Etched in Tears

by Cheryl Hollon

  “Come along, then.” Officer Williams tossed her head toward the entrance to the museum. “We’re going to have a little cooling-off conversation.” She proceeded to propel the two furious women with her firm grip on their upper arms.

  Gina’s assistant promptly stepped up to the microphone with a soothing voice and calmly directed the participants to the next part of the ceremony.

  The group arrived at the double doors of the Community Room. “I’ll get that.” Lucas Brown unlocked the doors and opened them both wide to let the five women enter with as little crowding as possible.

  “You may as well join us.” Officer Williams nodded to Lucas. “The more the merrier . . . except that this isn’t supposed to be a merry occasion.” She released her grip on both Gina and Harriet.

  They grabbed their arms in a mirrored action.

  Savannah observed that the furnishings were arranged similarly to the café with four chairs at each table. None of the tables were configured for a large group.

  Gina rubbed her arm as if it had been mauled by a bear. “We had a luncheon social here, today. The staff should have removed everything and stowed them away. Why does no one ever follow my orders?”

  Savannah motioned to Lucas. “Let’s push a couple tables together so we can at least sit down.”

  He hopped to it and in a flash they were sitting with Officer Williams at the head of the table and Lucas at the foot. Gina and Harriet sat across from each other closest to Officer Williams, and Savannah and Amanda took the remaining chairs with Savannah between Gina and Lucas.

  “I simply cannot believe the behavior you two displayed here tonight.” Officer Williams looked sternly at Gina and then at Harriet. “You are this close to being charged.” Her fingers indicated an inch. “I haven’t decided what the charge might be, but I’m sure I could figure something out. Maybe inciting a riot would work.” She looked back at Gina. “You’re a different case. I don’t think the museum board of directors would be willing to continue your employment if you were arrested and charged with assault.”

  Savannah leaned into the table. “Why did you do it?”

  Harriet made a choking noise in her throat. “She was Dennis’s lover.” She covered her face with both hands and propped her elbows on the table. “I found a note in one of Dennis’s pockets as I was getting them ready for donation.”

  “Well, it certainly didn’t take much encouragement on my part,” Gina said. “He was starved for affection. You were so focused on taking possession of your big trust fund that he was desperate for someone to help him recapture his creative energy.”

  “Wait!” piped in Amanda. “Are you saying that Dennis was blocked? He couldn’t create?”

  No,” said Harriet. “That is an absolute lie. He was full of new ideas. He said that his life would never be long enough to create everything that he wanted. That’s not true.”

  Gina stood up. “And how would you know? When was the last time you even shared a room, much less a bed?”

  “This is ridiculous. I don’t have to listen to this.” Harriet looked at Officer Williams. “Do I have to stay here and be ridiculed and insulted while my murdered husband is in the morgue?”

  “It depends.” Officer Williams turned to Gina. “Are you going to press charges?”

  The room quickly filled with silence. Gina narrowed her eyes and you could see the wheels spinning through her choices. She looked down at the table. “No. It wouldn’t be good for the Dali or for Dennis’s legacy.”

  Officer Williams turned to Harriet. “Are you going to press charges?”

  “No, I’m just fine.” Harriet flounced out of the room and tried to slam the door, but the door closer piston wouldn’t allow her to do anything but push it slowly. She huffed in frustration, then left the room.

  Gina stood but nearly fell backwards. She recovered. “If you have nothing else”—she looked at Officer Williams—“I have guests to attend to.”

  Savannah pointed a finger in the air. “Speaking of guests, has the guest list shown up?”

  Officer Williams rolled her eyes at Savannah in an I should have asked that look. “Right, you were requested to turn that over to us on Monday, along with the names of the employees who were working that night. Where is it?”

  “Oh,” said Gina in a quiet voice. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to admit that our server went down that night.”

  “That’s quite a coincidence, don’t you think?” Savannah asked.

  Officer Williams gave Savannah a quick hand signal to be quiet. “Why have you waited this long to reveal that? We are, in fact, now in the process of serving the museum with a search warrant for your employee records and all paperwork that is associated with Dennis’s exhibit. You could avoid more bad publicity if you would voluntarily turn over everything you have. The Tampa Bay Times is a fair newspaper, but this will make excellent copy.”

  “I know, I know. The press coverage has been distressing to the members of the board. I’ve been able to trace a preliminary guest list that was generated prior to mailing the invitations. We have an off-site records facility and our IT manager was able to extract it. Our employee records were not affected by the server crash. I will turn those both over to you tomorrow. Can I go now?”

  “No problem. This was a cooling-off intervention. You’re free to go.”

  “Lucas, let’s get back to work.”

  Lucas nodded, then stood and followed Gina out of the community room. As he was closing the door, he said, “You can stay as long as you wish. I’ll come back later and lock this up.” He smiled at the three of them.

  “We suspected that there was an affair,” said Officer Williams. “Did you?”

  Savannah nodded to Amanda. “Yes, I’ve been looking into their social media activity and it looks like their absences are at the same times. I haven’t been able to find out where they were meeting, but I still might be able to track that down.”

