Cogswells around. They seem to know everyone. Or Juanita certainly would know. She’s lived in Sandy Harbor a long time.”
“Then why wouldn’t she have told me?” Ty asked.
My heart sank. I didn’t want Juanita implicated. “Good point, but maybe she forgot. Or maybe she really doesn’t know.”
“Small town,” Ty reminded me. “Everyone knows everyone.”
A peek out the window told me that Max was sprinkling more ice-melting granules onto the sidewalk leading to the diner. “Let me call Max,” I said, pulling out my cell. I punched in his number and could see him answer his phone.
“Hell-o. Max here.”
“Max, this is Trixie. Do you know the name of the man from Sunshine Food Supply who usually delivers to the Silver Bullet?”
“Yup.”
I raised my eyes to the heavens, praying for patience. “Would you like to tell me his name?”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“Then tell me his name!”
“Mark Cummings.”
“Mark Cummings,” I repeated for Ty’s sake, who then wrote it down on a small pad that he pulled from an inside pocket of his coat. “How long has he been delivering for Sunshine Food Supply?”
Max rubbed his chin. “For a long time. He delivers to all the restaurants in Sandy Harbor and round abouts.”
“Anything else I should know about Mark Cummings?”
Max hesitated. “I don’t think so. Other than his sister is Roberta. You know, the gal who was living with the health inspector who died in the kitchen.”
“Oh! Of course I know her.” I hung up the phone, and I repeated Max’s statement word for word before I forgot. Then I sat down at the kitchen table as did Ty.
Ty grinned. “So the delivery person, who delivered for Sunshine Food Supply just before Marvin was poisoned, is Mark Cummings, the brother of Marvin’s live-in girlfriend?”
“Bingo.” I reached for the bag of doughnuts, suddenly famished, and pulled out a peanut doughnut.
“Don’t get excited, Trixie. We have to find out if Mark had an ax to grind with Marvin.”
“Maybe he didn’t like something about Marvin. Maybe he didn’t like how Marvin was treating Roberta.”
Ty pushed his hat back with a thumb.
“I can tell you that Roberta called 911 three times on Marvin the Third. And he was charged with disorderly conduct. It’s public knowledge because all arrests are published in the paper, so I am free to tell you. I hear that that their fights are legendary.”
I swallowed. “And wouldn’t a brother, like Mark, be upset if he knew that Marvin was using his sister as a punching bag?”
“Upset enough to poison him?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on what really happened. Maybe he really did assault Roberta, but she never said.”
“It’s worth checking into. I think I’ll have a little talk with Mr. Cummings.” He took another sip of his coffee and clamped the lid back on.
The beeping warning of a large motor vehicle backing up was loud enough to be heard in the next county. Blondie lifted her head, and her ears stuck up like radar. Then all three of us looked out the kitchen window at the diner.
Another bingo.
“You won’t have far to travel, Ty. The Sunshine Food Supply truck is here, and unless I’m totally mistaken, Mark Cummings will be driving.”
But why was he here? I wasn’t expecting another delivery until next week. Besides, I was thinking of cutting back on the standing order since no one was patronizing the diner.
I followed Ty out the door, slipping into my parka and hopping into my sopping wet boots asI walked. Then I sank into the slush that I’d grown to hate.
We crossed the parking lot in record time and walked around to the back of the diner where deliveries were made and the door was always unlocked.
Chapter 8
W hen Ty and I approached, the Sunshine Food Supply deliveryman was wheeling a dolly stacked with cardboard boxes down a ramp.
I could see Ty reading the colorful printing on the sides of the boxes. I did the same.
“Pies,
“Then why wouldn’t she have told me?” Ty asked.
My heart sank. I didn’t want Juanita implicated. “Good point, but maybe she forgot. Or maybe she really doesn’t know.”
“Small town,” Ty reminded me. “Everyone knows everyone.”
A peek out the window told me that Max was sprinkling more ice-melting granules onto the sidewalk leading to the diner. “Let me call Max,” I said, pulling out my cell. I punched in his number and could see him answer his phone.
“Hell-o. Max here.”
“Max, this is Trixie. Do you know the name of the man from Sunshine Food Supply who usually delivers to the Silver Bullet?”
“Yup.”
I raised my eyes to the heavens, praying for patience. “Would you like to tell me his name?”
“I wouldn’t mind.”
“Then tell me his name!”
“Mark Cummings.”
“Mark Cummings,” I repeated for Ty’s sake, who then wrote it down on a small pad that he pulled from an inside pocket of his coat. “How long has he been delivering for Sunshine Food Supply?”
Max rubbed his chin. “For a long time. He delivers to all the restaurants in Sandy Harbor and round abouts.”
“Anything else I should know about Mark Cummings?”
Max hesitated. “I don’t think so. Other than his sister is Roberta. You know, the gal who was living with the health inspector who died in the kitchen.”
“Oh! Of course I know her.” I hung up the phone, and I repeated Max’s statement word for word before I forgot. Then I sat down at the kitchen table as did Ty.
Ty grinned. “So the delivery person, who delivered for Sunshine Food Supply just before Marvin was poisoned, is Mark Cummings, the brother of Marvin’s live-in girlfriend?”
“Bingo.” I reached for the bag of doughnuts, suddenly famished, and pulled out a peanut doughnut.
“Don’t get excited, Trixie. We have to find out if Mark had an ax to grind with Marvin.”
“Maybe he didn’t like something about Marvin. Maybe he didn’t like how Marvin was treating Roberta.”
Ty pushed his hat back with a thumb.
“I can tell you that Roberta called 911 three times on Marvin the Third. And he was charged with disorderly conduct. It’s public knowledge because all arrests are published in the paper, so I am free to tell you. I hear that that their fights are legendary.”
I swallowed. “And wouldn’t a brother, like Mark, be upset if he knew that Marvin was using his sister as a punching bag?”
“Upset enough to poison him?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on what really happened. Maybe he really did assault Roberta, but she never said.”
“It’s worth checking into. I think I’ll have a little talk with Mr. Cummings.” He took another sip of his coffee and clamped the lid back on.
The beeping warning of a large motor vehicle backing up was loud enough to be heard in the next county. Blondie lifted her head, and her ears stuck up like radar. Then all three of us looked out the kitchen window at the diner.
Another bingo.
“You won’t have far to travel, Ty. The Sunshine Food Supply truck is here, and unless I’m totally mistaken, Mark Cummings will be driving.”
But why was he here? I wasn’t expecting another delivery until next week. Besides, I was thinking of cutting back on the standing order since no one was patronizing the diner.
I followed Ty out the door, slipping into my parka and hopping into my sopping wet boots asI walked. Then I sank into the slush that I’d grown to hate.
We crossed the parking lot in record time and walked around to the back of the diner where deliveries were made and the door was always unlocked.
Chapter 8
W hen Ty and I approached, the Sunshine Food Supply deliveryman was wheeling a dolly stacked with cardboard boxes down a ramp.
I could see Ty reading the colorful printing on the sides of the boxes. I did the same.
“Pies,
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