“I didn’t know her. Pauline introduced her to me.” Mary bit her lip. “They were living together. I sensed that they were more than just friends.” She shrugged. “Modern world.”

“Indeed.” Decker tapped the picture. “Then you don’t recognize this guy?”

“I never said that. He was in here once. I remember because I waited on him.”

“Really!” Decker felt a flash of excitement. “Did he talk to you about Pauline?”

“He mentioned her. This was maybe four months ago.” She was still staring at the photograph. “He looks mean in the picture. In person, he’s got a nice smile. He’s kinda cute.”

“And he talked to you about Pauline?” McAdams said.

“It wasn’t like … ‘Do you know Pauline and where can I find her?’”

“Okay,” Decker said. “What was it like?”

“I think he mentioned he was a friend of hers from way back. I told him I haven’t seen her around lately.” She took in a deep breath and let it out. “That was really about it.”

“Perfect,” Decker said. “And you think this might have been like four months ago?”

“Three or four, yeah,” Mary said. “After Pauline moved in with Elsie.”

“What was Pauline like?” Decker asked.

“She was friendly—you know, talking to other tables across the room. She came in for lunch.” A pause. “I don’t think she had a job.”

McAdams said, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Mary said. “You just get a feel for people. She never seemed in a hurry. And she left the same tip no matter what she had. Three dollars and fifty cents. Not the most generous if she’s having a full meal, but she left it even if she stopped in for a Coke. It all evened out.” Mary stood up. “I have to get back to work.”

“Thank you for your time,” Decker said.

“Thank you for your tip,” she replied. “I suppose it was for the service and the information. Although it wasn’t much information.”

“It was great information.” Decker paused. “Out of curiosity, what’s your last name, Mary?”

“Yost. Why?”

“Just curious.”

“If you say so.” Mary walked away.

After she left, McAdams said, “For a Mennonite, I was thinking Yoder, but Yost is about the same thing. Anyway, we now know that Baer was here.”

“It establishes a recent link, especially since he mentioned Pauline to Mary,” Decker said. “At least it doesn’t feel like a waste of time.”

“What do you think he wanted from her? To rekindle an old relationship? Retaliation? Just passing through and thought he’d say hello?”

“Doubt it was the last one. Let’s see if we can find out.” Decker checked his watch. “It’s a little past three. What time do you think the bars open?”

“Happy hour usually starts at four.”

“We can keep canvassing. Or we can call Quay now and find out if he has anything.”