5 A Bad Egg (11 page)

I thought
about the benches Moose and I had seen where we’d found Ellen, and some of them
had
been freshly painted. Was Opal’s
story the truth, or was she using it as a cover for something darker? “I wonder
if I could get that coat to the police? Does she know where it is now?”

“Ellen
thought about that, but since Opal claimed that she threw it out, there’s
nothing she could do about it. Besides, the garbage trucks have already run.
It’s gone.”

“The police
still might be able to recover it,” I said as I reached for my telephone.

“You’re not
actually going to call them, are you?” Mom asked as she put a hand on my arm.

“Of course I
am,” I said. “Mom, this could be important.”

“Now I feel
guilty,” my mother told me.

“Unless
you’re the one who took a pipe to the back of Gordon Murphy’s head, you
shouldn’t feel guilty about anything,” I said. “Thanks for the tip.”

“I wish I
could say that you’re welcome,” Mom said, “but I’m having second thoughts.”

I didn’t even
get the chance to say good-bye to her as Sheriff Croft picked up his line.

“I have a hot
tip for you,” I said.

“What have
you been digging up now?” the sheriff asked a little sharply.

“If you don’t
want it, I’ll just keep it to myself,” I said.

“Hang on. I’m
sorry. I shouldn’t have taken out my frustrations on you.”

“What’s going
on?”

“I’m getting
some heat about Gordon Murphy’s murder,” he admitted. “I should be thanking you
for any help you can give me. What’s up?”

“Opal
Hightower claims that she got red paint on her coat the day that Gordon was
murdered,” I said.

“Where did
you hear that?”

“Let’s just
say from a friend of a friend,” I said.

“I’ll try to
get a search warrant,” the sheriff said.

“There’s no
need. According to my source, she threw it away in the garbage at the park, and
the truck’s already run.”

“My deputies
are going to just love that. Who’s your source? Did Ellen tell you?”

“No,” I said,
since strictly it was true, though the information had come to me originally
because of her. “I still don’t know why it matters.” There was a question I was
reluctant ask, but I couldn’t be queasy about it now. “Sheriff, was there much
blood at the crime scene?”

“Not that she
could have gotten on her,” he said. “Without going into too much detail, most
of the bleeding Gordon did was after he was already lying on the ground.”

“So it’s a
dead end,” I said.

“Most likely,
but that’s not going to keep us from looking for it. Anything else you need to
share?”

I hated to do
it, but there was something else. “Have you seen Robert Hightower’s knuckles?”

“You noticed
that, did you?”

“He claims he
hit a concrete wall,” I said.

“That’s what
he told me, too.”

“Do you
believe him?” I asked.

“The jury is
still out on that.”

“Do you think
you’ll be able to track Opal’s coat down?”

“Don’t worry.
If it’s out there, we’ll find it,” the sheriff said. “Thanks for the tip.”

“Will you
tell me what happens?” I asked.

“I guess I
owe you that much,” the sheriff said. “Keep those clues and tips coming.”

“We’ll do
what we can,” I said.

After I hung
up, I wondered what the police would find. Was Opal the victim of wet paint, or
was it something more sinister? Were Robert Hightower’s bruised knuckles really
the result of him punching a concrete wall? And what about Wayne? Had he taken
matters into his own hands and killed Ellen’s ex-husband? If he didn’t think he
could beat the man in a fair fight, which was fairly obvious at this point, had
he ambushed the man from an alley using a pipe to the back of his head? There
were too many questions for my taste, and not nearly enough answers.

For now,
though, I had customers to take care of, and work of my own to do. Running The
Charming Moose was a full-time job, and adding a murder investigation to the
mix was just about more than one person could handle.

But somehow
I’d find a way to manage. I’d done it before, and I’d do it again.

Chapter 10

“May I help
you?” I asked a massive man in scuffed work boots, torn faded blue jeans, and a
flannel shirt that was barely being held together with thread. He held an old
grocery bag in one hand, and a beat-up baseball cap in the other.

