Dead Man's Hand

by Lorraine Bartlett

  “Very well. I’ll strip away all the drama. Clearly, you don’t live with teenage girls. Phyllis told me Jamie was a talented young medical examiner’s assistant working under Dr. William Elliott. When I asked if she and Jamie had been friends, she said everyone at the office loved him. And then she amended that with an almost.”

  “I’m guessing you jumped all over that almost.”

  Grinning, he said, “You know I did. I ever-so-innocently asked if her office had one of those people who didn’t like anyone. She said, ‘Oh, no. The person who didn’t like Jamie was Tom, and he was kind to everyone else.’ She believed Tom was angry with Jamie because he got the job when Tom had recommended his friend for the position.”

  “Who’s Tom? Is he someone who works at the M.E.’s office?”

  Ray shrugged. “Apparently. I’ve never heard of him, but again, they have a lot of turnover.”

  “Still, that doesn’t make sense.” She frowned. “Not having your friend get a job should make you angry at the hiring manager rather than the person hired for the position. Maybe there’s more to this Tom situation than Phyllis either revealed or realized. I’ll ask Seth about it.” She glanced at the clock. “He’s probably apoplectic about now.”

  “Why?”

  “I turned off my phone and haven’t checked my messages, which was why Andy was here checking up on me.”

  “Is that what he was doing?” Ray asked with some suspicion.

  “So he said.”

  “Let me know what you find out. By the way, how much did you win last night?”

  “Over twenty grand,” she said.

  Ray actually did a double-take. “Wow. You are a good poker player.”

  “I’m good at a lot of things, Ray,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah, I noticed. I—I’d better get back to Wood U.” He reached for the door handle but didn’t turn it. Instead, he pivoted. “I’m, uh, sorry I was such a lecherous jerk last night.”

  Katie studied his contrite expression. “You ought to be,” she said sternly. “What were you thinking, Ray? That you were back in the saddle? Who was that cocky idiot who nearly blew our covers? Not the man I’ve come to respect and admire.”

  “I’m sorry I disappointed you, Katie. I promise it will never happen again.”

  “No, it won’t. I think we need to put an end to this co-dependent relationship we’ve had for the past few months. I was wrong to throw you at Carol and then become jealous of your budding relationship with her.” She sighed. “You belong with someone like her—someone closer to your age and who you have more in common with. One thing, though, based on your performance last night, I don’t think you should return to law enforcement—at least, not in vice. You might’ve been a terrific undercover officer in your day, but you aren’t anymore.”

  “Tell me how you really feel, Katie.”

  Her gaze didn’t waver. “I just did.”

  Ray swallowed hard, nodded, and slunk from her office, closing the door behind him.

  Chapter 18

  Katie stared at her blank computer monitor. She hadn’t had enough sleep or nearly enough coffee that day, but she needed to call Seth and let him know what had happened. Unfortunately, her plan to call Seth was thwarted by the arrival of Maddie Lyndel. The voluptuous redhead had always been as sweet as the day was long; but since she was an upstairs vendor, Katie dreaded to hear what the woman had to say today.

  “Good morning.” Maddie smiled sweetly and perched on the chair beside Katie’s desk. “I heard about your friend Seth’s partner. I’m so very sorry…and that he died in front of Tealicious, too. How awful for you.”

  “Thanks, Maddie.” Katie took a deep breath. “Is everything okay?”

  “Oh, sure. I just wanted to ask you where I should set up. Vance told us all to set up in either the lobby or the vendors’ lounge, but I don’t want to be in anyone’s way.”

  Beneath her desk, Katie clenched her fists. “Vance should have worked up placement assignments before he asked everyone to move. I’ll take care of this right away.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Katie.” Maddie stood but didn’t move toward the door. “I hope I didn’t speak out of line.”

  “You certainly didn’t.” She managed a smile at the soap-maker. “I’ll make sure you have a primo spot.”

  After Maddie left, Katie texted Vance, asking him to come to her office immediately. She wasn’t sure she could speak civilly to him just yet.

