A Roux of Revenge

by Connie Archer

  “He couldn’t make it?”

  “No.” Lucky smiled, but didn’t offer any further explanation. “Sorry. I should have let you know.”

  She had called Elias’s office at the Clinic that afternoon to invite him to come along to see Sophie and Sage’s new apartment. Their conversation had been stilted to say the least. After what seemed to her a long silence, Elias said he had made some other plans but perhaps next time. To be completely truthful with herself, she was relieved. She was still disturbed about seeing him in his office with Paula. It would have been too hard to pretend that everything was fine, especially with Sophie and Sage looking on. And then there was the evening at the Pub. She had been upset and was sure Elias had been as well. But she had come away feeling she was being chastised for her reaction. She had turned it over and over in her mind, and she was still convinced she had a right to be, if not angry, then at least put out that he had hired someone with whom he had been involved in the past. Not to mention the fact that Paula was actually staying at his house, however temporarily. Was she acting like a jealous lover? Probably, yes. Was she jealous? Well, yes and no. Intimidated might be a better way to explain her feelings. And threatened. There was that. Paula was accomplished and striking, and Lucky was sure she hadn’t been mistaken about the tension she had felt when she walked into Elias’s office. Even if he were being honest with himself, she suspected Paula had other plans.

  “That’s too bad.” Sage appeared behind Sophie, a towel thrown over his shoulder.

  Lucky smiled. “You look like you’re still working.”

  “Yes, my girlfriend is a slave driver. Here, let me take your jacket.” Lucky shrugged her shoulders out of the sleeves and handed it to Sage. He hung it on a peg in the hallway. Both Sophie and Sage had given up their respective studio apartments and moved to a larger two bedroom in a small building on Chestnut Street. Sophie had been decorating and picking up odds and ends of furniture. They were excited to show off their new space.

  Sophie grasped Lucky’s hand. “Let me give you the quick tour.” She led Lucky down the hallway to an open door. “This is our bedroom here and . . .” She pulled Lucky further down the hallway to a second room. She reached around the doorjamb and flicked on a light. The lamp illuminated a much smaller room that was dominated by a desk and a filing cabinet. “We’re going to use this as an office. Don’t mind the mess. We still haven’t unpacked all our boxes. Right now it’s more of a storeroom.”

  She beckoned Lucky to the end of the hallway. “This is the kitchen. This is what sold us. Check out that fabulous stove. Sage just loves it. He made some hors d’oeuvres for us tonight. What would you like? Red or white? We have a great Chilean import. Want to try that?”

  Lucky nodded, and Sophie reached up to a wineglass holder over the sink and pulled down two delicate crystal glasses. “I found these at a yard sale years ago, and I’ve saved them for ages. This was the right time to bring them out, I thought.” The wine was already decanted. Sophie poured two small glasses, one for Lucky and one for herself. “Here you go.”

  Sage scooped up a tray from the counter. “Let’s sit in the living room, it’s far more comfortable there.” Lucky and Sophie, carrying their wineglasses, followed him to the other end of the apartment. A CD of soft jazz instrumentals was playing on the stereo.

  Sophie sat and kicked off her shoes, curling up at one end of the sofa. “Sage mentioned that Janie’s been staying at your place.”

  “Yes.” Lucky took a sip of her wine. “This is delicious by the way. Thank you. I feel bad for her. She’s fighting with her mother right now. She disappeared one night after they fought, and Miriam was hysterical. I finally found her sleeping in the storeroom at the Spoonful in her sleeping bag. I couldn’t let her stay there. So I offered my sofa, rather than have her wandering around all over the place. I’m just trying to figure out how I can get her to talk to her mother and make it up.”

  “What in heaven’s name is her problem? Her mother’s such a nice lady. I thought they were real close, especially since her father died.”

  “Well, they are, or rather they were, but something’s come up that’s really upset Janie.”

  “Like what? Does her mother have a new boyfriend or something?”

  Lucky laughed. “No, it’s not that. It’s . . . something from the past that has Janie so upset, but Miriam confided in me, and I can’t talk about it. It’s really their business.”

  “Okay.” Sophie nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “Hey,” Sage said. “Try some of these.” He placed a small dish and napkin on the coffee table for Lucky and held out the tray of several different hors d’oeuvres.

