“Harry, we both know you can afford whatever I charge, and if you want to keep having access to Sherrie’s food, you’ll pay it with a smile.”
“I was just kidding,” Harry said as he slipped a twenty to Clayton.
When we were outside, I said, “I feel bad depriving them of income.”
“You heard me in there,” Jenny said. “They won’t take my money.”
My husband asked, “I wonder if she makes Shoofly pie? My grandmother used to make it on special occasions, and I haven’t tasted any as good as hers in a long time.” He got a faraway look on his face as he added, “I bet Sherrie could do it if I asked her to.”
“Come on, champ,” I said as I led him to our car. “You’ve had enough pie for one day.”
“Is there even such a thing as too much?” he asked.
As Jenny and I got in, I said, “Thank them again for us, would you?”
“The next time I’m there, I promise to,” she replied.
I looked back into the diner and saw Clayton and Sherrie there, side by side, waving and smiling at my friend. I couldn’t help wondering what service she’d rendered that was worth such special treatment, but then again, Jenny was like that. If she saw a friend in need, she’d move heaven and earth to help them, and I was the biggest example of that behavior in the world at the moment.
It was one of her most endearing traits, and I was thankful again for the college roommate lottery that had thrown us together in the first place. It was time to head over to the Brunswick and see what Mindi Mills was up to.
“HOW ARE WE GOING TO FIND MINDI’S ROOM?” JENNY asked me as we walked into the Brunswick Hotel’s lobby.
“I’m going to call her on the house phone,” I said.
Zach asked, “How are you going to get her to come down here?”
“I’m going to say we found Derrick’s shoes, the ones she seemed to be so attached to.”
“But we gave those back to Cary,” Jenny said.
“Yes, but I’m guessing that Mindi doesn’t know that.”
I picked up one of the courtesy phones in the lobby and dialed zero.
“Yes?” a pretentious voice answered.
“Mindi Mills, please.”
“One moment,” he said. At least she hadn’t blocked her calls. The phone rang ten times, and then went to voice mail. I decided not to leave one, and hung up.
“She’s not there.”
“Could she be in the restaurant or the bar?” Zach asked.
“It’s worth a look.”
We walked to the restaurant, which was crowded with very well-dressed diners. I didn’t spot Mindi, though, or Cary, either.
“If she’s not at the bar, I say we talk to Cary again, since we’re already here,” Zach said. “That is, if I’m allowed to tag along this time.”
“What can it hurt?” I asked.
“Wow, I can really feel the love in the room.”
As we walked into the bar, it took my eyes a second to adjust to the low light level. I almost gave up when Zach touched my arm. “Well, I never imagined we’d see that.”
“What?” I asked.
“Look over in the corner.”
I followed his gesture, and saw that Mindi was having a drink, but that wasn’t what had stunned my husband. It had to be her drinking companion.
It was Cary Duncan, and from the look of things, the two of them were as thick as thieves.
“MAY WE JOIN YOU?” I ASKED AS WE APPROACHED THEIR table.
Mindi looked a little intimidated by our presence, but Cary certainly took it in stride. “Actually, we were just leaving.”
She stood, and Mindi followed.
“Good, I hate bars, don’t you? We can talk in the lobby.”
We followed them out of the bar, and Cary said, “Frankly, I’m tired of answering your questions. You’ve become more tedious than the police.”
“We just have a few,” I said. I kept obsessing over the telephone books, and I wanted to see if Cary knew why her husband might have been squirreling so many away. “When Jenny and I cleaned up Derrick’s suite, we found quite a few telephone books.”
Cary nodded sadly. “I wondered why you didn’t give me any when you brought his suitcases. Derrick was obsessed with pilfering the things. You should see our garage. There’s one entire wall of shelves loaded down with them. It was a little quirk of his, taking souvenirs from everywhere he ever stayed.”
That answered that question, even if the response was less than satisfactory.
“We just have one more, then,” Zach said. “How did you two get to be such fast friends? Was it before Derrick died, or has it been since then?”
Mindi blanched a little, but Cary just smiled. “Imagine how surprised I was to find that we have so much in common. Apparently Derrick’s tastes were more similar than anyone could have imagined.”
“Are you saying you actually like your husband’s mistress?” Jenny asked unbelievingly.
Cary waved a hand in the air. “That’s all in the past, isn’t it? If we can give each other a little solace in this time of need, why shouldn’t we take advantage of it?”
I had a wild guess, and decided to try it before I lost my nerve. “Is that why you moved her here to your hotel?”
Cary was about to deny it when Mindi spoke up first. “She was just doing me a favor. I couldn’t stand staying there after what happened.”
Cary looked at Mindi as though she wanted to gag her, but I was going to take advantage of her candor. “So, nobody answered our question. How long have you two been friends?”
