Page 54 of Merry Murder Season
“And tomorrow we’ll make cookies?” I rolled my head back. “Maybe we should have started this on Monday.”
“We’ll be fine.” Beth picked up her buzzing phone. “Okay, to answer your Gunter question, Dom doesn’t know where he is. He took off a couple of days ago and hasn’t checked in. Dom says he doesn’t need a bodyguard anyway.”
“Weird. The guy was all freaked out about Dom’s safety, then he just rabbits?” I picked up my phone and called Greg. “Did you take Dom off yoursuspect list?”
“Did Lille corner you at thediner and ask?”
I laughed. “No, but we ate in Bakerstown. Has she been hounding you?” I mouthed the wordLilleto Beth and she rolled her eyes.
“Not since noon. Why did youask about Dom?”
I heard the other unasked question as well.Why are you asking me about myinvestigation?
“His bodyguard has disappeared. Gunter.”
There was no response on the other end of the line.
“Greg? Are you still there?”
“Sorry, I just pulled up the interview from Dom, but I don’t think anyone interviewed Gunter. He was at the dart tournament, wasn’t he?”
“A lot of people were there, but yes, Gunter came with Dom and a few of the guys. He brought a date. I was surprised. How’s Matty?” Emma wanted out, so I opened the door and went out on theporch to talk.
“Oh no. The quick conversation switch trick isn’t going to trip me up today. Although her store’s robbery is a Bakerstown issue, since they were covering.” He paused and then added, “I just got off the phone with the hospital. She’s out of surgery and doing okay, I guess.Not awake yet.”
“Greg, was it an accident?”
This time the pause was longer. “I can’t prove it yet, but I don’t believe it was an accident. She’s still out, so I’m debating on driving to Bakerstown tonight to talk to her or waiting until the morning. What are you two doing tonight?Are you home?”
“We are home,” I said and went on to tell him our plans for the nextcouple of days.
He chuckled. “I like having Beth around. I don’t have to worry about you during the day while I’m working.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to worry anyway.” I pointed out the flawin his theory.
“Honey, I’ve been worried about you since the day we met so many years ago,” he said, but then he sighed. “I get it. You’re a big girl. I can’t help but worry because I know how you fall intothese things.”
“I’ll admit, some of the situations have been a little scary. Nothing to worry about here. Like I said, Beth and I are setting up a mini Santa’s workshop here for tomorrow. I’m going to miss having her around.” I paused, looking inside the kitchen. Beth was mixing up the cocoa and sugar. “Is Dom still on your suspect list? He and Beth have gotten close this trip.”
“Great. That’s going to please my brother. I can just hear the lecture now about me not protecting her from a known malcontent.”
I giggled. “That’s not the word I’d use to describe Dom, but it does fit Jim’s vocabulary. Anyway, she told me something big was happening and I should know everything tomorrow.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Iknow, right?”
Beth looked up and saw me watching her through the screen door. She waved.
“Look, I’ve got to go. Take care of yourself, please. I’d hate to have Christmas ruined forever if something happened to you.”
“You’d hate that. I’ll try not to be inconsiderate and get myself killed around a major holiday. Hopefully, it will be a boring day in June if it occurs.” Greg chuckled. “If you find out what’s happening, would you call me? I don’t want to beclueless here.”
“June is a lovely month. Why would you want to spoil it for me?” I smiled, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “Talk to you soon?”
“I’ll touch base in the morningat the latest.”
We said goodbye and Emma and I went back into the kitchen. She’d been sitting at the open screen door and sniffing for the last few minutes. I had a feeling she was going to be in dog heaven for the next day or so, at least until her Aunt Beth left for the airport.
