Tart of Darkness
Page 14
“But you weathered the storm?”
“Yep.” Perry’s chest puffed out. “They can’t do without me.”
“That’s great.” Dani smoothed her dress over her knees. “Who else survived?”
Perry named half a dozen others, then went on a long tirade about corporate policies.
As he wound up his rant, he said, “When Webster kicked the bucket, I should have gotten the manager’s job, but Evie was sleeping with one of the VPs and they gave it to her.”
“Oh.” Dani wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but a disgruntled Perry was good for her plan. “That’s so not fair to you.”
“Evie’s already screwing up, so I’ll probably get the job once they fire her.”
“Won’t her lover protect her? Especially if she threatens a harassment lawsuit. It seems where the company’s image is at stake, it has very little loyalty to their hardworking employees.”
“They would definitely hush up her incompetence,” Perry snarled. “After all, to err may be human, but to pin it on someone else shows administrative potential. The VP will make sure he has all his ducks in a row for that quack.”
“That’s so true. I saw it time and time again.” Dani recognized her opening and said, “Which is one of the reasons I quit. I just couldn’t go along with corporate’s cavalier attitude toward people. Now that might be coming back to bite me in the butt.”
“We all wondered why you left,” Perry said. “If there’s anything I can do to help you”—he leaned toward her—“just name it.”
“I don’t want to get you in trouble,” Dani said, edging back from him.
She was starting to feel sleazy about her plan to use the poor guy but hardened her heart when he put his palm on her thigh, leered at her, and said, “I can take care of myself and you too, if you get my meaning.”
“Well…” Guilt lifted from Dani’s shoulders and she fluttered her lashes. “If I could have access to your computer for a few minutes, I might be able to figure out who’s behind my problems.”
“You know what?” Perry reluctantly withdrew his hand and stood. “I suddenly remember that I need to use the little boy’s room.” He gave her an exaggerated wink. “And since I’ll be right back, it’s really too much trouble to log off and back on. I wouldn’t want to be accused of wasting precious work time.”
“Hey.” Dani waved him away. “When you gotta go, you gotta go.”
As soon as Perry disappeared, Dani rose and slipped into his chair. She held her breath as her fingers flew over the keyboard. Would the files still be there or had they been deleted?
Several clicks later, she blew out a relieved lungful of air. The personnel records for the three men who had been dismissed after the harassment incident came to light were still in the system. Dani drew a thumb drive from her cleavage, inserted it in the computer, and pressed save.
Peeking over the cubicle wall, Dani saw that the coast was still clear. Returning the flash drive to her bra, she quickly cleared the screen and deleted any trace of what she’d been searching.
A minute or two later, Perry returned. He was loudly clearing his throat as approached and made a big production of settling back in his chair.
As soon as he was seated, Dani jumped to her feet and said brightly, “It was so good seeing you, Perry, but I better get going.”
“How about I take you for dinner tonight?” Perry waggled his eyebrows. “It’s all you can eat for $9.99 at the Golden Round Up.”
“Darn!” Dani shook her head. “I have a personal chef job tonight.”
“Tomorrow is buy-one-get-one-free at the Great Wall Buffet, so it will only cost us ten bucks each.” Perry rolled his chair in front of her, caging her against the cubicle wall. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“I have a huge catering contract on Friday and I’ll be busy getting the food ready.” Dani swallowed nervously. “Right now, my new business takes all of my time.” She tried to edge sideways. “Maybe we can get together after Christmas.”
“You owe me.” Perry grabbed her wrist. “And you’re going to pay up.”
“How much?” Dani asked, wincing when his ragged, dirt-rimmed fingernails dug into her skin.
“You know what I want and it isn’t dough.” Perry scooted his chair closer until Dani could feel the rough material of the partition against the back of her knees.
“Money is all you’re getting.” Dani dug a fifty from her purse and thrust it at his chest. Thank goodness, she hadn’t stopped at the bank yet to deposit the cash from the lunches-to-go.
A calculating looked crossed Perry’s face and he said, “Make it a hundred, and we’ll call it square.” When Dani hesitated, he added, “A decent-looking pro will cost at least that much.”
“Fine.” Not wanting to hear more and feeling like she needed a shower, Dani handed over two twenties and a ten, then fled.
Driving home, Dani was disgusted with herself. She should have figured out a different means of getting the files. But she hadn’t been able to think of any other way, and the alternative to flirting with Perry had been the risk of doing nothing and having Mikeloff frame her.
When she got back to the mansion, Dani assembled the food and equipment that she would need for tonight’s dinner for Trent and Chelsea Karnes. The salted beef tenderloin was already on a rack in the refrigerator along with the bacon, potato, and cheese tart. Both needed an hour in the oven. While they cooked, Dani would make the port sauce, as well as the Georgian green beans and the lemon fluff dessert.
Once Dani was sure she was prepared for the evening, she headed upstairs with a plate of sliced fruit, yogurt, and a piece of raisin toast. She wouldn’t get to eat her own supper until after she finished at the Karneses’, so this snack would have to hold her until then.
