Murder Ink

by Lorraine Bartlett

  “Is that Katie?” Miles asked as she approached the group at the big table with cups of coffee before them.

  “It is,” she said. “Hi, Miles.” She looked at Vance. “Thanks for welcoming our new vendor.”

  He nodded.

  “Hey, Katie, I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Beth,” Miles said.

  The brunette was no baby but looked to be about the same age as Katie with blue eyes and a friendly smile. She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Katie.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Beth’s firm grip was what Katie expected from someone in law enforcement.

  “My brother-in-law, Cal, is wandering around here somewhere,” Miles said offhandedly.

  Beth smiled. “Everyone jokes about women loving to shop, but Cal enjoys it much more than I do.”

  “Beth and Cal are planning to take turns helping me out until I settle into a routine,” Miles said. “Not that we need fussing over. Do we, Grimm?” He patted the dog and the massive German shepherd gave a woof in apparent agreement.

  “That’s a beautiful dog,” Vance said.

  Miles stroked the dog’s ears. “So I’m told.”

  A sound at the door caused them all to turn. “And here’s that shopaholic hubby of mine,” Beth said.

  Katie followed Beth’s gaze to a tall blond man whose aviator sunglasses sat perched on top of his head. She could tell he was fully aware of his surroundings and carried himself with an alert, ready-for-anything demeanor. In Katie’s opinion, Beth could pass for Miles’s mild-mannered sister, but it was also evident to her that Cal was every bit the federal agent. Did he have anyone fooled?

  Beth introduced Cal to Katie. He shook her hand and adopted an air of joviality.

  “Katie, this place is fantastic,” Cal said. “I’ve been over it from one end to the other, and I’m impressed. I’ll admit I’m a little concerned, though. This place is huge.”

  “Stop being such a worrywart,” Beth said. “Miles will be fine. He doesn’t have to traipse all over Artisans Alley, and Katie has kindly located his booth here near the side entrance.”

  “Still, I want him to know the lay of the land. You never know what might happen.”

  Beth shook her head at her partner’s faux worries. “That’s why Katie will be showing both of us around.” She turned to Katie as she hooked an arm around Cal’s. “I think it’s adorable how protective Cal is over my big brother, but I’ve known Miles all my life. I know how capable he is.”

  They’re really selling it now, Katie thought.

  “Then, if you two are ready, I’d be happy to give you a tour,” Katie said.

  “I can do that if you’re busy,” Vance said.

  Miles quickly took control of the situation. “Actually, Vance, I could use your assistance in setting up my booth, if you don’t mind. I understand you’re something of a jack-of-all-trades around here, and I’d truly appreciate your input.”

  “Sure. I’ll be glad to help.” Vance nodded to Katie and then began giving directions to Miles.

  “Actually, if I simply tell Grimm to follow you, it will be easier,” Miles said.

  Vance shook his head in wonder. “Amazing. Wait until Janey meets this dog. My wife is a big-time animal lover, and this boy will definitely bowl her over.”

  Katie led Beth and Cal past all the vendors’ booths on the lower level and then by the cash desks before leading them up the center staircase to the second level. She introduced the couple to everyone and asked the artisans to stop by Miles’s booth and welcome him to the neighborhood at their convenience.

  When the threesome stopped at Hugh McKinney’s booth, the leather goods crafter narrowed his eyes at Cal. “You look familiar. Have we met?”

  Cal smiled broadly. “I get that a lot. People tell me I bear a striking resemblance to a young Robert Redford. Do you think that could be it?”

  Beth laughed and gave Cal a playful punch on the shoulder. “Don’t mind him. One woman told him he looked like a young Robert Redford, and that woman was his mom!”

  Katie caught the faint scent of lilacs. It smelled like Fiona’s perfume, which had nearly gagged her at the diner. That fragrance had really lingered.

  Cal’s jaw dropped in mock outrage. “Aunt Mona agreed with her, Beth. That makes two people right there. Back me up here, Katie.”

