A Pizza to Die For (13 page)

“Think about it, Eleanor. Who do you think warned Lacy that she should speak with us? I’m willing to bet that the message came from Jack himself. We should be fine, as long as he knows that you’re Art’s friend.”

“I’m not sure I should say that,” I said. “I said some things to Art that I shouldn’t have, and I don’t think I’m his favorite person in the world at the moment.”

Maddy shrugged. “Sometimes friends disagree, but the question is—is there any way that Jack will know that?”

I thought about it, and realized that my sister was right. “No, he won’t have a clue. Besides, Art wasn’t that upset with me. He still wants to protect me from harm.”

“Then we’ll go in with the attitude that Jack will be afraid to touch us.”

I remembered how nervous Lacy had been, and wondered if this man Jack would have the same reaction. He might not look intimidated, but he’d known that Art Young, or any of his friends, weren’t to be trifled with. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. It sounds like we’ve got a plan.”

Before we left for Chastain, I put up another sign, making sure that the tape was securely attached to the window frame this time. If anyone wanted a pizza, they were just going to have to wait until we got back.

Maddy and I were walking out the door when Greg showed up.

“What are you doing here at this time of day?” I asked him. “We were just headed out.”

“I figured as much,” Greg said as he looked at the sign. “Where are you off to this time?”

Maddy answered, “We’re going to Chastain to talk to another possible suspect.”

He nodded. “No surprise there. Do either one of you mind if I tag along?”

“Greg, you shouldn’t get involved in this,” I said. He had a bright future ahead of him, and I didn’t want to be responsible for any black marks on his record because of something I did.

“And yet oddly enough, I am,” he answered. “Besides, I might do you both some good.”

“How’s that? You don’t honestly think that we need a man to protect us, do you?” Maddy’s voice had a serious edge to it. I knew Greg was on tenuous ground, and I hoped he realized it as well.

His reaction surprised me as he laughed heartily. “Are you kidding me? If something happens, I’m counting on you two to keep me out of trouble.”

“Then why should we bring you with us?” Maddy asked, clearly starting to soften her stance.

“Because,” Greg said with a grin, “I happen to know quite a few folks in Chastain. They might ignore you, but I have a feeling I can get them to talk. What do you say? Is it worth it taking me with you now?”

“Why not?” Maddy asked, and then turned to me. “That is, if it’s okay with you.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” I said.

As we piled into Maddy’s car, I asked Greg, “How do you happen to know so many people in Chastain?”

“I’ve got family there,” he said as we drove. “My third cousin knows everybody in town, and what’s more important, they all know him.”

“Will he be around this afternoon?” I asked.

“Trust me, he’s always nearby. I think the farthest he’s ever been away from home is Asheville.”

“Not exactly a world traveler, is he?” Maddy asked.

“He claims he’s not missing much, and I’m not entirely certain that he’s wrong,” Greg said from the back seat. “So, do you two mind if I ask you who exactly we are investigating?”

We brought him up to speed on Lacy, Gina, and Jack, and our theories about their relationships.

He whistled softly under his breath. “The guy must think he’s bulletproof. I’ve never had the nerve to string two women along at the same time in my life.”

“Trust me, it’s not from a lack of courage that you haven’t done it,” I said. “It’s more like common courtesy.”

“Call it what you will,” he said. “Do you have a last name for this guy?”

“Sorry, we don’t,” I said. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“It shouldn’t be. Chastain isn’t all that big. Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

As we neared Chastain, Maddy asked Greg, “Where should I go?”

“There’s an auto shop just outside of town limits. Pull in there.”

Maddy did as she was directed, and as she pulled to a stop, Greg said, “It might be better if you both wait here.”

“Guess again, sport,” Maddy said as she opened her door and got out.

“Eleanor,” Greg said with a hint of pleading in his voice.

I looked at Greg and shrugged. “You can’t tell me that you’re surprised she won’t listen to you.”

“No, but I was hoping. To be honest with you, I’m not sure Newt will talk in front of you or Maddy.”

I stopped. “His parents actually named him
Newt
?”

“It’s short for Newton, which he hates even more. He’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s a good guy. Is there any chance Maddy will let me handle this? If she goes barreling in there, he won’t say a word. I can promise you that.”

Maddy took that moment to rap on the glass from outside the car. “Are you ladies coming, or not?”

“I’ll talk to her,” I said.

Once Greg and I were outside, I said, “Maddy, this is Greg’s cousin. He’s going to ask the questions, okay?”

