A Bad Egg: The Classic Diner Mystery Part 4

"Why did he take a swing at you?" I asked.

"I objected to his tone of voice," Wayne said. "I know that he and Ellen have their differences, but I was going to be whelped if I stood there and let him talk to her that way. I told him to take it easy, and he hit me. That's when he made a mistake."

"What did he do?" Moose asked.

"He thought he'd whipped me and that I wasn't going to get back up. He was wrong. I got a good shot into his gut before he hit me again. I'm not all that proud of it, but it felt good dis.h.i.+ng out a little punishment to him."

"What broke things up?" I asked.

"Ellen stepped in between us," Wayne said. "I wasn't all that happy about it at the time, but I should probably thank her for doing it. Most likely I would have gotten clobbered a lot worse than I did if she hadn't," he said with the hint of a smile.

"Wayne, were you mad enough to kill him when you two were fighting?" I asked.

"I know I shouldn't admit it, but yes, if I'd had something I could have used as a weapon, I probably would have taken care of him once and for all."

"You know that he's dead, don't you?" Moose asked.

"Yeah, I know," he said, the words escaping in a sigh. "Sheriff Croft came by looking for Ellen earlier. I didn't know where she could have gone. Has she turned up yet?"

"Not that we know of," I said. "I'm kind of surprised that you aren't out looking for her yourself."

Wayne scowled as he said, "I was going to do just that, but the sheriff warned me that I needed to stay right where I was until he found her. I thought about disobeying him, but then I realized that even if I did manage to track Ellen down, she wouldn't go to the sheriff on my say-so. That woman has a cast iron backbone, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she can be decisive at times," I said.

That brought a laugh from Wayne. "I suppose that's one way to put it. I keep hoping that she'll call me, but so far, I haven't heard a word from her. To be honest with you, it is kind of hurting my feelings a little. Victoria, if you took off, wouldn't Greg be the first call you made?"

"That's different," I said. "We've been married a long time."

"I don't know," Wayne said. "I still think that she should have called me. Doesn't she realize that she can count on me? I'm in it, the good and the bad."

Moose put a hand on Wayne's shoulder. "Don't be too hard on her, son. She's been through a lot, and she honestly believes that her children are at risk. She's not thinking straight right now."

Wayne nodded after a moment's thought. "I suppose you're right. Where could she be, though?"

"If we had a clue between us, we'd go looking for her," I said. "Instead, we're trying to figure out who killed Gordon Murphy."

A light seemed to switch on behind Wayne's eyes. "Is that why you're here, then? Do you two honestly think that I did it?"

"We're talking to everyone who had a problem with the man," I said. "You have to admit that you fit in that category."

"I suppose that I have to," Wayne said. "Just for the record, I didn't kill him. I can't say I didn't consider it, but it pa.s.sed pretty quickly. If he'd attacked Ellen physically, or if he'd come after me with something more substantial than his fists, maybe I'd do it in the heat of the moment, but not cold-blooded like that."

"What makes you think that hitting him in the head with a steel pipe is spontaneous?" Moose asked him.

"From what I heard, he got smacked in the back of the head. That means that someone waited until he turned his back, or else they ambushed him from the shadows. Either way, it was an act of cowardice, and that's something I would never do."

One of the mechanics came out through the shop and headed straight for Wayne's office. "Boss, do you have a second? I'm having trouble with the brakes on that truck Larry Dale brought in."

"I've worked on that one before," Wayne said. "It's kind of tricky." Wayne turned back to us as he got up from his chair. "Folks, I'd love to sit around and chat with you, but Larry is coming back in an hour for his truck, and I don't want to hear him complaining about my service all over town. If I hear from Ellen, I'll let you know, but that's the best I can do."

"Thanks, Wayne," Moose said. "Listen, we didn't mean anything by questioning you. You know that, don't you?"

Wayne smiled a little. "Moose, I appreciate the gesture, but don't go backpedaling now. I know that your loyalties are with Ellen. If you thought for a second that I killed her ex-husband, you wouldn't hesitate to turn me in to the police, and I wouldn't blame you. She's a part of your family, whether there's blood involved or not. We've been friends for a while, but nothing like that."

"I won't deny it," Moose said as he held onto Wayne's hand. "If you did kill that rat, I won't go out of my way to point it out to the police unless there's no other way to save Ellen."

Wayne grinned broadly. "That's all that I can ask. I'm glad that we understand each other."

"So am I," Moose said.

When we were outside the repair shop getting ready to get into my grandfather's truck, I asked him, "Did you just mean what you told Wayne?"

"I did," Moose said solemnly.

"So if we find the pipe with his b.l.o.o.d.y fingerprints on it, you're not planning on telling Sheriff Croft," I said, having a hard time believing it even as I spoke.

"Face it, Victoria. The man was a rat," Moose said.

"That doesn't mean that he deserved to die," I answered.

"Maybe not, and if the sheriff catches the man's killer, I won't do anything to stop it, but that doesn't mean that I'll serve him up on a platter, either."

I stood in my tracks as I stared at my grandfather. "Moose, if we find evidence that points to whoever killed Gordon, I'm turning it over to the sheriff, no matter who it is."

"Even if it's Ellen?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"What if I did it?" Moose asked. There wasn't a single ounce of kidding in his expression, and I knew that his question was deadly serious.

"And you were dumb enough to leave proof behind?" I asked.

"Let's say that I had a lapse in judgment and panicked," Moose said.

