Eldridge, in his plain grey suit and high-buttoned shirt, faded into the background, along with his black laminated office furnishings and shades of grey decor. It reminded Kate of the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. Eldridge and his office were firmly in Kansas.
"Miss Garrett." He stood to greet her, but didn't offer his hand. "I cannot express how sorry I am about your father. His death is a great loss."
Just words. You are more worried about why I am here than how I feel or even how you feel.
"May I sit, Mr. Eldridge? It's been a long, hard day."
"Of course, Miss Garrett. Can I offer you a bottle of water?"
"Thank you, no."
Kate collapsed artfully into the offered chair and gave Eldridge a smile conveying thanks and relief.
"I came to invite you to the wake being held at Helios tonight."
Eldridge plunked down gracelessly, his eyes widened with surprise.
Kate proffered a sad smile. "You and my father worked together for so long, I know he would want you there. Circumstances being what they are, I was afraid you might not have heard about the wake. Worse, you might think you weren't welcome."
Eldridge mumbled something to the effect of thank you and how he had heard about the wake and was debating whether he should go. Kate silently thanked her father for one of the more useful lessons he taught.
"A wise man," her father told her, "once said, 'When the fox gnaws, smile.' Nothing throws your opponent off more than a grin. It makes him wonder what you know that he doesn't."
On another occasion, he elaborated, "You can be rude to your friends, but always be polite to your enemies. Take the high ground. Be gracious. Then they won't notice when you're manipulating them."
Kate didn't know if Eldridge was an enemy. He certainly wasn't her friend. While perfectly aware she was being unfair, she blamed him for her father's death. However, Joe Garrett would spin in his grave if she didn't handle Eldridge professionally.
"I realize this is an awkward situation. Even though it was an accident, my father was working for you at the time."
Eldridge was flustered. "A terrible coincidence, the last thing I expected. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to see me again."
"Oh, no," she said. "In fact, I was hoping you could help me understand the circumstances. I know you received threats. You brought the case to the police first."
"And they are taking care of the matter now. I asked your father to look into the matter for me. I'm afraid I don't feel the same confidence in his partner, Mr. Carmedy."
"No?"
"Not at all. No offence intended, of course."
"None taken by me, Mr. Eldridge. Carmedy and I have never gotten along very well. May I ask what you have against him?"
"Let's just say, he doesn't inspire confidence."
"I've always found him way too arrogant for his own good."
Eldridge smiled. "That's a good description. I let him take over your father's job for a day. He botched it completely. He was so sure I was being paranoid, he almost got me killed."
Kate lowered her head and shook it. She didn't have to feign sympathy. She felt it, just not for the man across the desk. "Terrible," she said. "My father would not have approved." Also true, since Joe Garrett wouldn't have let Eldridge know if he thought the man was a kook. "I don't understand who would want to kill you. Do you?"
"Personally, no. Professionally, I have treaded on many toes in my career."
Kate nodded. When Eldridge didn't elaborate, she decided to throw out a lure. "You've heard about Delano Gage, haven't you? Of course, you have. Considering the years you worked together, I can't help wondering if the person threatening you is the one who murdered Mr. Gage."
Eldridge took a while to answer. Kate watched and waited. He was thinking out his answer. He didn't fidget, like many people suddenly made uncomfortable do, or fill the void with buffer-talk as nervous people do when they want to give themselves time. It gave Kate a chance to remember Eldridge had served as an expert witness in court many times. Being questioned by her wasn't going to shake him.
Finally, he spoke with the kind of deliberation she'd expect in a courtroom. "We didn't really work together. Although Mr. Gage did work in claims at one time, his purview was more the financial and marketing side of the business."
"At Touchstone," Kate said, agreeing. "Since then, risk assessment was something you were both involved in. Isn't it possible both of you made a common enemy?"
"Your father looked into this, you know."
"I'm sure he did," said Kate. "It's probably all in his notes. I'll read them when I'm feeling up to it."