  “I can see the resemblance,” Katie said, forcing herself to engage in the conversation when all she wanted to do was escape the overpowering scent of lilacs.

  “I know I’ve seen you somewhere,” Hugh persisted. “And I’m not talking about the starring role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Where do you work?”

  “Beth and I are self-employed as eBay power sellers, which affords us the opportunity to help Miles sell his art online and get settled in here.”

  “We hit garage and yard sales, estate sales, and resell whatever we find,” Beth added. “Is there anything we can look to buy for you?”

  “Not that I can think of,” Hugh said, but his brows were furrowed, his expression grim.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you. I’m sure we’ll see you around,” Cal said.

  “The tour wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Chad’s Pad,” Katie said, leading the couple toward the tiny room where she showcased Chad’s paintings. She unlocked the door and turned on the light in the claustrophobically small room. “Chad’s my late husband. I keep his paintings on display in homage to him.”

  “That’s so thoughtful,” Beth said.

  “He did beautiful work,” Cal added.

  The smell of lilacs had followed Katie into Chad’s Pad. Had it gotten on her clothes at the diner? Was that why she couldn’t escape it? As soon as she could get an opportunity, she’d go home and change. Fiona’s perfume could turn what should have been a pleasant scent into an allergy-inducing nightmare.

  Both agents studied the room, concentrating on the artwork. Katie noticed that they ran their hands over the frames. She surmised they were planting the surveillance. The devices must be tiny, though, because Katie couldn’t detect them, and she was looking for them.

  Finally, Cal gave Katie a slight nod. “I believe Miles will do well here.”

  “Isn’t that what I said?” Beth asked. “Miles will be right at home here before you know it.”

  Katie understood that they were actually telling her that they thought the drug dealer would be caught soon. And if the drug dealer turned out to be Ken Fenton’s murderer, as Katie suspected, all the better.

  “I hope Miles does adjust quickly,” Katie said. “I don’t have any experience with Miles’s special circumstances, but if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

  “We sure will,” Beth said. “Thank you.”

  When they rejoined Miles and Vance, they could see that Vance had helped Miles unpack his wares, turning empty shelves into an organized display of vases, plates, and mugs.

  “Wow, this looks great!” Katie patted Vance’s back to let him know how much she appreciated his work.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Miles said with a laugh.

  As remarkable as keeping up the ruse was for Beth and Cal, Katie was doubly impressed with Miles.

  “Hi, there!” It was Rose, and she was talking louder than usual. Did she think Miles was hard of hearing? “I’m Rose Nash. I sell jewelry and I’m usually working one of the cash desks.”

  “I’m Miles. This is my sister, Beth, and her husband, Cal.”

  “Nice to meet all of you. I won’t keep you long. I’m training for my walkathon. I had terribly painful shin splints last week, and I was afraid I’d have to bow out of the event, but I’m better than ever now.”

  “I’m glad,” Beth said. “Shin splints are the worst. I’ve had them before.”

  “My doctor told me I just have to be careful and not
overdo it.”

  While Rose was talking, Katie realized she no longer smelled lilacs. “Rose, did Fiona Lancaster go upstairs when she was at Artisans Alley earlier today?”

  “Not the first time she was here,” Rose answered. “The first time, she just asked where you were at. I told her and she left. But when she came back a few minutes later, she went upstairs.”

  “Did she buy anything?” Katie asked.

  “No. I guess maybe she’d made up her mind about something she was thinking of buying, because she certainly appeared to be a woman on a mission when she came back. But then she left empty-handed.”

  “That’s odd.” A shiver ran up Katie’s spine and she glanced up to see that the agents were watching her.

  Rose addressed Beth and Cal. “Oh, I’ve seen it happen a million times. Most of the items sold here are one-of-a-kind, you know. If you see something that strikes your fancy, you’d better grab it while you can.”

  Miles laughed and asked, “Rose, are you the head of Katie’s marketing department?”

  “I could be. Given all the jingles I’ve heard over the years . . .”

