you he was engaged?”
“Sylvia,” I sighed. “Please just shut up for a minute and listen to me. I recorded our conversation, so you will be able to hear our whole encounter. I’ll play it for you.”
I heard her take a deep breath and hold it. I wondered if she’d stopped breathing.
I pressed Play . She was oddly quiet through the entire exchange.
“That’s it,” I said when it was over.
Silence.
“Sylvia, are you there?”
Her voice caught. “The caterers are gonna be pissed.”
***
Cleo and I pushed through the Irish Pub’s heavy oak doors, tromped past the bar and two other servers, and took a table in the back where the woman I remembered waited tables.
She breezed over and slapped a couple menus on the table. “I’m Katie,” she said in case we couldn’t read her nametag. “May I bring you ladies something from the bar?”
“I’ll have a Manhattan,” I said.
Snapping closed her menu, Cleo said, “A martini. And I’d like to start with an appetizer. What’s good?”
“The Corned Beef Rolls are a favorite. I like the Pear and Bleu Cheese Salad. The Guinness BBQ Wings are the best I’ve found anywhere.”
Cleo dropped the menu. “We’ll take them all. I’m famished.”
I waited until Katie returned with our drinks to plop my camera-purse on the table. She did a double take.
“I know that purse.”
“You do,” I said.
She squinted, peering closely at my face. “Same green eyes. Wow. I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
“Cat’s incognito,” Cleo blabbed. “If your boss sees her…”
Cleo seized her butter knife and mock-sliced her throat.
“Smooth, Cleo,” I said. “Next time, you can wait in the car with Inga.”
Katie’s eyes swept the room. “She’s right. You do not want Kyle to find you here. We’re supposed to tell him if we see you.”
I slipped a C-note from my purse pocket. “You didn’t.”
She palmed it. “Ben’s a good friend of mine.”
“What about Cristina? Your old bartender from a few years back.”
“Not so much.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t like to speak ill of the dead.”
“Cristina’s not dead.”
“The boss hasn’t found her yet.”
Cleo reached in my bag and dragged out another Benjamin. “Another good friend might loosen your tongue.”
Katie smiled and took it saying, “You can’t have too many friends. Cristina didn’t work here long. She started in the kitchen, slept with the boss, next day was promoted to bartender.
“I guess you know about the shooting. The cops closed the bar for a week. We all came back except Cristina. Maybe she figured once the boss was gone, the perks she got sleeping with him were gone, too.”
I shrugged. “Or maybe she left because she was traumatized by the shooting. She worked that night. It’s possible she saw something.”
“Cristina’s a drama queen. You got that right. But she didn’t work that night. She was on the schedule, but she traded shifts with another bartender.”
“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Cleo said.
The server looked taken aback. “She means Cristina,” I said. “Thanks for the information.”
She turned to leave, then twisted around again.
“You know if my boss finds out I talked to you…”
I crossed my heart, finger-locked my lips, and threw the key away.
“Mmuaymmm,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Her lips are sealed,” the one with the big mouth said.
“I don’t know what happened between Cristina and Kyle. But I can tell you this. The only time I’ve seen the boss this mad, someone was ripping him off.” And Katie was gone.
We finished off the appetizers and kept the drinks coming. Cleo laughed and flirted shamelessly with a guy bussing tables.
Cleo’s on a roll in the dating department. Walter, the salesman from Toledo, my crazy cousin Frankie, and the busboy. She was really reachin’ for the stars.
The energy in the room shifted as I felt a hostile presence from across the room close in on me. The hair on the back of
“Sylvia,” I sighed. “Please just shut up for a minute and listen to me. I recorded our conversation, so you will be able to hear our whole encounter. I’ll play it for you.”
I heard her take a deep breath and hold it. I wondered if she’d stopped breathing.
I pressed Play . She was oddly quiet through the entire exchange.
“That’s it,” I said when it was over.
Silence.
“Sylvia, are you there?”
Her voice caught. “The caterers are gonna be pissed.”
***
Cleo and I pushed through the Irish Pub’s heavy oak doors, tromped past the bar and two other servers, and took a table in the back where the woman I remembered waited tables.
She breezed over and slapped a couple menus on the table. “I’m Katie,” she said in case we couldn’t read her nametag. “May I bring you ladies something from the bar?”
“I’ll have a Manhattan,” I said.
Snapping closed her menu, Cleo said, “A martini. And I’d like to start with an appetizer. What’s good?”
“The Corned Beef Rolls are a favorite. I like the Pear and Bleu Cheese Salad. The Guinness BBQ Wings are the best I’ve found anywhere.”
Cleo dropped the menu. “We’ll take them all. I’m famished.”
I waited until Katie returned with our drinks to plop my camera-purse on the table. She did a double take.
“I know that purse.”
“You do,” I said.
She squinted, peering closely at my face. “Same green eyes. Wow. I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
“Cat’s incognito,” Cleo blabbed. “If your boss sees her…”
Cleo seized her butter knife and mock-sliced her throat.
“Smooth, Cleo,” I said. “Next time, you can wait in the car with Inga.”
Katie’s eyes swept the room. “She’s right. You do not want Kyle to find you here. We’re supposed to tell him if we see you.”
I slipped a C-note from my purse pocket. “You didn’t.”
She palmed it. “Ben’s a good friend of mine.”
“What about Cristina? Your old bartender from a few years back.”
“Not so much.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t like to speak ill of the dead.”
“Cristina’s not dead.”
“The boss hasn’t found her yet.”
Cleo reached in my bag and dragged out another Benjamin. “Another good friend might loosen your tongue.”
Katie smiled and took it saying, “You can’t have too many friends. Cristina didn’t work here long. She started in the kitchen, slept with the boss, next day was promoted to bartender.
“I guess you know about the shooting. The cops closed the bar for a week. We all came back except Cristina. Maybe she figured once the boss was gone, the perks she got sleeping with him were gone, too.”
I shrugged. “Or maybe she left because she was traumatized by the shooting. She worked that night. It’s possible she saw something.”
“Cristina’s a drama queen. You got that right. But she didn’t work that night. She was on the schedule, but she traded shifts with another bartender.”
“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Cleo said.
The server looked taken aback. “She means Cristina,” I said. “Thanks for the information.”
She turned to leave, then twisted around again.
“You know if my boss finds out I talked to you…”
I crossed my heart, finger-locked my lips, and threw the key away.
“Mmuaymmm,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Her lips are sealed,” the one with the big mouth said.
“I don’t know what happened between Cristina and Kyle. But I can tell you this. The only time I’ve seen the boss this mad, someone was ripping him off.” And Katie was gone.
We finished off the appetizers and kept the drinks coming. Cleo laughed and flirted shamelessly with a guy bussing tables.
Cleo’s on a roll in the dating department. Walter, the salesman from Toledo, my crazy cousin Frankie, and the busboy. She was really reachin’ for the stars.
The energy in the room shifted as I felt a hostile presence from across the room close in on me. The hair on the back of
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