The Wages of Cin (Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries Book 4)

by Alexie Aaron

  He laughed. “Seriously, Cin, I just want more time with you.”

  “But you already crossed me off your bucket list,” I said evenly.

  “List be damned, I think we have something special brewing.

  Harry coughed. I turned around, surprised to see him still there.

  “Hang on a moment,” I said to Sidney, putting my hand over the mouthpiece. “What?”

  “Offer to drive.”

  “I’m back. Want me to come and pick you up? This way you can enjoy the beverages, and I can try to keep my head clear by being your designated driver.”

  “If I can drive your car there, and we play it by ear later,” he said. “Oh, Cin, I’ve been to a few of these dos. You’ll need to wear some kind of dress, Alex and Harry in dress pants and a light jacket over a dress shirt, no tie.”

  “Thanks, we were discussing what we needed to buy for Alex when you called.”

  “We?”

  “Harry.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot the guy lives with you.”

  “Yes, you’ll have to get used to Harry not being too far from my side,” I warned.

  “I forgot he was your partner. He’s so young.”

  “Don’t let his age fool you. He’s smart and very capable,” I said. I reached over and pushed Harry out of the door. I shut it firmly. “I really enjoyed myself yesterday, Sidney.”

  “Me too. You’re very easy to talk to. It’s like I’ve known you forever.”

  “We have a few things in common.”

  “Bacon,” he offered.

  “Music,” I added.

  “Chemistry.”

  “Oh yes, that chemistry. Whoa, I’m still weak-kneed,” I confessed.

  “Well, I’ve got to get some work done. Do you mind if I call you later, or am I sounding too needy?”

  I laughed and answered, “Not at all. I’d love to talk to you.”

  “Good. Thanks, Cin.”

  “No, thank you, Sidney,” I said and hung up the phone.

  Chapter Seven

  “Yes, you’re wearing it,” I insisted to Alex. “Harry and I went to a lot of trouble to buy you something that you wouldn’t embarrass yourself by wearing.”

  Alex stood looking in the mirror. He turned this way and that. “I look like a goof.”

  “I told you, we can’t dress the goof out of the guy. It’s like trying to paint a pig,” Harry grumbled from the doorway.

  I turned and said sharply, “That’s not helping.”

  Harry shrugged his shoulders. He looked like he walked out of the pages of GQ. He was rocking the casual suit he bought. He had on a honey-colored shirt that enhanced his black Irish features. In that suit, he resembled Father Michael ever so slightly, but enough for me to feel guilty about my less than moral actions recently.

  We dressed Alex in earth tones, and aside from his comments, I felt comfortable that he looked well turned out. My son was handsome but uncomfortable.

  “Once this party gets going, feel free to take off the jacket,” I advised. “Just remember to bring it home with you.”

  “Okay, photo time,” Harry said, handing the camera to Alex.

  “We’re not going to the prom,” I said.

  “No, this is an excellent time to get some professional shots to put on our website. Cin, you look fabulous.”

  “He’s right, Mom,” Alex said, following us outside to the front of the house. “You’re happy. I don’t remember the last time you were so happy.”

  “Not drunk happy, but happy happy,” Harry said, putting his arm around me.

  I laughed. “I’ve been pretty miserable getting used to things. But right now, I’ve never felt freer.”

  Alex took a few shots of Harry and me. He gave Harry the camera, who fussed around until he had the mother-and-son shots he wanted.

  I next took the camera to get shots of the boys together and apart. I was so intent on focusing the camera that I didn’t hear the truck pull in the driveway until the driver slammed the door. I turned around to see Dave Buslowski walking towards us. He had lost some weight since I last saw him when he was still living with us. No matter the weight, he still maintained his military posture and haircut. His blue eyes checked out our clothing. There wasn’t anything that got by his sharp eyes. He whistled.

  “What’s the occasion? Harry graduate from charm school?” he teased.

  “What would you know of charm?” Harry shot back to the lead investigator for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department.