“Hang on a
second,” the man said as he reached back and got the door for someone else. I
was expecting more of the same, and I wondered if there was a heavy
construction project going on someplace near the diner. That could be good for
business. These men and women worked hard, and they could pack away a great
deal of food without showing any signs of slowing down. “I’ve got two more
coming.”

I smiled my
brightest smile, and then he stepped aside and allowed two little girls, one
around five and the other around six, to come inside. They were both dressed in
princess outfits, and each sported a glittery tiara that completed the
ensemble. “Sophie, why don’t you take your sister to that table over there, and
I’ll be with you in a second.”

“What’s my
name?” she asked him with a frown.

“Sorry,” he
said as his face reddened a little. “I meant to say Princess Sophia.”

“That’s fine,
Daddy,” Sophie said regally. “Come along, Princess Elizabeth.” She took her sister’s
hand in hers, and then both girls turned back to their father. “Go on. Ask
her.”

“I will,” he
said. “Stop bossing me around, young lady.”

“But you’re
our squire,” Sophie protested. “You have to do as we say.”

Her father
pointed to the booth, and apparently Sophie realized that she’d pushed him just
about all that she could for now.

“I have a
favor to ask,” he said to me.

“What would
the princesses like?”

The man
grinned. “Ever since their mom got sick, I’ve been taking care of them.”

“I’m so
sorry,” I replied. “How awful.”

“I guess I
shouldn’t say that she’s sick. That’s not really the case at all. My wife has
been ordered by her doctor to stay in bed until the new baby is born. It’s
another girl,” he added with a grin.

“How do you
feel about having another princess in the family?”

“Just as long
as she’s healthy, I couldn’t be any happier. The thing is, these two rascals
talked me into having a tea party. The problem is, I told them we could have it
wherever they wanted, and the scamps picked this place.” He handed me the bag.
“I know that it’s a lot of trouble, and if it’s too much, they’ll probably
understand, but I was wondering if we could get lemonade instead of tea in
those, and a few cookies, too. You might not believe it, but those two are a tough
crowd to please.”

“Don’t worry
about a thing. We’ll make it work,” I said.

He nodded.
“Thanks. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

“There’s no
need to explain. I was a little girl once, too,” I said.

I hurried
back to the kitchen and pulled out the most charming little tea set I’d ever
seen from the battered old bag.

“What’s going
on?” Greg asked.

“We’re
serving tea to a pair of princesses and their squire,” I said as I got lemonade
from the fridge. “Do we have any cookies on hand?”

“Sure, your
mom made some yesterday. Is sugar okay?”

“Did she top
them with anything?”

Greg grinned.
“No, but I can whip up some icing in a heartbeat, and we’ve got those sprinkles
left over in the drawer.”

“Perfect,” I
said. I rinsed the cups and the teapot, filled the pot with lemonade, and then
arranged it all on a tray. Greg was as good as his word, and as I started to
walk out front with the lemonade and now brightly decorated cookies, he looked
over my shoulder.

“
That’s
the squire?” he asked.

“He might not
be dressed like one, but he’s one of the best fathers I’ve ever seen.”

“And even if
he’s not,
I’m
not going to be the one
to tell him.”

I delivered
the tray with a flourish, and as I placed an empty cup in front of each one of
them, I addressed them formally by name.

“Shall I
pour?” I asked.

“Please,”
Sophie said with a bright smile.

I added
lemonade to each cup, and then put the tray of cookies in the middle of the
table. “If there’s anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

I stepped away,
and Jenny joined me off to one side. She was grinning almost as much as I was.
“What is that all about?”

“It’s a tea
party,” I said. “Only they’re using lemonade.”

“Of course
they are,” she said.

The father
raised one pinky as he took a sip of tea from the tiny cup. The entire thing
was nearly swallowed up in his hand, but he didn’t even flinch.

I waited on a
few other customers over the next ten minutes, and when I glanced over at the
three of them, the father motioned to me by writing in the air, a clear sign
that he was ready for the check.

“I’ll be
right back,” I said as I collected the cups, saucers, and the teapot. There
were a few cookies left, so I wrapped them up after I rinsed out the tea
service and put everything back into the bag.

