Meet Me in the Middle

This one is a little bit longer. I thought about breaking it up into chapters but I liked the continuity of a single submission.

There isn't a lot of sex for its length. If that's what you're hunting for, then perhaps this one isn't the best story for you. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it.

A special thank you to thewinedarksea for his editing work. He found a number of mistakes and helped make the story better in many ways. Any typos were introduced by me as I converted it for publishing here.

–C

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"You've never eaten here?" Ed Wallace asked.

"Nope, never stopped by," replied Miranda.

"Well, Sunday brunch is great. Get one of those boy toys you have sniffing around your skirts to bring you."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Sniffing, Ed? You're always the class act, aren't you?"

He chuckled and she joined in. She liked working with him. He was more than twenty-five years her senior but didn't have that chip on his shoulder about women the way so many of the older guys did. Plus, he was a good cop.

"They never last very long, Randy," he said to her, "so we gotta think you're just using them for carnal purposes."

"They never last very long because they're not the right guy," she said dryly.

"I keep tellin' ya, he's sitting right next to you!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I keep telling you that babysitting your butt in the ambulance after I give you a coronary isn't my idea of a fun date."

He laughed as they pulled into the parking lot of The Mason Jar. They got out of the car and walked in.

"Hello, Mr. Mason," Ed said. "I'm Officer Wallace; this is Officer Patterson," gesturing at Miranda. "You're the owner?"

"Yes," Richard Mason replied, shaking the offered hand.

"Everyone's okay?" Ed asked.

"It seems so. They're just a little shaken up."

"And everyone's still here?"

"Well, the staff is but I think many of the customers left. I'm not certain; I only got here a few minutes ago myself."

"The dispatcher said it was a woman who called in the robbery. Who would that be?" Miranda asked.

Richard Mason turned to her. "Ellen — Ellen Bernhardt — was running things. I found out when her husband called me."

"Her husband called? Does he work here?"

"No. He was nearby or something." Richard seemed uncertain of his answer for a second, then continued. "That's him sitting with her in the booth over there." He indicated a couple sitting on the edge of the somewhat-deserted dining room.

A half an hour later, Ed was back to talk to Richard, who was sitting in his office trying to leave a message for the insurance company.

"Ms. Bernhardt says she doesn't know how much money was in the drop bags in the safe but that there was a little over $2,500 in the register and the tip pools plus another $500 in the cash box."

"I did the drop bags. There was a little over $9,000 in them," Richard said.

"Is that much cash usual?"

"No. An average Friday for us is about $6,000 with half of it in cash. Saturday is a little heavier but not much more cash. But, with the NCAAs ending this week, Friday and Saturday were non-stop for lunch and dinner, plus the bar got hammered in the evening. Then Saturday, there were several brunch catering jobs plus a large birthday party in the afternoon that paid cash."

Ed made a note but said nothing, so Richard went on defensively, "I have register tapes and signed booking orders for everything, plus you can ask the staff how busy we were."

"No, no, Mr. Mason. Nothing like that. That's between you and your insurance company. We're just wondering why you kept the money here, especially Friday's receipts."

"It wasn't supposed to be. We don't deposit at night because I worry about people's safety going to a bank alone that late. But I was on the go from the moment I came in yesterday for those parties and just figured both deposits could go in this morning. Ellen was going to do it today, but I guess she didn't get to it, yet."

A while later, Ed flopped into the seat across from Miranda. "Over twelve grand, more cash than they ever have around this place. And it happened exactly at the slowest time of the day when the fewest people were around. Plus, the outside camera — which isn't totally obvious, by the way — just happens to have been knocked to the side. Either someone got really lucky, or ..." His voice trailed off.

"Yeah," replied Miranda.

"And I can't help but wonder about the fact that the woman who handed over the money, including the money in the locked safe, is also the person responsible for the money being here. I know the witnesses say the perp had a gun but it feels a little odd to me."

She grimaced. "It gets odder than that, Ed."

"What do you mean?"

"She's Mason's ex-wife."

"What?"

"Yep. It slipped out when I was talking to some of the older employees. They were married a long time, then she divorces him and marries this Bernhardt guy."

