I grabbed Dee Dee’s arm and pulled her toward the door. “Come on, girlfriend. Let’s go see what Nana’s wearing.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
This was the first time in several years I’d seen Nana decked out in a dress on a day other than Sunday. “Nana! You look gorgeous.”
“Don’t I though?” She twirled in her new outfit. “Do you think George will like it?”
“He’ll love it.” Dee Dee modeled for Nana. “What do you think of this?”
“Well, it won’t be hard to find you when it’s time for Cinderella to leave the ball.” Dee Dee laughed and gave Nana a hug. It warmed my heart to see how patient Dee Dee was with Nana. I knew from experience that patience became a rare commodity after spending much time with her.
The front door opened and George stuck his head in. “Anybody home?”
Nana ran to the door and threw it open. George studied Nana and rewarded her with a whistle. She turned around for him and grinned ear to ear.
“You ladies ready?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
“I’m ready.”
A chorus of voices answered. We followed George to his car. Nana sat in front while the rest of us squeezed in the back. We had directions to the Crab Shack, but we made several wrong turns before we discovered the hidden restaurant. The parking lot was full; we hoped it was an indication of a good place to eat. I grabbed my camera and brought it along to snap pictures for the family album.
George put our name in for a table. We sat on comfortable seats, surrounded by other tourists, and waited. I looked around at the motif. Sea creatures covered the walls, along with anything connected to the ocean. I watched a family of four laughing and joking with each other. It appeared that every table accommodated people having a good time. I was glad George had invited us to tag along with him and Nana. Which reminded me, I needed to covertly get the information Beau needed.
In about fifteen minutes the waiter seated us and handed out menus. They were adorned with colorful sea critters drawn as cartoonish characters.
Nana commented. “Aren’t these the cutest menus you’ve ever seen?” Then everyone started talking at the same time.
“Look at all the selections.”
“I can’t decide what I want.”
“Look at this. They have Snow Crab, Alaskan King Crab, Blue Crabs, Dungeness Crabs, and Stone Crabs. A crab for every palate,” Dee Dee said.
We talked back and forth several minutes before we decided on our fare. The waiter took our orders. We sat back, relaxed and ready for a good time. After orders were taken, I popped the question.
“George, where did you say you lived? I know Nana would love to exchange addresses so she could keep in touch with you.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea.” Dee Dee threw in her two cents.
He took a long sip of his tea. Was he avoiding the question or weighing what he wanted to say? “Uh, I travel a lot. My home is in Ohio, but I don’t stay put much. How about I write down my post office box and give it to you later?” He revealed he worked in insurance, but when I tried to get detailed information he deftly changed the subject. Dee Dee wasn’t any more successful.
Quicker than I expected, our waiter appeared with the food. He spread a feast before us: crab, shrimp, oysters, and mussels, with sides of smashed potatoes, corn, and slaw. Laughter and relaxed talk flowed easily around the table.
Nana’s blue eyes widened. “I felt something on my foot!”
“Oh! I think I feel it!” Dee Dee reached under the table. Within the next minute pandemonium broke loose. Dee Dee emitted a blood-curdling scream. She lifted her hand up with a lobster attached.
“Help, help!” Her face turned bright red to match the color of the crustacean. She spun around in circles and slung her hand back and forth. Proving too much for the critter it turned loose and flew through the air.
What happened next will live in infamy. What are the odds out of all the people in the Crab Shack, a lady easily described as fluffy, decided to choose that moment to bend over to retrieve something from the floor. With her south side pointing north the lobster grabbed on to her plush derriere. A scream to rival Dee Dee’s filled the room.
A man, dressed in chef’s attire, ran into the room. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. A giant lobster escaped the kitchen and we couldn’t find it.” He ran over to the lady with the lobster hanging from her backside. He reached out to grab the lobster when the lady turned around and hit him with her pocketbook.
“Don’t you dare touch me.”
Wide-eyed he looked around for anyone to help him. Someone, I assume from her party, grabbed the lobster and pulled as hard as he could. Finally the lobster let go and the man went flying to the floor holding the prized lobster in his hand. The chef retrieved the delinquent lobster and hurriedly retreated to the kitchen.
The customers’ first reaction was shock, but shortly everyone doubled over in laughter. Dee Dee didn’t laugh. “Hey, that hurt. I’ll never look at lobster the same.”
“Better you than me,” Nana said.
Everyone was too full for dessert, so we went outside and walked around. I clicked picture after picture of Nana feeding the ‘gators. By the time we arrived back at Seaside Cottage we were exhausted. George bade us good-night and left.
“Girls, I’m ready to hit the hay. This has been too much excitement for me in one day. Let’s hope tomorrow is more peaceful.” Mama had no idea what was in store for us over the coming days.
Laura walked into the room. “How was your evening out?”
Mama gave her the short version and promised to fill her in tomorrow as we climbed the stairs, exhausted and ready for sleep.
Dee Dee exited the bathroom dressed in orange pajamas covered with black cats. She reminded me of a pumpkin. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“And what’s so funny?” She pulled on the sides of her pajama top. “Surely you’re not laughing at my kitties?”
“No, no.” I crossed my fingers and silently asked for forgiveness. “Do you think George avoided my question about his address?”
“Yeah. He hesitated too long. You seem to have struck a nerve.” We talked for a while about the names on our suspect list and the best way to interview them. It was around midnight when we finally went to sleep. Way too early the next morning, Mama burst into our room and shook me awake.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Trixie. Wake up.” I rolled over and wiped the sleep from my eyes. Dee Dee rose up and propped herself up on her elbow.
“What is it, Mama? Is Nana alright?”
“Nana’s fine, but Detective Baker took Laura down to the police department again. I’m worried sick about her.” Mama’s hair stuck out in all directions and her housecoat was turned inside out. “What are we going to do?”
I yawned. “Don’t worry, Mama. He’s probably just asking her some questions and then he’ll bring her back home. I don’t think they’ll keep her.”
“I feel terrible sitting here not able to do a thing to help her.” She pulled at some loose strings on her robe. “I know she’d do what she could to support me.”
Dee Dee spoke through the haze of sleep. “Trixie, tell her about the names we’ve come up with so far.” Mama offered me a quizzical look.
“We’ve questioned some of the locals and came up with a list of people who might have it in for Grace. It seems she didn’t mind meddling in other’s lives when it was to her advantage. According to those who knew her well, she didn’t give a hoot about hurting others.” I shuddered thinking someone cared so little for the feelings of another human being.