“Who do you think would have done such a thing?” Vance scratched his chin. “I suppose some people could think we have a safe or something back here, but there’s a note on the wall by the cash desks that plainly states that there’s no significant amount of cash is kept on the premises.”
Katie looked around her office warily. It unnerved her to think of someone breaking into her office, going through her things…. She quickly went around the desk and began opening drawers. Nothing seemed to be out of place or rifled through, so she was glad about that. Still….
“Do you think I should file a police report?” she asked Vance. “I mean, there hasn’t been anything taken or disturbed.”
“Nevertheless, someone tried to break into your office and might try again,” he said. “I believe it would be good to have this break-in on record in case something else happens either to you or to one of us vendors. And it would be helpful for us to know if there have been other break-ins in the area.”
“You’re right.” Katie stepped back out into the vendors’ lounge with Vance. “I want to leave everything the way we found it until I’ve spoken with the police.” She also wanted to clean her office from top to bottom to help eliminate some of the revulsion she felt at the thought of someone possibly going inside, sitting at her desk, and sifting through her personal items.
She poured herself a cup of coffee, took out her phone, and sat at one of the tables. Vance sat across from her as she dialed the Sheriff’s Office. And then he, too, got some coffee and waited with her until a uniformed Sheriff’s deputy arrived.
The deputy inspected the office door and asked, “Was there anyone strange in the building this morning?”
“Artisans Alley is open to the public,” Vance said. “There are always strangers on the premises.”
“Have there been any other break-ins reported in the area?” Katie asked.
“Not recently,” the officer replied.
Carol Rigby entered the vendors’ lounge. “Hello.” She nodded to the uniformed deputy. “Murphy.”
He returned the gesture. “Detective.”
“Why are you here, Carol?” Katie asked evenly. “I wouldn’t have thought a break-in worthy of your interest.”
“I was having breakfast with Ray over at Wood U and heard the call come over the police scanner.” She gave Katie a smug smile. “I thought I’d come and make sure our friends here were okay.”
Katie cringed at the woman’s simpering tone. “Everyone here is fantastic.”
Obviously aware of the tension, Deputy Murphy asked, “Ms. Bonner, you indicated nothing was missing or vandalized in your office—is that correct?”
“Nothing that I can see,” she said.
“I’ll fill out the report and leave a copy at the front desk.” He handed Katie a card. “Let the Sheriff’s Office know if you have any further trouble.”
“Thank you.” Katie tucked the card into her pocket. “I will.”
Carol waited until the deputy had gone before she turned back to Katie. “Do you think this break-in could have anything to do with your botched attempts to investigate Jamie Seifert’s murder?”
Vance stiffened beside Katie. “You’re out of line, lady.”
Carol glowered at him. “And I don’t believe my conversation with your employer is any of your concern.”
“It’s all right, Vance,” Katie said. “No, Carol, I don’t think the break-in is related to Jamie’s death.” Despite her confident words, she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps it was. Could Phyllis, Connor, or even Tony Solero, have tried to get into her office to see what she might’ve uncovered? If so, the joke was on them.
She hadn’t uncovered a damn thing that was worthwhile.
Chapter 32
Katie had removed everything from her desk, giving it a thorough cleaning, when Rose stopped by.
The older woman held out her arms to envelop Katie in a hug. “Vance told me what happened. I’m so sorry. He said nothing was taken, but I know how vulnerable someone breaking into your office can make you feel.”
Katie pulled back. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”
“I know better,” Rose said, peering over the top of her glasses with a knowing look. “Walter said he’ll send me a link to an online support group that you can log onto any time—day or night—in case you need it.”
“That’s very thoughtful.”
Rose’s reaction made Katie realize that the vendors were likely to be on edge over the break-in. Most of them didn’t carry insurance on the items in their booths. “I’d better send an email to let the vendors know everything is okay and that the break-in was likely an anomaly, but we’ll step up security nevertheless.”
“Would you like me to take care of that for you while you’re cleaning up in here?” Rose asked.
“Please. Thank you for your help.”
Rose smiled. “I’m happy to do it. Well, I’m not glad there was a break-in by any stretch of the imagination, but…you know what I mean.”
Katie smiled. “I do.” Her phone pinged alerting her that she’d received a text. She fished it out of her pocket, looked at the screen, and saw that it was from Ray.
Hey, need my help with anything?
No.
She deleted it.
“Anything important?” Rose asked.
“Not in the least,” Katie said brightly, ignoring the sting of loss she hated to admit and reminded herself that it was for the best that she and Ray had moved on in opposite directions.
Before Rose could leave to send the email for Katie, Vance arrived with the materials needed to repair the office door and frame.
“Rose, did you tell Katie the news?” Vance asked.
“Given everything that has happened here this morning, I completely forgot,” Rose said.
“Well, tell me!” Katie exclaimed. “We could all use some good news.”
“Walter has invited me to accompany him to his daughter’s home in Rhode Island for Thanksgiving.” Rose grinned, positively glowing at the thought of her upcoming trip.
