the local drug lord.
“I feel bad for her kids, though,” Carnita said. “Ashlynn’s got a baby due in a few months, and Ricky’ll be startin’ his senior year in August. Poor Thad just finished his freshman year and got into a bit of trouble at school last year. He really needs his mother, and Rob isn’t the nurturing type.”
“Do you know much about her husband?”
“He’s stoic and on the gruff side. Not very affectionate, and as far as I can tell, he’s never really been part of those kids’ lives.”
“Do you know if Pam knew Jim Palmer?”
Carnita shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“Is the copy machine working?” I asked. “I’d like to make a copy of the article.”
“What on earth for?” Carnita asked.
What excuse could I give that wouldn’t sound suspicious? “History,” I said a little too quickly. “To add to my notes.”
“I can’t wait to read this book of yours.”
“I’m not writing a book, Carnita.”
“Whatever you say,” she said with a wink, then waved. “Just take it, you and Mr. Blimey are the only ones who read it, and he’s finished with it.”
I grabbed it off the table and folded it in half. “You’re the best.”
“I can beta read your book for you,” she said, her eyes shining brightly.
“Carnita,” I said, “even if I were writing a book, I’m still in the note-collecting stage. I’m not sure it will ever make it past that. I’m just learning about the town.”
She gave me a knowing look that suggested she didn’t believe me for a minute.
“I’ve got to head back to the tavern,” I said, tucking the paper under my arm. “Thanks again, Carnita.”
Her forehead furrowed. “We really should do something for Pam’s kids.”
“Her lunch friends are starting a meal drive,” I said. “You could call one of them and sign up for a night. Diane Lassiter seemed to be in charge of it.”
“I was hoping to do something more helpful, but for the life of me, I don’t know what.”
“Me too,” I said, then walked to the door. What Pam needed was a good lawyer, and I knew they didn’t come cheap.
Chapter Five
When I got back to the tavern, I stuffed the newspaper in my purse in the locker, locked my padlock, then headed out to the dining room. Max was back behind the bar, and Ginger was busing a dirty table while a couple of older men lingered with cups of coffee.
I slid behind the bar and leaned against the counter. “Did Marco call while I was gone?”
“No,” he said, glancing up at me. “I haven’t seen him in nearly a week. Is everything okay with you two?”
“Of course,” I said, straightening my back. “Why wouldn’t everything be okay?” It came out too quickly, my tone a bit brittle.
“This the longest I’ve gone without seein’ him,” Max said. “I figured you’d know if something was up.”
“You could call him yourself, you know,” I said. “You don’t have to wait for him to drop by.”
His eyes widened. “Did he say something?”
I laughed. “No. But I do know that he’s workin’ more hours starting last week, so it’s probably keeping him busy.”
“So busy he hasn’t been in for nearly a week?” he asked skeptically.
He had a point. While Marco didn’t come in every night, he usually came in every two or three. I hadn’t heard from him at all since our last conversation.
My face must have given away my confusion, because he asked, “Did something happen between you two?”
“What? Why would you ask that?”
“Because you two are pretty close lately, and if you had a fight…”
“No. We haven’t had a fight. I’m sure he’s just busy.” Which was partially true. Our discussion hadn’t been a fight, but I knew it had upset him.
He leaned an elbow on the counter. “Then why are you expecting a call from him? He hardly ever calls here.”
While I knew he and his brother were at odds with their father, I still didn’t totally trust them when it came to Bart Drummond. I wasn’t ready to share my working theory about why Pam might have shot Jim Palmer. Still, maybe I could switch this conversation around to my advantage. “Is everything okay with Wyatt?” I asked, then added, “You two went into the back to talk last night. I haven’t seen you do that since he was a person of interest in his ex-girlfriend’s murder.” I lowered my voice and asked, “Is he in some kind of trouble?”
He gave me a surprised look. “No. Everything’s