“Okay, macho man,” she said and hurried away.
She was cautious as she went into the ladies’ room, checking to make sure no one was in there before she went into the stall. She locked the door and was quick about her business before getting out and washing her hands. She was almost back at the table when she collided with Cliff Beamer who was there with two of his friends for breakfast. She didn’t recognize him at first because he was wearing a Pembroke State baseball hat.
“Whoa there,” he said, catching her before she fell backward. “Watch where you’re going, sweetheart.”
“Sorry. I guess my mind was elsewhere,” she said, smiling at him.
“You’re that reporter forThe Observer. You wrote about Sandy Cranston’s disappearance.”
“That’s right. I’m doing a follow-up feature on her as well if you have anything you want to add since I understand the two of you dated back in high school,” Quinn explained.
“I would, but my father prefers I refrain from giving interviews with the press. You know how it is being the son of the district attorney and all,” Cliff said.
“Sure. You can’t be too careful, but I swear I would only quote you in reference to Sandy’s character. I want those in Altoona to realize she grew up here and that they knew her. She was one of their own who had gone missing. Just like Barbie Martin. You didn’t know her, did you? Since you went to Pembroke State?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” he said. “Barbie and I dated off and on for a while after she started going to Pembroke State. Nothing serious, mind you. She was a nice girl, even if she was from a different part of town.”
Quinn was surprised to hear him admit that. “Really? What a small world. Barbie was at a frat party the night she disappeared. You wouldn’t have possibly been at that same party, would you?”
He shook his head. “Don’t believe I was, but then, that was over two years ago, right? I’ve partied a lot since then.”
“I bet you have,” Quinn said. “Do you like to party?”
“Like most frat boys,” he said.
“Hey Cliff, stop flirting, we’re ready to order,” one of the guys at the table called.
He grinned at her and looked back over his shoulder, then back at her. “You heard my friends, I better join them. Maybe I’ll catch you around.”
“Maybe.” She tilted her head to the side and played with a lock of her hair waiting for him to back away and slide into the booth with his friends, then she walked back to where Grimm was waiting, watching her.
His brow was arched in a questioning manner when she sat down. He cleared the dishes away with his arm, scooting them down the table, and leaned toward her. “Was that who I think it was?”
“Yep.”
“Shit.”
“And he stepped all in it.”
Grimm chuckled. “Do tell.”
“When we get in your jeep.”
“Let’s go. I’ve already taken care of the bill.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. You’ve had a rough night. It was the least I could do to treat you to breakfast,” he said.
She grabbed her purse and they left. She looked back over her shoulder and made eye contact with Cliff for good measure to string him along. She never knew when that might come in handy to have him think she was interested.
Of course, it could come back to bite her.
It wasafter two when Quinn and Grimm walked into The Observer that afternoon. Sheraton stood at his office door with his arms crossed when they came in, but didn’t say a word. They headed straight to the conference room, and Quinn added what information she’d picked up that morning on Cliff to the board.
“I know we discussed this already, and you said he was being flirty with you, but was he also being boastful that he dated Barbie off and on?” Grimm asked.
“I think he was being flirty. I’m going to call Trish and see if she recalls Barbie ever talking about dating Cliff. He might be an important missing piece of her puzzle. And a definite connection between her and Sandy. He claimed he wasn’t with Barbie the night of her disappearance, but he said it was two years ago and he liked to party a lot. Meaning his memory wasn’t reliable, but I think he’s holding out. He knows whether he was at the same party as her. He just doesn’t want to say because he can’t go on record, because he’d be in the press as a witness, and his father doesn’t want him talking to reporters for some reason.”