For a moment, Eldridge looked troubled. Kate wished she had a video record of conversation. Then she could go hunting for micro-expressions without relying on her memory alone.
She pressed on. "Perhaps you can tell me, did my father come up with any likely suspects?"
Again Eldridge hesitated. His eyes flickered up as though glancing at a high-mounted script prompter.
He's going to lie. He's good at being calm. He doesn't fidget. All those hours in a courtroom providing expert testimony paid off. He isn't good at lying, not on the fly.
"We narrowed it down to a few possible suspects. There are only two Mr. Gage and I have in common—Felix Proctor and Jane Osgoode."
Kate waited expectantly.
Eventually Eldridge filled the silence. "I am reluctant to speak ill of Felix, since he is the one who generally calls me in to work for Touchstone, but I think he has done both myself and Delano Gage a disservice. I always thought it was nepotism that made Mr. Gage force me into retirement and promote Felix. Thanks to your father, I now have reason to believe Felix might have undermined my position for his own gain. If his father-in-law found out, the truth could get him fired or worse. Coupled with the fact that Felix has always been less than faithful to his wife, he stood to lose everything."
"That certainly is motive for murdering Mr. Gage. Why would he threaten you?"
"I know about his affairs. I made the mistake of counselling him to be more discrete."
"What would Jane's motive be?"
"She was the one he was having an affair with."
Kate walked out of Eldridge's office feeling slightly dirty. She really liked Jane Osgoode and admired her sense of humour.
When Kate accompanied her father to business socials, Jane was the only one invited to join them in the observation games she and her father played. Jane had included her in conversations and entertained her with stories about her travel adventures. Later in the evening, when Kate felt like a member of the walking dead, Jane would be the one reminding Joe it was time to take his daughter home.
According to Eldridge, Jane harboured a fatal attraction for Felix Proctor. They had been secret lovers long before Felix got married. If she was willing to stay with him when he married another woman for money and position, what else might she do for him?
Kate tried to dismiss Eldridge's allegations and failed. They were based on fact and an intimate knowledge of the players. They also fit what she had figured out herself, without considering the implications.
Memories of past parties hosted by Touchstone popped into her mind like cinematic flashbacks. Jane Osgoode and Felix Proctor were a featured part of the montage. Jane stood out because Kate considered her a friend. Felix made a point of being the life of every party and generally gave a memorable performance at such functions. He flirted almost reflexively with every woman he met, except Jane. Jane was flirtatious, as well, especially after a couple of cocktails, but not with Felix. There was no playful trifling of affections between them. Even the informal courtesies that are normal with coworkers were absent, taken for granted.
Look for what's not there, as well as what is there, her father told her.
That's how she knew. She knew back then Felix and Jane were lovers. She guessed that they were still in love. Eldridge's suggestion they were co-conspirators wasn't that big a leap
>
She would have to follow up the lead. Did she believe Eldridge's theory? There was nothing in her father's notes leading her to believe he had considered this theory. Eldridge can't have mentioned it. So why tell her?
Because he might get away with it.
Joe Garrett knew Jane well. If it was the truth, he wouldn't need to be told. If it was a lie, Eldridge would know her father would know better and wouldn't try to manipulate him with the information, as she had been manipulated.
Kate shook her head. Fastening her cloak in preparation for going outside, one of her father's favourite lines came to mind. It didn't exactly fit, but it was that kind of day. "I'm getting too old for this shit."
Felix Proctor had taken the rest of the week off to help with funeral arrangements and was out running errands when Kate called. He had already been interviewed a couple of times by the police. Regardless, he was willing to meet her once she dropped Leon Eldridge's name.
Proctor suggested the Darkroom Café. Kate went there directly and sipped on a Rhinestone Cowboy while she waited. Almost exactly when he said he'd arrive, Felix swept into the European style café, his Endurable overcoat fluttering gently as he passed under the forced air heater in the ceiling over the entrance.
