No Filter

by Heather Day Gilbert

  "Of course," he murmured. "I'll walk you back."

  I didn't bother saying goodbye to Tara. I hoped she'd realize her stupid news had sent me into a tailspin and decide to leave town early.

  Bo didn't talk until we got in the door and Coal had trotted up to my side. "It's going to be okay," Bo said. "The DEA is all over this. Tara turned the note over to them. They've assured me that Moreau isn't in the U.S. If he tries to come into the States, he'll get snagged."

  "But you said yourself he has tentacles everywhere." I gave a sniffle and Coal pressed against my leg. "And with all this hubbub over Alice and Gerard, he's sure to be checking up on his fencing operation, maybe moving new people into place." Like Katie and Jedi.

  "Maybe, but we're not involved with that business at Ivy Hill," Bo said. "As long as I steer clear of that, we should be fine."

  I dropped onto the couch. "But meanwhile, this smuggling boss is having you watched? And probably me, too?"

  Bo ran a hand through his hair, making his short bangs stand on end. "Possibly. But possibly not. He could've just been trying to scare us. I know it sounds like I'm oversimplifying things, but fear actually is his greatest weapon."

  I knew I had to fight back the fear, but right now it was consuming me. "Okay, thanks for that pep talk," I said, as bravely as I could.

  He gave me a quick hug. "Thanks for coming over. I'll see you in the morning. It's going to be okay." As he opened the door, he added, "Also, in case you were wondering, I'm not pursuing Tara or anything. That chapter of my life is closed."

  When he pulled the door closed, I let out a huge breath. Perhaps I'd been even more afraid of losing Bo to Tara's wiles than I was of Moreau. Barks & Beans needed Bo here, and so did I.

  Coal jumped up and planted his upper body on my torso, leaving his lower half balanced on the floor. He gave my hand a delicate lick, then sniffed at my face.

  "Thank goodness Bo is over her," I said, stroking Coal's long, soft nose. "Now if only the cops could wrap up these murder cases. I know I have to stay out of things, but..." I picked up my phone and scrolled down to Detective Hatcher's number. "It seems the police should know about Katie and Jedi's plans, doesn't it, boy? I mean, it's safer for everyone if no one can take over Moreau's operation. I'll just let him know what I overheard, then we can finally relax."

  Coal nudged his nose into my hand, hoping for more attention. I shooed him away as Detective Hatcher picked up.

  "Hi, Detective. I think I have some information you need to be aware of."

  24

  Summer showed up bright and early with two very calm, older dogs in tow, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. I wasn't up to chasing uncontrollable canines around today.

  "Sorry about yesterday," she said. "It's sad, but I'm not sure if anyone's going to wind up adopting that dog. He attacks other dogs and he's not properly potty trained. He isn't so great with humans, either—he bit one of my workers yesterday evening."

  "That's a tough situation for you," I said, leading the elderly dogs to the petting room, where they gratefully tucked into the doggie treats I handed them.

  "I'd like to shift into a No-Kill shelter, but then I couldn't take in all the strays," she said. "We'd have to be more selective."

  "It has to be so hard, deciding which animals to euthanize." That burden must not sit easy on Summer's shoulders.

  "I grew up on a farm," she said. "I know it sounds harsh, but it is survival of the fittest there—you do what you can to care for animals, but you have to accept that you can't save them all. I actually look at euthanization as a mercy. Most of the pets who get on that list are incurably sick or have extreme aggression issues, things like that."

  "Still, you must feel so helpless," I said, sitting to stroke one dog's ear.

  Summer sat on a comfy chair. "Well, we do things proactively, too. We're really aggressive about helping our local vets get the word out on spay and neuter clinics. And we've started recruiting some private homeowners to foster animals that seem well-adapted to family life." She made a sweeping gesture around the petting area. "And don't discount the impact Barks & Beans has made on the shelter. I was running numbers a few nights ago, and we've had an almost fifty percent uptick in adoptions since we started placing dogs in your cafe. Fifty percent, Macy!" She beamed.

  Bo walked over, carrying two take-out cups. "Fifty percent of what?" he asked.

