Dead Man's Hand

by Lorraine Bartlett

  He didn’t stop, nor did he turn around. He went through the door and collapsed onto the tarmac.

  “Jamie!” Katie ran outside and knelt by his side.

  A group of passersby stopped to see what was wrong.

  “Someone please call nine-one-one!” Katie took Jamie’s hand. It was clammy and his lips had a bluish cast to them. “Jamie, can you hear me?”

  His eyes fluttered open. “Don’t…tell….” A roar of thunder cut off his words as his eyes drifted shut again.

  A fat raindrop pelted the pavement before the torrent began in earnest. She was grateful Jamie was under Tealicious’s eaves.

  Katie placed her fingers at the side of Jamie’s neck. Thankfully, he still had a pulse, but it was weak and erratic. She removed her jacket and placed it beneath his head.

  Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Moonbeam standing behind her. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Yes. Would you go inside and ask Brad to come here?” she asked.

  With a nod, Moonbeam hurried back inside Tealicious.

  “Give the man some room!”

  This directive was shouted by Ray Davenport, former Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detective, the current owner of Wood U, and one of Katie’s best friends.

  “Jamie Siefert?” Ray asked. “What happened?” He, too, took Jamie’s pulse, grimaced, and then gently opened one of the man’s eyes.

  “He was having lunch and then he came out here and collapsed,” Katie said, realizing that as a former police officer, Ray probably knew Jamie from the medical examiner’s office and that he was also trained in basic first aid.

  “Was he alone?” Ray’s thick eyebrows came together like curious caterpillars as he unbuttoned the first three buttons of Jamie’s shirt.

  “No. He was with a woman.” Katie looked around. “I don’t see her, though.”

  Brad was suddenly by Katie’s side. “Moonbeam said you needed me.” He took in the fact Jamie lay prone on the asphalt and gasped. “What happened?”

  “Call Seth!” Realizing Jamie was seriously ill, Katie thought it best that Seth didn’t drive himself to the hospital. “Scratch that. call Nick, ask him if he can go get Seth. Tell Seth that Jamie’s sick and that he’s been taken to the hospital.” The local volunteer ambulance crew arrived—lights and sirens blazing—so Katie had to shout the rest of her message. “Tell Nick I’ll meet them there. I’m going to ride along with Jamie.”

  Inside the ambulance, Katie sat on a bench seat next to the stretcher. The rain pounding against the roof of the vehicle could be heard over the sound of the siren. As the paramedic took Jamie’s blood pressure, he peppered Katie with questions she couldn’t answer.

  “How was he before he collapsed?”

  She didn’t know.

  “What did he eat for lunch?”

  No idea—but she could find out.

  “Had he eaten anything prior to lunch?”

  “I don’t know. I do know that he had an upset stomach last night when we were playing poker at a friend’s house,” Katie said.

  Jamie’s ominous words don’t tell replayed themselves in her mind. What had he been going to say? Had he been going to ask her not to tell Seth about his being at Tealicious? Or the woman he was having lunch with? Or had he been about to say, don’t tell Brad I hated my lunch or don’t tell Brad lunch made me sick? But had lunch made him sick? As she’d just pointed out to the paramedic, he’d been ill the evening before. Had she—and everyone else at Sassy Sally’s—missed some indication of how sick Jamie had truly been? But apparently, not even Jamie knew. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been at Tealicious.

  Katie realized the paramedic was addressing her again. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I asked if you’re his next of kin.”

  Eyes widening, Katie said, “No! I mean, I’ve…his partner is on his way to the hospital…but he’s… Jamie’s going to be fine…isn’t he?”

  The paramedic wouldn’t meet her gaze.

  At the hospital, the ambulance’s back doors were thrown open, and Katie kept out of the way while the emergency medical technicians swept Jamie out of the vehicle and into the building. Feeling bewildered, Katie walked through the ER’s public entrance.

  “Are you here with a patient?” the security officer asked.

  Katie nodded and he handed her a visitors’ sticker, which she slapped onto her shoulder. She then headed toward the reception desk. The woman she knew who’d been manning the desk the last time she’d been at this emergency room wasn’t there. In her place was a man who seemed too preoccupied to notice her existence.

