The next day, I was to meet Vic and Knuckles at a diner just off the highway. As I pulled into the parking lot, Daisy asked, “Are you sure this is the right place?”
I nodded.
“Good luck, Gina. I think you’re going to need it.”
The dilapidated building made me think I’d probably catch food poisoning if I ate anything.
“Thanks,” I muttered. “Now, you know what to do, right?”
We’d been up into the early morning hours hatching our grand master plan to catch the killer and keep me out of prison.
“Of course I do, Gina. We were up all night talking about it. My memory is just fine. Make sure you keep the car running so I don’t bake to death, and I’ll be ready when you come out.”
“I will. Do you want me to get you some bacon or something?” I asked, gathering my purse.
“From in there?” Daisy curled up in the back seat. “My goodness, no. What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
Vic pulled up next to me and waved.
“Okay, Daisy,” I said. “Be ready when I come to get you.”
“I will. My super sniffer is ready to work!”
I exited the car and waited for Vic. We walked into the restaurant together where I expressed my concerns about the sanitation of the business.
“It looks like a salmonella factory, but they have the best all-day breakfast of anywhere within a hundred miles. I promise.”
“Don’t let Sally over at On The River hear you say that,” I muttered.
We were greeted by a waitress whose name tag read Candy. She popped her gum while batting her eyelashes at Vic, then led us over to a booth. As I slid in, the cracked vinyl dug into the back of my legs. I assumed the yellowing walls used to be white.
“I’ll be back in a jiffy,” Candy said, handing us each a menu.
As she scurried off, I muttered, “This place looks like cockroaches would become sick eating here.”
“Quit being such a snob,” Vic said. “I’m telling you, the restaurant may not look like much, but you’re going to love the food.”
Candy returned, her pen poised over her pad of paper as she winked at Vic. “What can I get you, handsome?”
“My sister and I are waiting on someone,” he said, grinning. “But for now, I’d love a cup of coffee from the prettiest server I’ve seen in weeks.”
“Same,” I said. Candy didn’t bother to look my way.
“Two coffees it is, handsome,” she said.
After she left, I shook my head. “Are you going to sleep with her?”
“Nah. I’m done with that stuff. I’m just being nice.”
We sat in silence as we waited for the coffee. At the counter sat a couple of men, their eyes glued to the television that played a car race.
The rest of the dozen or so tables were empty.
I pulled out my phone and noted the time. “Are you sure Knuckles is going to show up? He’s late.”
“He’ll be here,” Vic replied.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I offered to buy him breakfast and made some promises.”
“Like what?”
Candy returned and set down the two cups of coffee, interrupting our conversation. “I brought you cream and sugar, sugar,” she cooed.
“If only it was as sweet as you,” Vic said.
“Oh, my word,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
Candy giggled. “I’ll keep my eye on you and come back when your friend gets here.”
“Thanks, sweetheart,” Vic said. “I appreciate you taking such good care of us.”
As Candy sauntered away, her hips swinging in her tight jeans, I said, “Can you cool it with the flirting? It’s becoming a little too obnoxious.”
Vic laughed. “Nothing wrong with a little flirting, Gina.”
“It’s making me sick to my stomach.” Just as I was about to question him on the “promises” he made to Knuckles, the door swung open.
Knuckles had arrived.
Even though I didn’t know the man, the black biker cut gave him away. Long dark hair hung down to his wide shoulders. As he pulled off his sunglasses, I was surprised by the kind blue eyes. When he caught sight of us, he smiled, his teeth almost blindingly white. My goodness, the man should have been a model on the cover of a romance novel instead of a drug dealer.
“Vic!” he said, sliding into the booth across from us. “Nice to see you, man.” They shook hands, then his gaze bounced to me. “You must be Gina.”
“Yes.” I reached across the table and took his palm in mine. “Thank you for meeting us.”
“Well, your brother promised me a paid breakfast and that he’d forgive me my five-hundred-dollar debt to him. How could I pass that up?”
“I don’t see how you could,” I said. I was impressed Vic had relinquished so much to make the meeting happen. But, I figured Knuckles probably never would’ve paid anyway because I assumed the debt was years old.
“Exactly.” Knuckles picked up a menu and I noted the scabs and scars on his fingers and hands. “Now, what are we eating?”
Were the wounds and scars from fighting or working with his hands?
