“And you to zirconium. He must think you’re important.” Graham said.
“He wanted me to figure out this puzzle if he couldn’t finish it. I don’t think he thought he’d be murdered, I think he thought he would die of his cancer.”
“He has someone named Chuck Nolan assigned to lead.” Joel said.
“I think it’s because he thought he was dead weight.” Otter said.
“Or that he was a shield.” Graham said. “A lot of deadly things can’t get through lead. Or the end of the radiation, many radioactive elements work their way back to lead.”
“He took Nolan’s knife from him. Do you think he took it for protection instead of just punishment?”
“You said almost everyone there has a gun, what about Clark?” Joel asked.
“I know he could shoot,” Otter said thoughtfully, “I know that Greg didn’t find a gun in his office when he cleaned it out.”
“Maybe the person he was worried about knew he had a gun but wouldn’t expect a knife.” Troy said.
“Possible,” Otter said. “Very possible.”
“And this Ron Defray guy is plutonium. He really didn’t like the guy, did he?”
“Not a bit.” Otter said. “He’s a rather unpleasant person. So was Clark when you got down to it, but he was way smarter than I gave him credit for.”
“There’s another anagram of your boss’s name next to einsteinium, number 99.” Troy said.
“Maybe because he’s so intelligent,” Otter said, “Clark thought very highly of him.”
“I’ll be right back.” Graham said and he raced out of the room.
“What’s up with him?” Otter asked.
The other two shrugged.
“He thought of something,” Troy said. “We’ll find out in a few minutes.”
They went through more of the names and talked about meanings, Graham came back about 15 minutes later. He had several packages of colored 3x5 index cards and some Sharpies.
“OK, if there was ever a reason to make a deck of cards, this would be it.” He announced.
“I thought the same thing,” Otter said.
“Blue for Noble gasses,” he said.
“The people not involved.” Troy nodded.
“Green for metals,” Graham continued.
“The majority of the people at the shop,” Otter said.
“Pink for non-metals,” and Graham continued to assign colors and the four of them wrote out cards to correspond to each element in the chart.
“The two hydrogens are the same guy,” Joel said. “Do you know him Otter?”
“Never heard of him, he could have been there and gone before me.”
“That wouldn’t make sense,” Troy said. “This seems to be contemporary.”
“A lot of these look like made up names to start with so that at first glance you would think there were a lot of people involved.”
“I like good old ‘John Smith’ myself,” Graham said with a grin. “That’s such an American name.”
“I blew it off to be honest,” Otter said. “I thought he had so many people involved that it was overwhelming.”
“He put out a lot of protective coloring. He didn’t want someone to casually figure out what he was doing.”
“Look at the last name,” Otter said, “number 119, tratorium. We all know that’s not a real element.”
“Well shit guys, look at the name next to it,” Troy said.
“I don’t know who this is,” Otter said. “I have no idea why he would be on this list. I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone with that name at the shop.”
“Jameson Pennell,” Joel said softly. “Could it be?”
Otter looked up at the three men and they were glancing at each other in silent communication.
“OK, you guys, what is going on?”
“Are we going to tell her?” Graham asked Joel.
“Are we?” Troy asked Joel.
Funny that they both looked to Joel, she had been right; he was the coordinator for their little troupe.
Joel signed a deep sigh and looked at Otter. “We’re usually more stoic than this, you’ve screwed us up.”
“Well, who is he?”
“She’s been missing for some years now.” Joel said. “But she is a murderer and an actress.”
“Jameson Pennell is the name of a woman?”
“Charlotte Roberta Jameson Pennell most likely,” Joel said
“Is she a famous actress?” Otter asked.
“Not really. She’s done character parts here and there, mainly in little theater productions. She likes to be in those kinds of places.”
“Who did she kill?”
“Her boyfriend in high school, her parents some other people along the way.”
“And they didn’t catch a high school kid that committed murder?”
“At the time she killed these people, they were considered accidents.” Troy began, “She was in the car with her boyfriend when he was killed and she actually got some scars from the crash. She was at her graduation party when her parents were murdered, so she wasn’t a suspect at the time.”
“So why do you guys know so much about her?” Otter asked.
“Because we’re looking for her,” Graham said, finally.
“Why would Clark have her on this list?”
“Maybe he knew her.” Troy said, “Maybe he had an affair with her.”
“I don’t see that,” Otter said, “Particularly since it says Jameson. Clark wouldn’t mess around with a man.”
“We’ve been through your employee list, she’s not there.”
“You only have a few women there and we know it’s not you, nor Annie, nor Sandy.” Joel said.
“We have a couple of women that do masking, but they’re Mexican.”
“She’s big and blond,” Graham said. “Five ten easy, light skinned and very stocky. She couldn’t be very convincing as a Mexican no matter how good her makeup is.”