  “These look tempting and I am hungry.” Lucky chose three different ones and began to nibble.

  Sage watched her expectantly. “What do you think?”

  “They’re fantastic,” Lucky mumbled, her mouth full.

  Sage passed the tray to Sophie and she took one. “I’ve been picking at these for the last hour before you arrived.” She turned to Sage. “I hope you’ll still love me when I weigh three hundred pounds.”

  Sage smiled but said nothing. He reached over from his chair and grasped Sophie’s hand. They turned and smiled at Lucky. “We invited you over because we have some good news,” Sophie said.

  Lucky was already anticipating what their news would be. “It’ll be the only good news I’ve heard all week. Tell me. Tell me.”

  “We’re getting married!” Sophie exclaimed. Their faces were wreathed in smiles.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Lucky placed her wineglass carefully on the table and slid closer to Sophie to give her a hug. “I am so happy for you!” She stood and hugged Sage awkwardly across the coffee table as he rose from his chair, still smiling. “I am so very happy for you both.”

  “Yup. We decided,” Sage said. “We’re actually gonna tie the knot. We figured, why not? We’ve moved in together. We love each other. And it just felt right. And, of course, now that I’m not sitting in a jail cell, I need to get on with my life.”

  “I couldn’t be happier for you both.” Lucky grinned. “Can I volunteer to be a bridesmaid?”

  “Of course. I’d love that. We don’t have the money for a big wedding, but we can figure something out that will be inexpensive and fun. We thought in the spring might be nice. Early or middle of May perhaps. And I would love you to be my bridesmaid. What am I saying? You’re it. There’s no one else. You’ll be my maid of honor,” Sophie gushed.

  Lucky smiled, marveling at her friend’s happiness and the joy that could have been so easily destroyed only months ago.

  “We’ll probably just have a civil ceremony in Lincoln Falls and then maybe go out to a fancy dinner. It’ll just be you and Sage’s brother, Remy, after all. We really don’t have anyone else—either one of us.”

  “That would be fine, but wouldn’t you rather have something a little more romantic?”

  Sophie shrugged. “Like what?”

  “Well,” Lucky thought. “Jack has a beautiful garden and a gazebo, and maybe we could find a harpist or a violinist to play a little music.”

  “I could organize a dinner and take care of the food,” Sage said. “That’s if Jack wouldn’t mind.”

  “Jack would love that!” Lucky said. She laughed. “Here I am volunteering Jack’s house, but I know he’d love to be included.”

  “This sounds like a lot of work for you,” Sophie offered.

  “No worries. I’ll take care of it. After all, if I’m the maid of honor, it’s part of my job.”

  Sophie looked at Sage. “Well, then maybe I could invite a couple of friends from the Resort.”

  “Fine with me,” Sage agreed.

  “Then it’s settled,” Lucky said. “I’ll talk to Jack and figure out what we need to do.”

  “Not to be a nosy girlfriend and pry, but what about you and Elias?” Sophie twinkled.

  Lucky strained to smile. “Oh, we have no plans.” In fact, we ma
y not even be speaking to each other, she thought. But this was hardly the time or place to bring that subject up. The last thing she wanted to do was rain on Sophie and Sage’s parade.

  “Uh . . .” Sage cleared his throat. “I don’t want to drag you two away from the girlie bit, but I couldn’t help overhearing some of the talk at the Spoonful yesterday—about the robbery and the guy from the insurance company saying he might have found his man?”

  Sophie grabbed a cushion from the sofa and hit Sage’s shoulder playfully. “You are a downer. I want to talk about wedding dresses.”

  Sage smiled. “Not for me I hope?” He reached over to tickle Sophie who tried to block his efforts with the pillow.

  “Stop!” she cried. “Stop it!” Laughing, she scooted away from him.

  Lucky was starting to feel like a third wheel. She wondered if she should claim tiredness and leave the two of them alone.

  “I was in the kitchen. I only heard bits and pieces, but it made me curious,” Sage said. “Did you hear the whole story?”

