Hide and Sneak

by G. A. McKevett

  Yes, ReJuvene had been created to rejuvenate the spirits of all who stepped over its threshold with good food and drink and a beautiful place to spend time with your loved ones.

  As soon as Savannah and Dirk walked into the restaurant, they were met by a lovely and gracious hostess who escorted them to their table. It wasn’t just any table but the table with the best view of the waterfall.

  Savannah was somewhat discomfited to see that she and Dirk were the last to arrive. Tammy and Waycross, Granny, Lenora and Quincy, and Ryan and John were already seated and were, obviously, well along with their before-dinner drinks.

  So much for rejuvenation of the soul, Savannah thought, as she and Dirk approached the table. The looks on her dinner companions’ faces clearly showed that the evening’s fun and festivities had yet to begin.

  Even Granny looked glum.

  Vanna Rose, who was sitting on her mother’s lap, was scowling and grumbling her discontent. But the moment she looked in Savannah’s direction, her little face lit with a bright smile and her grumbling turned to coos.

  She reached out her baby arms, her eyes glowing with excitement.

  It wasn’t until Savannah attempted to take the baby from Tammy that she realized it wasn’t she whom the child was reacting to. It was Dirk, who stood right behind Savannah.

  He scooped her into his arms and held her high over his head. Vanna squealed with delight.

  “Sh-h-h!” Lenora said. “Tammy, can’t you keep that child quiet? This is a nice restaurant, for heaven’s sake. You shouldn’t have brought a baby here if you couldn’t control it.”

  “Please don’t worry about such things,” John told her from across the table. “No one minds the babbling of a happy baby.”

  “I love that sound,” Gran chimed in. “There’s no sweeter sound on God’s green earth than the ones that come out of a happy baby.”

  “John and Granny are absolutely right,” Ryan agreed. “This is a family place. A lot of our guests bring their children. It’s the adults you have to worry about, making a nuisance of themselves, not the kids.”

  Savannah noticed that Lenora looked more annoyed than reassured by their words of consolation. Her frown deepened as she saw Savannah sit on the empty chair next to Tammy’s.

  Yes, Savannah thought, as she watched her from the corner of her eye, Momma Lenora is a jealous pot. No doubt about it.

  Savannah’s first inclination was to maintain a bit of distance between herself and Tammy, to play down the relationship a tad in order to quiet the green-eyed dragon of envy in Lenora.

  But that plan was short-lived, when Tammy grabbed her and gave her a tight hug—even tighter than Tammy’s usual take-your-breath-away embrace.

  One look in her young friend’s eyes told Savannah that if ever Tammy had needed to feel their connection, to take comfort in their friendship, this was it.

  Lenora would need to deal with her own dragon, or not, as was her choice.

  It wasn’t until Savannah was settled in her chair that she even noticed the quiet, nondescript fellow sitting beside Lenora. He was a handsome man, to be sure, with thick dark hair accented by silver wings over his temple. He had prominent cheekbones and a strong chin, but his eyes lacked any spark of the life energy his daughter exuded.

  Savannah was a bit surprised. She had expected a man with a far more vigorous personality, given that he was the founder and president of a Fortune 500 company.

  For the moment, she decided to shove her observations aside and try to enjoy this gentle interlude after such a harsh day.

  She reached across Tammy and Waycross, extending her hand to Quincy Hart. “Hello, Mr. Hart. Welcome to California. It’s so nice to meet you after all the good things we’ve heard about you.”

  “We’ve heard a lot about you, too,” Quincy replied. “All of you, for that matter. The Moonlight Magnolia gang is all my daughter talks about when she phones—you and whatever case you’re working on at the time.”

  “We couldn’t solve half of our cases without your daughter’s expertise,” Savannah said, patting Tammy’s shoulder. “She has a real gift for forensic research.”

  “We’re mighty blessed to have her. Both as a friend and on our team,” Gran added.

  “You certainly are,” Lenora interjected. “Very few gifted geniuses are willing to work for free.”

