Enemies Closer

by Parker, Ava

  Ben agreed, but he wasn’t ruling Michelle out of the pool of suspects. He understood that Clara did not want her sister’s business partner and dear friend to have had anything to do with her disappearance, but that was Clara’s blind spot, not his. In the finance industry, the business of money had driven more than a few good people to do bad things, and the ones who were already bad just got worse. The pursuit of money attracted more than its share of sociopaths. Making money was a natural fit for those who had no sympathy and experienced no remorse.

  Before they had left his office, Ben’s hacker friend had telephoned to say he’d just received an official request and needed a few extra hours to get back to him. They had decided to check in at Dovetail in the meantime.

  “Do you still want to talk to Michelle?” he asked.

  “Yep. I’ll just ask how she’s managing. Tell her we haven’t found much.”

  Ben couldn’t tell whether she was serious or not. “Clara, I want you to tread carefully.” When he saw the look on her face, he went on, “I know that’s not what you want to hear from me, but you’re going to anyway. I barely know you, but I like you and I want you to live long enough for me to see just how much. I also care a lot about your sister. Maddy has become a good friend over the last months and I know how much she loves you. She would not want you to put yourself in mortal danger, especially when the police are already on the case. If you’re determined to go to war, I’ll be right there with you, but don’t tempt fate. I don’t want you to walk into Dovetail and bait the bad guys. Let’s just see what we can learn, try not to make anyone suspicious and wait for the intel on Eddie Perkins.”

  Clara was still bristling. She didn’t like being protected and she didn’t like being coddled. “First of all, Ben, I really didn’t intend to ask Michelle anything but how she’s holding up, or tell her anything other than that I am waiting for word from the detectives. Second, if it takes a war to find my sister, then I’m going to war. With or without you.”

  Ben’s voice was low and firm. “Being bullheaded and charging at everything that moves is no way to win the war, Clara. I know you’re frustrated, but I’m on your side. And if I think you’re about to do something stupid, I’m going to tell you. Take it or leave it.”

  Clara glowered at him. “Well, I suppose I’ll take it.” She looked out over the Sound and took a deep breath of salty air. “I believe we’ve just had our first fight, Mr. Radcliffe.”

  “You’re a pain in the ass, Miss Gardner,” he said and then pulled her to him and kissed her long and insistently.

  When his strong arms loosened and slid to her waist, she pulled back and said in a sultry voice, “If this is the way we make up, I might make a habit of being a pain in your ass.”

  He tipped his head and touched his forehead to hers. “Let’s get this over with.”

  She leaned back and looked at Ben. “You don’t like Michelle very much, do you?”

  He sighed. “It’s not that.” He pointed across the street. She followed his gaze and saw Eddie’s silver BMW.

  “He’s back,” she said.

  “Back?”

  “I forgot to tell you, when I was leaving Manny’s with our lunch order I saw Eddie driving away from Dovetail. He was in such a hurry that he almost ran over a few tourists. When I got back to your office, Jack was there and it slipped my mind. Now he’s back.”

  “He just pulled up.”

  “Before or after you kissed me?” she asked coyly.

  “After. Otherwise I never would have noticed.”

  With a smug smile and a delighted little wiggle, Clara said, “Let’s do it,” and turned to cross the street.

  When they entered, the restaurant was emptying; a party of four was just getting up to leave and a couple in the corner window seat lingered over nearly-empty glasses of white wine. Michelle had been flipping through the reservation book at the host stand and looked up automatically at the sound of the door with a bright, cheerful smile on her face. When she saw Clara, the smile fell and her shoulders sagged, not in disappointment but in exhaustion. She put both elbows on the counter and let her head fall momentarily into her hands.

  “I’m not sure I’m going to make it another day, Clara. Where could she be? I don’t understand.” Tears brimmed at the corners of Michelle’s eyes, but before they could fall down her cheeks, she wiped them away and took a deep, shuddering breath.

