Hide and Snoop (The Odelia Grey Mysteries)

by Jaffarian, Sue Ann

  I turned towards the back of the store to see a woman bringing in an armload of sweaters. She put the sweaters down on the counter and stepped forward.

  “This is my sister,” Amanda told me. “Jennifer Quinn.” The two women stood next to each other like bookends. They were in their mid-thirties and identical twins, except that Jennifer did not have a color streak in her hair.

  Jennifer extended her hand, and we shook. The Quinns gave off the vibe that they knew their customers well and provided excellent personal service, something that was sadly lacking in most retail stores.

  “I handle the artisan side,” Jennifer explained. “Amanda is more into the vintage.” And indeed, Jennifer was wearing a spectacular cream sweater. Seeing me eye her top with a hunger usually reserved for cheesecake, she indicated the pile she’d just left on the counter. “We just received several new items from our designer in Portland. Please feel free to look them over. There’s a smashing teal short-sleeve sweater that would go great with your hair and eyes. It’s a small, but we could have one made to fit you. It wouldn’t be identical, of course, considering each item is handmade, but close.”

  Jennifer walked back to the small pile and plucked out a sweater. Waving me over to a three-way mirror, she held it up to me and invited me to take a look. She was right, the sweater was perfect with my coloring and as light and soft as a marshmallow. I could feel my credit card itching to come out and play, until I found the tag and checked the price.

  Yikes!

  Before I succumbed to a buying coma, I lowered the sweater and forced my focus back on the missing Connie Holt. “It is indeed lovely, but I came in to ask you about someone.”

  The Quinn sisters looked at me with interest, but Jennifer made no move to take the sweater from me. She knew the longer I held the silky item in my hand, the more tempted I’d be to order one of my own. And I made no move to hand it back.

  “I learned about this store from Connie Holt,” I told them.

  “Oh, Connie!” Amanda brightened. “How is she?”

  “We haven’t seen her in ages,” Jennifer added, “have we, sis?”

  Amanda gave it some thought as she straightened a rack of pristine dresses that was already perfect to my eye. “No, it’s been at least a month or so. She’s always been a regular. How is she?”

  “That’s just it,” I said, still holding on to the teal sweater. “I can’t seem to reach her or Hank.”

  “That’s odd.” Amanda tilted her head. “Maybe they took Lily and went on a little vacation.”

  I was about to let them know I had Lily but caught my tongue at the last minute. If I had their daughter, then I should know where the Holts were, and I felt the sharp Quinn sisters would catch that little misstep. I didn’t feel a full-blown explanation was in order. “I’m sure you’re right,” I said instead, infusing my voice with a casualness I didn’t feel.

  Jennifer smiled. “That Lily is a cutie. It was such a blessing that Hank and Connie were able to adopt her.”

  My ears pricked. Still holding the sweater, I turned away from the mirror. “I didn’t know Lily was adopted.” I handed the sweater back to Jennifer with some reluctance. “I haven’t known Connie very long, but she’s never mentioned it.”

  “Lily was adopted maybe a year ago, I think.” Jennifer turned to Amanda for confirmation. “Is that right?”

  Amanda nodded. “About that, maybe a little longer. She and Hank had been wanting a child for so long. They are both over the moon about that little girl.”

  I moved over to a display of silver jewelry, all of which looked like handcrafted original pieces. Jennifer stepped over to the counter and set the sweater down. “Those are done by a designer in Santa Fe. Exquisite, aren’t they?”

  “Yes,” I admitted. “May I see those earrings?” I pointed to a pair in the upper left-hand corner of the display. Jennifer reached for the wrong pair. “No, those, to the left,” I directed. “To your right.” Her fingers finally touched the correct pair. “Yes, those.”

  As soon as I had the earrings in my hand, Jennifer moved a mirror over so I could take a look. After pushing my hair behind one ear, I held one of the earrings up to it to see how it looked. Amanda moved over to the counter to watch. The silver was swirled in an interesting pattern, almost as if it had been melted, then captured mid-drip. At the end was a nice-sized teardrop of a blue-green stone.

