Early Check Out

by Diane Capri

  We drove out to the metal-works company first. Daniel accompanied me inside and talked with the owner while I dropped off Samuel’s contract. Then we went back downtown, and Daniel parked his car in his spot at the town hall, and we walked to the rest of the businesses. I didn’t mind. It was one of those perfect late afternoons where the sun was starting its descent, but it was still warm with a cool but light breeze coming off the lake.

  We hit Queen of Tarts next, which was a quaint little pastry shop with a tiny Ukrainian woman in charge named Corinne. She flirted with Daniel, then gave us both a cherry tart for free. I devoured it in two bites, it was so mouth-watering. Then we went into Frontenac Jewels and Gems, a large jewelry store with some very cool pieces that I eyed but walked away from because of the price.

  After that, we visited Thunderbirds Art Gallery, which showcased local Objiwe artists. The last place we went to was Gervais Floral Boutique. The owner, Brittany, shook my hand, but her gaze never left Daniel’s face. I knew that look. It screamed, “You are one handsome man!” I didn’t blame her. Daniel was a very handsome man.

  When all the paperwork had been delivered, Daniel led me down the public pier to a wooden house at the end. The sign out front read Fisherman’s Hook, and underneath that: If It Swims We Have It.

  “Cute,” I said.

  “Francois, the chef, is an artist. I promise you the best seafood you’ll ever eat.”

  “That’s a tall order. I am from California, remember?”

  He made a face. “The best seafood comes from fresh water. Everyone knows that.”

  I laughed as he opened the door for me, and we went in. The hostess greeted Daniel by name, then led us to a table outside on the deck by the water. It was a beautiful spot with nothing impeding the view of the vastness of Lake Michigan.

  After we ordered, we did the usual starter conversations—how long he’d been mayor, what drew him to politics, how did I like living at the Park Hotel, and how did I like being a concierge…

  Which led to a conversation about why Samuel Park was torturing me.

  “And you think that’s why Mr. Park is testing you? Because your boss was an embezzler?”

  “Yeah, he must think I’m going to embezzle funds from the hotel or something. Maybe he even thinks I helped Jeremy.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You’re a victim in all of that.”

  “I know, right?” I laughed, but more out of frustration than humor. “Jeremy Rucker has a lot to answer for. He ruined several lives in his pursuit of power and prestige, but that’s not what brought him down in the end.”

  “No? What was it, then?”

  I shook my head because it was still hard for me to believe, even though I knew it was true. What I kicked myself for, every day, was that I’d missed it. Totally. “He had a gambling problem. He dug himself into a hole and couldn’t get out. He stole the money thinking he’d pay it back. But of course, he couldn’t.”

  “I’ve known men like that.” Daniel’s gaze faltered, and he took a drink of wine to shield himself from whatever memory Jeremy’s story had conjured. There was something there, something he didn’t want to share. I wouldn’t pry.

  I finished my whitefish, and yes, it was as delectable as promised, and then pushed my plate to the side. “That was amazing.”

  “Told you.”

  “That you did.” I picked up my wineglass and observed Daniel over the rim. He was definitely an attractive man, but over the course of the dinner, I came to realize that he was also smart, witty, and surprisingly well grounded. I suspected that came from his solid upbringing with a construction-working father and stay-at-home mother. Midwestern values, they called it. Daniel had them in spades.

  “So, what about your family?” he asked. “Do you have siblings?”

  I shook my head. “I’m an only child. My parents live in Hong Kong, and I don’t see them much.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “What are they doing there?”

  “I honestly don’t know half the time. But they own and operate a private club. Club Paradise. It keeps them very busy.” I finished off my wine and set the glass down, probably harder than I’d planned.

  “Sounds exciting. How did they end up owning a private club in Hong Kong, of all places?” He seemed genuinely interested, not merely curious.

  I took a deep breath and gave him the short version. “Well, when I was fifteen, Mom and Dad were managing a private club in a suburb near Detroit. We lived nearby. One of the frequent guests owned Club Paradise. When he needed a new manager, he made Dad an offer he couldn’t refuse. Chance of a lifetime, my parents called it. They jumped in with both feet and never looked back. About ten years later, the owner died and my parents bought the place.”

  “Have you ever considered moving to Hong Kong?” he asked.

  I forced a laugh. “Have you been talking to my mother?”

  He shook his head.

  “Well, no,” I replied. “Living in Hong Kong is one of the last things I’d ever want to do.”

  Daniel frowned. “You’re not close with your parents, I take it.”

  “No, but that’s okay. I was raised by a lovely woman I’ve always called Miss Charlotte. She was a wonderful mother figure for me. I was lucky to have her in my life as long as I did.”

  He smiled. “You see her still?”

  I shook my head. “Not in a few years, but I write to her as often as I can. She loves to get letters in the mail.”

  “Letters?” He arched his eyebrows.

  “She says a phone call is nice, but then what do you have? Letters are proof she can hold in her hands that I’ve taken the time to send her my love. She says she re-reads them frequently.” I smiled. “She made sure I learned perfect penmanship so she could actually read them.”

  “And do you have perfect penmanship?”

