Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot

by Sarah Osborne

  “Mason may be off the case, but we’re not,” she said. “You and I are having lunch with Marie tomorrow. Can you arrange that at your work?”

  “Tomorrow is a half day. I get done around noon.”

  “Perfect.” She dialed Marie’s number and put her on speakerphone when she answered.

  “Lurleen, I’m so glad you called. It’s been ages and I have so much to tell you.”

  “That’s wonderful. I want to bring my friend Ditie to lunch with you tomorrow. She’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”

  “I know. Ditie is the one with that cute boyfriend Mason Garrett—the detective who spoke with me.”

  “That’s the one, but don’t spread it around he’s her boyfriend. I’m not sure he knows that yet, and it could get him in a lot of trouble.”

  “I’m the secret keeper, Lurleen. Don’t ever forget that. Anyway I’d love to see you and your friend. Shall we meet at the Boulangerie on Boulevard?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Tell your friend—oh what the hell—you have me on speakerphone, I’ll tell her. Ditie, I’ve got information on Charlie Flack. Shall I call your . . . friend Mason about it or let y’all know tomorrow.”

  “You can tell us,” I shouted into the phone from across the table. “Mason’s been pulled off the case.”

  “That’s strange. I talked to him twice and gave him a couple of other contacts. You remember Barry Hampstead, Lurleen, head of the mailroom? Of course you do. He’s the one who was crushed when you left Sandler’s. He was sure he could convince you to marry him eventually. Anyway, he knows almost as much as I do about Sandler’s. Just works at it from a different angle. Between us, and a cute receptionist Mr. Sandler hired recently, we know nearly everything that’s going on. Detective Garrett appeared to be on top of things, asking the right questions. Why in the world would someone take him off the case?”

  “We don’t know, chérie. Did he tick anyone off at the company, like Sandler Senior?”

  “I don’t think they’ve even met. Mr. Sandler’s been out of the office a lot recently and when he’s in, it’s all about the new product.”

  “Right, the new product,” Lurleen said.

  “Very hush-hush at the moment. But a real gold mine. I’ll tell you more tomorrow at one. I won’t let anyone know about our meeting. I’ll get a sudden migraine around noon.”

  “You’re the best, Marie. A tout a l’heure,” Lurleen said and hung up the phone.

  She hugged me. “If anyone can figure out what’s going on, it will be Marie.”

  “What about Barry?” I asked.

  “What about Barry? He’s a dear sweet boy, if that’s what you mean. And he’d do anything for me. Don’t give me that look. I never led him on. I’ve never led any man on.”

  In a way that was true. Lurleen was a flirt, but she never let things get out of hand. Unlike Ellie, she never used men to get what she wanted. I wondered if Ellie’s murder was more personal than we’d been thinking. Was someone furious with her because he felt rejected by her? Some man like Charlie Flack?

  “You look lost in thought, Ditie, but we need our sleep.”

  “I’ll go to bed in a bit. I need to call my boss and let her know I might be late tomorrow. And I think I’ll whip up some muffins for the kids, so they can have a little nutrition before we head out.”

  “I understand. You need to try to put together some pieces of the puzzle, don’t you? Just don’t stay up too late.”

  “You are the mother I wish I had.” I hugged her once more. She headed for her bedroom and I walked into the kitchen. My boss was as understanding as always. “I can cover for you,” she told me. “Come when you can.” I’d never had a boss quite like her. I thanked her and began rummaging through the supplies I’d brought from home. The perfect bran muffin, that was what I was working on. Healthy and flavorful.

  Half an hour was all I needed. With the muffins in the oven, I had time to think. Three people were dead—Ellie, Detective Schmidt, and now Billy Joe. Their deaths had to be related, and all of them had connections with Sandler’s. A mysterious new product was about to come on line. Marie called it a gold mine. Something that would send the company in a new direction. Charlie had worked in the new products division, and he’d been fired for trying to steal information. Ellie was sure she was about to make money off of Sandler’s. Schmidt had been called in by someone to investigate some kind of cybercrime.

