Sleuthing Women

by Lois Winston

  “Of course, he could have died from natural causes,” he said, breaking into my thoughts.

  “Oh, absolutely.” I smiled brightly at him, hoping he would say more.

  “I heard your interview with him yesterday,” he said, resting his hand lightly on mine. “You did an excellent job, as usual. It made me want to run out and buy his book, and I’m usually not into that self-help stuff.” He gave a little self-deprecating smile.

  I nodded. Ted listens to my show every single day. Just like my mother, I thought wearily and then realized that Freud would have a field day with that one.

  “I’m not into all that cosmic stuff either,” I admitted, slathering a blueberry muffin with honey butter. I’m into calories and cholesterol, I thought, resisting the urge to slide a cheese Danish onto my plate. And those tiny banana-nut mini-muffins at The Seabreeze–they’re the best. I poured two Splendas into my coffee to even out the calorie count.

  “I suppose it was very hard for you to get the news,” he went on. “You know, I’ve been worried about you, Maggie. I’m glad you stopped by today. I was going to call and see how you were doing.” (See what I mean? He’s not only kind and good-looking, he’s sensitive and worried about my feelings. Maybe I am insane not to take our relationship to the next level!)

  I nodded, trying to look properly somber. “It was certainly a shock.” I toyed with my teaspoon, wondering how to broach the subject. “Do the police have any leads?” I asked innocently.

  “I’m not sure,” Ted said, his tone grave. “They were here late last night interviewing the staff and the lead detective was back again this morning. He’s sort of an annoying guy,” he said, his face clouding.

  “Really?” My heart rate bounced up a notch. Annoying, irritating and impossibly sexy.

  “Yeah.” His blue eyes glinted and his smile was sardonic. “He came on pretty strong and tried to steam-roll his way over everyone. I guess he was only doing his job but I’m not looking forward to seeing him again. And I have the feeling he’ll be back.”

  “Detective Martino?” I blurted out without thinking.

  Ted looked surprised. “Yes, how did you know?”

  “I think I may have heard his name mentioned at the station,” I said glibly. “You know, Big Jim Wilcox usually covers the crime beat. But he was tied up this morning, and I think I saw Martino’s name on a news report Jim had filed.”

  “Well, he certainly grilled Carmela, who was working the front desk last night.” Ted frowned. “She’s not completely fluent in English and I think she was intimidated by him. If I’d been thinking straight, I would have insisted on having an interpreter there for her. He can be something of a bully and I don’t appreciate him manhandling my staff.”

  “He can have that effect on people.” I allowed myself a small, derisive snort.

  “So you know him?”

  “No, of course not. But that’s what I’ve heard. You know, around the station,” I said, backpedalling quickly, as Ted’s eyebrows shot up. “So, what did she tell him?”

  “He wouldn’t let anyone sit in on the interview,” Ted said morosely. “But I know that Carmela told him a young woman visited the Guru in his room last night. Someone slim and blonde who was carrying a big tote bag. I guess it was a purse, but Carmela said it was so big, she thought it might be an overnight bag.”

  Lark and her yellow Coach bag! That clinched it. Lark was at The Seabreeze, but when? And why? She hadn’t paid a surprise visit to her idol, had she? My thoughts were scrambling like a gerbil on steroids. But Carmela must have been mistaken. Maybe Lark had just left a note for the Guru at the front desk, I decided. There is no way she would go up to his room, was there?

  “Did Carmela know the girl’s name?” I asked, trying to keep my voice bland.

  “I don’t think so, but I know that Martino took down a description and Carmela said she’s seen her in the neighborhood. Very slim, shaggy short blonde hair, about five-two. Funny, but if I didn’t know better, I’d say she could be Lark’s twin.”

  Lark’s twin. My spirits sank like a stone but I managed a wan smile. “Hey, wouldn’t that be something?” I said, joining in the fun. “Maybe Lark has a long-lost twin who has a thing for gurus, but I guess that only happens in detective novels.” I bit back a nervous laugh that ended in an embarrassing squeak.

