“Huh,” I muse. “Who knew this place was a virtual hub for the social scene?”
Macy leans in. “It just goes to show you’re a hermit who never leaves her cottage.”
A familiar looking brunette with short hair and an impish grin comes our way.
“Hello, ladies, can I help seat you?” Her nametag reads Bernie and I can’t help but feel as if I just struck gold.
“Archie Alden is reserving a table for us.” Macy is quick to toss his name around like a calling card.
A hearty laugh bucks from the girl. “I know just where you’re seated.” She leads us down to the front to a round table dotted with a votive candle.
“Here are your menus.” She quickly hands Macy and me each a small laminated square. “The party appetizer platter is a crowd pleaser. It has a little bit of everything and feeds eight to ten.”
“Great. Let’s start with that,” I say.
“Any drinks?” She nods as if suggesting we’ll need them. I’m guessing she’s right.
“Something strong and pretty,” Macy says just as she jumps and waves to someone near the bar. “I see Gio!” She streaks across the room like a bolt of blue lightning.
“She knows Gio?” Bernie tips her head to the side as if this confused her.
“Macy knows everyone,” I say. “And I sort of know you.”
“You do?”
I nod as I step in close. “You were at the Country Cottage Inn the other night. I’m the manager there. You made a great volunteer. Too bad things ended so tragically.”
“Yeah.” She glances to the stage. “Too bad.” I always thought I’d celebrate with champagne if I could get Julian out of my life for good. But I’ve yet to hit the bubbly. I guess death can erase Julian, but it can’t erase the past.
“Were you close to Julian?” I ask and she doesn’t waste a moment before frowning my way. “I mean, of course, you were. He worked here. You work here. I’m sure you knew him well enough.”
She takes a breath and runs her fingers through her short curls.
“Everyone here knew Julian. I guess you could say I knew him a little better than others.” She rolls her eyes. “He loved to hit on the waitresses here.”
“I see.” I shrug. “Well, I’m sure he’s left a void as far as the entertainment goes. I looked him up online and his fans seem like they really miss him.”
“That they do. The flowers they’ve been leaving at the entry every day could outfit a florist. It’s a nice gesture. But thankfully, we have others who can step in around here. Archie is pretty good. And we’ve got a few others that are going to fill in as well. Are you here with the Collective?”
“The what?” I lean in a notch to hear her better, but she shakes her head.
“Never mind. It’s the dating beehive going on behind me.”
“Oh right.” I glance past her and catch a glimpse of Georgie flanked with two good-looking men in suits, along with Juni who has a hunky side of beef of her own. I don’t see Macy. But I wouldn’t put it past her to have already done her disappearing act for the night. “No, my fiancé is meeting me here. You probably met him, too. He was the detective on the scene the other night.”
I cringe because I’m pretty sure cluing a suspect in on the fact I’m dating the lead detective isn’t the best tactic. Bernie here just might be the one who loosened those latches. I can’t bring myself to call her a killer. She seems so sweet despite her dark thoughts about the deceased.
“Oh yeah, the good-looking guy with the bright eyes?” Her brows furrow a moment. “I tell you, all the good ones are taken. So he’s working on Julian’s murder?”
My insides squeeze tight because I’m pretty sure this isn’t the direction we should be moving in.
“Maybe. I mean, it’s not like it’s officially a murder investigation.” Although I’m pretty sure it is. “He’s actually working on the case of that girl who’s gone missing.”
“Anita?” Her eyes double in size.
“You knew her?”
She glances back to the bar. “Not really, but I’ve seen her around a time or two. Last year, there was another girl who took off—Emerson, Emery? I can’t remember her name. Anyway, nobody made too big of a deal out of that one, but her brother kept coming around asking if anyone knew where she was.”
“Maybe she took off and didn’t tell him?”
“Maybe.” Bernie shrugs at the thought. “But she left a three-year-old behind. Not many mothers would do that.”
Someone calls out to her from the bar.
“I’d better get your order in. Have a great time tonight.” She takes off just as a tall, dark-haired, drop-dead gorgeous homicide detective closes the distance between us and slips his arms around my waist.
“Someone out front mentioned this place was teeming with hot, single ladies. You wouldn’t happen to be single, would you? Because you sure are smokin’.” He lands a kiss to my lips and I hold him there a moment, making it linger.
“I’m engaged and my fiancé packs heat, remember?”
“Have I mentioned I wear a Kevlar vest?”
Another waitress comes by and sets down that platter of appetizers I ordered.
Jasper gives an approving groan as we take our seats.
“You must be a mind reader.” He winks my way. “Because I am starved and this looks like perfection—second only to you.”
“Lucky or unlucky for you, I can read minds.” I lean in. “I just talked to Bernie. She says she knew Julian pretty well, but didn’t say anything about dating