  I handed him the camera. “Could you?”

  He smiled. “Okay, now, gentlemen, one on either side of Cin. Alex, put your fingers down. Harry, stop glaring. Happy family,” he said and took a few pictures and handed the camera back.

  “What brings you to our humble abode?” I asked.

  “I wanted to borrow your big ladder. I’m on gutter duty.”

  “You’re mind’s always in the gutter, so you might as well be,” Harry sassed.

  Dave wasn’t fazed by his comment at all. He stared at me. “Mind if we talk, away from the infants?”

  Both boys groaned.

  “I only have a few minutes. I have to pick up my date, and he lives a ways away,” I explained.

  “A date? You?”

  “It can happen.”

  “You’re not dating that priest that’s gaga over you?”

  “Sorry, I don’t know…”

  “Father Michael?”

  “Heaven forbid. Come on inside, my makeup’s melting,” I said. I opened the front door and caught my reflection in the glass. I looked riled up. I needed to calm down. Dave was very observant. He wasn’t just a local copper but a former military investigator. He was sharp and not afraid of calling a spade a spade. I sat down, careful to fan the full skirt of my floral dress out so I didn’t crease it.

  “Sorry to just barge in, but besides the ladder, I need to alert you that we’ve finally got a court date.”

  “The divorce?”

  “No, the little terrorist incident.”

  “Sorry. Good, it will be good to get that settled.”

  He handed me a card where he wrote the information. “Father Michael and friends will have to come to town…”

  I looked up. “Thanks for the warning.”

  “Can I ask what all of you are doing so dressed up?”

  “We have a case which is mixed up with Alex filling in for a comeback band.” I filled Dave in on the situation, then said, “Don’t spread it around. It all may be just coincidence.”

  Dave was concerned. I could tell by the set of his jaw. “Coincidence doesn’t saw through steel,” he said. “You said you had a date.”

  “I’m seeing the sound engineer for the band.”

  He looked at me and started laughing. “You’re using the guy to get information.”

  “No, maybe in the beginning, but not now. He’s a great guy.”

  He studied my face. I glared at him, daring for him to speak. He backed off. “You’re serious about this man. Who is he?”

  I almost told him, but I stopped and said, “No. That’s my business.”

  “You’re serious. Gee, Cin, I thought you’d given up on men.”

  I laughed. “I’m surrounded by unavailable men. It’s nice to hang around with someone that I can… oh, never mind.”

  Dave’s expression changed, and his voice got softer. “Just be careful. You’ve been away from the dating world for quite some time.”

  “You’re not going to give me the talk are you?”

  He laughed again. “I wouldn’t be that foolhardy. Okay, I’m going to go and rummage around in your garage. Have a nice safe time at the party.”

  I checked my watch and jumped up. I put my hand to my hair.

  “Cin, you look beautiful. This guy is going to be very impressed. I am.”

  I turned around. “Thanks, Dave, that means so much.”

  I grabbed my stuff. I don’t think it escaped his notice that I took a small duffl
e holding a change of clothes with me. I prayed he thought it was just extra shoes. I don’t know why it mattered what Dave thought of me, but it did.

  ~

  I sat back and enjoyed Sidney’s story about a well-known crooner and his problems with remembering his lyrics. We were cruising over the bridge into Palm Beach. I was familiar with the area where the Richardses had their beach house. It wasn’t too far from the Harrison place. Dorothy Harrison was the woman I did a favor for when I was in England. She was how I met my first practicing pagan witch and was given the Kernow Daa to wear. It was this necklace that saved me from drowning in the bog behind the music school.

  To live on the Intracoastal side of the island was one level of wealth, to have a beach house was another. Tom Richards must have made a lot of money managing bands. Or he married into money.

  “Must be nice,” Sidney commented as we sped past high-hedged, gated properties. He slowed down and pulled into the drive. The gate was open for the guests, but a young burly man stood with a clipboard checking IDs before we could progress up the drive. There were a few cars ahead of us. I didn’t recognize any of them. If Alex and Harry were there, the valets did a miraculous job of hiding Harry’s jeep.

