Peabody sat a moment, baffled. “I don’t know. Maybe it used to have meat, but my granny doesn’t make it like that. It’s all kind of fruit and spices and I think some whiskey or something. I have to ask for the recipe now. I like making pies.”
Holiday shopping had infected downtown. With all the shops open, hyping gifts everyone had to have, parking became more challenging. Eve beat out a mini for a second-level space by punching vertical and zipping up and in with a couple of coats of paint to spare.
“Jesus, Dallas, warn me next time. Look there’s a bakery. Bakeries sometimes have hot chocolate, and always have pastries. I had a simulated egg pocket from Vending. It was worse than it sounds. A lot worse.”
“Later,” Eve said and arrowed straight to Natural Way.
It was a quiet little place, homey, with what Eve thought of as Free-Agey, foresty fairy music playing softly.
It smelled of cranberries, and a little pine, a hint of cinnamon. And, indeed, she saw the daily special drink was some sort of cranberry-cinnamon tea.
A few people sat at tiny tables drinking out of mugs the color of stone or eating what looked to Eve like grass and berries, or in one case a muffin that resembled tree bark.
The countergirl offered a dreamy smile. “Welcome to the Natural Way. What can we do for your body, mind, and spirit?”
“You can get the owner.” Eve held up her badge.
“Oh, you’d like to see Alla? She’s busy in the kitchen. We’ve already run out of our yamberry muffins, and we’re low on our nipnanna pie.”
“That’s a problem. You need to get her.”
“I do?”
“Yes, for the good of your body, mind, and spirit.”
“Oh, okay.”
“What the hell is nipnanna?” Eve wondered.
“Turnip and banana pie.”
Eve turned her head, looked hard into Peabody’s face. “You’ve got to be lying.”
“Not. My aunt makes it. It’s not quite as bad as it sounds, but almost. Yamberry muffins, now—that’s yams and cranberries—that’s pretty good stuff.”
“Please.”
“It’s no apple Danish, but it’s pretty good.”
Alla stepped out. Her chestnut hair was bundled under a squat chef’s cap, leaving her fresh, pretty face unframed. She wore a long, flowered dress over a willowy form, and a gray bib apron over the dress.
“Is there a problem?” she began.
“Could be.” Eve showed her the badge. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t understand. I’m up to date on everything. Business license, health department.”
“It’s not about that. Is there a place we can talk?”
“We’re really busy in the back.” She glanced behind her. “We’re running holiday specials, and they’re paying off. We can grab that table over there. Dora, let’s have three-drink specials. I could use a little break.”
“Right away, Alla.”
She pulled off her cap as she walked around the counter. A long, sleek tail of hair tumbled out.
“What’s this about?”
“Trey Ziegler.”
Irritation flickered in Alla’s large brown eyes. “What about him?” she demanded as she sat. “If he’s in trouble and looking for me to bail him out, he can forget it.”
“He’s dead.”
“What?” She jerked back as if punched. “What do you mean?”
“His body was found early this morning. When did you last see him?”
“That’s not right. That’s a mistake.”
No tears, Eve noted, but if she was faking the shock and denial, she was damn good at it.
“You’ve made a mistake,” Alla said, the words slow, careful. “Trey’s not dead.”
“Trey Ziegler,” Eve said, keeping her tone flat and brisk as she brought his ID shot up on her PPC. “This Trey Ziegler.”
“This can’t be right. This can’t be true.”
Still no tears, but trembles in the voice, in the hands.
“You and the victim were involved.”
“Vic—victim? Victim?”
“Here you are, Alla. Would you like to split a yamberry muffin? A fresh batch just came out.”
“We’re fine,” Eve said when Alla only stared straight ahead. “Go away.”
“How . . . what happened? How?”
“When did you last see or speak with Trey Ziegler?”
“I . . .”
“Are you missing a pair of red shoes, Alla?”
“Oh God. Oh God.” She covered her face with her hands. “I was going to lie. I don’t even know why. I can’t take it in. I saw him yesterday, just yesterday. He was fine.”
“Tell me about yesterday.”
“I’d seen him that morning, early, at the gym. Buff Bodies. I was there for my early yoga class and . . . we’d started thinking about seeing each other again. He’d broken things off with the woman he’d been living with, and he said he missed me. It