Dorset in the Dark: A Fina Fitzgibbons Brooklyn Mystery by Anderson Susan Russo & Anderson Susan Russo

Author:Anderson, Susan Russo & Anderson, Susan Russo [Anderson, Susan Russo]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2017-04-21T04:00:00+00:00

The Deli

They were cutting through Court Street when Cookie remembered Schwartz’s Deli, so they had to backtrack.

Clancy pulled out his phone.

“You’re not going to play Sudoku while we walk, are you?”

He grinned and kissed her cheek. Checking his screen, he said, “Your mother’s going to be worried if I don’t text her. After six already.”

The sun was sinking as Clancy opened the deli door. She led the way. “I hope they still have some of that ham left.”

“Never known a deli without a hunk of ham.”

“This one was special,” she told him, and saw a man behind the counter, waiting on an older couple. Cookie told herself to be patient while the woman pointed to a bowl of potato salad and asked her companion what he thought. He shook his head. She then walked up and down the glass display, pointing to a salad, shaking her head, finally choosing another. Cookie was cold and tired. She had to pee.

“Excuse me, is there someone else who can help?”

“What d’ya want, lady?”

Cookie gave him her order.

“I was here first.”

Clancy wrapped his arm around hers and pulled her back. They waited while the woman decided on the potato salad and then took her package, giving Cookie the eye as she sashayed out, her husband pushing the cart behind her.

While the deli guy sliced their ham, Cookie picked out a potato salad and added that to the order. Clancy gave her the elbow. “Easy,” he whispered. “Wallet’s thin.”

She ignored him. “And some of that cranberry sauce.” She looked at Clancy. “Not too much.”

As the man handed her the packages, she told him they were searching for a missing girl and showed him Dorset’s picture.

The man glanced at it and hunched his shoulders.

“We have reason to believe whoever took the girl stopped here for coffee.”

The owner rolled his eyes. “The world stops here for coffee.”

“This morning?”

“And you expect me to remember who was here today?”

“Not really,” Clancy said. “We were just hoping.”

“A man tried to walk in here with a dog this morning, that’s all I remember. Some people—do I have to put up a sign? It should be common sense: dogs wait outside. The guy was so apologetic, I thought he might be from the city health department, trying to trick me.”

“Anyone else unusual?” Cookie asked. “A strange-looking man?”

The man hiked up one side of his mouth.

“Don’t say it.” Clancy smiled.

Cookie told him why they were asking, explaining that the missing girl was with her mother, but the woman was slipped some drugs, probably from coffee. She told him the police found an empty cup with no markings very close to the scene, and they had reason to believe the cup might have been sold here. “Most cups are distinctive; yours are not.”

“I don’t need to advertise, lady. Got foot traffic galore here. More business and I’d need to hire a floater. As it is, I have one full-time helper.” The man raised his hands, palms out. “So don’t look at me if my cups aren’t marked.

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