Dressed Up 4 Murder, page 12
“Um, Aunt Ina, Uncle Louis. Great to see you. No, it’s only Marshall and me.”
At the sound of his name, Marshall turned away from the hostess. “Hi! Nice to see you again. Are you just arriving?”
“Oh, heavens no,” my aunt said. “Louis and I are on our way to an art exhibit near the university. The reception begins at seven, but I couldn’t bear waiting to eat at some ungodly hour. I’m not twenty-one anymore.”
“So, uh, how was your meal?” I asked.
“Splendid. Absolutely splendid. Order the Chilean sea bass. You won’t be sorry.”
“The mahi-mahi with asparagus and almond sauce was good, too. Always a decent choice,” Louis said.
Suddenly my brain kicked into gear. “That’s right; I forgot you were a food connoisseur as well as a musician.”
Louis smiled and moved closer to my aunt. “Food, music, and the love of my life. I have it all. Of course, if anything had gone wrong with that robbery last night, we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of dining in one of our favorite restaurants this evening.” Then he looked at Marshall. “Say, is that why you’re here? To investigate?”
“The Tempe police are investigating last night’s incident,” Marshall replied. “Attempted robbery, if that’s what it was, is for the local jurisdictions. They usually don’t call in private investigators.”
My uncle motioned Marshall and me closer and spoke softly. “That would depend on what the perpetrator was trying to rob. If you ask me, they should’ve chosen Taste of the Sea in Scottsdale and absconded with their seafood. The quality has been spiraling downhill for months. And Neptune’s Delicacies in Phoenix isn’t much better, I’m afraid. What a sad state of affairs. And don’t get me started on Aphrodite’s Appetite downtown. Their garlic shrimp skewers were more like guppies on a stick. At least La Mar Maravillosa has maintained its standards. When they closed for a week to redo their kitchen, or whatever they were working on, Ina and I had to resort to red meat and an overabundance of chicken. Do you have any idea how boring chicken can be? Anyway, we must be getting along or we won’t find a decent parking spot for the art show.”
My aunt took a step toward me and gave me a hug, her wrap practically covering my face.
“Take care, Aunt Ina. Uncle Louis, too. See you soon.”
Marshall waved good-bye to them and gave my arm a light squeeze. “Coldwater Seafood is the distributor for all three of the restaurants Louis mentioned. A problem with their chefs or with the fish? As I recall, none of those restaurants had any issues with Cameron Tully, unless they weren’t being forthright with me. Great. That’ll keep gnawing at me all night.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond because Jocelyn approached us within seconds of my aunt and uncle leaving. Tall and slender, with jet-black hair in a stylish upsweep. Marshall introduced me and told her I’d be waiting at the bar while they talked. I muttered something about it being nice making her acquaintance and she replied with similar small talk.
“Catch you in a bit,” I said to Marshall.
Jocelyn held her palm up and smiled. “Hold on a second, will you? Let the bartender know you’re my guest. He’ll comp your drinks.”
“Oh. Thanks. That’s nice of you.”
“My pleasure.” She motioned for Marshall to follow her, and I watched as they walked past the bar to a small alcove that I presumed led to her office.
Marshall whipped his head around and caught my eye. “Wait for me at the bar.”
I nodded.
A few more patrons had taken their places at the bar and the bistro tables were filling up fast. I took one of the empty seats at the end, giving me a full view of the room. Within seconds, a robust bartender with a full mustache and goatee greeted me. I explained I was a guest of the owner and he didn’t question it.
“What would you like?”
“Tonic water and lime.”
“Hang on.”
The guy was fast. He placed a small bowl of assorted rice crackers and wasabi peas in front of me and followed it with my tonic water. At the far end of the bar, another bartender was waiting on customers. A woman. Tall, with shoulder-length brown hair that was a shade darker than her skin. Late twenties or early thirties.
“Can I get you anything else?” my bartender asked. “The wait times around here can be long.”
