Deadly Legacy (A Carmedy & Garrett Mystery)

by Bruce, Alison

  Jake shifted slightly so he and Kate had a clear line of sight to the door. It would have been an exaggeration saying the room fell silent upon her entrance, but the already subdued level of conversation dropped significantly.

  Silence fell when Glynis Gage-Proctor rose majestically and stepped forward to greet Jane. "Ms. Osgoode, how good of you to come. How are you feeling after such a close brush with death?"

  "It's been a difficult week." Jane said, offering her hand to Glynis, who took it without hesitation. "We must overcome our troubles, mustn't we, Mrs. Proctor?"

  "Yes, we must."

  The women shook hands and, with a polite bow, parted. That social hurdle crossed without bloodshed, the crowd resumed their various conversations. Jake and Kate looked at each other, wondering who would move first. Vince beat them to it. He met Jane with an outstretched hand and a sympathetic smile. Soon others gathered around, some sympathetic, all curious.

  "Can I have a word?" Jake asked Kate.

  She nodded.

  They stepped out of the parlour. The corridor was full of the B-list mourners. Touchstone employees gathered near the guest book, where Piper read out the celebrity names. In the lobby, others milled around, drawn into conversation as they arrived or left. Outside, the smokers were congregated exactly two metres away from the front door. In the parking lot, there were more people walking around. At the back entrance, chauffeurs chatted with catering personnel. Flashing her badge, Kate led Jake back into the Funeral Home where she asked one of the many Forestell family members if they could borrow an office for a few minutes.

  Gary Forestell was pulling out his keys to open one of the rooms when they spotted Leon Eldridge arriving. He no longer rode a wheelchair, but he was conspicuously leaning on a cane.

  "Bugger it," Kate muttered. "We'll have to talk later. I'd better intercept Mr. Eldridge. It might not be safe to let him and Jane meet right now."

  Jake nodded, resigned.

  A plainclothes police officer who was looking harassed accompanied Eldridge. Currently, he was being used as a coat rack as Eldridge threw his overcoat and hat at him. Vince might think he was fashion-impaired, but Jake recognized the overcoat as one of the high-end Endurable line. Thanks to Vince, he knew this one was from the latest collection, Steel Blue with antiqued leather detailing. Vince had suggested Jake buy the same coat in Earth Brown. In any case, it looked a helluva lot better than the tent Eldridge usually walked around in.

  Kate outdistanced him, winding through the crowd.

  "Mr. Eldridge!" she called, stopping him as he was about to enter the parlour. "Are you sure it's wise to come here?"

  "As you can see, Miss Garrett, I have my bodyguard. I would never forgive myself if I didn't come and pay my respects to Mrs. Gage and Mrs. Proctor."

  "Then please," she said earnestly, directing him away from the entrance, "let me bring them to you, and on no account consume any food or beverages. I can't explain at the moment, but you need to stay away from possible means of poisoning."

  Kate turned to Gary Forestell, who had followed her down the hall, and asked him to bring Mr. Eldridge a chair. Then she asked Jake to stand watch while she spoke to members of the family. Jake glared down at Eldridge, almost daring him to move from the chair. Then he looked over at the hapless police officer assigned to Eldridge. Poor bugger.

  It wasn't long before Kate reappeared with Glynis Gage-Proctor at her side. She must have coached the widow, because Glynis added her entreaties to Kate's that Leon not expose himself to danger. Jake was impressed.

  Eldridge pushed himself out of the chair and bowed.

  "Ms. Proctor, I would not, for all the worlds, worry you. I will honour your wishes."

  Eldridge took his time. He chatted with Touchstone employees as he progressed leisurely toward the exit. Then, just as Jake turned to suggest to Kate they resume their plan of finding a private space, Eldridge stopped and called over his shoulder.

  "Detective Garrett, would you accompany me? I think I would feel more secure with you than this fellow."

  "Of course," Kate said. "Two guards are better than one. I'll be with you both in a moment." She shrugged at Jake and whispered, "Meet you at the office later?"

