Last But Not Leashed, page 27
Mari and I followed behind Henry James like convoy boats behind an icebreaker until we were close enough to overhear the conversation.
Someone asked if it was true about Sookie firing Elaine.
Elaine answered. “It’s true that we all lost our jobs, but we weren’t fired. The corporation that hired us was in the process of being dissolved. Sookie generously gave us two months’ pay as severance. This chapter of her life was closed, she explained, and a new adventure awaited.”
“Did she ever tell you what it was?”
“Not specifically. She hinted about leaving winters behind, though. Part of the secrecy, I believe, was to avoid additional confrontations with Glenn. He made her life miserable.”
“So you weren’t fired,” a short, athletic-looking woman repeated.
While she spoke I got a peek at Elaine. She showed no anger in her voice or demeanor.
“Correct.”
The answer came out clipped. Final.
Other audience members pushed around, curious but reluctant to speak. From behind me someone said, “When did she tell you all this?”
Waiting for Elaine’s response, for the first time I saw a hint of something in her eyes. Remorse? Regret?
Her gaze flickered downward. When she looked back up, she stared directly at me. “I found out the night before she was killed.”
After Elaine left, we hung around, speaking with friends and eating snacks. While we were getting ready to leave, Mari pulled me aside and whispered, “I’m following you home tonight. I miss Desi.”
“Sure.” I checked to make sure I had my backpack. “I guess your sister-in-law couldn’t make it tonight?” Of all of us, I thought Barbara was the most tuned in to the lectures.
Taking a final bite from her cookie, Mari shook her head. “One of the kids started vomiting just before she was supposed to leave—and hubby doesn’t do vomiting.”
Since I knew several people who gagged at the thought of anyone around them barfing, I understood completely.
Henry stood behind me having a spirited conversation about flour with a fellow baker, an attractive woman in her thirties. With a raised finger he warned, “Don’t get me started about the British. Strong flour, self-raising, golden syrup…”
“Sorry to interrupt,” I said, “but Mari and I are heading out.”
“You two okay?” Henry asked. “Marilyn and I are debating the pros and cons of European milling techniques and specialty products.”
“We’re fine.” If it had been anyone other than Henry, I’d have thought he was flirting with her.
Quite a few women were buttoning their coats and putting on hats as they drew closer to the community center exit. Each time the doors opened, a stream of frigid air slipped in. Mari and I followed suit. I figured by the time the heat was blasting in the truck, I’d be pulling into the animal hospital parking lot.
Of course, our entrance into my apartment rivaled a royal welcome, especially from Desi, who couldn’t believe his good luck. Mommy was here!
The huge rottweiler turned into a puddle of mush at Mari’s feet, wiggling and rolling and pushing his face up against her leg. The other dogs all vied for the same attention. Even Little Man carefully watched the celebrations.
“Everyone out,” I told them, first opening my front door, then the gate to the fenced-in area. Little Man trotted along behind the other dogs, letting them create a trail in the snow.
“Little Man is turning into a real live dog,” Mari joked.
The three larger dogs were tearing around the dog run area, the Chihuahua barking at their heels.
“So, what did you think of Glenn Overmann’s sister’s tirade?” I asked.
“Interesting. I wonder what she’s been telling the police? She obviously thinks Glenn is innocent.”
I pulled my coat tighter around my neck. “Of course she does. They’re family. Has Cindy said anything more to you?”
“Nope. I think Chief Garcia clamped down on her sister-to-sister information hotline.”
Knowing our receptionist, I predicted, “That won’t last long.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
After oversleeping the next morning I hurried through my morning dog routines and entered the treatment room fifteen minutes before my first appointment.
“We were just getting worried about you,” Mari said.
“Doggy-mom duties,” I answered, plucking a granola bar from the breakfast basket.
“I’ve got your first appointment set up in Room 2 when you’re ready. We’re off and running this morning,” she laughed.
At lunchtime I was checking my email and straightening up my desktop when some good news appeared. I received the veterinary pathology report stating that Little Man’s growth was benign, with all the margins clear of any abnormalities.
We all needed some good news in our lives, so I immediately texted Daffy, Mari, and Cindy. It didn’t take long for Mari to pop up at my office door.
“We should celebrate,” she said. “I’d love a big fat brownie from Judy’s.”
Cindy came up behind her. “Or I can share my rice crackers with both of you,” she said. “They’re seaweed-flavored.”
An image of Mari gobbling down seaweed made me break out in giggles. Cindy wasn’t amused.
“We don’t have to celebrate all the time with sweets.”
She was right, but a brownie sounded awfully good.
“When I was your age, I ate whatever I wanted, and as much as I wanted,” she continued. “You’ll discover, as you get older, that becomes impossible. So now for me it’s less chocolate, more low-fat yogurt.”
Mari didn’t let it rest. “So if you follow that argument to its logical conclusion, I’d better start eating like crazy while I’m still young.”
I stifled my second burst of giggles in my hand. It didn’t go unnoticed.
“All right,” Cindy replied. “In honor of Little Man, let’s make it three brownies. I’ll call Judy and tell her one of you will pick up in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll volunteer,” I said. “I think I need some fresh air to clear my head.” Before Mari could object, I took my coat and waved goodbye.
