Page 33 of Out to Get Her
“Actually, Mrs. Weaver, I was wondering if I could speak with you about something important. Would you mind chatting with me for a second over here while I wait for my to-go order?”
Addie flinched and looked back and forth between Erin and Samantha. “Well, if it’s important, I suppose so.”
Samantha guided Addie back toward the front counter. With a wink over her shoulder, she said, “Y’all enjoy the rest of your lunch. Good to see you.”
Erin didn’t like the idea of Addie spouting off lies and crackpot theories about her in Samantha’s ear. Not one bit. But she’d spent enough years defending herself around here. She’d take any break she could get from that Weaver wrath.
“Sooooooo.” It sounded like Trey could drag that word out for a whole week. He wagged his eyebrows at her with a quick glance toward the front counter. “Sergeant Ardoin, huh? I’m not a big fan of the policing system as a whole, as I know you must not be either.” There was that sly grin again. “But with Sam… I don’t know. I could maybe see it for you.”
Erin felt her cheeks flush even hotter as she grabbed a chip from her plate and tossed it at Trey’s pile. “Isn’t your lunch break over soon?”
* * *
“I’m telling you, that is too much of a coincidence,” Addie said, wagging a finger in the air. “That girl showing up here the same day as my fire? She was already responsible for one, now mine. How many more’s she got in store for us?”
The last thing Samantha had time for this week was defending Erin Sonnier to Addie, but she couldn’t very well let the woman eat Erin for lunch.
“Erin had nothing to do with what happened to your restaurant. She wasn’t even in town yet when it started.”
“How do you know that? For all you know—”
“I know because I stopped her outside your place while you were talking to the insurance people,” Samantha said. “She’d just gotten into town and was looking for dinner. I had to explain what happened.”
Addie grunted. “She could have been lying. How do you know she was telling you the truth? Could have been snooping around to see the results of her handiwork.”
“Justine saw her in the gas station first. She’d just come in to fill up. Paul saw her, too.”
“She could have been fibbing to them.” Addie’s shoulders sagged. “And poor Paul. Don’t you think there are just too many coincidences?”
She should have let it go, but Samantha couldn’t allow this ridiculous thought train to roll on any further. “You can’t possibly be suggesting Erin had anything to do with Paul’s death.”
“Well, she did find him. In her own house.”
“I assure you I will look into every possible lead, but I honestly do not believe Erin had anything to do with that homicide.” Samantha crossed her arms. “And since when is he poor Paul? You’ve been ready to strangle him yourself for as long as I can remember.”
“Yes, but I didn’t want the man todie.”
Fair enough.
Samantha glanced at Erin and Trey finishing their lunches. It was a good sight, the both of them laughing. She was glad they’d found their way to each other.
Trey was doing well, as far as Samantha knew from chatting and checking in with his mom from time to time. But it had been hard for him to make and keep friends. People around here liked him well enough, but they still kept him at arm’s length.
As for Erin, Samantha was glad any time she saw her smile. Even when Samantha wasn’t the reason for it.
When she returned her attention to Addie, she found the woman giving her a curious look.
“What?”
“I need to get back to the restaurant.” Addie handed her credit card to the cashier in exchange for two overflowing plastic bags. “Just picking up sandwiches for my crew. They’re working hard to help get the place back up and running.”
Leave it to Addie. Stirring up trouble for one person while feeding her employees and giving business to her competition. The woman was a whole mess of mixed signals.
“I hope everything goes smoothly and you’re back up and running soon.”
“Thank you.” Addie put a hand on Samantha’s forearm. “And I do hope you find whoever killed Paul. I’ll help you bury the son of a somebody who did it myself.”
Samantha gave her an appreciative smile and held the door as Addie left with her bags and one last over-the-shoulder glance at the table near the back of the cafe.
