ANDRÉ’S CAFÉ IS BUSY AT LUNCHTIME, AND LAKEN, HAYES, AND I huddle around a small round table penned in on all sides by other diners. Moms with kids in strollers, men and women who work nearby, block every escape route. But this is our favorite place. Convenient for Laken’s spa and the bookstore.

I get a dirty look from an elderly woman at the next table as Sadie pants near her elbow. Too bad. I just don’t care.

“What did the cops want?” Laken asks, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“They found a necklace in Jay’s filing cabinet, and they hinted it might’ve been what the killer was looking for.”

“A necklace? Was it valuable?”

“I don’t think so, but the weird thing is, they think it belonged to a woman from Mountclair. She went missing the night of July Fourth.”

Laken shivers. “Creepy. I don’t remember hearing anything about it.”

“Me neither.”

Hayes coughs and sips his latte. “Why would Jay have her necklace?”

“I have no idea. None of this makes sense.” I stir more sugar into my tea. “Then they wanted to know when we’d been up to the mountain house.”

“What does all this have to do with finding the bastard who killed Jay?” Hayes pokes at his Thai chicken salad with his fork.

I shrug. “I have no idea.” I don’t. Jay must’ve found the necklace and didn’t know who it belonged to. That’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s too distressing to think about, so I change the subject. “Where’s Alice today?”

Hayes smiles. “Working on her witch trials paper back at the store. She’s in my office with the door shut, hoping Sharon won’t bother her.” He glances at his phone. “Speaking of Sharon, I probably should get back so she can go to lunch.” He stands, grabs his half-finished salad. “See you guys later.” He maneuvers past Sadie and the other diners and dumps his lunch in the trash on his way out the door. I watch him outside the café, buttoning his coat and pulling a hat on his head.

Laken blows out a big breath.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

Her dark eyes glance out the window. “Nothing. It’s nothing. You’ve got enough on your plate.”

“Hey, tell me.” I’d rather listen to someone else’s problems than think about my own.

She shrugs. “Cal.”

“What’s wrong with Cal?”

“He’s been irritable.” She sips her coffee. “It’s fine. We’ll work it out.”

“His friend just died, Laken.”

“No. It’s not that. I mean, he’s devastated about Jay, don’t get me wrong. But this has been going on long before that.”

“Maybe the trouble with Josh? You know.”