  I made a face as I dug into my purse and pulled out a pen and a small notebook that I always carried to make my lists. I opened to a new page and wrote:

  The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

  Then I handed it to him.

  He laughed as he read it. “Yes, that is quite perfect.”

  “Thank you very much. I practiced every day for years.” Then I laughed. It felt good to share this with him. It felt good being here with him. It had been way too long since I had connected with a man. I’d been so busy with my career, climbing the ladder, reaching for the brass ring, that I hadn’t made time for this. Whatever this turned out to be.

  As we indulged in crème brûlée, we talked about this and that. Daniel regaled me with charming stories about his golden retriever, Max, and I told him about Scout and Jem and how much I missed them. He told me about kayaking on the lake and his spelunking trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. I shared my love of sudoku puzzles and told him about the trip I’d taken with a friend to Bermuda after I graduated summa cum laude from Stanford Law.

  By the time we left the restaurant, we were laughing about Daniel’s dad and his older brother, Joshua, and their disastrous fishing trip that left them both in the water and their fishing poles at the bottom of the lake.

  I was feeling very relaxed when we walked down the pier and back onto State Street, which was the main road through downtown Frontenac City. It was nearly seven o’clock, and I had to catch the last ferry back to the island soon.

  “Thank you for dinner, Daniel. And for helping me deliver those contracts.”

  “It was my pleasure. Maybe we can do it…”

  I didn’t hear the last part of his sentence. My attention was on something across the street. Well, not something. Someone.

  “Andi? Are you all right?”

  I looked at him. “Huh?”

  “Are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Not a ghost. But a very suspicious-looking grocery delivery boy walking quickly down the sidewalk, then ducking into an alleyway. What was he doing here?

  I grabbed Daniel’s hand and, tugging him along,
jogged across the road.

  “Indulge me,” I said to him as his eyebrows popped up. But he didn’t say anything and let me lead him along until we stopped at the mouth of the alley.

  I peered around the corner to see Todd from the D&W duck down the next street. I pulled Daniel into the alley.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure.” I pointed to the far end of the alley. “What’s there?”

  He frowned as he thought. “I think a pawn shop. Yes, it’s Lou’s Pawn Shop. The front entrance is on the other end of the block, on Cadillac Street.”

  “Then that’s where we’re going.”

  We walked along the alley and around the corner. I pressed myself up against the brick wall and peered into the window of the shop. I didn’t immediately see Todd, but then he stepped into view as he spoke with the man behind the long, glass case that doubled as a sales counter.

  Daniel said, “Is there something you’re not telling me? Like, you’re actually a secret spy or something?”

  “No, nothing like that,” I replied without dropping my gaze from the scene inside the shop. “Just a concerned citizen.”

  Then it must’ve dawned on him, because he said, “Is this like when you were trying to find out who killed Thomas Banks? And you were asking me twenty questions?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe?”

  “Didn’t you almost get killed trying to investigate that murder?”

  “That’s totally an exaggeration. I don’t think I would’ve died from a blow to the head.”

  “But isn’t that what killed that guy?”

  The door to the shop opened. I pushed Daniel back into the alley, behind the wall, and squished up next to him to hide. I counted to ten then peered around the corner. Todd had left the shop, and I could see him walking along the street. It looked like he was maybe heading back to the ferry docks.

  “Okay.” I stepped out onto the street. “You stay here.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Into the pawn shop,” I said. “He’s up to something, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

  Chapter 26

  Daniel grabbed my arm before I could go running off into the pawn shop. “What is going on, Andi? Tell me the truth.”

  “The kid that was just in there is somehow involved in the murder of a woman named Ida Walker.”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “Because he was at her home on the morning she died. He delivers her groceries, and when I got there, the groceries were still on the counter and not put away. His name’s Todd. He told the sheriff that he had to rush out after delivering. But what was the hurry? Also, items from her house have been missing. According to Mrs. Walker’s great-nephew, Peter, did confess some of that stuff was taken by his own wife.”

  Daniel made a face. “Are you sure you’re not reading too much into things?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. But I know this kid’s girlfriend has been spotted on the streets selling old jewelry and stuff like that. Maybe Todd stole something more valuable than that.” I gestured to the store. “Hence, his visit to the pawn shop.”

  “That’s kind of a big ‘maybe,’ don’t you think? What if he’s just pawning off some old electronics of his own or something?”

  “You wait here, okay? I don’t want to get you involved.”

  He dropped my hand, and I opened the door of the pawn shop and walked in. The little bell above the door tinkled pleasantly. The man behind the glass case smiled as I approached. He rubbed at his red, bulbous nose.

  “How can I help you, miss?”

  “I was wondering about the guy who was just in here.”

  “What about him?”

  “What was he selling?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. My customers expect privacy.”

  I could’ve told him all about privacy laws and the long list of things they don’t protect, including selling stuff to pawn shops. Instead, I reached into my purse and took out a twenty-dollar bill from my wallet. I slapped it onto the counter.

  The guy swiped the bill off the glass faster than a speeding bullet. “He comes in to sell jewelry sometimes.”

  “What was he selling today?”

  He shrugged. “Not sure.”