  Jake nodded. He watched her leave. She was good. She managed to balance sucking up to Eldridge with placating the assigned police officer who was taking on the wooden look of a man whose temper was being rigidly held back.

  Once they were gone, Jake returned to the main room. He noticed Daniel Zeigler had left his post and headed toward the side exit leading to the washrooms. Jake decided to heed his own call of nature and followed him.

  35

  Sunday November 25

  Kate woke up on the office couch with a blanket over her. She didn't remember falling asleep. She vaguely remembered deciding to put her feet up while she waited for Carmedy. She had been surprised and a little disappointed he wasn't waiting for her. They had a lot to talk about. On the other hand, her feet were killing her and it had been a long day. Maybe a brief rest would refresh her. Obviously she needed that rest, because when she woke, the western sky was beginning to lighten as the sun rose behind the building.

  Stretching as she got up, she went to the window to see what the weather fairy would bring them today. The weather fairy was one of her mother's inventions. When she was a child, her father made her investigate the cause of clouds, thunder and lightning. He'd impress upon her the importance of weather to a crime scene.

  Her mother told her not to upset the weather fairy or she might rain on them. A happy weather fairy, on the other hand, would send sunshine and a few interestingly-shaped marshmallow clouds.

  The weather fairy was evidently undecided. Kate smiled at the thought. Then a wave of sadness hit her. Down on the main street, she could see the city workers barricading the side roads and setting up temporary signs directing transit goers to alternate bus stops. They were preparing for the Santa Claus parade.

  Kate and her father always watched the Santa Claus Parade together. When she was a child, they would arrive early, lining up on the sidewalk. Later, once he had an office overlooking the route, they would sit in comfort and maintain their own colour commentary on the event. The couple of years Kate worked during the parade, he downloaded the parade from the community access station and added his commentary as text pop-ups. She still had them, digitally archived with copies of family movies and favourite photographs.

  She heard a door open and quickly turned, finding Jake emerging from the private staircase to her father's apartment. He held a tray with two large glasses of orange juice and a pair of muffins on a plate.

  "I got some groceries in for us," he said, setting the tray down on the coffee table. "I can make us omelettes later. I thought juice and oat bran muffins would be the best way to start the day."

  "A healthy start, in any case."

  "Healthy is good."

  Kate gave a noncommittal shrug. Still, the juice was exceptionally good and the muffin wasn't as bad as it sounded. She settled back on the couch, glass of juice in hand.

  "What happened to you last night?"

  "I could ask you the same question," Jake replied. "The office was dark when Vince and I walked by. We went out for a beer and exchanged notes. When I got back here, you were asleep."

  "I tried to stay awake."

  "You must have gotten here shortly after I checked, because Valerio and I were only at Tannhauser's for an hour, maybe an hour and a half."

  "Walking? That would add another half hour or more, back and forth."

  "More like five minutes each way," Jake objected.

  "Five minutes, one way, walking on your own. Fifteen to twenty, if you're walking and talking. Even assuming you ambled back on your own..." She shrugged. "It adds up. I'm not criticising, just commenting."

  "Right."

  Kate drank the juice and nibbled on the muffin. A few chocolate chips, maybe a banana mixed in, and it would have been quite tasty. Butter wo
uld have helped.

  Not making a big deal about where Carmedy had been would also have helped. Their conversation dried up like the muffin.

  She sighed. Coffee. That's what this breakfast needs. Coffee and a fresh start.

  36

  Aggravating, bloody woman, Jake thought, not for the first time. She treated him as if she was the boss, as if he had to account to her. Not criticising, just commenting, my ass.

  On the other hand, he could have called her and asked her to join him and Vince. Not only would it have been polite, they could have pooled their information. Now he'd have to report on what Vince found out, as well as impart his own news. He wouldn't have made that mistake with Joe.

  She wasn't Joe.

  "I'm making coffee" she said. "Want some?"

  He shook his head.

  "I'm going to get more juice. Want some?"

  She nodded.

