I zipped my coat as the fog hadn’t quite disappeared from town yet. I hadn’t told Toby I needed the brownies to remind Greg about dress rehearsal on Thursday night.
Esmeralda was on the phone when I entered the station. I laid one of the brownies on a napkin on her desk before knocking on Greg’s door.
“Hey, you.” He stood up and kissed me. I surveyed his desk. Piles of reports and file folders covered every empty space, along with coffee cups and candy bar wrappers. I handed him the box.
“Looks like I should have brought you real food, not another treat.” I sat in one of the chairs.
He opened the box and groaned, taking out a brownie with his fingers and shoving the entire thing in his mouth. Once he swallowed, he sighed. “This will do just fine. You’re the best.”
“I know. But thanks for saying it.” I picked up the candy wrappers and threw them in the trash can under his desk. “Seriously, when was the last time you ate a real meal?”
“Just before Conner’s girlfriend showed up and blew my case out of the water. I had motive, opportunity, and method, but now, all I have are hunches.” He ate a second brownie while he surveyed the piles on his desk. “It’s all right there, I’m just missing something.”
“Anne, Leslie, and Claire had a fight in my shop this morning.” I leaned back, watching his face. “Claire says you called the bank to rat out Kent and his ex-wife.”
Greg held up a hand. “That’s not how it happened. Actually, the alarm went off on a weekend and Kent was nowhere to be found. And, funny thing, Cheryl was AWOL that weekend, too. So when I couldn’t reach the branch manager or the security service, I called a buddy I know who works for the bank’s corporate office. One thing led to another.”
“So Kent was under suspicion before his death.”
He nodded. “Why do you think he was meeting with the auditors the day Sherry hosted the Business-to-Business meeting? I hoped he’d be there so I could watch his reaction to the surprise audit.”
“You’re good at keeping secrets, you know that?” I thought about Sherry’s phone call and how she’d known more about the situation than I had at the time. Of course, she’d gotten her info from the nightly news, not Greg.
“I only keep the ones from you that I have to. If I told you everything I was investigating, I wouldn’t have a job.” He stretched his arms and stood. “Can I interest you in lunch at Lille’s? I’m buying.”
I pursed my lips together, pretending to consider the offer. “On one condition.”
He pulled me out of my chair and put his arms around me. Leaning down he whispered, “You’re a pain, you know that, right? What do you want now?”
I slapped his chest. “I was going to remind you that dress rehearsal is Thursday at seven.”
Greg tucked his head into my neck and groaned. “I’m not sure I’ll make it. I’ve got meetings in Bakerstown all day Thursday.”
“You’ll make it.” I moved us toward the door. “But don’t worry about picking me up. I’ll walk to the winery and you can drive me home.”
“Sounds like a deal.” We entered the empty lobby.
I picked up the sign that Esmeralda had left and read, “Back in five.” My stomach growled as I said, “I guess we can wait.”
Greg went back to his office and locked the door. “No need. If she says she’ll be back in five, she will.”
After we’d ordered our food, I decided to push my luck. “One more thing and we’ll stop talking about the case.”
“I didn’t know we were talking about the case.” Greg unwrapped the silverware that Lille’s staff kept wrapped in a paper napkin.
“Okay, then I have one question. Did you ever trace the plate of that car I saw in the beachfront parking lot the day Kent was killed? Could she be the killer?”
Greg rubbed his face. “I’d forgotten about that. Tim was supposed to run up to Bakerstown and talk to the rental manager, but when we arrested Conner, I told him not to worry about it.” He pulled out his phone and keyed in a short text.
I sipped on my soda and watched. By the time he’d finished, Carrie had dropped off our food. He put the phone in his pocket and dug into his French dip. “Thanks for stopping in, I was starving.”
“No problem. A girl’s got to eat, too.” We ate in silence until Greg’s phone beeped indicating a new text.
He glanced at the display and keyed a short answer.
“That was quick.” I dipped a French fry into Lille’s special sauce, which consisted mainly of ketchup and horseradish sauce, but I loved the stuff.
“He’s on his way now.” Greg smiled at me and stole a few fries. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“My investigation addiction comes in handy at times.”
“Sometimes.” Greg picked up the check and nodded at my plate. “You done? I need to get back to the station.”
CHAPTER 22