"And her husband just 'happens' to be in the area. Wonder if he owns a silver Dodge pickup and if there's a ski mask in it?"

"I talked with a clerk down at the courthouse," she said a while later, closing her phone. "He says he knows them and the divorce was filed three years ago and seemed amicable. One kid, joint legal custody, she has residential custody. Reasonable child support payments from him. They agreed privately on a property settlement, with him getting almost everything, including the restaurant. Judge Thomas signed off on it."

Ed looked surprised at that. "Husband gets most of it? Jeez, you don't see that every day. Usually the guy gets it up the ass over and over until he screams." Miranda rolled her eyes in mock disgust as he continued, "She get caught

in flagrante

or something?"

"I wondered the same thing but the clerk says it was no fault."

"Hmmm," Ed mused, "but this state still allows you to cite adultery as a reason and divorce documents are public record. Maybe he put the screws to her in exchange for going no fault and keeping her name out of the mud?"

Miranda was silent for a second, considering. "I don't know. Still, you do have to wonder if she decided to help herself to some additional alimony."

"Let's talk to the current hubby and find out his deal."

• • •

Mike Bernhardt wasn't very amused as he looked at the two officers. They had asked him to step back to the break room for a conversation. "How about we just cut to the chase, and I'll answer the questions you really want to ask, okay?"

"Well, Mr. Bernhardt, if you have something you want to say, we're happy to listen," responded Ed.

Mike held up two fingers. "One, I had nothing to do with the robbery." He put one finger down.

"Two, thinking Ellen had anything to do with this is ridiculous. Not in a million years. She's a wreck." The second finger went down.

"Having a gun pointed at you can be unsettling," Ed agreed.

"Unsettling? Ask Jimmy about the vomit he cleaned up. She wasn't just unsettled; she was scared silly."

"Actually, Mr. Collins mentioned that," Ed responded neutrally.

"So why are you wasting time hassling my wife and me instead of out there trying to find the guy who stuck a gun in her face?"

Ed shrugged. "I'm not trying to upset you, Mr. Bernhardt, but it's our job to consider all the possibilities. For example, it's not uncommon that someone doesn't realize what they're getting into and then reacts when it gets over their head."

It took a second for Mike to get the implication there, but then his expression hardened and he looked almost ready to come up out of his chair. He was shaking his head before Ed finished speaking. "No!"

"Relax, Mr. Bernhardt," Miranda said placatingly. It was Ed's job to push people and hers to pull them back. "We're not accusing anyone of anything. We're just trying to get a picture about people we don't know."

Mike sat back but he clearly wasn't mollified.

"Sometimes, though," she continued with a little smile to take the sting out of it, "we have to ask questions that are a little indelicate just to rule out things. Okay?"

Mike nodded.

"For example, we were wondering about the relationship between Mr. Mason and your wife."

Mike just looked at her with a sardonic expression. "Somehow, I'm pretty sure you know she's his ex-wife."

"Yes, we found that out."

"So," he responded slowly, "what are you asking?"

"Nothing in specific, Mr. Bernhardt. But, think about it. We've got a lot of money missing. We've got a gun stuck in someone's face. We've got three people in what might be a ..." She paused, looking for a word. "A volatile set of relationships. It's just common sense that we try to get some understanding of the landscape. That's all."

Mike looked back and forth, and then said, "So, basically, you're asking if Ellen harbors a grudge?"

Miranda's shrug showed she was asking just that.

"Not in the slightest."

"What about you?" Ed asked bluntly. "Any resentment about the way he treated Mrs. Bernhardt when she was Mrs. Mason?"

"Nope. He's my best friend."

Ed's eyebrows rose. "Really? Would he say the same?"

Mike hesitated, looking regretful, then answered honestly, "I don't know. Maybe."

Ed's expression was skeptical. "Husband and wife staying friends after a split isn't usually the case, but it's not unheard of. Ex-husband and new husband being best friends, now that's even rarer. You know, havin' ... ahh ... contended over a woman, so to speak. And she walked away without a dime. Makes a man wonder."

Mike shrugged. The expression on his face might as well have been a middle finger pointed skyward at Ed.

