Chapter 15
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Sitting here, Doreen realized that she was really off her game. She was running around clueless on this one, and she needed to get her head in the game. Doreen muttered, “Right, I guess the other brother could possibly inherit too then.”
“I don’t think he’s restaurant material. He’s a little rough around the edges and all. I don’t think he particularly cares for dealing with the public.”
Doreen laughed. “No, a lot of people don’t care for dealing with the public, but it’s a necessary evil, especially when you’re in the hospitality industry.”
“And people just don’t get that,” Marla noted, with surprise. “I don’t understand it.”
Doreen nodded. “Most of the time I think it just takes the right personality to make a service business a success.”
“I’ve been the right personality all these years,” Marla stated. “So, for me, it’s an easy thing to do, but it would be nice to walk away at some point and to know that we would be okay.”
“Do you think that the Burgon family had business issues?”
“Oh, I know they did,” Marla confirmed. “We all have business issues, and lots of times absolutely nothing could be done, and their restaurant would be just as empty as ours.”
“Ah, that’s got to be hard too.” Doreen was trying to get a better sense of this business. “Is there something like insurance for you, to cover times like that?”
“Oh, you mean, in case of loss of business? We must have some. I think it’s only after … an accident or a fire or flood or something along that line that it comes into play.”
“Or death?” Doreen asked.
Marla stared at her. “You know, that’s possible.” She frowned as she looked around. “I hadn’t really considered that.”
“I’m not saying it’s a motive or anything. I’m just wondering if that exists.”
“There is insurance, but a lot of us don’t have it because it’s expensive. … Yet it’s definitely a possibility.”
“Of course,” she murmured.
Finally, when they had stayed as long as they could and had gotten what information there was to get, Doreen got up and thanked Marla for letting them warm up inside.
Marla sighed happily. “It was so nice to see the animals and to meet you both.”
Just then another person walked in, looked around, and asked, “Are you open?”
“I am,” Marla said, and she jumped up and walked over to the front counter.
Mugs came out from under the table, took one look at the newcomer, and started growling and snapping.
Surprised, Doreen almost lost control of the leash as Mugs lunged toward the man.
She gasped in embarrassment and apologized quickly to both the owner of the restaurant and the new arrival.
“Sorry,” she said, looking from the man to the woman behind the counter. “He never does this.”
The man glanced down at the dog and glared. “You shouldn’t have animals in here anyway,” he muttered. “That’s definitely not how a restaurant should be run.”
Doreen apologized again and dragged Mugs away. “It’s not Marla’s fault. It’s our fault,” she stated, as she tugged Mugs along. Yet he still refused to cooperate.
For whatever reason, Mugs did not in any way like the man who had just arrived. Even outside, he was still barking, turning back to face the man at the counter, talking with Marla.
Doreen looked over at Nan. “That’s so not like Mugs.”
“No, it isn’t,” Nan stated, glancing down at Mugs, who was not interested in calming down much. “But he also must have a reason.”
Doreen looked at her grandmother and back at the man in question. “Let me put you guys in the car, and maybe I’ll come back and see who he is.”
“You’ll have to be fast, as he looks like the kind of person to get in and get out without wasting time,” Nan suggested. “Let me just sit here on the bench with the animals.”
Doreen hesitated, but Nan shook her head. “Stop fussing, child. Just go on back in and do whatever it is you think you can do—although I have no idea what you think you can do. He’s not a very friendly character.”
Doreen handed her grandmother the leashes, sat them down at the corner on a bench, and rushed back inside. As she came back in, Marla turned to her. “I just wanted to apologize again. I am so sorry, Marla.”
The man glared at her and snapped, “You shouldn’t keep a dog like that. He’s a hazard to the community.”
Doreen apologized again, trying to take stock of the man. “I’m so sorry. He normally loves people.”
“I don’t love animals,” he declared, “and most animals know that.”
“And that could be the issue,” Doreen noted.
