Page 25 of Merry Murder Season
She shook her head. “I wish. But the tips are good here and Lille’s finally providing both health insurance and a 401(k). I just need my feet to hold on for a few more years. Or to win the lottery. But I might know someone who’s looking. Let me talk to her.”
“Okay, but I don’t have a huge benefit package. We do have health insurance if they can work thirty hours a week.” I guess I did have something to offer a new employee. “Have them stop by during my morning shift. I’ll be working Tuesday through Saturday probably for a while.”
Carrie nodded before she hurried away to get our order in. I turned to Amy. “Whynot a burger?”
Amy shrugged and took a sip of her iced tea. Then she changed the subject. “So what did you want to talk about? Something about the case?”
“Oh yeah.” I leaned forward. “Tell me about the business license for Chip’s Bar. Is Chris a part owner? Will she be inheritingthe business?”
“How would I know all that off the top of my head?” Amy asked as she looked around the busy diner. Then she leaned closer. “Unless Greg had just asked me to pull the file on the bar. You didn’t hear this from me, but Chris isn’t on the paperwork at all. The business was in Chip’s name alone, until five years ago when another name was addedas a partner.”
“And?” I prodded. Amy always liked to draw out the surprise ending. She watched too much reality television. I was surprised she didn’t get up and go to the bathroom before telling me.
“The new partner was Dominic Reedy.” Amy leaned back, watching my reaction. When she saw my surprise, she nodded and continued, “I know. But the problem is that Dominic has a felony. I guess he has a provisional license for his family bar because he’s turning it into a restaurant. But Chip’s doesn’t serve food so he can’t take over the liquor license. So with Chip dead, he owns a barhe can’t open.”
“And that bit of news is one more reason he wouldn’t have killed Chip. He needs someone who can partner with him to run the bar.” I shook my head. “This investigation is going nowhere. My best suspect is a former motorcycle gang leader who’s also a super nice guy with an alibi and a business reason to need the victim alive. Besides, if I prove he did do it and he goes to jail, this might be my last meal at Diamond Lille’s because she’ll ban me and Greg. Well, maybe not Greg.”
Carrie set the basket of Tiny’s fish-and-chips in front of me along with my shake. Amy got her salad. I thought I’d won lunch wars, if there was such a thing. “Lille’s not here today. She took a personal day. Dom’s taking her out on the motorcycle up the highway. But I just heard what you said. And you’re right. Dom has his demons but he seems like he’s a changed man. He’s good to Lille and that’s something that should count in his favor. She’s dated a lot of losers since I’ve worked here.”
After Carrie left, Amy looked at me. “So what if you go on the premise that Dom didn’t kill Chip? If that’s true, who else would yoube looking at?”
“Chris. She’s the ex-wife. I thought she’d get the bar, but now, she doesn’t even look like a good suspect. And, if you met her, you’d know in just a few minutes there would be no way she could have killed anyone. Maybe my Trixie Beldon skills are fading since I got married. Like how all those good television shows died after the two leads became a couple.” I ate a French fry. Hot, crisp but not overdone, and soft in the middle. And just the right amount of seasoned salt. A perfect fry. Tiny, Lille’s chef, was the best on the coast. At least in my opinion. Now that I knew she paid benefits, I knew why he’d stayed on in this little tourist town. He could have his own place but then he’d have to do management stuff. I could relate to hating the management stuff. “Besides, I like her.”
“You like Dom too,” Amy reminded me. “Anyway, I need to tell you about our Thanksgiving fiasco. Justin’s brother-in-law set fire to the carport trying to deep fry the turkey.”
The rest of the meal was spent with Amy telling stories about her in-laws and her Thanksgiving vacation. She and Justin had met during one of their surfing excursions. Now, they spent their time remodeling the house they’d bought after the wedding. Amy called it the Money Pit. She’d even teased that they should paint it green to highlight all the dollar bills they’d investedin the remodel.
She hadn’t talked about surfing for a while.
“Where are you planning on going surfing next? Somewhere exotic?” I asked as we waited for Carrie to bring back our credit cards.
Amy sipped her tea. “We don’t have one on thecalendar yet.”
“You always have a trip on the calendar,” I responded. I was beginning to think something was going on with my friend. I knew remodeling could be stressful in a relationship. Greg and I were still talking about what to do with the backyard. He’d stopped redesigning the shed since it didn’t look like Toby was moving out any time soon. “Are youtwo all right?”
Carrie came back with our cards and Amy quickly stuffed her card into her bag, signing the charge slip. “Justin and I are fine, but I’ve got to get back. The mayor is coming back this afternoon and I don’t have the council agenda done yet. Thanks for suggesting lunch. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
We hugged and Amy hurried out of the diner. As I followed her, Carrie nodded toward the door. “I haven’t seen her here in weeks. I’m glad you got her out of the office. She’s working too much.”
I thought maybe there was something else going on with my friend, but I didn’t want to push. Jim and Beth, Amy and Justin, Dom and Lille. What was it with couples fighting around the holiday? If Greg and I fought, it was more likely due to me getting too involved in his case. Which I would be doing this time if I had a good suspect. Every time I thought I had found a clue, it turned outto be nothing.
I guess I’d just haveto try harder.
I headed home to get Emma. The day wasn’t turning out the way I’d planned, but a good run on the beach should clear my head. Then I’d clean the house. If I was still in a mixed mood, I’d sit on the backporch and read.
* * *
None of those things had helped, so I was happy to see Beth when she came home from the library. Usually, I enjoyed my alone time, but today, I felt anxious and off. Maybe I was getting sick.
Instead of reading, I’d sent an email to my staff, asking if they knew of anyone who wanted a part-time position. I’d gotten a text from Carrie saying that her lead hadn’t panned out. Her friend had just taken on a new job. I thanked her and asked her to keep me in mind if she thought of anyone else. I’d found hiring a new staff member who fit into our little family was more about who you knew than throwing an ad into the paper. But if no one had any ideas soon, that was my next step.
Then I studied the upcoming schedule. Toby’s hours needed to be covered for next week, so I moved Evie from my morning shifts to his. I made sure Tilly was full-time and then sent an email to Judith to see if she could cover the Saturday midday shift for a couple of weeks. Even with these moves, the hours weren’t all covered.
Staffing was too tight. Especially for the holidays when people liked to take some time to celebrate,not just work.
Beth was making a salad in the kitchen as I seasoned the chicken to grill. “Why are you so grumpy? You haven’t said two words since I’ve been back. Am I here too much? I could rent a room in Bakerstownfor next week.”
“What? No. I love having you here. I’m just trying to figure out staffing. I need to hire someone soon. Deek needs some time off and Toby’s working with Greg. I might just have to do double shifts for a while. So you would be here alone anyway.” I held up a finger. “Let me get these on the grill and then you can tell me about your day.”