Miranda leaned in again. "Mr. Bernhardt, why don't you tell us, in your words, about the relationships between the three of you?"

Mike transferred his glare to her. "Maybe we should just get a lawyer down here."

Miranda nodded. "We can if that's what you want. But, Mr. Bernhardt, we've only got one goal here: to catch who did this. We're not trying to pin things on anyone just because they're convenient. At the same time, we'd be really derelict if we didn't take a look at the people closely involved."

Mike smacked his palm on the table in front of him. "I'd think taking a look for a man in a silver pickup truck who's got a lot of money that isn't his would be even better!"

"Trust me, almost every law enforcement officer in the county is doing just that right now. We just want to understand. However, if you want a lawyer, that's okay."

She waited while he mulled it over. Finally, he spoke. "Richard and I have been friends for close to twenty years, since middle school. He met Ellen in college and they were married for seven years. I'm not certain, but pretty damn sure, that he knew I had a thing for Ellen for about four of those years. I had met her before, of course, but I was away in the military for a while. When I moved back here and we started to hang out, well, I fell for her.

"But, Richard never made a deal about it: we went fishing together; I was the godparent to their kid. He never did the little things guys do to mark their turf. With me?"

"Yes, go on."

"What he didn't know was that, somewhere along the line, Ellen fell for me, too. She still loved Richard but she was in love with me, if you catch the difference. Well, one day he found out how she felt."

"When?" she asked.

"About three years ago."

"How?" she asked.

"I don't have the foggiest. By unspoken agreement we never talk about any of it. He didn't catch us doing something, if that's what you're thinking. There was zero hanky-panky between us."

Ed made what might have been a doubtful noise and Mike turned to him heatedly. "I kept my feelings and my hands to myself! Ellen was even more private. I didn't even have an inkling about how she felt about me until that year, but Richard realized it somehow.

"Another guy might have raised a ruckus," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You know, had it out with her or me or both of us, accused us of something we didn't do or at least caused a scene. But Richard didn't say a word. He waited until the day when a bunch of us guys were taking him on a fishing trip. He left a note behind along with signed papers for Ellen."

"What did the note say?" Miranda asked, taking a sip of her coffee and breaking eye contact to keep things low-key.

"Two sentences. One: 'I know you'd be happier and that's all I want.' Two: 'Please don't call me or Mike while we're away because it would make things awkward.' Shit! That secretive son of a bitch never gave a hint that entire week; I found out when I got home and she told me."

Miranda blinked at that.

"So, yeah, he's still my best friend. Ellen thinks he's the second greatest guy on the planet. Well, maybe third counting her son. I'm not certain how he feels. We don't hang out as much anymore but our group goes out for drinks every once in a while, and things seem fine as long as I don't try to talk about things. Now, does that answer your question?"

After they let Mike go, Ed and Miranda took a break to compare notes. She pushed the cream over to him as the waitress set down two coffees and left them alone.

"He struck me as telling the truth, but I'm still having trouble that this wasn't an inside job. There are too many coincidences," Ed said.

"Me too, Ed, me too. I guess we take another crack at the former Mrs. Mason."

• • •

Ellen was with Ed for a second round while Miranda took a quick trip to the restroom. As she walked by the side door to the kitchen, she saw Richard standing with Mike, their attention on the servers' hatch. They didn't see her and she could tell they were being careful not to show themselves through the opening. She could hear Ed's voice floating in from where he sat with Ellen in the break room.

"Interesting," she thought. She stepped quietly back to the edge of the door and watched and listened to the conversation already in progress.

"It wasn't the romance of the century but we cared for each other. We have a son we love. Richard was a good husband and a great father."

"But, the word we have," Miranda knew Ed was referencing the notes on the divorce settlement, "you had to walk away with almost nothing from the marriage."

Ellen's laugh was scornful. "You might want to get your facts straight. I didn't

have

to do anything. I chose to walk away with nothing."

"Oh?" Ed's voice held a slight note of disbelief without being too confrontational. Miranda smiled; he was good at that.