“Okay,” she said.

“Maddy, I mean it.”

“I agreed, didn’t I? Let’s go. We don’t exactly have loads of time here.”

“Then you should let me handle it myself,” Greg said.

“Sorry, but you’re still a junior grade detective, and Eleanor and I have to be present during all interrogations.”

Greg looked at me for confirmation that my sister would rein it in, but I had my own doubts. I couldn’t show him that, though, so I did my best to nod my encouragement.

“Don’t look so worried,” Maddy said. “I’ll be good.”

Greg realized that there was nothing he could do about it, so he took a deep breath, and then walked into an open garage door of the shop with us tagging along behind him.

“Newt? You around?”

A sandy-haired young man with grease on one cheek and wearing a faded baseball cap backward on his head rolled out from under a Jaguar. “Wally, you old dog. What are you doing here?”

I looked at Maddy and mouthed, “Wally?”

She shook her head. I was going to have to ask Greg about that later. As nicknames went, it was a little odd, to say the least.

“I need some scoop,” Greg said.

Newt nodded, and then looked at my sister and me. Greg understood immediately. “These are my friends, Eleanor and Maddy,” he said.

I was touched that he’d called us friends, and not his boss and coworker. I sincerely hoped he thought of us that way, because it was certainly the way we thought of him.

“Ladies,” Newt said as he literally tipped his hat to us.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

To her credit, Maddy didn’t say a word; she just smiled and nodded.

“What’s going on, Wally?” Newt asked as he looked at Greg again. I would never be able to get used to that nickname, and it was all I could do not to ask him about it at that instant.

Greg cracked his knuckles and said, “There’s a guy named Jack somewhere around town. He’s been going out with Gina Sizemore, and he’s friends with Lacy White. Any chance you know him?”

Newt nodded. “That’s Jack Hanks. He’s rotten, if you ask me. Lacy’s nuts for hanging out with him, and Gina’s even crazier for ever dating the dude. The guy’s no good.”

“What’s wrong with him, exactly?” Greg asked.

Newt scratched his chin, adding a spot of grease to the marks already there. “There’s no proof, but folks around here know just the same that he’s the one who held up Jackson’s grocery store three months ago. He gambles, and he loses more than he can afford, so the money has to come from somewhere.”

“Does he have a job?”

“Not that anyone can see.” Newt laughed a little as he added, “He tried to strong-arm me into hiring him once.”

“How’d you handle him?” Greg asked.

Newt grinned. “I told him that it might be a little too dangerous working around here for him.” With that, he hit a lever, and a Honda Civic that had been up on a lift dropped instantly. It would have crushed anyone under it. “Accidents happen. Anyway, he got the hint right away.”

Greg smiled at that. “I bet he did. Any idea where I can find him right now?”

Newt nodded. “Sure, he’s at the pool hall. You want some company? I wouldn’t mind taking a break, and if you could use another hand, I’m your man.”

Greg shook his head. “No, I’ve got it, but thanks for offering.”

“Are you sure?” His voice got a little more serious as he advised, “I wouldn’t mess with him alone, Wally.”

“There’s not going to be any trouble. I’m just going to ask him some questions,” Greg said.

“He’s not going to tell you a thing,” Newt said matter-of-factly. “I can promise you that. What do you want to know? Maybe I can find out for you from here so you don’t go to any more trouble than you have to.”

Greg shrugged and turned to us. “Ladies? It’s your decision.”

I had taken a liking to Greg’s cousin, and if he was willing to help us, it was foolish not to take him up on his offer. I said, “We need to find out if he’s dating both Lacy and Gina, and if they know about each other.”

Maddy added, “And see if there are any rumors about any of the three of them around town.”

“Rumors are one thing we’ve got plenty of,” he said. “It’s the national pastime around here.”

“I’d still appreciate it if you’d ask,” she said.

Newt nodded. “Stay right here. I’ll be right back.”

After he disappeared into his office, I turned to Greg and said, “It was a good idea bringing you. Thanks, Wally.”

He shook his head. “How did I know I’d catch grief about that?”

“Hey, we just want to know if we should start calling you that ourselves,” Maddy said.

“My name’s Greg, and you both know it.” He looked from Maddy to me, and then said, “I know you two aren’t going to let this go, so I’ll tell you. But trust me when I say if either one of you calls me Wally again, I’m walking out and never stepping another foot inside the Slice. I couldn’t be more serious. Are we clear?”

