The Crêpes of Wrath: A Pancake House Mystery Read online

  At one point he got up to use the washroom, and I stopped Leigh as I met her on my way to the window to retrieve a freshly made plate of churro waffles.

  “Jonah is Goldie’s son, right?” I asked her in a whisper.

  “Yes. And he’s got a thing for you.”

  “Leigh!” I glanced over my shoulder, but Jonah was still away from his table. “Ugh,” I said, my voice barely audible. “Don’t say such things.”

  “Why else would he be staring at you all the time?”

  This time I couldn’t suppress my shudder. “Please.”

  She gave me a sympathetic pat on my arm. “Sorry. I know he’s a bit creepy.”

  “A bit?”

  I carried on to pick up the churro waffles, and Leigh set off in another direction. Only minutes later, Jonah paid for his meal and left the restaurant, leaving me free from his unwanted scrutiny. I wondered if he and Daryl Willis were friends. They weren’t that far apart in age and they both had a high creep factor, but when I thought about it I somehow couldn’t picture the two of them hanging out together. Jonah seemed more likely to spend his time holed up with a computer or video games, while it was easier to picture Daryl hanging out at a bar or pool hall.

  As thoughts of Jonah and Daryl still hovered in my mind, two young women came into the pancake house and claimed an unoccupied table near the stone fireplace where flames danced and popped, warming the restaurant. I’d never seen the brunette before, but I recognized her fair-haired friend from the previous day. She was the young woman I’d seen outside Johnny’s Juice Hut, the one I assumed was Daryl’s girlfriend, Tina.

  Leigh approached their table and greeted them both by name, confirming for me that the blonde was indeed Tina. As I wiped down a neighboring table, I overheard Leigh say, “That’s a gorgeous bracelet.”

  I glanced over in time to see Tina hold up her wrist to show off the piece of silver jewelry. Tiny red stones glinted in the light, catching my eye.

  “Thanks,” Tina said. “It was a gift.”

  “From a really great guy,” her friend put in with a knowing smile.

  “He did well,” Leigh said with appreciation. “He must be a keeper.”

  “He is,” Tina agreed.

  They continued to chat, but I had to head across the restaurant to accept payment from customers on their way out. Once that was taken care of, I delivered several plates of pancakes to waiting customers. When I had a rare spare moment to linger near the cash register, my eyes strayed across the dining area to rest on Tina and her friend.

  Although I hadn’t had a close-up look at Tina’s bracelet, what I did see of it led me to think that it was of good quality. I found it hard to believe that Daryl could afford to buy his girlfriend a gift in that league. It was far easier for me to suspect that he hadn’t paid for it.

  I made a mental note to ask Sheriff Georgeson if a bracelet similar to Tina’s had gone missing from any of the burglarized homes. I didn’t have time to do any more than that before more customers arrived. As I took orders from a group of four, a woman with frizzy brown hair streaked with gray entered the pancake house. She paused inside the door, surveying the tables from behind thick glasses. I hardly noticed her until Leigh, passing me with a load of dirty dishes, muttered, “Oh no,” her eyes narrowed in the woman’s direction.

  I glanced over at the new arrival in time to see a nasty smile spread across her face. Taking Leigh’s arm, I pulled her into the kitchen with me.

  “Who is that woman?”

  She set down her load of dishes. “Ida Winkler.”

  Ivan looked up sharply but stayed silent.

  I glanced through the window to the front of the house but couldn’t see the frizzy-haired woman. “More details, please,” I said to Leigh.

  She heaved out a sigh. “Ida used to work here. Years ago. She’d been in jail for theft, and Jimmy was giving her a second chance.”

  Ivan made a sound of disgust, and that only added to my anxiety.

  “But?” I knew there was more to the story. I would have bet a hefty sum that Ida was the employee my mom had mentioned, the one who’d caused trouble in the past.

  “But I caught her stealing money from the till. Jimmy fired her, but that made her mad so she started causing problems.”

