On the Lamb

by Tina Kashian

  Melanie’s voice broke. “Gilbert took things too far.”

  “Too far, how?” Clyde’s voice was gentler than Lucy’s would have been.

  “Gilbert said he suspected his wife of cheating and he wanted to get back at her any way he could. He cornered me in my apartment and tried to kiss me. He said he’d forget about my past rent if I slept with him.”

  What a sleazeball! Lucy’s already poor opinion of Gilbert slid farther into the toilet.

  “What did you do?” Lucy asked.

  A fire lit Melanie’s gaze. “I slapped him and told him I wouldn’t sleep with him if he was the last man alive, and that I’d kill him if he ever tried to touch me again.”

  “Did anyone hear you?” Clyde asked.

  “I don’t think so. I never told a soul. Only Rhonda knew.”

  “Did Rhonda try to help you?” Lucy asked.

  “No. She was petrified that Gilbert would make good on his threat and tell her husband about her online gambling debts.”

  Rhonda knew and didn’t try to help her sister? If anyone sexually harassed Emma, Lucy would stand up for her sister in a heartbeat. Was Rhonda that selfish? Or had Rhonda, unbeknownst to Melanie, taken matters into her own hands?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Lucy strode into the offices of the Town News with one purpose in mind. Stan Slade was in his office typing on a computer keyboard with his right hand, a cigarette dangling from his left.

  “I thought most offices were smoke-free these days,” Lucy said.

  Stan looked up, a bright mockery invading his stare. “I made an exception for myself. Are you here to harass me for smoking and to warn me about the risks of cancer?”

  “Neither. But it’s not a bad idea. It’s like a cloud in here, and secondhand smoke is just as dangerous for your coworkers and visitors.”

  He ground his cigarette into an ashtray and then opened the window. “Better?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  He pushed away from his desk and shot her a penetrating glare. “Okay. You have my curiosity. What’s with the visit?”

  “You told me to come to you if I want to break a story.”

  “Is this about Gilbert Lubinski’s murder?”

  “It is.”

  His eyes lit up like a drooling dog that just heard Pavlov’s bell. He flipped open a notepad and whipped out a pencil that had been tucked behind his ear. “I’m listening.”

  She kept all inflection from her voice. “Gilbert wasn’t just a Jersey shore landlord. He was a loan shark.”

  Stan lowered his pencil. “Who’d he loan cash to?”

  “Ocean Crest residents who didn’t qualify for bank loans for whatever reason. He wasn’t nice about his high-interest rates or collection tactics.”

  She didn’t think it was possible for Slade’s eyes to light up even more behind his dark-rimmed glasses. “By tactics do you mean the strong-arm methods that rival Atlantic City mob bosses?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. I’m good at reading between the lines.”

  He was also good at printing half-truths that led readers to draw their own conclusions—mostly wrong ones that had harmed Kebab Kitchen’s reputation in the past.

  “Gilbert didn’t beat anyone,” Lucy said. “He was just persistent.” He’d threatened to tell Rhonda’s husband about her gambling addiction. Most shockingly, he’d sexually harassed Melanie.

  Rhonda knew everything. Rhonda—who had just as much motive as Melanie to kill Gilbert—but that wasn’t something she’d share with the reporter.

  Lucy’s motives for visiting the reporter were clear. She wanted Stan’s future article on Detective Clemmons’s desk and on Prosecutor Walsh’s radar. If they started looking into Gilbert’s side moneylending business, they would expand their police efforts and look past Melanie. They could find the loan documents and learn who else owed Gilbert cash and who stood to gain from his murder. Other than Rhonda, who else was out there?

  Who owed even more?

  Sophia didn’t know where Gilbert kept his papers. Lucy and Katie were at a dead end. Only the police had the resources and abilities to search the town. With Melanie behind bars, Lucy didn’t think the police would continue to investigate the murder.

  Worse, if Melanie spilled her entire story to the prosecutor, it would tighten the noose around her neck. Gilbert had been a sleazeball who tried to kiss her and blackmail her with sex in exchange for past rent. It added to her motive to want Gilbert dead.