"I'd be crying like a baby, but I'd still turn you in," I said. "I can't be the one who decides who gets punished and who goes free. I'd hate myself for the rest of my life, but it's the only way that I'd be able to live with myself. I'm sorry, but that's just the way that I'm wired."

Moose startled me by hugging me right there in the parking lot. "Victoria, truth be told, I'd expect nothing less from you," he said.

"And you wouldn't hate me for doing it?"

"I might be a little miffed at first," Moose said with a grin, "but I'd have plenty of time to get over it, wouldn't I? Granddaughter, I love you with all of my heart, but we're going to have to agree to disagree about this."

"There's one thing we need to get straight, though. You won't try to stop me if I find evidence about someone we know and I try to turn it in, will you?"

"I said that I wouldn't do it, not that you couldn't," Moose said. "I won't stand in your way, and that's a solemn promise."

"Then let's keep looking," I said.

Moose glanced at his watch. "It's nearly six o'clock. Who should we go after now?"

"I'd really like to talk to Sam Jackson. He was pretty intent on getting his revenge on Gordon when he came by the diner earlier."

"That's fine with me," Moose said. "Just out of curiosity, is there anyone else we should be talking to?"

"Robert Hightower has to be a candidate in our minds, and Opal, too."

Moose shook his head. "I can see Robert going off in a fit, but Opal?"

"Think about it. How would your wife react if someone went after my dad?"

Moose shuddered visibly. "I wouldn't want to be in the man's shoes. You're right. Opal has to be a candidate as well. Is there anyone else?"

I thought about it, and then I remembered my conversation with Mitch.e.l.l Cobb. After I told Moose about our conversation, I said, "He seemed a little too wrapped up in Ellen for his own good, if you know what I mean. I've got a hunch that old Mitch.e.l.l knows how to milk a grudge."

"It sounds a little extreme to me, killing a man because he stole your date for the senior prom several years ago," Moose said.

"Do you think we should take his name off our list?" I respected my grandfather's opinion, even when we disagreed.

"No, we'd better leave it right where it is for now," he said. "It's pretty amazing that Gordon dared show his face in town, given how many folks we've discovered wouldn't mind seeing the man dead."

"He never would have done it if Jessie hadn't insisted that he get involved in his children's lives," I said, "but it sounded like a deal-breaker to her, didn't it?"

"If you want to know the truth, I still think she's a viable candidate," Moose said.

"I don't disagree. I'm just not sure how we're going to manage to interview her again."

"We might have to wait to pounce once she's left the hotel property," Moose said.

I nodded, and then I said, "In the meantime, we should talk to Sam Jackson. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

Moose looked at his watch, and then he said, "Unless I miss my guess, he's at The Hole right about now."

The Hole was officially named The Watering Hole, but n.o.body called it that. It was across the county line, where liquor by the drink was still legal, and I knew that some folks from town slipped across the line every now and then when they wanted a snort.

"How could you possibly know that?" I asked my grandfather with a grin.

"I may be an old man, but that doesn't mean that I don't know things," Moose said.

"I never doubted it for one second," I said. "So, should we go spend a little time at the bar and see if we can find Sam?"

My grandfather looked a little troubled by my suggestion. "Victoria, why don't I drop you off at the diner first? I can handle this by myself."

"Moose, I shouldn't have to remind you that I'm a grown woman. If I want to go to a bar, there's n.o.body who can stop me."

"I know that you can. I'm just not sure that you should."

I had to laugh. "Are you worried about my reputation? Should we wait until Greg can go and offer to chaperone me?"

"No, you're right. I'm just being silly."

I patted his shoulder softly. "You're looking out for me, and normally I wouldn't have a problem with it, but this isn't one of those times."

Moose shrugged. "Let's go, then, but I'm warning you, if you get yourself in a bar fight, I'm not stepping in to give you a hand."

He was doing his best to make up for the slight offense, and I decided to accept his unspoken apology for treating me like a little girl. "Okay, but I don't know why you'd miss out on all of the fun like that."

"You're right again," Moose said. "If our family goes down, we'll go down swinging."

It was all for naught, though. Against Sam Jackson's usual habits, he wasn't at the bar, and the bartender hadn't seen him when we asked about him.

Was Ellen the only one on the run right now, or had we just lost another of our viable suspects?

Chapter 6.

"Where do you suppose he could be?" I asked Moose as we went back out to his truck.

"Well, I doubt that he's with Ellen and her kids," my grandfather said.

"Why would she be with him?" I asked.

Moose waved a hand around in the air as though he was shooing away a pesky fly. "She wouldn't. I was just thinking out loud."

"Well, you might want to try curbing that a little," I said. "Somebody might hear you."

"Got it. Should we head back to the diner, or do you want to try tracking Jackson down somewhere else?"

"Let's head over to Opal's place. I'm dying to know if Ellen's there."

"Victoria, you haven't changed your mind about her, have you? Do you honestly think that she's capable of murder?" my grandfather asked. "I've known that woman since she was a little girl, and there's no way that she's a killer."

"I know that. I was thinking more about Opal and Robert."

My grandfather shook his head. "Sorry, but I just don't see it. Neither one of Ellen's parents strike me as a murderer."

"Even if it meant protecting their grandchildren from harm?" I asked. "I don't see how we can count Opal or Robert out until we get solid alibis for them."

"This is going to be uncomfortable," Moose said as he took off toward Ellen's mother's house.

"You're not afraid of them, are you?" I asked with the hint of a smile.

"Well, not usually, but you make a good point about what a grandparent might do to protect their fold."