give me a double helping.”
My eyebrows hiked. “Hungry?”
“Let’s just say I think it’s going to be a long day.”
“Monica or my grandfather?” The snarky question was out of my mouth before I thought better about asking it.
He didn’t appear insulted on his girlfriend’s behalf. “Yeah, um, I’m sorry about her.”
I wasn’t expecting such a genuine response. “It’s fine.” I averted my gaze.
“It’s not fine.” He was firm. “She was rude to you. It’s not fair. She shouldn’t be making you feel guilty for accepting a ride in the middle of a storm.”
He seemed to be in an open and giving mood today, which made me want to grill him about Monica. That would likely spoil the truce we were enjoying, so I managed to curtail my baser urges. “It honestly is fine.” I flashed a genuine smile before taking his order into the kitchen. “This is for Hunter,” I told David pointedly.
David glanced at the ticket and nodded. “I won’t tell Grandpa.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” I shot back.
David snorted. “Right. None of us are afraid of him.”
Rather than comment further, I left him and took the pot of coffee around the restaurant, topping off cups. When I returned to the cafe section, I found the corner table had been snagged by a familiar face.
“Vera,” I noted as I returned the pot to the warmer and inclined my head in that direction.
Hunter lifted his chin and stared. “She’s been out quite a bit since Roy died.”
It was a statement, not a question. “Do you suspect her?”
“The wife is always a suspect.”
“That wasn’t really an answer.”
“No,” he agreed, rubbing his chin as he watched my cousin Annie approach Vera. “It doesn’t look like she’s alone today.”
My eyes shifted to the man walking through the door. He was distinguished, dressed in a relatively expensive suit, and he made a beeline for Vera. He didn’t greet anyone else in the restaurant, which was practically unheard of in town where everyone pretty much knew everyone else. I didn’t recognize him. “Who is he?”
“Barry Buttons,” Hunter replied with a grimace, distaste evident.
“I need more information than that,” I prodded.
Hunter slowly dragged his eyes back to me. “You don’t remember Barry? He was your basketball coach when you were in seventh grade.”
The fact that he remembered that seemed a small miracle. Now that he brought it up, though, I did remember the man. “He was, like, the world’s worst coach. He was barely there.”
“He only did it because his daughter was on the team and he was going through a divorce,” Hunter explained. “He wanted to look like an involved parent, and that was the only way he could think to do it.”
“Stephanie Buttons is his daughter.”
“She is. She doesn’t live here any longer. She moved to Traverse City about two years after we graduated. Last I heard, she was married and had three kids. Her brother is still around. He’s as much a loser as the father. Stephanie is the only decent one in that family.”
I pursed my lips. “I remember her being nice.”
“She was. Him, though ... .” Hunter made a tsking sound and shook his head. “He’s the worst of the worst.”
I racked my brain trying to remember tidbits about Barry. “He’s an attorney.”
“He is.”
“Why would Vera need an attorney?” My mind was racing now. “You don’t think that she’s worried she’ll be arrested?” I knew I was grasping, but the unsettling feeling from the night before had stuck with me through the morning. I couldn’t help wondering if it would disappear once Shadow Hills’ one and only murderer was behind bars. If that was Vera, so be it.
“He’s not that sort of attorney,” Hunter replied, stroking his chin, thoughtful.
I watched him, enjoying the intense look on his face. He was always the sort who enjoyed gnawing on a problem until there was nothing left but masticated bones ... and a solution.
“What kind of attorney is he?” I asked when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to expand on the earlier statement.
“He’s a divorce attorney.”
That was enough to knock me back a step. “Wait ... why would Vera need a divorce attorney? Her husband is dead.”
“That is a very interesting question.”
I was silent for a moment, myriad possibilities flooding my mind. “Do you think she was considering divorcing Roy before he was killed?”
“If she was, she conveniently left that out during our initial interview.”
“So what does that mean?”
“I don’t know.” Slowly, he let his eyes drift back to me. “It’s interesting, though.”
“I