Town in a Lobster Stew

murders in this town in the past few days. If you’ve got something to say, you’d better tell us.”

“And you’ve got to go to the police,” Artie added, looking nervous.

“I know all that,” Candy said, “and yes, I am going to go to the police.”

“Today,” Doc said, emphasizing the word.

Candy turned to him. “Yes, Dad, today. I promise.”

“They’ve got a lot going on right now,” Finn said, “but I’ve got a number you can call.”

Candy thought about it a moment, then nodded, and Finn and the boys dug in their pockets to find a piece of paper he could write on. Artie turned up a business card he didn’t need, so Finn scratched a number on the back of that. He handed the card to Candy.

“So,” he said, “before you give them a call, anything you’d care to share with us?” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Does this have anything to do with that Cinnamon Girl character — the person you met up with yesterday at the opera house?”

“It does.”

“Who’s Cinnamon Girl?” Doc asked.

Finn ignored him, his eyes holding steady on Candy. “Did she give you a few clues?”

“She did.”

His gaze sharpened. “Come to think of it, you never did tell me who Cinnamon Girl was.”

“No, I didn’t,” she agreed, and found herself strangely hesitant to share her information with him. Why is that? she wondered curiously. Could it be that I really do enjoy detective work, and I want to solve this mystery all by myself?

She had to admit, there was some truth to that. Then she reminded herself that two people were dead, and this was no time for games. Lives were at stake.

“It’s Wanda Boyle,” she finally said out loud, before she could change her mind.

That revelation drew gasps from around the table, but Wilma Mae’s was the loudest. “You met with that horrid woman?”

Candy looked around at the elderly woman. “Yes, I did — twice in fact. But yesterday’s meeting was the most recent.” And, briefly, she told everyone at the table about her meeting with Wanda at the opera house the previous day, although she left out certain parts, including a few small details concerning Charlotte Depew. She’d decided to save those tidbits for the police.

“I didn’t know who she was at first,” she added, referring to Cinnamon Girl. “She sent me an anonymous e- mail. I could have been meeting up with just about anyone.”

“You went alone?” Doc asked, concerned.

“No. Finn backed me up.”

“Finn!” The word erupted from several mouths at once, as all eyes turned toward the retired cop.

He sat stoically with his arms crossed, looking from one to the other. “Well, someone had to do it,” he said finally. “I couldn’t let her go in there alone.”

Artie leveled a long finger at him. “You been holding out on us,” he accused.

Doc studied both his daughter and Finn with an appraising eye. “It seems they’ve both been holding out on us.”

“It’s like it’s a conspiracy or something,” Bumpy said in a hushed voice, and after a moment they all smiled, breaking the small amount of tension that had built around the table. They were, after all, friends, which trumped everything else.

“So what does Wanda Boyle have to do with all this?” Doc asked after a few moments, bringing the conversation back on track.

Wilma Mae put a hand on the table and leaned toward Candy. “Did she steal my recipe?” the elderly woman asked.

Candy shook her head. “I don’t think so.” But before she could say anything else, her cell phone rang. She checked the number but didn’t recognize it. Turning away from the others momentarily, she flipped open the phone. “Hello.”

“Is this Candy Holliday?”

“Yes. Who’s this?” She had to stick a finger in her other ear, as Doc and the boys were chattering again, discussing the latest developments.

“It’s Captain Mike,” the voice at the other end of the line said. “You remember me?”

“Yes, of course. From the museum.” As she spoke, she rose and walked away from the booth, to a quieter spot at the rear of the diner.

“That’s right. I work there Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. And sometimes Sundays. I saw you come in the other day.”

“Yes, I remember meeting you,” Candy said.

“Well, I want to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“Get here? Where am I going?”

“I’m over at the Rusty Moose Tavern. You know where that’s at?”

“Sure, Doc and the boys go there all the time. I’m just around the corner at the diner.”

“Well, this time,” Captain Mike said, “tell Doc and the boys to stay right where they are and have another round of donuts and coffee. I want to talk to you only. In private. I’ll be in the back booth. How soon can you get here?”

Twenty-Nine

Deep in thought, Candy keyed off the phone and turned slightly, so she could eye the corner booth at Duffy’s. Doc and the boys were still giving Finn a hard time, though he seemed to be taking it fairly easily, while Wilma Mae was watching her intently. Obviously she had more questions for Candy. But they’d have to wait.

With Doc and the boys so riled up, she knew she’d have a tough time slipping away from them. It’d be best if she could get away unnoticed. But how?

Maybe Maggie can help, Candy thought as she stepped back to the table.

As she approached the booth, she walked past Doc to the other side of the table and batted a hand at Maggie’s shoulder. “Scoot over, would you?”

Maggie gave her a curious look. “Hello, stranger. I thought you were sitting over there.”

“I was. I’m sitting over here now.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I have to talk to you.”

“Oh. Okay.” Sensing something was up, Maggie moved over to make room for her friend. “So who was that on the phone?”

“Someone I need to talk to — in person,” Candy said softly, turning her head aside and casually hiding her mouth behind a hand, so she could speak unnoticed.

“Part of the investigation?”

“I think so, yeah.”

“So... I take it you need my help with something.”

Candy smiled. “You must be reading my mind.”

“I’m getting pretty good at that, aren’t I? So, what do you need?”

“I have to get out of here right now, without Doc and the boys noticing. I don’t want them asking lots of questions. And I don’t want them following me. Can you provide a little distraction so I can slip away?”

Maggie shifted her head slightly, glanced surreptitiously around at the boys, and then looked back at Candy with a mischievous smile on her face. “You got it, honey.”

Immediately she reached across the table, stretching out her hand. “Hey, Doc, would you give me that bottle