Diamond Diner of Lost Souls

a mystery thriller
1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-1-6678-3331-6
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 1, 194 Seiten

Reihe: Diner of Lost Souls

Cora Drakos is the owner of the renowned Athena Diner In New York City, known as the Diner of Lost Souls. A part time detective, she finds herself searching for the would-be killer of a homeless man. As she searches, she finds herself deeper and deeper into a case that involves murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. A suspense filled with deadly surprises, twists and turns.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Diamond, Graham

Leseproben

1

After whistling loudly between his teeth, the first driver yelled, “Move your damned truck!”

The disturbance outside woke her. Cora raised herself on one elbow and peered from the window. Two trucks, one a big dry van and the other a refrigerated trailer, stood motionless. Their drivers began arguing with enthusiastic vulgarities.

Cora ignored the commotion and checked the time. Her phone read 6:17 AM. Unfocused eyes momentarily stared at the ceiling. Nagging dream memories faded. She sat up at the side of her messy bed, rubbed both hands on her strained neck, rolled her shoulders, and shook herself awake. Her back was throbbing. Helping unload crates and boxes yesterday was a bigger effort than she anticipated. Or maybe she was in denial about heavy labor at her age? If top chef Claude had shown up on time, he could have managed the entire delivery confusion himself. Claude, though, was a single father, working as hard as he could since his messy divorce. Cora empathized with his difficulty and appreciated his honesty. The early vegetable delivery arrived late, and she needed to pitch in to get everything finished in time to feed her eager, hungry customers.

In addition, her day manager Ivan was slacking off due to whatever hustle he was operating on the side. She didn’t care about his private life, but it was beginning to interfere with business. That she could never allow. Finding a suitable replacement was the only solution. So, she sacked Ivan. Tossed on his ass with two weeks’ pay. She was grateful for Eddie Coltrane, already proving himself a suitable replacement. Cora Drakos ran a tight ship at the Athena Diner.

The profanities in the street continued. She pulled aside her curtain and looked. A small group of early risers and dog walkers formed a wide circle to watch the ongoing ruckus. Drivers trapped in the narrow road honked horns.

At length, the truckers told each other to fuck off, and sluggishly made their way back to their vehicles. Toxic fumes flowed from tailpipes as truck engines rumbled. The sidewalk superintendents drifted away. The nearby El train, rushing on its way to Manhattan screeched to a halt at the crowded station. The early morning circus was over.

Cora turned away, stood up, flexed muscles, and peeked at the mirror before going to the bathroom. She didn’t like what she saw. Lines were beginning to etch deeper along the sides of her thin mouth. Her expressive dark eyes were becoming puffy. Due to a lack of sleep? Far too many working hours? God knows how difficult it was for her to keep up with this chaotic life.

The vivid watercolor of Athens hanging on the opposite wall greeted her like an old friend. “Hellas,” she muttered, using the common name for Greece. How long was it since she’d been home? So many years. Her former life was all but buried. Could she even go back to visit after everything that happened? She blocked the thought. It was pointless to consider.

Her cell phone rang. “Yes,” she murmured, stifling a yawn.

“Cora, the vegetables, they’re no good--again.”

“Slow down, Eddie. What’s going on this time?”

“I could pick better stuff myself at any supermarket. Boss, we’re paying good money for crap.” His voice was starting to rise. Cora stretched again as she listened and sighed. “Is everything rotten, or can we salvage some just for today? Any leftovers in the fridge? How rotten, Eddie? Take a second look while I wait. We need to be ready for breakfast traffic.”

There was a momentary hesitation on the other end. “I can do whatever you need me to, Cora. I’ll slice off parts of lettuce heads, chives, carrots. Maybe I can rescue the tomatoes. Radishes look okay. Most of the yellow onions are nasty. I already informed Claude.”

“Good. Do what you can. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“Your strong Greek coffee will be waiting.”

Thank goodness for Eddie. At least she could count on him.

If Mama Annella could see me now. She looked up toward the ceiling as if it were heaven, and sadly shook her head. “Twenty years in America, Mama. More than twenty years.” She raised her palms dramatically, remembering how things were after the tragedy. She quickly rejected those thoughts, swiftly picking out her clothes for the day. The diner, her diner, was ready to open its doors. Customers would be in a hurry. They always were.