  “Pretty much. Although Joe didn’t totally explain how he got from A to Z and focused on this guy. He may have been deliberately holding back. What makes matters worse is that Nate still has no idea who the man he found on the road really was. Nate’s suspicious the license may be a fake. He’s called the other jurisdictions asking about missing persons, but no one’s been reported. They’ve taken the man’s fingerprints to see if they match up with any available in the database. That’s everything I know. But here’s the really weird part, Nate says he actually looks younger than the photo on the license.”

  “That’s easily explained,” Sophie said. “I’ll show you mine. Worst picture I ever took.”

  “Joe says there was evidence the other man might have been a carnival worker or a traveler, and Nate’s starting to think the dead man might be one too. If he is, the documentation could very well be fake or stolen. Nate feels like he’s on a wild-goose chase just trying to identify the guy, never mind who shot him.”

  “The insurance guy, what’s his name? Joe Conrad?”

  Lucky nodded.

  “Had he actually ever seen the dead guy—in life, I mean?” Sage asked.

  “He wouldn’t have. There was an eyewitness report when the guy ran a red light taking off with the armored truck. The only man he did meet during the investigation was the guard they later decided was in on the robbery. And he did a disappearing act when the police got suspicious.”

  “So what led Conrad to think the dead man might be the one he’s been looking for?” Sage asked.

  “Well, he admits it’s just a hunch that he wants to check out. There was a carnival in town at the time of the robbery, and Joe suspected the second guy might have been working there. The forensics clinched it, but by then the carnival was over and the casual workers were gone. Joe admits he’s a little obsessed with the one case he couldn’t complete. He said when he heard about the dead man who was shot, it piqued his interest. Now that he’s retired, he makes it his business to check out men working at these places.”

  “Interesting. And they’ve never caught either robber?”

  “Apparently not. They both disappeared. Of course, there may be more Joe knows that he’s not telling us.”

  “Hmmm,” Sophie said. “If Joe’s right and the dead guy might be the one Joe’s been looking for, maybe he never shared the money and it’s a falling out among thieves. Maybe that’s what got the guy shot.”

  “That’s one theory at least. I’m sure Nate doesn’t tell us everything either, but he likes to talk to Jack and I like to listen in.” Lucky took a last sip of her wine. She glanced at the tray and realized she had eaten all but one of Sage’s hors d’oeuvres. “Hey, you two, I’ve been a bit of a piglet.”

  “Better you than me,” Sophie yawned and stretched like a cat.

  “You’re tired, aren’t you? I should probably head home. I’m wiped out too.”

  “Well, I’m glad you had time to stop by and hear our news. Tell Elias we miss him. No excuses next time.”

  “I will.” Lucky smiled and rose from her chair. “This was nice, and my congratulations again!”

  Sophie jumped up. “I’ll walk you downstairs. Do you need a ride?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. I walked over. No point in driving.” Sophie and Sage’s apartment on Chestnut was just a few blocks from Lucky’s own place on Maple.

  Lucky slipped on her jacket, and Sophie followed her to the door. Sage busied himself picking up wineglasses and napkins, and clearing off the coffee table. Sophie was silent as they left the apartment and walked down the flight of stairs to the front door. When they reached it, she said, “All right. Fess up. What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Sophie shook her head in frustration. “Don’t play that with me. What’s going on with you and Elias? Something’s wrong. I can tell.”

  Lucky sighed. “I don’t know. He seems . . . strange, distant. And then last night he told me . . .” She trailed off. Sophie waited. “This new doctor—Paula, whatever her name is . . .”

  “Get to the point, Lucky.”

  “They had a relationship years ago. Apparently a very serious one.”

  “Hmm. Well, that’s no surprise. I’m sure there were women in his life.”

  “It’s not that, Sophie. It’s that he never, and I mean never, mentioned that there was someone he was terribly serious about, that he thought about marrying. And now he’s hired her.” Lucky felt all her jumbled emotions rising to the surface.

  “So? It doesn’t matter what happened years ago before you met him. The only thing that counts is now. Are you saying you think he might still have feelings for her?”

  “He says he doesn’t. He says he wanted to tell me about the past and he doesn’t want it to interfere with our relationship.”

  “Well, then, it doesn’t sound like he’s confused.”

  “What he says and what he really feels could be two different things. Besides, have you seen her?”

  “No,” Sophie replied hesitantly.

  “She’s drop-dead gorgeous. And she looks at Elias like he’s a piece of candy.”