  Clara walked over and gave her sister’s friend a hug. “You know Ben, don’t you?” She kept one arm around Michelle and used the other to indicate Ben.

  But Ben wasn’t paying attention. He was staring at Eddie Perkins.

  Eddie Perkins stood behind the bar with a lowball of something clear in one hand, staring straight back at Ben. “You’re Maddy’s friend,” he said.

  “I am,” said Ben. Clara felt Michelle’s shoulders tense.

  Eddie looked from Ben to Clara to his wife. “You helping Clara get through this?”

  Ben nodded, but didn’t say anything and Eddie shrugged, poured another finger of vodka and slunk off toward the kitchen. He slurred something about being hungry and disappeared behind the swinging doors.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Ben,” said Michelle, relaxed now that Eddie was gone. The last two people in the restaurant waved on their way out and she called a cheery goodbye before locking the doors behind them. “Let’s sit down,” she said leading Clara and Ben to a table. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” They both declined. “I have a sandwich waiting for me in the kitchen. I’ll be right back. Nothing? You’re sure?”

  After she walked away Clara whispered, “What was that all about?”

  “Eddie just rubs me the wrong way.” He saw Michelle coming out of the kitchen. “Later.”

  Michelle sat down with a glass of ice water and a baguette smothered in Brie and roasted plum tomatoes. She cut the bread in half and picked up one piece. “I’ll be better once I have some food in my stomach. It feels like I’m right on the edge, all of the time. I’m just so tired and I feel so useless. The police keep coming in to ask questions and with Susan murdered, I can’t help but look at everybody here with suspicion.” She sighed and finally took a bite of her sandwich.

  “I’m sorry, Michelle,” said Clara. “I’m so busy being terrified that Maddy has been hurt or worse,” she said with a hitch in her voice, “that I haven’t been thinking about how hard this is for you.”

  “And you shouldn’t be thinking of me, Clara. Your sister is missing. God, I can’t believe I’m complaining to you of all people. Forgive me.” The color was beginning to return to Michelle’s cheeks already and she seemed more steadfast. “Ben, I’m so glad you two have connected. I know that Maddy always wanted you to meet.”

  “Ben has been really supportive,” said Clara with a smile in his direction.

  Ben smiled back at her. “I’m glad we connected too. Though I wish it had been under different circumstances.” He was trying to be attentive, but he couldn’t help wondering why Eddie Perkins had felt it necessary to get drunk in the middle of the afternoon, when his wife’s business was in crisis. In order to assuage his own guilt, perhaps?

  “Has there been any news at all?”

  Clara shook her head slowly. “Not really. I think the two detectives on the case are doing everything they can, but there’s simply no sign of her.” She reached a hand across the table and squeezed Michelle’s wrist. “Look, I know it may feel strange to you, but I hope you know that no one, least of all Maddy, would blame you for bringing in some help. In the kitchen, out front, whatever you need. She would want you to keep Dovetail running smoothly. She’ll want the restaurant to be in good shape when she comes back.”

  Ben noted that Michelle couldn’t meet Clara’s eyes when she replied. “Oh, Clara, thank you for saying that. I actually lined up a few intervi
ews for tomorrow after the brunch rush. I just couldn’t face another week like this one.”

  In spite of herself Clara tensed, but she said, “Good. That’s good.” She patted Michelle on the arm. “It’s wonderful that Eddie has been able to help out too.”

  “Right,” she replied without much enthusiasm. “He’s been in every day since Maddy went missing. This whole thing has been really hard on him too. We’re both so frightened.”

  “Were either of you close to Susan?” asked Clara.

  Michelle looked at her, pausing to swallow another bite of her lunch. “I don’t think Eddie knew Susan very well. Neither did I, I suppose, but as an employee and associate, I was fond of her.”

  She was lying, Ben knew it, but he hoped Clara wouldn’t push. He said, “The homicide detectives must have come here. Did they tell you anything, Michelle?”