Maddy and I both nodded solemnly. We knew this was no idle threat. It would be nearly impossible replacing Greg, and we couldn’t run the Slice without him. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. We could most likely manage it somehow, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

“You have our word,” I said.

Greg nodded, and then began to explain. “When I was a kid, I used to screw up more than my fair share of the time. Newt’s dad thought that was hilarious, and for some reason, he decided that Wally fit me better than Greg. Since then, I’ve been Wally to this whole branch of the family, whether I like it or not. I can swallow it from them, but not from the two of you.”

“Got it,” I said. It would be even easier not calling him Wally knowing that he didn’t like it.

Newt came back out to join us a few minutes later, but the jovial air he’d had about him before was now gone.

“What is it?” Greg asked.

“I’m not sure I should tell you,” Newt replied.

Maddy chose that moment to break her promise to Greg. “Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. We’re staying right here until we hear what you found out, or we’re going to track Jack down ourselves and ask him our questions face to face. Newt, we have a job to do, and we’re not going to let anything keep us from doing it. You can either help us, or get out of the way. It’s your choice.”

Chapter 11

N
ewt ignored Maddy and looked at Greg as he asked, “Is your friend always this spunky?”

“Believe it or not, she’s holding back at the moment,” Greg answered with a smile. “You can tell us, Newt.”

He chewed that over in his mind, and then the mechanic finally nodded. “I’m pretty sure that wasn’t an idle threat she just made, so I’ll tell you what I found out. There’s just one thing. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone how you heard.”

“It’s a deal,” Greg said.

He turned to us. “Does that go for you two?” It was no surprise that he focused the question mostly toward my sister.

“We promise,” Maddy and I said in almost perfect unison.

After a moment’s consideration, Newt nodded. “Jack’s been going around town half-drunk the past two or three days claiming that his favorite girl is coming into a load of cash, and soon. He’s promising to pay off his debts, and most folks think he’s either crazy or lying.”

“Did he say which girl he was talking about?” I asked him.

“No, but he didn’t have to. It has to be Gina. Everyone knows Lacy barely has two dimes to rub together, with no prospects for any more coming in.”

“I don’t know about that,” Maddy said. “She dresses really well.”

“That’s the discount Carole’s gives her for running the place. I doubt she could afford anything but blue jeans and T-shirts without that.”

“Was it two days, or three?” I asked, suddenly doing a little math.

Newt scratched his chin again as he thought about it. “I can’t say. Honest to goodness, I’ve had my head buried in cars for the past week, so I haven’t gotten out much. Does it matter?”

I explained to everyone there, “If it’s three days, then it happened before the murder. That could mean that Lacy found out about Judson’s potential inheritance, and she planned to get some money out of him. If it was two days, it might be Gina, since she’d be the last living relative of Nathan’s left.”

Newt whistled. “So old Jack could be hedging his bets both ways. That doesn’t exactly surprise me.”

“Me, either,” Maddy said. “Were you able to find out anything else?”

He shook his head. “I had to be careful who I asked. I don’t have any desire to have him show interest in me, do you know what I mean? There’s a lot of gasoline around here, and it would be awfully easy to start a fire.”

“Do you think he’d actually do that?” Greg asked. “I didn’t mean to get you in any kind of jam.”

“Don’t worry about it, Wally. I can handle Jack Hanks.”

“We appreciate it,” Maddy said.

I could do one better than that. “If you’re ever in Timber Ridge and feel like a pizza, come by A Slice of Delight. I’ll make you any pizza on the menu, on the house.”

Newt grinned at me. “I love pizza. I might just take you up on that.”

“We hope you do,” I said.

Greg and his cousin shook hands, and then the three of us headed back to Maddy’s car.

“It appears that both these women are keeping some questionable company,” my sister said.

“What if one of them is using the other two?” I asked. “If Lacy or Gina is pulling everyone else’s strings, it could mean that Jack’s just a pawn in all of this.”

“But not an innocent one,” Greg said. “I’ve never seen Newt act that way before. I believe he’s more than a little worried about Jack.”

“I hope we didn’t cause him trouble,” I said.

“We can’t worry about that. Newt’s a big boy, and he can take care of himself,” Greg said. He looked at his watch as we all got back into Maddy’s car. “Is there anyone else you need to speak with, or should we just head back to the Slice for the evening shift?” Before either one of us could say anything in reply, he added, “And don’t tell me you want to see Jack Hanks right now, not after what Newt just told us. If you want to tackle him, you’re going to need more reinforcements than me. Understood?”