By the time I walked into Judy’s, I’d decided to add a soup and her roast chicken with vegetable special to the takeout order. That took care of a lunch and dinner for me. Her place was packed, as usual, so I waited by the counter and checked my messages. Rainbow texted and reminded me that her mom wanted Posey’s three notebooks.
As I waited, I looked out at the dining room, crowded with people.
Among the customers was Elaine, sitting with three young women wearing green sweatshirts. Our eyes met, and she acknowledged me with a smile.
A few tables down, Phillipa Overmann and two strangers wearing suits were obviously distressed. The volatile Phillipa was the listener, not the speaker. One of the men had a stack of papers he appeared to be going through with her. Also at the table, glumly staring at his cell phone, was Glenn’s boyfriend, Wyatt Cressan.
It occurred to me that at one time or another, I’d seen everyone involved with Posey sitting in Judy’s restaurant.
“Your order is ready,” Judy said, placing a paper bag on the counter. “What are you looking at?”
“Oh, just thinking about how so many lives have been disrupted by Sookie’s death. Her employees with the corporation dissolved, her family, her clients…”
“My business.” Judy explained that Sookie’s crew ate lunch at her place at least twice a week.
“How often did you see Posey with them?” I asked her.
“Some of the time. My impression was she did a lot of the scut work—the cleanup, packing, that kind of thing. Why do you want to know? Still investigating?” It was difficult to get anything past Judy.
“I’m interested,” I told her, “in any links between Sookie and Posey.”
Her hard brown eyes stared me down. “Because?”
How could I explain this odd feeling I had? “Posey was writing a book. We talked a little about it one night at Circle K. Sookie might be one of…”
“Hello, ladies.”
It was Elaine who interrupted me, so close I could smell a whiff of her perfume.
“Hi, Elaine. Did you need your bill? Separate checks, or all together?” Judy started to clear away some dishes from the counter.
“Together, please. My treat. I wanted to say goodbye to the last of our employees. I’ll be leaving at the end of the week.”
It seemed as though there was a mass exodus from Oak Falls. “You, too? I forgot to ask Judy if Colin has left.”
Elaine fidgeted on her seat. “Colin? That artist? Haven’t seen him in quite a while.”
“Did the police resolve that incident at the community center between you and Phillipa?” I couldn’t help notice they were once again in the same room, though this time peacefully.
“Oh, that. I didn’t press any charges. Phillipa was reacting in the heat of the moment, I believe,” she said. “Oak Falls has been good to me, but it’s time to leave.” Elaine removed her wallet from her purse and took out a credit card. Judy was busy taking a phone order and signaled she’d be with her in a moment.
“Did I hear you mention Posey?” she questioned. “Such a tragedy. I had no idea she was depressed.”
“Me either.”
“Did you say you have her notebooks? Our crew joked that she was always scribbling away in those notebooks, even at our job sites.”
Finished on the phone, Judy came over with a mobile reader device and ran Elaine’s credit card.
“So, you knew about the notebooks?”
“Of course. Anybody who spent any time with Posey knew she was writing some kind of historical novel. The last time I spoke to her she said she’d started on the Epilogue. I just hope she didn’t write anything about me in them.” Her voice sounded jokingly conversational, but tightness around her mouth and forehead betrayed her.
Elaine looked scared.
“Sorry I took so long,” I blurted out to Mari and Cindy as I rushed into the employee lounge and put the bags on the table. “I decided to get dinner for myself.”
Mari was busy digging through the individually wrapped food items. “Here they are,” she exclaimed. Three brownies materialized in her hands.
“I think I’ll have half and save the rest for tomorrow,” Cindy said.
“Not me.” In record speed Mari had the brownie unwrapped and missing a large corner.
Still thinking about Elaine’s reaction in Judy’s Café, I sat motionless, the brownie uneaten in my hand.
“What’s up with you?” Mari asked. “Brownie got your tongue?”
Cindy chided her. “You can see she hasn’t even tasted it. Did anything happen to you at the restaurant?”
I came out of my daydream, not sure what to say. “I keep thinking about Sookie’s and Posey’s deaths.”
“Oh, no.” Cindy rose and made her way toward the refrigerator. “I thought you dropped all that.”
“I did, but I can’t help I thinking I missed something. Especially now that the rats are deserting the ship.”
“How so?” Mari pulled her chair closer to mine.
Trying to put my apprehension into words was proving tough. “Colin is leaving. Elaine is leaving. Rainbow is leaving. Sookie was going to leave before she was killed.”
Cindy spoke first. “Colin has a gallery opening in Finland. He’s been telling everyone for months about it. Didn’t you meet his agent a few days ago?”
“All right, that’s true,” I admitted.
“Rainbow only came to visit her mom and is going back to California, I believe,” Mari added. “We heard Elaine say she’s leaving because Glenn and his sister are screaming at her in public.”
Everything they both said was true. “So what about Sookie? Why was she leaving?”