  I slapped another twenty onto the counter. He swept that one up in his ham-sized fist, and then he pointed to a pair of earrings in the display case.

  “Those.”

  I looked down in the case and studied the earrings. I didn’t know Mrs. Walker well enough to know whether they belonged to her or not. Sighing, my gaze moved over the rest of the case, and then it locked onto something that I was certain belonged to her. A pearl necklace.

  I pointed to it. “Did he sell you that?

  “Can’t remember.”

  “Let me see it.”

  I didn’t think he was going to, because he looked at me for a long moment, chewing on the ends of his handlebar mustache. Then he unlocked the case and brought out the velvet box the necklace was lying in.

  At first blush, it looked like any pearl necklace. But I’d studied the photos in Mrs. Walker’s home. I’d noticed that one of the pearls of the necklace was slightly pinker than the other whiter ones. Before he could protest, I picked up the case and held it up to the light. I tilted it to the right then the left, and then stopped when I could clearly see the pink pearl. Careful not to actually touch the necklace, I set the case back down on the counter. I figured it already had too many fingerprints on it, and I hoped a few of them were Todd’s.

  “How much?” I asked.

  “Five hundred.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “How much really?”

  “For you, five hundred. Cash only.”

  I dug around in my purse and took out the envelope Mr. Lawson had given me for a tip. I counted the cash I had left. Three hundred fifty bucks. I couldn’t believe I was going to do this. But I needed that necklace. It was evidence.

  “How about three fifty?”

  He shook his head. “We can stand here all night, but the price isn’t going to change. Take it or leave it.”

  “You’re being quite the ass.”

  “Hey, that’s business.”

  I marched out of the shop. Daniel met me at the door. “What’s going on?”

  I sighed and then bit on my lower lip. “You wouldn’t happen to have one hundred fifty dollars on you, would you?” Then I explained to him why I was asking.

  Daniel grabbed my hand, and together, we went into the pawn shop. The proprietor raised his eyebrows as Daniel loomed over the counter. “Do you know me?”

  “Sure do, Mr. Mayor.”

  “Then you are well aware that I speak regularly with the zoning committee and the chamber of commerce. I might even be meeting them tomorrow to go over new regulations for various shops downtown here.”

  “That’s blackmail,” he blustered.

  “That’s business.” Daniel gestured to the necklace on the counter. “Now, how much is that going to be for my friend here?”

  “Four hundred.”

  “I think you can do better than that.”

  “Three fifty.”

  Daniel cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s that much?”

  The proprietor groaned. “C’mon, you’re killing my profit.”

  “How much did you give the kid for it?”

  “Two hundred.” He sighed and rubbed at his mustache.

  I took out the money and put it onto the counter, then used a tissue to grab the case, snapped it shut, and put it into my purse. “Nice doing business with you.”

  When we were outside again, I jump-hugged Daniel. “Thank you.” He pressed his hands against my back and held me there, and my heart did a little jig. I breathed him in. He smelled really good.

  “You’re welcome.” He smiled. “But now you’re out two hundred bucks.”

  I shrugged. “If this turns out to be the evidence I think it is, I don’t mind at
all.”

  He shook his head. “You’re a wonder.”

  “Like in wonderful? Or as in you wonder what the hell I’m doing?”

  He laughed. “Maybe a bit of both.”

  “I’ll accept that.”

  The sun had dropped low in the sky, and it was time to catch the ferry back to Frontenac Island. Even though I really didn’t want to.

  “I’m sorry I ruined the evening.”

  “You didn’t ruin a thing.” He reached over and drew a strand of hair away from my cheek. The touch of his fingertip sent a buzz of electricity down my body. “I like you, Andi Steele, concierge of the Park Hotel, part-time detective.”

  “I like you, too, Mayor Evans.” Full-time hottie.

  He offered his arm, and I took it. “It’s getting late. I’ll drive you to the ferry.”

  At the port, Daniel walked me up the ramp to the ticket booth. After I paid for my ticket, I turned to face him, suddenly nervous. I bit down on the inside of my cheek and had to stifle a yelp.

  “Will you text me when you get back to the hotel?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I will.”

  “Good.” He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets. He looked almost as nervous as I felt. Which I didn’t think was at all possible. What did he have to be nervous about? Did he not own a mirror? He was drop-dead gorgeous, successful, charming, and he smelled good. He was beyond a “catch.” I, on the other hand, was a bit of a mess.

  “So, thanks for everything,” I said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  I started to walk down the dock to the ferry, but whirled around, marched back, grabbed Daniel’s face in my hands, and kissed him full on the lips. His eyes widened, but thankfully, he didn’t freak out. When I pulled back, he just smiled.

  “Okay, ’bye,” I said, then walked away quickly to the ferry. I didn’t turn around again, although I desperately wanted to.

  Once I was on the ferry, I went up to the top deck and looked out. Daniel was standing in the same spot where I’d left him on the dock. He waved when he saw me. I waved back, feeling my cheeks go red. I’d never done anything that spontaneous in my life. Surprisingly, it felt amazing and not out of control, which I always thought spontaneity was—a lack of self-control.