Chapter 21
Green Springs Café was exactly what Liz envisioned…a small café smack dab in the center of Main Street, symmetrically designed with a set of double doors between two large picture windows. Potted plants served as a focal point near the hostess stand and beyond that was a cozy dining area offering an even mixture of booths and tables. The layout reminded Liz of Dot’s Restaurant in Belhaven.
Belhaven and Green Springs were close in age, meaning the downtown structures had been built around the same time, so it wasn’t surprising.
They began making their way inside, and Liz remembered one of the reasons they were there. She backed up and studied the front of the building.
“What are you doing?” Echo asked .
“Wondering if there’s a second floor.”
“This is a two-story building. I see a smaller window at the tippy-top, which means there’s probably an attic, although it doesn’t look like it’s being used.” Echo lowered her gaze. “We’re here for a reason.”
“We are.”
“It has something to do with the death of Deanna Andretti.”
“Right again.”
“I’m pretty good at picking up on things. What are we looking for?”
“To be honest, this is my sister, Gloria’s field of expertise. We’re looking for clues.”
“Clues,” Echo echoed. “If you give me the basics, maybe I can help. You know, the nuts and bolts of how this visit ties into her death.”
“Carol Wright was one of Deanna Andretti’s colleagues or some sort of assistant. She’s been flying under the radar. As far as I can tell, Carol didn’t have a motive. However, what she currently lacks in motive she more than makes up for in opportunity, most notably the fact she lives above Designer Diva’s store, which is where the woman’s body was found.”
“So what’s the connection between her and this place?”
“Horace Wright, who shares the same last name as Carol, owns this café. I’m thinking she and the owner are related.”
“Ah.” Echo tilted her head. “Which is why you’re wondering about this building. If Carol Wright and the café’s owner are related, why doesn’t she live here instead of above Designer Diva’s store?”
“Precisely. Carol not only works at Designer Diva in some sort of capacity, either as a colleague or an employee, but she also works here.”
“What does she look like? ”
Liz blinked rapidly, struggling to remember. “Your average Jane.”
“Kind of like me.”
“You’re anything but average,” Liz said. “You’re a lovely young woman with an intriguing background in criminal investigation.”
“I always thought it would be fun to be a PI. I’m a big fan of Charlie’s Angels.”
“That show was on before you were born.”
“Gotta love late night reruns.” Echo struck a defensive pose, lifting her hands and pointing an imaginary gun in the air. “I’ve seen the knockoff movies, which aren’t as good as the original. They were a force to be reckoned with.”
A restaurant patron passed by them, casting Echo a strange look.
“Anyhoo, that’s my strategy, in a nutshell. Who is Carol Wright and what motive could she have had to murder Deanna Andretti? ”
“Let’s go see what we can find out.” Although the café was busy, Liz and Echo managed to snag a table off to the side.
“Hello.” A server greeted them with menus and glasses of water as soon as they were seated. “Our special today is meatloaf with mashed potatoes, a vegetable medley, and a dinner roll.”
“Meatloaf sounds good,” Echo said. “I’ll have that and stick with the water.”
“Ditto.” Liz handed the menus back, studying the woman’s nametag, Lisa . “Lisa. You guys are busy.”
“We are. Customers love the meatloaf special. We usually sell out by now, but the cook made an extra batch. I’ll be right back with your silverware and napkins.”
After she left, Liz surveyed their surroundings, noting another server on the other side of the small café. She looked vaguely familiar and when she turned around, Liz realized she was the same woman who had shown up at the farm with Deanna and the other colleagues the day of her death. “There she is,” she whispered.
Echo casually gazed over her shoulder. “Five foot six. A hundred and twenty pounds all day long. Has a slight overbite and an addiction to red Twizzlers. Her last date was someone she met on the internet.”
Liz wrinkled her nose. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Dead serious.” Echo turned away. “Everything except for meeting someone on the internet. The Twizzlers are sticking out of her apron pocket, and I’ve always made a game out of guessing people’s height and weight.”
Liz used her straw to twirl her ice. “What am I?”
Echo eyed her critically. “Five foot ten, a hundred and thirty-six pounds, but you may have been a little lighter recently.”
Liz’s jaw dropped. “I’m five foot ten and a hundred thirty-eight pounds. I was in the twenties but gained a few pounds since Floyd and I got married.”
“I guessed on the height and weight but saw a picture of you and Floyd on his desk when you were a little lighter,” Echo confessed. “I’m sorry if my hobby freaks you out.”
“It freaks me out, but it’s also very intriguing.” Liz lowered her voice. “I’m not sure how much this will help us. I mean, it’s not like we can march over there and accuse her of nefarious activity.”
“Have you checked the social sites to see if you could find her online profiles?” Echo asked.
“No. I suppose I should have.”
