Mimi Lee Gets a Clue

by Jennifer J. Chow

  “Not to her. She bailed on my last one after twenty minutes, but at least she shows her face to humor me.”

  Sounded like a double standard. As evidenced by last night, Lauren required her husband to attend the entirety of a charity extravaganza but had bailed on his press event after putting in a brief appearance. Unless she’d had a good reason to leave.

  Mr. Dalton glanced at his phone and continued, “My chauffeur is so slow. I may need to replace him.”

  That gave me more time to find out about Lauren’s character. “Did she feel ill at your last event?”

  “Bored, more like.” He gripped the handle of his suitcase. “Lauren even dragged her assistant there to accompany her. The poor girl had a prior engagement scheduled for that evening and almost missed it.”

  I saw his limo snaking its way over. “When was your shindig?”

  He gave me a date—the same day as Russ Nolan’s murder. My heartbeat raced, and I heard internal thrumming in my ears.

  The car pulled up, and Mr. Dalton nodded at me before getting into the limo.

  I walked up the front steps and stood for a few moments, staring at the giant pair of carved oak doors at the entrance. Why had Lauren left the party early? If she had stayed, she’d have a solid alibi.

  Taking a deep breath, I pressed the doorbell. Lauren opened the door and greeted me with kisses on both of my cheeks. Inside the entryway, I noticed a monstrosity of a sparkling chandelier with knifelike crystal shards.

  After I’d said hello, she led me and Marshmallow through her maze of a house. I realized that every light fixture in the home, not just in the foyer, was a draping crystal chandelier.

  Her huge kitchen seemed more utilitarian than fancy. It had multiple marble islands for meal prep. Gleaming pots and pans hung from an overhead rack.

  Nicola stood at a table slicing apples. She paused for a moment and waved at me.

  Lauren touched my arm. “I told Nicola you’d be coming over to return something to her. What’d she leave behind again?”

  I coughed, giving myself time to think, and tapped my purse. “An engraved pen. I’ll give it to her later. She looks busy.”

  Nicola maneuvered to a fridge located about twenty feet away from us. From its pull handle, I realized it was a walk-in unit. She wandered into the large refrigerator and came back carrying a robust bunch of kale.

  Marshmallow yawned and curled up in a sunny spot in the kitchen under a large skylight. “It’s too early for me.” He groaned and closed his eyes.

  I leaned against the empty island where Lauren stood, her polished nails resting against its cold marble surface.

  “I saw Mr. Dalton outside,” I said. “He looked like he was going on a trip.”

  She drummed her fingers, making a tap-tapping beat. “Needs to be on location for a film.”

  “He must go to some amazing places. How often do you travel with him?”

  “Never, nowadays. He says I’m a distraction on the set. Plus, I learned early on that we never got to sightsee because he has to work such long hours.” Loneliness. Could that be the reason she’d visited Russ Nolan?

  She stopped drumming her fingers. “It’s been like this for years.”

  “Sounds like you two have also developed a system for attending public activities. He goes to your charities, and you go to his press events.”

  She splayed her polished nails and examined the immaculate curved tips. “I hate those things. All flash without purpose. Not like my charities, which actually help those in need.”

  “Media extravaganzas do seem superficial when compared to your fundraisers. Are you ever able to leave a press event early?”

  “Actually, I did the last time.”

  “Ooh, where’d you go when you played hooky?”

  “Nowhere exciting. I had to run an errand.”

  “In the evening?”

  She didn’t answer. Instead, in a louder tone, she addressed Nicola. “Use only the leaves. I don’t want even the hint of a stem in my smoothie.”

  Lauren didn’t want to talk about her marriage anymore. But perhaps her assistant could provide me with some extra info. “I think Nicola might need my help,” I said.

  Lauren nodded and lowered her voice, “Yes, please. You can make sure she does it right.”

  I crossed the expansive kitchen to arrive at Nicola’s side and helped her separate the kale leaves from the stalks. Then Nicola retrieved the cutting board she had used for the apples along with a wicked-looking chef’s knife.

