The Case of the Prescient Poodle

by B R Snow

  “I’ll do that,” the bartender said. “But you might not want to come back for a while. Ramon’s a total jerk, but he does have some pretty rough friends who don’t mind mixing it up.”

  “Thanks for the tip,” Rooster said, giving the bartender a small wave as he led me by the elbow toward the door. When we were outside, he took his hand away and grinned at me. “What did you say that set him off?”

  “I worked in a cockfighting reference,” I said, rubbing my sore forearm. “He wanted to take me back to his place. And I don’t think he had romance in mind.”

  “Maybe the engagement ring scared him off,” Rooster said with a laugh as he hopped into the passenger seat.

  “I was just about to deck him and see if I could leave a diamond imprint on his face,” I said, starting the jeep. “But thanks for bailing me out.”

  “No problem. That’s why I was there.”

  “Interesting that the cops just let it play out,” I said, pulling into traffic and heading for home. “I’m glad. Getting arrested again wouldn’t have gone over well.”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” he said. “But they weren’t going to blow their cover unless they absolutely had to. So, what did Ramon have to say for himself?”

  “Oh, he’s an absolute delight,” I said, glancing over at him. “And he certainly does like to tell lies.”

  “That might come in handy.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  Chapter 26

  “Was all this cloak and dagger stuff really necessary? I don’t know why you just didn’t come to my office.”

  “I’m never going back to your office, Gerald,” I said, glancing around the empty dining room.

  Our restaurant was closed during the day on Wednesdays so that Chef Claire and some of her staff could visit the weekly farmer’s market to shop for locally grown products. But she had begged off today after kindly agreeing to my request to use the restaurant for a private lunch meeting with Gerald and Detective Renfro. She then decided it would be the perfect time to test out some of the new recipes she’d been toying with and was in the kitchen putting together a tasting menu for us to sample.

  Our clandestine meeting was part of Detective Renfro’s ongoing need to keep my involvement in the investigation quiet, and since my mother hadn’t asked me a single question about what I was up to, I certainly wasn’t going to argue with the detective’s strategy. But he hadn’t arrived yet, and I was sitting across from a confused and forlorn Gerald who had his suit jacket off and his crisp white sleeves rolled up. He used a finger to stir the ice in his glass of tea as he stared down at the table. I frowned at what he was doing but said nothing.

  “You look like your dog died,” I said, taking a sip of my tea.

  “I don’t have a dog,” he said, not bothering to make eye contact.

  “Figure of speech, Gerald,” I said. “But maybe you should think about getting one.”

  “With my schedule, it probably wouldn’t be fair to the dog,” he said, finally looking up at me. “I still can’t believe it.”

  “What’s really bothering you, Gerald?” I said, starting to lose patience with my good friend who’d been pouting since we’d sat down. “The fact that she chose someone else, or the fact that neither one of them told you about it?”

  “Why both, of course,” he said, then managed a soft chuckle. “It was just a shock to come home and see them together in the pool.”

  “William was worried you’d tell his father that he was in love with the daughter of his sworn enemy?”

  “That’s his story,” Gerald said, finally removing his finger from his glass. Then he took a big drink.

  “That’s disgusting,” I said, scowling.

  “Hey, it’s my finger, and it’s my tea,” he said as stuck his finger back in the glass and resumed stirring. “Whatever germs are there are all mine.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t your age that drove Jennifer into the arms of another man,” I said, nodding at the swirling ice cubes in his glass.

  “Funny,” he said, stirring faster. “Look, I’m glad they’re happy. I really am. I just wish they hadn’t blindsided me with it.”

  “I’m sure they felt like they didn’t have any other choice,” I said. “You aren’t going to tell the Premier, are you?”

  “No, I’m not. I gave William my word.”

  “You’re a good guy, Gerald,” I said, patting his dry hand.

  We both looked up when we heard the front door open. But instead of seeing Detective Renfro, Josie strolled in and removed her sunglasses, spotted us, then wandered over to our table.

  “What are you doing here?” I said.

  “You think I’m going to stay home while Chef Claire is testing out some new recipes?” she said. “I offered to help serve and wash dishes.”

  “Unbelievable,” I said, laughing.

  “Like I’m going to miss her first batch of smoked wahoo tacos,” Josie said. “She said she’s using a mint-sage tartar sauce on them that will take your breath away.”

  “Reading a menu takes your breath away,” I said. Then I gave it some thought. “Sage is an odd choice, isn’t it?”

  “Smoked wahoo tastes a lot like turkey,” Josie said.

  “Good for the smoked wahoo,” I said, frowning. “It’s still fish.”

  “More for me,” she said, giving us a finger wave as she headed off. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  “Oh, waitress,” I said, calling after her in my best sing-song voice.

  Josie stopped in her tracks, then slowly wheeled around and glared at me.

  “What?”

  “I dropped my fork. Would you mind bringing me a new one?”

  “So, that’s how you’re going to play it, huh?” she said.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, grinning at her.

  Before the swinging door that led into the kitchen came to a stop, the front door opened again, and Detective Renfro entered. He headed for our table and sat down between us.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” he said, scanning the table. “Where are the menus?”