  She looked at him and for just a split second he saw a flash of irritation in her eyes, but it was gone when she replied, “Nothing. They just asked a lot of questions. Clearly, they think someone here killed her. Or maybe Harry, her boyfriend.”

  “How well do you know Harry?” he asked.

  Michelle was thoughtful. “I don’t know how well I know him, but I’ve known him for years. He went to hospitality school in Vegas, but he’s from Seattle and he’s been on the restaurant scene since he moved back. He’s Gemma Stein’s golden boy.” Then she explained, “If you don’t know already, Gemma is a partner in a very successful restaurant management group in Seattle. They own Gigi’s, where Harry works.” Her eyes widened. “Which is where Maddy had dinner the night she disappeared. Maybe Gigi’s is the link between Maddy’s disappearance and Susan’s murder!”

  “I’m sure the police are looking closely at Harry,” said Ben noncommittally, “and at Gigi’s as a possible connection.”

  “Maybe, but they seem to have a laser focus on Dovetail.” Her voice was becoming bitter. “They stop in all the time to ask the same questions over and over. They were here today. Just before you came in, as a matter of fact.”

  “The homicide detectives?” asked Clara innocently.

  “No, the other ones. Kincaid and Carlisle.” She lowered her voice. “They were asking about Eddie. Whether he had a nonprofessional relationship with Susan.” She looked out the window. “Ridiculous.” But she said it with no conviction at all and Clara wondered whether Michelle had any idea what Eddie was up to while she was busy with the restaurant.

  That she didn’t mention the detectives’ interest in Eddie’s criminal past was not lost on Ben or Clara. But she said, “Were Maddy and Susan friends outside of work?”

  “I don’t think so,” said Michelle. She turned to Ben. “You would probably know better than I do. Since we opened the restaurant, Maddy and I haven’t spent much time together away from work.”

  Ben shook his head. “As far as I know, they were friendly but not friends.”

  Clara said, “I wish I could figure out the connection between Maddy’s disappearance and Susan’s murder.” Ben saw the pointed look on her face, but Michelle didn’t seem to notice. She went on, “Is there anything at all going on here that might have put them in danger?”

  Now Michelle was all attention and she said sharply, “Like what, Clara? It’s a restaurant. The staff has their little dramas and flirtations, the front of the house is bummed when they don’t make as much money in tips as the night before, happy when they make more. The cooks fight with the waiters. The waiters fight with the bartenders. The managers try to keep everyone happy and they all go out and get drunk when it’s over. If there was an issue that couldn’t be solved with good beer and Cosmopolitans, I certainly didn’t know about it.”

  Clara kept her cool, but Ben could tell Michelle’s tirade had irritated her. He squeezed her knee under the table. “It’s a natural question, Michelle,” he said with a cool expression. Then with a barely perceptible edge in his tone he added, “Maybe Eddie knows something. Is he still in the kitchen?”

  She stared at him for a second before responding. “If Eddie knew anything, he would have told the police, Ben.” Then with impatience, she continued, “Anyway, what’s your involvement in all this? I know you and Maddy are friends, but now you’re the family detective?”

  Clara tensed, but Ben said simply, “I’m whatever I need to be to get Maddy home to her family, Michelle. No matter what it takes.” He stared at her until she looked away.

  “Yeah, okay. I’m sorry.” She seemed genuinely chagrinned. “I’m at my wit’s end with all of this.” She looked toward the kitchen. “And Eddie is just checked out. He’s drinking too much. He’s testy about everything.” When she saw Ben’s eyebrow go up, she added quickly, “He’s stretched thin. Trying to run his own business while helping out here.” She gave a rueful smile. “My husband does not belong in a restaurant except as a patron. He has no patience for all of the personalities you have to deal with to run a successful hospitality business.” She checked her watch. “Speaking of which, I have to start prepping for dinner. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She looked from Ben to Clara. “And, again. I’m sorry I’m such a crazy bitch.”

  Clara reached across the table and patted Michelle’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. Just hang in there.”