  The valet opened my door, and I waited for Sidney while he handed the keys over to the uniformed young man. He put on his jacket, and I smoothed the back. He bent down and placed a light kiss on my lips. I checked his face after for lipstick, but there hadn’t been any transfer. He tucked my hand in the crook of his arm, and we proceeded inside the beautiful home.

  There were quite a few people already mingling in the foyer. I spotted Meyer, and he saluted me when we made eye contact. I smiled shyly, feeling instantly like a sophomore at a senior’s party. Sidney dropped his elbow and grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the back of the house. “You have to see this view.”

  I forgot about why I was there, Dave’s scrutiny, and the upcoming trial the moment I saw the water. What was it about the Atlantic Ocean that could totally mesmerize me?

  I started to open my mouth and stopped.

  “I know, Cin, I know,” Sidney said beside me.

  I heard footsteps behind us. “I never get tired of the view,” Tom Richards said.

  We turned around.

  “You have a beautiful home,” I said.

  Tom made a slight gesture with his head, and a waiter toting a tray of champagne appeared. I took a glass as did Sidney and Tom.

  “Let’s toast the Atlantic: may it continue to mesmerize us,” Tom said and clicked my glass and then Sidney’s.

  “Sid, do mind if I borrow your date for a moment?”

  Sidney shook his head and looked down at me. “Don’t be too long or I’m going for a swim.”

  I thought he was serious. I felt Tom’s hand on my back as he guided me through a maze of halls until we found his office. Inside, Harry was sitting with his feet up on the coffee table, which was unusual. Harry’s company manners were impeccable. My distress was relieved when Tom sat down and plopped his feet on the table. I sat down and manage to tuck my skirt in around me, ladylike.

  “Good, I wanted to talk to the two of you before this thing gets crazy. I invited everyone who was involved with the band intimately at the time of Karen’s death. I had to include a few guests who had nothing to do with the band then. I asked Susan, my wife, to make up these cheat sheets.” He handed Harry and I tiny cards with the guest and their relationship to the band on them. “The K represents that they could have been in Kentucky at the time of Karen’s murder.”

  “Did you know Karen?” I asked.

  “Direct and to the point,” he said. “I’d seen her around but thought she was just another hanger on. In the nineties, there were quite a few young women who followed the band from concert to concert. She never had VIP status. That means she was never asked to join the band for… well, recreational activities. There were a number of times when she had to be forcibly removed from the green rooms. She fixated on Elijah and stalked him.”

  Harry looked down the list and tapped it with his finger. “I understood Manuel Rodriguez was married at the time. Is his ex-wife here?”

  “No, she’s in Europe, but at the time, she was nine months pregnant and home in Florida, so I left her off the list. Manny had other entertainment when he was on the road. I don’t mean to be so cavalier about it, but after thirty years in the band management business, I’ve pretty much seen it all. The guys were adults, and as long as they didn’t tarnish the name of the band, I pretty much left their private lives alone.”

  I saw that Sidney’s name had a K by it. My stomach flipped, and I took a sip of the champagne, hoping to push away the stress that was building.

  “I took the precaution of hiring a little muscle, just in case things get out of hand. When you put musicians, booze and past loves together, things can get a bit hairy. The waiter who served you is one of them; the other was the valet who checked your name at the gate.”

  I nodded.

  “Here, the boys asked me to give you two these.” He tossed a small communication device to each of us. It looked like a mini cell phone. “If you’re in trouble or see trouble brewing, just call. Both men tonight answer to the name Toby to make it simple. Susan and I also have one, as does my chef. Most arguments start in the kitchen.”

  “Interesting,” Harry said.

  “I’d appreciate you guys wrapping this up as soon as possible. The band was made aware of the light tower incident, and unfortunately, so was the insurance company. The summer tour may get canceled if the saboteur isn’t caught soon.”