  “Lucky”—Sophie grabbed her by the shoulders—“in case you’ve failed to notice, so are you. Take a look in the mirror. You might be hopeless when it comes to makeup, and you certainly could use some fashion advice, but you’re beautiful . . . inside and out. Of course he’s crazy about you. He’d have to be nuts not to be.”

  Lucky felt close to tears, admitting her insecurities to Sophie. But who else could she tell? She smiled ruefully. “You are a very good friend and I love you.”

  “Yes, I am. And I’m also right. Now go home, get some sleep and stop worrying about nothing.” Sophie stood at the top of the stairway and watched Lucky as she headed to the sidewalk. Lucky turned back to wave good night, and Sophie blew her a kiss.

  • • •

  WHEN SHE REACHED her apartment, she turned the key carefully in the lock and very quietly shut the door behind her. At one end of the hall, the living room was dark. Janie must be sound asleep. Lucky tiptoed in the other direction toward the kitchen and flipped on the overhead light. She gasped. The kitchen was a disaster. The sink was full of pots and pans and unwashed dishes. Spilled food was crusted on the stove. Dirty dish towels hung off the back of a chair. More dishes were on the kitchen table, unwashed. All she wanted more than anything was to crawl into bed, but she couldn’t bear the thought of waking up to this mess in the morning. She glanced at the answering machine on the counter. No blinking light. Elias hadn’t called. Then she spotted a note in the midst of the heap on the kitchen table. A slip of paper was held down by the saltshaker. “Lucky—I made a vegetable barley casserole. There’s a plate in the refrigerator for you.”

  She sighed. It was a lovely gesture for Janie to prepare food for them both, but it would have been lovelier if she had cleaned up after herself. Lucky slipped her jacket off and hung it on a chair. Ins
ide the refrigerator was the promised plate. It was wrapped in plastic with a heart drawn in magic marker. Lucky wasn’t particularly hungry, not after eating all the hors d’oeuvres that Sage had prepared, but she thought she should at least have a taste. Janie had obviously worked hard preparing the dish. She scooped up a bite with a fork. Not bad, not bad at all. She ate a few more bites, discovering she was hungrier than she realized. She cleaned the plate and carried it to the sink.

  She stared at the heap of dishes in the sink and heaved a sigh. These would be caked solid if they were left all night. She rolled up her sleeves and filled the sink with soap and hot water and started scrubbing. There were so many she had to stop to dry the pots and pans and put them away before tackling the next batch of dirty dishes. What in heaven’s name had Janie cooked to make such a mess? When everything was washed and stacked in the dish strainer, she dried her hands on a towel and headed to the bathroom.

  The counter there rivaled the kitchen. It was littered with crumpled tissues, spilled makeup and hair curlers. A smear of toothpaste dribbled down the mirror. Janie’s clothes hung from the hook on the back of the door and the towel rack. Couldn’t the girl make an attempt to be a little bit neater? Lucky felt a sudden rush of sympathy for Miriam. This is what life with a teenager must be like. Were they all like this? How could Janie, who was so efficient and neat at her job, function in such a mess? She was almost out of her teen years. Very soon teenage-hood wouldn’t be an excuse. Lucky wiped the toothpaste off the mirror, moved the hair curlers and makeup out of the way, cleaned off the countertop, then washed her face and attempted to brush her teeth. The toothpaste was almost gone. She had to use all her strength to squeeze out the last of it. She was positive the tube had been half full this morning. Not only was Janie a messy roommate, she was an expensive one. Lucky’d definitely have to do something to move this situation along. Janie needed to return home.

  In the bedroom Lucky slipped off her clothes, pulled a nightie over her head and collapsed on the bed. She snuggled under the comforter for warmth. The nights were getting chillier. Winter was coming. With luck, maybe they’d have another month before the first snowfall. She reached up to turn off the light. If only Elias had called, she might not feel so empty and lost. But what did she expect? She had given him a hard time at the Pub. She suspected he was angry at her for reacting the way she did. Perhaps he said he couldn’t be with her tonight because he just really didn’t want to. Perhaps he was only making an excuse, or maybe he really did have other plans. Maybe those plans involved Paula. Lucky struggled to recall Sophie’s vote of confidence in Elias. She hoped against hope that Sophie was right.