Kate wondered if Felix had picked the café with this in mind. Having done college and amateur theatre in the past, she recognized a staged entrance when she saw it. His warm greeting, with its brief hug and fulsome compliments, had a scripted quality.
The strain is showing. Usually his performance is less obvious. He's tired, too.
Felix might be able to feign suppressed yawns, but his heavy lids and slack face were genuine.
"Death is so tiring," he said, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. Doesn't help that everywhere I go, people offer me a belt to drink a toast to Del." He chuckled. "Perhaps I should switch to coffee if I want to stay awake this evening. What are you drinking?"
"A Rhinestone Cowboy. It's a double shot of espresso poured over a square of Belgian chocolate then topped up with drip coffee."
Felix waved at the server. Apparently unaware of the legendary hospitality of the Filandros family, he ordered a Rhinestone Cowboy and the pot au feu, explaining they might as well have dinner while they talked. To be polite, Kate ordered a croissant and cheese. She knew she had to save her appetite for the spread Oma Filandros would put on for the wake.
The wake. It was only a couple of hours away. Even though she had been using the event as a foot in the door, she hadn't had much time to think about it. Now it was looming over her.
"So, you went to see Leon," Felix said.
Kate blinked and focused. Stay on target, she told herself. "Yes. My father was working for him when he died. Eldridge has been receiving threats."
"Leon?" Proctor laughed. "Who the hell would want to threaten Leon?"
Kate hesitated. Which way was she going to play this? She decided to take the direct route. "According to Mr. Eldridge, you."
"Why, for heaven's sake?"
"Because he knew about your affair with Jane Osgoode."
His expression hardened. The real Felix Proctor made an appearance. He was angry, tired, afraid and it showed.
Kate pressed on. "He says your relationship with her dates back to before you were married. He says you never gave Jane up."
Proctor looked as though he wanted to hit something, like the messenger. "How dare he. Talk about a two-faced bastard. He was all sweetness and light when we talked. Offered me sympathy and single malt scotch."
And I get offered a bottle of water.
Kate held up a hand. "I'm not saying I believe him or disbelieve him. I consider Jane a friend and I don't want this to become official police business if it doesn't have to be." She reached out and gave Proctor's arm a squeeze. His eyes met hers and she tried to convey sympathy. "I'm not on the case. I don't have to repeat what I hear unless a criminal act is involved."
"I thought Leon liked Jane. Why is he doing this? Jealousy?"
"Perhaps."
She sat back and watched him.
Proctor was given some breathing space by the waiter who arrived with their food. He recovered some of his composure and started rethinking his options. Kate could almost see the gears turning.
"Leon was right about one thing, Jane and I were secretly seeing each other before I was married. Touchstone frowns on fraternization between staff in the same department. One of us would have had to move out of claims, or move to another office, if we had come out into the open. Jane broke it off. We weren't seeing each other when I got engaged and married."
"And later?"
Proctor jabbed at his peppery-hot stew as though it were the cause of his troubles.
"There was an affair later," he said to the bowl. Then he raised his head and addressed Kate, looking her in the eye. "I love Glynis, you know. We have a great marriage. It's just I never stopped loving Jane."
He took a mouthful of stew. Kate watched the play of emotions cross Proctor's face.
Felix Proctor was hard to dislike, even if you disapproved of him. Obviously Eldridge was immune to his charms. Kate was honest enough to know she was not. So she remained silent and waited for him to fill in the gaps.
"Jane has never been a threat to my marriage. It's not like she ever wanted to marry me, or anyone. She's too much the free spirit. I don't want Leon spreading stories about us, but my wife knows I'm not the most faithful husband in the traditional sense of the term. He's no real threat to me, so I wouldn't bother threatening him."
"Would your father-in-law be so understanding?"
Proctor reddened. She'd made a hit.