  “Chef Claire is doing a tasting menu for us,” I said.

  “Cool,” he said, groaning as he arched his back and stretched his arms over his head. “I’ve been spending too much time sitting.”

  “I assume you’ve been out fighting crime all morning from the comfort of your car?” I said with a grin.

  “Actually, I swung by the hospital to have a chat with one of the nurses,” Detective Renfro said. “Ramon was released this morning.”

  “He was in the hospital overnight?” I said, frowning. “Rooster didn’t hit him that hard.”

  “That’s not what the undercover guys said,” Detective Renfro said. “The hospital decided to keep him in for observation. He’s got a concussion. Not to mention what the nurse called a decorative horizontal crease running the length of his forehead.”

  Gerald frowned and glanced back and forth at us, confused.

  “Ramon got handsy with me, and Rooster bounced his head off the bar,” I said, shrugging. “I guess Ramon is lucky it had a rounded edge.”

  “Yes, and also fortunate you didn’t bite him,” Detective Renfro said. “You know, based on your usual reaction when people get handsy with you.”

  “Good one,” I said, making a face at him. “Is Ramon filing charges?”

  “No, actually he didn’t even want to talk about the incident. He played it down and said it was just a little argument between friends.”

  “Okay, that pretty much confirms my suspicions,” I said, nodding.

  “Which are?” Detective Renfro said.

  “That he blew up the yacht,” I said.

  “That’s a bit of a leap, wouldn’t you say?” the detective said, pouring himself a glass of tea.

  “If you buy the idea that William didn’t do it, he’s the most logical suspect,” I said.

  “This would probably be a good time for you to give me an update o
n what you and Ramon talked about,” Detective Renfro said.

  I spent the next few minutes giving them the summary version then sat back and waited for questions.

  “You said he seemed surprised that the poodle made it off the boat?” Detective Renfro said.

  “He did,” I said. “He tried to deflect his comment right away, but you couldn’t miss the tone of his voice. And that can only mean one thing, right?”

  “That he knew the dog was on the boat,” the detective said after giving it some thought. “But he obviously knew the Jensens, and I’m sure he was aware that the dog went everywhere with them.”

  “Yeah, but his reaction still seemed strange.”

  “He really said he didn’t know William?” Gerald said. “Ramon worked for him for a couple of years.”

  “That was right around the time when Ramon started getting suspicious,” I said. “I imagine he decided to just clam up and lie to me. I was definitely starting to annoy him.”

  “I’m shocked,” Gerald said, smiling at Detective Renfro.

  “Yeah, imagine that,” the detective said, laughing.

  The kitchen door swung open, and Josie entered the dining room carrying a tray. She set it down in the middle of the table, and I did a quick survey of the contents before looking up at her.

  “Why thank you, waitress,” I said, beaming at Josie. “Would you mind reviewing the wine list for us? Do you recommend red or a white? Or maybe a nice rosé?”

  “Bite me,” she said, heading back to the kitchen.

  I watched both men construct wahoo tacos and sat back as they took their first bite. They both purred and nodded then took another large bite.

  “You have to try this, Suzy,” Gerald said. “You won’t believe how good it is.”

  “No, that’s okay,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “No, I’m serious,” Gerald said, holding his taco out for me to sample. “Actually, I’m going to have to insist. Take a bite.”

  “I know where your fingers have been, Gerald,” I said, frowning.

  “Then just taste a small piece of the wahoo,” he said. “If you don’t like it, I’ll buy you lunch for the next month.”

  “Well, since I never turn down free food,” I said, reaching for the smallest piece of fish I could find on the tray. I slowly worked it into my mouth and chewed. Then my eyes grew wide. “Oh my God.”

  “Told ya,” Gerald said, getting back to work on his taco.

  I quickly built one of my own and took a big bite. I swallowed then exhaled loudly.

  “That tartar sauce is incredible,” I said.

  “It’s all incredible,” Detective Renfro said, reaching for another flour tortilla. “What did Ramon say about somebody owing him money?”

  “He said he’d done a few odd jobs for the company that was about to hire him, but they never paid him,” I said, polishing off the first of what I was now sure would be several tacos. “Ramon specifically mentioned import-export so he must have been promised a job by somebody from Jensen’s company.”

  “Well, then it has to be one of the people staying at Jennifer’s place, right?” Detective Renfro said.

  “Yeah, I agree,” I said.

  “You think you can come up with a plausible excuse to drop by there again?” the detective said.

  “I’m sure I can.”

  “That’s going to be a problem,” Gerald said, wiping his mouth. “Jen told me they all flew out yesterday.”

  “What?” Detective Renfro said, shocked.

  “I thought you had some people assigned to keep an eye on them,” I said to the detective.

  “I do,” he said, frowning. “And they’re under strict orders to keep me in the loop.”

  “Unless they were told to drop their surveillance,” I said. “Apart from you, who else could do that?”

  “The Commissioner,” Gerald said, glancing back and forth at us.

  “What the heck is going on around here?” Detective Renfro said, getting to his feet. “Excuse me for a moment. I need to make a phone call.”