  “I guess,” Ted said, looking puzzled.

  “So,” I said, clearing my throat, “ it sounds like Martino may have a lead. But did anyone else visit the Guru last night? Did Carmela mention any other suspects? I mean guests?” I corrected myself quickly.

  “Carmela didn’t see anyone else.”

  I glanced out into the lobby. “Yes, but someone could have slipped by the front desk if things were busy. See how easy it would be? All they had to do was follow that hallway toward the garden, and then they could take the back stairs and walk right up to his room.”

  “I guess it’s possible.”

  “Or maybe it was someone in the Guru’s own party, you know one of his staff members. He could have had some sort of confrontation with him, and maybe he accidentally killed him.” I paused, thinking it over. “I bet lots of people had access to his room. He was on the second floor, right?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Well, he told me he hated elevators. He said he refused to use one. We were talking about claustrophobia during the commercial break yesterday and I just couldn’t picture him hoofing it up several flights of stairs. So I figured he’d ask you for a room on the lowest floor.”

  “Maggie Walsh, ace detective,” Ted teased me. “You know, you sound like you’re conducting a homicide investigation. For all I know, you could be working undercover as Martino’s partner.”

  “No chance of that.”

  He grinned and gave me a searching look while I busied myself pouring more coffee for us. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Maggie? You’re not here on assignment, are you? Covering the story for the WYME?”

  “Oh no, nothing like that,” I rushed on. “It’s just that...well, you know, I interviewed Guru Sanjay and I feel terrible that he died. Or was murdered. Right here. In this hotel.”

  I felt my face flushing and I could feel a trickle of flop sweat crawling up my spine. I knew I had said too much. Was Ted suspicious? My mental 8 Ball said: Signs point to no. He was slipping his arm around me, big-brother style.

  “Hey, Maggie, honey, you can’t let this get to you.” He pulled me close to him for a moment, his voice warm with concern. “Just let the police do their job, and it will all come out right in the end, you’ll see. They’ll find out who killed Guru Sanjay.”

  Manuel, the bus boy, suddenly materialized next to us. “Senor Rollins,” he said softly. He pointed to the front desk where Carmela was pantomiming that Ted had to take an important phone call.

  “Oops, that’s a call from Corporate I’ve been expecting. I’ve got to skedaddle.” He smiled into my eyes before sliding back his chair and standing up. “I don’t want you worrying over this anymore, Maggie. The police will get to the bottom of it, they’re the professionals, you know.”

  “I know.”

  He playfully touched the end of my nose, his deeply tanned face breaking into a wide grin. “So I want you to promise me you won’t give it another thought.”

  “I promise.” I fake-smiled back at him and for the first time in my life raised three fingers in the Girl Scout pledge, even though the closest I’ve ever gotten to the world of Scouting is scarfing down an entire box of Samoas at one sitting.

  Somehow I knew he would like the three-finger salute, though, and sure enough, he gave me a big thumbs up. I made a show of leaning back and reaching for that luscious cheese Danish, the one that had been sitting on the plate all that time, calling my name. I did it just to show Ted how relaxed and worry-free I was (even if mildly carbohydrate-addicted and maybe even insulin-resistant.)

  I watched Ted hurry over to the front desk and allowed mys
elf a sad little sigh at the way his brown hair looped sexily over one eye and his broad, muscular shoulders filled out his blazer. There he was; smart, handsome, successful, kindhearted and single. Cypress Grove’s most eligible bachelor, everything you could want in a man.

  And he wanted—me!

  There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me. This is the guy who surprised me by ordering a special “Beefy Liver doggy birthday cake” for Pugsley from the Sweet Cakes bakery over on Main Street. He sent over the hotel gardener to trim back my forsythia hedges last week, and hand-delivered a pot of chicken soup last month when Lark had the flu. He even power-washed my deck when I said it was looking a little grungy.

  Hell, he’d probably paint my bathroom if I asked him to.

  So what’s the problem? Okay, maybe I’m crazy. But here’s the hitch.

  Call me shallow, but can you imagine having hot monkey sex with a guy who says things like “skedaddle?”

