A Bad Egg: The Classic Diner Mystery Part 6

After I hung up, I said, "She'll be here in five minutes."

"Then, you can tell her to meet us in my office," Sheriff Croft said.

"Are you arresting me?" Ellen asked incredulously.

"Not just yet. We're going to my office to make things a little easier to control," the sheriff said.

"Should I go with him?" Ellen asked me.

"You don't have any choice," the sheriff said bluntly. "That wasn't a request, Ellen; it was an order."

"We'll send Rebecca to you," I said. "Don't worry, and don't say a thing until she gets there."

Ellen nodded, but it was clear that she was scared. I didn't blame her. I'd been the central suspect in a murder investigation before, and I hadn't liked it one bit either. "Rebecca will be there soon."

"Tell Mom to watch the kids," Ellen said as the sheriff put her in his squad car. At least she got to ride up front with him, and not in the back.

"Change of plans," I told Rebecca. "The chief's taking Ellen to his office."

My best friend chuckled a little. "So, that's the way he wants to play it. You know, I've been itching for a good fight, and it sounds as though this one's all mine."

"She didn't do it," I told Rebecca.

"Don't worry. I'm on board."

After I hung up, I looked at Moose. "Did I do wrong advising her to shut up?"

"It was good advice, no matter how the sheriff reacted to it. Do you want to talk to Opal, or should I?" It was pretty clear that my grandfather had no desire to have that particular conversation, so I decided to let him off the hook.

"Tell you what. Why don't you go get the truck, and by the time you get back, I'll be finished talking to her."

He didn't even hesitate when he heard my suggestion. "Done." He nearly sprinted back down the sidewalk toward the park. I turned, took a deep breath, and headed inside to talk to Opal.

At least the kids were occupied. Opal had parked them in front of the television, and there was a plate of cookies between them.

"Where's Ellen?" Opal asked me softly.

"The sheriff decided that it might be better if they talked downtown," I answered.

"I won't have it, do you hear me?" Opal asked. "Get him back here this instant. I want to confess."

Chapter 7.

"You killed Gordon Murphy," I said flatly.

"I did. I lured him into the alley and I got rid of him."

"How did you do it, Opal?"

She frowned, as though she was in a haze. "I don't remember. Why does it matter? I did it."

Evidently Ellen hadn't told her mother just how Gordon had been killed. "I'm sure that Ellen would appreciate you trying to take responsibility for what happened, but you aren't doing her any favors. You know that, don't you?"

"She can't go to jail," Opal said, clearly fighting off tears. "Think about her children."

"Opal, do you think Ellen killed her ex-husband?"

"No, of course not," she said. "Keep your voice down, would you?"

"They'll find out that you confessed to killing their father sooner or later," I replied, though I complied by lowering my voice as I said it. "How is Ellen going to feel when she finds out that you tried to confess to save her? She's going to know that you think she did it."

"I never said that," Opal said loudly, violating her own request. The kids looked up from the screen for a moment before going back to their show.

"Then let's just forget that you just confessed," I said. "Rebecca's looking out for Ellen. You don't have to worry about her."

"I know that she can't afford her services," Opal said. "I've got a little put away. I might be able to pay her."

"Right now she's doing it as a favor to me," I said. "We'll worry about who pays her later, okay? For now, you need to have a talk with the children about their father. Can you do that?"

She looked at them worriedly before she turned back to me. "I don't want Ellen to have to do it, so I suppose I have to."

The front door opened, and Robert Hightower walked in. "Where have you been, Opal? Was Ellen with you the entire time?"

The kids told their grandfather h.e.l.lo, but their gazes never left the television.

"She's at the police station, Bobby," Opal said.

Ellen's father scowled. "We'll see about that."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Hightower, she's in good hands right now. Rebecca Davis is with her, so nothing's going to happen to her. Your wife needs you here right now."

"What's wrong, Opal?" he asked her softly. The two obviously cared deeply about each other, even though they hadn't been able to live in the same house together. Robert hadn't gone far, though, buying the house across the street.

