I’ll just have cereal.”
“Are you sure? It wouldn’t take long to fix something.”
“I’m sure . We’ve got enough to take care of today without worrying about a late breakfast.”
“Have you asked Big D about getting the electricity turned on at the house?” I asked . “I don’t know if that place has new wiring or not. We certainly don’t want to have to worry about another fire.”
“Yeah, one fire’s enough for a lifetime . I asked him about that yesterday, and he said he’d have to do some rewiring, so as soon as we can get back into the house…”
After breakfast we drove downtown to start looking at paint and wallpaper. I decided to pick out the vintage wallpaper first and then find the right shade of paint.
I looked at the floral patterns . There was one with a red background and white flowers. It was way too overpowering for a restaurant like ours. I wanted something that would set people at ease. One was a grey background with white flowers, but it looked like it belonged in a bathroom. I didn’t want wallpaper in our public restrooms because they get so much use.
F loral patterns on anything were big in the forties. I thought about looking for a wicker couch with a floral pattern seat cover to put out on the porch during the nice weather. I’d seen one in an antique store. In the meantime I settled on wallpaper with… What else, flowers and leaves, a la forties-style.
“You know, Bogey Man, sometimes I think I should have been born a lot earlier, like in the twenties or thirties.”
“And why is that?” he asked.
“Because I’ve taken to all things from the forties so easily . It was a simpler time. People were simpler. Life was better. Since I met you, I’ve learned so much about that era, and I really like it.”
“Simpler? They did dishes by hand, hung their laundry on a clothes line, no microwaves or frozen dinners when you were in a hurry, and there was a world war going on. You couldn’t use a phone on the run because there were no cell phones. No computers to pay bills online or to do research. There were so many things that you couldn’t do then that you can do now.”
“Less crime,” I said.
“Pamela, we found a body in our cellar, and he had a letter that was dated 1942 in his wallet.”
F or at least a couple of hours, I’d forgotten about the body in the cellar.
Chapter Seven
T he next morning I checked the newspaper to see if Sharon had written anything yet. There was nothing, and I was relieved. Chris and I were still trying to figure out how anyone could put a good spin on our discovery. It wasn’t going to be easy, and I wondered if it was even possible. There were two strikes against us – a fire at one restaurant and bones in the basement at the new location. I could see the headline. “Fire and Murder Plague Restaurateurs.”
Murder, most probably, although we didn’t know anything for sure yet . I wondered how I could get Janet Riley to share with us. Did I want her to share with us? Yes. I didn’t understand my motivation, but I wanted to get involved. I mentioned it to Chris.
“Oh, I can understand . You want to set the record straight and emphasize it happened a long time ago so there won’t be a cloud over the restaurant, right?”
I thought for a moment . “There’s that, but there’s also the idea of becoming involved in a real mystery. I guess I’ve spent too much time around you, Bogey Man.”
My husband smiled , after turning his lip under in his best Bogey fashion and pulling thoughtfully on his ear lobe. “This is an old mystery. Maybe it’s time to get out my Bogey duds and quit crying in my beer about the business. You’re right about us being hit by a double whammy though, but if we solve this murder that would certainly be good for business – I think. I can be a P.I. and you can be my gal Friday. Whadda ya say, cupcake?”
“How are we going to get Janet to tell us
“Are you sure? It wouldn’t take long to fix something.”
“I’m sure . We’ve got enough to take care of today without worrying about a late breakfast.”
“Have you asked Big D about getting the electricity turned on at the house?” I asked . “I don’t know if that place has new wiring or not. We certainly don’t want to have to worry about another fire.”
“Yeah, one fire’s enough for a lifetime . I asked him about that yesterday, and he said he’d have to do some rewiring, so as soon as we can get back into the house…”
After breakfast we drove downtown to start looking at paint and wallpaper. I decided to pick out the vintage wallpaper first and then find the right shade of paint.
I looked at the floral patterns . There was one with a red background and white flowers. It was way too overpowering for a restaurant like ours. I wanted something that would set people at ease. One was a grey background with white flowers, but it looked like it belonged in a bathroom. I didn’t want wallpaper in our public restrooms because they get so much use.
F loral patterns on anything were big in the forties. I thought about looking for a wicker couch with a floral pattern seat cover to put out on the porch during the nice weather. I’d seen one in an antique store. In the meantime I settled on wallpaper with… What else, flowers and leaves, a la forties-style.
“You know, Bogey Man, sometimes I think I should have been born a lot earlier, like in the twenties or thirties.”
“And why is that?” he asked.
“Because I’ve taken to all things from the forties so easily . It was a simpler time. People were simpler. Life was better. Since I met you, I’ve learned so much about that era, and I really like it.”
“Simpler? They did dishes by hand, hung their laundry on a clothes line, no microwaves or frozen dinners when you were in a hurry, and there was a world war going on. You couldn’t use a phone on the run because there were no cell phones. No computers to pay bills online or to do research. There were so many things that you couldn’t do then that you can do now.”
“Less crime,” I said.
“Pamela, we found a body in our cellar, and he had a letter that was dated 1942 in his wallet.”
F or at least a couple of hours, I’d forgotten about the body in the cellar.
Chapter Seven
T he next morning I checked the newspaper to see if Sharon had written anything yet. There was nothing, and I was relieved. Chris and I were still trying to figure out how anyone could put a good spin on our discovery. It wasn’t going to be easy, and I wondered if it was even possible. There were two strikes against us – a fire at one restaurant and bones in the basement at the new location. I could see the headline. “Fire and Murder Plague Restaurateurs.”
Murder, most probably, although we didn’t know anything for sure yet . I wondered how I could get Janet Riley to share with us. Did I want her to share with us? Yes. I didn’t understand my motivation, but I wanted to get involved. I mentioned it to Chris.
“Oh, I can understand . You want to set the record straight and emphasize it happened a long time ago so there won’t be a cloud over the restaurant, right?”
I thought for a moment . “There’s that, but there’s also the idea of becoming involved in a real mystery. I guess I’ve spent too much time around you, Bogey Man.”
My husband smiled , after turning his lip under in his best Bogey fashion and pulling thoughtfully on his ear lobe. “This is an old mystery. Maybe it’s time to get out my Bogey duds and quit crying in my beer about the business. You’re right about us being hit by a double whammy though, but if we solve this murder that would certainly be good for business – I think. I can be a P.I. and you can be my gal Friday. Whadda ya say, cupcake?”
“How are we going to get Janet to tell us
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