  I rest my case.

  SEVEN

  I waited until Ted disappeared into his office behind the front desk and watched while he shut the door behind him. There was one person who might hold the key to the puzzle.

  Miriam Dobosh, right hand to the Guru himself.

  After taking another quick peek to make sure Ted’s office door was still firmly shut, I bounced to my feet and trotted along the back hallway to the stairs to the second floor Magnolia Ballroom. The double brass doors were closed, but I could hear the soft murmur of voices inside, along with some ethereal music. At least I think it was supposed to be ethereal. It sounded like whale sounds, a mournful elegy punctuated by a series of squeaks that reminded me of Pugsley’s squeeze toy.

  Cautiously, I opened the door a crack, only to find myself face to face with yet another of the Sopranos-type bodyguards. He was a Goliath. I’m five-ten and I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

  “This is a closed workshop,” he rasped, all set to slam the door in my face like I was the Avon lady offering him a free lipgloss.

  “But I’ve been invited!” I protested.

  “Yeah?” His eyes slid over my short-sleeved salmon-colored Tommy Bahamas blouse and tan pencil skirt. “If you’re a registered conference guest, go down to the front desk and pick up your name tag.” His tone was brusque and his black eyes glittered cold and hard as river rocks.

  “I’ve got a press pass,” I said quickly. I pulled out my laminated Cypress Grove Public Library card and waved it at him. A beat of tense silence fell between us.

  He ignored the card so I shoved it back in my bag. Either he doesn’t read a lot or he was on to me.

  “Look, I’m with WYME, and I interviewed Guru Sanjay on my radio show yesterday. We were going to continue our conversation last night and I was shocked to learn he had died.”

  This earned me an even icier glare. Oops! Nix the word die. I’d forgotten that death doesn’t exist in the world of Sanjay Ginjii. Time for damage control.

  “I mean before he...um, transitioned to another dimension. He asked me to attend the conference today as his special guest.”

  “I don’t know nothing about that.” He had a rough New York accent, (maybe Bedford-Stuy?) and looked like his nose had been broken a few times. His beefy arms were bulging out of his black Team Sanjay T-shirt and I couldn’t take my eyes off his neck. It was as thick as a sequoia and decorated with a creepy weird tat that looked like a forest of kudzu vines gone wild.

  “The Guru and I bonded with each other, “I went on quickly, “and he was going to explain more of his metaphysical theories to me. Today. At this workshop.”

  My stomach was pricking with anxiety and I tried to ignore the stream of pure adrenaline shooting through me. If this Neanderthal wouldn’t let me in, how would I ever gather any information?

  “Do we have a late arrival?” A tall woman dressed from head to toe in navy blue polyester appeared behind him. A navy pillbox hat balanced tipsily on her frizzy gray hair and she looked ghostly pale, either because she was grief-stricken or because she wasn’t wearing a smidgeon of make-up. She pushed past bouncer-guy to give me a quick once-over. From the pinched expression on her face I could tell she didn’t like what she saw.

  She was pretty hefty, and looked like she had bought out the entire “slimming collection” from the Home Shopping Channel. Not a natural fiber anywhere on her body.

  I hoped no one lit a match around her or she’d go up in flames like a human torch.

  “Maggie Walsh from WYME,” I said quickly. I extended my hand and she reluctantly shook it. A hint of alarm registered in her eyes, but she said quietly, “I’ll handle this, Bruno,” waving the thug away. I tried to peer into the ballroom, but she closed the door behind her and stepped into the hallway.

  “Is there something I can help you with? I’m Miriam Dobosh, executive assistant to Guru Sanjay.”

  Miriam Dobosh! I had hit pay dirt on the very first try. An amazing piece of luck. The detective gods were with me.

  “I just have a few questions to ask you,” I said, gesturing to a pair of cushy wicker armchairs arranged in a conversation nook a few feet away. I whipped out a notebook and pen before she could change her mind.