“I will ask Michael if he knows the name,” Otter said. We’ll keep it between the two of us. You know this Charlotte person could be there as a guy.”
“That would have to be some disguise,” Joel said.
“Take the cards,” Graham said generously. “He will appreciate the whole periodic table element—no pun intended.”
“He will,” Otter said. “It will be a lot easier to explain to him as well. Thanks.”
On the way back down the I-17, Otter thumbed through her cards and thought of killers.
“What do you call that place?” She asked Joel.
“The Community Center,”
“Good name.”
“We think so.”
“Are there lots of members?”
“Hundreds, but not all of them come on a regular basis.”
“How do you finance something like that? I don’t see you being able to afford a club of that scope on just membership fees and it’s too nice to be a government organization.”
“Boy, are you always so full of questions?”
“Usually,” Otter smiled at him, “you didn’t ask Susan to meet me because I worked at AzTech, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Too bad, since you sure didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.”
“And just what have I gotten myself into Miss Ottenberger?”
“I know you’re some big do-dad, doing fancy covert work, but you might find yourself surprised now and again.”
“A Big do-dad and his merry men,” Joel laughed, “Sounds like a children’s show.”
Man, she was exhausted. She usually ran off at the mouth when she was tired. She’d better keep it shut or she would mortify herself.
“And not to worry my lady, I am finding myself more and more surprised every time we meet. I am also finding myself immensely entertained.”
“I’m a serious person,” she said grumpily, “I’m not meant to be entertaining.”
“I’m not in any wa
y saying I don’t take you seriously,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road. “You are most definitely a force to be reckoned with, but you have a sense of humor and you like to stab people with it.”
“How about zinging? I like to zing people without warning, that’s part of the fun.”
“OK, you like to fatally zing people to death. They never see it coming and we poor helpless mortals can’t handle that sort of thing.”
“But you have a sense of humor, don’t you?”
“Not allowed. It’s surgically removed three weeks after you join my unit. They put it in a jar with formaldehyde and put it on a shelf.”
“That must be painful.”
“It is, and they take out the sense of wonder and surprise too.”
“Wow, how do you survive something like that?”
“That’s how they see what you’re made of. Once they know they can make you a tough big do-dad.”
“With merry men,”
“Right, with merry men, and once you are a big tough do-dad, you are let out into the world to right its wrongs.”
“Gee, just like a super hero.”
“Kind of, but you don’t get a cool cape or shield.”
“How sad for you,”
“Sometimes, but they don’t put us in tights either, so it’s not all bad.”
“Good thing,”
“But it’s probably a good thing my trainers didn’t know about you.”
They were turning into her driveway and Joel put the car in park.
“Why is that?”
“Because my senses of humor, wonder and surprise are growing back, since I’ve met you, and they aren’t supposed to do that.”
“They’re doing such exciting things with stem cells these days.”
“Otter, Otter, Otter,” he said. He leaned over and kissed her. “Don’t you feel it?”
“Feel what exactly?”
“That we are meant to be together one day.” He laughed when he saw her expression.
“You don’t know that,” she said. “But I wouldn’t find myself very disappointed if you were right.” She kissed him lightly on the lips and jumped out of the car before he had a chance to get out and open the door for her.
He watched her activate her palm plate and go inside her garage. He let his mind go back to the day when he had first seen her. He chuckled to himself at how astonished Otter would be if she knew exactly when that day was. Although she was everything and more than he hoped for, he couldn’t tell her all the details yet. Fortunately his training also taught him patience. He put his car in gear and backed slowly out of her driveway.
Otter put all her things down and put the cards next to her lunch bag to take to work the next morning. She took a shower and turned on the television and decided to slum for a bit. She bundled into her nightshirt and grabbed Spooky for a cuddle.
That’s what she got when she got tired and smart at the mouth.
More than she expected.
Chapter 10
India international text service: Hello Tempest, this is your mother, Viola Blackthorn Claremont.
Blackthorn Marketing: Mom, I know it’s you. I told you that you don’t have to spell out your full name.
India international text service: I hope I didn’t wake you, I know you hate to get up early, but rising early is good for you.
Blackthorn Marketing: It’s 6 at night, mom, you didn’t wake me. I told you that too. We are 12 hours behind you.
India international text service: How are you girls doing?
Blackthorn Marketing: I’m starting a new industrial revolution and Otter is trying to catch a killer. She has a new boyfriend who’s like a mysterious secret agent type, nothing special, really.
India international text service: So you say Otter has a new boyfriend?
Blackthorn Marketing: Yes, she does.
India international text service: He’s not another dog trainer, is he?
Blackthorn Marketing: No I think he works for the government.
India international text service: Well, that’s something then.
