“But this is important,” he said, a bit of a whine creeping into his voice.
“Again, I trust you.” Katie could see the frustration in Vance’s weathered face, but she didn’t have time to deal with the floor just then. She could only handle one crisis at a time. “That’s why I hired you as my assistant manager.” After giving him what she hoped was a reassuring pat on the shoulder, she hurried out the back door and crossed the Square’s big parking lot.
Stepping across the threshold into the Tealicious dining room, Katie could see that it was indeed empty. Brad, Margo, and two waitresses stood in the middle of the room looking disgusted, angry, and helpless, respectively.
Before Katie could address the group, Nick burst through the door holding a newspaper aloft.
“Here it is,” he announced. “I didn’t see this yesterday, or I’d have called and given you all a heads-up.”
Nick spread the paper out onto one of the tables, and they all gathered around to read it. The writer of the article hinted that whatever Jamie had ingested at Tealicious had to have caused his demise.
“This is outrageous!” Katie ran both hands through her hair and began to pace. “I’m going to demand they print a retraction!”
Margo straightened and held up a hand. “Not so fast. The article is carefully worded to avoid actually stating that something Jamie ate at Tealicious killed him. Demanding a retraction at this point would only make us look scared or guilty. We need to do two things: find out what really did kill Jamie and show the world we’ve got nothing to hide.”
“How do we do that when our patrons are afraid to return?” Brad asked, frustration leaving his brow furrowed.
“With free food.” Margo strode to the counter and poured herself a cup of tea from a pretty pansy-patterned bone china pot. “We’ll host an open house on Friday. I know it’s short notice, but we need to act quickly. I’ll write a press release and send it to all the local media.” Cup in hand, she turned to Brad. “Can you come up with a couple of new dishes, cakes, or pastries to showcase?”
“Of course,” Brad eagerly agreed, warming to the idea. “How about we stage this open house with a fall theme—treats for the grownups as well as for children?”
“I can work with that. That’s a marvelous idea,” Margo said. She sipped her tea. “Katie, Brad and I can handle the open house. Can you poke around and find out what actually killed Jamie?”
“I’ll do my best,” Katie said, feeling inadequate to the task.
“It sounds like you’ve got all bases covered,” Nick said. “I need to get back to Sassy Sally’s. But please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Jamie was one of our own. We need to figure out what happened to him.” He waved and headed out the door.
“Wait!” Katie called and followed him.
“What’s up?” Nick asked.
She explained about her conversation with Gabrielle Pearson.
“What did you—a professional player—think of Jamie as a card player?”
Nick shrugged. “Mediocre at best.”
“Then how did he win so big—and where?”
“There are clubs in Rochester—more than one. And there are always private games, as well.”
“How would we find out where Jamie played?”
Nick shrugged. “Ask around—but discreetly. Look, I’ve gotta go.”
“Okay. See you later,” Katie said and they parted ways.
Although Katie desperately wished she had some idea of how to approach the problem of seeking the truth as to what had happened to Seth’s partner, the main thing all of them could do at this point was not to lose hope. However, just then she wasn’t feeling all that hopeful.
An hour later, upon arriving at Seth’s house, Katie was surprised to find him there alone. He was freshly showered and shaved and was wearing jeans and a somber black sweater. She hugged him hello.
“Where’s Suzanne?” she asked, looking around the quiet kitchen.
“Her sister arrived from Illinois last night and took her back home.” He offered a wan smile slightly. “It was good to have her here, but it’s nice not to feel obligated to look after someone else.”
“I totally understand.” Katie nodded toward the couch. “May we sit?”
“Yes.” He drew out the word, letting Katie know he was wondering what was going on.
“I have some news about Jamie,” she said, sinking into the cushions of the leather couch. “I found the woman he had lunch with on Saturday.”
Although he’d sat beside her, it seemed as though Seth was practically hovering. “Who is she?”
“Her name is Gabrielle Pearson, and she’s a wedding planner.”
“A wh-what?” he asked, looking confused.
“You heard right. Jamie planned to surprise you with a proposal and a planned wedding.”
His eyes filling, Seth dropped his head into his hands. “He knew I’d hate all the planning involved in a wedding but that I’d be thrilled with the end result.”
Katie put her arm around his shoulders. “I know.”
It took a few long moments before Seth composed himself, but then Katie gave him Jamie’s voided check. “Ms. Pearson wanted me to return this to you.”
Seth regarded the check with open-mouthed surprise. “This is only the retainer? How much was this going to cost him?”
“Apparently, Jamie wasn’t worried about the money,” Katie said. “Gabrielle told me Jamie won big in a poker game and was going to use his winnings for your surprise.”
“He won big in a poker game? What poker game?” Seth asked, looking bewildered.
“I asked the same thing. Gabrielle didn’t know.” They shared a long look. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I am,” he said, his mouth tightening. “We have to find out where Jamie won that money, how much he won, and whether or not one of his opponents is responsible for his death.”
Chapter 11
Seth and Katie began their quest at the bank. After sitting down with a bank officer, Seth checked the balance on his and Jamie’s shared accounts but—as he expected—there was no unusual activity—no large deposit. After all, the check Gabrielle had returned had a different account number.
