by Nan Sampson
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Glenda, I'm shocked. I had no idea you could be petty."
"Well, she brought it out in you."
"So which one of you was she closer to? And how close was close?"
Ellie squirmed. "Back in the day, probably me, although if you're implying there was a more intimate relationship, there wasn't. Not that that's any of your business. I thought at one time that she might have wanted that, but she never made a move, so I never had to rebuff her."
His eyes lingered on her for longer than made her comfortable. "So was she gay?"
Kate frowned. "Well, she was engaged at one point, Charlie."
"That means squat. Who was this guy and what happened to him?"
Ellie thought for a moment. "His name was Derek. As best I recall, he was going to grad school in California. Met some girl out there when he went to scope out schools and he dumped Lacey for Miss So Cal. Claimed she was his Helen of Troy."
"Do you know if Lacey had seen him lately?"
Ellie shrugged, looked at Kate.
Kate shook her head. "Oh, gosh, I couldn’t say for sure, but I can't imagine. Last I heard, he was some real estate developer in Orange County."
"Really?" Ellie looked at her friend. "How do you know that?"
She ducked her head a little. "I keep up with the reunion committee. Okay, I'm on the reunion committee."
"Gack. Don't try to rope me into that crap. I don't want anyone knowing anything about me. Not where I am, not what I'm doing. Nothing. Got it?"
Kate looked askance. "Well, I don't know if I can guarantee they won't know anything..."
"Okay, we're going to have a long talk about this later."
Charlie broke in. "Yes, let's get back to the case. So tell me about her job. What kind of work did she do? I know you said she was in marketing, but what exactly did she do?"
Kate shrugged. "Ellie, you'd know better than me. Marketing is your gig."
"Well, it used to be." She gave it some thought. "It's been a long time since Lacey and I spoke. I know she's gotten a couple of promotions since we talked, but she's still with the same company, so I can probably give you a pretty fair idea."
The little notebook and pen appeared and Charlie crossed his legs underneath him, using his thigh as a writing surface. Ellie noticed he'd kicked his shoes off – and he had boats for feet. He looked up as she paused. "Go ahead."
"Last I knew, she was the circulation manager for three titles at the cataloger she works at. That means she decides each time they mail the catalog who it should go to, based on things like past performance, and what the budget goals are calling for."
"You mean, for instance, if they have me in their database, they might not always send a catalog to me? Seems like once I'm on someone's list, I'm there forever!"
"Not true. Depending on their internal rules, if you don't buy from them in a given period of time, you'll get dropped. That time varies though."
"How do they get me to begin with, that's my question."
"They probably got your name from a catalog that you have bought something from."
"So someone sold them my information."
"Not yours personally. Just a list of names who either subscribe to a list of periodicals or who have bought from a group of catalogs with similar customer profiles. Your name would have been lumped in with thousands of other names. Probably rented through what's called a Co-op."
"And that's legal?"
"Perfectly. Unless you have specifically asked for your name not to be rented out, which you can do."
"Do you think someone could have targeted her for "renting" their information?"
"Doubtful. I mean, if you don't want a catalog you get in the mail, you'd toss it. Not kill the person who arranged to have it sent to you. It's not like there was anything salacious or offensive in the catalog."
"What kind of stuff does her company sell?"
"Bunch of different things. They have a gardening catalog, an outdoor wear catalog, some variations on that theme. Everything has sort of an outdoorsy theme. The one you'd probably recognize is RuggedSport."
"Oh, I love them!" He plucked at his plaid shirt. "That's where I get these. Cheap, comfortable and they last forever."
Kate wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, I know. You've had that one for at least ten years."
"Hey, it's clean."
"Yes, but honey, it's ugly."
Ellie shrugged. "It's functional. You'd fit right in up my neck of the woods."
"See? It's functional."
Kate sighed. "Whatever. Let's get back to the 'case'."
"Okay, so she was in charge of figuring out who to send catalogs to. Doesn't sound too fraught with peril."
"Precisely."
"Is there a lot of corporate espionage in the marketing game?"
"Not that I was ever aware of. Oh, you hear about companies in the cosmetics or pharmaceuticals industry having stuff like that, but not direct marketing. We're metrics driven. We don't rely on big secrets so much as crunching numbers."
Charlie sighed. "Well, it doesn't sound like there's much there, but we'll want to talk to her co-workers, get a feel for what was going on at work." He made a few notes in his notebook, then set it down. "Okay, how about her personal life? Kate, you seem to be a little more up to date, what do you know?"
"Well," she drawled slowly, "not much. I did contact her a few months ago – about the reunion. I got her new contact info – she had just moved into a new loft in Wicker Park."
Charlie gave a low whistle. "I guess the circulation business pays well." He made a rolling motion with his hand for her to continue.
"Well, she did just get a promotion, according to what her co-workers said at the drinks thing,” Ellie reminded them.
Kate nodded, then continued. “She said she'd just moved in and was complaining about having a longer commute.”
"Okay. Did she say why she moved?"
“I didn’t think to ask. Do you think it’s important?”
Charlie gave a shrug. “No worries. Go on.”
