9 Hell on Wheels

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  He nodded, agreeing to the request. “You’ll be getting it from my personal account as well. In fact, I’d prefer all communication on this be through that avenue or my private cell phone, which I’ll also provide.”

  I stood up and so did he. Simon extended his hand to me. I took it and he pumped it gently. Instead of his half smile, his face was wreathed with relief. “Thank you, Odelia. I really appreciate this.”

  Thirteen

  As soon as I got back to my office, I closed the door and placed a call. “Hi, Barbara, it’s Odelia again.”

  “Do you need more information?” she asked in an upbeat and hopeful tone.

  “Yes, I do, but this is just for me. It has nothing to do with Mike Steele, so don’t copy him. I’ll pay you directly.”

  “I can always use the work.”

  “I want you to find out everything you can on a Eudora Fox.” I spelled the name out for her. “I believe she’s located in the Los Angeles area or at least in Southern California. Older lady, pushing seventy or thereabouts.”

  “Aren’t we all.” I heard a hearty laugh.

  “And check out a company called Little Foxes.”

  “Got it. When do you need it?”

  “Right away. Again, send it to my personal email. Also, text me if you find anything really interesting.” I gave her my cell number.

  “I’m on it.”

  Next, I made sure all the work Steele had given me was done, and what couldn’t be emailed I took out to Jill’s desk and handed off to her. “Steele agreed to let a messenger drop off the package today. Just have him leave it by Steele’s door.”

  “How did you manage that?” she asked with suspicion.

  “Sometimes Steele can be reasonable.”

  “Ha! What did you blackmail him with?”

  “What can I say?” I answered with a shrug. “I have photos of him with barnyard animals.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me.” She took the documents and placed them on a pile. “Jolene’s are also ready to go. I’ll pack them up shortly.”

  “You might also want to check with Simon Tobin before you do. He’s set up camp in the visitor’s office and might have something for Steele.”

  “Is that where you’ve been?”

  I nodded. “He’s nervous about Jolene going out on maternity leave before Steele comes back.”

  She snorted. “As if you and I couldn’t run things for a few days without them.”

  “About that,” I said to Jill. “Simon gave me a big research project that includes footwork. I might be out of the office for the next few days, so it looks like you’re on your own. You okay with that?”

  “Oh, please!” She rolled her eyes, but there was a twinkle behind them. “Just make sure you answer your phone when Steele calls so he doesn’t bother me.”

  I gave her a crisp salute and returned to my office.

  With Barbara doing my footwork on Simon’s problem, I turned my attention to my real concern. After studying the information Barbara had given me on Miranda, I looked up Coastal Dental Spa online. It was one of those fancy dental offices that offered patients a full line of cosmetic dental work in addition to the usual services, along with massages and designer water while they waited. I knew that because in addition to what I was reading on the Internet, it was also where Zee and Seth had started getting their dental work done a few years back. Zee raved about the place and had been trying to get me to try it, but I’d been going to my dentist, who was now older than dirt, a very long time. Maybe when he retired I’d try Coastal. Then again, why not now?

  Picking up the phone, I called Coastal. The office was here in Newport Beach, over by the Fashion Island mall. I had no idea if my plan would work, but it might flush out someone who knew Miranda well.

  “Hi,” I said to the woman who answered. “I’d like to schedule a cleaning.” My boobs had once been pressed into service to ferret out a killer. Why not my teeth?

  “Are you an existing patient?” the receptionist asked in a clear, professional voice.

  “No, but your office came highly recommended by a friend.”

  “May I ask who referred you to our office?”

  “Zenobia Washington.”

  “Excellent. When would you like to come in for your checkup?”

  “I don’t need a checkup right now, just a cleaning.” I paused. “Is it possible to request a hygienist? My friend said she really liked the work of someone named Mandy or Miranda. She said she was very good but gentle.”

  There was a long pause on the other end, then, “I’m sorry, but Miranda doesn’t work here any longer. I’m sure you’ll be quite happy with Seema.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, not to sound too eager. “Is she experienced? I’m very sensitive.”

  “Seema has been with us several years, and our patients seem quite pleased with her work.”

  “Can I get in to see her around five thirty tonight?”

  “I’m sorry, but she takes her last patient at three, and today she is totally booked.”

  “How early does she come in?”

  “Her first cleaning is at eight. I can put you down for eight o’clock next Tuesday morning.”

  I drew out my answer as if contemplating the appointment time, then said, “Okay. That sounds fine.” I gave the woman my name and contact number, then jotted down a note reminding myself to cancel the appoint by Friday if I found Seema in the meantime. If I couldn’t connect with her, then a cleaning next Tuesday might be in order, even though I’d had one just three months ago.

  It was almost three o’clock. I needed to get moving. If Seema’s last appointment was at three, there was a good possibility that she worked until four or a little after. I needed to get my butt down there and stake out a spot to watch and wait, the plan being to ambush the woman as she left the office. It would help if I knew what she looked like, but I didn’t even have a last name. On a thread of hope, I checked out Coastal’s website. Sometimes businesses posted photos of happy employees. Unfortunately, Coastal wasn’t one of them. I placed another call.

  “Zee,” I said as soon as she answered, “what is the name of the dental hygienist you go to at Coastal Dental Spa?”

  “Seema. Why? Are you finally going to give them a try?”

  “Maybe. Did you ever go to any of their other hygienists?”

  “Once when Seema was on vacation. It was a woman named Carlene, I think, but she’s not there any longer.”

  “Did you never meet any other hygienists?”

  “What’s this about, Odelia?”

  “It turns out that Miranda Henderson worked for Coastal Dental Spa as a hygienist. I want to question Seema. What does she look like?”

  “When are you going to meet her?”

  “In about an hour. I have to get a move on if I’m going to make it.”

