The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery (13 page)

“Did you get any sleep?” Brett asked as he joined me at the table with a bowl of cereal.

“Some,” I replied. “I was a little unsettled after everything that happened.”

“I don’t blame you.” He swallowed a spoonful of cereal. “You know, you can stay here as long as you like.”

I gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, but I’ll be all right at Jimmy’s place from now on. I’ll get a locksmith over there today.”

“I can help you out with a locksmith, but are you sure you want to stay there on your own?”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to infuse my words with confidence. “I promise.”

Brett didn’t seem completely convinced, but he didn’t argue with me. We focused on eating for a minute or so until Brett asked me about my plans for later that day, after the pancake house was closed. I told him about the interviews for the position of kitchen assistant and my appointment at the funeral home.

“After that, I think I’ll start cleaning Jimmy’s house and going through his things. I’m sure there’s a bunch of stuff that can be donated to charity.”

I didn’t relish the thought of going through Jimmy’s personal belongings, but I knew it was something that needed to be done. My mom would probably want to help me with that job once she arrived in Wildwood Cove, but I figured I could at least get started on it over the next few days.

“Let me know if you need help with anything,” Brett said. “I’m glad to lend a hand.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll let you know once I have a better idea of what needs to be done.”

We finished up our breakfasts and I returned to the guest bedroom to pack up the few belongings I’d brought with me. When I went back downstairs, Brett met me in the foyer.

“Here’s the number for a local locksmith,” he said, handing me a business card. “I know him from high school. He’s a good guy.”

I accepted the card and tucked it into my pocket. “Thank you. For everything.”

“You’re welcome. Are you heading straight for The Flip Side?”

“Yes,” I said. “I don’t like to get there any later than six.”

Brett held the front door open for me. “I’ll walk with you.”

“Don’t let me keep you from anything.”

“I don’t have anything planned for the morning.” He shut the door behind us and we descended the front steps. “Besides, I like spending time with you.”

His words brought a smile to my face and warmth to my cheeks. I was glad it was too dark out for him to notice. I wasn’t ready for him to know the effect he had on me. Considering that I was leaving town soon, I wasn’t sure if I ever would be.

We talked about inconsequential things as we walked the short distance to the pancake house, and I enjoyed the feeling of ease between us. It still surprised me how natural it felt to spend time with Brett, but it was something I appreciated.

Once I was inside the pancake house, Brett left me to my work and I locked the door behind him. I was sorry to see him go, but I had plenty of tasks to tackle before The Flip Side opened at seven. Ivan was already there, busy in the kitchen, but I decided to leave the tale of my nighttime adventures until Leigh arrived so I wouldn’t have to tell the story twice.

I set to work, getting everything ready for the day’s opening. When I spotted Leigh through the front window, I met her at the door and asked her to join me in the kitchen, where Ivan was completing his prep work. When I told them about the intruder, Leigh gasped and Ivan stopped what he was doing, his scowl deepening.

“You shouldn’t be here alone at night,” Ivan said as he returned to his work.

“He’s right,” Leigh agreed. “It’s too dangerous these days.”

“I don’t plan to do it again, even once the locks are changed. Speaking of which,” I said, “the intruder had a key. Neither of you has loaned your keys to anyone, or had any spare copies made, have you?”

They both responded in the negative.

“Ivan, you must have used your key this morning.”

His curt nod confirmed that.

I turned to Leigh. “Yours hasn’t gone missing, has it?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll check.” Leigh disappeared from the kitchen and returned a moment later, rummaging through her purse. “I don’t understand,” she said as her search became more frantic. She retreated through the kitchen door again, and this time Ivan and I followed her.

She turned her purse upside down and dumped the contents out on the cash counter. Although there was a silver key ring among the pile of items, the bright red Flip Side keychain that held her key to the restaurant was nowhere in sight.

“I don’t understand,” Leigh repeated once she’d rifled through everything. Her face had gone pale and I didn’t miss the fear in her eyes. “It’s not here.”

“When did you last see it?” Ivan asked before I had the chance.