"Del was no saint. He was on wife number three. On the other hand, I have no intention of having any other wife than Glynis. I love her and I'm smart enough to know I need her."
"Would Delano Gage see it the same way? He might not like the embarrassment. Besides, men can be a bit funny when it comes to their daughters."
He gave her an odd smile and lifted his mug of coffee in a silent toast. "I supposed you'd know. Still, I don't get why Leon has it in for me. You'd think he'd pick on Del. He was the one who forced him into early retirement. Not that Leon didn't have his little revenge. Up until this year, Leon had the sweetest deal any contractor has ever had with the company. That's over now, but he has preferred vendor status for at least another five years. Maybe Del was threatening him in order to get him to pare down his bills. That's a joke—Del wouldn't do it. If he threatens you, he's out in the open, preferably with a dozen witnesses to testify he didn't say anything actionable."
Taking a thoughtful nibble on her croissant, Kate wondered about something that had been bugging her since lunch time. "What did Eldridge know that bought him such a good contract?"
Felix shrugged. "If I knew that, pretty lady, I might be the one in a river view office."
16
Back at Tannhauser's Gate, Jake and Valerio shared notes and a pitcher of beer. Valerio broke the seal on the pitcher's lid and poured for both of them.
"It's not that easy to drug people these days. It's not like the old days with open drinks and plates of food lying around waiting to be spiked. Most legal drugs are coated so they can't easily dissolve outside the digestive tract. They're brightly coloured so they can't pass unnoticed. The illegal recreational drugs are a different thing all together, but that's not what we're dealing with."
Jake had come to a similar conclusion, which meant the family members were the likeliest suspects. Sabrina Yao might have had a motive. The means would have been very difficult for her, even if she did see Gage the day he died. Difficult. Not necessarily impossible.
"How did those girls get drugged?" he asked, referring to the series of kidnapping and rapes everyone hoped was over now those boys had been arrested. "They were using illegally obtained prescription drugs, right?"
Valerio nodded.
"It's not my case. You should ask Kate or Mercy. From wha
t I understand, the boys would follow a girl around, find out what she liked to drink or snack on, then pull a switch on her. We are talking young, inexperienced girls. I don't think you could have easily pulled the same trick on Delano Gage."
"Maybe not," Jake said. "We know Gage wasn't killed with his own medications. They were all accounted for. None of the known suspects were taking either of the drugs involved. That means someone had to get hold of prescription drugs illegally."
"There could be a connection. We need to get the case notes from Mercy. She's got the lead. We can ask her tonight."
"Tonight? Why not now?" asked Jake.
Valerio shook his head and waggled a chiding finger.
"We have a little more than an hour before Joe's wake. I don't know about you, but I'm going to shower and change first."
"Oh yeah, the wake. I forgot. I'm not sure I should go."
Valerio stared at him. Jake shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to feeling this awkward and he didn't like it.
"Okay, I should go. I want to go. I just don't want a run in with Miss Kate."
Valerio kept staring.
"I know you think the world of her, but Kate Garrett and I just don't get along. After our first meeting, she developed a hate-on for me. I have no clue why."
"And she doesn't know why you dislike her. You both need to get over it and today is a good day to start."
Jake shrugged and took a sip of his beer.
"I'll try. I should be fine the way I am, shouldn't I?"
Valerio gave a snort of derision.
"Day-wear after five? I don't think so."
Jake moved into the Northside neighbourhood when he first came to town and didn't have much money. A high percentage of the housing in the area was subsidized by the county. The upper end bordered on the village of Lakeside, which had been annexed by the city a couple of decades ago. The adjacent streets had some single family dwellings. The rest of the area was filled with cookie-cutter townhouses, boxy low-rise apartment buildings, and the occasional postage stamp square of green space equipped with an aging playground set. Jake had a one-bedroom in a low-rise with a scenic view of other buildings just like it.
Deadly Legacy (A Carmedy & Garrett Mystery) Page 11