  “What sort of problems?” I asked, uneasy.

  “Vandalizing the building, coming in to shout at people, that sort of thing. Jimmy had to threaten to call the police to get her to stop.”

  “But she did stop?”

  “She did.”

  “Then hopefully she’s not here to cause trouble.”

  “My advice?” Leigh said. “Don’t hold your breath.”

  She pushed through the swinging door, leaving the kitchen. I followed in her wake, my nerves on edge. As we entered the dining area, Ida emerged from the back hall and headed for the closest unoccupied table. I hoped she’d gone in the back to use the washroom and not to find something to lift with her sticky fingers. I hadn’t bothered to lock the office, and I made a mental note to check that my wallet was still safely in my tote bag.

  I came up behind Leigh in time to hear her say in a steely, low voice, “You know you’re not welcome here.”

  Ida settled into her chair, her face smug. She snagged the laminated menu from the table and ran her eyes over it. “I’ll have the bacon cheddar waffles.”

  “You won’t be having anything,” Leigh countered.

  I cringed, not wanting the situation to escalate.

  “Says who?” Ida slapped the menu down on the tabletop. “The king’s been tossed from his throne. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.”

  A mixture of shock and disgust surged through me. How could anyone talk like that about Jimmy?

  “So,” Ida went on, still smug, “he’s no longer here to get rid of me.”

  “But I am,” Ivan’s voice boomed from behind me.

  I jumped and Ida’s head jerked up, her eyes wide behind her thick glasses. Ivan stepped forward and I scooted to the side to stay out of his way. He loomed over Ida, his muscular, tattooed bulk even more intimidating than usual.

  “Leave. Now.”

  Ida didn’t move.

  “Now!” Ivan bellowed, his voice booming through The Flip Side.

  Ida’s chair screeched across the wood floor as she rose to her feet. She stomped halfway across the room before spinning around. “You’ll regret this.” She spat the words in Leigh’s direction. “You’ll see.”

  With that, she charged through the front door and out of sight.

  I realized that both my hands were balled into fists at my sides, all my muscles taut. Forcing myself to relax, I surveyed the other diners. They all stared at us, wide-eyed. I couldn’t blame them.

  Shocked silence had settled over the room and everyone remained still, as if afraid to be the one to break it.

  Ivan ran his dark eyes over the dining area and blew a breath of air out through his nose. “Eat!” he ordered the room at large.

  As his one word resounded through the pancake house, the chef strode back to the kitchen and disappeared behind the swinging door.

  One by one, the diners picked up their forks and resumed eating. Conversations started up again too, but I remained in the same spot, frozen. I couldn’t believe Ida Winkler. How could she hold such a grudge against Jimmy? I didn’t know whether to be angry or distressed. I didn’t even know what to do next.

  Fortunately, Leigh came to my rescue. She took my arm and guided me toward the office.

  “Come on, Marley. Sit down for a minute.”

  As I lowered myself into the desk chair, I remembered my earlier concern about my wallet. I rummaged through my tote bag but found my wallet and all of its contents as I’d left them.

  “Are you all right?” Leigh asked.

  “Yes. It’s just…that was upsetting. Jimmy died only yesterday and it’s…” I trailed off, not sure what else to say.

  “I know. But that’s Ida for you. She’s
as mean-spirited as they come. Do your best to forget about her.”

  “Good idea.” A woman like that wasn’t worth my time or energy. I stood up and smoothed the creases out of my red apron. “We should get back to work.”

  “I can take care of things out there if you want a break.”

  I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’d rather get back out there and get things back to normal as soon as possible.”

  Leigh agreed with me and we left the office together. But as I refilled coffee mugs and took down orders, I had to wonder what normal meant now that Cousin Jimmy was gone.

  Chapter 8

  The rest of the workday passed in a blur of serving meals, talking with customers about Jimmy, and cleaning up after departed diners. When two o’clock finally rolled around, I flipped the sign on the door so the CLOSED side faced outward. For good measure, I locked the door as well. I knew now that not all unexpected visitors would be as welcome as Brett.