“Each menu must be special,” Karas Padnos, always called by his given English name, Gus, had carefully explained twenty years ago in his broken English. “Here at the Athena, we cater to neighborhood folks and also the general public.” The pride in his voice was obvious. Cora casually inspected the premises with him. The diner was long and narrow, red vinyl counter seating on the right, and a line of booths on the left. Extra tables and chairs were set up around the far side.

“Especially here in what America calls ethnic neighborhoods,” Gus continued, “there must be specialty foods together with staples, you understand? We cook good, hearty Greek dishes. For everyone, not just special guests.” She looked up at his joyful eyes and nodded with agreement. “Our food is served by local workers. It’s good because they often know and value our customers. We want everybody who comes inside to feel appreciated. Small spenders and big spenders. This ain’t what’s called a ‘greasy spoon’ in America. Everybody matters. We have truck deliveries early every day, and we buy local food when we can. You see I work hard, Cora. Extremely hard. Both with my hands and my brain. But do you know what? It’s worth it. Do you understand what I’m telling you? Because at the end, it’s all about the food. Our kitchen is our heart and soul. Here ‘on the line’ as they say. The cook is the boss in the kitchen. They watch and control order tickets while the cooking is done. Who gets served first? Who’s next? Plate by plate, meal by meal. I keep my eye on quality, see? In my place that’s all that ever counts—the food.”

Cora understood why having ties to the community and its needs played such a vital role in achieving a restaurant’s success. The Athena Diner was living proof because of Gus. It was his life.

Gus pointed here and there as they strode the premises. “We dim the lights at night,” he continued with self-approval. “They start bright, but by the end of the night they turn soft. In winter dark comes early, so we keep them bright. In summer, lights don’t turn on till late. Matching the light outside, understand?”

“Yes, Gus. I do understand.”

“Our customers love it. It helps make them feel at home. It’s good to feel at home. Tidy and neat. No dust on the windowsills.”

He gestured sweepingly. “I started with nothing, but I had these two hands. And I knew what people like to eat.” His chest swelled as he showed his large hands to her.

“You did good, Gus. I see what you achieved, and I admire it. All of it.”

At this point he took Cora by her hand and grew somber.

“One more important thing you need to know before you come to work here. The whole place gotta be clean, see? Tables, floors, kitchen, everything. Always clean, never forget it, Cora. A dirty restaurant is no good to anybody. It sends customers running. And that I won’t allow—ever.”

“I understand all your instructions, Gus. Thank you for this opportunity.”

He glowed with pleasure at his achievements. And now especially having this young Greek woman who had come so unexpectedly into his world. It added a pinch of spice to his delight at showing off.

“Don’t worry, Cora. I’m going to teach you all of this business. Step by step. From the first egg cracked at dawn to when they pick up the trash. Soon you’ll know everything that needs to be done.” He threw his head back and laughed loudly as her eyes widened. “You’re a smart one. I can tell. One day you’ll manage the whole damn place for me.”

Gus Padnos might not be formally well-educated, Cora thought, but he proved to be a clever, successful businessman. Astute and shrewd.

He remained robust for his age, muscular and strong, having trained as a wrestler and boxer during his youth in Greece. He came to America in his mid-twenties. Now in late middle age he was beefy but vigorous, his muscles firm. Human and fallible, his tanned skin was beginning to sag. His nose was prominent; his eyebrows white and thick above narrow dark eyes that judged quickly and keenly. The short-sleeved shirt owner of the Athena Diner was known as a fair but exacting employer. He paid a decent wage to loyal employees, especially the line cooks, supervisors of devoted areas in the kitchen. They were difficult to replace, and every restaurant counted on them.

Cora had stood quietly in his shadow as he barked proper detergent instructions at his sunrise shift dishwasher. Every plate, every fork, knife, and spoon must shine in the Athena Diner. From morning till night. Now, it was Cora who saw to it that it stayed that way after his passing.

Early morning sunlight streamed through the large glass windows. The smell of steaming coffee was enticing. And all these years later, Cora made certain that Gus’s rules were intact. The Athena Diner remained one of the most popular in Queens. Known for fast service, healthy food in a fresh atmosphere, its name was recognized far beyond its neighborhood location. Cora had kept her promise to Gus, and the staff became her new family.

The loud rumble...