"Then knock yourself out."
I turned back to the next pizza I was making, and as soon as I had it on the conveyor, I grabbed a finished one and cut it for delivery.
"I'll be right back," I said.
Bob just nodded, intent on filling the sink with warm, soapy water.
I delivered the pie to Maddy, who frowned as she accepted it. "Where did he go? Don't tell me he snuck out the back. What a coward."
"No, Bob's still here. As a matter of fact, he's back there washing dishes right now," I said.
She looked at me as though I'd just claimed to be the new queen of England. "What's he really doing, Eleanor?"
I wasn't about to get involved any deeper than I already was. "If you don't believe me, go look for yourself. You can work the kitchen while you're back there, and I'll finish waiting on tables until Greg gets here."
"I have half a mind to take you up on it."
I took my apron off and tossed it to her. "Find the other half, then. I've made a decision. We're trading."
"Yes, ma'am," she said as she gave me her own apron.
Before Maddy could leave, I asked, "Who hasn't paid yet?"
"Tables three and seven. Four gets the pepperoni, one is waiting for their check, which is in your apron pocket, and nine needs refills on their sodas."
I processed all of that, and then I got to work. I was better in the kitchen, but I needed practice up front nearly as much as Maddy needed it in back. We changed off every now and then to keep things fresh, but neither one of us wanted to make a habit of it. We were both out of our comfort zones with this alternate arrangement, and neither of us was afraid to admit it.
I was waiting for the next pizza to show up, but when it wasn't forthcoming, I decided to go see what was holding it up. To my surprise, I found my sister and the attorney together in a warm embrace.
Bob grinned at me and said, "She forgave me."
"I couldn't help myself," Maddy explained. "He looked so cute in that apron, up to his elbows in suds."
"Yes, we're all adorable here," I said as I untied her apron. "Now we're changing back." I gave her the apron, took mine back, and cut the pizza that was waiting on the far side of the conveyor. As I did, I had to reach in and pull two more out of the oven to keep them from burning since they were stacking up.
"Maddy, as a chef . . . ? I think you're better suited at being a waitress."
"Hey, this was your idea," she said. Before Maddy delivered the first pizza, she turned to Bob and said, "You don't have to finish those, you know."
"Bite your tongue," I said. "He offered his aid, and I'm going to take him up on it. Go on, he'll be here when you come back."
Maddy took the pizza, gave Bob a wink and a big grin, and then left.
"Sorry about that, Eleanor," he said.
"Don't apologize. Wash."
He did as I asked, and when things slowed down, I said, "I can think of another way you could help."
"Would you like me to sweep the floor? I'm afraid I'd be out of my league making pizzas."
"Trust me, you're not getting anywhere near my oven. I'm talking about helping us investigate Judson Sizemore's murder."
Bob frowned at me. "I understand you've already gotten someone to assist you there."
"Hey, you've worked for Art Young before, so don't give me any holier-than-thou attitude."
He shrugged. "Just because I've worked for the man doesn't mean that we're friends."
"If it did, I'd like to think that I wouldn't judge you based on someone else's rumored actions that I couldn't confirm or refute, even if I cared about them in the first place."
Bob put the platter he'd been washing back in the sink. "Don't kid yourself, Eleanor. He's not as charming as you seem to think he is."
That did it. I was tired of his attitude, even if he was washing dishes for me. "What does it matter how charming I think he is? He's my friend, and I asked him for help. You should think about the fact that he gave his assistance without hesitation, which is more than I can say for you."
Bob nodded slowly. "It appears that I'm determined to be in one of your doghouses, doesn't it?"
"It seems that way to me at the moment," I said.
"Let's start over. What can I do for you?"
"Nothing," I said, suddenly cooling to the idea of getting him to help us. "I've got it covered."
"Eleanor, I've already apologized. What more do you want from me?"
I gave him my coldest look. "I'm sorry; I must have missed that. When exactly did you apologize?"
He thought about it for a few moments, and then nodded. "You're right, of course. I shouldn't have said anything about a friend of yours, no matter what my personal opinion of the man might be."
"I suppose there is a request for forgiveness buried somewhere in there," I said. "For a man who's supposed to be good with words, you are alarmingly lacking at times, did you know that?"
"In front of a judge and jury, I'm fine. It's just when I'm dealing with you and your sister that I seem to cause myself the greatest number of problems. I honestly am sorry, if it matters."
"Of course it does," I said. "Your apology is accepted."
"Then how may I help you?"