  That’s where Stan Slade and the Town News came into play. It was the perfect way to tip off the police without getting herself or Katie in trouble or, even worse, harming Bill Watson’s future career as an Ocean Crest detective.

  Lucy placed her palms on Stan’s desk and leaned forward. “I must be an anonymous source.”

  For once Stan Slade didn’t argue. “You got it. It will be printed tomorrow morning. Now, tell me everything about Gilbert’s dark, moneylending side.”

  * * *

  “Where’s my hummus!” Sally said. “We need more jalapeño and white bean hummus for the hummus bar.”

  “Coming right up,” Butch said behind the cook’s counter.

  It was two days after her jail visit with Melanie and her stop by Stan Slade’s office, and the lunch shift was in full swing. Shish kebab was on the menu and customers were pouring in faster than Lucy’s father could seat them. Lucy rushed around helping Emma and Sally serve platters of hot shish kebab, potato and cheese bake, and string beans sautéed in a tomato sauce to tables before the hot food could cool.

  “Hey, Lucy,” Butch called out. “Azad made the hummus. Can you save me a trip by fetching it and delivering it to the hummus bar?”

  “Sure thing.” Lucy passed through the swinging kitchen doors that led into the kitchen. Warm air from the stoves and grills blasted her already overheated cheeks. She’d learned long ago that running a restaurant was hard work. It took stamina, patience, and endurance, but was the most rewarding job she’d ever held.

  She headed straight for the back of the kitchen where Azad was stirring a tall pot of rice pilaf.

  “Butch said you made extra hummus. We need jalapeño and white bean.”

  Azad set down his spoon. “It’s on a high shelf in the walk-in refrigerator. I’ll get it for you.”

  Lucy didn’t need a reminder that she was short and Azad was over six feet tall. She made a mental note to purchase another step stool.

  She followed him into the walk-in refrigerator. The cool air felt refreshing and she took a deep breath. The space was larger than the tiny office in the corner of the storage room. Steel shelving held everything from fresh seafood from the fish market to raw meat from the butcher to vegetables from the farmers market to her mother’s cooked rice pudding. The heavy, insulated door closed behind them, but never locked—a safety feature—and could be pushed open with a hip or a foot by workers carrying armfuls of food.

  Azad reached up high on the top shelf and took down two containers of hummus. “I just made them this morning,” he said as he handed them to her.

  The containers were cool as she cradled them in her arms. Rather than leave the walk-in, Lucy hesitated as a thought crossed her mind. The walk-in refrigerator was the only place that guaranteed privacy in the busy kitchen, and she could ask the question that had come to mind.

  “Hey, Azad. You said you borrowed money from Gilbert to pay for culinary school. Did you ever sign loan papers?” Lucy asked.

  “I did. He brought them to my house.”

  “Your house? You never went to his home or anything?”

  “No. I remember because I needed to pay my tuition bill and he came over with a check and paperwork. Why? Is that important?”

  “I’m trying to find out if Gilbert had an office in town where he stored all his papers.”

  “Beats me. I was lucky enough to get my sous chef job in Atlantic City and pay off my loan soon after graduating. Gilbert
gave me a copy of my loan papers and signed them as paid in full.”

  Disappointment settled in her stomach. Other than Rhonda, Azad was the only person she knew who had borrowed money from Gilbert. She’d really thought Azad might know. She glanced at the bin of hummus in her arms. “The hummus looks great.”

  “Sorry I wasn’t able to help with Gilbert, but I have a feeling you’ll figure this all out soon.”

  “Thanks for believing in me.” She was still a little surprised that Azad was being supportive of her sleuthing efforts. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to help a friend, but that he didn’t want her to be in harm’s way.

  “Before I forget, I saw the article in the Town News this morning about Gilbert’s moneylending business. You were Stan Slade’s anonymous source, weren’t you?” he asked.

  Her lips curved in a smile. “I’ll never tell.”

  “Your smile says it all. Plus, there’s that nervous tic by your eye when you fib.” He stepped close to touch her temple with a forefinger.

  “You know me too well.” She wasn’t upset by his keen perception this time. Rather, her smile widened.