  A light blush dusted Summer's cheeks. "Your cafe has helped the shelter do more adoptions than ever before—we're up by fifty percent."

  Bo smiled, genuinely happy. "That was the idea. I'm so glad to hear our plan to help the local animals has worked."

  Summer shot him a mischievous look. "Now we just need to find a pet for you, Bo."

  My brother laughed. "Macy's the dog person. I'm not really into pets." He seemed to become aware of the coffee cups in his hands. "Oh, I brought you ladies a couple of house blends. As I recall, you take yours black, Summer?"

  She stood and took the cup he offered, her long fingers brushing his. "I do."

  I squelched a smile as I took my cup from Bo. Summer's "I do" almost seemed a portent. I just knew this girl was right for my brother. Once Tara was finally out of the picture in California, I'd have to have a heart-to-heart with Bo.

  Tara showed up around nine and bought a lemon poppyseed muffin and coffee. Bo joined her at a table. I worked on brushing one of the dogs while surreptitiously observing their conversation.

  "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances," Tara said. "You know the boss—he's been texting me since I boarded the plane in California."

  "No sleep for the weary," Bo quipped. He wasn't looking directly at Tara, so maybe he was making an effort to ignore her allure.

  "I'll fly out at three." She fell silent.

  Was she waiting for Bo to offer her a ride? Would he?

  The silence was broken by the cafe door banging open. Jedi stalked in, drawing more than a few stares. The man looked unkempt, like he hadn't slept in a couple of days.

  To my astonishment, he marched straight toward me. I caught a whiff of something skunky, so I had the fleeting but irrational thought that maybe a skunk had followed him in.

  As Jedi fixed me with a glare, I noticed how red his eyes were. "What'd you say...did you talk with the cops? They told me someone from this place heard us talking 'bout something, and we were standing by that dog walk fence. Must've been you; you never liked me anyhow." His words came out slow and he shoved a hand in his oversized jacket pocket.

  There was a sudden thud as Bo jumped Jedi from behind and pinned him to the floor.

  "Give me your hands." Bo's tone was impossibly controlled but completely unyielding.

  The drumming instructor slowly extracted each hand. As he exposed his palms, it was clear to see both hands were empty.

  Bo turned toward the coffee bar and barked out an order. "Bring me some of that twine from the back room."

  "On it, boss," Jimmy said. The large man brought out a wad of twine in record time. He held Jedi down while Bo tied his hands.

  "I called 9-1-1," Milo offered, rising from a crouched position behind the coffee bar.

  Bo leaned down toward Jedi. "You care to explain why you came into my cafe all stoned, thinking you were going to hash something out with my sister?"

  Stoned. Of course Jedi was stoned. I'd known a few marijuana users in high school, but I hadn't seen any recently, so I hadn't put two and two together with Jedi's smell and behavior. With Bo's DEA training, he was able to spot that stuff right off.

  "Man, it's not what you think. She told the cops something on Katie and me. They came around this morning, and now what's going to happen to my job?"

  "Did you kill somebody?" Bo's voice was hard.

  "Naw, man, I didn't kill anyone," Jedi whimpered.

  "Then why are you so worried?"

  Jedi must've thought he was whispering, but all the customers could hear as he confessed, "I've got a little side gig there
at the center. It's not really medicinal, you know? So it's not on the books."

  "You're selling marijuana at Ivy Hill?" Bo asked, pulling Jedi into a sitting position on the floor.

  "Yeah." Jedi's eyes were still a little unfocused. "And growing a little too, but don't tell anyone, man."

  Bo sighed. The door opened and a couple of uniformed officers came in. As Bo explained the events of the morning, one officer snapped cuffs on Jedi.

  A tall blonde suddenly burst through the door and made a beeline for Jedi. Of course, it was Katie. Was she his partner in crime? It would certainly appear so, the way she leaned close and murmured something in his ear.

  As the cops walked Jedi outside, Katie stood in the cafe, occasionally rubbing at her nose and wiping at tears.

  I couldn't stay still. After flagging Jimmy down to ask if he could man the dogs, I walked over to Katie's side and led her to a more private table in the corner.

