Ten minutes later, Mitch.e.l.l Cobb came into the diner. We were getting quite a crowd for a time that was nearly too late for breakfast, but still too early for lunch. I wasn't about to turn anyone away, though. Our bottom line could use every customer who came through the door.

"Sit where you'd like," I told him.

Mitch.e.l.l nodded in my direction, but instead of finding a table, he walked straight over to Ellen. I wanted to follow him so I could eavesdrop, but unfortunately, at that instant, half a dozen customers all decided at the same moment that it would be a good time to settle up their bills.

By the time I finished ringing everyone up and making change, Mitch.e.l.l was on his way out the door, too, a scowl plastered to his face.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him as he brushed past me.

"Nothing you can do anything about," he lashed out at me just before he escaped.

I glanced over at Ellen, who was visibly shaken by something.

"What just happened?"

"Mitch.e.l.l told me that he loved me," Ellen said, her voice shaking a little as she relayed the information to me.

"That can't really come as a big surprise," I said. "He's had a crush on you forever."

"It's not just that. He said that after what happened, I owed him."

"What did he mean by that?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't like it. I told him that I was with Wayne now, and that he was too late saying things like that. A few years ago I might have gone out with him, but I've got someone important in my life now."

"How did he take it?"

"You saw him. He nearly ran you over trying to get out of here," Ellen said. "You know what? Maybe coming in wasn't such a good idea after all. I hate to do it to you, but is there any way that you can cover for me for the rest of my shift?"

It wasn't even eleven yet, and Ellen was due to work three more hours. We'd handled things the day before, but I hated to put that kind of burden squarely on Martha's shoulders. "Let me call Jenny and see if she can come in early."

"I hate to ask her to do that," Ellen said.

"That's okay, you're not asking her anything; I am. What's the worst that can happen? All she can say is no."

"I appreciate you asking her," Ellen said. "If she can't make it in, don't worry about it. I'll find a way to deal with it. I won't let you down, Victoria."

"Let's just see what she says first," I said.

Jenny usually worked from four to seven every evening. I knew that she had cla.s.ses in the morning before work and an active social life afterwards, but if we got lucky, maybe she'd have some time to lend us a hand. "Hey, Jenny, it's Victoria."

"I was just going to call you," Jenny said, and I felt my heart sink. Was she going to call in sick? I didn't know what we'd do without both of our servers.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, but I've got an offer for you. I know that Ellen's going through a rough patch right now, and I doubt she's all that crazy about coming in and working her shifts. My cla.s.s schedule is fairly slow right now, and I can get some notes from my friends on what I miss, so if you'd like me to work double shifts for the rest of the week, I can make that happen."

"You are a lifesaver," I said. "Are you sure?"

"To be honest with you, I could use the extra money. Tuition keeps going up, and I could always stand a few more dollars in my checking account. Can Ellen afford to give up her shifts?"

"I have a hunch that right now money is the least of her problems," I said. "If you're sure you don't mind, that would be fantastic."

"Hey, it's a win/win. I can be there in ten minutes, if you need the help today."

"That would be tremendous. I'll let her know."

"Go on and send her home. I'm on my way."

I hung up and told Ellen what Jenny had said. "She's worried that she's taking money out of your pocket," I said. "Can you afford to take some time off?"

"Mom and Dad have already offered to help me with my bills this month," Ellen said. "The only silver lining in this whole thing is that it's clear that they're both really on my side. I think they blamed me a little when I married Gordon on such short notice, and then the kids came along so fast, there was a rift between us that's just now starting to go away."

"Well, it's good to be able to count on them," I said. "You can go ahead and take off. Jenny will be here soon."

"I have to wait on Mom, anyway. Her car is in Wayne's shop, so she's got mine. I'll give her a call to come pick me up."

"You can wait in back until she gets here, if you'd like."

"Thanks, but I might as well work while I'm here," she said.

