Thin Crust Killers Read online

  “An open mind would be nice,” I said.

  “I’m still here, and I’m listening,” he said.

  “Can we talk about this outside?” I asked. There really wasn’t any reason to provide a floor show with the meals tonight.

  “Come on,” he growled at me, and I followed him out. A few folks, including Josh, looked clearly disappointed by the decision.

  Once we were outside, I asked the chief, “Have you even considered the possibility that the bank robbery was just a way to kill Hank and put the suspicion on the heist?”

  He looked at me a second, then without a hint of humor in his voice, Kevin said, “You’ve really lost your mind this time. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, and I’ve heard some whoppers coming out of your mouth.”

  “Maybe it’s not the first theory anyone would think of, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valid. Think about it. It would make the perfect cover.”

  “I don’t want to think about it,” he said. “Then that would make me as crazy as you are.”

  “I’m looking into Hank’s life, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

  “Don’t be so sure about that.”

  “Why would you want to? Does that mean you think my theory has some possibilities?”

  Kevin frowned. “Eleanor, you couldn’t be more off the track if you tried. Hank was in the wrong place at the wrong time. End of story. When we find the robber, we’ll find his killer.”

  “Good luck with that,” I said. “All of my suspects could be the bank robber too, so we might overlap.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not about to stand by and watch you muck up a police investigation. Drop it, and I mean now.”

  “Fine,” I said. There was clearly no use arguing with him anymore.

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “I don’t know. It must be a character flaw of yours. Are we done here?”

  He looked mad enough to spit, but instead, he nodded abruptly. “We’re finished. At least for now.”

  “Oh, goody. That means I’ve got something to look forward to later.”

  I turned around and went back into the Slice without another word.

  The second I got inside, Josh walked over to me. “What was that all about?”

  I thought about telling him, but I’d promised his parents that I would keep him out of my investigations, and I was going to keep my word.

  “Nothing much. Your dad and I just had a difference of opinion.”

  “About me?”

  “No, it was something else entirely. He doesn’t like what I’ve been up to lately.”

  Josh shook his head. “I told him to leave you alone, but he just won’t listen to me. I’m still a kid in his eyes. He’s got to learn to trust me.”

  Josh had saved my life once, though he liked to pretend that I’d saved his, so I owed him more than I could ever repay. “Fathers can be like that, especially with their only sons. Give him some time. He’ll come around.”

  “That’s what I don’t get, Eleanor. You defend him all of the time, but I’ve never heard him take your side on anything.”

  “I wouldn’t let it bother you,” I said. “I never have.” I clapped my hands together, then asked, “Now, doesn’t table eight need more soda?”

  “I’m on it,” he said.

  Long after Kevin was gone, I kept thinking about what he’d said. Could he be right? Were Maddy and I wasting our time looking into Hank Webber’s life? The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that I didn’t care. If all we were doing was killing time and the police found the real killer, justice would still be served. The only way I’d ever be able to beat myself up about it was if I just gave up. There was a chance my sister and I were right, and that chance was all that mattered. If nothing else, a charity auction had been created all because of our investigation, and that was reason enough to keep on digging.

  As far as I was concerned, it was full speed ahead.

  I just wished I knew what our next step should be.

  Chapter 6

  “Eleanor, what are you doing waiting tables? Is your sister here?”

  Bob Lemon had come in while I’d been serving a table toward the back, and I’d missed spotting his entrance.

  “Why, did you two have something planned this evening?” I hoped I hadn’t spoiled Maddy’s plans by having her work in the kitchen. Since my lack of a love life wasn’t even interesting to me, sometimes I liked to live through Maddy a little.

  “No, but she’s canceled on me two nights in a row, and when I come here to see her, she’s not even working. I suppose it’s time I got the message, isn’t it?”

  Bob started to leave when I said, “Hang on a second. I never said she wasn’t here.”

  “There’s no need to cover for her, Eleanor. I’m a grown man; I can take it.”

  “If you’re a grown man, maybe you should try acting like it, then.” I’d let my frustration with Kevin and my investigation into my voice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t think another thing about it. You don’t need to apologize to me.” Bob grinned slightly. “As a matter of fact, I should be the one apologizing to you. You’re right, I did jump the gun. Let’s start over, shall we?”

  “Sounds good to me,” I said.

  “Good evening, Eleanor. It’s nice to see you. Is your sister here?”

  “She’s working in the kitchen tonight,” I said with a smile. “Wow, that wasn’t so hard after all.”

  Instead of returning my grin, a look of concern swept over the attorney’s face.

  “Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

  “Certainly not to me. I just know how Maddy feels about working in the kitchen. Is she being punished?”

  “No, she asked me if she could do it herself.”

  Bob glanced back toward the kitchen. “On second thought, maybe I’ll catch up with her later.”

  “Go on back, you big coward. Things are slow right now, and I know she’d love to see you.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Let’s just call it a hunch,” I said.

  When he still didn’t make a move toward the kitchen door, I opened the door and called out, “Maddy, Bob Lemon’s here to see you.”

