by Diane Bator
“Good.” She gazed toward the street as she tapped her toe on the porch.
Gilda shifted her weight and longed for an ice pack. “Is there something else bothering you or can I go about my business?”
Chloe huffed. “Yeah. Tell that old Japanese dude to stay away from me.”
“Yoshida?”
“Yeah. Him. Every time he’s in town, Mick insists we take him to dinner. I usually get out of it, but lately he’s been hanging around town a lot more. The other day, I bumped into him in the grocery store of all places.”
Gilda frowned. “What was he doing there?”
“Probably getting food, but I’m not sure why a guy needs tampons. No man I’ve dated would ever buy them for me.” Chloe took one last puff on her cigarette then buried the butt in the planter full of marigolds. She walked down the front path and to the left around the corner. Seconds later, the Ferrari’s engine roared to life and faded into the night.
“Stay away from Mick and Gary. Keep Yoshida away from Chloe.” Gilda unlocked the front door. “Sounds easy enough.”
She closed the door and leaned against the cool wood. Yoshida thought women were subservient and meant to cater to him. Some woman had to have a hold on him. Through blackmail, perhaps. What had he done to give someone so much control over him?
Chapter 19
With more thoughts rolling through her head the next morning than flowers in her garden, Gilda gave up forcing her focus on paperwork. She changed clothes and wandered among the peonies and daylilies out front. Between the funeral and playing detective, her yard had been neglected thanks to all the interruptions over the past few days. Pulling weeds would help clear her mind.
The guys were right. She needed to let Thayer do his job since that was why the town paid him. Hiding in her garden would keep her away from Gary and Mick. From somewhere beyond the white picket fence, a car door closed and footsteps drew closer. She cringed.
Thayer leaned on the gate without bothering to push up his sunglasses. “Do you have a few minutes to chat?”
She dropped her attention back to the marigolds and bachelor buttons. “I’m busy.”
“So am I.” He opened the gate and walked over to sit on the third step, his face drawn and hair rumpled. “But I could use your help to solve the murder of your co-worker.”
“No, you want me to rat out my friends.” She sat back on her heels and took a stern look at him. Dark circles surrounded his eyes and his skin seemed sallow. She allowed an inkling of sympathy to emerge. “When’s the last time you slept?”
“Which day was Walter killed?” Thayer bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “What’s going on with everyone at the karate place?”
Her jaw tightened. “It’s a school and I’m not going to gossip.”
“That’s good, because I want the truth,” he said. “I was in Café Beanz earlier and heard all the gossip I can stomach and even more that I couldn’t. I just want the real story.”
A trickle of sweat slid down Gilda’s spine like a cold finger. “What kind of gossip?”
“I thought you didn’t like to gossip?”
She scowled. “Look, Thayer, you and I have one common goal. To sort fact from fiction and figure out who killed Walter. If you want my help, tell me what you know.”
He rested his forearms on his knees. “Since that’s not going to happen, why don’t you tell me what you know about Walter?”
“He was a karate instructor who worked at the cheese factory, had a wife, three kids, several grandkids and everyone loved him as a teacher.”
Thayer rubbed his bloodshot left eye. “You do know how he met Jade, don’t you?”
She clamped her lips together and looked away.
“Stop being childish. You just want to see how frustrated I’ll get, but this isn’t a game.” He pulled out his handcuffs and lunged toward her. “Let’s make this clear. If you don’t tell me what you know, I’ll take you to the station and lock you up. Mick will have to bail you out.”
“And you’d arrest me for what exactly?” she asked.
“Interfering in an ongoing investigation. Withholding information. Being a pain in the butt. Take your pick.” The handcuffs dangled at his side and gleamed in the sunshine as they swayed.
She folded her arms across her chest. “I get the point. Walter was a high school teacher who fell in love with one of his students. He left his wife, three kids and his teaching career to marry Jade then they had three kids and moved here. Last I heard he worked full-time as a foreman at the goat cheese factory and part-time at Yoshida’s.”