  They all stood, Michelle picking up her plate and glancing disdainfully at the half-eaten sandwich she had not been able to finish. “Not much of an appetite lately. Maybe I’ll finally lose the ten pounds I’ve gained since opening this place.” Then, almost to herself, she added, “Eddie would be happy about that.”

  When they were back on the street, Clara said, “That was a weird thing to say.”

  “About losing ten pounds? Yeah, it seems pretty irrelevant.”

  “No, what I mean is, she thinks that her weight would be relevant to Eddie, in spite of the terrible things that are happening at their restaurant.”

  Ben wasn’t so sure Michelle’s comment had been innocent. It seemed deliberately inserted, but he didn’t say anything. At this point there was no reason to make Clara question Michelle’s motives.

  She went on, “Kincaid and Carlisle held out on us; they didn’t mention anything about Eddie and Susan having a relationship. Susan was very attractive, maybe they were involved. Plus, he should be doing everything he can to help his wife keep it together, but he’s just getting drunk and acting annoyed.”

  Now Ben said something. “According to Michelle.”

  She turned to him. “You’re the one who doesn’t like Eddie. And we saw him drunk.”

  “I don’t particularly like Eddie, but that doesn’t make him a murderer and a kidnapper. And just because the cops were asking about it, doesn’t mean that he was having an affair with Susan. Although it wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “You were going to tell me why you don’t like him.”

  “And I will, but first we’re going to Gigi’s.” He turned toward the waterfront.

  “Wait a minute!” said Clara. “Why?” She took a few quick steps to catch up with Ben.

  Putting his arm around her shoulder and gently leading her along, he explained, “We need to learn a little more about Susan and her boyfriend.”

  “Do you think he’ll be at work today? The day after his girlfriend was murdered?”

  “Probably not, but we can nose around, maybe talk to his coworkers, find out how Harry reacted when he found out Susan had been murdered. Restaurants are hotbeds for gossip. Besides, you heard Michelle – she isn’t going to give us any reason to find a motive for her murder at Dovetail, and that includes whether or not she thinks her husband was sleeping with Susan. We have to look elsewhere for information.”

  “But why would they tell us anything?”

  “Someone will tell us something. And maybe we can convince one of them to give us Harry’s cell number.�
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  Now Clara smiled. “I have his cell number. He gave it to me.”

  Without breaking stride, Ben gave her a big smooch on the cheek. “I should have known.”

  Clara thought for a moment. “But, if his girlfriend was sleeping with Eddie, it would point the finger at him too. Why would he talk to us about that? And if he doesn’t suspect anything, I don’t want to be the one to put bad thoughts in his head about his recently deceased girlfriend.”

  “We don’t have to ask him about Susan’s alleged infidelities, but we can try to get the dirt on what’s really going on at Maddy’s restaurant. He probably heard all the gossip from his girlfriend.”

  “Pillow talk,” said Clara with a quick nod.

  They walked along Pike’s Place, dodging the tourists who meandered through the street with pastries, coffee cups, little bags of lavender and expensive packages of smoked salmon to bring back home with them. Emerging on the other side of the charming melee, they walked another block to Gigi’s and Ben opened the large glass door. Gemma was perched at the host stand and, when she saw Clara, walked around it to greet them.

  “Clara, come in,” she said.

  She introduced Ben as they sat at a bar table. “Of course,” said Gemma. “I thought I recognized you. You’re a friend of Madeline’s.” Gemma Stein was perfectly tucked and coiffed in a black sheath dress and an Audrey Hepburn up-do, but her eyes were wary. “I can’t believe Susan is dead,” she said with genuine sorrow. “Harry is devastated.”

  “Is he here, Gemma? We actually have a few questions for him.”

  “No,” she replied, shaking her head slowly, “I told him to take all the time he needs. He left yesterday after the police broke the news. I’m planning on running the front of the house through the weekend and maybe into next week.” Her gaze wandered thoughtfully to the window and the view of the Sound beyond. “Some people need time alone, and some need to get back in the swing of things quickly. If I know Harry, he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”