  Katie tuned out Rose’s chatter, distracted by thoughts of Fiona, and needed to sort things out. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got tasks I’ve got to attend to. I hope you’ll excuse me.”

  Rose took up right where she left off as Katie sidled past the crowd and headed for her office, trying to remember every conversation she’d had with or about Fiona.

  Fiona and her husband made frequent trips to McKinlay Mill for no other apparent reason than they like it here.

  Fiona and Phil knew Hugh McKinney, and they’d hired Ken Fenton.

  Based on the evidence given to Katie by her nose and the dull ache in her head, Fiona had been to both Hugh McKinney’s booth and to Chad’s Pad after seeing Katie and Andy at Del’s. But how? The door had been locked. Fiona had lavished compliments on Chad’s art, but she couldn’t have entered the locked room. Could her return to the Alley have something to do with Miles? Did Fiona suspect he wasn’t who he claimed to be?

  When Katie had first met Phil Lancaster, he’d indicated Hugh was lucky he wasn’t in prison. Fiona had tried to blow it off as Phil’s drunken ramblings, but what if it wasn’t? What did Phil know? Were Hugh and Fiona working together in some way? Sure, it was a stretch, but Fiona was terribly proud of being a self-made woman. Just how far would she go to ensure her success?

  There was a rap on Katie’s door, and then Beth poked her head into the office. “Got a sec?”

  “Sure,” Katie said.

  Beth jerked her chin toward the hallway. “Walk up the street with me.”

  Katie slowly rose from behind her desk and joined Beth in the vendors’ lounge. The agent led her out the back door and into the rear parking lot. They walked in silence around to the front of the building and headed toward the east end of the Square.

  Finally, Beth spoke. “What’s up?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You got pensive earlier when you were asking Rose about Fiona Lancaster. Why?”

  Katie hesitated as they approached the uncrowded area near the building where Ken Fenton had been murdered. “It’s stupid.”

  “I don’t care how stupid you think it is,” Beth said. “If you don’t communicate with me, then I can’t do my job.”

  Katie frowned. “When we were upstairs, I smelled lilacs. It reminded me of the perfume Fiona was wearing when I saw her earlier today. The scent lingered near Hugh’s booth and I swear I caught a whiff of it in Chad’s Pad. I was wondering why she’d been there . . . specifically, why she’d hurried back here after talking with me at Del’s Diner.”

  “Do you think she’s involved in the drug trafficking?”

  “I don’t know.” Katie shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. Fiona is . . . well, she’s old.”

  “Drug dealing doesn’t discriminate. You’d be surprised at the array of people we’ve busted.”

  “I know, but the thought of Fiona being involved in anything illegal is ridiculous.”

  “Is it?” Beth asked.

  Katie blew out a breath. “I don’t know. But, either way, I have no evidence. All I’ve got is a gut feeling.”

  Beth looked pensive. “Trust that feeling.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Beth let out an exasperated breath. “Cal’s cover may already have been blown.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “As you saw, Hugh McKinney wondered if he and Cal had met before. I may have been able to defuse the situation, but it had better be me the vendors interact with. Which also means you’ve got to be doubly careful as well. It shouldn’t take us long to catch whoever is moving drugs through Artisans Alley, especially now that we have the surveillance equipment in place.”

  Katie wasn’t sure she felt any better, but said, “Thanks, Beth.”

  “Thank you, Katie. I’m glad you chose to get involved.”

  Katie glanced at the building just beyond Beth’s shoulder and hoped she wouldn’t come to regret her decision.

  Twenty-Nine

  Katie and Beth returned to Artisans Alley, entering through the vendors’ lounge. As Katie turned to go into her office, Beth caught her arm. “Cal and I will be here the rest of the afternoon, and I’ll probably be the one helping Miles out over the next few days.”

  “That’s good to know. I . . . I wouldn’t want Miles to feel overwhelmed.”

  “Neither do we,” Beth said, and with that, left the area.