  Approaching the desk, she said, “Hello. My friend was brought here in an ambulance, and they just took him back. May I go—?”

  “Katie!”

  She turned at the sound of Seth’s voice. His complexion was pale, and his fists were clenched in what she could only interpret as fear. “Seth.” She lunged toward him and they hugged. “We just got here. The EMTs took Jamie in back.” She nodded toward the treatment rooms beyond.

  “Where is he?” Nick demanded of the man at the desk.

  “Are you family?”

  “He’s my partner,” Seth said.

  “Married?” the man at the reception desk asked him.

  “Well, no, but we’re engaged,” he lied.

  “That’s not family.”

  “Look, I’m also his attorney.”

  “Unless you’ve got his health-care proxy, I can’t give you any information. HIPAA laws—”

  “I know all about that,” Seth stated.

  “Hey, man, show a little compassion,” Nick berated the guy.

  The man snorted a breath. “Let me check.” He picked up his handset, called the nurses’ station, and explained the situation. “Yes. I see.” He glanced at the trio. “I’ll let them know.” Hanging up the phone, he said, “There’s a team currently examining the patient. The doctor will be out to speak with you as soon as he can.”

  “Thank you,” Seth said.

  Nick squeezed Katie’s hand, and they shared a worried look behind Seth’s back. A team? That couldn’t be good. Especially in light of the paramedic’s next of kin question.

  “What happened?” Seth demanded, pacing in front of the automatic double doors.

  The entrance doors whooshed open, and a woman brought her crying baby into the waiting area. As she rushed to the reception desk, Nick herded Seth and Katie to a deserted corner of the room.

  “He was having lunch at Tealicious,” Katie said. “I met Moonbeam there, but I saw Jamie across the room. He seemed fine.”

  Seth resumed his pacing. “Was he alone?”

  “He was with a woman. I only saw her from behind. Does he have a sister?”

  Seth sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “No.”

  “You have no idea who this woman could’ve been?” Nick asked Katie. “You hadn’t seen her in Tealicious before?”

  “As I said, I didn’t see her face, but I didn’t recognize her. She was sharply dressed and appeared to be some sort of professional.”

  Nick looked from Katie to Seth. “Maybe she was a doctor. He was sick last night at the party.”

  Seth stopped pacing long enough to arch a brow at Nick. “What kind of doctor meets patients at a tea shop?”

  Inclining his head, Nick said, “An off-the-books consultation maybe?”

  “I never dreamed Jamie was sick enough to collapse in the street.” Seth let out a groan. “He was up and down all night. I should’ve insisted on bringing him to the emergency room this morning, but he said he was okay and had some errands to run.”

  “Stop beating yourself up,” Nick said. “Jamie had medical training. Had he believed anything was seriously wrong, he wouldn’t have had to be told to go to the doctor. Right? I mean, sometimes these things creep up on you. Like low blood pressure. One minute you’re fine—the next minute you’re on your back looking up at the ceiling wondering what happened.”


  Katie placed a hand on Nick’s arm. “Oh, no!”

  “It didn’t happen to me,” he said. “It was my uncle. But it was sudden, and it scared the crap out of my aunt and cousins. But it turned out to be no big deal.”

  “I won’t feel better until I’ve seen Jamie and spoken with the doctor.” Seth started back toward the reception desk just as a scrubs-clad man emerged from the doors leading to the examination bays.

  “Family of James Seifert?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Seth hurried forward. “How is he? Can I see him now?”

  “I’m Dr. Adams. Come with me please.”

  “All of us?” Nick asked.

  With a nod, the doctor said, “Yes.”

  He ushered them into a private consulting room. Noticing pamphlets on grief in acrylic holders and boxes of tissues placed about the room, Katie put her hand on the back of a chair to steady herself.

  “Please take a seat,” the doctor said.

  “No, thank you.” Seth’s voice wavered slightly. “I want to see Jamie. I want to see him now.”

