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“Of course,” agreed Franny. “I’ll stay with Sandy.”
Lucy couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with Sandy, who was definitely sending mixed messages claiming Dave was innocent at the same time she was offering theories about why he took the egg. She took a moment to look back as she headed to the parking lot and saw that Franny seemed to have the situation well in hand. She was taking Sandy into the clubhouse, most likely for a restorative cup of tea. Or maybe something stronger.
Driving back to the office, she continued to wonder about Sandy’s reaction. She’d seen Dave just the other day in his shop, when she got that new battery for her watch. He seemed very much himself that day and wasn’t the least bit confused. He’d greeted her by name, he knew who she was, and he knew what battery her watch required. What sort of game was Sandy playing? And what about Franny’s claim that Sandy had found a new interest? Did she want to get rid of Dave? And if so, was she simply milking the situation or had she actually stolen and planted the egg herself?
Lucy slowed the car when she reached Main Street and thought to herself that maybe she ought to slow her runaway thoughts, too. It was one thing to speculate about behavior and motives, but she was a responsible journalist and needed to stick to the facts. Those facts, so far, were limited to the theft of the egg, and its discovery in Dave Forrest’s golf bag. Dave had insisted he knew nothing about it, but there was no way for her to know if that was the truth. As for Sandy’s reaction, people often reacted oddly to stressful situations. Furthermore, Franny’s innuendo that Sandy was involved in an affair was nothing but rumor.
She continued on slowly, looking for a parking space and not having much luck since the town was busy on Saturday mornings as folks ticked off the errands on their lists. She’d almost resigned herself to circling back and parking in the scrappy little area behind the office when a giant SUV pulled out right in front of her and drove off at high speed, vacating a spot in front of Cove Jewelry. She swung right in, turned off the ignition, and climbed out, deciding that since she was there she might as well go in and tell Alison what happened at the golf course.
There were no customers in the store when Lucy entered and Alison was on her knees, busily spraying glass cleaner on the showcases and wiping them down with paper towels. She looked up and greeted Lucy with a smile, gave the case a final wipe, and got to her feet. “Just taking advantage of a quiet moment,” she said, brushing the knees of her slacks. An attractive woman in her late thirties, she was dressed in coastal casual clothes, wearing a turtleneck sweater and loafers; she had pearl studs in her ears and a gold watch on her wrist. “What can I do for you?”
“I’ve got some bad news, I’m afraid,” began Lucy.
“Oh, Lucy, I’m so sorry. Is it one of your kids? Bill?”
“No, no. It’s Dave.”
“Dave!” exclaimed Alison. “What’s happened?”
“The oddest thing. He was competing at the Closest to the Pin fundraiser at the golf course and when he swung his club he knocked over his golf bag and the egg, the Karl Klaus egg, rolled out.”
Alison could not have looked more surprised. “What?” she finally said, furrowing her brow and shaking her head. “That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“He claims someone planted it,” offered Lucy.
“Well, that must be it, then,” insisted Alison. “Dave is scrupulously honest. I’ve seen him run down the street after a customer who got the wrong change.”
“His wife was there, she suggested he’s been having some senior moments . . .”
Alison cut her off. “That’s ridiculous. I’m probably with him more than Sandy, if you think about it. We’ve even joked about it, how we’re together more hours of the day than we are with our families. I know Dave pretty well and I can say he never misplaces tools or items, he knows everybody in town and remembers their names and their kids’ names, and their spouses’ names. He remembers who they went to school with, what sport they played, believe me, you don’t need Google, you can just ask Dave and he’ll reel off all the information about just about anyone in town. And if he’s promised to repair your watch by a certain date, or fix that broken chain, he’ll get it done, probably ahead of time. A Dave Forrest promise is a promise kept.”
Lucy was somewhat stunned by Alison’s defense of her employer, but also impressed. He must really be one of the good guys to inspire such loyalty. “So you’re absolutely certain he wouldn’t have stolen the egg?” asked Lucy.
“Absolutely. The only way that egg could be in Dave’s bag is if somebody else put it there. I mean, if he’d discovered it, he would have taken it straight to the police station himself.”
Lucy thought this over. The golf course had been closed until today so Dave would have had no reason to use his golf bag. “Do you happen to know where he keeps his golf bag?”
“Oh, sure. In the back of his car. It’s a Honda CRV.”
“Even in the off season?”
“Yeah,” she said, chuckling. “He says the weight is good on icy roads, but I think he simply can’t bear to be parted from the thing. And once the course is open he likes to pop over for a quick hole or two at lunch time.”
Lucy knew that few people in Tinker’s Cove bothered to lock their cars, but thought it was a question worth asking. “Does he lock his car?”
Alison scoffed at the thought. “No. Not Dave. He’s trusting, too trusting, if you ask me. I have to make sure the alarm is set here in the store and lock up when we leave for the night. Dave would just walk out and leave the door unlocked.”
“So anyone could have put the egg in his bag,” concluded Lucy.
“Absolutely.”
“Thanks, Alison. You’ve confirmed what I thought.”
“No problem, Lucy. So where is Dave? Did they arrest him?”
“I’m not sure. The police are taking it seriously. Barney took him to the station, for questioning. They’re investigating the golf bag and the egg, they’ve set up a crime scene around it at the course.”
“Golly, what a mess.” Alison shook her head. “I hope Dave is cleared soon.”