  His answer was brief. Coming.

  Katie moved from her desk chair to stand beside her file cabinet, determined not to let him tower over her for the upcoming conversation.

  As he approached her office, Katie could tell he sported an attitude, and she wasn’t going to allow him to own the discussion.

  “I’m pretty busy, Katie,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “What do you need?”

  “I need you to tell every upstairs vendor not to move their inventory until they have their floor assignments, and then I want to see you in my office.”

  “I have the situation under control, and—”

  “No, you don’t,” she interrupted.

  “Fine.”

  “Why didn’t you develop vendor assignments before telling our upstairs vendors they were being moved for a few days?” she asked.

  “I figured if they chose their own spots, they’d be more amenable to moving.” He lifted his chin as though to say, so there.

  “What you didn’t stop to consider is the fact that if they choose their own spots, they’ll likely want the same spots and fight over them like a bunch of spoiled brats,” she said.

  “I don’t care to think of our vendors as juveniles. They’re mature enough to make reasonable decisions.”

  “Oh, really?” She anchored her hands to her hips. “Which ones are getting the prime spots in the lobby and who’s going to be buried in the no-traffic vendors’ lounge?”

  “I-I… Who knows? But I’m sure they’ll come to an agreement.”

  “It’s going to be Maddie Lyndel,” Katie said. “I don’t care where you put everyone else, but she gets prime real estate in the lobby.”

  “T-then it’ll look l-like we’re p-playing favorites!” he sputtered.

  “We are, in Maddie’s case.”

  “And what if that causes hard feelings?”

  Katie leveled an icy glare at him. “Vance, these vendors are getting free rent while we’re renovating. They’re going to set up where you tell them to set up; and if they aren’t happy with their assigned spaces, they can pack up and go home. Prepare the assignment sheet and have it to me tomorrow so the vendors can move after Artisans Alley closes and be ready for the weekend.”

  The muscle working in his jaw told her Vance was grinding his teeth, but he didn’t say anything. He merely turned and stormed out of her office, leaving the door open.

  She ventured into the vendors’ lounge to get more coffee. Her head was beginning to ache. She’d hoped making Vance her assistant manager would give her fewer problems to deal with. So far, it had only led to more.

  It took two cups of coffee to soothe Katie’s ragged nerves. She felt like the proverbial bad guy first after her verbal exchange with Ray, and then with Vance—but in the latter’s case, she was the boss. If she was a man, Vance probably would have accepted her orders without comment. That she was a woman with firm opinions made her a bitch. Well, so be it. Bottom line, it was she, not he, who was responsible for Artisans Alley.

  At last, Katie felt capable of making her call to Seth.

  “I’ve been on pins and needles all morning,” he told her. “How’d it go?”

  “Nothing earth-shattering happened, but I’d rather tell you about the evening in person.”

  “I’m at my office right now. Why don’t I meet you at Tealicious for lunch?”

  “That would be great,” Katie said. “I’ll call Nick to see if he and Don would like to join us.”

  “All right. See you shortly.”
/>   After ending the call with Seth, Katie called Nick and asked if he and Don were free.

  “I am, but Don is busy in the office today,” Nick said.

  “Let’s go ahead and meet at Tealicious. That will give us just over half an hour to talk before Seth gets there.”

  “Uh-oh.” Nick sounded wary. “What’s up?”

  “That’s what I’ve been wondering for almost a week,” Katie said. “You dropped a bombshell at the poker game last Friday night but haven’t mentioned it since.”

  “Oh…that,” he said contritely. “Okay, I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”

  Not many customers had arrived for lunch or tea, so Katie snagged her favorite table which overlooked Victoria Square’s parking lot. She chose the seat facing west, though. For some reason, she didn’t feel like taking in Ray’s Wood U gift shop. She ordered a pot of tea and asked for three settings. Nick arrived minutes later, looking rather anxious.

  Katie poured him some tea from the pot on the table. “Okay, spill.”