I thought about punishing him a little more, since I was overly sensitive about anyone attacking my friends. Then I realized that with Maddy as a girlfriend, he got enough grief without me adding to it. "I don't know anything about Judson Sizemore or his sister, Gina. Would it be possible for you to ask around in Chastain and see what you can find out about either one of them?"
"I can do that," he said. "When do you need the information?"
"As soon as possible," I replied.
"Then I'll leave the rest of the dishes to you, and I'll get right on it, as long as I have your blessing, that is."
"If you can help with this, I'll be happy to finish up the dishes myself."
He took his apron off, and then said, "Then I'll be going. I'll let you know what I uncover as soon as I learn anything about them."
"I'd appreciate that. Thank you, Bob."
"It's my pleasure."
After he was gone, I was starting to feel better about our chances in the murder investigation. With Bob Lemon working one side of the street and Art Young working the other, I felt like we had the opportunity to get a real handle on why Judson Sizemore had been killed in his pizzeria.
That good feeling quickly faded away when the door opened again ten minutes later, but instead of Greg, I saw someone I had no interest in dealing with at the moment.
"What can I do for you, Chief?" I asked Kevin Hurley as he came back into my kitchen. I'd had no idea that it would be such a popular spot. If I had, I might have tried to fit in a comfy chair or two alongside my pizza oven.
"We need to have an extended conversation," he told me.
"About what? I can teach you how to make pizza, but you'd have to pay attention, and I wouldn't mind if you took notes."
"I know how to make pizza," he said. "I've got a number by the phone to call one in whenever I want."
"Then I'm afraid I can't teach you much else."
"Would you be quiet long enough for me to talk, Eleanor?"
"Yes, sir," I said. "Sorry, sir."
He just shook his head. "Do you always have to do things the hard way when it comes to dealing with me?"
He had a point. I never made things easy on him, even when it worked in my favor. "I'm sure that it appears that way sometimes, doesn't it? Okay, I'll try to be a little more cooperative from here on out."
The police chief bit his lip, most likely to keep from making a crack about my promise. "We need to talk more in depth about Judson Sizemore."
My ears burned a little, since I'd been talking about the man all day. "Go on, I'm listening."
"Remember, I'm here to ask questions, not disseminate information," he said.
"I have to hear the question before I answer it, don't I? What do you want to know? If I've got an answer, you'll get it without any sass."
He glanced in the little notebook he always carried around in his breast pocket, and then he asked me, "Is it true that you threatened him two days ago?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it a threat," I said. "He rebuffed every attempt I made at a cordial relationship, even though we were going to be competitors. I just told him that I'd tried being nice, but since that hadn't worked with him, I'd have to try another course of action."
Kevin shook his head. "Yeah, you're right. I can't imagine him taking that as a threat."
"Me, either," I said. "I'm glad we agree on that."
The police chief frowned at me. "Eleanor, I was being sarcastic."
"Were you? Sometimes it's so difficult to tell. Okay, I promised you a straight answer. I didn't threaten him, at least not in my mind."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"You were there," I said. "It was when you helped me get him out of the Slice when he was here handing out flyers for his pizzeria."
"And you didn't see him after that. Is that correct?"
"Kev . . . I mean Chief, I did not see him after we had that conversation in my pizzeria."
"All right," he said as he jotted something down in his notebook. "Eleanor, I've got to be honest with you. It would be a lot better for you if you had an alibi when the victim was murdered."
"I'm not about to apologize for sleeping alone," I said.
He shut his notebook. "I'm not asking you to do that, and you know it."
"Just so we're clear."
"I heard David Quinton was back in town."
Where was this going? Were we still discussing the murder case now? "True. We had lunch together, but he's leaving again soon."
"Sorry to hear that."
"For me?" I asked.
"For everybody. I always liked David."
"So did I."
After a few more seconds, he left me alone in the kitchen, wondering what the end of that conversation had been all about.
The door swung open a second later and Greg walked in.
"Where have you been?" I lashed out at him, not meaning to take my anger out on him, but not able to stop myself.
He just laughed. "Well, Mom, it's like this. I was planning to come straight home, but Betty Jo wanted to get a malted, and gee, you know how swell I think she is. Lighten up, boss, I'm three minutes early."
I let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"Chief Hurley must have really rattled your cage."
I wasn't about to discuss that with him. "If you're ready to work, we can use you."
"Just point me to a customer, and I'm on it," he said.
"Ask Maddy," I said.
"I'd love to, but she's not out there. As a matter of fact, I was kind of hoping you could tell me where she went."
Chapter 7.