  On my way back toward the office, I met up with Leigh as she came out of the break room, zipping up her jacket.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Marley,” she said when she saw me.

  I didn’t miss the lines of worry creasing her forehead or the distraction in her eyes. I put a hand on her arm to stop her as she passed me. “I meant what I said earlier, Leigh. We’ll work things out.”

  She blinked back tears and gave me a quick hug. “Thank you.”

  I watched her leave before I got back to work, tidying the dining area and sweeping the floor. An hour later, with the pancake house cleaned up, I finally untied my apron and sank down into the desk chair in the office. While busier than usual, the day had taken a toll on me that went beyond the physical, thanks in part to Ida Winkler. I felt emotionally drained, almost wrung out. But I couldn’t rest. Not yet. I still had things to take care of on Jimmy’s behalf and I had a promise to keep.

  Pushing myself back up out of the chair, I headed for the kitchen.

  Ivan stood at the large sink, washing his hands, his back to me. I hesitated inside the doorway but stepped forward as he turned around and dried his hands, his dark eyes zeroing in on me.

  “Ready to head home?” I asked in an effort to get a conversation going.

  He nodded and untied his apron.

  After three seconds of silence ticked by, I knew I’d have to jump right in or watch him leave without another word.

  “You’ve known Jimmy a long time.”

  Ivan still didn’t say anything, but at least his eyes flicked my way again.

  “Do you know if he had any enemies, anyone who might have had a reason to kill him?”

  Those dark eyes of his drilled into me. “Ida. You saw what she was like.”

  I nodded and fought the urge to fidget beneath his direct gaze. “But why kill him after all these years? Didn’t he fire her ages ago?”

  Ivan hung up his apron and strode past me and out the kitchen door, leaving it swinging in his wake.

  I didn’t know if it was wise or not, but I followed him, catching up to him as he reached the break room.

  Without glancing my way, he finally responded to my question as he opened his locker. “Maybe her grudge has festered.” He grabbed his jacket and slammed his locker shut. “Or maybe she’s just happy someone else killed him.”

  “But who? Did Jimmy have any other conflicts? Any other enemies?”

  Ivan gave his head a curt shake as he pulled on his jacket. “Jimmy was a good man.”

  “He was,” I agreed. “But unless his murder was random, somebody had an issue with him.”

  “Somebody who might not like you asking questions.”

  His statement took me aback for a second. “I just want the murderer to be caught.”

  “The sheriff will do that.” Ivan headed for the break room door and I had to dodge aside so I wouldn’t get trampled.

  “But the sheriff thinks Leigh did it,” I said as I hurried along behind him. “We can’t let her go to jail for something she didn’t do.”

  Ivan slowed his steps as we passed the storage room. “Sheriff Georgeson is a smart man, and he knows this town better than you do. He’ll figure out that Leigh is innocent.”

  His reminder that I was an outsider stung a little, even though it was true. He picked up his pace again, leaving me standing near the storage room.

  When he reached the back door, he paused. “Be careful.”

  With those final words, he left the pancake house.

  I remained standing in place as he disappeared from sight, his warning echoing inside my head and sending an icy chill whispering down my spine.

  —

  After locking up the pancake house, I made a quick stop at the bank to deposit the cash earned that day and then set off on foot for my appointment with Hugh Ogilvie. It was only as I turned the corner onto Main Street that I realized I hadn’t dressed that morning with my appointment in mind. If I’d thought farther ahead, I probably would have worn something a little less casual than a graphic tee and jeans, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now. Even though I was a bit ahead of schedule, I didn’t have enough time to walk to Jimmy’s house, change, and get back to the center of town. So I kept walking and hoped that Mr. Ogilvie wouldn’t mind my jeans, which were worn and frayed in places.