  I pulled the muffins out of the oven and let them cool. I tasted one when I couldn’t wait any longer. Delicious. I’d found the perfect mix of ingredients. Couldn’t a murder investigation be handled in the same way? I had most of the ingredients. It was really a question of how they all mixed together. Ellie’s scheme might be about stealing information on the new product and selling it to a rival company. Corporate espionage. She couldn’t be the mastermind—she wasn’t clever enough to pull that off or get the information she needed on her own. It had to be someone on the inside. Charlie Flack couldn’t get inside, no matter how hard he tried. Billy Joe could, and he undoubtedly knew what was going on. But Billy Joe was dead. If it was an accident—too much alcohol and drugs—then maybe that would be the end of it. But Lurleen didn’t think Billy Joe was all that smart. So who else might be at the heart of the espionage? Perhaps Marie could point us in the right direction. Someone who needed money or wanted to destroy the company or both.

  I cleaned up the kitchen feeling less frantic. The kids would be safe at my brother’s. Dan would keep us up on the investigation, and hopefully, Mason would be back on the case in a day or two. Marie might have more inside information when we met for lunch. Another muffin and a cup of warm milk also helped calm me down. The kids were going to love them.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day was a big one, but not quite in the way I expected. I called Tommy early in the morning to let him know we’d be arriving around eight with the full entourage.

  “Are you kidding me, Mabel? You call me at 6:30 in the morning when I’m sound asleep? You tell me you’re moving in within the hour and bringing—who did you say you’re bringing?”

  Tommy hated two things, always had—waking up early in the morning and surprises.

  “I’m bringing the kids, the animals, and my friends Lurleen and Dan. Lurleen will be home schooling the kids, so I can work. Your condo association allows pets and I assume you’re at your office all day, so the kids and Lurleen shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

  “The apartment may allow pets, but I don’t. And who is this Dan person? Is he the PI you told me about? If he’s so good at protecting you, why do you have to move in the first place? This isn’t going to work.”

  “Tommy, you can’t do this to me! We’re desperate. If you’re worried about dog hair on your precious furniture, I’ll pay for a cleaning lady every day. Hermione’s not a puppy. She doesn’t run around and chew, but she will growl if a stranger tries to enter the apartment. You’ll never see Majestic. Besides, you’re a cat person.”

  I could picture Tommy seated on the side of his bed rubbing his head the way he always did when he’s upset.

  “Look, Tommy, are you worried we’ll cramp your style—with women I mean?” Tommy had the looks in the family. He had wavy blond hair and a body built from hours at the gym. Girls swooned over that hair and body, along with the fact that he was a prominent Atlanta lawyer. Maybe that was what this was all about.

  “You know so little about me, Mabe. No, I’m not worried about your cramping my style, although I will be if this lasts for more than a few days.”

  I was silent.

  “How long is this going to last?” Tommy said. “You’re not moving in with me for a month, are you?”

  “No, no.” I hadn’t really thought about how long this might last. “Look, I’ll make a deal with you. We’ll find a more permanent solution if this goes on f
or more than a week. How’s that?”

  “I guess I can live with that. I don’t have much choice, do I? But I don’t want that detective, either detective, snooping around my place. Is that clear?”

  “Clear.” My brother and his paranoid privacy issues.

  “Tommy, you don’t have a gun in your condo, do you?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “The kids.”

  “Oh, yeah, the kids. You don’t have to worry. I keep it locked up.”

  “Could you get it out of the apartment, just while we’re there?”

  “What else do you want me to do? Take a room in a hotel?”

  “No. You know how much I hate guns. Can you do this for me?”

  “And what if a bad guy breaks into the place with a gun? The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

  “Oh, please. We’re not going there. Just remove the gun, can you do that?”

  “I’ll keep it out of the way.”