  Upstairs, Jake dropped and did twenty push-ups. It helped him reign in his temper. At least for now, they had to work together. That meant not allowing minor irritations to get in the way of cooperation.

  She was looking out the window when he returned. The bitter, earthy scent of coffee wafted through the office. It made his nose wrinkle and brought back memories of Joe and his ever-present mug. Good, bad, day old, it didn't matter to Joe. Coffee was coffee. This stuff, unlike the brew Joe usually drank, smelled like it might actually taste good.

  Kate turned and stared at him with a speculative look on her face.

  "I brought the jug down," he said quite unnecessarily. After all, the jug was in his hand. Her stare disconcerted him.

  "Do you want Dad's loft? I don't think I'd be comfortable living there, but it's a great place."

  "I'll think about it." He was thrown by her offer. "You should think about it, too. Like you said, it's a great place. In any case, don't make a decision this soon."

  She nodded and turned away. He poured them orange juice and waited.

  "The Santa Claus Parade is today," she said in a tone suggesting this should mean something to him.

  "Yeah."

  There was a long, awkward pause. Jake finally clued in. He remembered the parade was something she used to do with Joe. He needed to cut her some slack.

  She turned away from the window and headed toward the coffee. "Sure you don't want a cup?"

  "Maybe I will." He took a deep breath. "Smells good."

  Yesterday they were getting along fine. Today he felt awkward and she seemed far away. What was wrong with them?

  Hoping business would break the tension, he asked about Eldridge.

  She looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "I think he's enjoying all the attention."

  "He wouldn't be enjoying it so much if he realized how much real danger he was in."

  "No." She gave him a smile so sunny, it immediately lightened his own mood. "I'm actually looking forward to that bit, letting him know, when the time is right, of course. He's been such a pain in the ass."

  He returned her smile. "That time might be close. I interviewed Jane Osgoode after you left."

  She handed him a coffee. It was creamy beige. He took a sip. "This is good."

  "Café au lait. I noticed you like your coffee white and this is much better than putting cream in your coffee, healthier for you, too. I also guessed you wanted sweetener, so I added just a sprinkle of vanilla sugar on top."

  "We have vanilla sugar?"

  "I brought it in the other day with the fresh coffee and milk, the day you almost shot me."

  "Oh."

  She chuckled and shook her head, evidently amused by the memory. Then she prompted, "You were saying?"

  There she goes again, acting as if she was in charge. On the other hand, he told himself, really, she's just getting back to business. Right? Good God, this was as bad as when I first started working for her father. I'm second-guessing myself.

  "Is there anything wrong?" she asked.

  "Just getting my thoughts in order." A misleading but truthful statement. "You were right about Jane. There are issues between her and Eldridge. They used to be close until he left Touchstone. Since then, he has treated her like a traitor and, although she won't say it outright, she resents his attitude toward her and Proctor. There's a cold war being played out there, or there was until most of the players were killed. Jane sees herself in no man's land."

  "Does she realise she's a suspect in the murder of Felix Proctor?"

  "Oh, yeah. She's no fool. She confided she loved and hated the man. She said he was her Achilles' heel. In a way, his death frees her."

  "She said that?"

  "Pretty much. Her fear made her more candid with me than she was with you before Proctor died."

  "Understandable."

  Jake sipped his coffee. "Of course, that's not the most important information I gathered."

  He told her the results of his visit to Moonlight Games. He was pleased to note she was duly impressed. Then he was disgusted with himself again because he wanted her approval.

  "Have you heard from the forensics lab?" she asked. Thankfully, she seemed unaware of the effect she was having on him.

  "Not yet. I was going to call after our mutual debriefing."

  As if on cue, the phone rang. He opened Call Display on his computer, half expecting it to be Forensics. It was Leon Eldridge.

  "You might as well field this call," he said. "Eldridge doesn't care for me much."

  He returned to his coffee and listened to her schmooze his ex-client. She was diplomatic, but not especially smooth. Yet Eldridge, and a lot of other people, responded well to her.

