Instead of laughing at my bad joke, Silvio swiveled around on his stool toward me, his gray eyes gleaming as brightly as the tablet still clutched in his hands. “Do you need something? Please,pleasetell me you need something. Hopefully to do with someone nefarious?”
“Why so eager to serve?” I asked.
He swept his hand out, gesturing at the mostly empty restaurant. “In case you missed it, things have been slow around here lately. And I’m not just talking about the lack of customers. Why, I don’t think a single bad guy has strolled through the front door so far this week. Not so much as the lowliest underworld minion.”
Sophia set my lemonade on the counter. I flashed her a grateful smile and took a sip. Crisp, tart, and refreshing, with just a hint of sweetness. Yum.
I took another sip of lemonade. “Things being slow is a problem?”
Silvio smoothed a hand down his tie. “Well, it’s not aproblem, per se. It’s just a little…”
“Boring,” Sophia rasped. “We’re not used to peoplenotthreatening us. Silvio doesn’t know what to do with himself.”
The vampire sniffed and straightened up on his stool. “That’s not entirely true. I have gotten quite a bit of work done since Gin’s been gone. It’s just that…”
“You’ve already run out of legitimate things to do?” I asked, teasing him.
“Well, there are only so many times I can do inventory and rearrange the storage shelves in the back,” he lamented. “Especially sincesome peoplearound here are so set in their ways.”
Sophia huffed and stabbed a finger at him. “Don’t youdarego back there and mess up my system again.”
Silvio’s lips puckered, but he didn’t argue with her. Smart man. Sophia was incredibly tough and strong, even for a dwarf, and she could probably snap the vampire into itty-bitty pieces with minimal effort. Sophia also happened to be an excellent body disposer, so if she ever did decide to take her inventory wrath out on Silvio, no one would ever find whatever was left of him.
Sophia looked at me again. “What can I get you?”
I ordered a barbecue chicken platter with baked beans, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and several of Sophia’s delicious homemade sourdough rolls. She fixed my food and slid it across the counter to me.
Chicken slathered with the Pork Pit’s secret barbecue sauce, baked beans swimming in the same brew, crunchy coleslaw with a tangy, vinegary bite, and ooey, gooey mac and cheese. I wolfed down every delectable bite, then used the soft, warm rolls to sop up the final bits of sauce and cheese on my plate. Mmm-mmm-mmm. As much as I enjoyed Underwood’s fancy cuisine, the Pork Pit’s down-home comfort food was a welcome treat, especially on such a chilly day.
I pushed my empty plates aside and got a refill on my blackberry lemonade. Sophia fixed Silvio another hot chocolate, and the three of us chatted back and forth, catching up on all our mutual friends, including Jo-Jo Deveraux, Sophia’s sister, and Liam Carter, Silvio’s significant other.
“Please tell Mallory that we’re looking forward to her party on Sunday night,” Silvio said after we had exhausted all the day’s news and gossip.
“Of course. She’ll be happy y’all are coming.”
Mallory had emailed me the guest list this morning, so I’d known that Silvio and Sophia were invited, along with the rest of our mutual friends. The only folks who weren’t coming to the party were Gin, Owen, Finn, and Bria. According to Silvio, they wouldn’t be back from their vacation for several more days.
“So,” Silvio said. “What kind of information do you need?”
Despite the fact that I’d come here in hopes that Silvio might help me, the vampire was on vacation too, and I didn’t want to ruin his downtime with a problem that had nothing to do with him or Gin.
“C’mon, Lorelei,” Silvio said in a wheedling tone, nudging me with his elbow. “Give mesomethingto do, or I’ll have to rearrange the ketchup bottles for the third time this week.”
Sophia stabbed her finger at him again. “If you so much astouchanother ketchup bottle, I will shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.”
Silvio blanched a little, but he respectfully tipped his head to her. “Point taken.”
Sophia turned back to the stoves to fix another order, but Silvio focused on me again.
“So, Lorelei, what do you need?”
I told him about hearing a noise, finding that pool of blood, and tracking the trail into the woods. I also pulled out my phone and showed Silvio the photos of the dead guy that I’d taken. My story ended with the body vanishing from the woods and someone seemingly driving away with it.
“Well, I don’t recognize him right off the bat, but it’s hard to keep track of all the criminals in Ashland,” Silvio said. “Text me the photos, and I’ll pass them along to my contacts. I’ll also send the photos to Xavier so he can run them through the police databases.”
I sent him the pictures, then slid my phone back into my pocket. “Thanks. Whatever you and Xavier can dig up on the mystery man will be helpful.”
Silvio gave me a speculative look. “Do you think this has anything to do with Clyde O’Neal wanting to get his hands on your shipping yard?”