“That’s wonderful,” Katie said with just a tinge of concern. Things with Rose and Walter were moving incredibly fast. They’d only met a few weeks before. “Have you met any of Walter’s family yet?”
“Nope. I’ll be meeting them all on Thanksgiving.” Rose drew in a breath. “I’d better do a lot of power walking before then.”
“I don’t think that will make a bit of difference,” Katie said. “They’re going to love you.”
Vance set the wood for the door aside, and Rose took the hint. “Goodness, I’d better go draft that email. I’ll let you see it before I send it.”
“Thanks, Rose.” Katie watched her friend leave before she retreated farther into her office to give Vance room to work.
As happy as Katie was for her friend, she couldn’t get the thought of the intruder out of her head. Why would anybody try to get into her office? Had it been someone hoping to find money or other valuables who was interrupted before conducting a search? Or had it been someone looking for her? Or maybe trying to see what they could find out about her? McKinlay Mill was a small community. It wouldn’t take a lot of digging to find out where Katie lived or what her daily habits were.
Katie suppressed a shudder as she swabbed her desk with sanitary wipes.
She didn’t like feeling so vulnerable.
Not long after Katie got everything squared away in her office, Moonbeam dropped in to visit. Even though the room was now spotless, Katie thought she could still feel the presence of whoever had broken the lock on her door. The new lock Vance had installed made her feel safer—but not entirely secure.
Moonbeam placed a pink tulle bag tied with a maroon ribbon on Katie’s desk. “I heard what happened and brought you something. “It’s a calming tea blend. Now, I realize you have all sorts of specialty teas at Tealicious, but this particular blend is of my own making. I use various plant extracts and oils that’ll soothe your soul.”
“Thank you.” Katie squinted slightly. “So, who told you about the break-in?”
“Janie Ingram. In fact, she’s watching the shop for me so I could hop over here for a minute to bring you this. I need to get back soon.”
“Are you getting any vibes about who might’ve broken in?” Katie asked. “Do you think the motive was robbery? Or…something else?”
Moonbeam frowned, her expression thoughtful. “I’m not sure. But I don’t think either of us believes it was a robbery attempt, do we?” She stepped toward the door. “I’ll see you at Seth’s office later this afternoon.”
“Yes…and thank you for the tea!”
Once the door had closed behind Moonbeam, Katie opened the pouch and inhaled the tea’s aroma. It wasn’t at all pleasant, but maybe later she might get up the nerve to try it to see if it would help soothe her ragged nerves.
Katie took another sniff and wrinkled her nose.
Much later.
She took out a pad of paper from her top desk drawer and picked up a pen, intending to do what she called noodling. She intended to list everything she knew about Jamie’s death. Maybe that would help clarify her thoughts.
He’d won a boatload of money playing poker just days before his death.
He’d intended to spend that money on a flashy wedding and a destination honeymoon.
He’s been poisoned by a rare toxin.
Several people in the Medical Examiner’s Office where he worked knew about poisons.
Katie tapped the end of her pen against the yellow legal pad, pondering her conversation with Jamie’s colleague, Phyllis. She was the one who’d suggested he play at the same poker club she did.
Something about Phyllis bothered Katie, but she wasn’t able to pin down exactly what it was.
There was no doubt about it; she needed to speak with the woman again. And this time, in person.
Katie left Artisans Alley early, deciding to drive into the city and pay a visit to Phyllis at her office before going to Seth’s law practice for the Victoria Square merchants partnership meeting. As luck would have it, Phyllis was manning the front desk when Katie walked through the door.
“Hello, Katie,” Phyllis said, her voice as warm and cozy as a fuzzy blanket. “Congratulations on your success at the poker game—I don’t think I had the opportunity to compliment you on your success when we last spoke.”
“Thank you.” Katie’s tone was measured and cautious. She didn’t for a moment trust Phyllis.
“As many times as I’ve played,” Phyllis continued, “I’ve never won anywhere near as much as you did in a single night. But I don’t imagine you came here to gloat. What can I do for you?”
“I came by to see you. I feel I owe you an apology and an explanation about that night.”
“You don’t owe me either one.” Phyllis gave her an enigmatic smile. “You’ve already apologized for your friend getting wasted, and that was unnecessary also. Even if you really had been Kelly Ferrell and married to the old coot, you wouldn’t have needed to apologize to me for his rude behavior—it was his place to do that.”
“Yes, of course, it was,” Katie said.
“Take it from me—the only person you’re responsible for is you. Never apologize or make excuses for anyone else. Again, going back to Davenport, if the two of you were involved and you were that embarrassed by his behavior, then you might want to rethink your relationship—not go around apologizing for him. If you’re ashamed to be with someone, don’t be with him.”
Katie wondered why Phyllis was telling her all this, but she merely said, “That’s an excellent point, Phyllis. You speak as though you’ve been in that position before.”
“In my younger days, I was embarrassed by all sorts of people—my parents, my siblings, my cousins.” She shrugged. “Not anymore. I realized early on that I’m me, and they’re no reflection on me whatsoever. You make your own way in this world, Katie. Don’t let anyone steer you in the wrong direction.”
“Why didn’t you let me know that you weren’t fooled by my deception at the poker game?” she asked.
