“I’ll have the meat loaf platter.” Amy held out her menu. “So how are you feeling?”
Carrie leaned against the table. “You can say it, I look worn out. My doctor thinks I might have a gluten allergy. I totally laughed at him, but I was planning to try to clean up my diet before Austin’s wife died. You never know when your ticket’s going to be drawn, so it’s better to live life to the fullest.”
I’d never met anyone with a gluten allergy before and now, in a week, I’d talked to two people. “What are the symptoms? Tiredness? Is that all?”
“Migraines, mood swings, digestive issues, the symptoms run the gamut. Even if I am allergic, I’m not as severe as some people. My doctor said he has patients who can go into anaphylactic shock if they eat something with wheat, barley, or rye.” Carrie eyed the menu. “Aren’t you sorry you asked?”
When she left the table, Amy leaned closer. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine. I was just interested. Did you know that Kacey had a severe wheat allergy? She told me about it when we were talking about the food truck.” I sipped my water and wondered exactly how Kacey had died. Greg had been less than forthcoming about the cause of death, but that could have been because of Sadie and her possible involvement. Or impossible involvement, to be exact.
“The day we went to lunch we talked about her health. She was really limited as to what she could order on the menu. I don’t think she kept her condition a secret from anyone.” Amy studied me. “You don’t think that’s how she died, do you? What does Greg say?”
“Nothing. Which makes me think there is something fishy about her death. If it was an accident, he would have already closed the case and wouldn’t have questioned Nick.” My eyes widened as I clamped my mouth shut. I hadn’t meant to tell anyone, even Amy, about that part.
“You’re kidding me? Greg thought pure-as-snow Nick could have murdered someone?” Amy shook her head in disbelief. “I think your boyfriend is grasping at straws.”
We paused as another server dropped off our iced teas. I lowered my voice. “You can’t say I told you this, but Sadie got a notebook left on her doorstep with all the recipes Austin had conned out of her when they were dating. And Kacey had notes on the pages on how to turn them gluten-free.” I shrugged and took the paper sleeve off my straw. “At least I assume it was Kacey’s handwriting. Austin is a Class A jerk. I bet Kacey didn’t even know where the recipes came from.”
“I don’t think he actually hurt Sadie intentionally.” Amy crossed her arms. “You’re making it sound like the only reason he was dating her was to get ahold of her recipes. That’s cold, man.”
I put my hands up in mock surrender. “All I know is, the notebook was on Sadie’s doorstep. Someone had left it there in the middle of the night. So Greg had to make sure that Nick didn’t break into the food truck to steal back his mom’s recipes. That’s all.”
Our food arrived and we ate in silence for a few minutes, each one lost in her own thoughts. Or at least I was. Amy had rented the second-floor apartment from Austin for years. She probably knew him better than anyone else in South Cove. The man was a mystery. He never talked about his past or people he knew. I’d never even suspected he and Kacey had been married and separated.
Amy’s phone chirped and she looked at the text message. She read it aloud. “The geo club is having a memorial out on the beach on Saturday at noon. Do you want to attend?”
I thought about my Saturday plans and decided laundry could wait another day. “I’ll be there. Are you going?”
Amy nodded. “I’d like to get to know who Kacey was a little bit better through someone’s eyes besides Austin.” She took a bite of her mashed potatoes and grinned. “We aren’t really investigating, right? Greg can’t find fault in us just going to pay our respects.”
I didn’t know how Greg or Sadie would take our attendance, so I shoved a large bite of my salad into my mouth to avoid having to answer. By the time I could talk, Amy had moved on to another subject.
“So, Harrold and Jackie, huh?” Her eyes brightened. “I could totally see the attraction. Jackie needs a man who wants to wine and dine her.”
“She kind of has that with Josh.” I couldn’t believe I was sticking up for the guy, but a part of me felt sorry for him. My aunt needed to figure out what she wanted and quickly so no one got hurt. Of course, I suspected that no matter what, someone would be holding the short straw, and if I had to bet, my money would be on the portly antique dealer. Josh and Jackie had little in common except the fact that Josh adored my aunt.