A Bad Egg: The Classic Diner Mystery Part 7

Rebecca didn't necessarily approve of the investigations Moose and I had conducted in the past, but I wasn't about to lie to her. "As a matter of fact, we've already started digging," I said.

"Good. Find out who did this, the quicker the better," Rebecca said.

"Why so enthusiastic?" I asked.

"This is going to haunt Ellen and her kids until Gordon's killer is found," she said. "If it takes too long, she'll be branded as a murderer no matter what the outcome."

"We're going to do our best," I said.

"I'm sure you are. Well, I'll let you go. I just wanted to catch you up to speed about where things stood."

"Thanks for the call. I'm sure we'll be chatting again soon."

"You can count on it," Rebecca said.

"What did she have to say?" Greg asked as I walked back into the kitchen.

"Ellen's free, at least for now," I explained as I took a bite of the apple pie Greg had put out on the counter. "Was that for me?"

"Sure, why not?" he said with a grin as he got a piece for himself. "Have you and Moose had any luck so far?"

"We're just getting started," I said after I took another bite. "You know how it goes. We do the best we can, but we don't have a lot of control of the investigation. All we can do is keep digging and hope that something turns up."

"You'll find a way," Greg said. "I have faith in you both."

"Not misplaced, I hope," I answered with a smile.

"Never," he replied, matching my grin with one of his own.

"Ellen, I'm surprised to see you came in today," I said at the door of the diner the next morning.

"Why wouldn't I come to work?" she said. "I can't sit around the house all day waiting for the kids to get out of school. I'd go stir-crazy."

"I understand that, but maybe this isn't the best idea. You know how people talk in town. Are you sure that you're up to it?"

"Please don't make me go," Ellen said, her voice pleading. "I need this."

I put on my brightest smile. "Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have you, if you're sure. Just promise me one thing. If things get too rough for you, you'll take off. Is that a deal?"

"It is," she said. "Thanks, Victoria."

"I should be thanking you for showing up. Martha's coming in later with Moose to take my place, and I know that you two get along great."

"Martha's a peach," she said as she tied her ap.r.o.n on. "I'm guessing that you and Moose are going to keep digging into Gordon's murder, aren't you?"

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? I'd pay you if I could afford it. I don't have a great deal of faith in Sheriff Croft. He seems to be focusing all of his attention on me."

"Don't sell him short," I said. "He's a good cop. I'm sure that once he convinces himself that you didn't have anything to do with what happened to your ex-husband, he'll go after the real killer."

"I hope you're right, but in the meantime, I'm glad that you and Moose are looking into it. Do you have any leads so far?"

I looked around at the two tables with customers, and I lowered my voice. "Do you really want me to get into that here and now? You're just going to have to trust Moose and me to do our best."

"I do, believe me, I do. I just thought I might be able to help."

"We'll take all of the help we can get," I said. "Do you have any ideas about who might have wanted to hurt him?"

"You need to talk to Sam Jackson," she said. "He's hated Gordon for years."

"What exactly happened between them?"

"All I know is that there was a business deal that went bad."

"What kind of business were they in together?" I asked.

"They were selling marijuana, and evidently Gordon left town with Sam's share of their profits. I didn't approve of it, and Gordon swore to me that he stopped, but I found out later that he'd been lying to me. Sam was furious when he found out that Gordon had run off, and I was afraid for my life until I convinced him that I hadn't known anything about it."

"We've got Sam on our list, but we didn't have any luck tracking him down yesterday," I said. "Moose and I are going to try again today. Is there anybody else we should talk to?"

"No, no one that I can think of."

"How about Mitch.e.l.l Cobb?" I asked.

"Mitch.e.l.l? Why would he want to kill Gordon?" She looked honestly surprised by the mere thought that her former cla.s.smate could be involved.

"I understand Gordon stole you from Mitch.e.l.l in the first place," I explained.

Ellen shook her head. "Is that what he told you? n.o.body stole me from anyone else. Sure, Mitch.e.l.l asked me to the prom, but he understood when I told him that I decided to go with Gordon instead. It was stupid of me to do it, and I always felt bad about ditching him like that, but it's not like we were ever a thing, you know?"

"He never asked you out after Gordon left town for good?" I asked.

Ellen smiled softly. "Oh, he asked me half a dozen times, but I always said no. It wasn't anything against Mitch.e.l.l. I just wasn't interested in dating anyone for a long time after Gordon broke my heart."

"Until Wayne asked you, right?"

"Wayne is a dear man," she said softly. "The kids absolutely love him."

"And how about you?"

She reddened a little. "I'd better clear that table."

"You didn't answer my question," I said.

"How about that?" Ellen asked, but that was all that she would say.

I had a hunch that Wayne had indeed found his way into her heart, and I hoped that Gordon's murder hadn't killed the romance before it had a chance to bloom. Ellen had been through a lot, and she deserved a little happiness in her life. As long as neither one of them had killed Gordon, they both had my blessing, for what it was worth.