“Yesterday morning, when I touched up my makeup before we opened. I saw it in my purse when I was looking for my mascara.” She swallowed. “This isn’t good, is it?”

I knew what she meant. She was already the sheriff’s prime suspect. He might think Leigh had used her key to gain access to the pancake house and then lied about it going missing to deflect suspicion from herself.

“No,” I said, the gravity of the situation weighing down my words. “It definitely isn’t good.”

Despite my concerns about the conclusions the sheriff might draw from the situation, I did my best to reassure Leigh, promising once again that we’d find a way to prove her innocence. Her face regained some of its color, but the worry lines across her forehead didn’t disappear.

“I don’t understand why any of this is happening,” she said after Ivan had returned to the kitchen. She put everything back in her purse. “It’s getting around town that I might have killed Jimmy. My kids are getting teased at school and people cross the street to avoid me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I told her as we headed for the break room. “We’re going to figure this out, Leigh. The first thing we need to do is establish who could have had access to your key.”

She opened her locker and hung her purse on the hook inside. “I never lock up my things here. I didn’t think I needed to, not in Wildwood Cove.”

“You think someone stole your key while you were working?”

She slumped down into one of the plastic chairs at the break room table. “I can’t think where else it would have happened.”

“Okay.” I paced across the small room and then paused, thinking. “So it must have been someone who came in to eat yesterday, someone who left their table and came back here, probably on the pretense of using the washroom.”

Leigh’s shoulders slumped. “Plenty of people come back here to use the washroom every day.”

“True,” I said, searching my memory, “but I can think of two people I saw in this vicinity with my own eyes, two people I don’t trust. Jonah Krantz and Ida Winkler.”

“Ida.” Leigh nearly spat out the name. “I bet it was her.”

“It’s definitely a possibility. But why would she want access to the pancake house after hours? Why would she want to search the office?”

“Who knows?” Leigh got to her feet and grabbed her apron. “Maybe she just wanted to cause trouble. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

Neither would I, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the search of the office than that.

Although Leigh seemed certain that Ida was the culprit, I still couldn’t rule out the possibility that Jonah or someone else entirely had stolen the key and crept into the pancake house during the night. If only I knew what it was the intruder had hoped to find, that might give me a clue as to his or her identity. The problem was that I didn’t have the foggiest idea what anyone would want from The Flip Side’s office.

As Leigh set off for the front of the house, I remained behind, still thinking. I decided to spend as much time as possible sorting through the mess the intruder had left behind. While doing that, I’d see if there was anything worth stealing. Of course, if the intruder had found what he or she wanted I’d be out of luck, but there was a chance that the burglar had cut the search short, knowing the sheriff was likely on his way. Since that chance was all I had to go on at the moment, I wasn’t about to ignore it.

For the sake of both Leigh and Jimmy, I had to chase down as many clues as I could find.

My mind didn’t stop spinning during the morning rush, but spinning wasn’t going to get me anywhere. With only questions circling in my mind and no answers to go with them, I was covering the same ground over and over again, never with anything new to add.

Finally, when the crowd of diners thinned out around mid-morning, I was able to leave Leigh out front alone and shut myself in the messy office. After calling the locksmith Brett had recommended, I stood by the desk, surveying the disaster zone, not sure where to start. The mere sight of the mess was overwhelming, especially since I wasn’t familiar with The Flip Side’s filing system. Still standing by the desk, I decided that anyplace would do as a starting point, so once I’d cleaned away the fingerprinting dust I plunked myself down on the floor amid the sea of papers and set to work.

I gathered up a bunch of file folders and documents and sorted them into piles according to their subject matter. The job was slow going. Skimming through all the documents was giving me an idea of all the details involved in running a restaurant, highlighting just how much I’d have to learn if I decided to keep The Flip Side.

It didn’t take long for my neck and back to get sore, not liking the fact that I was seated on the floor. I pushed through the discomfort, determined to make some decent headway before taking a break. By the time I stood up to stretch an hour later, I’d made it through only about a third of the papers on the floor, far less than I’d hoped I would achieve in that time.