I nodded. We’d uncovered what we’d wanted to find out. “I think that we should go back to the Slice.”

For once, Maddy didn’t disagree with me.

Josh was waiting for us at the front door when we got back to the Slice. Since Maddy and I were the only ones with keys to the place, he and Greg had to come or go with our knowledge.

“I’m sorry we’re late,” I said as I unlocked the door.

He grinned at me. “Are you kidding? I just got here myself.”

“So much for me paying your wages when I was gone,” I said with a smile as we all filed in and grabbed our aprons.

Josh grinned at me as he said, “You might reconsider when you find out what I just learned.”

“Josh, you know how your dad feels about you helping me investigate.” Chief Hurley had made it very clear to both of us that, while it was barely acceptable for Josh to work at the pizzeria, it was out of the question for me to involve him in any of my investigations, and so far, I’d pretty much been able to keep up my end of the bargain.

“I know, but I didn’t go looking for this. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” He pretended to be bored with the conversation as he added, “But that’s okay. If you don’t want to know, I can just keep it to myself.”

“We both know better than that,” I said with a grin. “Go on and tell us. I know it’s killing you. What did you find out?”

“Judson Sizemore had a girlfriend,” he said proudly.

Greg slapped him on the back. “I hate to burst your bubble, but we already know that. As a matter of fact, he was engaged to Lacy White, but he broke it off just before he was murdered, no matter what she says to the contrary.”

“Who’s Lacy White?” Josh asked.

“Boy, you really are out of the loop.”

Josh said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I just saw a woman named Nancy Thorpe confront Nathan out in front of the hardware store. She claims that she’s carrying Judson’s child from a relationship they had two months ago.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. “When did all of this happen?”

“Didn’t you just hear him?” Maddy asked. “It sounds like it was right around two months ago.”

“Stop being cute, Maddy. I’m talking about the confrontation this woman had with Nathan,” I said.

“It wasn’t more than half an hour ago,” Josh explained. “I was in there picking something up for my mom when this woman approached Nathan and some girl.”

“That would be Gina,” Maddy said. “How did she take the news when she heard this Thorpe woman’s claim?”

“She called the woman a lying witch,” Josh said with a grin. “She caused quite a scene.”

“What’s really important is how Nathan reacted,” I said.

Josh explained, “It’s funny, but he seemed to take her statement at face value. Nathan even invited her to come stay with him, and she accepted so fast it wouldn’t have surprised me if she had her bags packed in the car.”

“I would have loved to have seen Gina’s face when all of this happened,” Maddy said.

“How about Lacy’s expression?” I asked. “Do you think she knew that Judson was playing around on her? She doesn’t seem like the type to just take something like that like a good sport.”

“It appears that it doesn’t seem to matter what anyone thinks about it except Nathan,” Greg said.

“Hang on a second. If it’s true that this woman is carrying Judson’s baby, it brings a whole new set of motives into play for his murder,” I said. “Lacy could have killed Judson when she found out about the baby.”

“Or Nancy could have done it if Judson refused to have anything to do with her or their baby.”

“Jack could have done it,” Greg said.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“A new heir would have messed with his plans. If Judson turned out to have an heir of his own coming, Lacy would be out of luck, and Gina’s stake could be cut yet again. Who’s to say that Nathan wouldn’t skip Judson and Gina altogether and leave everything to the next generation?”

“That could still happen,” I pointed out.

“Yes, but this way, Jack’s already lost one claim through Lacy. If Gina’s inheritance was going to be cut off, that would leave him with nothing.”

“So we have four suspects,” Josh said, getting into it.

“Actually, I think we have five,” I said.

“Who did we miss?” Greg asked.

“Nathan Sizemore himself,” I answered.

Greg looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. “Nathan? Why would he kill his own nephew?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he found out something that he couldn’t live with. Or they could have had a fight in the pizzeria. What if Judson hit him up for more money, and when Nathan said no, he started a fight? There could be a dozen reasons. All I’m saying is that he belongs on our list. He’s involved in this murder just about every way you look at it.”

“Fine, we’ll include him, too,” Josh said.

“We, not you,” I said firmly.

I could see his face begin to cloud up, much as his father’s had when we’d all been younger, and I knew to head it off while I still could. “Thanks, Josh, but that’s as far as you’re going to go with this. You can speculate with us, but I don’t want you to do a thing to investigate the murder, or anyone associated with it. Do we understand each other? I know your job here isn’t much, but if your parents ever suspect that you’re helping me do something behind their backs, neither one of them will let you anywhere near the Slice ever again.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said softly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t brainstorm with you all, does it?”