“I’m fine, thanks. Probably a whole lot better than your boss. I’m surprised the restaurant opened today. It was all over the news. Her being held at gunpoint and all. That poor woman. I wouldn’t blame her if she’d stayed home.”
“Jocelyn can’t afford to lose a day’s business. Yeah, she was shaken up, but not hurt or anything. And nothing was broken or stolen. Probably some jerk who was looking for the cash drawer. Didn’t stop to think we’re not Quick Stop or the 7-Eleven. These high-end restaurants have safes, not cash drawers.”
“Were you working last night? Did you see what happened?”
“Yes and no. Working, yes. But I was here at the bar. From what I know, all the regulars were working last night. That’s the strange thing. None of us saw the gunman walk in. It was a busy night. Oh heck. They’re all busy nights and the weekends are worse. Real easy for someone to walk in, pull a hoodie over his or her head, and stick a scream mask on. Probably bought it for a discount after Halloween.”
“You think they were looking for money, huh?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean, what else would they want? Not many people are going to walk out of the place with a barrel full of fresh fish.”
I paused for a second to pull my thoughts together. “I agree with you, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
“About the person not realizing there was no cash drawer. Unless that wasn’t it at all. Unless they weren’t after money. Unless it was personal. Like revenge. Funny, that Jocelyn’s ex-boyfriend was found dead under suspicious circumstances.”
“Whoa! Hold it right there. How do you know so much? Wait a minute. Wait a minute. . . .”
Damn it, I’m trapped.
“Were you in here the other night with that group of women who sat in the back and kept ordering white wine? I thought you looked familiar. It was Paige, wasn’t it? I swear that waitress can’t keep her mouth shut. Tough break for Cameron Tully, but Jocelyn wouldn’t so much as kill a fly. I’ve worked here for over six years, and she’s not like that.”
Geez, I hope I’m not starting a scene. What if this guy has the hots for his boss? “Um, sorry if I hit a nerve. I didn’t mean to.”
“No worries. Cameron Tully didn’t deserve to die like that, but he was a real piece of work. Believe me, I could think of lots of words to describe him, but this is a respectable establishment.”
Chapter 13
I took a sip of my drink and rolled the small straw around in my glass. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas who might have killed him?”
“It had to be a woman.” He grabbed a dishcloth and wiped the bar. “To pull off murdering someone using a sago palm instead of a gun or a knife. Yeah, it was a woman, all right. Someone he jilted before Jocelyn came along. Cameron was always on the prowl for the latest catch of the day, even when he was dating someone as gorgeous as her.”
“Were the two of them dating long?”
“He spent more time flirting with her before he actually started dating her. I’ve worked in other establishments like this before, and I’ve never known a food distributor to show up so often.”
“You think it was personal. His murder, I mean.”
“I doubt it was business related. La Mar Maravillosa has never had any problems with Coldwater Seafood. Deliveries are always on time and the chefs never complain about the product. Yep, it has to be a woman out for revenge. Excuse me, will you? I’ve got a customer a few seats down.”
I nursed my drink for a few minutes and watched the steady stream of patrons enter or exit the bar. At one point, I checked the time on my iPhone and scanned for emails. The bartender returned and brought me another drink.
“Thanks. So, deliveries are on time and all that. It sounds as if you’re pretty familiar with how this restaurant runs.”
“Six years on the job. I should hope so. It’s not bad for a retirement gig.”
“Retirement? You look too young to be retired.”
The guy swaggered as he reached behind to get a glass. “Twenty years as a Phoenix firefighter. Then two years working for Happy Valley Nurseries. Too much digging and planting for me. Tending bar gives me the best of both worlds—some excitement now and then and enough exercise.”
I watched as he filled the glass with Kahlúa and rum before handing it to the man seated two stools away from me.
“Um, one more question and I promise to leave you alone.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you know why Cameron ended their relationship?”
“Who told you he was the one who ended the relationship? Oh yeah. Probably Paige. Well, this time she got it wrong. Jocelyn dumped him and dropped her account with his company. I think he took it harder than anyone would expect. Came back here to talk to Jocelyn shortly before he was found dead.”