“Anyway,” he replied, with a dismissive hand, “just make sure he’s not outside when I leave.”
“He is actually, but he’s allowed to be outside,” she pointed out.
Marla worked swiftly behind the counter, trying not to get involved. Doreen didn’t want to make life harder for her, so she just held out her hand to the man. “I’m Doreen, by the way.”
The man frowned down at her hand. “And?”
She flushed. “I was just trying to be friendly.”
“Don’t bother,” he snapped. “And, if that dog touches me, I’ll sue you, no matter what.” And, with that threat made, he accepted the coffee cup from Marla, then turned and strode out of the building. Doreen winced at the owner and whispered, “I really am sorry.”
Marla just waved her off and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Doreen raced outside and headed right for Nan.
As soon as Mugs saw the same man again, Mugs started barking like crazy.
Doreen managed to grab him just before Nan lost her grip.
Doreen then immediately calmed him down.
“That’s enough out of you, Mugs,” she stated in a stern tone.
He grumbled at her but slowly attempted to stop making waves.
Some other people had looked over at them, and she just smiled. “He didn’t get his pup cup.”
Several laughed, but the man just continued to glare at her and stalked away. She watched where he went, and, sure enough, he headed down to the closed restaurant. She looked over at Nan, who nodded. “Now that is interesting,” Doreen whispered. “Who could he be?” she asked, staring at the man.
“Child, did the dead woman have a husband?”
“I don’t know.” She turned to look back at him, but there was no sign of the guy. “Interesting,” she murmured.
“Interesting, but also fascinating that Mugs, who has a great respect for most people, did not like him.”
“Mugs has very strong likes and dislikes,” she noted.
“And always with people who don’t like animals or people who are trying to hurt you,” Nan pointed out.
“I can’t imagine the guy was trying to hurt me,” Doreen countered, looking at Nan. “We were just there having coffee.”
“I know, but it’s obvious Mugs didn’t like him.”
There was no getting past that point. Yet she couldn’t accuse people of being involved in crimes just because Mugs didn’t like them. The fact that she trusted his judgment said an awful lot, but, because she had no idea who this man was, it didn’t matter. “Now if only I’d gotten a picture of him.”
“You don’t need to. That was Randol Biscott.”
Doreen turned to see Marla, as she stepped outside and looked down at Mugs. “Your dog’s a better judge of character than most people. That Randol man is bad news.”
“Is that the murdered woman’s husband?”
She nodded. “Yeah, that’s him.”
“He looks very … non-restauranty.”
“Exactly,” Marla agreed, “and that’s what I meant. Definitely not the right person for the hospitality industry.”
“On the other hand, maybe there’s enough insurance money that he can shut down the place and go off and have a new life,” Doreen suggested, frowning.
“As long as he didn’t do anything to create this scenario,” Nan interjected.
Marla winced. “I’m really glad I don’t have to deal with anything in that world. It’s hard enough to look at my customers and to wonder how to get them to spend a little more and to come back one more time, versus thinking about them being involved in crimes.”
Doreen smiled at her. “We don’t come downtown very often, but we’ll definitely come back. And I promise that I’ll leave the animals at home.”
“You don’t have to leave them home on my account. Once we get the outer patio set up, you can absolutely have the animals here,” she offered. “We obviously prefer to have them outside, unless it’s a therapy dog, just because of incidents like this one.”
Doreen shook her head. “Yeah, Mugs is great, but he’s far too opinionated to pass muster as a therapy dog,” she shared, with a chuckle. “He has very strong feelings, one way or the other.”
Waving goodbye, the group of them headed back to Doreen’s car. They hadn’t gotten very far when Mugs started up again. She looked down at him and asked, “What is your problem?” But when she turned, sure enough the same man was walking toward them. She stepped off to the side and kept Mugs close.
He snorted as he walked past. “Yeah, you better keep him away from me. Dogs like that need to be shot.”
“No, they don’t,” she bellowed. “It’s very obvious that you’re not an animal lover, and he knows that.”