“Um... I asked her if she were seeing anybody special and she said no. I got the feeling she wouldn't have told me even if she were, but something in her voice told me... I don’t know. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I got the feeling she had something going on. She sounded... smug.”
“She said nothing else?”
“No. Frankly, I don’t know that she would. I don't think she ever forgave me for introducing her to Derek.” She paused, blew out a breath. “Oh, she did tell me she’d finally sold her mother's house. Well, her words were, 'the dump my mother lived in', but same thing."
Ellie scoffed. "Dump? Good Goddess. That house was twice, no, three times the size of the house I grew up in."
"Where did her mother live?"
"Kenilworth!" Ellie spat out the name of the town. "Probably got over a mil for the property, no matter how outdated the house was. Five bedrooms, full finished basement with wet bar, a built-in pool with a little guest house behind it, a kitchen you could have used for a catering business. Dump, my ass."
"So she came from money?"
"Well, she wasn't rich enough to suit her, but she never wanted for anything that I could see. In fact," and here she looked at Kate, almost for confirmation, "she pretty well bank-rolled most of our fun in college. Kate and I didn't have two nickels to rub together most of the time, but Lacey was always flush."
"So you'd say that money was important to her."
"Hell, yeah."
"Important enough that she might have done something, let's say, not quite above board for it?"
Crossing her legs underneath her as well, Ellie considered. "As I’ve said before, she was ambitious, manipulative. She liked to win. So yeah, I could see her doing something that skirted the law, to get what she wanted.”
He turned back to Kate. So about this guy you thought she might be seeing. Other than her smugness, was there anything else that made you think that?�
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"Well, for a while, a couple of months anyway, she always had plans on the weekends. And she sounded... I don't know... happier, I guess."
"When did that start?" Ellie and Charlie both spoke at the same time.
"About a year ago." She thought, then nodded. "Yeah. It was right about Thanksgiving. I was getting ready to put together my Christmas card list and when I got to her name, I called to touch base. Her mother had been put in that place for Alzheimer's patients and I thought maybe if she weren't busy I'd invite her for Thanksgiving dinner."
"You amaze me, Kate." Would it ever have occurred to Ellie to do that? Probably not. Not even if she'd seen Lacey's name crop up.
Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I asked her to come, but she said she already had plans, and that her 'dance card' was pretty full these days."
Charlie nodded and scribbled. "What about other friends?"
"It's sad, but other than Ellie and me, I don't really know of any. I mean, I'm sure she had other friends, she was a likeable person. But I just don't know about them."
Likable? Ellie had to fight rolling her eyes.
"Did she ever invite you over, maybe for a Christmas party or something?"
Kate shook her head. "No. Never. I don't think she entertained. Or if she did, she probably rented someplace out. That would be more her style."
"Sounds like a very private person."
Kate nodded at that. "Yeah. Even at school, I don't ever feel like I got to see the 'real' Lacey. Just the one she wanted you to see. Ellie, you were closer to her then. Did you ever get inside her head?"
Further than she had wanted to, that was for sure, but she wasn't really prepared to discuss it here, now. Some of it was just too private – between her and Lacey. And it didn't pertain to her death. "A little. I know she was a lot more insecure about herself than she let on, a lot less confident. There was a vulnerability that I don't think she ever let too many people see."
"You've used that word before. Vulnerable."
Had she? Perhaps so. "She was like Achilles. She put on this front, the bullet proof princess. But she wanted the same things the rest of us do. She just had a harder time finding it. She got in her own way a lot."
"And now she'll never find it." Kate sniffed, glanced into the fire again.
Ellie got up and went to kneel next to Kate's chair. "Hey now. Remember. This was just one round in the big game. She had a lesson to learn. Maybe she learned it, maybe she didn't. But she'll be back, and maybe next time, she'll get this part of it right."
"I know, I know. I just wish she could have been happy. She never sounded happy. Not really. And that's just sad."
Charlie, she noted, gave them a minute or so, then cleared his throat. “So. I think next steps are pretty clear. We need to interview her co-workers, especially her boss and that fellow who worked for her. Do we know for sure the names of all the folks who were there at dinner the night she was killed?”
Ellie frowned. "Lawson was there, and I think that Muriel woman and Cary, Lacey's grunt were there. Lawson’s admin would know for sure."
"Okay, I’ll start with her tomorrow. See where that takes us."
Kate stood, stretched. “I’m going to go enforce bedtime. Tomorrow is a school day. Why don’t you two find something to watch again?”
Ellie looked at Charlie, who raised his eyebrows. Things were becoming clear now – Kate was trying to set them up. Ellie looked at her watch. "Good heavens, it’s eleven o’clock. Sorry, Kate, but I'm beat. I think I'm going to turn in."
Charlie gave an exaggerated yawn. "Yup. Me too. Unless you need help cleaning up in the kitchen."
Kate’s face fell a little, but she managed to avoid saying 'darn' out loud. "No, that's okay. You two toddle on off then. Remember, pancakes for breakfast, bright and early. And I got those veggie sausages you like, Ellie."
"Thanks. You sure you don't need help?"
"No, got it covered. See you both in the morning."
