What the River Knows (14 page)

“Yeah, but it was good, wasn’t it?” He shook his head at Scott. “And I gave up on my girlish figure when Angie and I celebrated twenty years of marriage.”

Scott’s stomach clenched. Would he and Rica even make five? “More of you for her to love, I guess.”

Bates grunted and went off on his mission. Which one of these girls had waited on him last night? And why was he so certain he had seen her before?

****

“You talk to the cops yet?” Tessa blurted the moment Charlotte Daniels entered the employee “lounge,” a grim room with some folding chairs and coat hooks on the walls.

Charlotte swallowed hard and forced a casual, “No, why?” from her parched throat. Ever since the number flashed on her cell’s caller ID, her heart had pounded. She wiped her hands on her jeans, trying to dry the sweat. Why hadn’t she said she was busy when Harvey asked her on Friday to cover Danielle’s shift tonight? It’s not like he hadn’t known for three months that the girl had tickets to the concert in Wichita tonight.

“They’re trying to find out if any of us know anything about that girl that they found on the river dike.” She faced Charlotte. “Didn’t they call you?”

“I haven’t checked my phone for messages since noon.”

“You should check it.” Tessa turned her back to Charlotte to slip on the lightweight Nikes she wore to race to customers. “They had us come to the station to talk to them.” She stood and tied on a fresh apron. “Handsy was one of them.” She leaned close to Charlotte and lowered her voice. “I thought he was good-looking last night, but in the light, he’s really cute.” She headed for the main dining room. “I think he likes me.”

“He’s married,” Charlotte called after her. She dropped into the uneven folding chair. It tipped with her as she rocked back and forth, hugging herself. Her instinct about the man had been right. Bumping into him was bad karma, now suddenly turning worse. What should she do? Leave town, set up somewhere new, far away from here? That would certainly arouse suspicion, probably cause them to come looking for her. But could she hold herself together enough to pull off the act of ignorance that would make them overlook her? She damned the compulsion that had driven her to mold herself into a woman who would attract attention.

Stuffing her cell phone from her purse into her pocket, she stuffed her feelings even deeper, in that place they were so accustomed to staying while she tried to function in a world that had never accepted her. Devlyn never offered acceptance, simply admiration of her physical body mixed with indifference to her psyche. Only Maggie had accepted her just as she was. She drew a jagged breath and stuffed the feelings further down. She checked her makeup and hair, dabbing at a mascara run with a tissue dampened by her tongue, then balanced on her red suede platforms and entered the dining room.

Chapter 26

“We’re gonna have to make another trip to the Dragon to talk to that last girl.” Scott reviewed his notes from the interviews with the nine others. It had taken till Wednesday to get the next to last one. A couple of them had not answered the original calls, but had returned the messages they had left. He had called Charlotte Daniels’ number once Monday, once yesterday and twice today.

Bates reached for his coffee cup and took a sip. “Cold!” He stood up, cup in hand, and dumped his old coffee into the lily on the windowsill. Then he turned to the coffee pot on the shelf behind him. Fresh coffee in the cup, he leaned against the wall. “Yeah, looks kinda funny that she’s not called back.”

“Reckon she’s out of town or something?” The other girls all remembered Delia’s group in a peripheral way. The women weren’t particularly good tippers—women usually aren’t for female waitresses—but they had attracted men who were, and that is what the waitresses had remembered.

“I asked the last gal,” Bates offered. “She said that Charlotte doesn’t take much time off, works every Friday and Saturday night, fills in once in a while in between.”

“Feel like burgers for dinner Friday night?”

“I was thinking about a chicken fry, myself.”

****

Charlotte ignored the calls from the police station that came Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. When none came Thursday or Friday, her stomach began to unclench, and she was finally able to eat more than just tea and crackers. Not telling Devlyn about the calls hadn’t been hard; they rarely talked about much anymore. No use upsetting a temporary calm.

Barely able to make her way through the crowded parking lot to her usual spot in the back by the old cottonwood tree, she tripped into the Dragon at her appointed five-thirty on Friday night. She really should quit this job.