“When did Jamie open a new account?” he asked.
The woman studied her implacably manicured hands. “I’m unable to tell you anything about accounts on which you are not a signatory.”
Seth leaned across the desk. “Jamie has died—” he began.
“I’m terribly sorry for your loss. However, even if you are the beneficiary on all of Mr. Seifert’s accounts, you’ll need to provide a death certificate before we can release any information or any monies to you.”
“I don’t want the money,” Seth said. “I just want to know—”
“I feel for you,” the woman said holding up a hand. “I really do. But my hands are tied—not only by this bank but by federal regulations. Bring me a note of authorization and Mr. Siefert’s death certificate, and I may be able to help you further.”
When they left the bank, Seth was clearly frustrated but not angry. He understood the bank officer’s position. She was right—it was against the law for her to disclose anything to him without going through the proper channels. He’d known that going in, but he’d taken the chance he might gain some new information.
“What now?” Katie asked.
“Let’s try Jamie’s office. Maybe we can find something in his desk or on his calendar to give us an indication of where he might’ve been playing poker.”
At the medical examiner’s office, Seth parked in Jamie’s designated spot. Eyes filled with tears, he looked over at Katie. “Please wake me up from this nightmare.”
She lunged forward to hug him. “I wish I could. More than anything, I wish I could.”
It took a moment or two for Seth to pull himself back together. Then he straightened, ran a hand through his hair, put on his sunglasses, and got out of the car.
When they walked into the office, it was apparent everyone there knew Seth and thought highly of him. He received lots of hugs and many tears were shed as Seth tried to lead the way to Jamie’s office.
“Would it be all right if we went into Jamie’s office?” he asked the head medical examiner, Bill Elliot. “I’d like to get his planner—see if there’s…you know…anything I need to do or—”
“Of course. Phyllis,” the thin, balding man called out. “Let Seth and his friend into Jamie’s office, please!” He turned back to Seth. “It’s been incredibly hard for the staff to handle losing one of our own,” he said echoing what Nick had said. “As soon as we get the final lab results back, we’ll let you know what we’ve found. In the meantime, if there’s anything we can do to help you or Jamie’s family, just let us know.” His voice broke. “I can’t tell you how much I’m gonna miss that guy.”
Seth hugged the man for the second time. “He was fond of you, too, Dr. Elliot.”
Elliot nodded and stepped back.
A woman in a white lab coat arrived, presumably Phyllis, and unlocked the door. She reached in and turned on the overhead light before turning to Seth. “I’m so sorry about Jamie. He was well-loved in this office.”
“Thanks,” Seth managed, his voice breaking.
Phyllis nodded and she and Elliot left them alone to enter the office.
Katie stood at Seth’s side looking into the tidy space. She wished they’d had more time to get to know each other, and that Jamie had been able to surprise Seth with his proposal and wedding. Oh, how she wished that the two of them could have grown old together.
Seth stepped inside and paused to look at the desktop. He picked up the page-a-day calendar turned to the day before Jamie’s death, which held nothing but a meeting notice and lab times scheduled. It seemed surreal. Jamie had expected to show up for work the following Monday to continue his life and his work.
Seth leafed through the calendar but set it back down and was drawn to a framed photo of him and Jamie taken on a hike in the Catskills, which was proudly displayed on the desk.
Katie noted the books that lined wood shelves—grim tomes on anatomy and other ghastly subjects that had no doubt fascinated their owner.
Noticing a sticky note at the side of the computer monitor, Katie stepped closer. “Seth, look at this.”
The note had an address, phone number, and the notation Buy-in $500.
“Bingo.” Seth captured the personal photographs, the planner, and placed the sticky note inside the book. “I think we have what we need. If not, we can always come back. These people loved Jamie and want to know the truth about what happened to him almost as much as I do, and they won’t expect us to clear out his office on our first visit.”
Katie hoped he was right.
As they drove back to Seth’s house, he used his car’s Bluetooth to call the number on the sticky note.
A gravelly voice answered, “Yeah?”
“I want to play in the next game,” Seth said, his tone level.
“Which one?”
Seth glanced at Katie. “The one with the five-hundred-dollar buy-in.”
“Name?” Gravel Voice asked.
“Ferrell.” Seth inquired as to whether this game would be played at the address written on the sticky note.
Gravel Voice told him no and gave him a new address, which Katie wrote on the sticky note under the address Jamie had written down.
“I’d like to bring my wife as well,” Seth said.
“She pays, she plays,” Gravel Voice said. “See you tomorrow night at eight.”
Katie waited for Seth to enlighten her. She could understand him not giving his name Landers—he didn’t know how well these people had known Jamie, but she didn’t know why he wanted to take his wife. “If you’re pretending to be Nick, shouldn’t you be taking the real Nick or Don along with you to this game?”
“I’m not going,” Seth said. “I can’t walk in there and be objective enough not to tip my hand. Besides, if any of these people knew Jamie well, they might’ve been to his office and seen the photograph of me. If one of them is his murderer, recognizing me will only put him or her on guard.”