My fingers moved the swizzle stick faster in my drink and all I could say was, “Oh.”
“Yeah. And of all things, he winds up having a run-in with her brother. Talk about another piece of work. The brother was in the area and stopped by. They got into it back there.” He pointed to the far corner of the bar.
“About the breakup?” I asked.
The bartender shook his head. “I think it had more to do with Coldwater Seafood. Cameron was spouting off about fraud and I heard him all the way over here. He said, ‘That’s nothing to brag about. I’ve a good mind to notify the authorities.’ And then the brother said, ‘You won’t be able to prove a thing.’ They must’ve been talking about something Jocelyn was doing, but I’d be hard pressed to believe she would put this restaurant at risk.”
“Yikes.”
“Oh, it gets better. Cameron’s feathers must’ve gotten really ruffled, because next thing I heard him say was, ‘One call and your ass is on the line. Think I’m kidding? Try me.’”
“What happened?”
“The brother got up and stormed out. Came back for his jacket and made sure to knock over Cameron’s drink.”
“Bet that didn’t go over too well.”
“Not as bad as expected. Cameron was drinking a dark ale we had on tap. Next thing I knew, the brother bought him another one and I brought it to the table. After that, nothing. He left and Cameron stayed till he finished his beer.”
Marshall appeared a few minutes later and took the empty seat next to mine. “Hey, good looking, can I buy you a drink?”
“Any more drinks and I’ll float out of here. But we really need to leave the bartender a very generous tip.”
“Stellar service?”
“Stellar intel. Oh, and we’ve got to be sure we ask for Paige to be our waitress.”
As our luck would have it, Paige was off for the night and our waiter was an older gentleman by the name of Bernard. He was efficient, mild mannered, and tight-lipped. The only thing we got out of him was five-star service and a fabulous meal. Prawn risotto for me and salmon piccata for Marshall.
We were seated at a dimly lit corner table far enough away from the other guests so we didn’t have to worry about being overheard.
“Jocelyn lied. Cameron didn’t dump her. At least not according to the bartender.” I picked up the menu but then put it down. “I don’t get it. Usually it’s the other way around. You know, the woman telling everyone it was her idea to lose the louse.”
“Not if she was the one double-timing him. I had a hunch and your sleuthing paid off. Look, I’m no expert on these kinds of things, but when Jocelyn first told me about the breakup, it sounded as if she was giving me a line from a well-rehearsed script. Especially the part about securing another seafood distributor. Nate checked into that and found out it’s not as easy as one would think. The market is fickle, and most companies have enough trouble maintaining their inventory for the regular customers.”
“So, if the bartender is on the up-and-up, Jocelyn had this in the works long before she said bye-bye to Cameron. Hmm, what if he wasn’t willing to move on and she found a more permanent way to get him out of the picture?”
“Not a strong enough motive for murder. Even if the guy hung on her like a clinging vine or badgered her with calls or threats. It would have annoyed her, not enraged her.”
I picked up the menu again and perused the entrées. “What about her encounter with the gun-toting guy in the mask and hoodie? Did she share anything with you that she didn’t tell the police?”
“Yep. She didn’t think it was a man.”
“Whoa. That’s pretty major in my book. Why hide that from the Tempe police?”
“She said she was so shaken up all she could do was describe the scream mask and the hoodie.”
“Then what made her believe it was a woman?”
“Here’s where it gets interesting. Jocelyn told me she’d been trained to be highly discerning when it comes to aromas. A valuable skill in a seafood restaurant. Anyhow, she said she could always detect the scent of a man. Either his deodorant, aftershave, body wash, or frankly, unwashed, unshaved body if it came down to that. She even said men’s clothing carries a certain smell.”
“And . . . ?”
“The guy who held the gun to her head didn’t smell like a man.”
“Then why not tell the police?”
“She was convinced they’d think she was a bit ‘off’ and not take her seriously.”
“But she told you.”
