by Diane Bator
Nauseous, Gilda pushed her pad of paper away when she realized her stomach was growling. The clock read one and the air grew thick with humidity. The deli was four blocks away. She could get there and back before the rain fell unless she stopped at the school. Since Mick was currently living there, the school was off-limits. With a sigh, she shoved the notepad into a drawer and locked the newly repaired front door behind her.
The streets were quiet save a loud crack of a bat and the roar of a crowd. Most people were either already at home, the beach or the baseball diamond a couple blocks over. Gilda just wanted to get her food and go home. She ordered a thick ham and cheese sandwich with a side of sour pickles and a diet cola then sauntered home and opened the front gate.
When she reached back to close it, a hand grabbed hers. She sucked in a sharp breath then spun around and stepped away, ready to use her self-defence techniques on Razi if he tried anything. The man was so large he probably wouldn’t even notice if she hit him.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“We need to talk, Miss Wright.” The tone of Razi’s voice made her knees shudder. He raised one eyebrow. “I would like a few moments of your time, if you please.”
“Why?” She swallowed. He was the one member of the school she knew little about and had talked to even less until recently. “What’s going on?”
He glanced around them. “I wish to discuss Walter and Erik. Could we step inside?”
“No.” She pushed him outside the gate, feeling the need to put distance and solid objects between them. “We can talk right here.”
“After all I have done for you lately, you still do not trust me?”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, Razi. For all I know, you’re a mass murderer and I’m next on your list.”
“True enough. In my own defense, however, you could also be the killer. Perhaps we could we sit in a public place and you can learn what I have to say while you eat your lunch.”
Awkward English, but Gilda got the drift. “We can sit on the front porch.”
He bowed then followed her up the steps and sat on the bench that usually served as her outdoor coffee table. “I am sorry you are afraid I may do something bad to you.”
She set her food on the table and offered him a pickle. “I’m sorry too. None of us knows who to trust anymore. I’d never even seen a dead body before last Friday.”
“I have. It is not an experience I wish to repeat.”
Her breath stuck in her throat. “You have? When?”
“When I was a soldier in Israel.” He met her gaze, his eyes dark. “I am trained to kill, Miss Wright. If I wanted, I could snap your neck like a twig and people would think you fell asleep.”
“Comforting thought. Thanks for the heads-up.” She had a dozen questions, but held them all inside.
“I have no reason to harm you. I want to help you. Walter knew about something about my past I would rather not be made known. He tried to force me to give him money so he would not tell Sensei Mick.”
“Walter blackmailed you?” she asked. “Just because you were a soldier?”
“He tried to blackmail me, but not because I was a soldier. Because of something I did that forced me to leave everything that was important to me behind.” Razi gazed out at the street. “I did not play his game. I told Sensei Mick knows my story. I have kept no secrets from him.”
Gilda offered him a cup of tea. “I probably have some cookies in the freezer.”
“Thank you, but I must go now.” Razi stood and bowed again. “Would you like to know what I told Sensei Mick?”
“That depends.” She wiped her palms on a napkin. “Did you kill Walter or Erik?”
“No, Miss Wright.” He never even flinched. “I swear on my life I did not.”
“Then I guess what you told Sensei Mick doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“It does not,” Razi smiled. “Thank you for listening.”
Relief washed over Gilda, but her biggest question remained. If neither Mick nor Razi were the killer, who was?
She did yoga then curled up with a novel, hoping to take her mind off the insanity for a short time. In the back of her mind she replayed the crime scenes and relived the fear of realizing she wasn’t in the school alone. What had she missed?
Mick called late that afternoon. “Why aren’t you at work? I need some things done and when I got here, you were already gone.”
She stared at her candle and fought to keep her breath even. “I was never there.”
“Why? Because of this whole murder thing? When Walter died, you were always here. What changed?”
“You’re a jerk.” Gilda hung up. She stormed into the kitchen and tore apart an entire head of lettuce with her fingers before Mick phoned back. “What do you want?”
This time he hesitated. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Yesterday was rough for all of us.”
“I e-mailed everyone and told them not to come back to classes until after Erik’s funeral.” She sagged into a chair.
His tension was palpable even over the phone. Having no classes for the past week was already financial suicide for the karate school, especially under the circumstances. “That’s a good idea. I’ll check the messages and e-mails then we can get things back on track.”
“How?” she asked, glad she was several blocks out of his reach. “In case you missed the newsflash, we’ve had two instructors murdered in the past week. Murdered, Mick. Not dropped dead from heart failure or an aneurysm. Somebody killed them in the school.”
“I get it, Gilda.”
“I don’t think you do.” She chopped a tomato into her salad. “None of this is random. Someone is targeting the instructors at our school. Our staff. You or I could be next.”
“Not you,” he said softly.
She snorted. “Why not me? Don’t you think I’m important enough to kill?”
“Oddly enough.” Mick chuckled. “All I’m saying is there seems to be a pattern. Remember that HILT thing? The four possessions?”
“How could I forget it? It’s all I’ve thought about since Walter’s funeral.” Well, that and Mick kissing her in her kitchen. She attacked a miniature cucumber as though slaughtering a defenseless vegetable would make her feel better.