  Katie sat down before her computer and tried to resume work on the budget, but she found it impossible to concentrate. She wondered if she should call Fiona and tell her that something had come up at Artisans Alley and that she wouldn’t be able to visit her at Sassy Sally’s until later—maybe even the next morning. But would that alert Fiona to the fact that Katie was suspicious of her? She wanted to wait until she was sure she could act normally around the woman. She also wasn’t looking forward to her next encounter with Fiona’s overpowering perfume.

  While she debated calling, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID before accepting the call. “Hi, Nick.”

  “K-Katie . . . I n-need . . . to s-see you.” He sounded as if he might be hyperventilating.

  “Nick, what’s wrong?”

  “I . . . I c-caught Don cheating on me.”

  “No. That can’t be right. Don adores you. Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?”

  Nick took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, he sounded more himself. “Don went down to the marina. I got everything caught up here, so I went over there to try to convince him to get that sexy snake tattoo we talked about—you remember, I told you how much I loved it.”

  “You mean, the huge, fierce-looking cobra?” Katie asked, confused.

  “That’s it.” His voice was firm. He was trying to tell her something.

  Just this morning, Nick had told Katie he wasn’t a fan of the snake tattoo as a cover for Brad’s ex-girlfriend’s name. He’d preferred the feather. So, what was he saying?

  “What happened when you went to the marina?” Katie asked.

  “I saw him kissing another guy.” He grunted, as if in pain. “Please, Katie . . . can you come and help me figure this out?”

  “Of course.”

  “Now? And please don’t tell anyone where you’re going. I’ll die if anyone else finds out.”

  “Okay, Nick. Sit tight. I’ll be right there.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

  As soon as she ended the call, Katie pushed up and out of her chair and went directly to Miles’s booth, intending to tell Beth and Cal what was going on and to enlist their help. But when she neared the booth, she saw that Hugh McKinney was there. Cal seemed preoccupied with un
packing more stock, while Beth chatted with the suspect, who turned to pierce Katie with a cold, fixed stare.

  “Hey, there!” She forced a note of brightness into her voice. “It looks as if you’re settling in well. How nice that the other vendors are welcoming you into the fold, Miles.” She looked at Beth with what she hoped was a penetrating glare. “I have to run out for a minute—something unexpected has come up—but I hope to stop back by the booth later today.”

  “Uh, sure thing,” Beth said, sounding decidedly unsure.

  Katie bit her lip, hesitated, but then pivoted. She took the long route to the front exit, pausing in the Alley’s lobby, hoping she’d been able to convey to Beth through her body language or telepathy or anything else that she needed immediate assistance. Still, Katie knew better than to count on something so uncertain.

  Pulling out her cell phone, she sent a quick text to Ray: Call Miles and Schuler. Nick in trouble. Sassys—NOW!

  Pocketing the phone, Katie walked out of Artisans Alley into the bright sunlight. Almost as soon as the text had gone through, her phone rang. Knowing anyone looking out a window at Sassy Sally’s would be able to see her, Katie ignored her ringtone. Nick had made it clear that his captor had wanted her to come alone.

  And who was his captor? Could it be Brad? Was that why Nick had used the cobra tattoo story? Or had he added that aspect—contradicting what he’d told her that morning—to let her know that his story was false?

  Katie pushed through the wrought-iron gates and headed up the paved walk, climbed the porch steps, and entered Sassy Sally’s to find the reception area and front room deserted. “Nick! Nick, where are you?”

  “Up here!” His voice came from somewhere above.

  Katie took a breath to steal her jagged nerves and climbed the stairs on leaden feet. What was she about to find?

  At the top of the stairs, she asked, “Where are you, Nick?”

  “In here. First door to your right.”

  Katie took another deep breath and approached the door, which was ajar. She pushed it open a teensy bit farther and saw a haggard-looking Nick sitting on the side of the bed. An already-darkening bruise colored his left cheek. His gaze seemed glued to a spot behind the door, letting her know where his captor hid. If Katie could use the door to hit the person with enough force to knock him or her off balance, then she and Nick could possibly prevail in the ensuing struggle.