Putting her dish on a nearby table, she fetched her laptop and settled on the comfy chaise in her sitting room. Dani opened her computer, pushed the Power button, and impatiently waited for it to boot up. As she watched the various programs load, she thought about her course of action. Was she wasting her time trying to figure out what Mikeloff had against her when she should be trying to solve Regina’s murder instead?
No. First things first. After she discovered the detective’s motives, she’d concentrate on finding Regina’s killer.
Inserting the thumb drive with the files from Homestead Insurance, Dani clicked rapidly through the documents. She wasn’t sure where to start. Was Mikeloff connected to the woman who had been victimized or the men who had been dismissed? The detective had just said that she’d ruined someone’s life. It could be any of the four people involved in the incident and its subsequent cover-up.
Popping a grape into her mouth, Dani decided to start with the men. While she had info on the three persecutors, the records regarding the woman and her case were password protected. Dani didn’t recall the victim’s name, so if she didn’t find what she was looking for in the files she had, she’d have to do an online search using the few details about the woman that she remembered.
Having settled on a plan, Dani clicked open the personnel dossier of the first man. She ran her finger across the screen, careful to read each line. After studying the entire dossier, she opened the attached photograph and stared at the guy’s picture.
She hadn’t spent much time with the men involved in the scandal; most matters had been handled via email so that there would be documentation. And the few instances that she’d met with them in person, she’d been unwilling to meet their eyes and kept her gaze on the paperwork they were completing. As a result, she couldn’t recall any of their faces.
This first guy she looked at was blond, in his late twenties. There was nothing to indicate that he had any connection to Mikeloff. Of course, there were a million things Dani didn’t know about either man, so if she didn’t discover something from the other records she’d have t
o enlarge her search.
The next possibility was a redhead in his thirties. Again there was nothing obvious to link him with the detective.
Feeling discouraged, Dani clicked open the last man’s file and stared at Demetri Mitchell’s picture. If this guy were twenty years older and fifty pounds lighter, he’d be a dead ringer for Mikeloff.
Oh. My. God! Dani closed her eyes, hoping she was wrong. But several seconds later, when she opened them, the photograph hadn’t changed. Demetri, one of the men whom she had been instrumental in firing without severance or recommendation, was definitely somehow related to the detective who was trying to convict her of murdering Regina.
Demetri had maintained that while he was aware of what the other two men in his division were doing, he’d never participated. Dani had sensed he was telling the truth and suggested putting him on probation, but Homestead’s CEO had wanted the entire department wiped clean. And when the woman had remained adamant that all three men had been a part of her harassment, Dani had had no choice but to fire Demetri along with his colleagues.
Feeling nauseated, Dani scrutinized the picture for a third time. She rubbed her temples. There was such a strong resemblance, she wondered if the detective might even be Demetri’s father. The last name of Mitchell could certainly be an Americanization of Mikeloff. If so, Dani was in big trouble, and maybe Ivy by her association with her.
Sick to her stomach, Dani pushed away the fruit plate and fumbled with her cell. She had to call Spencer. Even keeping to the confidentiality agreement that she’d signed, she could tell him that there was a strong possibility that Mikeloff was closely related to an employee that she had been involved in firing.
She didn’t have to give Spencer the particulars, but he needed to know that the detective had a good reason to persecute her. And that it was likely that Mikeloff would concentrate all his efforts on proving Dani had murdered Regina.
Chapter 14
After Dani had consulted with Kelsey regarding the confidentiality agreement she’d signed and determined exactly what she could and could not reveal about the detective’s motivation for retribution, she’d phoned Spencer. As she had anticipated, he hadn’t been pleased that the only thing she would tell him was that a man named Demetri Mitchell who bore a strong physical resemblance to Mikeloff had worked at Homestead Insurance while she was employed in the company’s HR department.
Spencer had spent several minutes attempting to change her mind, but eventually he realized that Dani wasn’t budging. Once he’d conceded defeat, he agreed to do some research on both Mitchell and Mikeloff to find out if the two men were related. Spencer had also promised to stop over Thursday afternoon to share what he learned from his appointment with the police chief.
By the time Dani got off the phone with Spencer, it was past five, and she swiftly changed into her chef coat and pants, gathered her supplies, and headed toward the ritzy side of town. It was a little early, since Trent and Chelsea Karnes wanted to eat at their customary dinnertime of seven thirty, but Dani didn’t want to have to rush again.
As she pulled into the cul-de-sac, Dani crossed her fingers that in spite of everything that had happened with the luau and murder, the Karneses still wanted her to cook for them. They hadn’t contacted her to cancel, but she was a little nervous about facing a couple who had been Regina’s friends—or at least her parents’ friends.
They were presently her only personal chef customers and she didn’t want to lose them. She’d sent out flyers to all the addresses in Normalton’s ritzier neighborhoods and intended to follow up with another round, but her best chance for finding clients for this branch of her business was referrals from people like the Karneses.
Not at all sure of her reception, Dani took a deep breath and grabbed the cooler of food by the handles. Balancing the box of equipment on top of the ice chest, she made her way down the sidewalk leading to the rear of the faux castle and used her elbow to ring the bell.
