Death Before Diamonds (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 10) by Mary Maxwell Read Free Book Online Page A

Theo Greer said he’d never seen the guy
before, but I didn’t believe him.”
    “Really? Why not?”
    “Well, I can’t exactly put it into
words,” Marv answered. “It was mainly a gut thing. Like, there was something
about how carefully he talked to the police and how many times he apologized to
me for all the inconvenience.”
    “Did you get a look at the
troublemaker?”
    “Just the back as he ran away,”
said Marv. “I told all of that to the police, but I doubt if it was much help.
I mean, it was a guy wearing jeans, a dark jacket and a baseball cap. He was
driving a blue car that had out-of-state plates and a pretty hefty scrape along
one side.” He laughed again. “Doesn’t exactly narrow down the pool of suspects
much, does it? Tell you the truth, it’s all water under the bridge at this
point. The door’s been repaired. The police have a bulletin out. And Theo
Greer’s taken his bag of lies somewhere else.”
    “Wow,” I said. “You sound pretty
ticked.”
    “Wouldn’t you be?” Marv said
sharply. “The Silver Dollar’s been here for sixty years. We’re a family
business. Do you know what I mean? We don’t cater to criminal types and we
don’t tolerate hanky-panky. If cheating husbands and wives are looking for a
place to do their monkey business, they know that this isn’t an option.”
    I smiled at the man’s summary of his
motel. Then I asked if he happened to know where Theo was headed after he left
Frisco.
    “West,” Marv said. “I know that’s
not very specific, but that’s all he said.”
    “It’s a start.”
    “True enough,” he agreed. “But, if
I was in your shoes, I wouldn’t try too hard to find him. There was just
something shady about that whole deal.”
    “You mean when the other man kicked
in the door?” I asked.
    “Yes, indeed,” Marv replied.
“People don’t do things like that if they’re dropping by to visit friends.”
    “I don’t disagree,” I said. “But,
like I told you, I’m just trying to help his brother. He seems pretty convinced
that something bad happened to Theo.”
    “I hope he’s wrong. I’m no fan of
the guy after the door incident, but I’d hate to think that he ran into truly
nasty trouble out there somewhere.”
    “No doubt,” I said. “Was there
anything else you remember about him?”
    “About Theo Greer?”
    “Yes. Anything he said. Something
you noticed.”
    “Not really,” Marv answered. “Until
that jerk showed up and busted the door, Theo seemed like a normal type of guy.
He looked like just any run-of-the-mill traveler going cross-country to visit a
friend.”
    “That’s what he told you?” I said.
“He was out here to visit a friend?
    “Yes,” Marv said. “When he checked
in, Theo said he was on an extended vacation and was driving from coast to
coast.”
    “Do you know what kind of car he
had?”
    “It was a Ford pickup,” the motel
manager said. “Brown with plenty of rust.”
    “Thanks, Marv. You’ve been a
big…oh, say. One more thing. Is there any chance you have Theo’s phone number?”
    He laughed. “The police asked the
same thing,” he told me. “Normally, I wouldn’t get in the middle of something
like this, but I can pass your number along to him if you’d like. I mean, after
all, you sound legit. And you’re friends with my wife’s interior decorator, so
what other credentials might you possibly need?” He paused and chuckled again. “Not
to mention that I Googled your café while we’ve been on the phone and I can see
that you look like a really level-headed sort.”
    I smiled at the unexpected praise.
    “Thanks,” I said. “I like to think
of myself that way.”
    “Don’t we all,” Marv said. “Don’t we
all.”

CHAPTER
9
     
     
    Zack and I were having dinner that
evening at Café Fleur. The restaurant was noisy and crowded, but our table felt
like a hushed and serene oasis.
    “You look amazing in that dress,” he
said, taking my hand. “Blue is a good