  His stare was bold as he assessed her frankly. “Like I said, your need to help others is a part of your personality and one of the reasons I like you so much.”

  Wow. Her heart did a little dance as she gazed up at him.

  His finger traced a path by her eye to her cheek, and two deep lines of worry appeared between his eyes. “Just promise me you’ll stay safe.”

  “I promise.”

  She had no intention of getting into danger. Stan Slade had printed the article. If all worked as planned, Detective Clemmons should soon find where Gilbert kept his loan papers and start looking into suspects other than Melanie.

  Azad leaned down to give her a brief kiss. His lips were whisper soft and set off a wild swirl in the pit of her stomach. She clutched the bins of hummus, afraid she would drop them. She wished they weren’t in the way and she could press against his muscular chest and deepen the kiss.

  Who would have thought hummus would prevent a heated encounter?

  Azad pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Too bad we have a full dining room out there.”

  “Oh, right.”

  Too bad indeed.

  Lucy felt her face grow warm again. She must look a mess—curly hair frizzing from the humidity in the kitchen and red cheeks. Why did she lose her head so easily around him? Azad looked cool, composed, and handsome.

  “How about we go out tonight? I’d like to take you to dinner,” Azad said.

  “What about the dinner shift here?”

  “I already asked your parents. They said they’re happy to cover.”

  Of course they did. They adored Azad, and if he’d asked her parents to work at the restaurant so that he could take Lucy out for the evening, Raffi and Angela would be more than happy to agree.

  She was no longer surprised that it didn’t bother her one bit.

  She grinned like a simpleton. “Dinner sounds great.”

  “I’ll pick you up at five.” He opened the refrigerator door for her and she traipsed back through the swinging doors into the dining room.

  Once she was back at work, her thoughts returned to her problems. Azad’s lack of knowledge regarding Gilbert was a setback for sure, but she had to figure things out soon or Melanie would be—

  “Lucy! A customer at table six is asking for you,” Emma said.

  Lucy jumped, then quickened her pace. “I’ll be right there.”

  She headed for the hummus bar, which happened to be near table number six. She could restock the hummus and then see to the customer who had asked for—

  Lucy rounded the corner and nearly tripped and dropped both tubs when she spotted who was waiting for her.

  Rhonda.

  She sat alone at a table set for two. A menu was spread open before her, but Rhonda wasn’t looking at it. Instead, she was gazing unseeing out the bay window.

  What on earth was Rhonda doing here, asking for her?

  Rhonda gave her a bland smile when she spotted Lucy. “Hi, Lucy. You don’t know me, but my name is Rhonda Stevens. I’m Melanie Haven’s sister.”

  Lucy may not have officially been introduced to Rhonda, but she knew quite a bit about the woman. Most wasn’t favorable.

  Lucy came close and set the hummus bins on the table, curious to hear why Rhonda had come to the restaurant and asked to see her.

  “Hello, Rhonda. Would you like to hear our specials?” Lucy started to pull a waitress pad from her back pocket.

  “No, that’s not why I’m here.”

  “You’re not here to eat?”

  Rhonda’s fingers curled around the edges of the menu. “I heard about Melanie’s arrest, and that you are helping my sister.”

  “I’m not representing her as her lawyer, just doing all I can for her as a friend. Mr. Winters is her defense attorney.”

  “Thank you for that. I haven’t seen her since the arrest.”

  “Is that why you’re here? To ask about your sister’s well-being? She’s not doing great.” Lucy spoke calmly, but didn’t smile.

  “What can I do to help my sister?”

  “You really want to help?”

  Rhonda sat up like she had been jolted with an electric wire. “Yes!”

  Lucy pulled out the chair opposite Rhonda and sat. “You can start by telling me about your loan with Gilbert Lubinski.”

  Rhonda’s face clouded with uneasiness. “How do you know about that?”

  “It doesn’t matter now, does it? You were right about my wanting to help Melanie. Your sister is sitting in a jail cell accused of murdering the man you borrowed money from to pay off your gambling debts.”

