The day is unseasonably hot. The humidity is at 85%, intensifying the sweltering day. Jerry and Jeff decide to reinterview everyone at the diner, hoping they'll find something to help them solve the case.
"What's wrong with this damn air?" Jerry grumbles, smacking the dash. An icy stream hits his hand when he places it on the vent.
"Maybe this will help." Jeff cranks his AC on high.
"I don't think anything will help today." Jerry takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the sweat from his brow. "Being this hot so early in the season, I'd say we're in for another sultry year."
Jeff glances toward the sun blaring from the clear blue skies. "You're probably right about that." Both officers know that when the temps run high, crime rates usually do too.
"They find the cafe full when they step through the door. Angry patrons are impatiently waiting in line. The waitresses are scurrying to and fro while bussers do their best to clean the tables.
The detectives look over to find a distinguished, middle-aged gentleman barking out orders from across the room.
"You talk to the waitresses. I'll see what I can find out from the owner," Jerry shouts over the noise.
Nodding, Jeff zig-zags across the floor.
Jerry weaves around the foot traffic until he makes it to the back. "Sir, my name is Jerry; I'm a detective with the Berryville PD. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you." Reaching in his pocket, he takes out a notepad and a pen.
"I suppose this is about the murders in the alley," the man says, glancing up from the spotless counter.
"Yes, sir, did you see or hear anything suspicious last night?"
"No one was here." Something catches his eye. He turns, shakes his head, and says, "Excuse me for a second. Jan, table 8 is ready to order."
The waitress looks at them, then at him, and nods.
A curious expression crosses Jerry's face. He tilts his head to the side and asks, "You said no one was here?"
"That's right. We're usually open all night, but we lost our power in the storm. Since the outage covered the entire north side, the electric company wasn't sure when they could get it restored. So, I decided to close."
"When did this happen?"
"I sent everyone home a little before ten; I left around midnight. I wanted to catch up on a few things."
"Do you think one of your waitresses might've seen something on their way out?"
"They didn't say anything to me." He sees table 8 getting ready to leave. "Jan, he yells, pointing in their direction. Turning towards the detective, he says, "It's so hard to find good help these days, or any help for that matter."
"Are the waitresses that were there last night working today?"
"Everyone but Jackie. She called in; said she wasn't feeling well. Come to think about it She left early last night too."
Jerry glances up from his notes. "When did she leave?"
He pauses for a second, then says, "It was right before the power outage hit."
"Do you have a way to reach her?"
"Her file is in my office."
"I'd appreciate it if you'd get that for me."
"Hold on one second, detective. "Jan." He waves her over.
"Yes, boss?"
"Comp their meal."
"That's generous of you, boss."
"No, it's generous of you because it's coming out of your pay."
"That's not fair."
"Maybe you won't make them wait so long for service next time."
The waitress storms off in a huff.
The owner shakes his head. "I would've canned that girl weeks ago if I wasn't so desperate for help."
***
Jeff walks over to the first waitress he sees. He shows her his badge and says, "My name is Jeff Morgan. I'm with the Berryville PD. I have a few questions about last night."
"Is this about the murders out back?" She tosses dirty dishes in a tub.
"Yes." Noticing her name tag, he writes Jen at the top of the page.
"Noone was here when it happened." Wiping her hands, she continues. We had to close the restaurant because we lost our electricity in the storm."
"Do you have security cameras?"
"We have one out front and one here in the lobby."
" How about the alley?"
" We had one back there, but someone vandalized it a few months ago." She glances towards her tables and then back to the detective." I'm going need to go soon."
"I'll make this quick. Did you see or hear anything unusual before you closed?"
"We didn't get the same amount of customers that we usually do. A few of our regulars didn't show, but that's probably because of the storm." Seeing a customer summarizing her, she nods. "I need to take care of them."
"If you think of anything, please call this number. Jeff hands her his card. "Or call the Berryville PD." He points to the bottom of the cardboard.
"I will." Stuffing it in her pocket, she heads over to see what her customer wants.
***
Jerry watches bolts of lightning flash across the sky as he heads to his car. I hope the storm cools us down. He wipes his sweaty brow. We haven't had a break from this heat in nearly two weeks, and summer is still weeks away. Jerry wipes his face again.
"That was a big waste of time," Jeff grumbles as he stomps across the parking lot. Jerry and Jeff interviewed the entire staff, hoping they'd get a lead, but everyone claims they didn't see or hear anything, and their cameras lost signal in the storm.
"Maybe not." Jerry holds up a small piece of paper.
"What's that?"
"It's the name of their waitress that didn't show." He takes his phone from his pocket and continues, "The owner said she was out back for quite some time before she asked to go home. So I decided to look her up and found this. He hands his phone to Jeff.
"Just because she's black..."
Rolling his eyes, Jerry snatches his phone away. "No, you idiot, look at her rap sheet." He scrolls down and then gives it back.
Jeff scans page after page. "They're all nonviolent crimes," he says as he continues to eye the extensive list.
"I believe her violence stems from her traumatic childhood." Jerry grabs his phone, presses a few keys, and hands it back. "My gut says she's good for this."