Fat Cat Takes The Cake

“Yah, I can see that. I wasn’t thinking. I won’t mention her again. You’re getting the Hawaiian, right?”

“And I suppose you’ll have your usual pepperoni with extra cheese.”

“I sure will.”

“Listen,” Chase said. “Eddie sent me a message, before I came in. It was from bhelthy.” She spelled it for Julie.

“Is the guy illiterate? Or is he being cute?”

“Whatever. But the message wasn’t from hunkyb.”

“So we still don’t know who that is and why Ron North was pestering him.”

“Only,” Chase said, “that hunkyb is likely to be the person who killed him.”

Bart slammed their beers on the table so hard the foam splashed out on both of them, then took their orders with a fierce frown. Maybe it was hard to set things down gently with all those muscles. Or maybe they should both keep their mouths shut.

She whispered to Julie again after he left. “He’s sure in a bad mood.”

“Sure is,” Julie agreed. “Let’s eat fast and get out of here.”

They ate and paid without incident and Chase dropped Julie at her office. Before Julie shut the car door, Chase said, “Wait.”

Julie ducked her head back into the car. “Yes?”

Should she tell her she was meeting Eddie? This wasn’t something she could do with Julie along. Julie would tell her not to do it, just in case he was a murderer. But they were meeting in a bar, one that was usually crowded at nine on a weeknight. No, she didn’t want Julie to talk her out of it. Or worse, to tell Anna and have her get on Chase’s case. The hearing was tomorrow. She had to do this.

“Nothing. I thought it looked like you left a glove on the seat.”

Julie wiggled her fingers. “Nope. Got ’em on, see?”

“Call me tomorrow before . . . you know.”

“If I can.” Julie’s teeth clamped on her lips and she left before she started crying.

How could Julie be so calm? She trusted her lawyer, but even so, if Chase had a hearing for criminal charges the next day, she would be fidgeting so bad she wouldn’t be able to drive. She saw Julie get into her own car and start it up. They both beeped and Julie drove away.

Chase sat with her car idling, planning her strategy. She would try to get Eddie Heath to tell her all his e-mail addresses. Failing that, she would probe to see if he had any history that he could be blackmailed about. She worked out a strategy, or at least a way to approach this.

If none of that worked, she was going to alert the detective anyway. She called Niles Olson’s cell number and it rang to voice mail. This was better than talking to him.

She spoke quickly. “I think I have a very good suspect. I’ll know more in about an hour and will call you when I get home. Need to tack down some details. There’s another page from Ron North’s notebook to consider. Quincy hid it and I just found it.”

There. She broke the connection, muted her phone, and headed toward the Amble Inn. She didn’t want the detective calling while she was with Eddie.

THIRTY-THREE

Eddie frowned as he studied the bar menu. Now that Chase thought about it, she was surprised he’d agreed to meet her here. The Amble Inn wasn’t a health-nut kind of place, simply a basic bar and grille.

“I don’t find anything that’s acceptable on this menu,” he said, laying it on the table. “How can people eat like this? No wonder—”

“Sorry. I assumed you had already eaten. I thought we were having a drink.”

“Oh sure, that’ll be fine. You don’t need to eat?”

“Just had . . . dinner . . . with Julie.” She had been about to say pizza, but thought that might get her a long lecture. How can people eat like this?

Eddie picked up the beer list. “Did you know that beer has quite a few beneficial properties?”

“Really?” That’s why he could meet her at a bar. Beer was good for you. As opposed to that toxic hard liquor, she supposed.

“It’s actually just as healthy for you as wine. Contains polyphenols that are antioxidant. Reduces the chances of getting kidney stones, too.”

“I was going to have wine, but I’d better have a brewski, then.” Chase smiled. At least there was one consumable they could agree on. Two, with wine and beer.

Eddie cross-examined the waiter about what was on tap and ordered a raspberry ale.

“That sounds awfully good,” Chase said. “I’ll have the same.”

“Peanuts and pretzels?” the waiter asked.

Chase said yes before Eddie could nix them.

“Peanuts are a good source of protein, but pretzels are pure salt and carbs,” he said after the waiter left. She’d been pretty sure that was what he would say. Thanks to her jumping in, they would get the salt and carbs as well as the protein. Did the guy have to measure and evaluate everything?

To her horror, she recognized the trio getting out of the booth across the room. She turned her face and tried to shrink to nothingness, to become invisible. It didn’t work.

“Chase! How nice to see you here.” Patrice made her way between the tables with a huge grin.

Mike and Patrice’s mother—Mike’s Aunt Betsy—hung back near their booth. Chase couldn’t look at Mike after that first glance.