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instead.”
    Looking relieved, she said, “I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.” She slid carefully
     from the table, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpeting a few feet from him.The top of her head came to about his chin, forcing her to look up as she spoke.
    “I’ll be out on buying runs, so I’ll miss you, but Aunt Minnie prides herself on her
     repeat customers, so we’ll probably bump into each other again.”
    “I don’t plan on being here very long, so I’d really like to—”
    “I really have to get going,” she said apologetically. She backed toward the door.
     “Thanks again.” She twisted the knob and slipped out before he could do anything to
     prevent it.
    Tucker stood there for several seconds, mulling over his disappointment, dealing with
     the fact that it had little to do with solving Lillian’s mystery and a whole lot to
     do with one Madalaine Cooper. Then another snippet of Lillian’s initial conversation
     sprang to mind. He snapped his fingers. “Today’s Saturday.” He grinned. Lillian wouldn’t
     be too happy about losing her masseur on a busy Saturday, but he hoped she’d be mollified
     when he told her he was “on the case.”
    “Big Sam’s fish market, here I come.”

THREE
    “Six dollars a pound, Sam? Robbery.” Lainey looked at the selection of orange roughy
     again. Maybe she’d go with the flounder. Aunt Minnie wouldn’t be thrilled.
    “Five-ninety-nine,” Sam corrected, then raised his hands at her arched brow. “But
     for you I can maybe make a special. Five-fifty.”
    Lainey held his open gaze for several seconds, knowing Sam expected no less. Like
     her, he was a transplant from Philly. When Sam had heard from Minerva that her niece
     hailed from his hometown, he’d developed a special fondness for Lainey. Of course,
     Sam showed his fondness in his own unique way.
    “Still robbery, Sam. I could go down to Fred’s on Fiftieth and—”
    “That crook wouldn’t know a shark steak from a salmon. You don’t buy from him.” He
     looked appropriately outraged, but Lainey didn’t miss the gleam in his eye. He appreciated
     a good haggler. “You buy from me, or I’ll tell your dear sweet aunt Minerva that her
     niece is harassing the café’s best supplier.”
    Lainey folded her arms, thoroughly enjoying herself. “Who do you think sent me here?”
    Sam chuckled. “You learned from the best too. Don’t you ever forget it.”
    “Think she’d let me?” Lainey countered with a wry grin. “Now, about these underfed
     roughy you’re trying to pawn off on me.”
    Eyes twinkling, he wiped his hands on his ever-present apron. “Five dollars even.
     But you take some flounder too. Tell your aunt they’ll be great stuffed with shrimp.”
    “Done. I’ll need four pounds of tiger shrimp. And don’t try to sneak any of those
     small ones in there.”
    Shaking his head, Sam sighed as if mightily offended and turned toward the back room.
     “Be right back. Stay out of trouble for a minute.”
    Lainey rolled her eyes, smiling at his retreating form. Her parents had passed away
     while she was in her midtwenties, leaving Conrad and his mother as her only connection
     to her hometown. While Lainey didn’t miss the people she’d left behind in Philly,
     she did miss the city itself. The smells, the sounds, its color and vibrancy. Sam
     had given some of that back to her. For that alone she’d have paid the five-ninety-nine.
     Of course, she’d die before telling him that.
    The sound of slow handclaps directly behind her caused her to turn around. “Tucker.”
    He acknowledged her less-than-enthusiastic greeting with a quick nod. “Madelaine.
     The way you handled old Sam there, I’d swear you were Lillian’s niece, not Minerva’s.”
    “Lainey,” she corrected automatically, not entirely surprised to see him. She’d had
     a strange feeling that he’dpop up at some point. Still, she was surprised she hadn’t felt his presence behind
     her.