“Get real, Kate,” Cindy said. “Sookie was going through a divorce and had a new mystery boyfriend. Who can blame her?”
They made excellent points. Everything they mentioned made a lot of sense. I nodded my agreement and took a bite of brownie. But instead of enjoying the fudgy richness, my brain stayed fixated on one thought that circled around and around in my consciousness, like that tiny ball you see rolling in a roulette wheel.
You’re missing something.
You’re missing something.
***
That feeling of something missed stayed with me, so on Saturday afternoon I decided to go into town and pick Judy’s brain about Posey and Sookie and Glenn. I knew she’d be at the restaurant, so as soon as the office closed, I drove into town.
Parking on Saturday could be difficult, and this was one of those difficult times. I ended up parking blocks from my destination. Buttoning my coat around me, I started walking toward the restaurant.
“Kate? Is that you? Wait up.”
Behind me a familiar voice said my name. When I turned I saw Colin hurrying to catch up.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi, yourself. Listen. Can you do me a big favor? I got someone to adopt the iguana, but it’s not looking so good this morning. Do you think you could take a quick look at him?”
I knew Colin’s studio was close by, but…
“It’s only one block away in that direction,” he pointed, taking me by the elbow.
“I’m on my way to Judy’s,” I started to explain. “I thought I’d pick something up for a friend.”
We started to walk together, his arm in mine.
“She’s incredibly busy this morning. One of her servers didn’t show up for his shift. I tried to get coffee and the line is out the door.”
It felt nice to be walking without snow or wind to contend with.
“I’m a little worried about Judy,” he confided. “Someone told me the restaurant is struggling financially.” He turned off abruptly onto a walkway that wound around the back of a storefront. “Here’s my place.” Several spaces in the building looked to be in the process of being remodeled.
Stopping at a glossy black door, he entered a series of numbers into an electronic lock. The device whirred, and then a light turned green. He held the door open for me. From the smell of solvents and paint, it was obvious it served as an artist’s studio. Very modern in appearance, one wall was mostly glass. Skylights flooded the space with light. The only furnishings were a worn couch, two armchairs, and a small bistro table with four folding chairs. A large terrarium took up most of a long folding table. Tucked underneath was a green plastic bin full of food, supplements, and a half-empty bag of cedar shavings.
“I’m sorry to practically kidnap you.” Colin walked over to the habitat. “The people who have been taking care of it for Felicia dumped it on me about two weeks ago. This morning I noticed he wasn’t moving much.”
The glass terrarium measured about seven feet long, with a plastic cover and a light bulb rigged over part of the habitat for heat. As soon as I saw cedar chips I was concerned, since cedar isn’t recommended for use in reptile enclosures due to its aromatic oils.
Inside the dirty glass box was a four-foot-long green iguana, with one branch to perch on and a pile of food on a flat plate.
“Colin, have you been giving him fresh green vegetables and fruits in addition to the dry food?” Nutrition was a big part of keeping exotic animals healthy. “What about the temperature and humidity?” I also noticed the water needed to be changed.
“I’ve been busy getting ready to move,” he said. “Like I said, Felicia’s friends dumped him on me. Each time I touch him or anything he’s touched, I start to itch.” As if punctuating the sentence, he began to scratch his arm.
“Well, let me at least get these cedar chips out. Do you have any newspaper I can use?”
He looked around, then opened a black garbage bag sitting next to the sofa. After pawing through it, he pulled out a bunch of newspaper pages. “These are clean,” he told me.
I folded a few pages into a rough funnel and with my hands started to slide the dry cedar chips onto the paper. The big lizard didn’t blink, but stayed motionless on the only branch in the habitat.
“Do you have a garbage pail I can put this in?” I asked.
“Sure.” He removed a small white pail with a plastic liner in it from under the sink and held it in front of me.
“Okay. Hold it steady.” I started to slowly pour, but there must have been a stray clump hidden underneath because all of a sudden there was a plop, and Colin had yucky used cedar chips on his hands, lower arms, and on his shoes.
“AGGH!”
A bunch of incomprehensible sounds poured out of his mouth, all signifying disgust.
“I’m so sorry. Go ahead and wash up,” I told him. “I’ll clean this mess.”
He grunted an okay, tripped over the food bin and slammed into the black garbage bag on his way to the bathroom. His frustration must have maxed out because he kicked the bag, sending paper and garbage flying.
The iguana hadn’t moved.
I found a broom in the kitchenette and swept up all the remaining cedar chips. Since anything iguana-related was what Colin was allergic to, I immediately tied the bag shut and put it over by the front door. I quickly washed my hands then set about picking up the rest of the trash scattered on the floor.
It looked like most of it was last-minute useless papers and magazines, with most of the yucky stuff down at the bottom. When I was down on my hands and knees picking up trash from under the sofa, I caught a glimpse of more magazines on the bottom level of his coffee table. Several gallery pamphlets were mixed in with various catalogs on garden supplies, computer parts, and European river cruises.
Colin was still grumbling and cursing in the bathroom somewhere down the hallway. Taking a quick look around, I didn’t see any of his personal items at all. What I did see were several cardboard moving boxes stacked in one corner.
