“Yes.” Seth sipped his wine. “I can’t imagine he has any animosity toward me. He’d have lost that lawsuit I referenced no matter who defended it.”
“Can you recall anything about a Jimmy Solero bribery case?” Katie asked Seth.
“It doesn’t ring a bell,” he said. “Given the last name, I’m guessing he’s related to Tony Solero?”
Katie nodded. “I met Jimmy Solero when I took the leftover food from last night’s open house to the food pantry. When I handed him my card, he told me his name.”
“Naturally, you went straight to your trusty laptop and played Nancy Drew,” Nick teased.
“Of course, I did. I learned that he’s Tony’s younger brother and that he’d been arrested for bribery relating to one of Tony’s construction companies. Anyway, the guy served one year in prison, and now he’s working at a food pantry? How could Tony be so cold?”
“I imagine he didn’t want to be tainted by Jimmy’s criminal record,” Don said. “However, I’d lay odds that if he bribed someone in conjunction with his position in his brother’s construction company, it was at Tony’s behest.”
“I had that same thought,” Katie said. “So, I decided to have Kelly Ferrell call Gina Solero and ask her about Jimmy—you know, to get her take on the brothers’ relationship.”
“And what did she say?” Nick asked.
“That’s just it—she acted as though she didn’t even know a Jimmy Solero.” Katie spread her hands. “Granted, she could have married Tony after he and Jimmy had parted ways, but wouldn’t she still know her husband had a brother?”
“That is strange,” Seth said. “She’d almost have to know you’d realize she was either lying or stupid, especially given the ease with which people can look everything up on the Internet these days.”
“She even offered to ask Tony if he knew a Jimmy Solero,” Katie said. “That was the cherry on the sundae to me. I told her no and pretended I’d thought it hard to imagine a sophisticate like her would have a brother-in-law like Jimmy.” She rolled her eyes. “I nearly choked on that, but it wasn’t entirely a lie. I can’t imagine a nice guy like Jimmy would have her as a sister-in-law.”
Margo entered the room carrying a couple of pizza boxes. “Will someone please pour me a glass of that white wine? Andy Rust might be a jerk, but he makes delicious pizza.”
She placed the boxes on the coffee table while Nick got up to get plates, silverware, and napkins. Don poured her the requested glass of wine.
Katie smiled at Seth, wondering if he was as glad as she was not to have to go home to an empty home just yet. It was great to be here with good food, great friends, and wonderful conversation, but it was only a temporary escape from the isolation that was beginning to feel all too commonplace.
On Sunday morning, Katie’s alarm rang much too soon. She crawled out of bed, showered, dressed, and fed the cats. Feeling that baking would help her better acclimate to the day, she went downstairs to Tealicious.
“Good morning,” she greeted Brad as she grabbed an apron from the hook.
“Hi, there. Glad to see you’re up and ready to work.”
“I was going to make a batch of scones,” she said, “but I’ll do anything else you need me to do as well.”
“Scones would be fantastic. I have a feeling we’re going to feed a lot of people today,” he said. “We got terrific coverage in the local papers yesterday, and I can simply imagine everyone waking up this morning and saying, ‘You know what? We should go by Tealicious this afternoon.’”
Katie managed a weak laugh. “Well, I hope you’re right. I’d much prefer being here today than at Artisans Alley.”
“Still having trouble with the floor?” he asked.
She measured flour into a mixing bowl. “It’s not just that. I was really hurt that neither Vance nor Rose came to support us at the open house on Friday night. And yesterday, I feel like I was downright rude to Rose.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, and I know how much you care about Rose.” He took out another mixing bowl, adding butter and sugar, and started to cream the mixture.
“I do care about Rose,” Katie said. “That’s why I feel so rotten. She asked me if I’d like to see photos of her and Walter all dressed up for their lodge event, and I told her no.”
“You didn’t!” Brad’s tone made Katie feel even worse.
