Death Before Diamonds (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 10) (2 page)

CHAPTER
2

Julia leaned closer, narrowing her gaze
as she yawned.

“What am I looking at?” she asked.

I glanced at the photograph,
realized that the phone was upside down and quickly corrected the error. It was
six-thirty the next morning and we were standing in the middle of the Sky High kitchen.
The email from Rex Greer had arrived sometime during the night, and I wanted to
check with Julia and Harper to see if they recognized the man in the slightly
blurry selfie.

“His name is Theo Greer,” I explained
as Julia studied the picture. “Apparently, he was here last week. His brother seems
convinced that Theo’s gone missing, and he wanted to know if anyone remembered
seeing him.”

Julia’s nose crinkled. “Here at Sky
High?” she said skeptically. “Or here in Crescent Creek?”

“All of the above,” I answered. “His
brother came by late yesterday afternoon. He told me that Theo took this picture
on our front porch. I guess he hasn’t been seen or heard from since that day.”

Julia reached out, took my wrist
and moved the phone closer.

“He’s kind of handsome,” she said,
carefully studying Theo’s self-portrait. “Although he doesn’t look like a happy
camper.” Her eyes widened with a smile. “But whoever that is behind him looks
amazing
in those tights! I tried a similar pair last week at Pearl White’s shop, but
they made my thighs look weird.”

I angled the phone for another
look. Theo Greer stared into the camera with a faint frown. His brow was
furrowed and there was a hint of malice in his eyes. A woman behind him,
visible only from the shoulders down, was dressed in fuchsia leggings, a boxy
gray sweatshirt and sapphire running shoes.

“Pearl sells them at her boutique?”
I asked.

Julia nodded. “She got a bunch of
new colors in earlier this month. They’re called Wunder Under Pants.”

“Come again?”

She smiled. “Wunder Under Pants. My
sister thinks they sound like Depends for Oompa Loompas, but I brought her up
to speed. They’re really great for running and yoga.”

“Okay, now that we’ve got that covered,”
I said. “What about the man?”

She glanced at the picture again
and shrugged. “I’ve never seen him before, but I’m sorry to hear that he’s
missing.”

I put the phone in the front pocket
of my apron.

“I don’t know if that’s actually
true or not,” I said. “The only thing that I know for certain is that his younger
brother is looking for him.”

“Okay,” she said, stifling another
yawn. “And the only thing that
I
know for sure is that I’m never,
ever
giving our kids coffee toffee cake again. All three of them were up half the
night.”

“That explains the drowsy
expression,” I said. “And the grumpy undercurrent in your voice.”

“I’m not grumpy,” she protested.
“I’m exhausted. There’s a big difference, Katie.”

I reached over and squeezed her
shoulder. “If it’s any consolation,” I said, “you look more beautiful today
than usual.”

A warm smile flickered on her face.
“That’s sweet. I needed to hear something like that.”

“Always makes my day better,” I agreed.

Julia took a step back, skewing her
head to the side. “Come to think of it,” she said, “you’re looking pretty
glamorous today, too.”

“I think it’s the new gloss.” I
pursed my lips. “It’s called Orchid Yum Yum. What do you think?”

She carefully analyzed the gloss.
“Love the way it looks,” she said. “But I’m not crazy about the name.”

“I know, but it really
is
a
great shade,” I said. “Not to mention that it was on sale!”

She smiled, repeated the compliment
and then switched back to Theo Greer.

“Did Harper recognize him?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t checked
yet, but I will.”

“You should because she’s better at
faces,” Julia added. “Plus, her memory still works.”

“Your memory’s just fine,” I said,
giving the Sky High dessert guru a big smile. “Let me go ask Harper, and I’ll
be right back to review the prep list.”

While Julia continued getting ready
for the breakfast rush, I went through the swinging door into the dining room.

“Harper?” I called. “Can I ask you
a quick question?”

She looked up from the napkin
dispenser that she was refilling. “You just did,” she teased with a mischievous
laugh.

“You, too?” I grumbled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Julia seems a little fuzzy this
morning,” I answered. “And I didn’t sleep very well either. I was hoping at
least one of us would be on our game.”

She walked over and slumped against
the counter. “I made the mistake of turning on the television last night when I
couldn’t sleep. One channel had a
Friends
marathon and the other was
running
Pretty Woman
and
Footloose
back-to-back.”