  “Is working in the house normal for your position?” I asked.

  She grunted at me. With strong thwacks, she chopped the kale into small green pieces.

  I looked over at Lauren, who’d pulled out her phone and was staring at it, mesmerized.

  Lowering my voice, I said, “Is this a happy home?”

  Nicola dumped the apples and kale into a blender. Then she retrieved a jar of local organic honey and plopped in a few teaspoonfuls.

  When she plugged in the blender, I realized it’d be a great time to ask her more pointed questions under the noise of the whirring. She’d probably tell me the ugly truth. After all, there was no love lost between Nicola and her employer.

  Nicola hit the start button. As I watched the ingredients mixing, I asked, “How’s their marriage?”

  “I’m not paid to involve myself with their couple dynamics.”

  I tried a different tack. “As her assistant, you must be familiar with Lauren’s jewelry. Last night she mentioned this bracelet she loves with a dog bone pendant on it.”

  Nicola bit her lip.

  “I think I saw it,” I said.

  “You did?” Nicola’s eyes grew wide. “Mrs. Dalton said she misplaced it, but I thought it might have been stolen. Did you find it being hawked on eBay?”

  I shook my head.

  “Well, where did you—”

  Lauren called for her breakfast smoothie, so Nicola had to fill up a glass of gleaming green and bring it over to her boss.

  Lauren placed her phone down and sipped. She sucked her teeth. “A tad too sweet. Did you use the green apples?”

  Nicola twisted her hands together. “You ran out of those. I had to substitute with Galas.”

  “I see.” Lauren raised her eyebrows at her assistant. “Guess this will have to do.”

  Nicola returned and placed an arm around my shoulder. “Mimi wanted to check out your costume closet. I mentioned your wonderful Rey outfit to her during Sterling’s last grooming appointment. May I show it to her?”

  Lauren smiled at me, specks of green dotting her teeth. “I can tell you about all the fascinating details of my wonderful collection.”

  Nicola shook her head. “Please finish your smoothie, Mrs. Dalton. You know, time is tight this morning with the acupuncture appointment coming up.”

  “You’re right. I’ll catch you two in a little bit,” Lauren said, waving us off.

  As Nicola marched me through the intricate hallways, I asked, “Do you happen to know where Lauren went the night of Mr. Dalton’s last press event? She had to leave early.”

  “That’s easy enough to find out. I have her calendar on my phone.” Nicola stopped walking and looked straight into my eyes. “If I tell you where she went, you’ll give me more details about the jewelry, right?”

  I nodded.

  She checked her phone and said, “Looks like Mrs. Dalton met up with a friend. Somebody with the initials ‘A.D.M.’ is listed for that night.”

  Those three letters in combination meant something entirely different to me. Not a person, but a company’s name. I knew I’d have to follow up with them later.

  We continued walking and finally reached the costume arena—because it wasn’t what I would call a closet. The size of half my apartment, the room was surrounded by g
lass on all but one side. Only the back wall was opaque, because it held three sections filled with items: shoes, clothes, and accessories.

  I spun around, feeling like I was stuck in a giant fishbowl. Seeing me scrutinize the glass, Nicola said, “I picked this place so we could talk without being surprised by Mrs. Dalton.”

  Even though I hadn’t really wanted a clothing tour, I got distracted by the extensive rear wall and gaped at the amazing display there.

  Nicola snapped her fingers. “Now can you tell me more about the bracelet?”

  I turned my attention back to her. “Sorry—it’s such a huge collection.”

  “Please describe the bracelet you saw.” She cleared her throat. “Of course, Mrs. Dalton will be so relieved to hear you located it.”

  “The piece looked heavy, maybe 24K gold. And, of course, it had a bone charm.”

  She nodded. “Yes, that sure sounds like it.”

  I stepped over to the clothes and touched the Rey outfit with its long robe. Would Lauren wear this costume only once? What an extravagance. And all her jewelry reflected her rich taste as well. “Do you think Lauren might have left the bracelet at Russ Nolan’s?”

