Greg knelt beside me as I sank into the visitor’s chair by Nadine’s bed. He stroked my arm gently with his hand. I continued.
“I asked myself, why would water be running at odd times? Why would there be air freshener vented to the outside? And what might Nadine have seen in the building that would have made it necessary for someone to do something to silence her?”
“And the answer?”
“My guess — a hydroponics operation. An automatic watering system would explain the noises in the pipes when no one had water turned on, and the air freshener vented outside, well, that would cover the smell of the plants.
“I think that they had two businesses going at the same time, using the legitimate one to cover for the illegal one. On top of that, they could use the restaurant to launder money from the drug operation.
“The big back room that they claimed was going to be done over for private banquets and stuff at some point in time was, I believe, actually being used to grow marijuana.” I turned to Nadine questioningly, since I was pretty sure she’d seen what was in there.
“You’re right Shelby, but you want to know something really funny?” Nadine asked with a rueful smile. “I did peek in the back room, just out of curiosity, and I did see a bunch of plants. Only, I didn’t even know what they were. Ben caught me and his reaction kind of scared me but I thought he was just mad that I looked in there without permission. I didn’t even know what I’d seen.
“Then Ben came to my place right after work that night, just as I was getting a snack. He was acting natural, but I had a feeling that something was wrong.” She shuddered with the memory. “He insisted on coming in, said he had something to give me, but that was just a trick.”
“Did he happen to have a pop with him?” I asked, remembering the spilled cola in her living room.
“Yeah, in fact, I remember how that made it all seem pretty normal, him standing in the hallway holding a bottle of Coke looking as casual as could be, but it was part of his plan,” she said, nodding. “Once he got inside, he spilled some, by ‘mistake’ of course, but when I brought in some paper towels and leaned forward to clean it up, he grabbed me from behind.
“He had a cloth with something on it that he held up to my face. Whatever it was, it made me pass out, and when I woke up he had me tied and gagged. He was talking, telling me we were going to take a nice drive, only I wouldn’t be coming back. I can’t remember what else he said but something made it clear I’d walked into the middle of a drug thing.”
“It’s weird how you can look right at something and not see it, or recognize what it actually is,” I told her. “I did the same thing, focusing on the wrong suspects and nearly missing what was really going on. I guess a person needs to pay more attention to little things that don’t fit, even if you don’t understand what they mean right away.”
I smiled then. “It should cheer you to know that one of the things that proved Ben’s undoing was that very bottle of pop. If not for that, I’d probably still be thinking of Leo as the main suspect.”
“I wonder why they didn’t just grow the marijuana at their house,” Nadine mused aloud. “You’d think there’d be less chance of getting found out that way.”
“Not necessarily,” Greg said. “There’d be the fact that they were using way too much power for a normal household, which is what gets a lot of people caught.”
I guess Nadine and Greg and I probably had a lot more to talk about, but Mom and Dad showed up to get me then. They were way beyond relieved when they saw that I wasn’t still all looped and dopey. I was kind of hoping that their relief might take away any urge they had to ground me for the rest of my life.
Still, the thought of not leaving my own home for a while was actually pretty appealing at that moment.
Then I remembered that Betts had been upset over something the last time I talked to her. I hoped I’d at least be allowed to go to see her to find out what the problem had been. Well, I thought on the drive home, whatever it is, at least it won’t involve some sort of mystery.
That just goes to show how wrong I can be.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The fictional world often springs, either directly or indirectly, from the people and events around us. For this reason, I am indebted to those whose lives touch and bless my own.
My husband, Brent, for his endless love, faith, and support.
My children, Anthony and Pamela, for inspiring me daily.
My parents, Bob and Pauline Russell; my brothers, Danny and Andrew; and their respective partners, Gail and Shelley, for their love and encouragement.
The Sherrards, for being my second family in every sense.
My sixth grade teacher, Alf Lower, for planting the seed that grew.
Others who have been especially supportive include: Janet Aube, Karen Donovan, Ray Doucet, Karen Dyer, Angie Garofolo, Donna Guy, John Hambrook, Sandra Henderson, David Jardine, Marsha Skrypuch, Paul Theriault, Bonnie Thompson, and many of my staff at Glenelg.
At The Dundurn Group, I am sincerely grateful to Kirk Howard, Publisher, and the entire Dundurn team. Particular thanks are due to:
Barry Jowett, Editorial Director and true wit. This story is better for his guidance and suggestions.
Andrea Pruss, Assistant Editor, for knowing all the rules and for letting me break one once in a while.
Jennifer Scott, the fabulous Director of Design and Production. Her talents amaze me!
Jennifer Easter (Queen Jen) for many behind-the-scenes efforts, and for a special contribution to this story.
Mike Millar, a fine Publicist and a genuinely nice guy.
And, Vice President Beth Bruder, for fussing over the rest of us.
Chasing Shadows Page 14
