A Burned Out Baker: Classic Diner Mystery #7 (The Classic Diner Mysteries) (9 page)

“Moose, you could run circles around most people half your age, and you know it.”

He grinned at me. “Maybe so.” It was clear that he loved being complimented on his energy level. “But honestly, I could still use a nap after the day we’ve had.”

“I could myself,” I said, “but I’m not leaving Martha up front any longer than I have to. She’s been great stepping in and covering for me, but right now, you’re exactly right; I belong at the diner.”

“I felt the exact same way myself when I was running the place.”

“I guess it goes with the territory,” I said as we headed back to Moose’s truck and got in. It was a short drive back to The Charming Moose, and honestly, I was looking forward to a little time working there to take my mind off murder. Things had a tendency of getting intense when Moose and I were investigating crime, and it was a nice break when I got a chance to return to my old routines. Besides, I might even be able to come up with our game plan for later if I got lucky. It worked that way sometimes. Actively forgetting about suspects, motives, and clues allowed my subconscious mind to chew on the case while I was involved doing something else. Hopefully this time it would work as well, but if nothing else, at least I’d get a taste of my normal life in the peace and quiet that came with running the diner, even if for a few brief moments.

For now, we’d let all of our suspects simmer a little and twist in the wind without any help from us.

If we could figure out a way to get them all rattled, maybe the killer would slip up and make a mistake. It was worth a shot, anyway, even if it did put our lives at risk.

That was just the admission price to this particular game that my grandfather and I were playing, and we were going to pay it gladly if it gave us a shot at catching a murderer.

“How’s it going?” I asked my grandmother when we walked back into The Charming Moose a few minutes later. She was back at the job she’d done when Moose had started the diner at the very beginning, and I didn’t know what I’d have done if she hadn’t been available to step in every now and then when I needed her. She’d gotten a little rusty at cashiering over the years, but the more I called on her to help, the better she’d gotten.

“It’s been smooth sailing,” she said with a warm smile that faded slightly as she asked, “Have you and your grandfather had any luck?”

“These things take time,” I answered, parroting the response Moose and I usually had this early in an investigation. “I thought it might be easier given the number of suspects we found from the start, but honestly, it hasn’t done us that much good at all.”

She patted my hand gently. “Don’t worry. Between the two of you, you’ll figure it out.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said, “but in the meantime, why don’t you go on home and get some rest? I have a feeling that I’ll be calling on you again tomorrow, if you don’t mind.”

“I’d be delighted to help out in any way that I can,” she said as she gave up her spot behind the register. “Victoria, are you
sure
you wouldn’t like me to stay a little longer?”

“I’m positive,” I said as I settled back into my station. “We’ve done all that we can for the moment.”

Moose was listening in. “That’s right, Martha. Besides, it’s nearly four. Jenny will be here soon, and then there will be too many employees hanging around and not enough customers.”

Martha said, “Jenny’s already here.”

Moose looked around. “I don’t see her.”

“That’s because she’s in back. Greg’s making her something to eat, something I’m certain he’d be more than happy to do for us before we go.”

“You know what? That’s an outstanding idea,” Moose said as he started for the kitchen.

Martha grinned at her husband. “Why, because you’re hungry, or because a pretty young girl who pretends to flirt with you is already back there?”

“Who’s pretending?” Jenny asked with a smile as she walked out of the kitchen holding a plate with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts with cheese.

“Don’t give him any ideas, dear,” Martha said, matching her grin for grin. “The old wolf doesn’t need a single bit of encouragement as it is.”

“I can handle him; there’s no need to worry about that,” Jenny answered.

Moose looked at them both as he said, “I’m standing right here. You both know that, right?”

“Come on,” Martha said as she put her arm in Moose’s. “Let’s go get an early dinner.”

“Hold on. I’m not finished being offended yet.”

“You can do it just as easily in the kitchen, can’t you?” she asked him.

“I suppose so,” he said as he allowed his wife to pull him into the back.

“I like your grandfather,” Jenny said as she approached me.

“It’s okay to like him, as long as you don’t like him,” I said.

She just laughed. “I’m no competition for your grandmother, and she knows it.”

“Martha does have some kind of spell over him, doesn’t she?” I asked.