“I’ll see what I can find.” Echo was still fiddling with her cell phone when the food arrived. The server was spot on. The meatloaf and side dishes were delicious, and both women cleaned their plates. In between bites, Echo continued her search. “I found a few things. I’m sending them to you. ”
Liz grabbed her phone and clicked on the links. “I feel like the generation half my age where they sit at the table, staring at their phones and not enjoying each other’s company.”
“It’s a bad habit and one I need to work on.” Echo set her phone down. “What do you think about what I found?”
“Ruth was right. This poor woman spends a lot of time at work. All these photos are of her working.”
“At Designer Diva,” Echo added. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, those thousand words are telling us Deanna Andretti was probably running the poor woman ragged.”
Liz drummed her fingers on the table. “We need to figure out if the restaurant’s owner and Carol are related.”
“I’ll get the information for you. Here comes our server. ”
“I see you enjoyed our special,” the server said as she began clearing the table. “Can I get you anything else? Maybe a piece of chocolate pie for dessert?”
“No. We’re full and you were right. The meatloaf was delicious,” Liz said. “I was wondering if I could get a to-go order for my husband.”
“Of course. I’ll bring that and the check back.”
“Horace Wright owns this café,” Echo blurted out.
“He does.”
“Is he related to Carol Wright, one of the other servers?”
Lisa never missed a beat as she continued stacking the empty plates. “Carol is his niece. Has she waited on you before?”
“No. I noticed her nametag. I knew Horace Wright owned this place and figured there was a connection, considering they both have the same last name.”
“That’s very observant of you.”
“Thanks. I like to think I am.” Echo leaned her elbows on the table. “We heard about the death of the store owner a few doors down. The police haven’t caught her killer yet.”
Lisa shuddered. “I knew Deanna. She came in here often for dinner. As a matter of fact, Carol worked with her. She’s really shaken up.”
“I’m sure it hit very close to home,” Liz said sympathetically.
“It has, especially for Carol. Deanna treated her like a daughter. She even lived above Deanna’s store.”
Liz’s eyes widened. “How frightening. I wonder if she was home when it happened.”
“I don’t think so. There were some strange things going on down at that place,” Lisa said. “No way would you catch me living there, but like I already mentioned, Deanna and Carol were close.”
Liz waited until she walked away. “I admire your direct approach. No beating around the bush.”
“Sometimes the best way to get the information you need is to be direct. It’s not like we were asking for her social security number or bank account information.”
“What a novel idea. So Carol is related to the owner of this place and Deanna and she were close.”
“According to Lisa,” Echo added. “This is a small town. I’m sure most of the business owners know each other. Have you considered the possibility that you’re way off track? I mean, it seems the focus is on Deanna’s colleagues. Maybe it was someone else.”
The suggestion reminded Liz that Margaret and Lucy had sent her a copy of the list of recent projects. She mentioned it to Echo. “The investigators seemed very interested in Deanna’s visit to the farm, which leads me, leads Gloria and her friends, who are much better at figuring stuff out, to suspect they’re focusing on those she came in contact with the day of her death.”
“Including you, Floyd and the other women.”
“Correct.”
“Don’t look now.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I…”
Carol Wright marched across the room and placed the to-go container and bill on top of the table. “Lisa, your server, went on break. She mentioned you were asking questions about me.”
Liz knew the exact second the woman recognized her. “Mrs. Rasmussen.”
“Hello, Carol.”
“What are you doing here? ”
“Having dinner with my friend.”
Carol placed a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowing. “Why were you asking about me?”
“Because the authorities seem to think someone who was in contact with Deanna before her death may be responsible. Both my husband and I have been questioned, and the investigators mentioned one of Deanna’s colleagues claimed I threatened her the day she was at our farm.”
“And you think it was me?”
“It was you or one of the other women.”
“It wasn’t me. For the record, I loved Deanna. She was like a mother. The investigators are obviously questioning you for a reason.” The woman turned on her heel and stormed off.
“That went well,” Echo said. “It appears my direct approach backfired.”
“It’s all right.” Liz took some money from her wallet and carried that, along with the bill, to the cash register. After paying for their meals, she caught up with Echo, who stood waiting by the entrance. “If you ask me, Ms. Wright came across as overly defensive.”
“No kidding. I don’t know about you, but the warning flags went up as soon as she all but accused you of killing the woman.” Echo held the door and waited for Liz to follow her out onto the sidewalk. “She’s watching us.”
The women waited for traffic to clear before crossing the street and climbing in Liz’s SUV. She did a sly side glance. Wright stood in the café's doorway, glaring at them. “I don’t think she appreciated us coming around.”
“Not at all,” Echo agreed.
Liz checked for traffic before pulling onto the street. “Something tells me Carol Wright needs to be moved to the top of the list of suspects.”