  Awkwardly, Rhonda cleared her throat. “It sounds awful when you sum it up like that.”

  “It is. I may not know you personally, but I was familiar with your moneylender’s reputation. Why on earth would you ever borrow cash from the likes of Gilbert?”

  Rhonda’s fingers continued working the edges of the laminated menu. “Melanie asked me the same thing. I knew about Gilbert’s reputation, but I was desperate.”

  Lucy’s lips thinned with irritation. “You didn’t have to involve your sister. You knew Melanie has a soft heart and would sacrifice to help you. Maybe if you confessed all to your husband, Melanie wouldn’t be sitting in a jail cell.”

  Rhonda succeeded in peeling away the plastic layer of the menu. “You don’t understand. My husband’s father was a gambler. If Noah found out that I’d been secretly gambling online, he would have thrown a fit and filed for divorce. I heard that Gilbert helped Ocean Crest residents when they were in a financial bind, and I went to him. I signed the papers even though I understood that the cash came with a ridiculously high-interest rate. I thought I could win it all back gambling online. I was so sure, but then I only got more into debt.”

  Lucy snatched the menu from Rhonda before it was completely destroyed. “So, you went to your sister rather than tell your husband, Noah?”

  “Melanie was furious at first. She couldn’t believe I’d borrowed from Gilbert. She warned me about her landlord, but it was too late. I was in too deep. She helped as best she could, but she fell behind on her own rent.”

  “It wasn’t just her rent, was it?”

  “I don’t know what—”

  “Cut the lies. Melanie had to fight off Gilbert’s unwanted sexual advances, so much so that she slapped him and threatened to kill him.”

  “I never meant for it to go that far.”

  “You did nothing to help your sister.”

  Rhonda’s face took on a green tint. “You don’t understand. Gilbert threatened to tell my husband about my problems. I couldn’t let that happen!”

  Did Rhonda realize she was admitting motive for murder? Was she desperate enough to have her sister take the fall? Or worse, set Melanie up by shoving taffy down Gilbert’s throat?

  “I know what you’re thi
nking,” Rhonda said.

  Lucy hoped not.

  “That I’m a selfish person, and that I would let my sister go to jail to save my own hide.” Rhonda bit her lower lip.

  “Well . . . it does seem that way.”

  Her eyes flew to Lucy’s. “It’s not true. I love Melanie!”

  As she sat across from Rhonda, Lucy thought the woman was telling the truth. She may have had a strong motive to kill Gilbert to protect her own marriage, but Lucy wasn’t convinced Rhonda would set her sister up to take the fall for the crime.

  Lucy thought about all she’d learned. Maybe Rhonda could be of use after all.

  “You said you signed loan papers? Where did you meet Gilbert to sign them?” Lucy asked.

  Rhonda regarded her quizzically for a moment, then answered. “At his office.”

  “His office? Where?”

  “I thought it was strange at first, but Gilbert met me at the Seagull Condominiums in Bayville. It was condo number nine on the first floor behind the parking garage. He told me to knock twice, then he opened the door.”

  Lucy’s pulse thrummed in her veins. Gilbert kept an office in the condominiums out of town? In a perverse way, it all made sense. He kept his side business secret from his wife and the income hidden.

  Lucy needed to search his office, but assumed it would be locked. Katie would be in full agreement regarding the search. Lucy thought about telling Clemmons or Prosecutor Walsh what she’d learned, but she pushed the thought aside. She’d gone to Stan Slade to put the police on notice of other suspects. But that was when she didn’t know where Gilbert kept his papers. Now she knew. And if she tipped off the prosecutor that she—along with Katie—were “sticking their noses” where they shouldn’t, they would put Bill’s promotion in jeopardy. No, she had to obtain concrete evidence. If not, Melanie would remain incarcerated.

  Lucy needed the key to condo number nine. She also needed to run everything she’d learned by Katie.

  She stood and reached for the hummus. “Thanks, Rhonda. You should visit Melanie. If you apologize, I think she may forgive you.”

  An eager look flashed across Rhonda’s face. “You think so? We haven’t been getting along lately, but I truly am sorry. I also want to help any way I can.”