  Unsure how to ease into a conversation about Jedi, I asked Katie if she'd like a cup of coffee. She said she'd prefer some strong tea, so I asked Milo to brew her a mug of our Scottish breakfast blend.

  Katie looked at me. "So...were you the one who reported our conversation to the cops? Jedi figured it had to be you."

  "Yes, I overheard you yesterday," I admitted, wishing the police hadn't let it slip that someone from Barks & Beans had reported them. "You said something about being democratic in taking over and that the cops couldn't stick anything to you. I assumed you were talking about Alice's fencing operation, maybe making plans for when things calmed down at Ivy Hill."

  Milo broke into the conversation by carefully setting the tea, cream, and sugar on the table. He raised his eyebrows at me, probably wondering why I was sitting with someone who'd been kibitzing with a criminal.

  Katie took time to pour a liberal helping of cream and several spoonfuls of sugar into her tea. She stirred, took a sip, and closed her eyes. "This is the best tea I've ever had." Sitting up straighter, she leaned in toward me. "Now listen, I don't know what you're talking about. Jedi and I were discussing how I could take over as director at Ivy Hill, not how we could take over some kind of fencing operation. Are you saying that Alice was involved in fencing, as in fencing stolen things? What kinds of things?"

  Clearly, my overactive imagination had taken over and filled in the blanks without enough evidence. Of course Jedi and Katie were discussing who would step in as director at Ivy Hill now that Alice was dead. Katie seemed genuinely clueless about the illegal operations going on at the center... at least the ones Alice had been running. Apparently, Jedi had his own illegal business going on there, too.

  I wasn't sure how much I should tell her, but it probably wouldn't hurt to disclose that Alice and Gerard had been involved in a fencing ring. Police would be scrutinizing Ivy Hill even more closely now that they'd heard about the marijuana.

  "It was art fencing," I said.

  "What? You're kidding." She began to drink her tea in earnest, so I idly glanced around. Bo was watching me closely from behind the coffee bar. I felt bad that I hadn't given him a huge hug for thwarting Jedi in his misguided attempt to confront me.

  Tara was no longer seated at the table, and I felt a jolt of realization. Had she already gone to catch her flight? Not that I'd had any desire to say goodbye, but I hoped Bo was able to get some closure with her after the Jedi takedown was wrapped by the police.

  "I guess I should've known," Katie said, clutching her teacup. "Around March, Alice started acting weird at our monthly business meetings. We all assumed it was because Ivy Hill was hemorrhaging money. We got donations, sure, but we just couldn't maintain enough staff for proper upkeep. Besides, Alice refused to modernize the place or offer more practical classes. Truth be told, my massages, the golf course, and Doctor Schneider's counseling were what paid the employees. Who knows how the bills were being paid—maybe Alice's art fencing was keeping us afloat?"

  As convincing as Katie was, she had a little more explaining to do. "I also overheard you saying that you wished you'd gotten your hands on Gerard's dog because it would've been lucrative. What did you mean by that?"

  Katie chuckled, but not cruelly. "Just what I said. Great Danes are worth something, and that one is a beauty. And quite frankly, I was strapped for cash when Doctor Schneider unloaded the dog at the shelter. He should've asked around and given others a chance to take him."

  "Were you actually close to Gerard or not?" I asked. "Was that just an act?"

  "An act," she said firmly. "I used that sob story in hopes that you'd give me his Great Dane. In reality, Gerard was always asking me out and I was always turning him down. He wasn't my type."

  "Oh, really? Who is, then? Jedi?"

  She gave a tinkling laugh. "No way. Jedi's more like a brother to me—a punk brother, really. He's always breaking rules and getting in trouble, but in the end, he's loyal, you know? I figured he'd be useful if I ever got the chance to take over Ivy Hill." She sobered. "But I never dreamed that opportunity would come at the other end of Alice's murder. Finding her was...it just shook me, you know? That someone could be killed right there, in the middle of a public party like that?"

  "But Gerard was murdered, too—out in the open."

  She nodded. "Yes, but that seemed more removed from us somehow. I figured it was some disgruntled golf client who'd whacked him—something personal, you know? He could be blunt and grating sometimes."

  "It did seem extremely violent," I agreed. "Was Gerard going out with any of his clients? Would any of them have a reason to kill him?"