“Five black belts. Four kanji. Three black belts left, two kanji. The odds are not in my favor.”
Her breath stuck in her chest. “Do you still think either Razi or Xavier is the killer?”
“Yeah? Well, it seems to me Gary has been nosing around an awful lot. With his background, it’s hard to say what he’d do.” After a prolonged silence, he sighed. “All I’m saying is to be careful who you talk to, Sherlock, and watch your back.”
Gilda hung up and stared at the fragments of lettuce and other assorted vegetables on the counter. Her appetite gone, she put them away for later. She laced up her shoes and headed out for a run, in spite of the afternoon heat, too restless to sit and fret. Short of setting up surveillance cameras in the dojo, she had no idea how to catch the killer.
Chapter 23
When a dark sedan slowed beside her, Gilda gulped. She should have run through the park where no one would see her. Gary leaned out of the window and smiled. “You’re a popular lady. You seem to have a lot of gentlemen callers lately.”
“What do you want?” She eyed the upcoming path to Ponderer’s Point. The point was a dead end. Whatever Gary wanted with her, she’d have no way out to safety. On her side of the street, a dirt trail led to the riverside park.
“It’s okay. I won’t tell your mom,” he said. “I just hope you’re charging enough.”
Outraged, Gilda stopped and her jaw dropped. “Are you calling me a prostitute?”
“I’m joking. Get in. We need to talk.”
“Absolutely not.” She put her hands on her hips. “Unless you know who killed both Walter and Erik and have a mountain of evidence, I have nothing to say to you.”
“Wow, you sound like
your dad.” Gary pulled his car into the lot at Ponderer’s Point.
When he turned off the engine, Gilda’s heart pounded. Did he know something or was she his next target?
She could run in the opposite direction and disappear into the maze of trails that criss-crossed through Sandstone Cove. If she went home, she could barricade the doors and windows from the inside. She banished both thoughts and crossed the street, her curiosity more overwhelming than her fear.
Gary leaned against his car and waited for her. “You really are just like your dad, you know. More nosy than cautious. You even walk the same.”
“I’m not here for a stroll down memory lane.” She frowned. “What do you want?”
“What do you want to know?” He nodded toward the wooden boardwalk. “My legs are stiff. Walk with me.”
“To where? The end of the point where there are no witnesses.” Gilda stood her ground. “You’re not planning to kill me and dump me in the surf, are you?”
Gary gave a deep laugh. “Honey, you’re young, fit, and know karate. If we got into a fight, you’d have the upper hand.”
“Unless you have a gun.”
He held his hands out at both sides. “You want to search me?”
“No thanks,” she said.
“That’s probably for the best.” Gary grinned. “From what I hear, people are already talking. No point giving them more to gossip about.”
People like Thayer and Chloe. She blew out a breath. “Let’s walk and you can tell me what you know about Mick and the karate school.”
“Deal.” He steered her toward the wooden boardwalk and stuck his hands in his pockets. “How long have you known Mick?”
“I thought this was your story, not mine.”
“You’re the boss.” Gary stuck his hand in his pockets. “I’ve known Mick five years since he moved to town. Back when he first wanted to invest in Yoshida’s school and his money was tied up in other investments.”
“But he actually had the money?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. He was good for it.” He paused. “Up until his wife left him anyway. He’s not the kind of guy to blow a lot of cash on just anything.”
“Except gambling on horse races.” Gilda snorted.
He smiled. “Actually, that wasn’t his doing, but I love to make him sweat.”
She stared. “What do you mean by that?”
Gary jingled coins in his pocket. “Like I said, he came to me to borrow some money. Yoshida had set a deadline and wasn’t cutting the kid any slack, so he came to me for a short term loan.”
“How short term?” She glanced around, dismayed there were no other people in sight. Gary could throw her body in the lake and never be caught.
“Thirty days,” he said. “Mick repaid the full amount plus interest in ten. I liked the kid from the start. He was smart, honest, and hated owing anyone money.”
“That’s it? He borrowed money and repaid it. That’s the end of your story?”
“Hardly.” Gary stopped and turned to meet her gaze. “Yoshida never wanted to open a school in Sandstone Cove. Mick pushed to open the school near the beach, but once he had the money and had found a building, Yoshida upped the ante. He wanted a bigger cut when he realized Mick’s crazy ideas would actually work.”
Gilda looked toward the waves. “So Mick came back to you for more money.”
“Nope. He was smart enough to liquidate more than enough assets so he could do some renovations and buy merchandise. The next time we met it was by chance in a local bar. He joked about hiring a hit man to make Yoshida disappear.”
Her breath stuck in her throat. Had she been wrong and Yoshida could be the next victim? “Are you sure it was a joke?”
“When I made him a reasonable offer, he flat out refused,” Gary said.
“That was years ago. What if he’d changed his mind since then? He and Yoshida have had a few ugly run-ins lately.”
“So I’ve heard. Were any attempts made on Yoshida’s life?” he asked.
“Not that I know of.” She paused. “How would I find out?”
He scratched his chin. “Maybe he filed a police report.”