Thayer’s shoulders relaxed. “Who taught Walter’s classes when he wasn’t there?”
“No one.” She wished Gary would choose now to make an appearance. “Walter’s rarely ever taken a sick day while I’ve worked there. He’s hardly ever missed a class, except for a week when his oldest daughter got married. Mick looked after his classes.”
His jaw tightened. Was he jealous or was there more to his reaction? “Did Walter and Mick get along?”
“Mick ran the business, Walter looked after classes, and I kept them both on the same page. Most of the time they only saw each other in passing.” The other black belts had ample opportunity though.
“What time do you start work?” he asked.
“Eleven.” She frowned, not wanting him to pester her there either.
Thayer glanced at his watch. “You’d better get moving or you’ll be late. If you hurry, I’ll even escort you.”
“Gee, thanks.” She dragged her feet getting into the house and closed the door in the hopes Thayer would take the hint and leave.
Instead, he wandered inside and studied her locks. “You may want a better lock on your front door. Someone could break into your house just by sneezing on the door.”
Gilda scowled. “Could you please wait outside? I don’t like you invading my space.”
“That’s ironic.” Thayer smiled. “We’d once planned to share a space. We probably would’ve bought a much nicer place than this. Something in the newer part of town with a large fireplace and a big backyard with a pool.”
“Yeah, well, that was before you decided to fool around.” Gilda waved a hand. “I know the story and I don’t care, especially once I heard about all the other women. I kicked you to the curb and moved on, so get over it.”
Thayer turned away. “I’ll wait outside.”
“Good idea.” She locked the door behind him and waited for a couple minutes, in case he actually sneezed on the lock and kicked the door down just to make his point.
All the kids’ classes were full to capacity that night. Either everyone truly missed training or they just wanted to see the murder scene and catch up on the latest news. Most parents stayed to watch their children while they gawked and eavesdropped.
“It’s great to see everyone here again.” Marion leaned against Gilda’s desk.
She smiled. “I was afraid they’d never return. It’s been a long week.”
“Especially for you,” one of the moms said. “It will be very different for all of us with Walter gone, but it’s nice to have Sensei Mick teaching classes again. He’s a much better teacher than Walter ever was and a lot easier on the eyes. I haven’t seen him and Chloe together in ages. Is he still seeing her?”
Marion shook her head. “I heard they broke up. I also heard Walter met his wife when he was a teacher and she was a high school senior. Is that true? Oh, and is Razi really single?”
Gilda’s mind went blank while she listened to everyone gossip and ask questions she evaded. She kept her mouth shut and typed a full page of complete gibberish on the computer screen. She’d have to delete it as soon as she could remember how.
“Yes, it is,” the mom answered. “I heard he was a teacher and had a family of his own at the time. What kind of creep dumps his wife and kids for a teenage girl?”
Gilda focused on her screen, deleted every line then started ov
er. More gibberish.
“I Googled him.” Marion leaned closer. “Did you know he used to have his own karate school in New York and was run out of town for sleeping with a couple teenaged students?”
Gilda hadn’t thought to look up any of the black belts on the Internet, let alone Walter. She made a note. Since the ring was a dead end, she needed a new source of information.
Another mom gasped. “I never would’ve thought he’d do such a thing. Gilda, did you know about any of this?”
Gilda toyed with her ponytail. “No, I—”
“Everyone has secrets, don’t they? We can’t blame you. It’s not like Sensei Walter talked about his past to anyone.” The mom walked away.
“Come to think of it, neither did Mick,” Marion said. “You know, honey, I think that man owes us an explanation. We need to know if the people who teach these kids are actually fit to do so. Do you guys run police checks on them?”
“No clue. They were all here before me.” Gilda wished she could leave the school long before any confrontations occurred, but it wasn’t meant to be.