  Officer Williams turned to Savannah. “You’re going to continue your investigation, aren’t you?

  “Yes. This is more to me than investigating encrypted records. One of those women is responsible for the death of my first boyfriend. I’ll keep combing through the past for more clues about Dennis’s gang activities, but I think it was one of those two.”

  Chapter 31

  Friday evening

  Savannah stopped by Webb’s Glass Shop to pick up the encrypted records that Amanda had extracted from the file cabinet. There were six that had been associated with Dennis in some way. She scooped them up and drove home.

  Rooney wriggled a suppressed greeting until she unlocked the door, dropped her keys in the ceramic bowl on her mother’s antique Spanish chest, and put the files onto the dining room table. Then she turned to Rooney and gave him tons of hugs and scratching behind his ears and along his back. “We’ve got to find a way for little Snowy to like you.” She sat on the floor and held his gray head with both hands. “You know you’re adorable. I know you’re adorable. We have to convince Snowy of that or . . . well, I don’t even want to think about that.” She got up and looked down at the beautifully muscled blue-gray dog that had wrapped himself around her heart. “We’re going to solve this so Edward and Snowy can come live with us.

  “Okay, boy. Give me a minute to change and let’s do our run.”

  They were out the door in five minutes on their normal route around the neighborhood. Then they took a longer loop because Rooney didn’t seem at all winded and Savannah also still felt the edge of tension and restlessness that she was trying to relieve.

  They returned to the house tired but calm. After she fed Rooney, she opened a pack of peanut butter crackers and poured a glass of milk. She started examining the records as she ate, eliminating one of the students right away as he had moved to California with his parents after only a few months in the program. A second folder was eliminated because the student had been killed in a drive-by shooting only days after signing up for the program. That ma
de two in the eliminated pile.

  Could that have been a warning to other students not to participate in Dad’s program? No, that’s overreacting.

  She opened the next folder and this one appeared to have been successful in the program. He had gone on to help with some of the outreach excursions to community businesses to find more apprentice positions for students. Savannah put that one into a separate pile for further investigation.

  The fourth file was interesting in that it seemed to be apprenticing the student to a foster care home to assist the house mother. Savannah didn’t quite understand how that could be helpful, then looked at the applicant’s name. Jeri was a female student and was escaping a violent home life. She was keen to learn more about foster care homes and apparently went on to create an agency in Indiana. She was married with four children and worked in Indianapolis with social services to place at-risk children in good homes. She put it in the elimination pile.

  That is so typically Dad. He saved this young woman from a bad situation and she went on to have a good life. I’m so proud to be his daughter.

  Savannah opened the fifth file. It documented the many times the young man had entered the program—quit the program—then entered again. A total of five times. What kind of patience did that require?

  I have my moments, but this is completely out of my league. Dad had it covered.

  She looked at his final apprenticeship job—for a cook’s assistant at one of the oldest hamburger joints in St. Petersburg, El Cap’s on 4th Street North. It was the last job listed in the folder. It must have done the trick because there were several letters from the owners about how much they appreciated his work. She put the folder in the further investigation pile.

  “Hey, Rooney. We need to go down to El Cap’s tonight. Doesn’t that sound good?”

  Rooney tilted his head and looked up at her with patient eyes. After she turned back to the folders, he put his head back down on his front paws.

  She picked up the last folder. According to her father’s notes, it also contained the records of a boy who was difficult to place. He was the same age as Dennis, but for some reason, in this record, the name was never revealed. Her dad just avoided it. Savannah ran a hand through her curls. How was she going to figure out who the guy was? Maybe Jacob would be able to figure it out from clues that she couldn’t put together.

  She put the three folders that needed further investigation in her backpack and left the other three on the dining room table.

  Savannah called Edward. “Has your new brewery rep been there?”

  “Yes, he just left. He’s going to give me a great price break for the first month.”

  “Perfect. Can you leave Queen’s Head Pub for about an hour? I have a lead I want to chase at El Cap’s. We could grab a hamburger.”

  “Hmm. Hang on a second. Let me check with Nicole.”

  Savannah heard him ask Nicole if she was good with him leaving for a quick visit to El Cap’s and overheard Nichol’s reply.

  “No worries. If you get delayed, just give me a call and I’ll call in one of the part-time servers.”

  “No, no. It’s going to get busy later. I’ll be back in an hour, tops.” He talked into the phone. “I’m good. Do you want to ride the Indian?”

  “No, stop by my house. I want to take Rooney. They have outside seating and he can just lay down underneath the table while we eat and do our research.”

  “Even better. I’ll just meet you there. Nicole is being nice. It’s the busiest night of the week and we’re trying to cover for some servers that are on vacation.”

  “No problem. See you there.” She ended the call and loaded Rooney into the Mini Cooper.

  * * *

  Rooney walked right up to the outside table that was closest to the parking lot and slipped underneath. Edward stood up from the next table.

  Savannah raised her eyebrows. “Rooney’s been here before.” She sat on one of the three concrete benches that surrounded the worn concrete table furnished with a much-needed shade-producing umbrella. “Did Dad eat here often? He didn’t mention it to me.”

