Page 78 of Death of a Grill Master

She heard Mona calling after her, “Where the hell are you going now?”

This time, she didn’t lose him. She tracked him past the kettle-corn stand, through a row of potted succulents, and finally caught up with him as he ducked behind the town hall’s loading ramp.

“Hey!” she called.

The man stopped, startled.

“Why are you following Liddy and Doug?” Hayley demanded.

His sunglasses hid his eyes, but the faint dip of his chin told her she’d hit a nerve. “Don’t lie. I’ve seen you twice now. You’ve been trailing them.”

He took off his hat and rubbed the back of his neck, revealing a sunburned, weathered face. “I didn’t mean nothing by it.”

“So, what did you mean?”

He sighed. “I like Liddy. Have for a long time. I saw her with that guy, and I got … jealous, I guess. Thought he might be sniffing around her.”

Hayley narrowed her eyes. “That’s why you’ve been creeping around corners like a stalker?”

“I didn’t mean to scare anybody,” he said. “I’m just … not good at this kind of thing.”

Hayley softened just a little. “You’re Billy Downs?”

He nodded.

“I’m Hayley—”

“I know who you are.”

Sergio and Randy reappeared, the latter still holding produce and the two of them them clearly mid-stroll.

“Everything okay?” Sergio asked, eyeing Billy.

“Fine,” Hayley said smoothly. “We were just discussing lobster supply and small business licenses. Billy’s thinking of setting up a booth like Mona’s. Right, Billy?”

Billy looked alarmed, then caught on and nodded quickly. “Yeah. Thinking about it.”

Sergio smiled. “Smart. Direct-to-consumer is the future.”

Randy and Sergio wandered off again, and Hayley turned back to Billy.

“I thought you might be the guy I saw in the cave,” she admitted. “But I don’t think you are. Which means you’re off the suspect list.”

Billy let out a breath like he’d been holding it all morning.

“Go home, Billy,” she said. “Don’t follow Liddy anymore. And if you like her? Maybe try talking to her. Like a human.”

He nodded. “Thanks. Sorry.”

Hayley watched him go, then looked out across the market. The crowd was still bustling. Music played softly from someone’s Bluetooth speaker. Kids ran past, sticky with jam.

Another potential suspect off the board.

But the one who mattered?

Still watching. Still hiding.

And Hayley was running out of places to look.