  He sat, picked up the teacup, and inhaled the aroma of the liquid inside it. “I want to be a dad so badly. I want to do for some kid what my parents never did for me.”

  Katie knew that Nick’s parents had more or less disowned him when he outed himself as a young man. It was his Aunt Sally who’d taken him in and loved him unconditionally. Not that any child they fostered or adopted would be gay. Nick had a big heart. It was no wonder he wanted to share that kind of love with a child who needed security.

  “Don doesn’t think it would be feasible to raise a child in a B&B,” Nick continued. “You saw how quickly he shut me down when I started to tell you and Seth we were considering becoming foster parents.”

  “Well, you wouldn’t have to raise the child at Sassy Sally’s,” she said. “You could get a small house or condo nearby.”

  “I suggested that. I even told Don that if we moved out, we could renovate the mansion to turn our living quarters into additional rooms.” He spread his hands. “More rooms equal more profit.”

  “But he doesn’t want to leave,” Katie said and sipped her tea.

  “No, he doesn’t. He says I’m the workaholic, but lately, I have a terrible time getting him to leave Sassy Sally’s for anything short of a medical emergency.” He shook his head. “I adore running the B&B—you know I do—but I don’t want that to be the only important thing in our lives. I don’t want it to be our lives.”

  Katie could understand that. Her businesses had filled the void left by her late husband. But, unlike Nick, she wasn’t sure she wanted anything more. She enjoyed her independence and freedom.

  “I told Don maybe we could foster at first,” Nick continued. “And then if it doesn’t work out, the boy or girl will be able to find another family. But if we foster the child and fall in love with him or her—and vice versa—we could adopt. I know Don loves kids as much as I do. I don’t know why he’s so reluctant to take the chance.”

  “You have to admit, adopting a child is a life-changing decision. And it’s forever. I’m guessing Don is scared. I certainly would be.”

  “But scary can be exhilarating. I was scared when we bought Sassy Sally’s but look what a rousing success that turned out to be.”

  Katie squeezed his hand. “I’m here for you, no matter what you decide. I’d make a terrific auntie, you know.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, you would.”

  Seth’s car pulled up outside and they watched as he exited the vehicle and entered the tea room.

  “Hey, guys,” he said as he took the seat beside Katie. “So?”

  “First, I’d like to return this to you,” Katie said and returned his buy-in money. It only took a few minutes to provide her friends with an overview of the evening’s events.

  “You won more than twenty grand?” Seth asked with awe.

  Nick exhaled on his fingernails and brushed them against his shirt. “It was playing with Don and me that made her a poker wunderkind,” he said with no modesty at all.

  “What are you going to do with that windfall?”

  “Pay for expensive repairs to the Alley,” she said, pouring Seth’s tea. “And contribute to the cost of the warehouse behind Victoria Square.”

  Seth winced. “Oh yeah—I need to get right on that contract. Tell us more.”

  Katie decided not to mention to Seth that Ray got drunk “on the job,” so she bypassed that part of the story and instead told them about Ray’s conversation with Phyllis.

  “Who’s Tom?” she asked, topping up her cup.

  Shrugging, Seth answered, “Just some guy at the medical examiner’s office. I think he works in data entry. Why?”

  “Phyllis said Tom was the only guy at the M.E.’s office who didn’t like Jamie. Were you aware of any problems between the two of them?” Katie asked.

  “No, Jamie never mentioned anything, but I’ll look through his things again to see if Jamie ever made any note of bad behavior on Tom’s part.” He added a packet of sweetener to his tea. “If Tom was harassing Jamie, Jamie would have logged it in case he needed to file a report with human resources.”

  “I thought everyone at the office got along well with Jamie,” Nick said. “What was this guy’s problem?”

  “According to Phyllis, Jamie got the job Tom wanted for a friend of his.” Katie frowned. “Which doesn’t make sense to me. Why be angry and resentful toward Jamie rather than the hiring manager?”

  “Did Phyllis find out about the poker game from Jamie?” Nick asked.

