Vanilla Vices Read Online Free Page A

time of the morning, Suzanne,” Trish said when Grace and I walked into her diner.
    “How about me?” Grace asked her, smiling. “Aren’t you surprised to see me?”
    “I expect to see you any time, day or night,” she answered with a grin of her own. “Are you two hungry? As you can see, I’ve got plenty of room.” She waved a hand around the diner. It was empty, with one notable exception. Old Mr. Quimby, the man Jake had rented a room from before we’d been married, was sitting by a window doing a crossword puzzle in ink. He smiled at us briefly and then went back to his puzzle. “He spends every morning with me after my breakfast rush is over,” Trish explained. “I think he’s got a bit of a crush on me, and the way my love life has been going lately, I might just learn to reciprocate the emotion.”
    Trish’s luck with men was horrid, and I’d hoped once that she’d found her true love when she’d started dating a friend of mine, but James Settle had been murdered, and she hadn’t had the heart to pursue anything since. “Don’t worry. I believe your time will come,” I said.
    “I hope you’re right,” she said. “So, if you aren’t here for brunch, you must be looking for information.”
    “You’ve heard about Cr…er, Dan, haven’t you?”
    “You’re kidding, right? It’s just about the only thing the entire town is talking about,” she said, nodding. “He was in here a few days ago saying that he was going to die alone. Who knew how right he’d turn out to be?”
    “Actually, someone was with him,” Grace said.
    “Yeah, you’re right, the killer was there, too. It’s just a shame that it wasn’t someone who cared about him.” She looked at us both askance. “You two aren’t digging into this, are you? I heard the state police sent some hotshot from Raleigh over to handle it. How does Jake feel about getting knocked off the case?”
    “I don’t think he minds all that much. After all, he’s got his hands full as it is with something else,” I said, not wanting to say too much.
    Apparently I didn’t have to. Trish’s face darkened as she said, “I’ve been going over it again and again in my mind, but I just can’t imagine what happened to Linda.”
    “Did you know her?” Grace asked.
    Trish looked at her pointedly before she spoke. “Yes, and as a matter of fact, I still do. I believe with all my heart that she’s fine; she’s just missing, that’s all.”
    “I didn’t mean to…” Grace stammered.
    “Sorry, I suppose I’m a little sensitive about it right now. Her husband is my second cousin; did you know that? Peter adores that woman. My aunt told me this morning that they’ve had to sedate him, he’s so distraught about her disappearing like that.”
    “Were they okay?” I asked her softly.
    “Do you mean were they getting along?” she asked me with an edge in her voice that was uncharacteristic for her. “Suzanne, he dotes on her, and it’s no act. I don’t know what he’s going to do if she doesn’t turn up soon.”
    “I’m sure they’ll find her,” I said.
    “I am, too,” Trish said, clearly troubled by the prospect that they might not. “Now, how can I help you with your investigation? I was a fan of Crazy Dan’s, and I don’t much appreciate someone taking one of my friends from me.”
    “We’re looking for folks who might have more knowledge about his day-to-day life than we do,” I said.
    Before I could bring Benny’s name into the conversation, Trish did it for me. “You should talk to Benny Flint. Those two men were like brothers, fighting just as much but having each other’s backs when anyone else was involved.”
    “That’s a great idea,” I said, not sharing that we’d already gotten the same advice from Gabby Williams. “Do you have any idea where we might find him?”
    “Funny, but you didn’t miss him by more than three minutes,” she said. “If you hurry, you should easily be able to catch up with