Luke
Whistling softly to myself, I walked up to Mina’s front door later that evening and raised a fist to knock. Before my hand could hit the white door, however, the lock clicked and it swung open.
My hungry gaze took in the woman who answered. Since I saw her at lunch, she’d changed out of her jeans and work tee and into a pair of gray capri leggings and an oversized white t-shirt. From the wide neckline, I could see the edge of her pale blue sports bra.
“Hi,” she chirped with a sunny smile. Moving to the side, she held the door open. “Come in.”
I sniffed the air as I stepped over the threshold. “It smells good in here. What did you make?” When she texted me and told me to come hungry, I had no idea what to expect, except that it probably wouldn’t be stew. My nose confirmed that. I smelled bacon. And cinnamon.
“Cinnamon chip waffles, bacon, and O’Brien potatoes.” She swung the door shut, then led me toward the kitchen.
“Joe!” Mina hurried forward and shooed the cat off the counter with a huff.
The cat glared, eyeing the bacon for a long second before he jumped down empty-handed. He didn’t wander far, however. I could see in his eyes he was just waiting for her attention to wander again.
Chuckling, I perched a hip on a barstool. “You’re going to spoil me. I never eat this many home-cooked meals.”
Turning a quick grin on me, she picked up a bowl of batter and scooped some into the waffle maker. “Get used to it. I like to cook. Why do you think I want to open a café?”
“I’m not complaining.” Reaching across the counter, I snagged a slice of bacon from the platter. “Did you talk to Claire?”
“No. But she’s supposed to call.”
As if on cue, Mina’s phone trilled from its spot on the counter.
Snatching another piece of bacon, I grinned. “She heard you talking about her.”
Mina laughed as she answered the phone. “Probably.” Tapping the phone screen, she put the call on speaker. “Hey. Luke and I were just talking about you.”
“Good things, I hope.” I could hear the smile in Claire’s voice.
“Yes,” Mina said. “I was telling him you were supposed to call with an update, then you did.”
“Oh, well, I won’t keep you waiting, then.”
I shared a quick look with Mina.
“So, I know Ozzie warned us off the case, but all of this is public record. I didn’t do anything shady or anything a realtor wouldn’t do when researching property. If anything, he should thank me for saving him some valuable time. It’ll be easier for him to verify than to dig it all up in the first place. Anyway, your café isn’t the only property Walter Shuman unloaded recently. He’s sold two others—both through Miranda Benning—in the last six months.”
“Really? That’s interesting. And it fits with what I overheard at the diner today.”
“What?” Claire said. “What did you overhear?”
“That Walter unloaded a few properties, not just the building Mina bought.”
“Were they commercial or residential?” Mina asked Claire as she opened the waffle maker and removed the now-cooked waffle.
“Commercial. His house has yet to hit the market. I checked.”
I frowned. “Why would someone sell all their other properties, but not their house if they were leaving the area?”
A light touch on my leg made me look down. Joe rubbed against my shin. I ate all but the very end bit of my bacon, then let my hand drop to my side, giving the small piece to the cat.
Mina narrowed her eyes but stayed silent. I just smiled innocently. I was still of the camp of keeping the cat on my good side.
“I’m not sure,” Claire continued. “He might have plans to sell it. Maybe he needs to find a new place first.”
“That makes sense.” Mina added more batter to the waffle maker and shut the lid. “What did you find out about the commercial sales? Anything weird?”