  Nicola frowned at me. “But she never even met the man.”

  “Well, I heard Russ had a lady guest over one night. That, combined with the bracelet . . .”

  “You think that he and—” Nicola clapped her hand over her mouth.

  “Yes, Russ and Lauren must have met up,” I said.

  She shook her head, hard. “You’ve got it all backward. Russ was interested in someone—me. We set up a time to go stargazing. I actually borrowed the dog bone bracelet for that night.”

  I crinkled my nose. “You did?”

  “But it went missing. Only I didn’t realize until the next day.” She searched my face. “Are you sure Russ didn’t sell the bracelet?”

  “I don’t think so. The last I saw, it was on the wrist of his neighbor.”

  “The old lady who wears the YouTube sweaters and big pants?”

  “That’s right,” I said, though I knew Shirl wouldn’t have appreciated Nicola’s description.

  Nicola reached into her pocket and pulled out a box of orange Tic Tacs. “Excuse me. I chomp on these to calm down.” She popped one in her mouth.

  I smelled citrus. Aha. The bright-colored candies explained the scent the dogs had noticed that night and confirmed Nicola’s date story.

  “Tell me about your stargazing night,” I said.

  She crunched the Tic Tac in her mouth. “In one word, horrible. Shirl interrupted our start of a romantic evening. She came over to complain about the barking.”

  That sounded like Shirl’s MO. But why hadn’t the neighbor told me about Nicola being there? Instead, she’d thrown me under the bus and gotten Detective Brown to search my entire apartment.

  Nicola rubbed her wrist and said, “I borrowed Mrs. Dalton’s bracelet that night, but its clasp was loose. Russ commented on how the bracelet kept coming undone. I knew I should’ve picked something else, but it was super cute.”

  Sounded like Nicola had taken Lauren’s jewelry, just as she’d done with the three-layered diamond necklace. “Maybe it fell off your wrist by accident, and Shirl picked it up,” I said.

  Nicola swallowed hard. “Russ really didn’t take it? I thought maybe his invitation to watch the stars had been a ruse in the end to steal the jewelry. He had previously complimented me on my fine taste.”

  “Did you witness anything odd that night?”

  In a pinched voice, Nicola said, “Russ did get a strange call. He sounded downright secretive over the phone, and I started suspecting he might have been two-timing me.”

  “Why’d you think that?” Although I was surprised Russ Nolan had anyone, including Nicola, clamoring for him.

  “I heard him say her name.”

  “Do you remember it?”

  “Like I’d forget. Kell.”

  “Huh.” I stepped closer to Nicola. “Think back. What were his exact words on the phone?”

  Her breath quickened. “I only heard the snippet from his side. ‘This is not a good time, Kell.’”

  She looked so defeated. “Perhaps that meant something different than what you think it does,” I said, squeezing her hand.

  Her eyes misted. “Are you saying he wasn’t seeing someone else at the same time? That maybe he had been attracted to me?”

  Love was strange. Who knew which people would hit it off? Guilt washed over me as I recalled how I’d sprung the news of Russ’s death to the small group of women after doga class. If I’d known about Nicola’s relationship with Russ back then, I would’ve broached the topic with more gentleness.

  All of a sudden, Nicola swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. She sprang over to the wall and grabbed Rey’s staff. Then she started swinging it around in practiced slashes.

  I heard clapping from behind me. Turning, I saw Lauren standing in the doorway with Sterling. “What a wonderful demonstration. Nicola does take regular shaolin classes, and it shows.”

  Nicola wielded the staff like a kung fu master. Watching her deadly swinging, a new suspicion surfaced. Could Nicola have delivered the fatal blow to Russ Nolan? She had thought he’d been two-timing her that night. Might the murder have been a crime of passion?

  Lauren stepped over to me and air-kissed my cheeks. “I have to take Sterling to his acupuncturist now, but I wanted to say bye before I left.”