"Officer Wallace, the original copy of the papers Richard signed for me gave me almost everything we had except ownership in this place, plus some alimony to make up for that. It was at least 50:50, almost certainly more. Ask him if you don't believe me. I

chose

to walk away with nothing but my personal stuff, some photos and child support. Which, if it's your next question, he pays faithfully."

"I understand, Mrs. Bernhardt. I'm just doing my job and part of that job is these types of questions. We need to rule out people. Especially when it's the type of situation where there could be some animosity."

"I don't think you're listening too well." Ellen's voice had some heat in it now. "We had a successful marriage, just not a permanent one. Odds are, it was better than yours is."

"I'm not married, but you have to allow how it looks — "

She cut him off, exasperated. "This is pointless! You're not listening to a word I'm saying. You don't believe me? Fine! You think I'm just the bitter ex-wife? Fine!

"Personally? I think I hit the jackpot twice in my life. But, you should just feel free to be as hard of hearing as you want, Officer. So, since it seems like you and I are at an impasse, can I go? Or are there more ridiculous questions you have?"

There was a pause and Miranda could picture Ed weighing whether there was anything to be gained by pressing. "Not at this time, ma'am."

Miranda watched as the two men looked awkwardly at each other. Finally, Richard turned to head back to the office, but Mike touched his sleeve. "Hey, Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"I've always respected the fact that this whole thing isn't a topic you want mentioned ..." Richard tensed and started to say something but Mike held up his hand. "Let me finish. I'm going to tell you one thing and then I'll drop it forever."

Neither man was looking at the other. "She meant what she said. Your marriage meant ... means ... something to her. She respected it and you. We never did anything with each other the entire time you were married. I mean entire, not just when you left but right up until the day the divorce was final. She meant every word she said to that cop."

Mike tried to catch Richard's eye as if to drive home his point, but Richard just turned and headed toward the exit, his face a stone mask.

The incident made an impression on Miranda. "He looked sincere," she thought, referring to Mike, "and he certainly wasn't play-acting for Ed or me."

"I think we're barking up the wrong tree with the Bernhardts, Randy," Ed said as they climbed into their car. "I wasn't getting 'lying sumbitch' off of either of them."

"I agree. Ditto with the staff." She did agree, but she was glad he had the same feeling. He'd been at this a lot longer than she had. "I guess we just keep our ears to the ground and hope we hear something."

• • •

A few days later, Miranda stopped in at the restaurant. "Hello, Mr. Mason. I was in the area and wanted to touch base."

Richard rose from the table where he was working on a produce order. "Oh, sure. Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Sorry. While I'm on duty I buy my own but I'll have one with you." She took the chair he pulled out for her.

"Oh." He looked disconcerted for a second, then he called to the woman behind the counter. "Linda, would you have someone bring a couple of coffees over to number six, please?"

"So, anything new?" he asked when they settled.

"Not really. Silver Dodges are a dime a dozen, but we're weeding through them. We haven't heard any rumors about someone suddenly having a lot of cash. Early breaks are nice but sometimes it just takes grunt work and waiting for someone to talk out of turn."

Richard nodded.

"I stopped by because I wanted to talk to each of your staff just for a moment. Sometimes people remember things after the excitement has passed. I'll be as non-disruptive to things here as I can. Would you mind?"

"No. You can use my office if you'd like," he said, getting up to escort her to the back.

"Thanks, Mr. Mason."

"No problem. And call me Richard."

"Well, Mr. Mason, I'd rather not while we've got an open investigation going on."

He looked at her in astonishment. "Am I under suspicion here? My insurance company was all over this and they seemed pretty satisfied. I didn't realize ..." he trailed off.

She cocked her head at him. "Well, officially we haven't ruled anything out but, for my part, I'd say you're not of prime interest to us." She smiled, but it wasn't entirely a warm expression. "But if we turned out to be wrong, I'd look pretty darn silly if I was all buddy-buddy with you, wouldn't I?"

He looked disconcerted again as she dropped a couple bills on the table and rose to follow him.

• • •

A week after that the two officers found themselves back at the diner after a call from Richard.

"You said you had something for us?" Ed asked.

"Not me. Come on back to the office." Richard stuck his head through a swinging door and called, "Maria, can you cover Linda's tables a minute and send her to the back?"