Ten minutes later, I looked up from the cash register to see Jessie Blackwell walk into the diner. I was surprised to see her after the confrontation Moose and I had with her the day before at The Harbor Inn.

Putting on my best smile, I said, "Sit anywhere you'd like."

"Actually, I came by to talk to you," Jessie said a little uncertainly. "Do you have a second?" She glanced around and saw that Ellen was waiting tables. "And if we could speak outside, I'd greatly appreciate it."

I wasn't sure how much lat.i.tude I was going to give the woman, but then again, if she decided to hole up at the inn, I might never get the opportunity to speak with her again while she was still in town. "That would be fine. Give me one second, and I'll meet you on the bench out front."

"Thank you so much," she said, the relief obvious on her face.

"Ellen, can you cover the register for a few minutes?"

"What is she doing here?" Ellen asked me.

"She wants to talk, and I can't afford not to hear what she has to say. You want us to find out who killed Gordon, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then I need to do this. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said as she nodded.

"Good," I said as I squeezed her hand. "I shouldn't be long."

"If it helps me and the people I love get out from under this mess, take all the time that you need."

I walked out and found Jessie pacing up and down in front of the bench. She obviously had something on her mind. "What can I do for you?" I asked.

It startled her, and I doubted that the woman had even noticed me coming out of the diner. "First of all, I owe you an apology. I snapped a little when you showed up on the path yesterday. I was trying to wrap my head around the fact that Gordon was really gone, and then there you and your grandfather were, confronting me out of the blue.

"Jessie, how did you and Gordon get along?" I asked gently.

"We were engaged to be married," she said, the words rus.h.i.+ng out of her in a well-rehea.r.s.ed tone of voice.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Gordon was an interesting man," she said after a moment's reflection. "We didn't always see eye-to-eye, but I genuinely cared for him."

"Can you say the same about his feelings for you?"

It was a dangerous thing for me to say, but I wanted to see how she'd react. That might tell me more than the answer to any question I could ask.

Instead of blowing up, she just shrugged. "Now you sound like my father. He never trusted Gordon's motives. In fact, Daddy insisted that Gordon sign a prenup."

"And did he?"

"He hadn't yet, but he promised to do it once we got back," she said.

I didn't put any stock in the dead man's promise. Gordon had evidently given up on the battle, but he hadn't conceded the war, as far as I was concerned. "Are you and your father close?" I asked.

"Not that much since Gordon came into my life, but we still talk once a week. As a matter of fact, I was speaking with him not a minute before you and Moose showed up on the path."

It was time to probe a little deeper. "We didn't mean to, but Moose and I overheard part of that conversation."

That earned me a sharp look from her. "What exactly did you overhear?"

"You said something about not thinking that he was bluffing, and that someone promised to bury you. Were you talking about Gordon?"

"I'd rather not explain," she said. "You're taking it all out of context."

"Then give me a little background," I said. "We'll do our best to help you."

"Why would you say that you'd do that?" she asked. "It's common knowledge how you feel about your waitress."

"We all want to find out who killed Gordon, don't we?"

"Of course we do," she said dismissively. "I got the impression yesterday that you wouldn't be all that upset if I'd been the one who killed him, though."

"That's not true," I said, stretching the truth a little. "While it's true that Ellen's a part of our family, we just want to know the truth."

Jessie shook her head. "The truth isn't always that easy to uncover, is it?"

"Well, all we can do is keep digging until we find it," I said. From Jessie's demeanor, and the words she'd used, I decided to play a hunch. "Jessie, were you afraid of him?"

She looked as though I'd caught her for a split second, but then she quickly composed herself again. "Nonsense. We were engaged to be married. I cared very deeply for him."

Why didn't I believe her? "Do you have any idea who might want to see harm come to Gordon?" I asked.

"I believe the police have a list of suspects long enough to satisfy anyone," she said. Again, it was a strict avoidance of answering my direct question. Had this woman been an attorney in another life, or did she always play things cagey?

"But do you know anyone who might have done it?"

"No," she said, one of the few direct answers I'd gotten out of her.

It was time to try a different line of questioning. "How long are you staying in town?"

"The sheriff has asked me to stay a few more days, and I've decided to indulge him. Daddy has offered me his lawyers, but I told him I'd be fine on my own."

I didn't doubt that for one moment. I was certain that the woman could handle herself in any interrogation, if the way she acted with me was any indication. There was no need to s.h.i.+eld her from the police.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have several places still to visit," she said.

I couldn't just let her get away. I hadn't even had a chance to ask her about her alibi yet, but there was clearly not going to be time to do that now. "May we visit you at The Harbor later? I know that my grandfather would love to speak with you, and I'm sure that he'd be appreciative to hear your apology personally." It was the only ploy I could come up with to ensure that we had access to her again once we narrowed our line of questions for her.

"Of course," she said. "Just call first, would you? I hate to be caught off-guard."

"We will. I promise."

"Excellent." She glanced back into the diner, and then Jessie asked me, "Do you think I should say something to Ellen? Things were said between us before Gordon died, and I now regret getting involved in their domestic issues."