As I stood over the remaining mess, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of frustration. Not only would I have to dedicate more hours to cleaning up the office, but so far I hadn’t come across anything that would explain why someone had searched the room under the cover of darkness. Maybe I’d find something among the scattered papers eventually, but I was becoming more and more convinced that I’d need to look elsewhere for the information I was seeking.

A tap on the door drew my attention. I opened it to find Leigh, her face drained of all color.

“Marley, the sheriff’s here. He’d like to talk to you.”

“Does he have some news?” I asked.

“I don’t know and I’m not sure I want to.” She hesitated. “He asked me and Ivan about our keys. I told him the truth, but couldn’t tell if he believed me or not.”

I joined her out in the hallway. “Try not to worry. Who knows—maybe he’s found some clues that point away from you.”

“If only.”

I headed out into the dining area and spotted Ray standing by the cash counter. When I caught his eye, I motioned for him to join me in the office, away from the diners.

“Sorry,” I said as I led him inside. “I haven’t had a chance to finish cleaning up yet.”

He eyed the papers on the floor, but without judgment. “Have you discovered anything missing since last night?”

“No, nothing.” I glanced at the mess. “Do you have any idea what the intruder might have been after?”

“Unfortunately, no,” he said. “What about the locks? Has a locksmith been by yet?”

“That’s happening later today.”

“Good to hear.”

“Oh.” I gave my forehead a light smack. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

“Was a silver bracelet with little red stones among the items stolen recently?”

Ray thought for a second or two. “I can’t say off the top of my head. Certainly jewelry was stolen from some of the homes targeted, but I’d have to check the reports to find out if a bracelet like that was taken. Why do you ask?”

I told him about the bracelet I’d seen on Tina’s wrist, a present from the man in her life. “I can’t help thinking that Daryl stole it. A gift like that seems out of his price range.”

“I’ll look into it and see what I can find out. Some homes in Port Townsend and Edmonds have also been targeted, likely by the same people. Those homes are outside of my jurisdiction, but I can always check with the local authorities if there’s no match with items stolen around here.”

“Thank you.” I remembered then that the sheriff had come to the pancake house with a purpose. “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Ray nodded. “There’s something I’d like you to know before it gets around town.”

I swallowed as my stomach plummeted. “What’s that?”

“We don’t believe Jimmy was killed at Myler’s Point. He died from stab wounds to his lower back, and his other injuries were sustained postmortem.”

“You mean somebody killed him and then moved him to the point to get rid of his body?”

“Yes.”

A deep chill raised goosebumps on my skin as I recalled what I’d seen by Jimmy’s back porch. “The blood.”

“Blood?” Ray’s interest sharpened.

“I found some blood by Jimmy’s house,” I explained. “I didn’t think it was related to his death because I thought he’d died out at the point. But now…”

“I’ll need you to show me. Now, if possible.”

Still chilled, I nodded. “I’ll get my coat.”

After I showed Ray the dried splatters of blood on and near the steps to the back porch, I checked in on Flapjack and then retreated to the beach while the sheriff photographed and examined the area. I settled on a log and watched the lapping ocean slowly advance up the shore, thinking over the new development.

Although I wouldn’t know for certain until the sheriff had it tested, I didn’t doubt that the blood on the stairs belonged to Jimmy, that it marked the scene of the stabbing, if not Jimmy’s death as well. I knew now that Jimmy hadn’t gone willingly to Myler’s Point with his killer. He was either dying or already dead when the murderer took him to the cliff. But I wasn’t sure if that information was helpful.

The killer must have had a vehicle to transport Jimmy’s body, but that didn’t narrow the list of potential suspects. Most adults in Wildwood Cove either owned or had access to a vehicle, and Leigh couldn’t prove that her car was already out of commission before Jimmy died. I didn’t know whether or not Daryl Willis had access to a vehicle, but I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to find out.

I wasn’t surprised that none of Jimmy’s neighbors had seen anything suspicious on the morning of his death. The property was hidden from the street by a grove of fir trees, and more trees grew along the high fences on either side of the lot. Unless someone was at the top of the beach right behind Jimmy’s place, there wouldn’t have been a good chance of seeing anything.