“Whatever you want,” Vic said. “Stuff your face.”
I studied him further. His biker cut was decorated with different patches that meant nothing to me. One of the silver buttons had been replaced by a black one. Did that mean something, or did he just grab whatever he could find to replace the missing silver button?
Candy hurried back to the table. “Coffee, honey?” she asked, now batting her lashes at Knuckles.
“Yes, please,” he replied, his gaze raking over the menu. “I’ll also have the pancakes, two sides of bacon, a side of sausage, the Denver omelet with hashbrowns, the biscuits and gravy, and an English muffin.”
“I like a man with a big appetite,” she gushed, then turned to Vic. “And for you?”
“I’ll have a ham and cheese omelet, another cup of coffee, and a side of waffles with whipped cream, please.”
Candy scribbled on her pad then glanced up at me. “What about you, honey?”
“I’ll have another coffee, some toast and bacon.”
As I gathered the menus, Vic and Knuckles stared at each other. I cleared my throat while I handed them to Candy. “Thanks,” I said.
“My pleasure. The food shouldn’t take too long. Be back in a jiffy.”
“I didn’t expect you to order everything on the menu,” Vic grumbled as she walked away.
Knuckles shrugged. “You offered me a paid breakfast. I’m hungry.”
“You ordered enough to feed a small army,” Vic shot back.
“I’ll pay for breakfast,” I said, hoping to smooth things over. “Can we get down to business?”
Knuckles smiled and nodded. “Ask me anything.”
“You deal drugs, right?”
“Of course not!” he shrieked, holding his hand to his chest. “How dare you insult me!”
“And you’re a comedian,” Vic replied, rolling his eyes.
“Can we be serious here for a minute?” I asked.
Knuckles laughed and met my gaze. “Yes, Gina. I’m a drug dealer. I’ve got some good stuff if you’re ever interested.”
I smiled and shook my head. “I’m happy being drug free, but I’ll keep that in mind. Word has it that you were trying to move in on the business at Hold Your Horses.”
“You’re correct.”
“It’s my understanding that Kevin Cox didn’t want you around.”
“You’re batting a thousand, Gina.”
“Why didn’t he want you dealing there?”
“There was a guy who had the territory,” Knuckles continued. “I don’t know for sure, but I think he gave kickbacks to Kevin.”
“Were you willing to do the same?”
“Sure I was,” Knuckles replied. “I’m a fair guy. The bar’s a popular place and I saw the business potential there.”
“But again, Kevin didn’t want you there,” I reminded him. “Did you two ever have words?”
“Oh, yeah. We had good words, we had bad words.”
“Were there arguments about you trying to elbow in on the territory?”
“Yes.”
I wanted to ask him outright if the fights were bad enough for him to kill Kevin, but I didn’t.
“What’s the guy’s name who deals there now?” I asked, realizing I should’ve questioned Rainy about him further when I had the chance.
“Bobby Marshall,” Knuckles said.
“I’ve never heard of him,” I replied.
“He’s only been around for a couple of years,” Vic chimed in. “And with you being a housebound hermit, you’re never going to meet anyone new.”
I rolled my eyes and said, “I’m not a hermit. I have friends.”
Vic snorted. “If it weren’t for dogs and you having to do people’s nails, you’d never leave your home.”
Biting my lip, I wouldn’t argue further. He was right.
Candy appeared with plates lining each of her arms. The quickness of the food preparation only worried me more.
“Help me out, handsome, and take your biscuits with gravy and omelet,” she directed Knuckles.
He did as ordered and moments later, we all had our food in front of us. It didn’t look bad, but I still wasn’t sure I trusted the establishment not to inadvertently poison me. As I stared at my bacon and toast, I prayed I didn’t get sick.
Knuckles and Vic dove into their food like pigs at a trough while I nibbled on my toast.
“Overall, Kevin was an absolute jerk,” Knuckles said, patting his mouth with the napkin like a gentleman. “You know he was cheating on his wife, right?”
“Yes.”
“He had a couple of girls on the side,” Knuckles continued.
I set down my toast. “A couple?”
“Yep. I couldn’t tell you their names, but both were young enough to be his daughters.”
“So in their twenties or so?” I asked.
“Yep.”
While sipping my coffee, I concluded that neither of the women Knuckles referred to was Rainy. No matter the lighting or the makeup, Rainy couldn’t pass for anywhere near twenty.