Committed to going to bed now, Ellie realized she was indeed tired, although she couldn't imagine why – she'd done nothing more than sit around and talk for two days. She hoped Lacey didn't plan on paying her another night time visit. She thought she'd be well advised to cast a circle of protection in salt around the bed just in case. "Okay. If you're sure. Night, McCallum. And thanks for this."
He tipped an imaginary hat. "Just doin' ma job, ma'am."
Shaking her head at the worst Jimmy Stewart imitation she'd ever heard, she climbed the stairs and headed for her room.
Chapter 21
She was up again before dawn. There was just no shaking that habit. She crept down the stairs, surprised to smell coffee already brewing. Thinking Kate must have set the timer on the pot, she tiptoed into the kitchen and found her way to the cupboard that held the coffee mugs using the light from the nightlight over the stove.
"I suppose you always get up this early."
She nearly dropped the mug. As it was, it rattled loudly against its brethren in the cupboard. "Jesus H. Christ!"
"Shh. I didn't think you went in for him."
"I don't," she whispered tersely. "But it's hard to get those sorts of things out of one's vocabulary." She pulled down the cup, filled it from the pot, and dumped in the requisite tablespoons of sugar and quarter cup of milk.
Charlie was watching her with a distasteful look on his face. "Why even bother to put the coffee in there?"
"It's the way I like it, okay?"
"Gee. Not only are you a bona fide morning person, but you're a crabby one too. I thought morning people were all cheerful and chirpy – whistling happy little morning songs while they rubbed their self-righteousness in everyone else's face."
"And you're Little Miss Sunshine?"
"I'm not a morning person. At least, I don't come by it naturally."
"Then what are you doing up? Does ambushing me give you such joy?"
"No, I'm really a night person. I haven't been to bed yet."
She sat down at the table, took a sip of her coffee and examined him. Yep, he was still wearing the same flannel shirt. "You could have two of those shirts."
"Well, actually I have several. But no, this is the same one. I haven't showered and changed for the day yet."
"And you've been doing what all night?"
"Thinking mostly. And reading. Same things I do most nights. I don't sleep much."
"That's not healthy for you."
"Lots of things aren't healthy for me." He sipped at his own coffee, which she now noticed was black.
"Did you get a home phone for Lawson’s admin?"
He took another long sip, savoring it, eyes closed and nostrils flaring at the aroma. "I did. Better yet, I got the phone number for Muriel. I’ll talk to the admin, but I bet Muriel is just itching to dish, based on what you guys overheard at the bar that evening. Being as it’s Monday, I’ll give her a little bit of time to get in."
Hard to believe it was Monday already. In some ways it felt as though she had just gotten here. "Makes sense. But you will talk to her this morning?"
"I will."
"I want to go with you when you meet her."
"Who says I'm going to meet her?"
"I do. Besides, you'll want to see her face to face, read her body language, watch her expressions. That's how you work."
"And you know that how?"
"I've been watching you work me."
He got up, refilled his cup, gestured toward her with the pot. She shook her head. It was fun rattling his cage. When he sat down again, his grin had vanished. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Why not?"
"It would be hard for me to establish a good rapport with her, if you were there."
"You mean I'd cramp your style."
"Not how I'd have put it, but yeah." He gave her a minute to think about it, then baited her with, "Needing to feel a little more in control?"
"Stop it."
"No, seriously. You co
uld tackle the boss. Just so happens I have his phone number too. And as you're much more familiar with the business than I am, you might be the best person to talk to him."
Now that was the best idea she'd heard since she'd gotten here. "Do you think he'll agree to see me?"
"Play the distressed friend card. You want to talk to him about Lacey, about her last days, make yourself feel better. You can also pretend to be getting names and addresses of people to invite to the memorial service, people at work she was close to. That gives us access to more people to question."
It was her turn to grin at him. "You really are good at this."
"Damn skippy."
She held out her hand. "Name and phone number?"
Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out an eight and a half by eleven piece of paper, folded in half. On it was a name, address, and phone number. Below that, there was a series of questions. "What's this?"
"A few questions. Just suggestions. A place to start."
She read through them. To her dismay, they made sense. "Okay." She drank her coffee for a moment, and was surprised that she didn't feel the need to fill the silence that developed between them. Finally, she said, "We should give Kate an assignment too."
"You're right, and I'd thought of that too but gotten stuck. Any ideas?"
"What if she goes over to Lacey's condo, tries to talk to the building manager? If anyone can get them to trust her, it's Kate. She could even take Kirby with her, he's the perfect cover."
The grin returned. "Brilliant." He stretched his legs out, crossed them at the ankle. "See? Perfect morning. Nothing to do now but wait for the pancakes. But unlike you, I will be enjoying real sausages with mine."
"You could take a nap while you wait." And give me some space, she thought.
"What, and spoil this cozy moment? Why would I want to do that?"
"Suit yourself." She stood, put her mug in the sink. "Did it snow all night?"
"Nope. Stopped about midnight. It's warmed up a bit and it's supposed to be sunny today, so by lunch, it'll probably have melted down to the grass again."
"Good." She left him sitting there and went into the front hall, where she grabbed her coat, hat and gloves. "See you at breakfast."