  “I’m very sorry, but Mr. Seifert has died.”

  Chapter 3

  Katie felt as though she had weights tied to her legs as she trudged up the stairs to her apartment. Nick had dropped her off before driving Seth home. Don was heading across the county to pick up Jamie’s mother and would meet them there. Not wanting to be in the way, Katie had promised Seth she’d see him the following day.

  Upon opening the door, both cats immediately insisted they were starving, crying piteously. As she fed them, Katie realized she hadn’t eaten all day. But rather than feeling hungry, she felt nauseous.

  She sank onto the love seat and decided to call Moonbeam. After all, Jamie’s emergency had interrupted their lunch, and she figured Moonbeam would want to know the outcome.

  “Katie.” Somehow, Moonbeam managed to infuse warmth, compassion, and sympathy into that single word.

  “You already know?” Katie asked.

  “I didn’t,” she said. “But now I do. And I’m so very sorry.”

  Finally succumbing to the tears she’d been fighting since Jamie had collapsed, Katie said, “I…I didn’t mean to do this.”

  “Don’t you worry, hon, I’ll be right over.”

  “That’s not—” Katie had been going to tell Moonbeam that wasn’t necessary, but her friend had already ended the call.

  By the time Moonbeam arrived, Katie had pulled herself together and put on a pot of tea. Being thoughtful, Moonbeam brought a package of shortbread cookies.

  “My mom always noshed on shortbread during a crisis,” she said, placing the cookies on a plate on the bistro table. “She passed the tradition down from her own mother—part of our Scottish heritage, I suppose. But I do find it soothing.”

  “My great Aunt Lizzie was a Scot. Do your parents live nearby?” Katie poured them each a cup of coffee.

  “No, they live in California.” Moonbeam sat at the table. “How is Seth holding up?”

  “I believe he’s in shock.” After placing cups, napkins, and dessert plates on the table, Katie sat opposite Moonbeam. “Other than Jamie having an upset stomach last night and this morning, Seth said he seemed fine. He guessed Jamie had a stomach virus.”

  Moonbeam took a cookie and dunked it into her tea. “How did Jamie look at the hospital?”

  “When we arrived, he looked much like he did when he collapsed in front of Tealicious except that his lips had taken on a bluish tinge.” Shuddering, she took a sip of her tea.

  “How did he look after he died?” Moonbeam asked.

  “Nick and I didn’t go in with Seth. We felt we should respect his privacy.”

  Moonbeam nibbled on a cookie for a moment and then said, “I have a strong feeling Jamie was poisoned.”

  “You mean food poison or—?”

  “No. I believe he was intentionally poisoned.”

  Katie mulled her friend’s words over before speaking again. “You don’t think Seth—?”

  Shaking her head, Moonbeam said, “No, not Seth. And this is merely intuition talking. But it’s a very strong perception.”

  “Who’d want to do such a thing?” Katie asked.

  Moonbeam merely shrugged.

  “We need to find the woman Jamie was having lunch with,” Katie said.

  Moonbeam nodded. “Yes, we do.”

  After Moonbeam left, Katie figured she had better call Brad to let him know what had happened at the hospital.

  “Katie, Nick told me about Jamie. I’m so sorry.” He blurted out the words as soon as he answered. “I swear the food is all fine. No one else got sick—I checked.”

  “I know it wasn’t the food. He was sick to his stomach last night at Nick and Don’s,” Katie said. “Do you know the woman Jamie was with?”

  “He was with a woman?” he asked.

  “Yes. He was with a brunette—nicely dressed. I didn’t get a look at her face.”

  “Meet me in the shop, and we’ll go through the day’s receipts. Maybe she paid for lunch.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Katie ended the call, hurried downstairs, and turned on the lights in the kitchen.

  By the time Brad got there, she’d made them a pot of chamomile tea.

  He greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “This is unbelievable.”

  “I know,” she said. “Did Nick say how Seth is doing?”

  “He said Seth’s doctor had come to the house and given him a sleeping aid. Seth hadn’t wanted to take it, but the doc—who’s also a friend—insisted that he and Jamie’s mom both take one and get some rest.”