“I need to ask her what her secret is, just in case I ever find a man who’s worth keeping,” Jenny said. I could tell that she was more than a little serious, though she’d said it in a joking tone.

“I don’t know if it will help, but I can tell you what she told me before I found Greg,” I said. “Would you like to hear it?”

“Are you kidding? Spill.”

“She told me to find someone who’s worth loving, and then never hold back. You might get a few broken hearts along the way, but in the end, if you’re lucky, you’ll find the love of your life, and when you do, never take them for granted.”

“I’m not sure that I can be so daring with my heart,” she said.

“You’ll have a tough time finding love until you do,” I said.

“Is that what you did with Greg?” Jenny asked softly.

“I got lucky there,” I admitted. “I didn’t have to kiss many frogs before I found my particular prince.”

“I wish that I could say the same,” Jenny said as a few new customers walked in.

“Give it time,” I said. “Would you like me to wait on them? You’ve got a few more minutes before your shift starts.”

“No, I’ve got it. Thanks for the chat.”

“Anytime, Jenny,” I said.

There was a bit of an early rush between the late lunches and the early dinners, and after that, our full evening crowd started trickling in, so I didn’t get much of a break until it was nearly seven, the hour we normally closed.

I rang up our last customer as Jenny started cleaning the tables, and Greg peeked out of the kitchen.

“That last few hours just flew by,” he said. “I love it when we’re busy, with one notable exception.”

“What’s that?” I asked as I started balancing out the register.

“I didn’t get to spend as much time with you,” he said with a grin.

“We’ll make up for that tonight,” I said as I counted the till and checked it against the totals on the report. “I don’t believe it.”

“How far off was your grandmother today?” Greg asked me with a smile.

“That’s just it. The report and the till totals are spot on.”

“Hey, she’s been getting enough practice lately,” Greg said good-naturedly. “Maybe she’s finally getting the hang of it again.”

“Are you saying that Moose and I have been gone too much investigating lately?” I asked him as I filled out the deposit slip.

“Not at all. I know that what you two do when you’re away from the diner is important. I just miss you sometimes. Is that a bad thing?”

“I’d be hurt if you didn’t,” I said as I grabbed him and kissed him. He hadn’t been expecting it, but he didn’t look all that unhappy that I had done it, either.

Jenny walked by us and smiled. “Following your own advice, Victoria?” she asked.

“How good could it be if I didn’t?” I asked.

“Am I missing something?” Greg asked.

“Never mind. It’s just a little girl talk,” I said.

“Then forget I even asked,” he said with a smile.

I nodded as I released him. “Jenny, we can finish closing up. Go on and have a good night.”

“You, too,” she said.

I locked the door behind her after she left, and Greg said, “I’m almost finished in the kitchen. Would you like something to eat before we go?”

“As much as I love your cooking, I’m just not all that hungry,” I said. “Are you?”

“I can always eat, but I’m good for the moment,” he said.

After we finished cleaning up, we left the diner, making one stop at the bank for our nightly deposit on the way home. Moose and I had planned to get together in the morning when I took my first break at eight. We’d use my regular three-hour break for our investigation, and if we needed more time, Martha had volunteered to cover for me again at the register and waiting on tables if Ellen needed her. I usually used my breaks to unwind a little, but when Moose and I were digging into crime, it was the perfect opportunity to track down suspects and clues. Besides, I worked the early shift from six until eight, which gave me a start on the day at my real job running the diner.

“How are things going with your investigation?” Greg asked me as we neared out house. “Or is it too soon to say?”

“You know how it goes,” I said as we pulled up into our drive. “We tread water right up until the moment that it all falls into place.”

“I get it,” he said. “I know it’s a bit chilly, but would you like to sit out by the fire tonight and roast some marshmallows?”

“Normally I’d say yes,” I told him as I got out of the car, “but I’ve had more than my fair share of fire today. Do you mind?”

“Heck no,” he said. “I’d be just as happy to curl up on the couch and watch a movie, as long as it’s with you.”

“You’ve got yourself a date,” I said as we walked inside.

“Then I’m a happy man,” he said. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you pick the movie tonight?”

We usually took turns, and neither one of us ever forgot who was next in line. “It’s your turn, though.”