“I doubt it. He doesn’t seem like the type of person who’d run to the police. I think he’d stew about it and get revenge.” Gilda sucked in a sharp breath. She hadn’t actually considered Yoshida a suspect.
“Seriously?” Gary took her arm as if he sensed the sudden weakness in her legs and they resumed their walk toward the point. “Do you really think Yoshida would simply seek revenge on whoever wronged him?”
“I think it’s far more likely than him going to the police.” Her head throbbing. “Do you know Yoshida very well?”
He grimaced. “We’ve met. He strikes me as being cold-blooded and greedy.”
An accurate assessment as far as she was concerned. Yoshida frightened her, especially now when he seemed to make the effort to remember names and put in appearances at the funerals. Mick had hosted many events over the past two years, yet Yoshida remained distant. Now it seemed like he wanted to be seen. Why choose to be involved now?
“He’s been around town a lot more lately, hasn’t he?” Gary seemed to read her thoughts.
She raised her eyebrows. “Yoshida? Yeah. It’s a bit unnerving.”
“And you’re wondering what he’s up to.”
Gilda shrugged him off. “The thought hadn’t really crossed my mind until lately.”
“He has a girlfriend.”
“Jade Levy. So I heard.”
He deflated then chuckled. “Mick was right. You’re shrewd.”
“It was a guess. Actually, I’ve heard a lot of different rumors.” She turned to let the wind blow the hair off her face. Billowing black storm clouds rolled across Lake Erie toward them. “When did Mick talk to you about me?”
“We bumped into each other at the café the other day and spent more time talking about you than anything else.” He shrugged. “We both have an interest in your personal well-being.”
Gilda flinched. “I thought you would’ve talked about Chloe and Mick’s debt.”
“We did.” Gary laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, honey, business first. Mick heard rumours people have seen us together lately. He made me promise not to hurt you.”
Her eyes widened. “He threatened you? Was he crazy?”
“Oh, he’s something, but I’m not sure crazy is the right word,” he said. “It seems he cares a great deal about you.”
Gilda snorted. “The only person Mick Williams cares about is himself. As far as he’s concerned, the whole world revolves around him and whatever he wants.”
“I can tell you for a fact that you’re wrong.” He picked up a stone and tossed it into the waves. “Maybe losing both Walter and Erik has made him realize what’s important.”
“He told you that?” She pulled wisps of her hair out of her face again.
“That and more, honey. Much, much more.”
“How did you know about Yoshida and Jade?” She wasn’t ready to hear about his and Mick’s conversation about her yet.
“You and I have a mutual friend who knows the truth.” He scooped up another stone and clenched it in his fist. “I hear Chloe stopped by to see you the other night. What did she want?”
Gilda hesitated. “For me to stay away from you and Mick.”
“Me?” He laughed. “Is she afraid you’ll become her new stepmother? Let her worry. It’ll do her good to have no control over things for once. She’s all bark and no bite. She might carry my last name and my DNA, but that’s all she’s got.”
“Good to know.” Gilda spotted a flat, white stone and picked it up. She pulled back her arm and tossed the stone into the waves. “What about your friend who knows about Yoshida?”
“Consider yourself safe,” Gary said.
She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her mouth. “Why is that?”
He threw the rock into the white caps. “Word is around town is that you’re und
er my protection. Anyone who lays a hand on you will be dealt with accordingly.”
Gilda’s stomach sank. His words did little to comfort her.
Chapter 24
Despite having her nerves rattled, Gilda didn’t take the short route home. She jogged across town and through the park to think then back to the beach. Slipping off her running shoes, she waded through the water to cool her feet before she padded home barefoot.
She wanted to call Marion and find out if she’d heard more about either murder. Odd how Marion had been scarce since their trip to the hospital. They hadn’t even talked about their weekly brunch at The Cove. Was she afraid Gilda was the killer?
“You don’t listen very well, do you?” Thayer caught up to her on her way home from the beach. “I told you to stay away from Gary Del Garda.”
“Are you stalking me?” she asked. “You really need a better hobby, you know.”
He paused to open her front gate then followed her to the front steps. “I’m investigating two murders and you happened to find both bodies. It’s not out of line to think you may be involved.”
Gilda shook her head. “I told you before. I never killed anyone.”
“I know you didn’t.” Thayer flicked something off his shirt. “You couldn’t hurt a bug.”
She tossed her shoes near the front door and sat on a step. No way was he getting into her house without a warrant. Not that she had anything to hide. It was more about making clear where he stood. “Then what is it you really want?”
“To tell you to stay away from Gary.” He straightened his pale blue shirt. “He’s a bookie and a convicted murderer, not to mention he’s at least twice your age.”
“You talked to Chloe,” she said. “What’s age got to do with anything?”
Thayer sat next to her. “You should date someone your own age. Someone who knows everything about you and would do anything for you.”
“Like Mick or Razi?” she asked.
“Like me.” His face reddened. “You and I had a great thing going, way back when. Maybe we should give things a second chance.”
“You’re a liar and a cheater and you never think of anyone except yourself.” She picked a giant rhododendron that lay on the lowest step.