  “The stone is kyanite,” Amanda informed me.

  The earrings were beautiful and would go with several of my outfits. I turned the card over to check the price. It was reasonable. I didn’t want to pump the Quinns for information, then leave without buying something. It didn’t seem right. At least that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

  Another customer entered the shop, and Amanda went off in her little black dress to help her. From the way she greeted her, the customer must have been a regular.

  Jennifer tapped the sweater on the counter. “Those earrings would go great with this sweater.”

  I looked up from my reflection in the mirror. “Oh, you’re good.”

  Jennifer smiled, knowing I meant it as a compliment.

  I put down the earrings and pushed the pair towards her. “I’ll definitely take these.” I eyed the sweater but didn’t touch it. “How long would it take if I special ordered my size?” She knew I meant the tempting knit.

  “A few weeks, depending on how many orders she has ahead of you.”

  I considered the time frame involved and used it to apply the brakes to my shopping impulse. This was Southern California. It might be wet and dreary today, but in a few weeks we may be in the grip of a heat wave. Hell, in a few days it could be in the upper seventies. It was hard to tell. If I’d discovered the sweater in November, I would have been more tempted. If they had it in the store in my size, no doubt I would have grabbed it today.

  “I think I’ll hold off on it and just take the earrings.”

  While Jennifer rang up my purchase, I asked, “Have you met Erica Mayfield, Connie’s sister?”

  Jennifer’s omnipresent smile melted. Just as quickly, she plastered it back on, but this time the smile was forced. “Yes, she’s been in the store a few times with Connie.”

  When the other customer left the store, Amanda joined us. “Cora stopped by,” she told her sister, “to see if we had any new arrivals. I told her by the end of next week we’ll have several new pieces from that estate sale.” She turned to me. “We just purchased a bunch of new inventory from this old estate—fun stuff, strictly old Hollywood glamour—but it takes time to mend, clean, and prepare the items for the store.”

  As she spoke to her sister, Jennifer pushed my credit card slip across the counter for my signature. “Odelia here just asked if we’ve met Erica Mayfield.”

  “Humph,” was all Amanda said.

  Seems Erica was just as good at making friends outside the office as she was at work. I decided to push and see what happened, even if I did have to lie my ass off. “Connie once told me she and Erica didn’t see eye to eye on much.”

  “That’s an understatement.” Jennifer placed my earrings in a small cream-colored bag and handed them to me along with my receipt.

  Amanda nodded, her streak of pink rippling in a sea of dark brown. “Erica’s always been hard on Connie, but I think the real falling out started when Connie and Hank adopted Lily.” She looked to her sister for confirmation.

  Jennifer agreed. “She wasn’t happy at all with the adoption. Frankly, I think she’s jealous of Connie and Hank’s happiness, and always has been, even before Lily.”

  “Remember,” chimed in Amanda. “That friend of Connie’s threw her a baby shower, and Erica refused to come.”

  I thought about how Erica treated Lily like a nasty boil that needed lancing. Did she not like the idea of adoption or children in general? And I could see Erica being jealous of her younger sister’s marriage. Erica struck me as the green-eyed type—like the Wicked Witch of the West being jealous o
f Glinda. Yet, when Connie needed her to, Erica took Lily into her home.

  Or rather, into my home.

  Before leaving the parking lot at the Golden Quail, I called Zee to check on Lily. She was doing fine and didn’t seem to miss me at all. I was relieved and sad at the same time.

  “I just found out Lily’s adopted,” I told Zee. “She’s been with the Holts for about a year or so.”

  “Poor baby.”

  “Yeah, given up for adoption, only to land in this mess. I went by the Holt home and it looks like no one’s been around for days.” Zee can be a worrywart, so I left out the part about the ransacking by parties unknown and me breaking in while wearing gloves.

  “Are you talking while driving, Odelia?”

  See what I mean? Imagine what she’d say if she knew the truth about the Holt house.

  “No, I am not talking while driving,” I insisted. “I’m in the parking lot of a shopping center, about to head home. I wanted to make sure it’s still okay to leave Lily with you tonight.”