The semi-peaceful evening turned into an explosion of accusations and finger-pointing the instant Mick stepped out of the dojo. Questions flew through the air like missiles and the parents circled Mick, leaving him nowhere to hide.
He turned to Gilda, who ducked behind the desk. Since he’d left her with a dead body, she planned to dump all the angry parents on him. To his credit, he listened to all their complaints then promised them all a discount for the following month. Great public relations for him, but a logistical nightmare for Gilda.
“Thanks a lot,” she muttered as she tidied up after classes. “I should be able to sort all that out in a month or two.”
Mick shrugged. “It’ll all work out. Just remind them we have sixty students and they just have to be patient. Send them to talk to me if they get out of hand.”
“I think they’ve had a lot of patience so far,” she said. “After the long weekend and two days without classes, they haven’t had a lot of information either.”
“Gilda?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Go home. It’s all over. Walter’s buried, Thayer has a good idea who killed Walter and it’s time to move on.”
“Whoa. Thayer knows who killed Walter? How do you know that?” she asked.
“He met me at the deli for lunch. He’s waiting for some test results to prove his theory that Erik killed Walter.”
“Why didn’t he say anything when I saw him earlier?”
“Maybe he didn’t think you needed to know.” Mick caught her in a hug. “Go home, Sherlock. Tomorrow things will be back to normal and the most stressful thing you’ll have to worry about is what to have for lunch.”
Gilda really hoped he was right, but deep in her gut she doubted him. What she really wanted was to find out more about Erik. As she left the school, Thayer fell into step with her.
She groaned. “Twice in one day, to what do I owe the displeasure?”
“Cute.” He chuckled. “You can tell me why you’re hanging out with Gary Del Garda so much lately.”
“I haven’t.” She swung her bag over her shoulder and nearly hit him in the head.
“Well he’s been loitering around both the school and your house and I’ve seen you talking to him several times,” he said. “You’re either having an affair with him, which is disgusting, or you’re not very smart about the company you keep.”
Gilda laughed. “Are you in that last category?”
“Funny.” Thayer didn’t look amused. He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “He’s got a rap sheet longer than all the mats at your school lined up end to end.”
“People make mistakes.” She frowned. “Look at you and me.”
“Gary has spent time in jail for murder, assault, and selling drugs.”
Gilda glanced around. No sign of Gary or his sedan. “He told me he’s going straight for his daughter’s sake. I guess he’s taking advantage of his second chance.”
“He also worked for the man who killed your father,” he said.
A touchy nerve. She clenched her fists and faced him. “Then why don’t you go talk to him. Maybe he’s the one who killed Walter, not Erik.”
“Erik?” Thayer narrowed his eyes. “I take it you talked to Mick. What would Gary have to gain by killing Walter?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” she asked.
Thayer frowned. “Funny. I thought he would’ve told you his life story by now.”
Gilda poked him in the chest with one finger. “You’re the cop. Get off your lazy butt and do some investigating instead of following me around. If you think Erik or Gary had anything to do with Walter’s murder, then you need to find the evidence and figure out the motive. Not me.”
“Are you telling me how to do my job?” Thayer’s mouth twitched and his nostrils flared. “What gives you the right to boss me around?”
She had no right to do or say anything. It just felt good. “Somebody has to.”
He sputtered then laughed. “I’ve missed that about you, Gilda. I really think you and I should sit down with a glass of wine and discuss a few things.”
Gilda held up a hand. “I told you I didn’t kill Walter.”
“Not about Walter.” Thayer took her hand. “About you and me. We used to make a great team. I think now we’ve had some time to grow up, we’d be even better.”
“Are you kidding me? You haven’t grown up. You’re still a ten-year-old kid in a grown man’s body.”
He steered her toward the house. “I’m glad you noticed that much. At least I’m not so serious I’m no fun anymore.”
She pulled away from him. “What are you trying to say?”
Thayer met her gaze. “You should stop hanging out with Gary Del Garda.”