“What can I say? I’m feeling magnanimous. Besides, you’ve had a harder day than I have. Just take it easy on me, okay?”

“Don’t worry. If I pick a chick flick, it will be one you like,” I said.

“That’s all I’m asking,” Greg said. I made some popcorn and we put in a movie, something light and frothy that helped take my mind off murder. Many times I loved my movies like I did my books, preferring gentle escapes rather than dramatic reminders of how cruel the world could be. If I wanted realism, I’d watch the news. What I liked was something that took me out of my world into one where light, love, and laughter prevailed. Greg tended to enjoy action-adventure movies, and I watched them willingly enough with him, but I knew that on occasion he enjoyed my choices just as much. Life was hard enough without injecting a little joy and laughter into it now and then, and one thing was certain. I never felt weighted down after watching or reading something gentle that offered me a few smiles along the way, some tender moments, and a conclusion that satisfied the romantic in me.

By the time we finished our movie, I’d forgotten all about Barry Jackson’s murder. There would be time enough to tackle that again tomorrow.

Tonight, I just wanted to relish what a wonderful life I had.

“Chief Yates, what brings you by so bright and early?” I asked the fire chief the next morning a little after six AM. “You’re usually more of a dinner customer than a breakfast one.”

“To be honest with you, I didn’t sleep much last night,” he said. “Let’s start with coffee, and go from there.”

“I’m sorry that you had a rough night,” I said as I filled up a cup for him and slid it his way. “Anything in particular I can do to help? I know I’m not a bartender, but I can still listen to my customers’ woes.”

“It’s the fire,” the chief said after he took a sip of coffee.

“I’m sure it’s got to be tough on you,” I said sympathetically. “Every time it happens, it must take a little out of you.”

“Honestly, I never minded the fires themselves in the past. They’ve just been something that had to be controlled and contained, you know? I always thought of what we did as noble, you know? Does that sound too corny this early in the morning?”

“It’s not corny any time of day or night,” I said. “What you do is noble.”

“Maybe, but when we find a body, it takes all of that out of the equation. There’s nothing honorable about recovering bodies.”

The poor man looked tortured by what he’d found. “I don’t agree,” I said.

“Why not?” Was that a glimmer of hope in his eyes?

“Just think about how haunting it would be to the victims’ families if you never found their remains. They’d be troubled by the absence the rest of their lives. At least this way there’s some kind of closure.”

“That’s true,” he said. “I had a cousin who went missing, and it took seven years to declare him dead, even though just about everyone suspected that he went fishing in the ocean and never made it back to shore. His poor wife didn’t just have his absence to deal with, either. Everything was up in the air legally as well. It would have been a blessing if we could have found him, that’s for sure.” He stared into his coffee for a few moments, and then the chief added, “Not that there was any danger that Barry’s body wouldn’t be discovered. He was found sitting at his desk, about as obvious a place as we could have looked for him.”

“Do you think he was placed there on purpose?” I asked.

Chief Yates looked surprised by the question. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but I suppose it could have played out that way. One thing’s certain. Nobody was trying to hide the fact that Barry was dead.”

I thought about what he’d just said for a second, and I realized just how true it was. Whoever had set the fire at the bakery had clearly wanted Barry Jackson’s body found. Did that mean that the killer was someone who would directly inherit from the victim? If so, that would put Barry’s brother, Mike, on the hot seat. But he wasn’t the only one. If Rob Bester had killed Barry to get to his land, he’d need Barry found fast as well. Then again, if Cliff Pearson had killed Barry to send a message to his other clients, he’d need a quick discovery, too. That line of thought did reduce our list of suspects by two, though. There’d be no reason Sandy Hardesty or Susan Proctor would care if Barry were ever found or not if they’d set that fire. It was definitely an angle to pursue, and while I wasn’t ready to write the ladies off quite yet, it did give me more reason to look into the men’s motives, alibis, and opportunities.

As soon as Moose showed up, we were going after the three men on our list first.

Later that morning, I was about to catch my grandfather up on my new theory about the arson/murder when I stopped abruptly.

He looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Go on. Finish the thought, Victoria.”

“Later,” I said as I pointed over his shoulder.

Sheriff Croft walked through the diner door, and he didn’t look happy.