Proving Grounds: A London Carter Novel (London Carter Mystery Series Book 2) by BJ Bourg

Author:BJ Bourg [Bourg, BJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2017-02-12T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

Before walking into the marina restaurant, Dawn called Melvin to make sure he’d notified Joyce’s parents. She frowned and I knew it wasn’t good. She spoke for a few minutes and then ended the call. “They didn’t take it well,” she said.

“I didn’t expect they would.”

“The mom collapsed and Melvin had to call an ambulance for her. As for the dad, he said Joyce was loved by everyone. She’d just finished her first year of college and was excited about this new job. He said she comes home every night after work. She doesn’t go out much. Doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs.” Dawn shook her head. “Melvin said this came as a complete shock to them.”

I gritted my teeth, wondering what on earth would cause someone to kill an innocent girl in cold blood. It was one thing to commit a drive-by shooting and randomly hit innocent by-standers. It’s quite another thing to stare through a scope—bringing the victim up close and personal—and coldly put a bullet through an innocent young girl’s head. It took a special kind of evil to pull that off.

With nothing more to say between us, we stepped inside. The dining area was bright and bustling with customers and waitresses. The smell of fried seafood made my stomach growl like a rabid dog on steroids that hadn’t eaten in a week. It was only then that I remembered we hadn’t eaten all day.

“You hungry?” I asked Dawn.

She grabbed her flat stomach and nodded, so we took a seat at a corner table and waited for the waitress to stop by. When a young lady with a nametag that read, Ali, approached our table, we ordered shrimp Po-boys and asked to speak with a manager.

Ali’s eyes widened. “Did I do something wrong?”

Dawn smiled, shook her head. “We need to speak with a manager about one of your employees. We simply need to get some background information.”

“Thank God,” she said. “We’re shorthanded today and it’s been crazy. I know I’ve messed up at least four orders, and one more would probably be the death of me.”

“Who didn’t show?” I asked.

Ali’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You said you’re shorthanded,” I explained. “Who didn’t show up for work?”

“Oh.” Ali pushed her jet black hair out of her eyes. “Joyce missed her shift. It’s unlike her not to call in…” Her voice trailed off and she stared knowingly from me to Dawn, and then back to me. “It’s Joyce, isn’t it? Something’s wrong with Joyce!”

“Now, now,” Dawn said. “I need you to calm down and just get a manager.”

Ali threw a hand over her mouth and hurried into the kitchen. Mere seconds later, a robust woman came from the kitchen and scanned the room until she saw us. She then made a beeline for our table and stood over us, her eyes looking concerned. “Ali says there’s something wrong with Joyce.”

“We didn’t say anything to her,” I said. “We simply asked to speak with a manager.”

“Well, I’m Katrina, and I’m the manager on shift.

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