  “Mother, please,” Tammy said under her breath. “You promised. Besides, you don’t know what you’re talking, I mean, you don’t know or understand how it is between Savannah and me and the rest of the team. Please, don’t comment on it.”

  “No, I don’t understand how a woman can work as many hours as you do at this ‘sleuthing’ stuff as you like to call it, and still have to make and sell handmade soap at street fairs.”

  “Have you tried any of your daughter’s organic lotions or soaps, Dr. Hart?” Ryan asked.

  “No” was the haughty reply. “I have an excellent cosmetician at Elizabeth Arden. She created my regimen. I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.”

  “I’m sure she’s quite good, considering the glow of your complexion. John and I have used products recommended to us by an esthetician at a Rodeo Drive spa, but Tammy’s are so much better, we’ll never go back.”

  “They’re the best there is!” Granny exclaimed. “Just look at this face of mine. I’m telling you it didn’t look half this young last year, before I started using her stuff. Ever’where I go, folks tell me that I don’t look a day over seventy.”

  “Thank you, Granny and Ryan,” Tammy said. “My customers have told me how much they like my products and appreciate the fact that they’re all organic.” To her mother, she added, “I enjoy making them, Mother, and I have a great time when I sell them at street fairs or the farmers’ market. I do it for the pure joy of it, not profit.”

  “Joy doesn’t pay the bills,” Lenora replied.

  “I help her pay the bills,” Waycross said, his voice firm but humble. “I’m her husband, and I make sure we get by.”

  “There’s more to life than just ‘getting by.’”

  “There is, indeed,” John said. “There’s good food, good drink, and good company! Let’s order Savannah and Dirk something to drink, and we’ll toast to all three!”

  Chapter 18

  Having savored a delectable appetizer—roasted figs with honey, goat cheese, and bresaola—the ReJuvene diners had their entrées placed before them with great aplomb. For the ladies, there was Scottish salmon, grilled lobster risotto, horseradish-encrusted halibut, and caramelized sea scallops. The men were served sirloin steak with au poivre sauce.

  Even Lenora Hart was impressed with her scallops, and at least for the moment, her mood seemed to improve.

  Not for the first time, Savannah noticed the power of good food, graciously served in pleasant surroundings. She was encouraged to think they might get through the rest of the meal without any further incoming artillery fired across the table.

  But then, someone made the unfortunate mistake of asking Savannah and Dirk how the case was going.

  Once those floodgates were open, there was no going back.

  “Well, since you asked . . .” Dirk leaned back in his chair and adjusted his belt buckle to accommodate the plate-size steak he was consuming. “Right before we came over here, we were interviewing that Neal Irwin dirtbag.”

  Tammy nodded excitedly. “The duck abuser. Yes, we hate him.”

  “We do!” Waycross agreed. “I’d like to hold him down while you shove a big, juicy jalapeño pepper up each one of his nostrils.”

  Tammy giggled and even Vanna cooed her approval.

  Only Lenora was silent, radiating her dissatisfaction with the topic.

  “Just guess what Savannah found when she ‘used his little girls’ room,’” Dirk continued.

  “Oh, yes,” Waycross said. “My sister and her trips to the bathroom.”

  Tammy turned to her parents and said, “Savannah excuses herself, saying she’s going
to the restroom, but in fact she sneaks around to see what she can find that might provide a clue or two.”

  “Lovely.” Lenora dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Once inside a person’s house, she lies to them and then violates their privacy by snooping around their home without a search warrant—which, of course, she could never get now because she’s no longer a police officer.”

  Tammy gasped. Waycross shook his head. Granny winced and gave Savannah a quick look of sympathy. Dirk cleared his throat, and Savannah could tell he was about to say something, if possible, even more rude than Lenora’s statements.

  So, she jumped ahead of him. “That’s exactly right, Dr. Hart. Law enforcement officers frequently do lie to those they deal with. Unfortunately, when working with hardened criminals, it’s a means to an end. It’s a tool that’s commonly used, as it is in big business. Isn’t that right, Mr. Hart?”