  She closed her eyes. “Jamie’s mom. Poor thing. What’s her name again?”

  “Suzanne,” Brad said. “She’s staying with Seth tonight.”

  “That’s good. Does she…” There was no delicate way to ask. “Doesn’t she have anyone else?”

  Brad shook his head. “Not around here at least. Her husband is dead, and Jamie was an only child.”

  Blowing out a breath, Katie said, “I hope we can find out what happened. Moonbeam believes Jamie was poisoned.”

  His lips tightened. “A lot of customers ate the same things as Jamie ordered.”

  “Not that kind of poison.” With a trembling hand, she poured the tea.

  “Oh, that’s ridiculous. She’s only trying to perpetuate her status as a—” He waved his hand. “Woo-woo authority.”

  “She didn’t say it was a psychic vision or anything.” Katie felt a bit defensive on Moonbeam’s behalf. “She said it was intuition.”

  “Right," he scoffed, picked up his cup and took a sip. “What did the doctor say?”

  “He said that in light of the circumstances, Jamie’s body would be sent for an autopsy,” she said. “But the unofficial cause of death was myocardial infarction.”

  “You know, there could be a history of heart disease in Jamie’s family,” Brad said. “Or it could be a birth defect no one ever knew about. That happened to a friend of mine. He was jogging, had a heart attack, and died. Turned out, he had a birth defect that wasn’t revealed until his autopsy.”

  “I hope it was something like that, but with Jamie being sick last night at Sassy Sally’s and then collapsing this afternoon…” She shook her head. “I’m afraid it had to be something else.”

  “Were you feeling that way before Moonbeam Carruthers put it in your head that Jamie was poisoned?” he asked.

  “What’s got you so worked up? I thought you liked Moonbeam.”

  He raised his hands warily. “I like her fine, but I desperately hope Jamie died of natural causes. Either way, Tealicious is going to come under scrutiny as the last place the man ate. Think about how that looks—he left our dining room, stumbled onto the pavement, and lost consciousness. Would you want to eat here after that?”

  Katie hadn’t even considered how Jamie’s death might affect business. After admitting as much to Brad, she said, “Let’s take a look at those rec
eipts. Hopefully, we can find this woman Jamie had lunch with, and she can shed some light on how he was feeling before he left here.”

  Brad retrieved the day’s receipts and divided them between himself and Katie. They checked each for the time. When they had a stack of receipts obtained between eleven o’clock that morning and one o’clock that afternoon, they began to look at credit card owner’s names. Of course, some people paid in cash. Katie was praying that wouldn’t be the case with Jamie and his companion.

  “Here.” Brad held up a receipt. “I’m pretty sure this is them. Jamie had cucumber sandwiches and almond biscotti. The woman had a blueberry scone with clotted cream.” He handed the slip of paper to Katie.

  “This was paid for by a credit card belonging to Calexia Industries.” She took her phone from her pocket, opened the Web browser, and typed in the name. “Nothing. What is Calexia Industries?”

  “I have no idea,” Brad said. “But it’s a start. We’ll look it up tomorrow.”

  “I’m looking it up now, and it’s a dead end.” Katie rubbed her forehead. “Who has a company you can’t find using a search engine?”

  “A company that’s a cover for something else.” He covered her hand with his. “The partnership that bought Moonbeam’s building—what’s it called?”

  “Victoria Square Merchant Association Partners,” she said.

  “All right. Search for that.”

  She did. “Nothing. There’s a lot of Victoria Square stuff, but not the partnership.”

  “Exactly. But if you were trying to find someone affiliated with the partnership, what would you do?”

  “I’d come to Victoria Square and start asking questions.”

  He smiled. “And that’s what we’ll do tomorrow. We’ll find out what Calexia stands for or where it’s located, and we’ll find this woman. Heck, maybe even Seth can tell us who it is.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” Katie traced the fabric of the tablecloth with an index finger. “Right before he lost consciousness, Jamie said, ‘Don’t tell.’”

  “Don’t tell? Don’t tell what?”