Chapter 33 Sinclair
On the drive to Sweetie’s, Jayne and I stayed quiet. I knew she was doing the same thing I was—analyzing the conversation we’d just had with Serja, picking it apart, trying to see if anything Serja had said made sense alongside what we already knew.
I also texted my parents to be sure everything was fine with JJ. I knew they’d have texted if it wasn’t, but what could I say? I was an overprotective dad, and I didn’t care.
Sweetie’s was busy and a little noisy when we went in, but that was fine. The drone of conversation would make it easier for Jayne and me to talk without being overheard. We’d invited Joshua, but he had a sandwich and a thermos of coffee in the crawler that his wife had packed for him.
The din of the restaurant lessened as we were recognized. Then it started back up with renewed vigor. It probably wasn’t widely known that I’d injured my ankle, so I was sure there was a lot of speculation about why I was on crutches.
I leaned into Jayne. “Did the palace put out any kind of press release about my sprain, or are we going to wake up to stories about how I’m too injured to attend Naming Day?”
She snorted. “You think a press release would stop that?”
“Probably not.”
“To answer your question, I don’t know. I’m thinking not. You want me to get Ezreal on it?”
I hated to make more work for the man, but I nodded. “Might not be a bad idea. Just to head things off.”
“I’ll call him right now. You find us a table or booth in a corner, if you can.”
While she got on her phone, I searched the restaurant. A familiar face appeared before me.
“Prince Consort Sinclair, welcome back to Sweetie’s.”
“Jake, right?” He’d been our server before.
I got a big smile for remembering. “Yes, sir, that’s right. Is it just the two of you?”
“Yes.”
He turned to scan the restaurant. “Give me a second. I’ve got a corner booth about to open up.” He dashed off.
Jayne hung up. “Ezreal’s on it.”
“Good man. Jake is here. You remember him? He waited on us when we were in with Birdie. Anyway, he went to get us a booth.”
“Excellent.”
A few minutes later, Jake returned with two menus. “Right this way, your highnesses.”
Lots of people smiled and bowed their heads in respect as we went past. Jayne and I smiled back, even shaking a few hands on our way. It humbled me, and it was a great reminder that while some people might not think my son worthy of the throne, there were plenty more who did.
Jake gave us menus once we were seated. “What would you like to drink?”
“Dr Pepper,” Jayne said.
“Naturally,” Jake replied as he looked at me.
“A Coke would be great.”
“I’ll be right back with those. Our lunch special today is a three-cheese grilled sourdough sandwich with a side of either tomato lobster bisque or ham, leek, and potato soup. We also have pot roast served with horseradish mashed potatoes. And don’t forget to save room for tundra cake.”
He clearly knew his audience. “Remind me what that is?”
“It’s our version of Black Forest cake, kicked up a notch. Seven layers of chocolate cake alternating with chocolate mousse, vanilla buttercream, and cherry jam, all covered with dark chocolate ganache.”
Jayne had started nodding at the word cake. “I want one of those to go.”
“You got it. I’ll give you time to think about your entrees while I get those beverages.”
I looked at Jayne as he left. She’d already put her menu down. “You’re getting the grilled cheese, aren’t you?”
“Does a yeti poop in the woods?”
I narrowed my eyes. “They do, right?”
She laughed. “Yes. I’m getting the grilled cheese with the tomato lobster bisque.”
I put my menu on top of hers. “I’m getting the pot roast.” I wanted to ask her something about Serja, but Jake was on his way back with our drinks.
He dropped them off, we ordered, and then we were alone again.
I inched closer to Jayne. “Did you see anything about Serja that wasn’t winter elf? I’m not the expert here, but she seemed about as standard winter elf as you get.”
She nodded. “I thought the same thing, but winter elf genes are strong. Look at JJ. He’s half necromancer and looks more like me and my dad than you, except for how dark his hair is.” She patted my hand. “Sorry about that.”
I snorted. “I don’t care about that one bit.
I think it’s good he looks like you, considering what his future holds.
I guess I was just wondering why she lived in an area known for transplants if she wasn’t one.
Although I can see the appeal of Little Reykjavik.
That ruralness, the bigger, open spaces, all those trees … it’s beautiful.”
“Well, she’s an artist. She probably feels more at home in that kind of setting than in town.”
“Good point. What did you think of her?”
“Mostly that she’s not telling us everything she knows. She’s holding something back. No idea what or why, but that was my gut feeling.”
“Mine, too,” I said. “Maybe Larsen can do some digging on her, see if anything turns up.”
“And also if what she said about talking to Delton is true.” She shook her head. “Why be so hesitant about telling us that?”
“I noticed that, too. Maybe because she was lying to us? Maybe she talked to him about something else.”
“I didn’t get the sense that there was anything going on between them, so I think we can rule out an affair.”
“I agree with that.”
Jake returned with our food. “Here you go. How does everything look?”
“It looks great,” I said. That was the truth. The pot roast had big chunks of meat along with potatoes, carrots, and onions in a rich gravy. Next to that was a mountain of mashed potatoes. Two kinds of potatoes? I was happy.
Jayne nodded, smiling. “It smells fantastic.”
“Just give me a holler if you need anything.” Jake left us.
I picked up my spoon. “I have to taste that bisque.”
Her fork was already headed for my mashed potatoes. “Help yourself.”
After confirming that we’d ordered well, we went back to the topic at hand.
“We’re only a few days away from Naming Day.” I felt bad just saying it, but it wasn’t a subject we could avoid. “I know it’s got to be done publicly, but if this thing isn’t solved by then, we’re going to need tighter security.”
“You really think someone will try something?”
“You want to take the chance they don’t?”
“No.” She sighed. “I hate this. I hate how it must make you feel.” She glanced at me. “Our son is going to make a fine king someday.”
“Sweetheart, the only thing I’m worried about is protecting the two of you. I’m not worried about some idiot who thinks only a pureblooded winter elf should wear the crown. I’m really not.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “We’ll get more security if we need it. That’s not a problem.” She dipped one corner of her sandwich in the soup. “Should we stop in to see Larsen before heading back? Bring her up to speed?”
“That’s a very good idea. You know what else we should do?”
“What’s that?” Jayne asked.
“Get Joshua a slice of that tundra cake, too. I know he gets paid for driving us around, but we’ve added some stops today.”
“I love that.” Jayne winked at me. “I love you. We’re going to figure this out. I feel like my brain is working on something and any minute a lightbulb is going to go off and the whole thing will be clear.”
I smiled back, although I wasn’t feeling that confident. My brain didn’t feel like it had enough information to make sense of anything. Even so, I had to wonder if we’d already talked to the killer.
My gut said yes. Too bad my gut couldn’t also give me a name.