  “Sure, no problem. We’re having a great time. Pick her up tomorrow anytime you like.”

  I patted the side of my tote bag. Just before leaving the Golden Quail, I had spotted a pair of sweet silver earrings set with peridot, Zee’s favorite stone. I had Jennifer ring them up as a thank-you gift to Zee for babysitting Lily—and me.

  fourteen

  I decided to wear my new earrings to Isaac’s birthday party. Greg liked them and considered it a small price to pay for the information I’d gleaned from the Quinns. While we got ready for the party, I brought him up to speed.

  “I’m not happy about you going into that house alone,” Greg said as he slipped into his shirt and started buttoning it. “Not happy at all.”

  “You know you would have done the same, if you could have.”

  Greg stared at me, then shifted his eyes away. He seldom let being in a wheelchair limit him from doing anything, but there were some things he couldn’t do. Sneaking into a house was one of them.

  “Yes, I would have, but I still don’t like you being there alone,” he argued. “You should have waited so we could do it together. I could have provided watch and backup.”

  “You knew I was going over there, Greg.” I slipped on a light gray sweater with a bold argyle print on the front and looked in the mirror. It was nice, but the sweater from the Golden Quail would have been nicer. I sighed, not sure if I was mourning the fact that I didn’t wear a size small or that it would take weeks to get the right size.

  “Going over there, yes,” he continued, unwilling to let it rest. “But I didn’t think you’d break into the house. What if the people who trashed the place had still been there?”

  After slipping into some shoes, I went to Greg and placed my hands gently on his shoulders. “But they weren’t, honey. And I didn’t just bust in there. I made sure no one was around. And I had my pepper spray.”

  He seemed somewhat mollified, or maybe he was saving his strength. Greg was more of a “win the war, not the battle” type, while I had trouble understanding that big-picture concept. Not that I hadn’t seen my hubs rise to the occasion on a few battles. Underneath his good looks, intelligence, and decency beat the heart of a born warrior—a general able to lead troops into battle. People see the wheelchair and immediately think disabled. Trust me, there is nothing disabled about Greg Stevens. His legs just don’t work.

  Greg looked deep into my eyes, then picked up my hand and kissed the palm, letting his warm mouth linger against my skin. I wondered if we might be late to the party or skip it altogether.

  “I’d be lost without you, Odelia. You know that.”

  “We’d be lost without each other, Greg. But I’ll promise to be careful if you will.” I leaned down and kissed his mouth.

  By the time we got out the door, we were running very late.

  “So, what do you think?” Greg asked as we drove to the Thornwood party.

  I shrugged. “Tell them I was held up at work.” I was driving my car for two reasons: it was easier to park in a crowded neighborhood than Greg’s van, and Greg would probably be kicking back several beers tonight with his basketball buds.

  Greg laughed as he reached over to pat my thigh. “I’m not talking about being late,” he clarified. “I’m talking about the mess with Erica and her sister. Do you think Erica knows the trouble Connie and her husband are in and is trying to help, or do you think she took off so she wouldn’t have to take care of Lily?”

  “Hard to say. I just don’t understand why Erica would be so hard-nosed about Lily’s adoption. It’s not like it affects her.”

  “You never know, sweetheart. Maybe the family has a lot of money and Erica didn’t want to share the wealth with a non-blood relative.” He glanced over at me. “Do you know anything about their family?”

  “All I know is that they don’t have any other brothers and sisters and that their parents are retired and live somewhere in the Caribbean. Alyce once let that slip.”

  “There could be some money involved, then. Maybe Connie took off to see her parents. If she’s in trouble, she might have gone to them to get help.”

  “But if she was going to do that, why didn’t she take Lily?”

  “Maybe her parents aren’t that thrilled with the adoption either.”

  We drove in silence before Greg added, “Considering what happened at the house, maybe Connie left Lily behind so she could move faster and with less notice.”

  I nodded, understanding that idea made a lot of sense. In just a few days, I’d learned you can’t move quickly with a kid in tow.

  “Do you know what Hank Holt does for a living?”

