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tangle with Lilly myself, so it was a conversation I hoped I’d never have to have. “Who knows? But honestly, can you imagine anyone but Emma and me putting up with the hours we have to work every day? Then again, there’s a good chance it may never come up. You never know; Allison might just work out here.”
    “Bite your tongue,” Trish said.
    I looked around for a table, but there was no luck finding an empty seat, let alone three that were together. “We’d love to have you join us, but where are we going to sit?”
    “Don’t you worry about that. I’ll take care of it,” Trish said.
    Trish walked over to a table where three older fellows were lingering over nearly empty glasses of iced tea. “Any chance you gentlemen are about finished?”
    One of them said with a smile, “Not quite just yet. We’ve solved half the world’s problems, and now we’re going to work on the other half.”
    Trish kept smiling as she asked, “Tell you what, why don’t you save that for another day?” She looked at one of the men and added, “Travis, I’m willing to bet that Patty’s out somewhere looking for you right now.”
    One of the other men laughed. “No doubt about it, she’s got him on a short leash for sure.”
    Travis shrugged. “I’ve been married to the same woman for forty-one years. Bob, how many years does the time you had with all three of your ex-wives add up to?”
    The third man said, “He’s got a point, Bob. Come on, guys, let’s clear out and give this lady a chance to eat.”
    The three old friends stood, and they were still teasing each other as they walked out of the diner. A party of two women directly behind them laughed as well, probably happy that they hadn’t lost their spot, too.
    After Trish cleared the table and wiped it down, Grace and I took our seats.
    “Let me guess. Cheeseburgers, fries, and Cokes?” Trish asked.
    “Times three, if you’re still joining us,” Grace said.
    Trish nodded. “You bet. That sounds good. Let me give Gladys our orders, and I’ll be right back.”
    After Trish returned with three sodas, I asked, “What happened to Hilda? You didn’t fire her to give Allison a job, did you?”
    Trish looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. “Fire Hilda? No way. She’s too valuable, but she’s been meaning to visit her daughter in West Virginia, and we both figured Allison’s stay would be just long enough for her to take a vacation.”
    I looked around and noticed several folks glancing our way as we chatted. At first it felt friendly, but then I caught someone’s curious gaze, and I could have sworn that they looked away with an expression filled with equal parts fear and condemnation.
    When I looked back at my friends, Grace said, “Sorry, Suzanne. I was hoping you wouldn’t see that.”
    “What’s going on?” I asked.
    “It’s got to be Emily’s disappearance,” Trish said. “I wish folks around here would just mind their own business sometimes.”
    “But she turned up safe and sound this afternoon,” I said.
    “What?” Trish asked, clearly surprised to hear the news. “I hadn’t heard.”
    Grace explained simply, “She was with Max.”
    Trish shook her head. “Now, why am I not surprised? That man is smooth as silk when it comes to women.”
    “Tim Leander is still missing, though,” I added.
    “Tim’s gone? I hadn’t heard. What’s happened to this town?” Trish asked.
    “I wish I knew, but at least Emily’s safe.” I couldn’t help myself from adding, “Trish, we’re going to investigate Tim’s whereabouts.”
    Trish nodded. “I understand that completely. Listen, if there’s any way I can help, all you have to do is ask.”
    “We will, but it’s good news that Emily isn’t guilty of anything more than bad judgment.”
    “There are quite a few ladies in town who can echo that.” A second later, Trish looked over my shoulder and said, “Good. There’s our food. Finally.”
    On a tray, Allison brought us one