“The original or the remake?” I
asked.

“The first one,” Harper said. “I’ve
seen it so many times, too. I love Kevin Bacon.”

“What time did you shut off the
TV?” I asked.

She reached for the mug of coffee that
she always kept on the counter until the first customers arrived.

“I finally fell asleep around
one-thirty or so.” She rolled her eyes and took a big sip. “I have no idea what
time Bobby turned it off.”

I pulled out my phone again.

“Before we get busy,” I said, “I
wanted to see if you recognize someone.”

I opened the email from Rex, tapped
the attachment and made sure the picture of Theo Greer was centered on the
screen. Then I held it toward Harper and watched as her eyes expanded into a
look of disbelief and alarm.

“Oh, my word, Katie! Not him again!”

The declaration left me momentarily
speechless.

“I
definitely
remember him,”
Harper continued. “How could I forget? He came in for lunch, cursed on his
phone the whole time and then argued with some woman on the front porch as he
was leaving. I don’t know what happened, but they got into a really bad shouting
match. She finally stormed off and that guy…” She pointed at the picture on my
phone. “…he started yelling that he was mad enough to kill someone. I actually
thought we might have to call the police at one point. His attitude was all
sour, no sweet.”

“Seriously?”

Harper planted a hand on her hip.
“Did I stutter, Katie?”

“No,” I said, flashing a smile.
“But I can’t remember the last time I saw you this upset about a customer.”

She sighed. “I know. And I’m just
glad that he wasn’t local. I’d hate to think that one of our regulars would
come in here and act like that.”

“What did he say?”

“I’m not repeating any of it,” she answered.
“We made a new swear pledge at home and I’ve only got ten bucks in my pocket.
If I told you even half of what the guy said, I’d owe the jar at home all of
that and more in about thirty seconds.”

“Wow! Sounds like a real
gentleman.”

She scowled. “He was a real
something
!
But it’d cost me a quarter to tell you.”

We shared another laugh and I asked
Harper if she knew who Theo met on the front porch.

“No clue,” she said. “They talked
outside and she stormed off afterward. I only caught one quick glimpse of her
from the back, so I have no idea who she was.”

“And what about when he came in to
eat?” I asked. “Did you see him talking to anyone?”

Harper bit her lower lip. “Um,
well…”

“It’s no biggie if you can’t
remember.”

“Homer Figg and Gilbert Sinclair
were at the next table. I bet they spoke to him.”

“Homer and Gilbert?” I said skeptically.
“Together?”

Harper smiled. “They decided to
bury the hatchet,” she said. “It was the first time they’ve been in for lunch
in nine months.”

“That’s what I thought! I’m glad
you told me that, too. It’s good to hear they worked out their differences.”

“Yeah,” Harper said. “They’re like
the Frick and Frack of Crescent Creek.”

“Well, maybe I’ll drop by and ask
Homer about the missing guy this afternoon,” I said. “I’ve got to run over to Party
Palace and buy supplies for the birthday cake that Eliza Weldon ordered for
her husband’s fortieth birthday.”

“Bill’s going to be
forty
?”
Harper asked. “Again?”

“That’s the joke,” I replied with a
smile. “He made such a big deal when he actually turned forty that Eliza gets
the same cake every year—black sprinkles, black candles, licorice icing and
black number 40 toothpick candles. I guess it’s her way of ribbing him for
being so worried about getting older.”

Harper frowned. “Who doesn’t worry
about that?”

“Blanche Speltzer,” I said. “She’s
got more get-up-and-go than some toddlers that I know.”

“That’s so true,” Harper agreed
with a wide grin. “If I can be half as lively when I’m eighty, I’ll be doing good.”

“No kidding,” I said. “So…can we
get back to Theo Greer for a sec? Did you hear anything he said on the phone?”

“Besides all the foul language?”

I nodded.

“I really couldn’t say,” Harper
answered. “To be honest, when I realized that he was being so rude, I dropped
the check and only went back once to refill his coffee.”

“Did he pay for his lunch before he
left?”

She smiled. “Left a Benjamin
Franklin on the table,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time somebody
tipped me ninety-bucks for a BLT and some decaf.”