“I did,” she admitted with shame and added baking soda to her dry mixture.
“Look,” Brad said gently, “maybe Rose didn’t realize how much you needed her support on Friday. I think you should talk with her.”
“What would I say?”
“I’d start by asking to see the photographs.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Tell her you’ve been really stressed and that you’d love to see how nice she and Walter looked on Friday night.”
“You’re such a charmer.” She grinned. “Would you like to talk to Rose on my behalf?”
“No.” He deftly broke an egg into the bowl with one hand. “One evening isn’t worth ruining a friendship over. I’m sure Rose didn’t intend to be hurtful.”
“I know, but I feel like Rose’s new boyfriend has got her behaving irrationally.”
“People in love are always irrational,” he said.
“I guess that’s true.”
As Katie finished mixing the ingredients for the scones, she correlated Rose’s irrational behavior to Jamie’s. How far would Jamie have been willing to go to show his love for Seth? Did he—as Ted Roberts had suggested—work with a partner in order to better his chances of winning? And if so, who could it be?
Chapter 25
As soon as she arrived at Artisans Alley, Katie sought Rose out. She wasn’t at the cash desk, but Katie found her tidying her booth on the main sales floor.
“Hi, there,” Katie said.
“Good morning.” Rose’s voice was icy, and she didn’t look up from her task.
Katie swallowed her pride before speaking. “I want to tell you that I’m so sorry for the way I behaved yesterday afternoon.”
At Katie’s words, Rose stopped what she was doing and looked up.
“I was so hurt when two of my favorite people didn’t come to the Tealicious open house that I had a bit of a meltdown,” she continued.
“Two?” Rose inquired
“You and Vance.”
Rose said nothing, her expression impassive.
“I was hurt because if Tealicious fails, it adversely affects Artisans Alley. Their financial successes are deeply intertwined.”
“I had no idea,” Rose said looking thoughtful.
“Plus, I don’t have a clue as to how I’m going to mend the rift between me and Vance. It could make or break the future of Artisans Alley.”
Rose looked stricken “What are you saying?”
“That I can’t keep the Alley alive on my own. If Vance were to leave….”
Rose gaped at her. She had her husband’s social security to depend on and owned her own home, but her earnings from sales at the Alley gave her a little mad money to spend.
“Anyway,” Katie continued, placing her hand gently on Rose’s arm. “I consider you to be a good friend and I’d love to see the photos of you and Walter if you’re still inclined to show them to me.”
Rose’s eyes widened in delight. “Of course, I will!” She pulled out her phone and tapped the gallery icon. “I’m sorry we didn’t come to the open house before going to Walter’s event. I just didn’t realize our stopping by there would mean that much to you.”
“Why not?” Katie asked.
Rose lowered her head. “I kind of got the impression you were turning your back on all your old friends.”
Katie gasped. “Rose, whatever would give you that idea?”
“We all heard about your argument with Ray, and then you didn’t attend Jamie’s funeral.”
Katie heaved a heavy sigh. “I have a confession to make.” She looked around to make sure no one was listening to
them before telling Rose about her and Ray’s undercover operation at the poker game to get information on who might’ve wanted to harm Jamie. “Then I was walking to my apartment the day before the funeral and was recognized by one of the people who’d attended the game and had met me as Kelly Ferrell. When he said he’d see me at the funeral, I didn’t know what to do. I spoke with Seth, and we decided the best course of action would be for me to resume my fake identity and go to lunch with another of the people I’d met at the game and try to get information from her. Believe me, I felt terrible not being there for Seth.”
“The man who said he’d see you at the funeral,” Rose said. “Was his name Connor Davis?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“Connor Davis was the only person at the funeral that no one else seemed to know.” Rose stepped out of her booth. “Let’s go to the vendors’ lounge and get coffee.”
Katie fell into step beside Rose.