  He gave his wife a quick, timid look, then replied, “I wouldn’t want to say that it’s commonly used, but, well, yes, it is. Lies are part of everyday life in the corporate world. It’s unfortunate, but the truth.”

  Granny could take it no longer. “Enough with the tomfoolery. I wanna hear what Savannah found when she went snooping in that sorry excuse for a human being’s house.”

  Savannah felt a renewed thrill trickle through her system as she remembered what was on the opposite side of the closed bedroom door. “I found a room totally dedicated to Beth Malloy,” she told them. “Pictures of her covered the walls—I mean, every available inch was plastered with photos of her. Some of them are from magazines and newspapers. But most of them were candid shots.”

  “Do you mean to tell us,” Gran asked, “that they were pictures he took himself? Like, he’s been stalking her?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean. There were photos of her shopping, playing with Freddy at the beach, and even creepier than that, pictures of her dressing and bathing in her own home.”

  “Oh, that is creepy!” Tammy said. “He’s not only a stalker, but a Peeping Tom, too!”

  “And get this,” Dirk interjected. “Some of those pictures of her playing outside with Freddy—they were taken at the park where Pilar was killed.”

  Tammy caught her breath. “Then he knew they were in the habit of going there.”

  “He didn’t have a lot of furniture in the room,” Savannah said. “But he did have a desk. On that desk, I found a couple of interesting photographs.”

  “Do tell,” Ryan said.

  “Yes, love, do,” said John. “The suspense is more than we can bear.”

  Savannah glanced around to make sure no one else in the restaurant was overhearing this more salacious part of the conversation.

  Turning to Tammy, Savannah said, “Remember me telling you that Ethan Malloy was going to be sending us a photo, and I promised him that only the two of us I would look at it?”

  “Of course, I do, and he did send it. I haven’t had an opportunity to examine it yet. Alone, that is.”

  Savannah turned to the others at the table. “Sorry for being so cryptic. It’s a photo that I had to promise Ethan Malloy I wouldn’t allow anyone other than myself and Tammy to see. Without going too much into detail, it’s supposedly a picture of his wife, Beth, being intimate with her ex-husband. Ethan believes the photo is authentic and was taken recently.”

  Waycross spoke up. “What does this have to do with the ex-husband’s creepy room filled with stalker pictures?”

  “Everything,” Savannah replied. “That was one of the two pictures he had on the desk.

  “What was the subject of the other photo?” Ryan asked.

  “Let’s just say it was very similar to the former one. Only this time, the, um, participants were Ethan and his former fiancée, Candace York.”

  “Didn’t Ethan tell you that Beth was accusing him of fooling around with Candace?” Dirk asked Savannah.

  “Yes, he did. And Luciana told me that Beth showed her a photo she had received anonymously on the Internet. A picture of Ethan and Candace together.”

  “Let me guess,” Ryan said, “someone sent it to Beth . . . also anonymously.”

  Savannah nodded. “Luciana said that Neal Irwin is the kind of person who would do something like that—send incriminating photos to a married couple with the intention of breaking them up.”

  “Obviously, from what you saw in that room,” Tammy added, “he’s obsessed with Beth and wants her back.”

  “And he just happens to have both pictures in his spare room,” Dirk observed, “not on the walls with the other photos, but on his desk. Front and center.”

  “We don’t need to look at those pictures,” Ryan said to Savannah, “since you promised only you and Tammy would. But if you want to give us the e-mail address that sent them, we can trace it back to the IP address and find out who they are.”

  “That would be great.” Savannah turned to Tammy. “Get that to them as soon as you can. Okay, kiddo?”

  Tammy pulled her electronic tablet from her purse, punched and scrolled on it for a few seconds, and they all heard Ryan’s cellphone ding. She grinned. “Was that fast enough for you?”

  “A lot faster than we’ll be getting the answer to you,” Ryan admitted.

  “What if it ain’t just about Neal Irwin and his obsessions and malarkey like that?” suggested Granny. “Tammy, you said that manager guy, Abel Orman, he’s got a gambling problem. People with that kind of an addiction usually find themselves short of cash, a lot of cash.”