  “Well, tell him to stop stalling and come on back,” Maddy snapped.

  He mouthed the words “thanks a lot” to me, obviously being sarcastic.

  I chose to ignore his intent and focus on the words instead. “You’re welcome. Now go on, she won’t bite.”

  “Maybe not you,” he said.

  I had to give him chops for what he did next. Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the kitchen instead of the front door, and I didn’t know many men who would have the nerve to do that when my sister was clearly on edge.

  After he was gone, I waited for the sound of pans flying and glassware shattering, but it was remarkably calm, so I figured everything was going to be all right.

  I was about to go check on them anyway when Trent Caldwell came into the pizzeria. He looked surprised to see me working the front, but his step barely stuttered as he approached the register.

  “I thought you were the cook around here,” he said.

  “Just one of them,” I replied. “What brings you by the Slice?”

  “Seeing you and your sister this afternoon gave me a craving for some pizza. I called in an order half an hour ago. Is it ready yet?”

  “Let me go check,” I said. I walked back in the kitchen, where Maddy and Bob were quickly breaking up a kiss.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” I said. “I just need Trent Caldwell’s pizza. Did I miss it when he called in?”

  “You were outside talking to Kevin Hurley,” she said. “I didn’t think you wanted to be disturbed, so I took the order myself.”

  “Why was Kevin here?” Bob asked.

  “Mostly to give me grief about Hank Webber’s murder,” I said. />
  “He wasn’t angry with you?” Maddy asked.

  “Oh, yes, he was pretty mad. But what else is new?”

  “Did he at least take you seriously?”

  “He told me that we had both lost our minds. I’m guessing he’s not giving our theory a whole lot of credence.”

  “It doesn’t sound very professional of him,” Bob said. “The police should investigate every angle, no matter how farfetched it might seem.”

  Maddy patted his shoulder. “That’s what I like about this man. He’s not afraid to kiss up to me whenever the opportunity arises.”

  “Which is not as often as I’d like,” Bob said.

  “The pizza,” I reminded Maddy.

  She nodded. “Hang on a second. I’ve got it right here,” Maddy said as she pulled a box out of the warming oven.

  Bob said, “I can see you two are busy. I’ll leave you to it.” He looked affectionately at my sister and added, “Until tonight.”

  Maddy’s smile was broad as she answered, “I can’t wait.”

  As soon as Bob left, I said, “You two seem to be getting serious.”

  “Not really,” she said, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “Don’t you have a pizza to deliver?”

  “Don’t think for one second that you’re getting off the hook that easily,” I said. “I’ll be back.”

  “Sorry, I’d love to chat, Eleanor, but I’ve got work to do.”

  I left her smiling, and when I told Trent his total, the grin was still on my lips.

  “Why are you so happy?” he asked.

  “No reason in particular,” I said as I made change for him.

  “Have you found anything else out about Hank since we spoke last?” he asked.

  “No, not really. Why the sudden interest, Trent?” When we’d left him that afternoon, Hank Webber had been the last person in North Carolina he’d wanted to talk about, and I couldn’t help wondering why there had been a sudden shift.

  “There might be something I could add to the backstory of what I’m writing,” he said. “I’ll give you full credit for whatever you can come up with, and if it’s good enough, I might even give you a byline.”

  “Thanks, but if I come up with anything, I’d rather be listed as an anonymous source.” I could hear Kevin Hurley’s head exploding if he read about the fruits of my investigation in Trent’s newspaper.

  “I can do that, too,” he said, clearly reveling in the idea of getting all the credit for himself if something did break.

  I wasn’t sure how thrilled I was about giving one of my suspects any leads Maddy and I found, but then again, it might be a good way to keep close to him. “Tell you what. Why don’t we share? You tell me what you know, and I’ll do the same.”

  “That sounds fair,” he said after a little hesitation. “But so far, I haven’t been able to come up with much. How about you?”

  “About the same,” I said, lying every bit as much as he was. “Why don’t we meet again tomorrow? Maybe one of us will make some progress by then.”

  “Sounds good,” he said.

  He started to walk away when I called out to him. “Trent?”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t you want your pizza?”

  “Of course,” he said, looking a little flustered as he came back to the counter and retrieved the pizza box. It was pretty clear his order had just been a ruse to get the chance to talk to me, but I didn’t mind. It was good food, so he was going to get a bonus for his deception.

  I just wondered if he would be eating it alone. I looked out the window to see if anyone was waiting for him.

  Across the promenade, I saw that Missy Plum was obviously watching the pizzeria. The second she saw me looking in her direction, she hurried off.

  Why was she staking us out, though? Was she waiting for someone to come in, or hoping someone would leave? Either way, it made me feel a little on edge having her hover around outside.

  The next chance I got, Missy and I were going to have a little talk.

  It nearly killed me staying up front all night, but the only times I went into the kitchen were when I had to place an order, or I had to pick something up. Maddy had been cordial enough whenever I’d been back there, but it was clear that she had everything under control.

