LITMIR.BIZ

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been with me for six years, there’s no way he’s got anything to do with this. He’s as upset as I am.”

      “Relax,” I said, “I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just tryin’ to get a feel for who’s around.”

      She nodded and went on. “Angelo is our chef now. He’s worked here four years. He’s a good man too. He’s very devoted to his work. We’re lucky to have him.”

      She went on to tell me about the line cooks, prep cook, waiters, hostess, busboys and bartenders. Of all those people, only Felix Dempsey had been there when I was hanging out at the restaurant a lot. He was one of the bartenders, and a hell of a great guy.

      “Hey, how is Felix these days? He’s gotta’ be getting up there, isn’t he?”

      Gigi smiled. “He’s still going strong. He only works part time now, on the weekends when it’s busier, and once in a while he’ll cover a shift to give someone the day off. I’m sure he’d like to see you again.”

      I was pretty sure he’d get the chance.

      “All right,” I said, “tell me about your schedule. I need to know what your regular routine is and where you go during the day.”

      “I’m usually here or at home these days.” She sipped her water. “Especially since the trouble started. I work at home in the mornings and come down here around opening. I close a few nights a week, and Marco does the rest.”

      She filled me on the specific times, and details like her dry cleaner and where she grocery shopped.

      All that was left was the hard part. I started another page and said, “Now’s the bit you’re not gonna like. Tell me about your ex-boyfriends and anyone you’re seeing now.”

      “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

      “I gotta’ ask, Gigi. Who’s a better candidate for screwing with you than an ex-lover?”

      She chewed her lip and said, “Well, there is one guy.”

      “Yeah?”

      “He’s tall, skinny, speaks with a New York accent...”

      I slumped in my chair. “Would you be serious, please? This is a legitimate request. It’s not like I’m diggin’ for dirt to amuse myself.”

      “I’m sorry,” she said, laughing into her hand. “This is just such a bizarre situation.”

      “Look, you don’t have to give me a lot of details, just tell me if you think there’s anyone who might be capable of this. Have you had any real bad break ups, or anything like that?”

      She shrugged and toyed with her napkin. “There have been a couple of guys that were serious but didn’t work out. I don’t think they have anything to do with it. There have been a few losers too, I guess. I’ll think about it and keep my eyes open. If something occurs to me, I’ll let you know.”

      “Fair enough,” I said, not wanting to pry any further.

      “What about you?”

      “What about me?”

      “What have you done with the last ten years? Are you seeing anyone?”

      Her eyes met mine, and my blood ran ice cold. I know it was a perfectly valid question, but I wasn’t prepared for it. “Well, yeah, I’m...seeing someone.”

      “Is it serious?” She leaned forward, waiting for an answer. As far as I could tell, she was enjoying the hell out of herself.

      “You know what, you’re right, this is too bizarre to talk about.” I glanced at my watch. “It’s getting late, and I think I’ve taken up enough of your time today.”

      “Dino, come on,” she chided. “I was only giving you a hard time. Don’t be like that.”

      “You weren’t too happy about coughing up details, either.”

      “I know, I know.” She cocked her head at me. “At least tell me this, are you happy?”

      “Yes. I would say that I’m happy. Are you?”

      She thought about that a minute. “Yes. Aside from my current troubles, I’m pretty happy. I haven’t been single very much of my life. It has its advantages.”

      “That’s what I’ve always told people.”

      There wasn’t a lot of ground left to cover, and it actually was getting kind of late. Business was picking up, and I figured I’d better let Gigi get back to work. More than once during our interview, I’d noticed various staff members peering around the corner to see if she was available yet.

      We said our goodbyes, and I told her I’d get in touch after I’d done some more digging. I headed back up the coast, but stopped at a dumpy bar about three-quarters of the way home. I needed to have a good stiff drink and wrap my head around seeing Gigi again. Sitting there with her was way too much like old times, and it brought back a whole lot of memories, good and bad. I didn’t want to face Seth while I was still dealing with that.

      * * * *

      I still wasn’t especially clearheaded when I turned onto my street and parked Matilda in front of the hardware store. I was tired and needed more time, plus I wanted to sit down and try to get a handle on the case. As I walked up the path, I pulled out my cellphone and dialed Seth.

      “Hey, dude.” He threw a sultry tone into his voice, and it felt a bit like being yanked forward in time. It was disconcerting to say the least. “How was your day?”

      “Ah, it was all right,” I said.

      “So what do you want to do tonight? I could get some burgers, and we could put in a little time on your office.”

      “I don’t think I’m up for construction work right now. It’s been kind of a long day.”

      I snagged my mail as I went through the door and climbed the stairs, still feeing odd and disconnected.

      “That’s okay,” Seth said, “we could just find a movie on TV or whatever. I’m easy.”

      “Look,” I said, as gently as I could, “I just got home and I’ve kind of had it. I think I might take a shower and flop on the couch for a while. I need to figure out my next step with the restaurant, and I’m not sure I’d be very good company tonight. Can I take a rain check on those burgers?”

      “Oh. Well, yeah, you could.” He sounded disappointed, and I felt like a heel. “There’s something you should probably know, though...”

      I frowned. “What’s that?”

      I had just reached the top of the stairs and as I turned down the hall, my front door opened, and Seth stepped out, looking sheepish. He closed his phone against his thigh and said, “I’m already here.”

      “Hi,” I said. He was wearing a t-shirt that said iSwallow, and he looked good. My sense of time shifted again.

      “You want me to go?” he asked.

      I chuckled. You don’t get to your forties without knowing there’s only one right answer to a question like that. Besides, I really didn’t. “No, of course not. You’re just gonna have to put up with me, that’s all.”

      We went inside and he shut the door. He sidled up behind me and purred, “That’s okay, I have ways of putting you back in a good mood.”

      “Yes, you do,” I said, turning to drape an arm around his shoulders. I gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Want a beer?”

      “Yes.”

      “Good, get me one while you’re in there.”

      He snorted and headed to the fridge. “So what have you been up to? Did you find anything on Frank yet?”

      “Nothing

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