“Because he’s dangerous or because you’re jealous?”
He recoiled. “Because he’s a murder suspect.”
“Which he wasn’t until you saw him talking to me.” When his shoulders sagged, Gilda opened the gate then shut it between them. “You are so busted.”
Chapter 20
Friday started off with some stretches then a smooth, uneventful jog. Uneventful meaning no signs of Thayer, Gary or Mick. After a long, hot shower and a breakfast of egg whites, turkey sausage, and whole grain toast, Gilda was both refreshed and buoyant.
She popped into Café Beanz for a low-fat latte then headed for work and unlocked the door. As she walked into the school, she thought about flicking the light switch in the semidarkness but wanted to set her belongings down first. She set the latte on the front desk then opened her purse to put away her keys.
Behind her, someone took a small shuffle step.
As she turned, a blur of color flashed seconds before something hit her in the head with tremendous force.
Gilda awoke to total silence. Her head ached and a kink pinched her neck. She sat up slowly and listened. Someone was already in the school when she arrived and had knocked her out.
Dizzy, she reached up and flipped the light switch to look for anything out of the ordinary. Beneath the shrine in the dojo, Erik lay face down on the mats with several small objects on his back. Ninja throwing stars. None of the throwing stars they used in class were real, merely rubber. Someone must have found a real set and honed them sharp enough to penetrate human flesh. Blood circled each one.
She gagged. More blood. Another body. She gagged and fell to her hands and knees, already starting to hyperventilate. Thayer would surely lock her up this time. He wouldn’t even bother to throw away the key, just solder the door shut.
Gilda crawled to her desk and took several deep breaths through her nose. Once she was no longer lightheaded, she dialed 9-1-1. “Marion, thank heavens. It’s Gilda. Can you send Thayer to the karate school? It’s important.”
“Gilda? What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“Erik is badly injured.” She fought back tears. “I need the police and an ambulance.”<
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“Is he bleeding or having trouble breathing?” Marion asked.
“I don’t know. I just came to. I haven’t checked.” Gilda pulled herself up onto her chair and rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head. “I just saw him lying there. He’s bleeding and not moving.”
“Is there anyone else there with you?”
Gilda rubbed her head and groaned. “No, I think I’m alone now. Aside from Erik.”
“You think you’re alone?” Marion asked. “Do you need a lawyer?”
She closed her eyes. “Not yet. If you know a good one, keep him on speed dial for me.”
Her next call was to Mick.
“Are you at the school?” He sounded winded. “Please tell me there’s a water leak or the printer’s out of ink.”
Gilda choked back tears. “I think Erik’s dead.”
“Stay put. I’ll be right there.” He hung up.
She steeled herself to peer over her desk. No blood. Nothing out of place that she saw. Where Walter’s death had been so violent, Erik’s murder seemed more like a sneak attack. Like someone threw the ninja stars at him from behind. Ambushed him.
Gilda rose and crept into the dojo, careful not to touch anything. Erik’s back was riddled with ten metal stars. Whoever threw them had deadly accurate aim. Even so, she doubted the small weapons alone were enough to kill him.
Thayer edged around the dojo door, gun drawn. “Gilda? Are you still in here?”
Startled, she joined him in the front lobby, the scent of greasy fries doused in cider vinegar and salt stung her nostrils. “It didn’t take you long to get here.”
“I was next door grabbing lunch when we got the call.” He set a paper bag on her desk. “You hungry?”
She glanced back at Erik. “Not really.”
Thayer motioned to the bag. “Good, then keep this safe for me.”
“That’s not my job.” She rubbed her throbbing spot on the back of her head.
He examined the crime scene from several angles before he borrowed a piece of paper. Gilda followed him back into the dojo and hovered over his shoulder while he used the paper to test how sharp the blades were. The sheet sliced cleanly at a touch and a thin layer of clear liquid soaked into the edges.