  I was about to tell her what a great job she’d done when the front door opened three minutes before closing. It was Art Young, which wasn’t that odd in and of itself, but it still surprised me. As always, he was dressed in a custom cut suit that no doubt cost more than my pizza oven.

  “Did you order a pizza, Art?” I said as he approached me.

  “Not tonight,” he said, and I could tell his demeanor towards me was more than a little strained.

  There was only one reason I could imagine he’d be unhappy with me, so I took a shot. “If you’re here about my brother-in-law, Steve isn’t here.”

  Art waved a hand in the air. “Actually, it’s you I came to see, Eleanor.”

  “You don’t look too pleased about it,” I said, trying to bury the nervous chuckle trying to escape my lips. I’d heard some of the things the man standing in front of me was capable of, but I never thought he was a threat to me.

  Until now.

  “I’m not. I must say, I’m disappointed with you. I thought we were friends.” Our few remaining customers found this a good time to leave, and I couldn’t blame them myself. In fact, if it weren’t my place, I’d be evacuating as well.

  “As far as I’m concerned, we are,” I said, getting more nervous by the second. I saw Josh pull out his cell phone, and I only hoped he was calling his dad. I normally was never all that excited about seeing Kevin Hurley in my restaurant, but tonight would have truly been an exception.

  After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Then why are you having a charity event without calling me for a donation? You know how much I value my membership in this community.” He came closer and lowered his voice slightly as he added, “I hope it’s not because you don’t want me to contribute something to the cause.”

  “Of course not,” I said, though the thought had never occurred to me. “This literally just happened. We decided to do it on the spur of the moment, so I haven’t had time to contact anybody, really. Honestly, I didn’t mean to snub you, and I’m sorry you thought I would, for even a second.”

  “So, you’re the one who deserves an apology,” he said, suddenly meek. “I’m sorry, Eleanor. I’m a little sensitive about things like this, but I shouldn’t have jumped to such a drastic conclusion.” He pulled out a checkbook from his breast pocket. “Let me make it up to you. I’d like to make a sizeable donation.”

  I wasn’t expecting a check, and I didn’t know exactly how to handle it. “It’s an auction. We’d love to have you contribute something, or better yet, make a bid, but we aren’t set up to take cash.”

  “That’s the first time anyone’s turned me down when I’ve offered them money,” he said, his smile gone.

  “I hate to break new ground, but I can’t make any exceptions, even for my friends. Especially for my friends.”

  He smiled. “That I understand. Very well,” he said as he put his checkbook back in his breast pocket. “I’ll come up with something suitable to contribute for the auction.”

  I started to try to talk him out of it, but he wasn’t in any mood to be thwarted tonight, and I’d already pushed my luck well beyond what I should have. “We appreciate the gesture. Thank you.”

  “Trust me, it’s my pleasure,” he said, and then he was gone.

  Josh hurried over the second Art left. “I had Dad’s number punched in, but I didn’t want to call him unless you needed help.”

  “Thanks for the sentiment, but it was just a misunderstanding.”

  He shut his telephone, then Josh said, “I don’t even want to know what kind of misunderstanding that was.” He grabbed a tub where we put dirty dishes and started bussing the last few tables.

  I took it from him. “Why don�
��t you go on home? I can handle this.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Greg knocked off twenty minutes ago. I told him to take off after his last delivery, and he was smart enough not to argue with me.”

  “Then I’m gone,” Josh said as he bolted for the door.

  I laughed as I finished cleaning off the last two tables, then I wiped them down before I took the dirty dishes back into the kitchen.

  Maddy was buried up to her elbows in soapsuds when I walked back to her. “So, what did you think? How’d you like your first real solo night in the kitchen?”

  “Don’t kid yourself. You were my safety net, and you know it,” she said. “I knew if things got too crazy, you’d be out there ready to step in.”

  “You didn’t need me though, did you?”

  My sister laughed joyously. It was a sound I’d loved since I was a child. “I didn’t, did I? You’re right, Eleanor. It’s all about the attitude.”

  “There’s some skill involved, too,” I said. “Why don’t you let me finish those dishes. You’ve got a date tonight, don’t you?” I noticed the conveyor was still going, though all of our customers were long gone. “Hang on a second.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I looked at the oven. “There’s a pizza going through, but we’re closed for the night.”

  She looked a little sheepish as she said, “I hope you don’t mind. We had leftover dough since you made an extra batch after lunch, and I promised Bob I’d bring our dinner tonight. I kind of felt like pizza.”

  “You can still eat one after making them all night? I can’t face a slice after the kind of shift you just pulled. If you want one to take home, be my guest.”

  Maddy frowned. “I just thought of something. What are we going to tell Josh and Greg? You don’t let them take food out of here.”

  “First of all, they don’t need explanations, they work for me, remember? Second, they have no idea that you’re not paying for it, that it’s more like a bonus for work above and beyond the call of duty. And last, and most important, they’re both already gone, so the coast is clear.”

  As the pizza came out, Maddy deftly took it out of the pan, slid it into a box, and cut it into eight perfect pieces.