Several terrifyingly long moments later, in which Dani’s imagination raced between rejection and another murdered client, Trent Karnes opened the back door. He held a cell phone to his ear with one hand and motioned Dani inside with the other.
After a distracted greeting, he continued his telephone conversation as he led Dani through the mudroom. When they entered the kitchen, Trent finally said goodbye to whoever was on the other end of his call and slipped the cell into his pants pocket.
With a guilty look on his handsome face, he turned to Dani and said, “I know this is impossibly last minute, and I truly hate to ask, but could you possibly serve dinner for four tonight?”
“Absolutely.” Dani didn’t bother to tell him that his wife routinely didn’t give her any notice about either the change in number of guests or the time they wanted to eat and that she came prepared with extras of everything and a game plan for an unexpected time crunch. “Do you still want dinner served at seven thirty?”
“If that works for you.” Trent flashed his dimples and when Dani nodded, he added, “Friends of ours just phoned to say they were in town. We’ve been bragging about your skills and when the Ackermans asked if you were cooking for us tonight, I felt like I had no choice but to invite them to dinner.”
“Are they vegan or vegetarians?” Dani asked. When he shook his head, she smiled and said, “Then it’s no problem and we’re in good shape.”
“Outstanding. Maureen and Scott will be ecstatic.” Trent started to leave the room, then paused and asked, “Do you need any help carrying in the rest of your gear?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it,” Dani assured him, hoping to get him moving out of the kitchen.
When he hesitated, she waved him away, then headed back to the van. Trent was a lot nicer than his wife, but she didn’t like clients hanging around while she cooked.
Once Dani had everything inside, she laid out the food and equipment on the counter, then went to fetch what she needed from the walk-in pantry. Entering, she smiled. The pantry shelves looked as if nothing had been touched since her last visit. With the couple’s aversion and/or inability to feed themselves, unless she was actually incarcerated for Regina’s murder, her job as their twice-a-week personal chef seemed to be safe.
Relieved, Dani focused on preparing the tenderloin. It was a prime cut that would be delicious with the port sauce. The beef needed to be in the oven fifty minutes before it was served so that it would have a chance to rest prior to being carved; otherwise, the juices would run out, and the meat would be dry and stringy.
After rubbing the meat with oil and sprinkling it with cracked peppercorns, Dani programmed one of the double ovens to 425. While it was heating, she prepped the fresh green beans.
An hour later, the doorbell chimed the first few bars of “Dixie” and she heard Chelsea and Trent greet their guests. From the sounds coming from the living room, the couples were remaining inside instead of having drinks on the patio, as was the Karneses’ habit. Evidently, Chelsea had decided that no matter how much she wanted to show off her fancy patio with the fireplace, lap pool, and flat-screen TV, the hot, sticky weather wasn’t conducive to outdoor entertaining.
With her clients and their company nearby, Dani had to tune out their voices as she worked. The tenderloin and the potato tart were in the oven, due to come out in ten minutes, and she needed to concentrate on the tricky port sauce. She had already melted butter, sautéed shallots, and measured in Cognac, rosemary, and pepper. Then, after simmering, she had added port and beef stock. Now, she had to watch the mixture as it boiled, waiting for it to reduce to the perfect consistency.
When the timer sounded, Dani turned the burner under the sauce to low, slid the meat, potatoes, and rolls from the ovens, checked on the Georgian green beans, and grabbed the four seafood cocktails from the fridge. The Karneses and their guests could have their first course while Dani sliced the tenderloin and plated the entrée.
The house was decorated in a starkly modernistic style and the brushed-steel arch lamps illuminated the two couples as if they were on a stage. The Karneses and the Ackermans were sitting across from one another with their profiles to Dani, and were so engrossed in the conversation that none of them noticed her peeking around the wall.
“I wasn’t at all shocked when you texted me that Regina had been murdered.” A slim strawberry-blond who had to be Maureen Ackerman crossed a white-linen-clad leg. “After what the beastly girl did to our wonderful sorority’s reputation, I’m just surprised no one killed her back then.”
Dani gasped, then clapped a hand over her mouth, hoping she hadn’t just revealed her presence. What in the world had Regina done to bring out such vehemence from the sophisticated woman? Starr had mentioned that Regina had been asked to leave her sorority’s house, but she hadn’t known the reason for her banishment. This was Dani’s chance to find out the details.
“Now, honey.” A paunchy, fiftyish man who had to be Scott Ackerman shook his finger in his wife’s face. “I know you love good old Alpha Beta Delta, but don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh?”
“No.” Maureen swatted her husband’s hand away and glared at him until he retreated. “She stole from a sister. There is no excuse for that.”
“What did she steal?” Trent asked, shooting his wife a strange look.
“Well, certainly not money.” Scott chuckled. “Her parents are filthy rich.”
“Worse.” Chelsea grimaced. “She stole intellectual property.”
“Really?” Scott’s eyebrows would have disappeared into his hairline if he weren’t bald.