check to her dad’s house.
The messages were still playing when Maddy came back, clutching a bag from Paul’s.
“Where’d she go?”
“She’s not out there anymore?” I asked as I hit the pause button on the answering machine.
“No, she’s gone,” Maddy said. “All you had to do was keep her company, and yet she managed to walk right out of the pizzeria.”
“I couldn’t keep her here against her will,” I said. “She promised me she’d stay.”
“What do we do now?”
“There are a couple of options. We could try to find her, or we could keep the pizzeria open and look for her later,” I said.
“I vote you stay here and work while I go out looking for her,” Maddy said.
“I’m sorry, were you under the impression that you got a vote? This is a benevolent dictatorship, not a democracy.”
“Okay, great leader, then what do we do?”
“I’m not sure. Rita just quit,” I said as I pointed to the answering machine.
Maddy shook her head. “We’re better off without her, if she’s too afraid to show up for work.”
I decided not to tell my sister that she’d tried, or had at least claimed to have made the effort.
I heard the front door chime and said, “I need to see if we have a customer, or if Sheila’s decided to come back.”
“Wait for me,” Maddy said as she followed me back out front.
I’d been hoping Sheila had changed her mind about bolting and had returned. Second best would have been an actual customer, willing to cross the unseen boundary and actually come into the shop and eat. Instead, it was my last choice, our very own chief of police.
“What do you want, Kevin?”
“Is that how you greet everyone who walks in here?” He looked around the empty room, then added, “If it is, I’m guessing that might be one of the reasons the place is deserted.”
“Sorry, I’m a little on edge right now. But honestly, unless you’re going to place an order, you might as well turn around and go. My attorney has instructed me not to talk to you unless he’s right beside me.”
Kevin looked around. “Funny, I don’t see him here now.”
“You know what? You’re absolutely right.” I turned to my sister and said, “You take care of him. I’ve got work to do.”
I headed back toward my office when Kevin said, “I’m not here on official business. Eleanor, could I talk to you a second as a father and not as the chief of police?”
I turned back to look at him, and there was a somber expression on his face. This wasn’t going to be pleasant. Kevin’s son, Josh, worked for me three nights a week, and it had been a bone of contention between us from the start.
“Don’t tell me,” I said. “I think I already know. You’re not going to let your son work here anymore.”
His frown deepened, but instead of letting him answer, I lit into him. “Kevin Hurley, you’ve known me over twenty years. Do you honestly think I’d do anything to hurt your son? I’m a big fan of Josh’s, though I can’t say the same thing about his dad at the moment.”
“How you feel about me doesn’t matter,” he said. “Eleanor, be reasonable. He’s all my wife and I have in this world that means anything to us, and I’m not going to let him be painted with the same brush folks around town are using on you. I’ve told him he has to quit.”
“What did he say to that?”
Kevin shrugged. “That doesn’t concern you. I’m just saying, if he shows up anyway, I want you to send him home.”
“Shouldn’t Josh be the one deciding this?”
Kevin looked like he was ready to explode, but he managed to rein in his temper. After a few seconds, he said, “You don’t have kids. No matter what you think of me, consider him. That’s all I’m asking.”
“I need to think about it. Is that it?”
“For now,” he said.
“Then consider your message delivered.”
I heard Maddy gasp slightly, but I didn’t dare look at her. My gaze was locked on Kevin. After ten seconds, he
The messages were still playing when Maddy came back, clutching a bag from Paul’s.
“Where’d she go?”
“She’s not out there anymore?” I asked as I hit the pause button on the answering machine.
“No, she’s gone,” Maddy said. “All you had to do was keep her company, and yet she managed to walk right out of the pizzeria.”
“I couldn’t keep her here against her will,” I said. “She promised me she’d stay.”
“What do we do now?”
“There are a couple of options. We could try to find her, or we could keep the pizzeria open and look for her later,” I said.
“I vote you stay here and work while I go out looking for her,” Maddy said.
“I’m sorry, were you under the impression that you got a vote? This is a benevolent dictatorship, not a democracy.”
“Okay, great leader, then what do we do?”
“I’m not sure. Rita just quit,” I said as I pointed to the answering machine.
Maddy shook her head. “We’re better off without her, if she’s too afraid to show up for work.”
I decided not to tell my sister that she’d tried, or had at least claimed to have made the effort.
I heard the front door chime and said, “I need to see if we have a customer, or if Sheila’s decided to come back.”
“Wait for me,” Maddy said as she followed me back out front.
I’d been hoping Sheila had changed her mind about bolting and had returned. Second best would have been an actual customer, willing to cross the unseen boundary and actually come into the shop and eat. Instead, it was my last choice, our very own chief of police.
“What do you want, Kevin?”
“Is that how you greet everyone who walks in here?” He looked around the empty room, then added, “If it is, I’m guessing that might be one of the reasons the place is deserted.”
“Sorry, I’m a little on edge right now. But honestly, unless you’re going to place an order, you might as well turn around and go. My attorney has instructed me not to talk to you unless he’s right beside me.”
Kevin looked around. “Funny, I don’t see him here now.”
“You know what? You’re absolutely right.” I turned to my sister and said, “You take care of him. I’ve got work to do.”
I headed back toward my office when Kevin said, “I’m not here on official business. Eleanor, could I talk to you a second as a father and not as the chief of police?”
I turned back to look at him, and there was a somber expression on his face. This wasn’t going to be pleasant. Kevin’s son, Josh, worked for me three nights a week, and it had been a bone of contention between us from the start.
“Don’t tell me,” I said. “I think I already know. You’re not going to let your son work here anymore.”
His frown deepened, but instead of letting him answer, I lit into him. “Kevin Hurley, you’ve known me over twenty years. Do you honestly think I’d do anything to hurt your son? I’m a big fan of Josh’s, though I can’t say the same thing about his dad at the moment.”
“How you feel about me doesn’t matter,” he said. “Eleanor, be reasonable. He’s all my wife and I have in this world that means anything to us, and I’m not going to let him be painted with the same brush folks around town are using on you. I’ve told him he has to quit.”
“What did he say to that?”
Kevin shrugged. “That doesn’t concern you. I’m just saying, if he shows up anyway, I want you to send him home.”
“Shouldn’t Josh be the one deciding this?”
Kevin looked like he was ready to explode, but he managed to rein in his temper. After a few seconds, he said, “You don’t have kids. No matter what you think of me, consider him. That’s all I’m asking.”
“I need to think about it. Is that it?”
“For now,” he said.
“Then consider your message delivered.”
I heard Maddy gasp slightly, but I didn’t dare look at her. My gaze was locked on Kevin. After ten seconds, he
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