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Authors: Jessica Beck
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town.”
“If they live
around here in the first place,” Grace said.
“If they don’t,
I’m sure that we’ll have friends in other places who might be able to help us. Between the two of us, we know a lot of
people in our part of North Carolina.”
“Then again, we
could always just do an Internet search on my phone,” Grace suggested.
“I suppose we could
approach it that way, but what fun would that be?”
“Is that why
we’re doing this; for fun?” my best friend asked me.
“No, I realize
more than most that this is serious business. Go on. Work your Internet magic and find out
all you can about Amanda and Denny.”
“I’m on it,” Grace
said as she started typing into her cellphone. Grace was a whiz at Internet searches,
and while I appreciated the technology and her mastery of it, I basically just
used my phone to make calls and send texts. Then again, I had a pretty basic unit, while
Grace’s company provided her with advanced equipment that was up to date and
capable of running the Space Shuttle, for all I knew.
“Hey there,”
Trish said as Grace and I walked in a few minutes later. “Didn’t I see you two outside earlier?”
“Wow, you don’t
miss a beat, do you?” I asked her with a smile. “Yes, we were here, but we suddenly got
distracted.”
“I saw you
talking to Kyle. What was that
about?”
Did this woman
miss anything within her realm? I
just shrugged. “You know, just stuff.”
Trish lowered her
voice and took a step closer. “You
two are investigating Rick’s murder, aren’t you?”
I looked around
and saw a few customers listening to us intently, though they pretended not to
be. April Springs was a small town,
and while I usually loved that fact, sometimes it could be a nuisance having
everyone know my business. Instead
of answering, I winked at her, hoping that no one else could see it.
“Got it. Touch base with me later,” Trish
whispered. “Sit anywhere; one place
is as good as the next,” she added loudly, and Grace followed me to a table
against the back wall. It was the
only chance we’d have any privacy at all in the dining car, and I still didn’t
like our odds.
A minute later,
Trish showed up with two glasses of iced sweet tea. “I took a guess about what you wanted to
drink. Is sweet tea okay?”
“Better than
okay,” I said as I took a sip of mine. The cool purity of the sweetened tea slid down beautifully, and I
quickly took another, bigger sip. “That’s wonderful.”
“We aim to please. What’s Grace so wrapped up in?” Trish
asked as she topped off my glass.
I was about to
answer when my friend did it herself. “It’s just work stuff,” she replied as she glanced up and smiled at
Trish. “Suzanne can order for me,
too. I’ll have whatever she’s
having.”
It was my turn to
grin now. “Wow, I could be really
mean right now, but I think I’ll stick to the usual: a cheeseburger and fries,
please.”
Grace looked up
again long enough to hold two fingers up in the air. “Like I said, make that two.”
“Coming right
up,” Trish said, and then she walked back up front to where the kitchen
connected to the dining room, her ever-present ponytail bobbing with every step
that she took.
“Any luck yet?” I
asked Grace softly.
“Some. I need a little more time, though.”
“Sorry,” I said
quickly.
“No worries, my
friend.”
I was about to
reply when Gabby Williams, the woman who owned ReNEWed, a gently used clothing
store, approached my table. Without
a moment of pleasantries, she asked bluntly, “So, when’s the big wedding?”
I was so caught
unaware that I actually asked her, “What wedding?”
Gabby grimaced a
little, her natural, fallback expression most of the time. “Yours.”
“To be honest
with you, we haven’t even talked about setting a date yet,” I answered.
“What are you
waiting for? You’re
“If they live
around here in the first place,” Grace said.
“If they don’t,
I’m sure that we’ll have friends in other places who might be able to help us. Between the two of us, we know a lot of
people in our part of North Carolina.”
“Then again, we
could always just do an Internet search on my phone,” Grace suggested.
“I suppose we could
approach it that way, but what fun would that be?”
“Is that why
we’re doing this; for fun?” my best friend asked me.
“No, I realize
more than most that this is serious business. Go on. Work your Internet magic and find out
all you can about Amanda and Denny.”
“I’m on it,” Grace
said as she started typing into her cellphone. Grace was a whiz at Internet searches,
and while I appreciated the technology and her mastery of it, I basically just
used my phone to make calls and send texts. Then again, I had a pretty basic unit, while
Grace’s company provided her with advanced equipment that was up to date and
capable of running the Space Shuttle, for all I knew.
“Hey there,”
Trish said as Grace and I walked in a few minutes later. “Didn’t I see you two outside earlier?”
“Wow, you don’t
miss a beat, do you?” I asked her with a smile. “Yes, we were here, but we suddenly got
distracted.”
“I saw you
talking to Kyle. What was that
about?”
Did this woman
miss anything within her realm? I
just shrugged. “You know, just stuff.”
Trish lowered her
voice and took a step closer. “You
two are investigating Rick’s murder, aren’t you?”
I looked around
and saw a few customers listening to us intently, though they pretended not to
be. April Springs was a small town,
and while I usually loved that fact, sometimes it could be a nuisance having
everyone know my business. Instead
of answering, I winked at her, hoping that no one else could see it.
“Got it. Touch base with me later,” Trish
whispered. “Sit anywhere; one place
is as good as the next,” she added loudly, and Grace followed me to a table
against the back wall. It was the
only chance we’d have any privacy at all in the dining car, and I still didn’t
like our odds.
A minute later,
Trish showed up with two glasses of iced sweet tea. “I took a guess about what you wanted to
drink. Is sweet tea okay?”
“Better than
okay,” I said as I took a sip of mine. The cool purity of the sweetened tea slid down beautifully, and I
quickly took another, bigger sip. “That’s wonderful.”
“We aim to please. What’s Grace so wrapped up in?” Trish
asked as she topped off my glass.
I was about to
answer when my friend did it herself. “It’s just work stuff,” she replied as she glanced up and smiled at
Trish. “Suzanne can order for me,
too. I’ll have whatever she’s
having.”
It was my turn to
grin now. “Wow, I could be really
mean right now, but I think I’ll stick to the usual: a cheeseburger and fries,
please.”
Grace looked up
again long enough to hold two fingers up in the air. “Like I said, make that two.”
“Coming right
up,” Trish said, and then she walked back up front to where the kitchen
connected to the dining room, her ever-present ponytail bobbing with every step
that she took.
“Any luck yet?” I
asked Grace softly.
“Some. I need a little more time, though.”
“Sorry,” I said
quickly.
“No worries, my
friend.”
I was about to
reply when Gabby Williams, the woman who owned ReNEWed, a gently used clothing
store, approached my table. Without
a moment of pleasantries, she asked bluntly, “So, when’s the big wedding?”
I was so caught
unaware that I actually asked her, “What wedding?”
Gabby grimaced a
little, her natural, fallback expression most of the time. “Yours.”
“To be honest
with you, we haven’t even talked about setting a date yet,” I answered.
“What are you
waiting for? You’re
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