  “I suppose so,” Katie said. “Or maybe he found out about it from her. She spoke as though he was a regular.” She hazarded a glance at Seth, who was looking into his teacup as though it held the answers he sought.

  “How did I not know what he was doing?” he asked. “I don’t even know how long or how often Jamie had been playing poker with these people. I was busy with my practice, he was busy at work….”

  “He wasn’t trying to shut you out,” Nick said. “I know he wasn’t. He hid the poker games from you because he wanted to make this grand gesture to show you how much he loved you.”

  “Yeah.” Seth shrugged. “I guess so.” Seth glanced down at the cup of tea he hadn’t touched. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve lost my appetite. I’m going to head back to my office. I’ll see you both later.”

  Nick sighed as he watched Seth leave the tea shop. “I wish there was something I could do to help him feel better.”

  “Me, too.”

  He stood. “I’d better get back to Sassy Sally’s.”

  “You’re abandoning me to a lonely lunch?” Katie asked.

  “Go upstairs and spend the time with your cats. I’m sure they wouldn’t complain.”

  No, they wouldn’t.

  Katie stood and hugged her friend. “I’m sure everything will work out with Don and the fostering. Let me know if there’s any way I can help.”

  “Thanks. See you tomorrow at Jamie’s funeral?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  Tomorrow was going to be a huge day. Jamie’s funeral in the morning and the open house in the evening. Katie wasn’t sure she was ready for it. And she still had the rest of the day to get through.

  Chapter 19

  As always, Nick had been right. Mason and Della were thrilled with a daytime visit from their cat mom, and even more so when she shared a little of the tuna from her sandwich with them. They were both settling down for their afternoon nap when Katie headed out the door and off to Artisans Alley. She was just about to tackle some book work when Margo dropped in.

  “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

  “I always have time for you, Margo,” Katie said, putting her computer to sleep. “What’s up?”

  Margo sighed. “I know you’re probably sick of me asking, but can we go upstairs and visit Chad’s Pad? I just feel so close to him when I’m there.”

  Of course, they could. Chad had been Margo’s only child. Much as she missed her late husband, Kat
ie couldn’t fathom the depths of Margo’s loss.

  Katie rose from her chair and grabbed her keys. “Let’s go.” She led her former mother-in-law up to the second floor, ignoring the dirty looks some of the vendors gave her as they packed up their merchandise in order to temporarily move downstairs. She unlocked the door, and she and Margo went inside.

  Katie sank onto the narrow cot still covered with a Hudson Bay blanket as Margo flipped through the stacked, framed paintings and canvases, lovingly drinking in her late son’s work.

  “Nick told me you cleaned up at the poker table last night,” Margo said. “Good on you.”

  “I hope I made enough to fix the floor, chip in to buy into the warehouse the merchant partnership is considering, and pay for the open house tomorrow evening.”

  Margo shook her head. “As a partner in Tealicious, I’ll take care of the open house. I have as much to lose as you do if the tea shop goes under.”

  “That’s very generous of you. Thank you,” Katie said. “Is there anything you need for me to do?”

  “Just show up and pray.” She took a seat on the cot beside Katie. “I left flyers with all the vendors on the Square.”

  “Even Nona Fiske?”

  Margo smiled. “Even Nona. She’ll be there with bells on. They might be really small bells with broken clackers, but she’ll be there.”

  They shared a laugh.

  After a moment, Katie said, “I’d like to have had the contractor who renovated Tealicious fix the floor if he isn’t backlogged and if Vance and I hadn’t already fought so many battles over it.”

  “Vance and Ray will get it done. Just be patient.” The older woman folded her hands in her lap. “As for Vance, it’s vital your employees know they’re valued and heard, but they must never forget that you are their employer.” She stood. “Thank you for letting me visit, but now we should both get back to work.”

  “Yes, we should.”

  Placing a hand on Katie’s shoulder, Margo said, “I’m proud of the businesswoman you’ve become. Chad would be as well.”

  Thinking back on her last conversation with Vance, Katie wasn’t so sure.