  “Thank you.” I hung up. How could two such different people come from the same parents? I suppose it was because I was my father’s child and Tommy was my mother’s. Dad never touched a gun. My mother had a rack full of rifles, all locked in a gun cabinet. She knew about gun safety, but she also believed in protecting what was hers. Each of us kids had to learn to shoot. I hated every minute of it and quit when I was twelve. Old enough to say no and mean it. Tommy thrived on it. It was strange that Tommy was the one sent off to boarding school and not me. I never knew what he did to warrant that kind of punishment. Maybe it wasn’t punishment for him. It was one of a hundred things we never talked about.

  Lurleen stood in the doorway of the guest bedroom. She heard me sigh. “Trouble in paradise, chérie?”

  “It’s my brother. He’s trying to squirm his way out of our agreement.”

  She sat down on the bed beside me. “I always wished I had a brother until I saw what trouble they could be.” She patted my hand. “Perhaps this will be an opportunity for the two of you to mend some fences, get to know each other as adults.”

  “I’ve never really known Tommy. I’ve wanted to. But even as a kid he was so different from me and so closed off. I was the annoying little sister. He hated the fact that I had an easier time in school than he did. I’ve wondered if he went away to boarding school just to get away from me.”

  “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

  “No,” I said. “I don’t think I was ever that important to him. I somehow hoped in this crisis, we might get closer, but that’s not going to happen.” I stood up to shake off my gloomy thoughts. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  “The kids are getting dressed. And I’ve given Hermione and Majestic their breakfasts.”

  “You’re terrific.”

  Lurleen blushed and bowed. “I am always at your service. Dan is packing up a few things from the kitchen he thought you might want to take. Including the muffins you made last night. He and I tasted a couple of them. Formidable.”

  “Thanks. It’s a good idea to bring the essentials. Who knows what Tommy has? I’ve actually never seen him in a kitchen.”

  “Well, then he’ll be in for a treat with your cooking. I bet Dan would happily whip something up as well.”

  “That might be a problem,” I said. “Tommy doesn’t want Dan poking through his stuff. I’m sure he won’t want him in his kitchen.”

  Lurleen pulled at her curls as if this idea disturbed her. “But everyone loves Dan once they meet him,” she said.

  “You’re right. Maybe they’ll become good friends.” I doubted that, but there was no point in borrowing more trouble than we already had.

  We got ourselves ready to go. Lucie and Jason did their part with no complaints once I explained we were about to have a new adventure. I offered them my bran muffins, but they were too excited to eat. Lucie would have asked questions but refrained for the sake of Jason. We were packed up by seven. That left us with time to fill before we showed up at Tommy’s. He lived twenty minutes away.

  “I know the perfect place,” I said. “We’ll go to the Silver Skillet for breakfast.”

  “The Silver Skillet?” Lurleen asked.

  “You haven’t been there? Best greasy spoon in Atlanta. Sometimes you’ll see a movie star there.”

  “In that case, chérie, I’m all for it.”

  Dan nodded. “Might be a good idea. If anyone tries to follow us, we’ll spot them at the restaurant.”

  We had an uneventful breakfast. No movie stars or bad guys. Just good food and great service. “Honey” this and “honey” that. Refills on coffee before you thought to ask. Melt-in-your-mouth southern biscuits, crisp bacon, and soft scrambled eggs. I was in heaven. The kids were on their best behavior and the mothering from the waitresses didn’t hurt a bit.

  Even Lurleen with her refined taste enjoyed herself. “I’ll just have one more little pancake,” she said.

  Dan guffawed. “That’s your fifth little pancake,” he said.

  “A gentleman would never count.” Lurleen put a finger to his lips. “It’s your fault anyway for making me order the big stack.”

  We brought some ham and biscuits out to the animals. Majestic was not happy to be left in her crate and ignored our peace offering, but Hermione gobbled up everything we had. Both animals were happy when we arrived at Tommy’s. It was at 8:15.

  “You’re late,” he said when the concierge buzzed us up to his condo.