Or maybe Knuckles was really bad with pinpointing ages? “Do you know the bartender over at Hold Your Horses?” I asked.
Vic turned to me with his brow furrowed in confusion. I shot him a glare and hoped he got the message to keep stuffing his waffles into his mouth instead of talking.
“Sure, I know Rainy,” Knuckles said. “She’s one heck of a good gal.”
“Didn’t you two used to date?” Vic asked.
Knuckles nodded. “Yep. That was a few years ago, though. I’d still date her—heck, I’d marry her—if she’d have me.”
I filed that piece of news to ponder later. Did it mean something to the murder investigation?
He also didn’t seem to know that Rainy and Kevin had been an item.
“Who do you think killed Kevin?” Vic asked. “Any ideas?”
Knuckles sighed, then ate a piece of bacon before answering. “I have no idea. I haven’t been hanging around there too much, so I don’t know what’s been going on. You should talk to Rainy about that. She’s up to her armpits in knowledge about the place.”
We finished our breakfasts in silence and just as Knuckles scraped the last bit of gravy from his plate, Candy sauntered over again.
“That was delicious,” Vic said. “I’m stuffed.”
“Me, too,” Knuckles chimed in. “Thanks for the excellent service, Candy.”
“You’re most welcome, sugar. Hope to see you all again.”
After she cleared the plates, I handed her my credit card. Now it was time for part two of my plan. Yes, I’d wanted to meet and talk to the biker, but there was something else I wanted to accomplish.
“Are we ready?” I asked.
“Don’t forget your credit card,” Vic said.
We waited for Candy to reappear, then headed out to the parking lot.
Knuckles turned to us. “Thanks for breakfast, and for forgiving my loan. I know I wasn’t much help, but I do appreciate it.”
As Vic and Knuckles shook hands, I hurried over to my car. “Hang on!” I called over my shoulder. “I wanted to show you something!”
I pulled open the door and Daisy raised her head. “What’s going on?” she asked sleepily.
“Go smell Knuckles!” I hissed. “Hurry! Before he leaves!”
“Who’s Knuckles again?” She stood slowly and stretched her rear end back.
As I pretended to rummage through the backseat, I tried to keep my patience in check. “Daisy! Remember our plan? You go sniff Knuckles and you remember the scent! Then we can see if it’s in the bar by the murder scene!”
“Oh! That’s right. Okay. Sorry, Gina. I’m really tired from staying up all night.”
“Go!”
She jumped from the car and hurried over to the two men, her tail wagging so fast she could barely walk.
“Hey, Daisy!” Vic called. “I didn’t know you were out here!”
“Hi, Vic!” Daisy yelled. “Hi! How’s my friend, Sing?”
Sing had been a rescue we took in and Vic had adopted. He was the laziest dog I'd ever met. Every time I asked Vic about him, he said Sing accompanied him on his morning rounds at the ranch, then claimed the couch for the rest of the day.
Daisy sniffed around Knuckles and he reached down to pet her. “Aren’t you a cutie?” he said. “I love dogs.”
“Gina, Knuckles and I could be good friends,” Daisy said. “He scratches me just the way I like it… right between my pretty eyes and behind my left ear.”
I smiled as the two became acquainted, and I hoped Daisy was committing his smell to memory while she rubbed her head against his chest.
A few minutes passed, then Knuckles stood to his full height. “Well, I better get going. Nice to meet you, Gina. Vic, I’ll see you when I see you.”
He strode across the parking lot to a motorcycle. As he pulled away, Vic turned to me. “So, what did you think?”
I couldn’t really tell him that my dog and I had come up with a plan to catch the killer, so I simply smiled. “It was helpful. Thanks for arranging it.”
My brother stared at me a long time. “Why do I have the feeling that this wasn’t just about meeting Knuckles? And what did you want to show me?”
“It was Daisy,” I replied. “I knew you’d want to see her.”
“She didn’t want to show you anything! Gina’s super sneaky and no one but me ever knows her master plans!” Daisy said. “Too bad for you, Vic!”
I smiled and hugged my brother goodbye. Daisy was right: no one else knew my plan to find the killer, and I intended to keep it that way.
Not that I really had a choice. I couldn’t go around telling people my talking dog was helping to clear my name.