  “We’re right in the middle of a seminar–”

  “It’ll only take a second, honest!” I put on my most winning smile, but I knew that this was going to be a hard sell. “We’re putting together a eulogy for the Guru–”

  “A eulogy? That’s for dead people,” she snapped.

  “Sorry, I meant to say a retrospective.” I paused for a beat and she lowered herself into the chair next to me. “I just wanted to get a few quotes from you. Something that the Guru’s followers would want to know, you know, a personal anecdote or two. I’m sure you have some wonderful memories of him.”

  I pulled out my tape recorder and slid it onto the coffee table in front of us.

  “I’ll be taking notes as well, this is just to refresh my memory,” I said, catching her frown. I know that people feel intimidated when you whip out a tape recorder which is why I never taped my psychotherapy sessions with my clients back in New York. But I thought it might give me some journalistic creds (since my public library card clearly wasn’t cutting it.)

  Miriam was already drawing away from me, leaning back lightly in her chair with her arms folded over her cushiony chest. Uh-oh. Closed body language. I knew I had to act fast to reassure her or she’d snap shut like a north Atlantic clam.

  “I want to make sure I capture every word.” I looked straight into her eyes and hoped that she fell for the bait. The Guru’s words preserved for generations to come! Who could resist the offer? Apparently, Miriam couldn’t.

  “Well, I suppose I could tell you a few things...”

  I let her ramble on for a few minutes, hoping she didn’t notice that the red light on my tape recorder wasn’t blinking. I’d slapped a WYME sticker on it so it would look official but never remembered to buy batteries for it.

  “In the last five years, Guru Sanjay’s appeal has skyrocketed. He’s made esoteric metaphysical concepts accessible to a mass market audience,” she droned, as if she were reading from a press release.

  “Hmm.” I nodded, encouraging her.

  “He’s become such a pop culture icon, he’s known all over the world. If you say the name Sanjay, everyone knows who you’re talking about, just like Oprah, Bono or Deepak.”

  Or Flipper, I added silently.

  I sneaked a look at my watch. There was something oddly flat about her voice and underneath all the hype, I wondered if I sensed a note of something sinister in her tone. A touch of jealousy? A flare of resentment? I knew that all was not right with the head of Team Sanjay and I decided to foster a guess.

  In psych terms, they would call this an “interpretation.” You ignore the surface of the speech and go for the sub-text, the meaning behind what the client is saying. On the Sopranos, this is the point where Dr. Melfi would say to Tony, “So, what I hear you saying is...”

&nbs
p; “Miriam, it sounds like you practically ran the whole organization. You were the real power behind the throne, the person responsible for his success. I hope they he appreciated you.” Her eyes flickered with surprise and then clouded. Bingo. Then I realized that I had been as subtle as a brick to the forehead. Time to rephrase or I’d lose her again. “I mean, it’s obvious that the Guru relied on you to keep things going smoothly.”

  “Well, he did,” she admitted, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle in her polyester skirt. “I’ve been with him from the beginning. When he was just starting out.”

  “Really?” I pretended to make a note of it. “Can you tell me something about those early years? When it was just the two of you building his empire?”

  “It wasn’t much of an empire back then,” she said, her mouth tightening. “Sanjay was giving seminars to civic groups at community centers. Sometime there were only thirty people in the audience at a fire hall out in the boondocks in some Podunk little town. Sanjay self-published his first book and we used to sell copies out of the trunk of his car.”

  “But somehow people were drawn to him and he became famous. I bet that had a lot to do with your promotional skills.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that.” She shook her head, her double chin quivering. “It was Sanjay’s gift that drew people, his understanding of the cosmos and human emotions. I just handled all the administrative details for him. You have to remember, Sanjay was the greatest thinker of this generation, not someone who could be bothered with the mundane details of running a business.”

  Hmm. So it seemed that she’d hitched her star to the Guru’s many years ago. But where had it gotten her? There was something about her tone that made me think she wasn’t thrilled with being relegated to an outer ring of the Planet Sanjay. I wondered if her fortunes had risen as rapidly as his? Judging from her shiny polyester pantsuit, they hadn’t.