Smirking, Phyllis said, “I guessed you and Ray had your reasons for pretending to be undercover at that game, and I also imagined it had to do with Jamie Seifert’s death. I tend to mind my own business, dear. That’s something else you might want to consider.”
“Excuse me?” Katie asked.
“My mother used to tell me, ‘never stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, or it could get cut off.’ Those are wise words everyone should heed,” Phyllis said boldly. “Don’t you agree?”
They stared at each other for a moment—Phyllis looking at Katie with a certain amount of satisfaction, and Katie regarding Phyllis with defiance.
Was Phyllis offering a warning or a threat? Either way, Katie wouldn’t be cowed by this woman.
“I’d better get back to work,” Phyllis said at last. “Thank you for stopping by.”
Refusing to accept her dismissal, Katie asked, “Did you and Jamie work together to win during his last night at the poker tables?”
Phyllis chuckled. “Whyever would you think that?”
“Someone helped him win, and it makes sense that it would be you,” she said.
“And who told you our beloved, upstanding Jamie was a cheater?” Phyllis asked.
Was Phyllis being sarcastic when she called Jamie beloved and upstanding? It certainly sounded like it. But why? “That’s irrelevant.”
“Not to me, it isn’t.”
Katie leaned toward Phyllis. “Why don’t you believe Jamie was an upstanding man?”
“I didn’t say that,” Phyllis said. “In fact, I said exactly the opposite.”
“But you said it sarcastically. Why didn’t you like Jamie?”
Phyllis leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I liked Jamie just fine. I simply felt that if he’d been inclined to have a partner helping him win, it should have been me.” Her tone became absolutely menacing. “I’m the one who introduced him to that game. I deserved a share of that money. Me, not that simpering little Connor Davis.”
“So, it was Connor who helped Jamie cheat?” Katie asked.
“It couldn’t be proven that Jamie cheated at all. But if he did, it was Connor who helped him pull it off. And that was wrong. Any way you look at it, it was wrong.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “As I said, I need to get back to work.” With that, she turned and strode down the hall and through a door marked Employees Only.
Yes, what Jamie had done was wrong. But if Phyllis thought so, too, why had she been so willing to do the same?
Chapter 33
Katie was the last merchant to arrive at the meeting at Seth’s office. His secretary quickly ushered her into the conference room. Katie fielded questioning glances from a few of the other merchants—including Andy—as well as Seth. Nona Fiske downright glared at her.
Katie shook her head slightly at Seth and smiled. “How about that traffic?”
Traffic had, in fact, been a breeze. And given how recently her conversation with Phyllis had taken place, she could practically hear the woman in her head admonishing, “You don’t owe these people an explanation or an apology.” In that regard, Katie supposed Phyllis was right.
Unfortunately, Phyllis factored so heavily into Katie’s thoughts that she found it difficult to concentrate on Seth’s presentation. When the amount of the proposed offer was raised for a vote, Moonbeam had to nudge Katie to remind her to pay attention.
Finally, the amount was agreed upon, and Seth said he’d take the offer to the owner.
“If the owner is amenable to the terms, I’ll present a plan to the bank to ensure the partnership can get financing,” Seth said. “I foresee no problems in having this deal go through. Does anyone have any questions?”
No one did.
“Terrific. Unless there’s some sort of problem, I’ll send you an email to let you know when you need to be here for the closing.” His eyes lo
cked onto Katie as the other participants began shuffling out of the room. “Katie, could you stay behind for a moment please?”
“Of course.”
Seth led her from the conference room and into his office. He closed the door and took a seat behind his desk. Katie sat on one of the club chairs in front of it.
“I wanted to let you know that while going through some of Jamie’s clothes, I found the deposit slip for the money he won at the poker game.” He opened the desk’s middle drawer and removed a slip of paper, handing it to her.
Katie’s eyes widened when she took in the number. “Wow. Everyone said he won big, but that’s more than twice what I won. No wonder the other players weren’t surprised by my poker prowess.”
Seth nodded. “I also heard about the break-in from Rose,” he said. “You’re bound to be shaken from the experience.”
“I am,” she admitted. “But the main thing is everyone’s fine and nothing seems to have been taken. Whoever did it had to be pretty brazen—he or she had to have broken in after Artisans Alley had opened for vendor restock. There was no way someone could’ve broken into the building earlier without tripping the alarm.”
“This person was either audacious enough or could blend in well enough to make others think he or she belonged there if caught trying to get into your office,” Seth said.
“That’s the thing—since nothing was disturbed or taken, tt makes me think the intruder was interrupted before completing his or her task.”
“A scenario that’s entirely possible.” Seth leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “It’s likely this person will return to finish the job since he or she is obviously not easily intimidated. Promise me you’ll be extra vigilant.”
“I will,” Katie said.
“I mean it,” he said. “I can’t lose someone else I love.”
Walking out to her car, Katie decided that if even some of the stories she’d heard about him were true, then Tony Solero might be the very type of person to walk into a crowded public place and attempt to break into a private office. But who could she ask who might tell her the truth? Perhaps his brother, Jimmy?
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