  Although I didn’t have an exact address for the lawyer’s office, I didn’t doubt that I’d find it without any trouble. Wildwood Cove’s Main Street consisted of only two blocks and the second block, the one farther from the ocean, was home to the fire station, a medical clinic, a mechanic’s garage, and the town’s grocery store. Everything else with a Main Street address was situated on the block closer to the beach.

  Halfway along the street, I spotted the real estate office across the road and next to it the office of Ogilvie Groves LLP. I had close to fifteen minutes to spare, so I decided to do a little window shopping to pass the time.

  The first shop I stopped at was a little antiques store. A quick glance through the display window was enough to see that the interior of the shop was packed with odds and ends. A pretty cheval mirror caught my eye and I decided to pop inside to take a closer look at it. Not that I had room to haul it back to Seattle with me in my little car, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out.

  Unfortunately, as I turned for the shop’s door, two people waylaid me—Goldie Krantz and her son, Jonah.

  Goldie bustled toward me wearing even more strands of chunky beads around her neck than the day before. Jonah lurked behind her uncomfortably, looking out of place.

  “Miley!” Goldie cried out as she reached me.

  I grimaced. “Marley,” I corrected. I hated it when people made that mistake.

  Goldie flapped a hand as if my name was of no concern to her, which it probably wasn’t. She produced a lace-trimmed handkerchief from somewhere beneath her blouse and dabbed at her dry eyes.

  “Is it true?” she practically wailed. “Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me dear Jimmy is still alive and well.”

  “I can’t, because he isn’t.” My voice lacked any of the sympathy it might have had when confirming such news for anyone else, but her grief seemed so fake and over the top that it turned my stomach.

  She covered her face with her handkerchief, probably to hide her lack of tears, and let out a great sob that shook her plump body. “The poor, dear, sweet man. It’s such a tragedy. A terrible, terrible tragedy.” She sniffled loudly and patted at her eyes again. The generous coating of mascara on her eyelashes hadn’t smudged in the least.

  Still lurking behind his mother, Jonah frowned, but his eyes seemed distant, as if his mind were elsewhere. He certainly didn’t seem focused on his mother’s theatrics.

  Goldie put a hand on my arm and I resisted the urge to step back out of her reach. “Jimmy put his heart into the pancake house. What will happen to it now?”

  Although she managed to sound concerned, I didn’t miss the gleam in her eyes. Did she really think Jimmy had left her somethi
ng? Had he?

  “I have no idea what will happen to The Flip Side,” I said.

  Goldie dropped her hand from my arm and some of the tension in my shoulders eased away. “But it needs to be looked after,” she said, crumpling her handkerchief in her hand. “We wouldn’t want the business to flounder. That would have broken poor Jimmy’s heart.”

  “I’m sure someone will take care of it.” I took a step back, eager to escape. “If you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment.”

  I didn’t give Goldie a chance to say anything more. I hitched my bag up over my shoulder and cast a swift glance both ways before darting across the street and into the lawyer’s office. Despite the unpleasantness of my recent encounter, I gave Lisa a genuine smile once inside the office. She got up from her desk and hurried around it to give me a hug.

  “I’m so sorry about Jimmy, Marley. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m doing all right under the circumstances.”

  “Can I get you some tea or coffee while you wait for Mr. Ogilvie?”

  I declined her offer as the phone on her desk rang. While she answered the call, I settled into an armchair in the waiting area and set my tote bag at my feet. From my vantage point I could see out the large front window, and I observed with relief that Goldie and Jonah Krantz had moved on. I had no desire to run into them again after my appointment with Mr. Ogilvie.

  Although Goldie was out of sight, her question about the pancake house circled around in my mind. What would happen to The Flip Side?

  I’d probably get an answer to that question in a few minutes. Knowing that sent a flutter of nerves through my stomach. The thought of handing over the business to anyone other than Jimmy wasn’t a pleasant one. Even though my time in Wildwood Cove was meant to be only temporary, I found I had no desire to dwell on the prospect of leaving.