Blackthorn Marketing: Yes mom, now tell me a little about your trip. You must be having a good time.
India international text service: Oh we are, and our new guide is really interesting.
Blackthorn Marketing: What new guide?
India international text service: Oh, we didn’t tell you. Mr. Devon had to go back home. He really was quite ill, you see. They think it was his heart.
Blackthorn Marketing: But what happened? Why didn’t someone tell me?
India international text service: They said they sent you a letter telling you all of this.
Vaguely Tempest remembered a letter coming from the travel agency. She had thought it was an invoice of some kind. She started going through her bills looking for it. She found it quickly enough.
Blackthorn Marketing: OK, I found it.
Tempest scanned the letter quickly and then picked up her phone again.
Blackthorn Marketing: Mother, you didn’t really tear down a marketplace, did you?
India international text service: No, I did not. We were all cleared of wrong doing.
Blackthorn Marketing: It says here that the American consulate had to get involved?
India international text service: That’s what our taxes pay for, isn’t it? He needed to do his job.
Poor Mr. Devon, he hadn’t stood a chance, Tempest thought.
India international text service: I am starting to get a little homesick, Tempest. I can’t wait to see you next week.
Blackthorn Marketing: Next week?
India international text service: Yes darling daughter, I’m due home next week.
Blackthorn Marketing: Of course, it will be good to see you.
OMG, she thought.
“This is amazing,” Michael said as she laid the cards on the table in the conference room. “Clark did all this?”
“I think it was his commentary on people in the shop and some clues to who he thought was a threat.” Otter said.
“How did you figure this out?”
“Clark’s nephew came by the shop on Saturday. He said that Clark told him that only you and I possessed the skills to figure out the clues. So I thought about what you and I knew that not many other people in the shop would. It took some thought and some finessing, but this pattern started to form from one of my ideas.”
“He has me under carbon,” Michael observed.
“Essential for what we do here,” Otter said, “and under heat and pressure…”
Michael grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Mackenzie I’m a diamond in the rough.”
“I don’t think she will find that as big of a surprise as you think,” Otter said matching his grin.
“Yeah, probably not,”
“I found the references really interesting,” Otter said, gesturing toward the cards.
“He has Gonzo under lithium,”
“Gonzo has a calming influence and he’s known for his stamina around here. He just keeps on going.” Otter said.
“He has Ron Defray under plutonium.”
“So we have to wonder if he thought he was dangerous or if he just didn’t like him.”
“Maybe both,” Michael said, fingering the cards.
“Considering what we’re thinking may have happened, I wouldn’t rule anything out right now.” Otter said, “But I don’t see him letting Defray get close enough to him to shoot him in the head at close range.”
“Point understood.”
“And Defray was working the day that Marvin Jones was killed, I was here with him.”
“Was anyone else here on vacation that day?”
“Annie took a personal day; she had to take care of some family business. Nobody else was on vacation.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Annie.”
“I agree,” Otter said.
“He has Annie under neon.” Michael let out a laugh. “He chose a
very apt element for our hippie.”
“I thought so too.”
“I need to double check some things about that day,” Michael said, taking a planner out of his breast pocket and keying in a note.
“I still think we don’t tell anyone else in the shop,” Otter said, “I don’t want to take the risk of the wrong person hearing about this.”
“I happen to agree with you.” Michael said. “It looks like this is more complicated than I thought—although I am relieved that Clark wasn’t blackmailing everyone who works here plus everyone in his church.”
“I think he just wanted to get information, maybe personnel files. The problem is that he didn’t get a lot of cooperation.”
“We don’t know that,” Michael pointed out. “You haven’t talked to everyone.”
“Have you ever heard of anyone named Jameson Pennell?” Otter asked. “That name shows up on here too.”
Michael thought for a moment then shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”
“How about Charlotte Roberta Jameson Pennell?”
“No,”
“Ok, how about Cal de Lemn?”
“Sorry Otter, I don’t know that one either.”
“I’ve been told on good authority that this Charlotte person is a killer who disappeared years ago. She’s on some government watch list.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Internet,” Otter lied. “I tried running the names.” Which wasn’t a bad idea, she thought to herself, she would have to get on the computer when she got home. She also needed to contact Detective Addison and hope he didn’t laugh at her.
“This is good work.” Michael said. “What are you going to do next?”
“I need to update the police,” she said gathering up the cards, “And then maybe do some more research on this Charlotte. Maybe something else will come to me as I proceed.”
“Just keep me in the loop,” Michael said. “And I will contact this detective Addison and do some research as well. Can I have a copy of your list?”
“Sure,” she gave him one copy each of the list before and after she put it in order, “maybe you’ll see something I didn’t.”
Otter Under Fire Page 17