Page 91 of Death of a Grill Master

Maddox’s eyes narrowed. “I never said it was.”

Hayley cursed silently.

She tried to recover. “There are plenty of people in the department. You think I’m that persuasive?”

He scoffed. “No. I think someone’s letting their guard down around you.” He stepped back. “You want to keep playing detective? Fine. But if someone loses his badge because of you, that’s on you.”

Hayley drove straight to her restaurant.

At Hayley’s Kitchen, the dinner rush had faded into the soft hum of clinking forks and low conversation. She spotted Earl and Mona in their usual booth near the back, Earl hunched over a steaming bowl of clam chowder and half a turkey BLT, Mona methodically working through a plate of sweet potato fries and sipping a cranberry spritzer.

Hayley slid into the booth, silent.

Earl looked up, instantly reading her face. “He’s still on me, isn’t he?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t say your name outright, but it’s clear he’s made the leap.”

Earl groaned and dropped his spoon. “Dammit. I knew it. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

Mona looked back and forth between them, brow raised. “What did he say, exactly?”

Hayley kept her voice low. “He knows I’ve been getting information no civilian should have. He suspects someone inside the department is leaking it to me. He’s focused. Angry. Like he’s got something to prove.”

Earl leaned back in the booth, blowing out a breath. “I’m already on probation. And now he thinks I’m leaking autopsy reports and scene notes to my friend, the food columnist.”

“You didn’t leak anything,” Hayley said quickly. “You told me a few things. Gave me a little context. That’s all”

“I showed you parts of the preliminary report on Hank’s wound pattern,” Earl said flatly. “I didn’t just drive the getaway car, Hayley. I gave you report summaries, discussed lab results. You think Maddox won’t nail me for that? That’s not ‘a little context,’ Hayley. That’s grounds for suspension—or worse.”

Mona reached across the table and took his hand, firm. “You were helping her. You weren’t feeding a tabloid. You were doing the right thing.”

Earl gave her a tight smile, but there was no humor behind it. “The ‘right thing’ doesn’t carry much weight with Maddox. All he sees is insubordination.”

Hayley’s stomach twisted, guilt curling in her gut. “This is my fault.”

“You didn’t twist my arm,” Earl said. “I offered.”

“I pushed. I insisted. And you—” She swallowed. “You’re the one who might lose his job.”

Earl sat forward, rubbing his hands over his face. “Hell, maybe I should just beat him to the punch. Turn in my badge and open a fudge shop. Least then I’d still be able to keep the damn lights on.”

Mona let out a dry laugh. “I’ll help with the packaging. We’ll call it ‘Internal Affairs and Toffee.’ Think it has a ring to it?”

But Hayley didn’t laugh. She looked at them both, hands trembling slightly. “I’m serious. I didn’t think it would spiral like this. I just wanted the truth. For Zane. For Tina. For Hank—even if he didn’t deserve sainthood.” She paused, voice lowering. “But I didn’t think about what it could cost you.”

Earl looked at her, softer now. “You were just trying to help people. Same as me.”

Hayley nodded. “But people get burned when I go digging. They always do.”

They sat quietly for a moment, the lull in conversation louder than anything else in the restaurant.

Finally, Hayley broke the silence. “I ruled out Roger. I think I’ve ruled out Doug, too, even if I didn’t get a clear alibi. Liddy would’ve covered for him if she could. She didn’t. That means …”

Mona finished her fry, chewed slowly, then said. “That leaves Chase.”

Hayley exhaled, leaning back against the booth. “No alibi. No timeline. Just a smug look and a glass of wine on the porch like nothing ever happened.”

“And let’s not forget he was discovered at the scene of the crime,” Mona added.