I’m literally your wingman.”
She groaned and rubbed her forehead. “First, this isn’t a movie. Or a Top Gun remake. Or a rom-com. Well, maybe that last. Eventually.”
“Don’t you ever make fun of Top Gun. You know it’s the reason I’m a commercial pilot.”
“Yeah, about that—if Top Gun, the gayest nongay movie ever, inspired you, why didn’t you join the navy?”
“Huh. That’s exactly what my mom said.”
Ava glanced up, spotted him, and Tom hoped the look of relief was more about real pleasure in seeing him rather than escaping the conversation. “Hi, Tom. Thanks for waiting. India, you remember Tom Baker, Hannah’s uncle. Tom here is my … uh…”
This he could handle. “Her podiatrist.”
“What? No, we’re not doing that anymore. Tell him who you really are.”
“Oh, apologies. I thought we were still using that subterfuge.” He extended a hand to First Officer James. “I’m the medical examiner for Ramsey County in Minnesota.”
“Sure you are.” India turned back to Ava. “Come on, you guys can’t even keep your stories straight. There’s clearly nothing happening here.”
“Ouch,” Tom said mildly.
“All I’m saying is give my guy a call. If you don’t like him, case closed.”
“Your wife has, at rough count, two thousand cousins and at least one stepsibling. The case will never be closed. But speaking of closing cases…” She paused and gave Tom an expectant look.
No worries; he still had this handled. “I’m not a podiatrist. I’m a medical examiner.”
“Oh my God. I gave you the perfect opening to talk about the—never mind.” She shook her head and took his arm, which he supposed some might have found inappropriately proprietary. “Let’s go. Chowder beckons. Well, maybe shrimp cocktail beckons. See you on the next leg, India, you annoying male version of Emma Woodhouse.”
“Hey, you finally watched it!”
“I read it, you troglodyte.” Then, under her breath to Tom: “Okay, I might have watched it, then read it. Still means I read it.”
“I heard that!”
“Run,” she told him, and they both broke into a jog.
Thirty-Two
Thanks to their timely sprint, they were able to beat a small crowd traveling together and snagged a decent table toward the back. Ava eschewed the justly famous chowder for a bucket of steamers, and Tom went with the grilled salmon. The waitress left, and they got down to business.
“What’s on your mind? Besides murder and bodyguarding?”
“I was wondering if you had heard from Dennis.”
“Uh…” She paused, thinking. “Not since I took him to see the disaster the vandal left. Haven’t heard from him since, and as you saw, he wasn’t at the second night of the memorial. Why? Do you think he’s in trouble?”
“… no.”
“You’re killing me with the pauses.” She heard herself and nearly choked. “Not literally.”
“Did he have an alibi ten years ago?”
“You know he didn’t,” she replied slowly, watching Tom’s face. Guy was probably an ace poker player; he might be concerned about Dennis, concerned for Dennis, or wondering where the salt was. “You’ve read the file. He was out of town to check out some colleges, but nobody could put him at the U of M or anywhere else he said he’d been. Which isn’t proof, by the way.” She leaned forward. “He’s a goofball with a flair for drama who might be an alcoholic, but he didn’t kill his own twin. They weren’t alike at all, but he’d never have hurt her.”
“Try and call him,” he urged. “Right now.”
“Okay, rude, but…” She hated when people played with their phones in restaurants, but this could be a literal matter of life or death. Which she would tell the first person who tried to give her any side-eye. She hit his number and it went straight to voice mail. “Not there. Or not where his phone is. Or his phone is off.” Or he’s dead, killed by the guy who just can’t let this shit go. “Should I report him as a missing person? Or…” She shivered, but it had to be said. “… reach out to his mother?”
Tom shook his head. “It’s too soon. But it’s something else to think about. Wouldn’t you say? Identifying all the variables is always a positive.”
“Argh, science. You really can’t help yourself, can you?”
“I cannot,” he admitted, looking simultaneously stoic and embarrassed, which was quite a trick. “Has anything else happened since last night?”
“No. I haven’t gotten sick again, none of my belongings have disappeared, nobody fiddled with my last drug test. Except…”
“Tell me. Please.”
“Everyone seems to know all about it,” she explained. “Which was odd. The only people who