  “That’s true, Gran,” Savannah agreed, “but what’s your point? Do you think Abel Orman did it?”

  “I think we need to keep our minds open at this point. If that young woman hadn’t gotten killed, then I’d be thinking more about the obsession thing. But she did. And I’m wondering if the person who killed her might have been out to kidnap Beth and Freddy for ransom and poor Pilar got in the way, you know, like she gave her life, trying to protect her mistress and the baby.”

  Savannah nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a possibility, Granny, worth keeping in mind. Luciana spoke very highly of Pilar, and so did Ethan. Apparently, she loved Beth and Freddy very much, so it’s quite likely that she would fight to defend them if necessary.”

  “Then what’s next on the agenda?” Waycross asked.

  “We have to check out Irwin’s alibi,” Savannah told him. “He claims he was working all morning and afternoon at the car lot. Then he says he was at a local bar in the evening, where he picked up a chick . . . his words, not mine.”

  “Whether he was at the car lot or not shouldn’t be hard to determine,” John said. “Whether he was able to seduce a woman into spending time with him in the evening, that might prove difficult.”

  “That’s for sure,” Granny said. “If a woman was to have a weak moment and agreed to keep that dirty dog company for a night, she probably wouldn’t own up to it, come mornin’ light.”

  Dirk finished his steak and leaned back in his chair, the picture of misery born of gluttony. “First thing tomorrow, I’ll go back over to the mortuary and rattle Dr. Liu’s cage again. See if she’s done with Pilar.”

  “You ‘rattled Dr. Liu’s cage’?” Savannah asked him indignantly. “You know better than to try that. I’m the only one who can hurry her along.”

  “Yeah, and we know how, don’t we?” he snapped back. “If you didn’t take chocolate candy or fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, you’d get thrown out on your ear, too.”

  “She threw you out on your ear?”

  “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

  “Sorry I missed that. Would have been entertaining, no doubt.”

  Dirk turned his back on Savannah and said to the others, “We’ve gotta start thinking about organizing a search party.”

  “Oak Grove Park?” Ryan asked.

  Dirk nodded. “It’s gonna be murder, trying to get through that thick brush and the prickly pear cactus—”

  “And the rattlesnakes,” Savannah added with
a shiver.

  “Oh, we have searchers galore, if we want them,” Tammy said. “Didn’t you see the fan club’s appeal on the five o’clock news?”

  “We were interviewing Irwin about then,” Savannah told her.

  “You should have watched it. Here, let me see if I can find the segment on the news station’s website.”

  Once again, her fingers flew over the tablet as she found what she was looking for. “Here,” she said, holding the screen under Savannah’s nose. “Look at this. They’re so devoted, Ethan’s fans. Several of them actually called me today after this story broke, wanting to know if there’s anything they can do at all to help find Beth and Freddy. It’s surprising how informed they were about Ethan and Beth and how they hold them in such high esteem.”

  Savannah watched the video on Tammy’s tablet. Dirk leaned over her shoulder to look, as well.

  A dozen women of all ages had gathered in front of reporters to express their concern about Beth and Freddy. Most were younger, but two of them were silver-haired women, and they were just as fervent in their appeals as their other sister fans. They were begging the public to come forward and report any information they might have. At the end of their appeal, they asked for volunteers to come to the hills above Oak Grove Park.

  “Can you get in touch with those gals?” Dirk asked Tammy.

  “Sure. Would you like me to?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure CSI did a good job around where the body was found, but they don’t have enough manpower to thoroughly search those hills. Ask them if they, and anybody else they can get to come, could meet us in the park at noon tomorrow.”

  “I could go interview Orman,” Savannah suggested, “the gambler who’s got a secret crush on his most famous client’s wife, so secret that everybody knows about it except maybe him.”

  “You gotta go see Dr. Liu with me first,” Dirk said. “Then after we do that, you can go talk to Orman, while I’m poking around in the hills, getting rattlesnake bit.”

  “Do you think it would be okay if I joined your search?” Tammy’s father asked.