“Walter was a police officer, you know, so he notices when people don’t particularly seem to belong somewhere,” Rose continued. “It was apparent Davis wasn’t a friend of Seth’s, he wasn’t a friend of Suzanne Seifert, and he wasn’t from the medical examiner’s office. So, we wondered how he had known Jamie.”
“How did you find out his name?” Katie asked. “Did you go over and introduce yourselves?”
“We didn’t have to. Walter recognized him.” Rose blushed. “Connor owns the shop in Rochester where Walter buys all my flowers.”
“What was Connor’s behavior like at the service?”
“He was kind of weepy,” Rose said with a sad shake of her head. “He must’ve known Jamie well.”
Interesting.
“I’ve got to get to work. I’ll talk to you later,” Katie said.
“I’ll be around,” Rose said with a smile.
After grabbing a cup of coffee, Katie returned to her office. She closed her door, sat down at her computer, and searched for Connor Davis on social media.
Within minutes she’d learned that Connor’s partner, Luther Stapleton, worked at the conservatory in Rochester. So, he was gay. Was he a potential lover spurned after all?
As both her businesses were closed the next day, it would be a good time to browse around the Lamberton Conservatory, spend some time relaxing among the fall foliage, and seek out the man Connor had been dating. Maybe speaking with Luther would give her a better idea of who Connor was as a person.
If Jamie had been the type of person who was inclined to cheat at poker, would Connor have volunteered to help him? Maybe Connor wanted to impress his partner with a grand romantic gesture as much as Jamie had.
Seeing Jamie listed as one of Connor’s friends on the social media platform, Katie clicked through to Jamie’s page—realizing as she did so that she and Jamie had never been friends on social media. Not that there was anything unusual in that. Katie didn’t give much attention to her personal page, preferring to keep her private life as confidential as possible while living in such a small town. She mostly updated the Artisans Alley and Tealicious pages.
Jamie’s profile page had many photos of him and Seth on Seth’s sailboat, Temporary Relief, on Seth’s deck, in the garden, and selfies at restaurants and other venues. Feeling melancholy, she scrolled through the photos that acted as a timeline for Jamie’s relationship with Seth. Katie quickly learned, however, that before Seth had been in his life, Jamie had apparently played the field—nothing serious, no special someone, but casual dates at the beach, on the lake, or at a sports bar. There were several photos of Jamie shirtless and/or striking rather seductive poses. Katie had considered Jamie attractive, but these images looked like modeling photos. Had Jamie modeled while he was in college or grad school?
She wasn’t surprised when she stumbled across a photo of Jamie and Connor. Both men were shirtless, but it wasn’t a romantic photograph. Like the solo pictures of Jamie, this image was posed as though it had been shot during some sort of modeling campaign. Maybe Jamie and Connor had modeled together. If so, they’d known each other far longer than Katie had thought. Had they trusted each other enough to plot to win the poker game together? Would she lose Seth’s friendship if she ran that thought past him? It was something she would have to ponder.
Katie’s phone rang, and she was surprised to see that it was Gina Solero calling.
“Hi, Gina. What’s up?”
“I feel like a jerk for being so rude to you yesterday,” she said. “I was simply aggravated. I didn’t want you to know about my husband’s falling out with his brother. I was afraid you’d think our entire family is a dysfunctional mess.”
Katie laughed. “I haven’t met a family yet that isn’t a mess—my own included. I thought maybe your family was the exception.”
“Hardly.” Gina lowered her voice slightly. “How was Jimmy when you saw him? Did he appear to be well?”
“Yes. He looked fine,” Katie said. “And he was so friendly.”
“I’ve always had a soft spot for Jimmy, but I wasn’t able to sway Tony to bring him back into the fold after their falling out.” She sighed. “I’d love to see Jimmy again. Maybe we could go see him tomorrow and then have lunch.”
We? Go see Jimmy Solero? Nope. That can’t happen.
“I’d love to,” Katie said, “but unfortunately I have plans tomorrow. Can I give you a call later in the week when, hopefully, my schedule will ease up?”