  It must be something in the name, Jake thought, or some kind of spiritual legacy. To my daughter, Kate, half my business and all of the goodwill I have built throughout my career. To my partner, Jake Carmedy, the other half of the business and all the headaches of my career.

  Just my luck.

  37

  Just my luck, thought Kate. I'm finally getting somewhere with Carmedy and Eldridge wants me to baby-sit him.

  Between hanging up the phone and turning back to her new partner, she heaved a deep sigh. "Eldridge doesn't like the officer watching him. Evidently, he sticks to him like a leech. If he's going to have someone that close, he'd rather have better company. For reasons entirely beyond me, I'm better company."

  Carmedy gave a snort of laughter. "He's a man. You're a woman. That's explanation enough. Besides, you're a Garrett. Eldridge was very fond of Joe, as fond as he was of anyone."

  Kate shook her head. "I said I'd pick him up this afternoon. He has a few errands downtown and then we're going to the Full Moon Teahouse afterward. I might be paranoid, but I'd feel better if you kept a watch on him, too, from a distance, of course. I better go home and change."

  "What time are you picking him up?"

  "Two."

  "What time does the parade begin?"

  "About noon."

  He smiled. "Go home, freshen up, then meet me out front at about noon. We should have time to enjoy the parade before we deal with Eldridge. Just don't be late, 'cause I'll have hot chocolate."

  Luck favoured Kate. She managed to catch an outgoing bus. The city transit system was like a spider-web. Bus routes left the downtown terminal every half hour and headed out to the edge of the municipal catchments, then back again. Three concentric circle routes connected the lines, completing the web. You could get most places in the city with a fare-card or, more economically, with a monthly pass. Just don't miss your bus. You'd have a long wait. Kate always kept her fare-card loaded, but rarely had the time or patience waiting for a bus.

  Today she caught the bus and used the travelling time having second thoughts about taking her father's loft apartment. It wouldn't do to leave it unoccupied. After a couple of months, she'd pay a vacancy fee. That would be foolish. Yet, could she feel comfortable living there in her father's shadow? Come to think of it, when was she ever out of his shadow? And would she really want Carmedy taking her f
ather's place?

  "I don't think so!" she said aloud, startling one of her fellow passengers. She gave the man an apologetic grin and returned to her musings.

  Maybe she was a bit rash offering up the apartment. Maybe Carmedy was right. It was too soon to make a decision. Too bad other decisions couldn't be put off as easily.

  There was so much to think about. Whether she decided to move in or not, whether Carmedy took her up on her offer or not, eventually she would have to go through her father's things. That was the crux, wasn't it? Once his things were taken care of, the loft would no longer really be his. It wouldn't matter whether she lived there, or Carmedy, or Ike…Now there was an idea.

  Bad idea! No hasty decisions, she reminded herself, getting off at her stop. I can think about this tomorrow—or the next day.

  Kate thumbed the lock of the apartment. The door didn't open immediately. First a message appeared on the small screen.

  "Got company. Ring first."

  She sighed and rang the doorbell. Then she thumbed the pad again and heard the locks release. Magnus poked his head out of the kitchen.

  "Want brunch?"

  "No. I want a shower."

  "Lizzie and Asan should be done soon. You know Lizzie, we work together."

  "And Asan?"

  "Oni's twin brother. Hey, Oni!"

  A tall, graceful body draped herself over Magnus's shoulder. She was wearing two towels, one wrapped around her waist, the other as a turban on her head.

  "Oni, this is my roommate, Kate."

  The young woman smiled cheerfully. "Hi!"

  "Good morning." Kate was used to this sort of thing. Usually Magnus's guests were not. Oni obviously was an exception.

  Oni gave Magnus a kiss on the cheek and disappeared back into the kitchen. Magnus, who was only wearing a short, silk kimono, came out and gave Kate a welcoming hug. "You okay?"

  "Yeah. You having fun?"

  "Oh, yeah." He grinned. "It started with a double-date Friday night and we've been going ever since. If you're back to stay, I can kick them out."