“But you two are trying to find the real killer, right?”
“We are,” I admitted.
“Have you had any luck so far?” he asked as he put on his apron.
“We’ve managed to stir things up a bit, but we haven’t found the killer yet.”
“I hate to ask this, but does your sister have a good alibi for the murder?” He looked so troubled asking the question that I was touched by the display of emotion.
“She was with me the entire time, so I suppose in a very real way, we are covering for each other. Bob was by himself, though, and so was David.”
“David? Why would he want to kill Maddy’s ex?”
“He wouldn’t,” I said as I slid a pizza onto the conveyor. “But the police chief still has to consider all of the possibilities, since David was with us, too.”
“Well, it should go without saying, but if there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do, but the reminder is always greatly appreciated. Now, you’d better get to work before my sister skins us both. Would you take this to table seven for me?”
“I’m on it,” he said.
Before Greg could get away, though, I said quickly, “Hey, I meant what I said. It’s good to have you back.”
“Believe me, it’s wonderful to be here. There’s no place I’d rather be.”
There was a tap on the kitchen door half an hour later, and then Chief Hurley walked into my kitchen. It was a rare moment when he crossed my threshold, and it was even less likely that he was at A Slice of Delight on a social visit, especially when there was a murderer afoot.
“What can I do for you, Chief?”
“Actually, I’d like to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?”
“That depends,” I said as I made a calzone and put it on a pizza sheet before I sent it through the oven. “I’m kind of jammed this second, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk if you don’t mind me working while we do it. What’s up?”
“I came by to say that you were right and I was wrong,” he said so softly, I nearly missed it.
“Pardon me?” I asked. Did I actually hear what I thought I just heard?
“Eleanor, I won’t say it again,” he said. “You’re going to just have to be content with what you just got.”
“I’ll try,” I said.
“Don’t you want to know what it is that I’m talking about?”
“I’m not sure that I care,” I said. “Just being right is kind of cool.” I hesitated a second, and then I added, “Okay, I have to know. What exactly was I right about?”
“Bernie Maine,” he said softly.
“What about him?”
“He’s gone.”
“Gone? How can he be gone? I thought you were positive that he wouldn’t run.”
“Hold on. We don’t know that for a fact yet. I’m not even sure that he left the area. All I know is that he’s not where he’s supposed to be. The man just dropped out of sight. I’ve got my people looking everywhere for him, and Chief Hudson is doing the same in Cow Spots.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to find him?”
He nodded. “Sooner or later he’ll turn up. I’m sure of it.”
“That’s what you said before, though, wasn’t it?” I said. It was unkind, and what’s more, I knew it the second it left my lips. “Chief, I’m sorry. I had no business saying anything like that at all.”
“It’s forgotten,” Chief Hurley said.
“Is that all you came to tell me?”
“No, there’s something else,” he admitted.
I started knuckling the dough into a pan for a classic sausage and pepperoni pizza, and I got too aggressive and shredded the dough instead of kneading it firmly in place. I balled the mess up, stuck it back in the fridge, and got out another ball. “Go on. Tell me,” I said.
“We’re pretty sure that Maine’s armed now,” the chief of police said. “We were doing a routine check this morning, and we found out that he’s registered two guns under an alias. It took a while to track it all back to him, but there’s no reason in the world not to think that he’s got both weapons on him right now.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, trying my best not to ruin another piece of dough. “You don’t think he’s going to come after Maddy and me, do you?”
“It’s pretty clear that I don’t know what he’s going to do,” the chief said as he ran his hand through his hair. “But he’s painfully aware that the two of you are digging into this, and if he did kill Grant, he might not appreciate the attention you’ve been giving him. I heard you were back at his place this morning, and there’s probably a pretty good chance that he knows that you were there, too.”