NINETEEN

Doc and his buddies were gone. The corner booth at Duffy’s where they usually held court was occupied by a suburbanite family, obviously tourists, with three bouncing children, one of whom had climbed on top of the leatherette booth seatback and was riding it like a horsey. Dolores the waitress, looking exasperated, was trying to coax the young boy back down into a normal sitting position. The parents seemed more annoyed at Dolores than at their own child.

“Hey, Dolores,” Candy called as the waitress approached her after having had little success with the family in the corner booth. “Have you seen Doc?”

“He left awhile ago with his posse.”

“Do you know where they went?”

Dolores shrugged. “Don’t know, honey. Sorry.”

As the harried waitress rushed away to deal with her demanding customers, another voice nearby spoke up. “Excuse me, but they said they were headed over to the Rusty Moose to play some pool.”

Candy turned. “Sorry?”

Sebastian J. Quinn sat in a nearby booth, alone. He had almost finished what looked like a hot turkey sandwich and mashed potatoes swamped in a river of brown gravy.

“I heard them talking,” Sebastian went on, pointing with a thumb to the corner booth behind him, “before they left.”

Candy nodded gratefully. “Oh, okay. Thanks, um, Mr. Quinn.”

“Please, call me Sebastian.” He motioned to the seat opposite him. “I believe they said they’d be back fairly quickly. You’re welcome to sit and wait for them, if you’d like.”

“Oh! Well…” Candy glanced around at the clock on the wall behind the counter. Twenty after twelve. She was to meet Maggie for lunch at twelve thirty. “I’m supposed to be meeting someone…”

“Wait with me then,” Sebastian said without a hint of desperation. “We can keep each other company. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

Candy allowed herself a smile. “To tell you the truth, that does sound pretty good.” And despite her reservations, she slid into the booth across the table from Sebastian as he summoned Dolores.

After Candy had ordered, Sebastian said, “So, who are you meeting, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Oh, just a friend of mine. Maggie Tremont.”

“Tremont?” Sebastian’s fork perched above his plate. “Any relation to Amanda?”

“Her mother.”

“Ahh.” He scooped up a forkful of mashed potatoes, dripping gravy, which he shoveled into his mouth. “Amanda did a good job Saturday night. She seems like a delightful young lady.”

“She’s a good kid. She worked really hard to prepare for the pageant. All the girls did. It was a wonderful show, though it ended strangely.”

“Yes it did.”

“It’s too bad,” Candy went on, giving Dolores a nod of thanks as her coffee arrived, “because everything that’s happened since then has overshadowed the efforts of those girls up on the stage that night.”

“I suppose everyone’s in shock over the news of Sapphire’s death.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Candy ripped open a packet of Equal and stirred it into her coffee. “Nothing like that has ever happened in this little town before, at least as far as I know. It just doesn’t seem, well, it doesn’t seem real.”

“Are you familiar with this Ray fellow-the one they’ve arrested?”

“Oh sure.” Candy took a sip of her coffee. It was good and hot though a bit bitter even with the sugar-typical diner coffee. “Ray’s a good friend and a really sweet person. I just can’t believe he had anything to do with this.”

“The murder, you mean? Why is that?”

Candy sighed. “Well, you’d have to know Ray. He’s a gentle sort. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“So you think he’s innocent?”

“I know he’s innocent,” Candy said adamantly, “and I’m going to prove it.”

The ends of Sebastian’s wide mouth arced up in a smirk. “Really? That sounds quite noble of you. And how do you plan to do that?” He watched her in amusement as he scooped up the last of the mashed potatoes and gravy on his plate.

Candy wasn’t put off by his condescending tone. “By finding out who really murdered Sapphire, of course,” she said simply.

“So you’re a private investigator?”

Candy snorted. “Far from it. I’m not nearly anything as important sounding as that. I’m just a private citizen trying to do her civic duty.”

“Well, that’s commendable.” Sebastian placed his knife and fork on the empty plate and pushed it toward the end of the table, then picked up the napkin, which he dabbed at mouth and beard. “And how is the investigation progressing?”

Candy arched an eyebrow. “Just between you and me, I’ve turned up a few curious clues that so far haven’t added up to much.”

Sebastian grinned conspiratorially as he put his arms on the table and leaned forward. “I love a good mystery. Care to share what you’ve learned so far?”

“Not yet,” Candy said enigmatically, “but if I uncover anything particularly troublesome, I’ll let you know.”

“I’d be glad to lend a hand any way I can, of course. I’m quite adept at unraveling mysteries. I’ve been known to regularly figure out those mysteries on TV long before the third commercial break.”

“Oh my. A real pro.” Candy feigned an impressed tone, then looked at him catlike as she saw an opportunity. She leaned closer too. “Well, if you really want to help, there is one thing I’m curious about-something you might know.”

“What would that be?”

“Well, there’s a rumor going around town that one of the judges was bribed by Sapphire-so she could win the crown. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that?”

As she asked the question, she saw, just for an instant, a look of surprise flash through his eyes. “Bribery?”

“That’s the scuttlebutt.”

“Scuttlebutt?” He laughed, at ease again, though it seemed a bit forced. “That’s a strange word. You learn that in the military?”

“Actually, from Doc. He was in the Navy back in the sixties. Went through college on the G.I. Bill. So?”

But before Sebastian could answer, Maggie huffed up to the table and in a flurry of movement slid into the booth beside Candy. “Hi, honey, made it! Sorry I’m late! It’s just been a hectic week.”

“Oh, hi, Mags.”

As Maggie settled herself, she cast an appraising eye at Sebastian. “So… I’m not barging in on anything, am I? I’d hate to break up a romantic rendezvous.”

“Maggie!” Candy yelped, offended.

“Candy and I were just having a pleasant conversation,” Sebastian said diplomatically.

“Is that what they call it these days?” Maggie gave him a wink.

“If you must know,” Candy said archly, “I was just asking Sebastian about the rumors that Sapphire had bribed one of the pageant judges.”

“Ooh.” Maggie rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Sounds like I made it here just in time.” She looked pointedly at Sebastian, as did Candy. “So?”

For a few long moments Sebastian J. Quinn stared back at them with something approaching disbelief in his eyes. Then he laughed as he signaled for the check. “Ladies, ladies, you know I can’t talk about anything like that. I’m sworn to secrecy. Besides, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. Perhaps the rumors are wrong. Perhaps Ms. Vine won the pageant fair and square.”

Candy tilted her head thoughtfully, sharpening her gaze on him. “That’s what Herr Georg said. Sounds like we have a conspiracy on our hands.”

“Then you also have quite an investigation on your hands,” Sebastian said as he slid from the booth and reached into a pocket, pulling out a wad of bills. He dropped a ten onto the table. “I wish I could continue this delightful conversation, ladies, but I have a few poems to write. If you’ll excuse me…”

After he left, Maggie slipped around to the other side of the booth. “I guess we chased him off.”

“Think he’s hiding something?”

“No doubt about it. He knows something, that’s for sure.”