Pushing myself up off the log, I wandered across a strip of pebbles and broken shells toward the water’s edge. The sight of the shell fragments and small stones brought back memories of years past. When I was young, I’d carried out treasure hunts on the beach. In later years, I’d helped Charlotte with hers whenever she’d accompanied me to Wildwood Cove for a long weekend.

As I crouched down and selected a small, smooth rock, I almost expected to look up and see Charlotte standing next to me. My chest ached briefly when I straightened up and found myself alone, but seconds later I smiled, remembering her cheerful nature, how she was always ready with a smile or laugh.

I studied the pebble in my hand for another moment, running my thumb over its smooth surface. Then I sent it skipping across the water. It hopped three times before sinking beneath the waves.

“Only three?”

I turned at the sound of the voice behind me. Brett hopped down from a log and came to join me by the water, grinning.

“I’m out of practice,” I said as he reached my side.

“I can tell.”

I gave him a shove, but it didn’t knock him off balance. After only a second or two of study, he selected a pebble of his own and flicked it out over the water. It bounced ten times before disappearing.

“Still got it,” he said.

I shook my head while fighting a smile and returned to sit on the same log as before. Brett selected another pebble from the beach and sent it skipping along the surface of the water as well. As I watched, I thought back to the days of hanging out with Brett and his friends when we were in our early teens. Those days had been filled with swimming, kelp fights, and walks into town for ice cream. After dark and beneath a canopy of stars, we’d told ghost stories and toasted marshmallows over fire pits. Those long-ago days were so fun-filled and carefree. I wondered if it was possible to reclaim any of the magic of that part of my past.

I forced myself out of my reverie and smiled as Brett gave up skipping rocks and sat down next to me.

“What’s up?” I asked once he was settled, wondering what had brought him to the beach.

“I stopped by the pancake house to return your salad bowl and Leigh told me you were here with Ray. He was just leaving as I arrived.”

“Did he tell you that he believes Jimmy wasn’t killed at Myler’s Point?”

“He did. He also mentioned that you found blood by the back porch.”

I stared out at the ocean. “I hate to think of Jimmy dying right on his own doorstep. But then, I hate to think of him dying anywhere.”

Neither of us spoke for a moment, listening instead to the familiar sound of the breaking surf. I traced my finger along the edge of a crack in the sun-bleached log, my thoughts circling back to where they’d been before Brett’s arrival.

“Do you know if Daryl Willis has a car?”

Brett thought for a second. “He drives a beat-up old van. Why?”

“If Jimmy was stabbed by his house, the killer had to have a way to get him over to the cliff.” And a van would be plenty big enough to transport a body.

“You think Daryl killed him?”

“He’s one of several suspects.”

“Your suspects or Ray’s suspects?”

“Mine, but hopefully Ray’s too.” I met his eyes. “I know you probably think I should leave the investigating to Ray, and I am. Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“I’m not going around with a magnifying glass or anything. I’m just trying to find some answers to all the questions that keep going around and around in my head. Plus, I know Leigh didn’t kill Jimmy and I want the real murderer caught.”

I expected Brett to tell me to try to focus on other things, to put all thoughts of investigating out of my mind, but he didn’t say anything at all for a moment or two. When he did speak, it wasn’t to tell me to give up on my sleuthing efforts.

“I get that it’s on your mind, and I’d probably be doing the same if I were in your shoes. If you need anyone to bounce your thoughts off of, let me know.”

“Really? Thanks.”

I considered taking him up on his offer, but my phone vibrated in my pocket, distracting me. When I pulled it out, I saw that Leigh had sent me a text message.

“The locksmith is at the pancake house,” I told Brett after I’d read the message. “I should probably get back there.”

“I’ll walk with you,” he said as we got up. “Oh—I left the salad bowl on the front porch.”

“Thanks. It should be fine there for now.” I was about to head along the beach to The Flip Side when I noticed a silver BMW driving onto Jimmy’s property. I paused. “I wonder who that is.”

Brett stepped up on a log for a better view. “Gerald Teeves.”

“Great,” I said without a shred of enthusiasm. “This should be good.”