  “I think so. He would tell me stories about the owner from the early days of the Florida tourist boom.” Edward sat at their table. “Who are you trying to find?”

  “I need to ask about one of Dennis’s friends from the records. Dennis must have taken out some time to meet up with his buddies from the past.”

  A stout white-haired server kicked open the door with her black running shoe and approached their table. She wore black polyester pants with an elastic waist and a white short-sleeved, button-up camp shirt. She held a classic green order book in one hand with a Bic pen ready to write in the other. “Have you two been here before?”

  Savannah said, “A long time ago.”

  Edward said, “No.”

  She pursed her lips. “Well then, you need to understand that the drinks don’t come with refills. The tap water is twenty-five cents and the hamburger comes with mustard, onions, and mayonnaise. Everything else is extra. The menus are right there on your table. What would you like to drink?”

  “I’ll have a Blue Moon,” said Savannah.

  “Me, too,” said Edward as he grabbed one of the small, plastic-coated menu cards.

  The server frowned. “Is this on one check?”

  They both replied, “Yes.”

  She made a note on her order pad and went inside.

  Edward scanned the menu. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. How do they stay in business?”

  Savannah chuckled. “This place is a St. Petersburg institution. They have customers that have eaten here every week for decades. It’s not for everyone and definitely not for the hipster set.” She glanced at the menu and smiled. “This hasn’t changed much since I was a girl. I’m having their hamburger and the fries with a side of coleslaw.”

  “I’ll follow you. You’re the local.”

  They ordered the same meal when the server returned and she noted that on her order pad.

  As she turned to leave, Savannah asked, “How long have you worked here?”

  For the first time, a smile spread on the server’s face and softened its edges into a surprisingly gentle look. “Oh, sweetie, I’ve been here since the beginning, more than fifty years ago. I’ve never worked anywhere else. Why mess with a good thing?”

  “Great. Do you remember a young man that worked here named Alex Wilson? He was an apprentice student from St. Petersburg High School.”

  Her face brightened into a full smile. “Well, of course I remember Alex! We taught him everything about being a short order cook and he’s now a famous chef. He started out as a waiter. That just didn’t work for him, but the moment he stepped to the grill, he found his calling. I still miss his grilled onions.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m Savannah Webb. My father John helped establish the apprenticeship program. When you have a break, can you come back and talk to us for a little while?”

  She patted the top of Savannah’s hand. “Why sure, sweetie. I’ll have a chance right after I deliver your food. It’s a slow time right now.” She left, leaving a faint scent of rose-scented talcum powder behind.

  “I’m gobsmacked,” said Edward. “That was a complete turnabout.”

  “I think the sweetie persona is the one that the old-timers get to see.”

  “That explains a lot.”

  Savannah straightened up and looked Edward square in the eyes. “We need to discuss the kitten.” She reached over and placed her hand on his.

  “Too right.” Edward turned his hand and grasped Savannah’s hand and placed his other hand on top. “I was afraid that Snowy would be the end of us.”

  Savannah placed her remaining hand on top of Edward’s. “I definitely don’t want that to happen to us. We need to work together to get this right.”

  “Agreed. When shall we try again?”

  Savannah puffed out a long sigh. “You are pressuring me. You might not realize
it . . . although, I have to acknowledge that I’m not good about saying what’s going on with me.”

  “Really?” Edward raised his eyebrows. “Ya think?”

  Savannah laughed and took his hands, kissed each, and placed them on her face. “You mean so much to me.” She paused. “It’s time that I showed you how happy you make me.”

  “I’m waiting.”

  “Now, about Snowy. I think the next thing we need to—”

  At that point, the server returned with a cheery, “Hi, little lovebirds. Here are your burgers with a little extra onion thrown in as a bonus.” She sat across from them and waved them to start eating their hamburgers.

  Edward started to take a huge bite, but Savannah stopped him. “Wait, let me show you how my dad used to fix these up for me.” She picked up the top bun and forked in a generous plop of the coleslaw and pressed the bun back on top. “Try that.”

  He took a large bite, shook his head up and down, and said, “That’s great,” through his full mouth.

  The server watched them with a beneficent smile. “That boy you want to know about was here last week. He stops by the kitchen every time he visits from Chicago.”

  Savannah and Edward exchanged a glance.

  “He’s living in Chicago?” Savannah lowered her sandwich back to the plate. “When did he move there?”

  “A while ago. Sweetie, at the time he left, there really wasn’t much to keep him here in St. Petersburg. The current fancy dining craze didn’t start here until right after he left, but he found his calling in Chicago and he owns a restaurant right on the lake.”

  “When was his last visit?”

  “Just this past weekend. I was on shift when he stopped by. He was full of chatter about one of his apprentice buddies. Apparently, not from the same high school, but in the same rescue program. He said it was a mixed-up mess.”

  “Mixed-up?”

  “That’s what he said . . . mixed-up. Good news and bad news. The good news was that art exhibit down at the Dali. The artist was one of the apprentices. He was happy for another success from the group.”