“The more I think about it, I don’t even know if that’s a good idea,” I said.

Maddy stepped up. “Give the guy something, Sis. At least throw him a bone.”

“Fine, but the fact that he’s involved at all doesn’t leave this room, and Josh, you can’t join in if anyone else is around. Agreed?”

“That’s fine with me,” he said. “Now let’s catch ourselves a killer.”

“Not so fast, hotshot,” Maddy said. “We have customers to wait on first.”

I looked outside and saw some folks approach the pizzeria. “Let’s get to work, everyone. There will be time for investigating later.”

A little while later, Maddy came back to the kitchen to pick up an order and as she did, she asked me, “Did you know David Quinton was coming by this evening?”

“David’s here? Send him back.”

She laughed at me. “My, don’t you have a healthy ego. What makes you think he’s here for you, and not for our pizza?”

It was true. I’d automatically assumed he’d be there for me, but that line of reasoning had gotten me into trouble before. Still, I found myself hoping, just a little, that I was the reason for his visit. “Couldn’t it be a little of both? Are you telling me he didn’t even ask about me?”

“Of course he did,” she said, having entirely too much fun with the fact that David was back in town. “He asked me if he could come back here and say hello to you, but I told him that I’d have to check with you first.”

I rolled my eyes at her as I said, “Sometimes you’re impossible. You know that, don’t you?”

“Hey, if I can keep it to
sometimes
, then I’m ahead of the game, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose so,” I said as I brushed past her.

“David,” I said when I found him standing outside the kitchen door. “Come on back, if you’d like.”

“That would be great,” he said, “but only if I’m not going to be getting in the way. I don’t like people watching me work, so if you’d rather I stayed out here, it’s fine. We could always chat later.”

Maddy slipped between us carrying the pizza I’d just finished. “Just agree, David. That’s the only way she’s going to get any work done, and we have hungry customers out here clamoring for food.”

I looked around and saw two couples who hadn’t been served yet, and they were in deep conversation, apparently not aware that they were wasting away.

“Oh, yes,” I said with a gesture, “the hungry hordes.”

“Then I’d better hang out with you while you cook for them,” David said with a smile. Had he always had those dimples? I could swear that I’d never seen them, but dimples don’t just mysteriously appear one day. Maybe it was because I’d rarely seen him smile so openly before. Now he appeared to be grinning most of the time.

“Take a seat,” I said pointing to a stool by the prep table in the kitchen. It was probably a health code violation, but I knew that the inspector was out of town on his honeymoon, so I decided to push the boundaries a little.

“How’s the case coming?” he asked as I kneaded dough into a pan. I’d enjoyed the challenge of trying to make a deep dish pizza earlier, but there was something really comforting about going back to my old and familiar style of pizza-making.

“What case is that?” I asked.

“Come on,” he said with a laugh. “I know you and Maddy aren’t about to let a murder happen in your own backyard without digging into it. Do you have any leads so far?”

“A few,” I admitted cautiously. In the past, David had a real problem with our amateur investigations, and he hadn’t been shy about sharing his concerns with me. We were getting along so well right now that I didn’t feel like backsliding into our old ways again.

“I know better than that,” he said. “I’m guessing our loyal chief of police has been putting pressure on you two as suspects, given the fact that Judson Sizemore was opening a pizzeria within sight of this place. I wouldn’t blame either one of you if you decided to start digging into the case yourselves.”

“Have you been following the case?”

“Who hasn’t? From the talk I’ve heard around town, it appears that the majority of folks in Timber Ridge think you are both innocent.”

“Just the majority? I was hoping it would be unanimous.”

He smiled as he said, “You’re kidding, right? I’ve actually heard a few folks say that it was just a matter of time before one of you did something like this. Don’t worry, I defended your honor.”

“As if it would do any good,” I said. I kneaded the dough a little harder than I needed to, and it tore in the bottom of the pan. Wetting my fingertips, I worked it back to form a new seam, and then spread sauce over the dough to hide it.

“Hey, the people who care about you know that you could never be a murderer,” he said softly.

“I know, but I just can’t stand people who won’t give us the benefit of the doubt. We’ve both lived here our entire lives, if you don’t count Maddy’s brief detours into matrimony. You’d think they’d know us better than that.”