Page 44 of The Attercop

Gary nodded back. “I got here as fast as I could.”

He turned to Sam and Gwen, who sat on the couch. “I’m sorry this happened.”

Duck rose from his spot in front of Mrs B, walked over and sniffed at Sawchuck, then returned and leaned against Mrs B’s leg.

“Is he new?” Gary asked.

“This is Duck. He’s the latest addition to Declan Hunt Investigations,” Mrs B replied. “He’s the one that discovered the break-in up here.”

“Duck? Okay,” Gary said.

He returned his attention to Sam and Gwen. “The police are going over the café with a fine-tooth comb. It looks like the suspect broke in through the back door. When they’re done down there, they’ll take a look up here. In the meantime, I have a few questions.”

He pulled out a notepad. “To start with, when did you leave the shop last night, Gwen?”

“I closed just after six. I did a little tidy-up then headed out.”

“Through the front or back?” he asked.

“Back. That’s where the car’s parked.”

“And you’re sure you locked the door?”

“For Christ’s sake, Gary, she knows how to close up shop,” Sam snapped, putting his arm around Gwen’s shoulder.

Gary looked at Sam, then turned his attention back to Gwen.

“I always double-check the doors before I leave,” she answered. “Front and back.”

Gary nodded. “And what time did you come in this morning?”

“I was running late. I didn’t get in until about six-thirty.”

“And the message—the one on the counter downstairs—any clue as to what that means?”

“No idea,” Gwen said.

Declan moved to the window and looked out at the street. “I have a feeling Gwen’s just collateral damage. But I think we should talk about that after you finish getting what you need from Gwen.”

Gary nodded.

Sam looked at Gwen. “Just to be safe, once the police have finished up here, we’ll put a ‘Closed for renovations’ sign on the window. I’ll have motion detectors and glass breakage sensors added to the security system and we’ll stay closed until whoever did this is caught. And don’t fight me on this one. Right now, the only thing that matters is your safety. Okay?”

Gwen nodded in agreement.

Declan was surprised. For the first time, he witnessed Gwen putting her fight in her back pocket.

Gary jotted down a few notes before asking, “Have any of you noticed anyone suspicious hanging around the café lately?”

Gwen said, “Well, I didn’t think anything of it yesterday, but there was a guy out front begging. I gave him some food and sent him on his way.”

Mrs B scowled. “Was he in a long, dirty trench coat, hair all matted?”

“Yeah,” Gwen answered. “That sounds like him.”

“Duck and I ran into him yesterday, and Duck didn’t like him one bit.”

Gary leaned in. “And neither of you had seen him around here before?”