I was relieved that Jenny was coming in to lend a hand. I hated the idea of leaving Martha at the diner to handle things on her own while Moose and I were off investigating murder, but with a full complement of servers, it wasn't an issue. I didn't know whether Jenny really needed the money or not, since I knew that her parents were helping her finance her education. She had a good heart, though, so her offer didn't surprise me in the least. We had been lucky with our hires at The Charming Moose, and I couldn't imagine running the place without either one of our current servers. Moose claimed that the diner always attracted the right people precisely when the place needed them, and I didn't have any evidence to the contrary to prove him wrong. I didn't want to have to deal with replacing either one of my friends, though if our luck held, I wouldn't have to anytime soon. I knew that someday Ellen would probably get married, and Jenny would graduate from college. That would mean finding a new crew, but at least I didn't have to do it today, or even think about it.

Our family at The Charming Moose was intact, and I meant to keep it that way if it was in my power. Now all I needed was my grandfather to get there with his wife so we could start investigating Gordon Murphy's murder again.

Chapter 9.

"Where's my daughter?" Opal asked a few minutes later as she rushed into the diner. "Has she already left?"

"It's okay, Opal. She's in back with my mother," I said.

"What's Jenny doing here?" Opal asked as she pointed toward our other waitress with a look of concern. "You didn't fire my daughter, did you? None of this was her fault. It's not fair, I tell you."

"Hang on a second. First of all, would you please lower your voice?" I asked. "Ellen is in back taking a break. n.o.body's getting fired. Why would you even think that I'd do something like that?"

"I don't know. I'm beside myself with what's happened," Opal said, her voice near its breaking point. "I need to see Ellen."

"Opal, would you like some free advice, worth every penny that it's going to cost you? You're not going to do Ellen any good right now with the way you're behaving. You need to take a deep breath, have a cup of coffee, and compose yourself before you speak with her. Can I pour you a cup?"

Opal resisted the idea at first, but after a few seconds, she nodded as she slumped down into one of the booths. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm beside myself. Victoria, would you join me?"

The diner was starting to fill up, but I knew that Jenny could handle things for a little while. I wanted to talk to Opal about what had happened to Gordon Murphy, and I wasn't about to get a better opportunity. "I'd be delighted." I went for a coffee pot, and as I pa.s.sed by Jenny, I asked, "Would you cover things for a few minutes? I need to talk to Opal."

"Sure thing, Boss," Jenny said with a smile. "Man, there are some really good tippers this time of day, aren't there?"

"I hadn't noticed, but I'm glad that you're doing well," I said. "Thanks again for covering the extra shifts."

"Keep it coming, I say," she said, and then her smile dimmed a bit. "I'm not happy about what Ellen's going through; you know that, don't you?"

"n.o.body's going to doubt your motives, Jenny," I said.

"Good."

I poured a cup of coffee for Opal, and then I filled another up for myself. It felt good sitting down with her, but I wasn't exactly on break. I needed more information on Gordon, and I hoped that Opal had some for me.

"It's a shame about your former son-in-law, no matter how you might have felt about him," I said as I took a sip. Usually I drank sweet tea, but I had the occasional cup of coffee, too. Any way I could get my caffeine was okay with me. When my dad had experienced his episode, he'd given up all caffeinated beverages, but I didn't know how he did it. My father was a lot like my grandfather in that respect. He had a tough time pa.s.sing up a good story. Whenever someone asked him if he wanted a soda or a sweet tea, he'd tell them that the last one he'd had was in Intensive Care. I honestly believed that was what kept the man from having another one since.

"Gordon was a weasel, plain and simple," Opal said as she took a long sip of coffee. "I warned Ellen about marrying him, but she wouldn't listen, and now look what's happened."

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" I asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Opal, please tell me that you don't think that your daughter had anything to do with what happened to Gordon," I said.

She looked shocked by the question. "Of course not. My Ellen would never do something like that." She took another sip of coffee, and then Opal looked steadily at me. "There is something on my mind, though. Have you spoken with Robert?"

"Your husband was in here the day Gordon was murdered," I said.

"That's not what I meant. Have you spoken with him since it happened?"

"Not very much, but then again, we haven't had the chance to really chat," I admitted. "Why, do you think that we should?"

Opal shook her head. "No, I'm sure that Robert is innocent. I'm sure of it!" Why wouldn't Opal make eye contact with me all of a sudden? Did she suspect that her husband may have had something to do with Gordon's murder? And if she did, was there cause to believe that it might be true? One thing was clear; Moose and I needed to speak to Robert and decide for ourselves.

