she continue. “As I was saying, I talked with Mindy a couple of weeks before she was killed, and she told me she’d gotten her hands on a set of books Vernon had made for the company. They showed the true picture of what profits were crossing his desk and how he had shuffled a lot of the money into his own private accounts.”
“Where are those books now?”
“I don’t know. Mindy said she hid them where Vernon would never find them. I’m hoping she gave them to her attorney, Justine Crouse. I have an appointment with her tomorrow.”
“Are you asking me to look into this?”
“Only after you find out how he killed Mindy. I just wanted you to know about it in case you turn up something while you’re poking around.”
“I’ll certainly keep my eyes open.”
Millicent took a bite of her chicken pie. “This is as good as I remembered. You can only get authentic Moravian chicken pie in this area.”
Nick nodded. He had his mouth full and couldn’t answer.
She said, “I don’t think Vernon is the only one at Davidson Industries taking money. I know Willard is involved, and probably that Robyn person, too. I don’t know who else.”
“We’ll eventually get to the bottom of everything. You never know. It could all be tied to Mindy’s death.”
“That’s exactly what I think,” she said. “Now, I won’t say any more on the subject. As I said before, all of this can wait until you prove Vernon killed Mindy.”
They fell into a conversation about the restoration of Old Salem and what a tourist attraction it had turned out to be. At eight o’clock, he drove her home. They said goodnight at the door, he kissed her on the cheek, and then he headed home.