  “Sorry.”

  I introduced everyone.

  Tommy shook hands and mumbled a greeting before showing us to the guest bedroom. I settled the animals while Lurleen helped the kids unpack. Dan said he’d go get the rest of our stuff.

  “You mean this isn’t all of it?” Tommy was incredulous.

  Danny motioned Tommy away from everyone. I followed them and closed the bedroom door.

  “Okay, dude, we get it,” Danny said. “This is an imposition for you. But you’ve got a sister in trouble and she’s got kids to look out for. If she were my sister, I’d be all over it.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s not your sister. And who the hell do you think you are lecturing me in my own house about how I should act?”

  The last thing I needed was a fight between my brother and Dan. “Dan, please get the stuff. Come on, Tommy, I’ll fix you a cup of coffee.”

  Tommy seemed to realize there were children nearby. “Yeah. Okay.”

  He followed me first to the den where I dropped off my suitcase and then to the kitchen far from the children’s room. He sat down at the glass-topped kitchen table and motioned to the Keurig machine. I looked for the strongest brew I could find and popped it in.

  “These are for you,” I said, placing a bag of biscuits on the table. “They won’t be good tomorrow.”

  Tommy opened the bag and actually smiled. “Remember how we went to the Silver Skillet on Saturdays when you were in med school? Those were good times.”

  “They were.” We probably went there twice during my four years in school and twice more in residency, but for Tommy that was a lot.

  “I know I’m being an asshole, Mabe. I’m sorry.”

  An apology from Tommy? I had to sit down. “I’m asking a lot of you, Tommy, and I know that. To move in here with two children, two animals—it’s a big deal.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucie standing at the doorway. She ducked away as I was speaking. “Come on in, Lucie. I wasn’t saying anything you shouldn’t hear.”

  Lucie walked in and I pulled a chair out for her next to Tommy. “You will find that Lucie is incredibly responsible,” I said to Tommy. “And you will find, Lucie, that my brother is a very funny person. And a magician. He used to do magic tricks as a kid.”

  “Still do,” said Tommy. He reached over and pulled a quarter from Lucie’s ear.
He gave it to her.

  She giggled and handed it back to him. Then she looked serious. “Jason and I won’t be any trouble, Mr. Brown. I promise. We’ll be quiet as mice.”

  At that moment Jason zoomed into the kitchen—his Spider-Man figure leading the way. Spider-Man and the elusive bad guy in Jason’s other hand seemed to be having a noisy argument. “Stop right now or I will ’rest you! I won’t and you can’t make me. Yes I can.”

  Lucie turned bright red and looked at Tommy.

  “It’s okay, Lucie,” Tommy said. “I was a kid once myself. I was a lot like your brother. We’ll get along fine.”

  “I hope so,” Lucie said quietly.

  “This is hard on you too, sweetie,” I said. “So much moving around. But it will only be for a little while.”

  “Until you catch the bad guys,” Lucie whispered. She didn’t want Jason to hear, but before she’d finished speaking he’d already dashed out of the room.

  “Yeah,” I said. “In the meantime, Lurleen will be over every day to help with school work. I’ll get everything you need from your teachers and you’ll have Hermione and Majestic to take care of. Not to mention Jason.”

  “We’ll be okay,” Lucie said. This time it was Lucie patting me on the arm. “Don’t worry about us, Aunt Di.”

  At that moment the concierge buzzed the intercom to announce that Dan was coming up. The elevator opened onto a private vestibule. “Is this the only way a person can get in?” Dan asked when the doors opened.

  “There’s a service elevator at the back of the apartment.” Tommy showed me and Dan a small utility room with a door that led to a hallway and the service elevator.

  “Who can use this elevator?” Dan asked.

  “Just staff connected with the condo.”

  Dan checked the door to the utility room. “You keep this door locked?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  I could see Dan was getting on Tommy’s nerves. Dan noticed it too. He left without another word and distributed his bundles to the guest room and den.