  “We’ll do our best. Thank you for doing this. It makes things so much easier. Instead of hunting down the suspects, we have them all here,” I said.

  He nodded and finished his champagne. He looked at my almost full glass. “You’re not drinking?”

  “I want to keep my head.”

  “How do you feel now?”

  “Fine, why?”

  “The glass you were served has a very low alcohol content. Susan bought a case of the stuff. She usually starts serving it halfway through a party. Toby will only serve you the lite stuff, so you won’t look out of place.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “Harry, do you mind if I have a few words with Cin alone?”

  “No, not at all. I’m going to go and mingle,” he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

  “I’m not going to draw this out. In order to satisfy the insurance, all members of the tour are subject to a thorough physical examination. Since I paid for them, I got an advanced report on each of the band members and,” he sat up and fidgeted for a moment before speaking, “I got Sidney’s blood test results, and, Cin, its back.”

  I felt like I was hit with a two by four.

  “He’s not going to make the tour, and I don’t know if he’s got much of a chance surviving this again.”

  Tears flooded my eyes, and I only managed to hold off crying. “Does he know?”

  “He’ll know tomorrow. As I said, I got an advanced copy. Forgive me for interfering, but you see, I care for Sidney. I don’t want you to be with him unless you’re going to be there for the long haul. Think carefully, it’s not going to be pretty. I don’t know how close you guys are after a couple of days, but I sense you’re interested.”

  “Oh, I am. Don’t worry about me; I never get into anything casually. But I think he’s not as committed. I could be wrong. Oh, this is so sad.”

  I got up and squared my shoulders. I needed to put this in a box in my mind and shelve it. I didn’t want to worry Sidney with my change in behavior, and I needed to be sharp tonight.

  He escorted me back to Sidney who was deep in conversation with an older woman.

  “That’s my wife you’re flirting with,” Tom said.

  The beautiful woman looked up and shook her head at her husband.

  “Cin, may I introduce Susan, my wife and partner.”

  I reached out a hand
and said, “So good to meet you.”

  Susan’s eyes flitted from her husband and back to me. She knew he told me about Sidney. “Sidney tells me you’re an instrumentalist.”

  “I play. Nothing professional in a long while though. I’m happy in the symphonic bands that will have me,” I told her.

  “We have a lot of good symphonic bands and orchestras in the area. I’m spoiled for choice during the season,” Susan said. She got up and took a moment to smooth her skirt. “Well, I better go and see if Chef has burned the artichokes.”

  “Where were we?” I asked Sidney when Tom left.

  “Gazing at the ocean.”

  “Yes, is it still there?”

  “We better go and see, one can never be too sure of anything.” He jumped up and took my hand. I set my glass down and hugged Sidney.

  “What’s that for?”

  “I needed courage.”

  He smiled.

  “Hey, get a room, Stoneridge,” Manuel said, walking up. “First, you snatch Elijah’s girl, and then you proceed to make love to her in front of all his friends. That’s cold, man.”

  Sidney looked down at me a moment and then laughed.

  Since I didn’t know what to say, I kept quiet and let Sidney fight his own battles.

  “Manny, you’ve got me all wrong.”

  “I think I have your number alright.” They started talking shop, and I excused myself. I looked around and saw the coke-girls talking to Harry. I would leave those two to the capable hands of my partner. I moved on and rounded the corner, right into Elijah. “I’m sorry,” I said as I dabbed at spot of spilled whiskey on his lapel.

  “No problem, witch,” he said.

  “I believe it’s pronounced bitch.”

  He grinned. “So how does it feel to be the subject of gossip, Ms. Fin-Lathen?”

  “Gossip?” I asked, confused.

  “Yes, evidently you threw me over for Stoneridge, or hadn’t you heard?”

  “I wasn’t aware there was a you and me,” I challenged.

  He smiled. His eyes danced with mischief.

  “You started it! Why?”

  “Caroline was putting the moves on me. I told her I had my heart broken once already and didn’t need any more angst.”