“Of course he knows it. I would shoot him myself if I had a gun right now,” he muttered.
“That’s awfully violent talk for somebody who just lost his wife,” she snapped.
He froze midstep, then turned to her. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me,” she snapped. “Your wife was just murdered, wasn’t she?”
He put his free hand on his hips, still holding a coffee cup in the other, and he glared at her. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“You’re talking about shooting things with a gun, right after your wife was murdered. You better watch your language before people start thinking you might have had something to do with your wife’s death.”
Beside her, Nan gasped in shock. “My granddaughter doesn’t mean any harm,” she interjected in a high-octane tone. “She’s just upset that you were threatening the animals.”
“I’ll do more than threaten them if I find out you’re spreading those kinds of rumors,” he spat, staring Doreen down. “Absolutely no way I’ll allow such talk.”
She shrugged. “Then don’t be so quick to tell people that you’re ready to shoot their animals.”
He took a step toward her, and Mugs started to growl. Only this time it was different. It was farther back in his throat, like he meant serious business. The man looked down at the dog and glared. Then Goliath stepped forward as well.
His expression turned into astonishment. “Good God, what are you? The epitome of an old cat lady? You’ve got an attack dog on a leash, and now you’ve got a cat on a leash too?”
At that, Thaddeus poked his head out from under her hair and cried out, “And me. And me. And me.”
Doreen stared at Thaddeus. “That’s a new phrase for you, buddy.”
The man started to laugh, but only bitterness filled his tone. “That’s just great,” he muttered. “To cap off my day of all days, I end up with a crackpot. It figures, since this whole place has gone to pot.”
“At least now you can sell the restaurant and move on.”
He once again glared at her. “Don’t pretend to know anything about me and my business.”
“Maybe I don’t know,” she conceded, “but maybe I know a whole lot more than you’re expecting.”
He stiffened, and such iciness filled his gaze, not with anger, just this cold, relentless stare that never seemed to quit.
Nan stepped closer to Doreen.
Doreen continued to stare down Randol, knowing full well that, when it came to this kind of attitude, no way you could back down because, if you showed fear, these bullies were all over you.
He nodded. “I know what you are,” he stated, with a cold smile. “You’re just a busybody with no life. An old maid nobody cares about, so all you do is sit around and ruin other people’s lives with your gossip. Don’t try it, or I’ll have you charged in a heartbeat.”
She nodded. “I hear you, but you might find it more difficult than you think to make good on those threats.”
He stared at her, then narrowed his gaze.
“Good God,” he muttered, surprise dawning in his gaze.
“You’re that amateur sleuth in town, aren’t you?
” He shook his head. “You better not have anything to do with my wife’s case,” he warned in a dark tone, full of anger and promise.
“Because I will have something to say about that.”
“Me? If you didn’t have anything to do with your wife’s death, I would think you would want all the investigative help you could get.”
“That’s the job for the police,” he snarled, “and, if you’re smart, you’ll leave it to them.”
With one last sound of complete disgust, he glared at the animals, then marched away at a clip that wasn’t quite running but wasn’t far off.
Nan let out her breath. “I keep forgetting how much danger you tend to get yourself into.”
“Come on, Nan. Not you too. It’s not even that I put myself in danger,” she clarified, “but I do know that you can’t back down with bullies.”
Nan stared at her and frowned. “But, honey, you were instigating some of that.”
“I was,” she admitted, with a nod. “We don’t have very much to go on in this case, and I need an avenue to explore. Just knowing the kind of person Randol is, he makes me want him to be guilty.”
“But wanting him to be guilty doesn’t make it true.”
“I know, so, therefore, I have to confirm that he isn’t guilty because somebody like that is perfectly capable of setting off on a vendetta to get rid of his wife,” she suggested. “And, if that’s the case, I really can’t let him get away with it.”
“But you don’t know that he did.”
“Yet. We don’t know … yet.”