Page 14 of Bourbon Girl, part 1 of 6
He pushed a few buttons, waited for a glass pot to fill, then poured two full cups and brought them over. "Now what's this all about?"
"I'm wondering if Ginger Waters worked here, maybe thirty years ago." I pulled out my phone and showed him the best photo I had of my mother—a snapshot from her fortieth birthday, her smile radiant despite the cheap restaurant lighting.
Frank adjusted his reading glasses and studied the screen carefully. Recognition dawned slowly across his weathered features.
"Yes, I remember her. Sweetheart of a girl, worked here maybe two years. Good waitress, popular with the customers." He handed back my phone. "How do you know Ginger?"
"She was my mother. She passed away recently."
His expression shifted. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you. I'm looking for people who might've known her. Do you remember any of her boyfriends?"
Frank scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Ginger dated, sure, but I didn't pay much attention to her personal life. But she was best friends with another waitress—Suzy something. Those two were thick as thieves."
My pulse quickened. "Do you remember Suzy's last name?"
"Lord, that was a long time ago. It was unusual, I remember that. Rhymed with her first name, which we all thought was funny."
"Rhymed with Suzy?" I wracked my brain. "Schmoozie? Doozy?"
Frank chuckled. "Nothing that silly. What else rhymes with Suzy?"
"Boozy? Choosy? Snoozy?"
"Closer to that last one." His eyes lit up. "Klooz! That was it—Suzy Klooz. K-L-O-O-Z. Funny spelling."
I felt like I'd struck gold. "Do you know what happened to her?"
"No, sorry. But if anyone would know about Ginger's love life, it'd be Suzy."
I thanked the man and carried my coffee back to my van through the lessening rain. My sneakers were soaked, but my steps felt lighter. I had an actual lead.
Suzy Klooz. My mother's best friend who knew all her secrets.
Now I just had to find her.
July 11, Friday
slurrya thick mixture of water and ground grain at the start of the mashing process
I WASstill buzzing the next morning when Jett pulled up to the entrance of the campground. I hadn't yet located Suzy Klooz, but for the first time in months, I felt genuinely hopeful about the future.
"Someone's chipper this morning," Jett observed as I climbed aboard.
The comment irritated me more than it should have. "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all. Just noting the change." He shifted into gear with his usual efficiency. "Good news?"
"Something like that." I didn't owe him explanations about my personal life.
At the strip mall office, customers milled around in the morning heat, fanning themselves with tour brochures. My pulse blipped when I spotted Naomi among them, looking cool and elegant in a flowing sundress.
Marv materialized beside me, sweating more than usual in his wrinkled khakis. "Bernadette, that Japanese writer is back—the one doing the magazine article."
"I see her."
"Be extra nice to her, would you? If she mentions us in her piece, it could bring in serious business. International exposure like that..." He dabbed his forehead with a napkin from his pocket. "Could turn this whole operation around."