I touched her hand lightly. "Opal, are you trying to convince me of that, or yourself?"

Opal frowned, took another sip, and then she said, "Sometimes it's like I don't even know the man anymore, you know?"

"I can't imagine that it's easy for you, given the way the two of you live apart."

Opal shook her head. "It was never my idea. Robert was committed to the plan once the Jefferson place went on the market. He told me that it would be a good investment property for our old age. I believed him, but three days after we took possession, he told me that he wanted to live there full time. I know folks in town talk about our living arrangement, but I couldn't change his mind."

"Hey, if it works for you, I don't think anyone else's opinion matters," I said.

"Would you live apart from Greg?" she asked earnestly.

I tried to imagine what it would be like not seeing my husband right before I fell asleep or the first thing in the morning when I opened my eyes. "I don't think it would work for us, but that's just our situation, not yours."

"Well, it's me, too," Opal said sadly. She took another sip, and I topped off her coffee cup. "I really shouldn't."

"You don't have to drink all of it," I said. "How are Ellen and the kids holding up?"

"The children are in some kind of shock, and Ellen's doing everything in her power to hold it all together for them. They begged her to let them go to school today, though I tried to talk them out of it, but Ellen thought it would be healthy for all of them to go about their business, and n.o.body would listen to me. Now that she's here, I'm sure that she's regretting it. I just hope the other children at school aren't too brutal to my grandchildren."

It had been my experience growing up that while there were a handful of kids who knew how to show real compa.s.sion, the vast majority of them hadn't mastered the skill yet. I wasn't about to say that to Opal, though. "Well, they'll be home soon, at any rate."

"They aren't going home," Opal said. "They're all going to stay with me until things settle down." It was pretty clear that she was quite pleased with the situation.

"Was that Ellen's idea?" I asked.

"No, you know as well as I do that my daughter is fiercely independent. She refused at first, but then the first reporter from Charlotte showed up on her doorstep. They can smell blood in the water, and when they're going after a story, they are relentless."

I wondered just how true that was, since no one had come by the diner looking for a story about Ellen and her ex-husband since the murder. Chances were good that it had just been a stringer trying to find something to write about, and once she'd been rebuffed, the story was dead. "Still, it's awfully sweet of you to take them in."

"What's a mother or a grandmother to do," Opal said. "My home is always open to them." She took another sip of coffee, and it was clearly starting to loosen her up. "And if the reporters weren't bad enough, the police have been positively relentless. Can you imagine? They even asked me for my alibi."

"What did you tell them?" I asked.

"How can anyone say for sure? I baked that day, saw to the children, had a picnic with my daughter and her children, ran some errands, and I probably did half a dozen other things that I don't remember now."

"This is one of those times when it pays to be as specific as you can be," I said.

Opal looked as though she were about to elaborate when Ellen came out of the kitchen. She looked surprised to see her mom chatting with me.

Ellen walked over quickly. "How long have you been here, Mother?"

"It's my fault she didn't come get you," I said. "I offered her a cup of coffee, and I joined her," I said quickly.

"That's nice of you, but we need to go," Ellen said firmly.

"I understand that," I said as Opal and I got up from the booth. "How are you doing, Ellen?"

"I'm better, now that I'm going home."

"With me, you mean," Opal said.

Ellen frowned, but then she nodded in agreement. "We'll stay there tonight, but we're going back home tomorrow. Okay?"

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me," Opal said, but I noticed that there was more than the hint of a smile on her lips as she said it. This woman was clearly enjoying her daughter and grandchildren, and I had to wonder how lonely she must be with her husband living across the street.

"Will we see you tomorrow?" I asked Ellen.

"It's doubtful," Opal said before her daughter could answer.

Ellen frowned. "Mother."

"What? Isn't it true?" Opal asked.

Ellen turned to me. "I'll let you know, Victoria. Jenny's offered to work both our shifts for the next few days, and if you don't mind, I might just take her up on it."

"I want you to do whatever makes you feel comfortable," I said.