Page 64 of Edge

“It’s true,” Evie said. “She’s pretty banged up and has a broken collarbone, but she’ll be okay. It’ll be a little while before she’s back at work.”

“Did they catch the son of a bitch who did it?” Buck asked.

Evie shook her head. “No. I was the one who found her, but whoever broke in was already gone when I got here.”

“Well, you let us know if there’s anything we can do,” Walter said. “And give Irene our best.”

Evie smiled. “I will and thank you.”

The rest of the day was filled with similar conversations with Irene’s regular customers. By the end of the day, I was exhausted.

“I don’t know how you do this every day.”

Evie chuckled. “I don’t work doubles every day, and we had a lot more customers than we usually do. Tomorrow should be better.”

She was wrong. The next day was just as busy as the first. The third day was slower, and I was thankful for the reprieve. Until two cops walked in shortly after the lunch rush was over.

“Have a seat anywhere you like,” Evie said with a smile. “Can I get you a cup of coffee or something to eat?”

“We’re not here to eat.”

“Okay,” Evie said slowly. “Is there something we can help you with?”

I got to my feet and rounded the counter to stand beside her while I waited to hear what they wanted. There were several possibilities, and none of them were good.

“We’re looking for Marcy Wagner. We were told she works here,” one of the officers said.

“She does, but we haven’t been able to get in touch with her for several days,” Evie told them.

“When was the last time you spoke to her?”

“She worked her shift the night before the break-in, so six days ago.”

“What break-in?”

“Someone broke into the diner Sunday morning. The owner and two staff members were hospitalized,” I told them.

“Was this reported to the police?”

I wanted to roll my eyes. How could they not know? “Yes, it was. There was a large response.”

One of them jotted something on a small notepad before tucking it back into his pocket. “So, the last time anyone had contact with Marcy was the night before the break-in?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Evie said. “Is something wrong?”

“Her family said they haven’t been able to get in touch with her and asked us to do a welfare check. She wasn’t at her home,so we’re trying to track her down. Do you know where she could be? Or anyone we could contact who might know?”

Evie shook her head. “I don’t have a relationship with her outside of work.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t know anything about her. I’m filling in temporarily until the owner is back on her feet.”

They both nodded, and one of them placed a business card on the counter. “Thank you for your time. If you think of anything we should know, or if you hear from Marcy, give us a call.”

“Do you think something happened to her?” Evie asked worriedly.

“It’s too soon to say, but not being able to get in touch with someone for a few days isn’t usually a good sign.”