“Sure,” Gina said. “I’ll look forward to talking with you then.”
“Great. Bye.” Katie hit the end-call icon as Vance appeared at her office door.
“Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. What’s up?”
Vance looked down at the ugly stained carpet Katie hadn’t yet replaced in her seedy office. “I wanted to apologize for the tension that’s been between you and me for the past few days,” he said contritely. “I realize you have a lot on your mind, and I’ve been stressing about this floor situation because I want it to proceed as smoothly as possible. After all, it’s essentially the first time I’ve overseen such a big project in my role as assistant manager for Artisans Alley.”
Katie nodded, realizing Rose must have spoken to Vance. “It’s been a bad week,” she admitted. “Right after we talked about the floor, Jamie died, and I stuck you with the whole project. I feel I’ve heaped too much responsibility on you, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Nonsense,” Vance said. “I welcome the challenge. I’m…um…I’m also sorry Janie and I weren’t able to attend the open house on Friday night. She wasn’t feeling well. But I guarantee we’ll be in soon.”
Vance’s wife had multiple sclerosis, so it was entirely possible she hadn’t been feeling up to attending the event. But why hadn’t he simply told her that yesterday? Either way, the air between them felt clearer.
“Thank you, Vance,” she said. “Now, tell me all about the progress you’ve made and how we can get Artisans Alley back on an even keel.”
Vance offered her a shy smile. “Well…” he began.
Later that afternoon, Katie was updating the Tealicious website with the good press the tearoom had received from Rochester’s top newspaper when there was a tap on the door.
Ray poked his head into the office. “May I please come in?” he asked sheepishly.
“Sure.” Katie sat back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap.
“Do you know where I might find Vance?” he asked, as he came inside the office and closed the door behind him. “I have a question about the work we’re doing on the floor today.”
“I’m sorry. I spoke with him earlier, but I haven’t seen him in a while.” Katie noticed how weary Ray looked, and she gave him a wry smile. “Are the girls still angry with you?”
“A little,” he said. “They even called Sophie at school so she could be ticked off at me, too.”
“They’ll get over it soon enough,” Katie said.
“I hope so. Carol and I are taking them to dinner this evening, so t
hat should help.”
“Dinner always helps.” Her words triggered her promise of a home-cooked meal to Ray. “About that meal I was supposed to make for you—”
“Not necessary,” he interrupted.
“How about a gift card so you can take Carol and the girls out again?” she suggested.
“I don’t think the ladies in my life would appreciate that.” He smiled sadly. “See you, Katie.” With that, he turned and left the office.
Katie felt a pang of regret, but she realized his moving on with Carol was probably for the best.
Still, it took several minutes before she could get back to work.
Chapter 26
The Alley had closed some ten minutes before, and as Katie was winding things down in her office, she kept ruminating over the question that had formed a rut in her brain. She decided to call Nick.
“Hey, Katie, what’s up?”
“I called to ask you if Jamie was ever a model.”
He laughed. “Uh-huh, you did a deep dive on Jamie’s social media page and found those hot shirtless pics, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but it takes a snoop to know one,” she said defensively. “Besides, I was trying to figure out how Jamie knew Connor Davis. From the look of one of those photos, I’m guessing they modeled together.”
“I’m putting you on speaker, so I can look for myself.”
“The photo I’m talking about has—”
“I see it,” he interrupted. “Oh, wow. I remember this guy from the funeral because he hovered near the casket for way too long—in my opinion—and he wept as though he was heartbroken. Do you think Connor was an ex-boyfriend?”
“It’s likely. Tomorrow, I’m going to the Lambert Conservatory where Connor’s current partner works. Hopefully, I can learn more about Connor from him.”
“Katie, you can’t merely go up to a stranger and ask him about his boyfriend!”
“I know that,” she said. “I’ll use some finesse. And while I won’t wear the flashy clothes or the heavy makeup, I suppose I’ll need to be Kelly at the conservatory.”
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