As I handed
it all to the father, he frowned as he looked around for the check. “I must
have missed it. Where’s the bill?”

“I’m pleased
to say that the archduke has already taken care of it,” I said as I winked at
him.

The girls
looked wildly around the room for their benefactor. “Is he here? Where’s the
archduke? We’d love to meet him.”

“I’m afraid
that he was called away on the queen’s business, but he sends you his regards.”

“The archduke
is a fine gentleman,” Sophie said with a deep air of seriousness.

“Let’s go,
Ladies. The queen is expecting us,” their father said.

Sophie
grabbed her sister’s arm on their way out, chattering excitedly. “I can’t wait
to tell Mommy that the archduke was here.”

“She’ll be
amazed,” Elizabeth said.

“Thanks,” the
father said as he held the door open for his daughters.

“I should be
the one thanking you. It was the most fun that I’ve had all day,” I said, and
it was the complete and utter truth.

“You get all
of the fun ones,” Jenny said after they were gone.

“It’s always
the luck of the draw,” I said. I glanced at my watch, and then I added, “Would
you like to take a little time off before Moose and Martha get here?”

“I’m fine. It
feels as though I’m getting my second wind,” she said. “I might take you up on
it later, though.”

“We shouldn’t
be long,” I said. “Just let me know.”

“Who are you
going to interrogate first?” Jenny asked.

“I’ll have to
discuss it with Moose before I can give you a good answer,” I said. “Sometimes
we have different ideas about that.”

“Knowing the
two of you, I’m amazed that you ever agree on anything.” Jenny seemed to
reconsider saying that, because she quickly added, “Sorry, Victoria. I just
crossed that imaginary line again, didn’t I?”

“I won’t hold
it against you this time,” I said. “Just don’t let Moose hear you say anything
like that.”

“I’m not
worried about him in the least,” Jenny said. “He’s a charming old guy, isn’t
he?”

“He thinks
you’re pretty beguiling yourself,” I said, “and we both know it.” Moose had an
obvious soft spot in his heart for Jenny, and it was clear to anyone who was
ever around the two of them at the same time.

“What can I
say? We’re kindred spirits,” Jenny said. “You don’t think Martha minds, do
you?”

“As long as
you aren’t Judge Dixon, you should be fine.” Judge Holly Dixon and Moose were
close, and closer in age, and my grandmother wasn’t the least bit pleased about
their friendship, though Moose swore that she had no reason to be jealous.

Jenny was
about to reply when Moose walked in with Martha right on his heels.

“Are we late?”
Moose asked in that booming voice of his.

“No, you’re
right on time,” I said. “Thanks for covering for me again, Martha.”

“It’s always
my pleasure,” she said. I knew that my grandmother enjoyed coming in and
working the front occasionally for me so that Moose and I could investigate,
but she’d gotten a little rusty over the years, and balancing out the register
was always a challenge when Martha was working the front very long. “I hope you
find whoever killed that man. He might not have been an angel, but he deserved
better than he got.”

“Moose and I
will do our best,” I said. “Do you need anything before we go?”

She hugged
Jenny, and then my grandmother said, “No, I’m sure that between the two of us,
we’ll manage just fine, won’t we, Jenny?”

“Well, it
won’t be boring,” Jenny said with a smile.

“I would hope
not,” Moose said. “Are you finished standing around gabbing, Victoria? We’ve
got work to do.”

“I’ve been
ready since six a.m.,” I said with a smile. “What’s your excuse?”

“I may not
have been here most of the morning, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been
busy. I have a solid lead about where we might find Sam Jackson.”

“We’re not
going back to the bar again, are we?” The place depressed me, and I’d just as
soon skip it today on our search for suspects and clues.

“No, not
unless this other lead is a dead end. But there’s only way we’re going to know
that, isn’t there? Let’s go.”

I kissed
Martha’s cheek, and then touched Jenny’s shoulder lightly. “If you two get
overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to call me,” I said.

“We’ll be
fine,” Jenny said. “Happy hunting.”

“Okay, then.”
I turned to Moose as I said, “You heard the woman. Let’s get cracking.”