  “No, but they had a nice house in a very good neighborhood.”

  Greg stared out the windshield, his eyes narrowed in thought. I could see him processing everything, looking for common threads. “Maybe Hank’s in trouble—drugs or something—and that’s why he left the house.”

  “Meaning the people he screwed over came looking for him, so Connie took off?” I suggested, adding my two cents’ worth.

  “Something like that. And maybe Erica’s trying to help them out of the jam.”

  That idea sounded plausible. Whether Erica liked Lily or the idea of Lily or not, Connie was her sister, and she might be inclined to help.

  “Could be,” Greg added, “Erica followed her sister to wherever the parents live to give Connie some support.”

  “More likely, Erica followed her sister there to argue against any support from Mom and Dad.”

  He squeezed out a small chuckle. “You really don’t like Erica, do you? Even Steele at the height of his most obnoxious behavior didn’t command this much disgust.”

  “Greg, do I have to remind you that this is the woman who is going to great pains to get me fired?” I shot a scowl his way. “Really, do I?” I took a deep breath. “Steele would never have done that, no matter how much he huffed and puffed about it.”

  We lucked out and found a parking spot just a house away from Isaac and Melina’s place. Before we got out, I dug out my cell phone and started texting, my index finger jabbing the screen of my phone at high speed.

  “What are you doing?” Greg asked.

  “Texting Clark. I’m giving him Erica’s name, along with Connie’s and Hank’s, and asking if he or Willie are able to check if any of them left the country or took flights anywhere.”

  “It’s a tall order, but if anyone can do that off the grid, it would be Willie.”

  Finished with the message to Clark, I started to open the car door. Greg stopped me by putting a strong hand on my arm. “Sweetheart, we’re about to go to a party with our friends. Let’s put this aside for the rest of the night and just enjoy ourselves.”

  I started to argue but stopped. Greg was right. Lily was in good care, and there was nothing I could do tonight about Erica and her sister or about my job.

  “Deal,” I said, giving him a kiss. “And if Clark answers tonight, I’l
l just wait until morning to respond.”

  “That’s my girl.” Greg winked at me, a gesture that always turns my innards soft and gooey.

  fifteen

  The dog looked at me with great expectations. He was standing by the back door where we kept his leash, wagging his tail and giving me a big dose of saucer eyes.

  “Go back to bed, Wainwright,” I whispered to the eager animal. “It’s not time for a walk.” On the mornings I walked for exercise, I took Wainwright with me. He loved it and so did Greg, because it gave Wainwright more exercise. Greg stayed behind in bed with the two snoozing cats but was usually up by the time I returned.

  That’s where Greg was now—in bed, with both cats curled up somewhere in the folds of blankets. Thanks to all the booze he’d had at the party, he had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. I, on the other hand, sober and with a head filled with ideas and concerns, couldn’t fall asleep to save my life. After the news ended, I watched Jay Leno for a while but was too antsy to pay attention or to drift off. Getting out of bed, I took my mental pacing into the living room, where my feet could join in on the fun.

  I felt guilty when I looked at Wainwright. He’d followed me out to the living room and then to the kitchen while I made some tea. He stayed hot on my trail just in case I decided to take that walk. Had it been morning, I might have done it to burn off some of my anxiety.

  I tiptoed back into the bedroom to grab my cell phone from the charger on the nightstand, but it wasn’t there. I swore to myself. I had forgotten to plug it in after we got home from the party. Going back into the kitchen, I grabbed my purse from the kitchen counter where I’d dropped it. The phone was in its little pocket. I yanked it out and checked to see if Clark had texted me back. He had. The phone also alerted me that I had very little power left. Crap!

  I opened Clark’s text message. He said he didn’t know if they had those resources, but he’d check and let me know. Again, he said it might take a day or so to find out. I was sending him a reply when my phone shut itself off for lack of power.

  Dead phone in hand, I turned off the lights and headed back to bed. A disappointed Wainwright trailed after me. After putting the phone on the charger, I scooted back under the covers, but sleep still eluded me. I had ants in my pants and way too many ideas in my head about what was going on.