“I’m not the one filing a police report or doing anything that would give her restaurant unwanted publicity. You know how the media always takes a small tidbit of information and blows it up to an astronomical size.”
“Kind of like my mother and the rumor mill. So, did Jocelyn have any idea who that masked woman was? Or what she was after?”
“If she did, I wasn’t privy to an answer. She took the safe route. Said it was probably someone looking for some quick cash.”
“What was your take on her explanation?”
“I don’t think it was money she was after. Like I said, I have this nagging feeling I’m missing something. Anyway, we might as well order and enjoy a good meal before this place succumbs to what your uncle called ‘a downhill spiral.’”
“Louis Melinsky happens to be the fussiest eater I’ve ever encountered. I wouldn’t exactly be waving the white flag if I was one of those restaurant owners.”
“Yeah, I was kind of surprised about his opinion. All I can verify from my research is that none of those places received a grade less than A+ from the Maricopa County Health Department and none of them owed back taxes or any delinquent debts. But as far as the quality of the seafood? That’s way out of my league. Heck, I’m fine with a good tuna melt.”
“Hallelujah, that’s one meal I can prepare. And speaking of meals . . . Thanksgiving is just around the corner and, well . . .”
“Let me wager a guess. We’re invited to your mother’s.”
I cringed and didn’t say a word.
“That’s fine, hon. As long as she doesn’t seat the dog next to me.”
“No, he’ll be under the table begging for scraps. Unless, of course, my mother prepares him a plate of his own.”
“I take it Shirley and Lucinda will be there?”
“With bells on.”
“Good. Besides, I’d be kind of insulted if your mom didn’t invite us.”
A subtle warmth filled my cheeks and I reached for the iced water. If I could describe the moment in one word, it would be “comfortable.” We continued to discuss Cameron Tully’s murder and the frustration everyone was beginning to feel since not a whole lot of progress had been made on the case.
Marshall, on the one hand, planned to revisit the other three restaurants during the week, using the intruder incident at La Mar Maravillosa as an excuse. Nate, on the other hand, was going to conduct his research from his office chair. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff ’s Office, Jocelyn was a “person of interest.” She was the ex-girlfriend and, without any other viable suspects, her name was at the top of the list. That gave the sheriff’s office and the Tempe police a good reason to check her phone records.
“What are they looking for?” I asked.
“Repeat numbers and patterns. Especially on the days leading up to Cameron’s death.”
“Where does Nate fit in?”
“He’s the lucky gumshoe who gets to follow up on the information. Unless, of course, one of those numbers belongs to another seafood restaurant. Then, it’s all mine.”
Our meal ended with coffee and crème brûlée. As I savored the last spoonful of the caramelized sugar and vanilla bean dessert, I realized something. It would be relatively easy to slip a bit of ground sago palm seeds, or nuts as they’re referred to, into the mixture undetected. Crème brûlée or any confection, really. The heavy cream and sugar would drown out the toxic ingredient. Marshall insisted a while back that no chef in his or her right mind would jeopardize their restaurant by doing such a thing, but what if the dessert was prepared elsewhere? Or, better yet, what if Jocelyn served it to Cameron at his own place and then removed the evidence? It wasn’t like cyanide or even belladonna. Sago palm poisoning could take days to achieve the desired effect.
“You’ve got to find out why she cut off the relationship with him,” I said.
“Huh? What?”
“Jocelyn. Cameron. That nagging feeling you have? It’s your gut instinct. I get it, too, only with things like suddenly checking the tire pressure in my car or throwing out a can of food I just opened because I have a bad feeling about it.”
Marshall propped his elbows on the table, clasped his hands, and rested his chin. “Sounds like you have a theory of your own.”
“ ‘Theory’ is not exactly the right word. A theory means there’s evidence. No, what I have is conjecture. Pure and simple. I think it has to do with her business. Maybe she needed better prices from Coldwater Seafood and that wasn’t about to happen. Even though she was sharing a bed with the guy. Or maybe she noticed the quality of the product was going down. Remember what you said earlier? About her sense of smell?”