  I looked down at her little dog. “He does look a lot better.”

  “Those needles are pure magic, I tell you. Anyway, gotta run. Nicola, please show Mimi out.”

  As Lauren exited with her puppy, Nicola put away the staff. Then we returned to the kitchen, where I prodded Marshmallow awake.

  “Already?” he said, stretching.

  “Yep, and we’ve got things to do.”

  * * *

  • • •

  The first item on my to-do list was to see why Lauren had gone to an appointment at ADM after she left the press event. I tried calling the office to save me driving time.

  Nobody picked up, and I couldn’t leave a message in their full voice mailbox. I figured I could swing by the headquarters before opening up shop.

  I made my way over to ADM and found the same volunteer lounging at the scarred desk. A cold slice of pizza sagged in his hand. Pepperoni for breakfast?

  “My bosses are doing a staff meeting over coffee,” he said. This business certainly didn’t run a tight ship. On the other hand, I didn’t blame the supervisors for wanting to get out of the stuffy garage-like atmosphere. Or for needing a caffeine pick-me-up this early in the day.

  “Okay, so you can help me,” I said. “A friend of mine visited here, and I need to know more about that evening.”

  He gave me a blank stare.

  The situation felt similar to guiding a lazy dog in obedience class. “Could you take a look at the appointment calendar?” I asked.

  He chewed his pizza with his mouth open, and I watched red sauce splatter his chin. This human trainee lacked the cuteness of a pup, though. “We don’t have a planner or anything like that.”

  “I just need to figure out what time she came by that night and how long she stayed for. She needs the timing to, er, expense her mileage for tax purposes.” I hoped the kid didn’t know anything about the IRS. “Don’t you keep some type of record?”

  “Nope.” He finished up his slice of pizza.

  I pointed over his shoulder at the closed-circuit TV monitoring the outside premises. “What about that camera? Doesn’t it record images? There should be videos available.”

  He swiveled to the monitor. “Maybe I can find some footage, but what’s in it for me?”

  With irritation, I slid a twenty onto the worktable next to him. American Dog Makers should be payin
g me as I trained this youth in customer service. However, the teen seemed willing to help after receiving my hard-earned money. He pulled up some videos on the computer.

  When we found the right footage, I examined its time stamp. Lauren had entered the building at eight thirty in the evening and left at nine thirty.

  “That’s pretty late to have an appointment,” I said.

  “I recognize that lady,” the volunteer said. “She’s some hotshot producer’s wife, so the top brass made an exception for her. She wanted to file a written complaint about the breeder of her new puppy.”

  Now I remembered the formal document with a scrawled signature I’d seen in Russ Nolan’s folder. What the fellow dog show competitor had said also floated back to me, about how somebody with pull had threatened to give ADM bad publicity. The facts matched. Lauren Dalton had used her connections to take membership away from Russ Nolan.

  But if Lauren had been at ADM headquarters for an hour during that time frame—and Detective Brown had said the death occurred between eight and ten—she wouldn’t have been able to travel all the way to Russ Nolan’s house to commit the murder. I scratched her off my suspects list.

  I reflected on the phone conversation Nicola had overheard. Who had Russ Nolan gotten the call from? Someone named Kell.

  Or perhaps he hadn’t been saying “Not a good time, Kell,” but “Not a good time. Kale . . .” Instead of talking to someone named Kell, maybe he’d been referencing another name during his conversation.

  In Russ Nolan’s circle of friends, how many people had one of those unisex names? Or rather, how many dogs were called that? I knew where to find Kale’s owner, because she was the local elementary school’s PTA president. All I needed to do was peek at the school calendar to find her next scheduled meeting.

  * * *

  • • •

  I arrived late to the PTA meeting and hid in the back. Sitting at the rear of Armstrong Academy’s cafeteria reminded me of my elementary school days.

  The wooden sectional tables with wheels were pushed off to the side, jammed against walls filled with student artwork. The smell of microwaved pizza wafted in the air.