“That’s true. So, you’re going to ask Nick to go in your place?”
“He’s a better poker player than me. And I want you to go with him. You’ve done more than your fair share of investigating over the past couple of years. I want you there to see what you can learn. Besides, you play a pretty mean hand and can hold your own.”
Katie ignored the compliment. “Hmmm…I wonder how to go about discovering what these card sharks might know about Jamie and/or his death,” she mused.
“The first thing you need to do is establish which, if any, of them were at the game where Jamie won the money he told Gabrielle Pearson about.” He instructed the Bluetooth to call Nick at Sassy Sally’s.
“Hi, Seth,” Nick answered seconds later.
“Hey, Nick. I’m in the car with Katie and I wonder if you might be able to help us out with something.”
“Sure,” Nick said. “Anything.”
“I need you to participate in a poker game tomorrow night at eight.”
“Ah, you found out where Jamie played and won big?”
“Yeah. Can you do it?”
Katie heard Nick sigh.
“Is that a problem?” Seth asked.
“Well, yeah. Don and I are hosting a wine tasting for a bunch of brides-to-be tomorrow night. I can help out any other night though.”
“No,” Seth said tersely. “It has to be tomorrow.” He explained the situation to Nick.
“We could disguise you,” Nick said. “I have a friend at Geva Theater who could make you unrecognizable to your own mother.”
“I’ll give that some thought and get back with you,” Seth said.
“I could ask Don if he’d mind doing this tasting alone.” There was hesitation in Nick’s voice.
“I’d never ask you to do that. You’d be dishonoring a commitment to both your partner and your business.” Seth gave a weary sigh. “We’ll think of something. Thanks anyway.”
After Seth had ended the call, Katie said, “What about Ray? He knows how to play poker, and he was a detective, so he’ll know the proper questions to ask.”
“I don’t know. Who’s going to believe the two of you are married given your age difference?”
“Maybe that’ll make the other poker players think Ray is a high roller.” Katie nudged him with her elbow. “He’d have to have tons of cash to score a babe like me, right?”
Seth managed a grin as he conceded her point. “All right. Dial him up.”
Seconds later, Ray answered. “Wood U.”
“Hi, Ray. It’s Katie.”
“Where are you calling from?” he asked. “Your number came up Unknown Caller.”
“Seth Landers and I are driving in his car, and we have a favor to ask. Do you have plans for tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, but it’s nothing I can’t reschedule. What do you need?”
Seth explained the situation and told Ray he’d reserved a space for Mr. Ferrell and his wife. “There’s a five-hundred-dollar buy-in for each of you, and of course, I’ll front that.”
“My plans are with Carol Rigby,” Ray said. “She could accompany me and pretend to be my wife.”
“Fine,” Katie said starchily. “People at the event would be more likely to believe her as your wife.”
“It isn’t fine,” Seth countered. “I want Katie there. I trust her. Besides, I don’t want Detective Rigby or anyone else connected with Jamie’s investigation to know what we’re doing.”
“That’s a valid point,” Ray conceded. “The lead detective on a case shouldn’t be involved in a fishing expedition. It could lead to a claim of entrapment or result in evidence being excluded from the case.” He cleared his throat. “Ms. Bonner, at what time tomorrow evening should I pick up my wife?”
Katie chose not to a
nswer that question just yet. “Are you sure you can pull off an undercover operation? You’re bound to be rusty since your retirement.”
“I’m as sharp as ever,” Ray grated. “In fact, Carol’s trying to convince me to come out of retirement and rejoin the Sheriff’s Office.”
Well, bully for her. “I’ll be ready at seven. Don’t be late,” Katie said.
“Might I suggest that on the drive to the game, the two of you come up with a cover story you can both agree on and remember?” Seth asked. “This game could be crucial in helping me find out who killed Jamie.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll come up with something plausible.”
“What will you tell Carol when you cancel your date?” Katie asked.
“That I need to help a friend.”
Which friend? Seth…or Katie?
When Katie returned to Artisans Alley, she searched the building for Vance to see if the issue with the floor had been resolved. She found him in the second-floor tenants’ bathroom, changing a light bulb.
“Hey, Vance.”
“Katie,” he said in acknowledgment, all warmth drained from his tone.
Great. He’s angry. “I’m sorry I left you in the lurch this morning, but something important came up that I had to address. Did you find what you needed?”
“I wanted your opinion about which stain I should use on the new flooring,” he said. “Margo popped in soon after you’d left, so I asked for her advice.”
“Good. She’s always ready to put her two cents in for the better.”
“Yes, and she has excellent taste. When I explained the situation, she suggested we shore up the entire upstairs floor, sand it, and re-stain it for continuity.”
Katie’s jaw slackened as dollar signs danced in her mind’s eye—and the time involved. “That would be wonderful if we could afford to pull it off, but an undertaking like that would cost much more than I was prepared to pay.”
“Well, I already went ahead and ordered the additional materials. I got a terrific deal on them and they’re non-returnable.” He spread his hands. “You told me to use my own judgment.”
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