“Hey, Charlotte,” Harvey called from the kitchen as she headed for the lounge to put away her things. “Put on your racing high heels tonight.” He passed her on his way to the freezer. “Looks like a big crowd here for the Little League tournament.”

“They got wings on ’em, Harvey.” Harvey’s genuine appreciation of her skill with the customers kept her here. That and the way the other girls, not knowing her past, treated her like one of them. She quickly hung up her purse and tied on an apron.

“By the way, Charlotte.” Harvey lumbered out of the freezer, a huge bag of frozen French fries on his shoulder. “The cops are here to ask you if you remember anything about that girl they found by the river last week.”

“Cops?” She froze. Ignoring the calls may not have been the best tactic.

“Yeah,” Harvey dropped the bag on the counter beside the grill. He looked up at her, and she guessed he read the look on her face. “Nothin’ to be scared of, they just want to know if you saw her with anyone unusual.” He ripped open the bag. “Real nice guys.”

“Okay.” She dampened dry lips with her tongue. Maybe she could twist an ankle, throw up, fake a call from Devlyn—anything to keep from going out into the dining room to face the cops.

Harvey stepped behind her, propelling her with his bulk toward the entrance to the dining room. “There they are.” He pointed. “Table by the corner.” He turned back to the kitchen. “Their dinners will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Maybe I should wait till then.”

“Naw, talk to them first.” He flipped a burger. “It won’t take long.”

“Okay.” Slowly, knees weak, she approached the table near the corner booth where Handsy had brought his woman Saturday night. Both men sat with their backs to the booths, facing the room. The younger one noticed her first and nodded a greeting. It was Handsy. The other man, older, bulkier, turned his face toward her. She forced her lips into the friendly, unconcerned smile she had practiced all her life. “Hello, gentlemen,” she greeted as she reached the table. Handsy was even better looking in the brighter dinner lighting than he had been in the dark booth.

He pushed out the chair around the table from him. “Please, sit down, Charlotte.” He nodded toward the other man. “I’m Scott Aylward and this is Del Bates, with PD.”

She sat quickly, folding her hands in her lap to hide their shaking. “Yes?”

“We’d like to ask you a few questions about a customer who used to come in here occasionally.”

“Okay.” She glanced at Scott’s face, then lowered her eyes to the condiment tray in the center of the table. He had big, smoky puppy dog eyes, the kind she always fell for.

Scott pushed the photo of Delia toward Charlotte. “Do you remember seeing this woman in here at any time?”

Charlotte let her eyes stray to the photo. A happy, glowing Maggie, just as she remembered her. “I think so.” She flicked a glance at Bates. “She come in once in a while with a group?”

Bates nodded. “You ever notice her talking to anyone special, or leaving with someone?”

You mean, besides me?
“No, no one special.” She looked thoughtfully toward the crowded dining area. She was going to run her ass off tonight. But the tips would probably make it worthwhile. “From what I remember, that group was pretty careful and stuck together.” She had to appear to have noticed a bit, but not much. Her heel tapped a rhythm on the floor and she consciously stopped it. “Look, we are real busy tonight. Is there anything else you need?”

Bates and Scott exchanged a look, just as Harvey appeared at the dining room entrance with meals in hand, headed toward them. “Just our dinners.”

She started to rise from her chair, but Scott put a hand on her arm. A big hand, with long fingers she’d bet were gentle. In his other hand, he held a business card. “If you think of anyone who might have made a connection with her, anyone she might have refused to talk to, or dance with, give me a call.” Though she tried to avoid looking at him, his eyes caught her gaze, and she couldn’t look away. He pressed the business card into her hand. “I really want to find her killer.”

She glanced toward Harvey, almost to the table. “I hope you do,” she said softly. Harvey setting their plates on the table gave her a chance to escape. She walked to the ladies room as quickly as she could without running. She bent over to lean her forehead against the porcelain sink. She could almost hear her heartbeat echoing off the walls. What a joint this was. She should quit. But if she quit now, those cops might connect it with their questioning, and ask her more questions. She straightened up. Seconds. She had only seconds to compose herself before she would have to start working her side of the room. Thankfully, it was the side away from those cops. She pulled a lipstick from her pocket and applied it.
You look good.
She studied herself in the mirror.
Classy and cool, but hot, like hot fudge on a sundae. The tips should be big tonight.