  "None that I can think of," Katie said, finishing off her tea. "Gerard really acted like he wanted to date me, but like I said, I shot him down every time." She stood. "I need to get back to the center and update Doctor Schneider on what's happened with Jedi."

  "Of course," I said, standing and picking up her empty teacup. "Thanks so much for chatting. I just had a lot of questions, especially given Jedi's behavior today."

  "He was out of control," she acknowledged. "I'm so sorry he scared you all. Sometimes he doesn't have a filter with his emotions—especially when he's been doing pot, as you can imagine." She took a deep breath. "If I take over at Ivy Hill—or even if Doctor Schneider does—we'll have to let Jedi go. But I want him to get help with what's apparently become an addiction."

  "I'm sure the doctor can help you with that," I said, giving her hand a brief squeeze. "All the best as you try to get Ivy Hill up and running again." I genuinely meant it, too. Katie seemed to be a smart woman who had lots of good ideas for the spiritual center. Maybe she could implement them and really make a difference in the community at large.

  Once Katie left, I went directly over to Bo and gave him a hug. "If he'd been armed, you would've saved my life."

  Bo let go of me and grabbed the whole milk from the mini fridge. "It's just a regular day in the neighborhood for me, sis. I'm used to looking for behavior like that—you aren't."

  "You're a guard dog, I get it," I said. "I saw you watching me talk with Katie just now."

  "Not for the reasons you might think." He frothed the milk and poured it over espresso, using a toothpick to create a whimsical leaf design on top. "Doesn't she work at Ivy Hill, too? I told you, we have to stay well away from that place."

  I put a hand on my hip and took a step back. "Well, today Ivy Hill came to me, didn't it?"

  Bo gave me a serious look. "That Jedi guy said you'd informed on him to the police. I'm just wondering if that happened before or after I'd talked to you about the importance of lying low to stay off Moreau's radar?"

  Ugh. He had me there.

  "After, but I overheard them on the sidewalk yesterday and I wanted to make sure the police had all the facts."

  "Strong moral compass you have there," Bo said, handing the mug over to an older woman with a smile. I noticed she was wearing lipstick and a fancy scarf—obviously she was out on the town today.

  I cupped a hand to my mouth and whispered. "Did
Tara leave?"

  Bo nodded. "She left right after the police came. She had a rental car."

  I tried to probe Bo's steady blue gaze for any hints of emotion. "Did you get to say goodbye?"

  He grabbed a clear plastic cup to fill an iced coffee order. "I did." He gave a half-smile. "I'm fine, sis."

  Milo edged around Bo and leaned in toward me. "You okay?" he asked, his tone unusually serious. "That was awful! If they want to keep kids off drugs, they just need to show them live, unfettered exhibits like that dude. No way I'm doing marijuana."

  I couldn't restrain my grin. "I'm glad a valuable lesson has been learned today. Thanks for calling in help, Milo."

  As I made my way over to relieve Jimmy in the dog section, it occurred to me that we were now working together as a team at Barks & Beans. Instead of getting on my nerves as he initially had, Milo was proving to be quite multi-dimensional, even compassionate. And Jimmy was a real stand-up guy. Time flew by when I was talking with Charity and Kylie, too.

  In short, our cafe was getting established and thriving.

  I just hoped Leo Moreau wouldn't swoop in from nowhere and make a mess of everything.

  25

  The lunch rush came and went, and by the time it was over, I was feeling back on an even keel after my rocky start to the day. I settled at a table with a chicken salad croissant—Charity's chicken salad was incredible—when my phone rang. Doctor Schneider was calling for some reason.

  I quickly swallowed my bite of sandwich. "Hello?"

  "Macy, I'm sorry to bother you at work. I really need to get down to your charming cafe soon—I pass it every morning on my way to Ivy Hill."

  "Please do," I said. "How can I help you this afternoon?"

  "First of all, I heard about the debacle with Jedi this morning. I'm so sorry. This reflects poorly on Ivy Hill. Alice would've fired him on the spot."

  I glanced at the area where Bo had pinned Jedi to the floor. "Don't worry about it. It all worked out okay."