"They have to be told about their father," Opal said, her voice choking a little.

"I'll handle it," Robert said.

"We'll do it together. I'll be right beside you," Opal answered.

"I'll be in touch," I said, not wanting to intrude on this painful family moment.

"Do I need to take you home?" Robert asked as he flexed his right hand a little. It appeared to be giving him a little trouble, and I noticed some fresh bruises on his knuckles.

"What happened to your hand?"

"This? It's nothing," he said.

"It looks like something to me," I said, not willing to let up until I heard the truth.

"I punched a wall, okay? It was stupid, but I was frustrated, and I took it out on the concrete. Not very bright of me, but I don't think anything's broken."

"You might want to have somebody look at that."

"I'm not worried about it. Now, how about that ride?"

"Thanks, but Moose will be out front in a second. We'll talk later."

"That's fine, then," Robert said, and then he reached down and took his wife's hand in his. "It's time, Opal."

I didn't envy them the conversation they were about to have.

I got into Moose's truck as he stopped in front of the house. "How did it go?"

"Opal and Robert were just about to tell the kids about their father when I walked out the door. It's going to be a bad night for everyone concerned in that family."

"Yes, but it has to be done," Moose said. "Where should we go now?"

I was suddenly exhausted from the day I'd just had. "Would you mind taking me home? I need to see Greg and give him a great big hug."

"I was just thinking the same thing about Martha," he admitted. "Life is short, isn't it?"

"And we're not promised a single extra day of it," I said.

"Is Ellen going to be okay?" Moose asked me as he drove me home.

"Rebecca's looking out for her. I'm hoping that Ellen calls me when they're finished."

"Call me after you hear from her. I don't care what time it is, okay?"

"I promise," I said he pulled into my driveway and I got out of the truck. "Bye."

"Good bye, Victoria," he said.

Greg met me on the porch, and I squeezed him so hard I could feel the breath escaping from his lungs. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I am now," I said, my voice m.u.f.fled in his chest.

"I made homemade pasta," he said. "Are you hungry?"

"Give me one more minute," I said as I hugged him even harder.

My husband stroked the back of my head gently. "Take all the time you need," Greg said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm holding you to that," I said, and then I finally pulled away.

"Rough day?" he asked me as we walked inside the house.

"I've had better," I said. "Now, what's this about homemade pasta?"

"I was worried about you, and you know how I am when I'm jumpy. I cook. You don't mind, do you?"

"I'll take your pasta any day," I said. "Do you have salad, too?"

"You bet. The water's been boiling for a while. In three minutes, we'll be eating."

"Did you wait for me?" I asked.

"I wasn't about to eat without you."

I took a deep breath, and smiled. "You made garlic bread too, didn't you?"

"I figured you wouldn't mind."

"You figured right."

The food was delicious, and we were cleaning up when my phone rang. "It's Rebecca," I said.

"Go on. I'll take care of this."

I hesitated long enough to kiss him quickly, and then I answered my phone. "Hey, what's up?"

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked.

"Nothing that won't wait. How's Ellen?"

"She's free," Rebecca said, "at least for the moment. She gave me permission to catch you up. There's really not much to say. She doesn't have the slightest hint of an alibi for the time of the murder, and Sheriff Croft's not all that pleased with any of us."

"It looks bad, doesn't it?"

"Victoria, I've faced worse prospects in my career, but it's not going to be easy. After all, she had every reason in the world to wish the man harm."

"Do you mind taking the case? I'll pay you whatever it takes."

Rebecca laughed. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. If, and it's a big if, she's arrested for Gordon's murder, then we'll talk about my fee."

"Rebecca, I don't expect you to do this for free," I said. "Ellen is one of ours at the diner, and we take care of our own."

"I figured as much, but honestly, I haven't done much yet but hold her hand."

"That's worth more than gold to me," I said. "Have I told you how happy I am to have you as a best friend?"

"I don't mind hearing it again," she said. "I'll keep you updated, but for now, the sheriff's done with Ellen. You're digging into this, aren't you?"