****

Scott stared after Charlotte as she fled their table. There was no other word for it. The girl was practically jumping out of her skin as she sat with them. And yet she didn’t seem like the type to be covering up a drug habit or driving record, like the girl behind the bar the first time they came in here. He looked across the table at Bates. “You get a feeling about her?”

“MMM?” Bates was deep into his chicken fry. He finished chewing and tore off a paper towel from the roll in the center of the table. “Whaddya mean?”

“Didn’t she seem a little nervous to you?”

He picked up a curly fry. “She struck me as the type that is afraid of her own shadow.” He munched the fry. “Anything would make her nervous. Especially anything that might mess up all that makeup.” He sliced off another bite of steak. “And she had the same general impression as the other girls.” He skewered the bite on his fork. “I still think Moran is our guilty party.”

“Oh, he’s guilty as sin, all right, but not of killing Delia.” Scott tapped a finger on the table. “I think I’ll pull a background on Charlotte.” He looked down at the sirloin with rosemary potatoes and steamed veggies that he had ordered. “Maybe the other girls, too.” The aroma of the meal wafted to him. “But not till after dinner.”

Chapter 27

Charlotte Daniels had something to hide; Scott was sure of it. But what? Drug use? Dealing? A record she didn’t want her boss to find out about? Scott didn’t even remember climbing the stairs to his apartment. Only when he heard voices just before he pushed open the door did his mind return to the here and now.

“Oh, Scott, I’m glad you’re home.” Rica smiled at him from the kitchen, and his heart tightened at how sexy she looked. She hadn’t let herself go after marriage like some women. She watched what she ate and worked out three afternoons a week. His gaze took in her best friend Heather sitting at the kitchen table.

“Hi, Heather.” He crossed the living room and took Rica in his arms, giving her a long, slow kiss. “That’s hello to you from me,” he murmured in her ear.

She returned the kiss, then pulled away from him. “Heather and John have asked us to join them and a few others at The Pub tonight.”

He hesitated. “I’m sorry, Rica. I thought I texted you that Bates and I were having dinner at the Dragon while we interviewed a witness.”

She waved off his apology. “I knew you were going to do that, so Heather and I grabbed a light supper after the gym.” She looped her arm through his. “So we should just be able to go out and relax.”

“Okay.” Truthfully, the last thing he wanted right now was to go out with a group. He met Rica’s eyes, seeing an excitement there that mirrored his own. He resisted the urge to excuse himself to Heather and carry Rica to the bedroom for a couple of hours. Instead, he shrugged out of his jacket. “I should probably take a shower first.” He loosened his tie. “Any suggestions on what you’d like me to wear,
mija
?”

Her lips curved upward. “I have a couple of suggestions.” She took a step toward him, then half-turned to face Heather. “We’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Um-hum.” Heather picked up her iced tea and walked into the living room. “I’ll just watch TV till you come back in.”

She followed him to the bedroom and closed the door. “That new blue shirt you got last week brings out the green in your eyes.” She walked straight to his side of the closet and pulled out the shirt and a pair of jeans. “And these jeans make your ass look so nice.”

He stepped out of his pants and boxers and slipped out of his shirt. “How does it look now?” He turned his back to her, watching her over his shoulder.

“Like it needs a shower.” She grinned, walking over to him to slip her arms around his waist. “And I wish I had time to give it, too.”

He turned to face her, moving tight against her. “We could make it a really fast shower.” He nuzzled her ear.

“I think it will be a faster shower if you take it alone while you are thinking about what we can do all night when we get home.” She leaned away, laughing. “Besides, it would be rude of me to leave Heather alone.”

He pulled her back against him, and she kissed him long and deep. “You and Heather have been friends since grade school.” He kissed his way down the neckline of her top. “Don’t tell me in all these years you never waited on each other to have a little time alone with a guy.”

She stiffened in his arms. “Well, now we don’t have to steal time with each other, Scott.” She pushed his arms off her and took a step away. “We can spend all weekend alone together after we get home tonight.” She reached out to stroke him. He groaned at her touch.