one of the local no-tell motels on the highway. But I wasn’t telling Amy that. She’d go through the roof.
“How do you always make me feel better?” Amy pulled out her notebook. “I’m updating my chart really quickly to see what else I can get done while I’m in Bakerstown. Do you want to visit the venue with me after we eat? I need to check on the entry to the ballroom.”
“I probably need to get home to let Emma out. She’s been pretty antsy lately. And I think I forgot to put up the sofa pillows before I left.” I had just totally lied to my best friend. Emma had been wonderful for almost six months and I had put away the sofa pillows, but I didn’t want to go measure a ballroom and poke holes in the idea of having the wedding there. Sooner or later Amy was going to have to lock the wedding ideas in the safe and just have a good day.
Amy excused herself to go to the restroom, and while she was gone, the food arrived. The milkshake wasn’t quite as good as the ones from Diamond Lille’s, but the scallop basket and the chowder were actually better. But don’t tell Tiny I said that. Lille’s chef, Tiny, took the food he prepared personally.
When she came back she was chuckling.
“What’s got you happy again?” I glanced around the room, not seeing anything I would find funny.
“Just people watching. There’s a couple over in the last booth by the bathrooms. They’re totally inappropriate for each other. He’s older, so I’m thinking it’s a clandestine affair. Maybe they live in the city and drove out here for some privacy?” Her face froze. “Oh, no…”
“What now?”
“What if Justin just needed one last fling?”
“Amy, Justin loves you. He’s crazy about you. And if he says he’s working, well, you need to take him at his word.” I waited for her to calm her breathing. “Just because some people cheat doesn’t mean all marriages end that way. Besides, you don’t know that they aren’t married to each other and this is just some sort of foreplay with them.”
I glanced over to the booth Amy had pointed out and froze. “Well, I’ll be…”
Amy sensed the change of tone in my words before I said anything more. “You recognize them.”
It was a statement, not a question. Without thinking, I answered. “The guy is Steve Gunter and that’s Candice Frey, his lawyer.”
“Who appears to be very close to the grieving husband,” Amy observed. “You’re right. This totally has gotten my mind off my missing fiancé. Now I want to know if Greg’s going to arrest the husband, the mistress, or both?”
I pulled out my phone. “Let’s just drop a bee in the bouquet and get things moving here. I know Greg hadn’t talked with Steve yet because the man had been too grief-stricken to talk about his wife.”
Amy held out her hand. “Wait, this is just like the couple that was supposed to be managing our charity run a few years ago. He’d been cheating on the dead wife, right?”
“Yeah.” I stared at the couple in the booth. “This sure looks like the same thing. Maybe Greg can find out what’s going on.”
“Or we could just go over and ask why he’s not torn up about his poor wife?” Amy’s eyes were bright. I could see she totally wanted to confront the couple.
“Greg wouldn’t like it. And what happens if we do and they disappear to some island without extradition laws? Esmeralda would still be suspect number one.” I dialed Greg’s number and, when he actually answered, explained the situation to him.
“And you’re telling me you just happened to be there? You and Amy didn’t follow Steve to this meeting?” Greg’s tone was dry.
“I’m almost offended except I would have totally done something like that. Anyway, no, it was just bad luck we showed up here. Do you want us to go find out what’s going on with the two of them?”
“No. I do not. It just so happens I’m in Bakerstown, and I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just eat your lunch and ignore them.”
I glanced over at the table that was filled with beer bottles and not much food. “What if they try to leave?”
“Let them. Jill, you’re a civilian in another jurisdiction. If you get in trouble here, I might not be able to get you out.” He sighed when I didn’t answer. “Look, I’m almost there. Just