  “Most interesting,” Gerald said as he meticulously built another taco. “As always, the Commissioner is full of surprises.”

  “You think he’s covering something up?” I said.

  “Possibly,” Gerald said, taking a bite. “But what’s more likely is that the Commissioner is merely trying to put a crimp in Detective Renfro’s investigation.”

  “Just because Renfro’s career is taking off?” I said, frowning.

  “The Commissioner never likes any of his underlings getting too much publicity. Or getting too comfortable.”

  “Even though he’s trying to solve a high-profile murder case?” I said.

  “All the more reason,” Gerald said with a shrug. “These tacos are fantastic.”

  “That’s an incredibly petty thing to do,” I said.

  “Suzy, you should know by now that power and pettiness aren’t mutually exclusive,” Gerald said, finally slowing down. He set his half-eaten taco down on his plate and folded his hands in front of him. “And if the Commissioner had his wish, Detective Renfro would simply disappear.”

  I nodded and toyed with my food until my thoughts coalesced. Then I flinched in my chair and scowled.

  “Are you okay?” Gerald said, studying my movements closely.

  “I’m fine,” I said, staring off into the distance. “Wow. Now, there’s an idea.”

  “What?

  Before I could respond, the front door opened and Detective Renfro entered, phone in hand. He sat back down and placed the phone on the table next to him.

  “I can’t believe it,” the detective said. “He reassigned my guys and ordered them not to mention it to anybody. Why would he do that?”

  “Think about it,” Gerald said, glancing over at him.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard about the Commissioner’s tendencies,” he said. “But this is the first time he’s ever done it to me.”

  “You’ve never been a threat to him before. Now you know why he’s universally detested by all of us who have to deal with him,” Gerald said. “Do you know where their flight went?”

  “My guys are doing some digging with the airlines,” Detective Renfro said. “It shouldn’t take long. I can’t believe the Commissioner would do something like that.”

  “That’s nothing,” Gerald said. “Trust me, he’s done much worse.”

  “What did I miss while I was outside?” he said.

  “I believe Suzy was just getting ready to unveil her latest theory,” Gerald said, motioning for me to proceed.

  “Hold that thought,” Detective Renfro said when his phone chirped. “Renfro…I see…Okay, thanks. I’ll call you later.” He ended the call and glanced back and forth at us. “The Stoner Twins flew out on Air France to Madrid. The other three went out on Singapore Airlines, not surprisingly, to Singapore.”

  “From there, they could head to dozens of places in Asia,” I said.

  “Why does that even matter?” Gerald said.

  “It probably doesn’t,” I said, shrugging. “But it is interesting that they’re going back to the area where they’d been working.”

  “Maybe they just like living in Asia,” Gerald said. “But I agree that it would be hard to track them down if they wanted to disappear.”

  “Assuming we had any plausible reason to track them down,” Detective Renfro said, then his eyes settled on me. “Okay, what’s your new theory?”

  “Actually, it’s about a disappearing act,” I said.

  “Like a magic show?” Detective Renfro said, frowning.

  “Yeah, sort of,” I said. “Have you ever been to one?”

  “A magic show?” the detective said. “Yeah, I’ve seen a couple.”

  “And even though you’re convinced it’s not real, you know, everything is just an illusion, you still have a hard time not believing what you see right in front of your eyes,” I said.

  “Do you h
ave any idea what she’s talking about?” Detective Renfro said to Gerald.

  “I was hoping you’d be able to explain it to me,” Gerald said, laughing.

  “I’ve got a question for you,” I said to Detective Renfro.

  “Okay,” he said, puzzled.

  “Does the Commissioner have any other favorite organizations or charities he’s involved with?” I said, glancing back and forth at them.

  “What?” the detective said with a blank stare.

  “Wow,” Gerald said, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have gotten that with a million guesses.”

  “Does he?” I said, leaning forward.

  “Yeah, I think he’s pretty involved with the public libraries,” Detective Renfro said.

  “He is indeed,” Gerald said, nodding. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Because I want to make another donation.”

  They both stared at me in disbelief. Then we all glanced at the kitchen when the door opened, and Josie appeared carrying another tray She removed the empty taco tray, replaced our used plates with clean ones, then placed the fresh tray in the center of the table. It contained several different variations of grilled chicken and fish on bamboo skewers along with several dipping sauces and a variety of fruits and cheeses.

  “Finally. What took you so long?” I said, glancing up at her. “Oh, I know. You must have been busy doing the dishes.”

  “Knock it off.”

  “Could I please get a clean knife?” I said, beaming at her.

  “I’d be delighted to do that,” Josie said, scowling. “Where would you like it? Perhaps somewhere in the neck?”

  “And another pitcher of iced tea for the table.”

  “Yes, your Majesty.”

  “Oh, dear,” I said, staring down. “It appears that my plate has a smudge on it.”

  “A smudge?” Josie said, glancing at it.

  “Yes, it has a smudge.”

  “Eat around it,” Josie said, then turned and muttered to herself all the way back to the kitchen.

  “What did she call you?” Gerald said.

  “Oh, I’m not comfortable using that sort of language,” I said, laughing as I reached for one of the chicken skewers.

  Chapter 27