CHAPTER
3

The morning blurred by in a steady
stream of special orders, breakfast customers and cappuccinos dusted with
nutmeg and cinnamon. At ten-thirty, while Julia stepped into the walk-in to
restock the diced ham, sliced cheddar and waffle batter for the impending lunch
rush, I stood at the pass window and gazed into the dining room. I watched
Harper as she moved from one table to the next, refilling coffee cups and
chatting with the handful of diners. Between her warm laughter, bubbly smile
and compassionate tone, my childhood friend made every visitor to Sky High Pies
feel welcome and respected.

“She’s good, isn’t she?”

I hadn’t noticed Julia’s return,
but her question pulled me out of the reverie.

“She’s the best,” I said. “Just
like you.”

Julia blushed bashfully. “Aw,
shucks,” she said with a playful giggle. “Little ol’ me?”

I elbowed her gently in the side. “Yes,
little ol’ you. I can’t imagine what I’d do without you guys.”

“Hire somebody else,” Julia said.
“A pair of monkeys could do our jobs with the right amount of training.”

The comment earned a bawdy laugh
before I heard the bell chime on the front door. Since the melodic peal sounded
constantly throughout the day, I didn’t give it a second thought until I
noticed the expression on Julia’s face and heard her sarcastic remark.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” she
said.

I turned and followed her gaze into
the dining room. Rex Greer stood in the doorway with a half-filled bottle of
Diet Coke in his hand and a rumpled blue backpack over one shoulder. His hair was
disheveled, a dark stain stretched across the front of his shirt and the left
knee of his jeans was caked with dried mud.

“That doesn’t look good,” I said.

Julia sighed. “Do you think he’s
drunk?” she asked. “Should I call—”

I put one hand on her arm. “Let me take
care of it. That’s the guy who was here yesterday asking about his brother.”

“Sure we shouldn’t call the police?”
Julia’s voice brimmed with concern. “He looks pretty unhinged from here,
Katie.”

I glanced at Rex again. “It could
just be the strain of trying to find his brother. Why don’t I talk to him
before we get the cavalry involved?”

By the time I’d walked across the
kitchen and pushed through the swinging door into the dining room, Rex was
sitting at a table with Eileen Johnson and Annabeth Rudd. The mother-daughter
team came in for breakfast at least once each month to compare notes about
their respective nursing careers. Without Eileen’s gray hair, most people would
probably think they were sisters. They were both the same exact height and
weight, with identical button noses, twinkling green eyes and dimpled cheeks.

“Hey there, Rex,” I said,
approaching the trio slowly.

“How’s it going?” he replied.

Since their profession made them experts
when it came to handling heightened emotions, Eileen and Annabeth were calm and
gracious.

“Do you know Mr. Greer?” Eileen
asked as I pulled out the remaining chair and sat across from Rex. “He was
telling us about his brother.”

The
MISSING PERSON
flyer
with the photo of Theo Greer sat on the table between Eileen and Annabeth.

“We met yesterday,” I said as Rex
loosened the cap on his Diet Coke. “Isn’t that right?”

He looked up and nodded. “That’s
right.” He took a sip and resealed the bottle. “Did you get my email?”

I nodded. “Yes,” I said. “And I
showed the picture to Julia, but—”

“Did she recognize him?” Rex blurted
anxiously.

“No, I’m sorry,” I said. “Although
I also—”

“Neither did these guys,” Rex
mumbled, glancing from Annabeth to her mother. “I thought it would be helpful
to ask a few of your customers if they saw Theo last week. This is about the
time of day that he took the picture on your front porch.”

“You know what, Rex?” I kept my
tone casual and relaxed. “Why don’t we go to my office and talk about the
situation?”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong
with right here?”

I gestured at Eileen and Annabeth
before glancing around the room.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” I
said. “But we should let everyone enjoy their breakfast. Besides, I think it
will be more useful if we talk in private.”

His head turned slightly to one
side. “Why?” he asked. “Do you know something?”

“Not about your brother,” I said.
“But before Sky High Pies, I worked as a private investigator in Chicago. There’s
a chance that some of what I learned during those years could apply to your
search.”

“You were a detective?” he asked.

“One of the best,” Eileen said.
“And she’s helped a few folks around town with some tricky situations since
moving back here.”

He considered the news before
getting to his feet.

“Then what’re we waiting for?” he
said, plucking the flyer from the table. “Let’s get started!”