“Casey, be a good girl,” Bess said as she tugged on the dog’s leash. Casey’s tail wagged, and she darted under the table.
Misty yelped. “Casey!” Bess said sharply. She poked her head under the table.
“It’s okay, Bess.” Marisa patted Misty’s head. “She didn’t do anything. Misty’s been edgy all day.”
“Because of the break-in?” Nancy asked.
“Break-in?” Bess’s head popped up. “What break-in?”
Nancy explained what had happened at Marisa’s apartment that morning.
Bess shook her head. “And of course you two are going to keep working on the case. Why do a sensible thing like worry about your safety?”
“If the counterfeiter’s trying to scare you off the case, you must be close to the truth,” George said. “Do you have any new leads?”
“Not really,” Nancy said. “We’re just trying to figure out who had access to the inn and could have stashed the counterfeit money there.”
“Do you think it may have been a guest?” George asked.
“The inn was already closed twenty-five years ago when the counterfeit bills were printed,” Marisa said.
Bess pried her dinner napkin from Casey’s mouth. “Maybe a former guest kept a key.”
“At this point, it could have been anyone,” Nancy said.
Misty began to sniff the air furiously. She stood up and wagged her tail.
“Here comes Devon,” Marisa said.
A moment later Devon walked past with a heavy tray. He squeezed Marisa’s arm as he passed, and she smiled. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “Study those menus.”
“I’m sorry, Marisa,” Bess said. “Do you need me to read you the menu?”
“No, thanks,” Marisa said. “I come here often enough, I practically have it memorized. I always get the same thing, anyhow.”
“That would be the tortilla soup, chicken quesadillas, and flan for dessert.” Eric Pavlik had entered the restaurant with a group of friends. They had moved to a table and sat down, but Eric stopped behind Marisa’s chair. “Am I right?”
“You’re right.” Marisa smiled. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be studying for your calc midterm?”
“Of course I should,” Eric said. “But I couldn’t concentrate, so I decided to go out tonight with friends—get my mind off things. Anyhow, we have lots of last-minute plans to make for the 5K run that our fraternity’s sponsoring tomorrow morning.”
“You’re Beta Tau? I’m running in your 5K,” George said.
“And we all pledged money,” Bess added. “I didn’t know your fraternity was the sponsor. How come Devon didn’t mention it?” she asked Marisa.
“I don’t know,” Marisa said.
“He’s been so busy, I’m not sure he even remembers. But it’s a pretty big event. We hope to raise at least five thousand dollars for the Guiding Eyes school,” Eric said. “By the way, I heard about the counterfeit money you found at the inn. Have you had any more leads, Marisa?”
“Not yet, but—” Marisa stopped as Misty’s tail beat against her legs. “What is it, Misty?”
Just then Amber and her parents entered the restaurant. “Look who’s here!” Amber cried. She ran to the table and dropped to her knees to pet Casey and Misty.
“Amber,” Mrs. Marshall said, “is this how we behave in a restaurant?”
“Sorry, Mom.” Amber got to her feet and brushed off her knees. “We’re here to visit Devon,” she told Marisa. “You, too?”
“Yes,” Marisa said. “He’s busy tonight. We haven’t even ordered yet, and I need to go to the ladies’ room. Would you mind ordering for me if Devon comes back while I’m gone?”
“No problem,” Bess said.
Eric watched Marisa and Misty until they were out of earshot. “Perfect,” he said. “I’m glad I got the chance to tell you this all at once. Some college friends and I are throwing a surprise birthday party here for Marisa on Friday night. It’s at eight o’clock. I hope you can make it.”
“I’m afraid we have plans that night, Eric,” Mr. Marshall said, “but thank you for thinking of us.”
“What plans?” Amber asked. “I want to go to Marisa’s party.”
“Come on, Amber,” her mother said. “Let’s go find our table, and we’ll talk about it.”
The Marshalls and Eric left for their respective tables as Devon approached with his order pad.
“Welcome to Café Olé,” he said. “My name is Devon, and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Would you like to hear our specials?”
“Very professional,” Bess said.
Devon took a bow. “Thank you.”
“I don’t need to hear the specials. I’ll have the Tierra del Fuego burger,” Bess said.
