‘‘Yes, I do. Rather tenacious. They aren’t going to like not having a body.’’
That’s what I figured, she thought.
When Diane hung up, she felt a cold stab of fear in the pit of her stomach. She was quickly losing control of everything around her and the thought panicked her. She gripped Mike’s geode tightly, inhaled deeply, and let her breath out slowly. She had to solve the mysteries—all of them—or she could never make her world right. She set the geode down, got up, and headed down to the restaurant, hoping that the young woman who waited on her and Kingsley was working today.
Chapter 26
The museum restaurant with its tall old-brick archways and vaulted chambers looked very much like a medieval castle. In the evenings all the tables were lit by candles. It was a cozy restaurant and served good food. This evening the restaurant was packed, as it had been the previous evening when Diane was there with Kingsley. She glanced around the room and saw several people she knew. So far no one had noticed her. She spoke to the hostess and asked if Karalyn was working tonight. She was. Diane asked to see her in the manager’s office.
‘‘Sure. Is everything okay?’’ asked the hostess.
‘‘Fine,’’ said Diane, hoping her smile didn’t look as fake as if felt. ‘‘Just ask her to meet me, please.’’
Diane hated this kind of interview. Karalyn was young and had worked at the restaurant for several months while attending Bartram University. Diane couldn’t really imagine her drugging the patrons—or her. Diane walked to the back of the restaurant, looking straight ahead. She saw someone wave to her out of the corner of her eye. She pretended she didn’t notice.
Diane went into the office, a small room with a desk piled high with papers and restaurant catalogs. She pulled out two chairs, sat down in one, and waited for Karalyn.
‘‘Sorry I took so long to see you . . . someone didn’t show up for work and I have to fill in for him,’’ she said, a little out of breath.
‘‘Did you lose someone?’’ asked Diane. She motioned to the chair and Karalyn sat down.
‘‘One of the wait staff didn’t show up and the manager can’t get hold of him. It’s common in this business, unfortunately. Some people don’t bother to call.’’ She frowned and smoothed her long skirt.
‘‘Do you remember me and a gentleman eating dinner last night?’’
‘‘Sure. He was here most of the day,’’ said Karalyn.
‘‘When we were eating, did you fill the drinks you brought us?’’
‘‘Why...no, as a matter of fact, Bobby Banks did.’’ said Karalyn. ‘‘He’s the one who didn’t show up. Was something wrong with the drinks?’’
‘‘Why did he fill them and not you?’’ asked Diane.
Karalyn’s frown deepened. ‘‘He offered,’’ she said. ‘‘We were so busy. I just thought he was trying to get on my good side, to ask me out.’’ She paused a moment. ‘‘He wasn’t, was he?’’
Diane shook her head. ‘‘No, I don’t think he was. Do you have an address for him?’’
‘‘Sure.’’ Karalyn jumped up and went to a filing cabinet and started looking through the files.
‘‘Did you or anyone here notice anything unusual about Bobby yesterday?’’ asked Diane as Karalyn searched for the address.
‘‘No. He was his usual self. Funny and friendly. We all like him. He’s a good worker and he doesn’t try to steal tips. A little odd, though. Very juvenile acting. Well, this is funny,’’ said Karalyn.
‘‘What?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘His address: 1214 Rockwell Drive,’’ she said.
‘‘Rockwell only goes to 800. That would put him in the woods,’’ said Diane.
‘‘It would. What’s going on?’’ she said, looking at Diane with a frown.
‘‘What does he look like?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘Blond hair. Hazel eyes. Slim. Real cute . . . almost pretty in a guy sort of way,’’ said Karalyn. ‘‘About five ten, I guess. My boyfriend is five ten and Bobby seems about that tall.’’
‘‘Does he have a personal space? Don’t you guys have lockers?’’ asked Diane.
Karalyn nodded. ‘‘That was an odd thing about him,’’ she said. ‘‘He was really into cleanliness.’’
‘‘What do you mean?’’ asked Diane.
‘‘He’s always wiping down everything. Even his locker.’’ She paused a moment in thought. ‘‘He was getting rid of fingerprints, wasn’t he?’’
Karalyn was getting that sparkle in her eye that Diane often saw in people when they found themselves landed in a mystery.
‘‘Maybe,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Wow, can’t you tell me what he did?’’ she said.
‘‘I don’t know that he did anything,’’ said Diane. ‘‘I just need to speak with him.’’ She left Karalyn closing the filing cabinet and walked out and through the restaurant.
‘‘Diane.’’
She recognized the voice of Kenneth Meyerson, one of the board members. She turned to him and smiled. He was at a table with his wife.
‘‘Can you sit down a minute?’’ he asked.
Diane hesitated, then smiled and sat down. ‘‘Just a minute. How are you and Evelyn?’’
‘‘We’re great. Just going to a concert on campus tonight. Ever heard of a fellow named August Kellenmeyer?’’ asked Kenneth.
‘‘Oh, Ken, of course she has,’’ said his wife.
Evelyn was a petite woman with pixielike short, dark hair and a heart-shaped face. She reminded Diane of Clara Bow.
‘‘Pianist,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Yes. One of my favorites.’’
‘‘I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the board meeting yesterday,’’ said Kenneth.
‘‘You enjoyed that?’’ said Diane. ‘‘You must be hard up for entertainment.’’
He chuckled. ‘‘Oh, you don’t know. Before you arrived, Barclay was telling Vanessa, ‘This is what happens when you have no oversight. You’ve got to change this. The board has to have more power. I’ll show you how to handle this.’ He hammered his hand up and down on the table like he was swatting flies.’’ Kenneth laughed. ‘‘I guess he did show her how to handle it. I thought to myself when he was going on, Diane’s going to rip him a new one. And you did.’’
‘‘I take it you’ve had a run-in with him before,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Oh, yeah. When I was just starting out I went to his bank for a loan. He treated me like I was hardly worth stepping on. Barely looked at me when he was turning down my application and lecturing me on how there are bigger computer companies out there and who was I to think I could compete with them out of my garage,’’ he said.
Kenneth’s computer company was now both successful and international, but Diane could tell he still felt the sting of that rejection.
‘‘I guess you showed him,’’ said Diane.