“We aren’t friends,” Cary said harshly, and then immediately backed off the bold statement when she saw Mindi flinch. “Honestly, I didn’t even know she existed until she came to my room the day after Derrick was murdered. Naturally I was reluctant to speak with her, but she made some good points, and I decided to give her a chance. After all, who better to know what I’m going through than someone else who loved my husband?”
Mindi started nodding, but she kept her mouth shut.
That was too bad. I would love to get them apart so I could grill them individually, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. Zach must have been reading my mind.
He said, “Cary, I’d love a moment of your time, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Whatever for?”
“It’s related to something Frank Lassiter told me about you. I just want to confirm it before I go to the police with what I’ve uncovered.”
“What did that weasel say about me?” she asked, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Do you really want to discuss it here?” He gestured around the lobby, and Cary reluctantly nodded.
“There’s a quiet corner over there.” Before she left, she turned to Mindi and said, “I’ll be right back.”
After they were gone, I asked, “What’s really going on, Mindi?”
“What are you talking about?”
“We’re not buying your ‘best buddies’ act. The last time we spoke to you, you hated Cary, and now you two are nearly inseparable. Something changed. I’m just wondering what it was.”
Mindi frowned. “I didn’t know her before. Now that I understand where she’s coming from, I’m actually starting to like her.”
“It couldn’t hurt that she’s paying your expenses now, either.”
“I earned that much at least, after the way Derrick treated me.”
That answer surprised me. “Isn’t it a little odd that his widow is the one covering the tab for his mistress?”
“You heard Cary. There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing.”
I wished I’d had more time, but Cary came storming back. “Let’s go, Mindi. We’re finished here.”
She didn’t say a word as she accompanied Cary onto the elevator.
After they were gone, I asked Zach, “What happened?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t keep her any longer than I did. I had to let her know that Lassiter accused her of cheating on Derrick. She denied it of course, and when I pressed her on it, she got hostile, not that it was a long reach for her. Were you able to get anything out of Mindi?”
“Not really,” I said. “She seems to be Cary’s biggest fan now. When I asked her about Cary paying for her stay, she implied that it was owed to her, for some reason. I’m not exactly certain what she meant by that.”
“Somebody’s playing someone else,” Zach said. “I just can’t figure out who is doing exactly what just yet.”
“Well, we’d better hurry. I’m not sure how long we can keep this up.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, touching my shoulder lightly. “We’ll figure this out. I’m sure of it.”
“I’m not at all certain how we’re going to do that. We’ve run out of people to interview,” Jenny said. “Where does that leave us?”
“We go back to your place and start looking at the evidence we’ve collected,” I said.
“Do you honestly think the answer’s in Derrick’s planner?”
“It could be in the telephone books, too,” I replied, “but yes, there’s got to be something there that can help us in our investigation. At first I thought those telephone books in Derrick’s suitcase were just there as a substitute for something about the same weight, but after you mentioned that torn page stuck to Brady’s foot, I’m not so sure.”
Jenny said, “Listen, I’ve been thinking about it, and I can’t be one hundred percent positive that’s what it was.”
“It’s another place to look,” I said. “What do you say? Do we head back to Jenny’s?”
“Is there any way we can stop off for more pie on our way?”
I laughed at my husband’s question. “I think you’ve had enough for one day.”
“Hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask.”
When we got back to Jenny’s, I was surprised to see a squad car pulled up in her driveway.
Zach opened the car door as he said, “You two stay here for a second.”
I wasn’t even going to fight him on it this time.
He walked to the cruiser, and a young uniformed officer got out of his car. After he and Zach held a brief conversation, the officer got back in and drove off.
Zach motioned us forward, and I pulled the car up to him.
When we got out, I asked, “What was that all about?”
“Murphy had him staking the place out. He’s doing what we asked him to do.”
“Yes, but it’s going to be hard to find someone on the videotape if he’s got an armed officer stationed out front all of the time.”
Zach shrugged. “We can’t have it both ways. Maybe someone will show up tonight.”
“At this point, I don’t know what to wish for,” Jenny said.
“The worst thing that can happen right now is for this guy to just disappear. We need to catch him in the act so you can resolve this once and for all.”
“You’re right,” Jenny said as she shivered slightly. “Can we go inside now? I feel kind of exposed, just standing here.”
I put my arm around her and said, “Of course we can. Don’t worry, Jenny, it’s going to be all right.”
“I know everyone’s doing their best, but I still wish it was all over, do you know what I mean?”
Thinking about the cloud of suspicion hanging over me for Derrick’s murder, I could easily relate. “Yes, I kind of do.”
She smiled, and then hugged me. “Of course you do. What do you say we go inside and see if we can make something happen?”
“I’m all for it.”