  Zee paused. I could almost hear her brain crunching and whirling, cutting through my bullshit like a wood chipper. “Pick me up on your way there,” she ordered. “I’m going with you.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Are you at the office?”

  “Yes,” I admitted.

  “My house is practically on the way to Coastal from there. By the time you get here, I’ll be ready.”

  I knew better than to argue with Zee. I also knew that Seema might be more willing to talk to me with a friendly face by my side.

  We pulled up in front of the office building housing the dental practice just after three thirty. True to her word, Zee was ready when I got to her house and was even waiting on the curb to save time. Along the way, I gave her a quick rundown on Rocky and what we’d found out so far on Peter Tanaka.

  Coastal Dental Spa was in an office building that housed mostly medical services. Long and only four stories high, it was built wide instead of tall, like me.

  “Is this the only entrance?” I asked Zee as we pulled into a parking place near the large glass entryway. Through the doors we could see a gleaming l
obby with elevator banks in the center. To the far left was a pharmacy.

  “Yes,” she answered as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door. “Although I’m sure there’s a delivery entrance in the back somewhere.” When I didn’t move to get out of the car, Zee froze, her door opened several inches. “Do you really have an appointment with Seema?” She narrowed her knowing eyes at me.

  “Yes, I do,” I said with a twitch of my nose. I paused. Zee continued staring at me, her dark brown eyes boring into my brain like a termite looking for wood, but in her case she was searching for the truth. “Okay,” I admitted. “It’s for next Tuesday at eight.”

  “Odelia Grey,” Zee snapped. “You’re here to ambush this poor girl, aren’t you?”

  “Ambush is such an ugly word, Zee. Let’s just say I’m here to ask her a few questions, and I didn’t want her to bolt before I got the chance.”

  Zee looked alarmed. “You don’t think Seema is involved, do you?”

  “Not at this time, but her coworker was just murdered, and I’m sure the police have or will question her. I wanted to catch her off-guard with questions of my own.”

  “It’s called an ambush, Odelia, no matter how you spin it, and I’m now an accomplice. This is a woman who puts her hands in my mouth at least twice a year.”

  “Hey,” I protested. “I never invited you along—that was your idea. I just wanted to know what Seema looked like so I could recognize her. You can sit in the car if you like. In fact, it might be better if you do. You know how I hate to get you involved in this stuff.”

  Zee took a deep breath and turned to look at the office building. “Come on,” she finally said. “Let’s wait for her in the lobby.”

  We had barely sat down on a bench in the lobby when Zee nudged me and pointed at a young woman emerging from one of the elevators. She was dressed in a sage green uniform similar to medical scrubs but nicer, over which was a thick sweater. Zee approached her first.

  “Seema,” she said to the woman.

  Seema had been digging in her purse when we approached. She looked up upon hearing her name and smiled when she recognized Zee. “Mrs. Washington. What a nice surprise.” She pulled car keys from the purse. “Do you have an appointment in the building?”

  “No, I—we,” Zee indicated me, “we came to see you.”

  From her olive skin, black hair, and dark, luminous eyes, I guessed Seema’s ethnicity to be something Middle Eastern, maybe Persian or Armenian. The eyes, enhanced by perfectly applied liner and mascara, widened at Zee’s confession. “But the office is closing soon, and the doctor is with someone. Is this a dental emergency?”

  “No, it’s not. My friend here…”

  When Zee stumbled to come up with an explanation, I jumped in. “My name is Odelia Grey. My husband and I were good friends with Miranda and Rocky Henderson.”

  At the mention of Miranda’s name, Seema bit her lip. After a short moment, she said, “I am so sorry. She was a nice person. I will miss her.”

  “Did you know that her husband is in a coma at Hoag?”

  At my question, Seema’s eyes widened even more. “But wasn’t he the one who killed that guy in San Diego?”

  I shook my head. “No, the police released him. They got in a fight, but that isn’t what caused Peter Tanaka’s death. We think Rocky tried to kill himself over losing Miranda.”

  The slender shoulders in the uniform sagged. “The police came by yesterday and questioned some of us about Miranda, but they didn’t say anything about Rocky.”

  “It happened late last night,” Zee added.

  I stepped closer to Seema. “May I ask you some questions of my own?”

  At the request, Seema took a step back. “I have to pick up my kids.”

  “Please,” I implored. “My husband and I were there when Rocky and that guy fought and the guy died. We saw it happen. My husband, who is also in a wheelchair, knew them both.”

  While she considered my plea, Seema played with her hair, which was long and fastened into a ponytail. “I don’t know how much help I can be. Miranda and I worked together for a few years, but we didn’t hang out.”

  “Please, Seema,” added Zee. “Just a few questions and we’ll be on our way.”

  As if punctuating her decision, Seema swept the ponytail over her shoulder to her back. “Okay, but it will have to be fast because of my kids.”

  I steered her over to the bench. Zee followed.

  “Seema,” I started after sitting down next to her. “The man who died said something to Rocky about Miranda right before the fight. It’s what triggered Rocky’s temper. Was Miranda having an affair with Peter Tanaka?”

  Seema shifted with discomfort. “How would I know that?”

  “I work in an office,” I told her. “I know a lot of girl talk happens in the lunch room and the ladies’ room. It’s difficult to keep secrets when you work closely with someone.” My thoughts immediately shot to Steele. He was obviously keeping a big secret about his injuries or why they had happened. I brushed those thoughts aside to focus on the issue at hand. There would be time later to figure out what was going on with Steele.

  Zee reached a hand out and lightly touched Seema’s arm. “This might help Rocky. The police believe Miranda killed that man, but Odelia here doesn’t. Doesn’t poor Rocky deserve to know the truth?”

  Seema took a deep breath, leaning back until her shoulders touched the marble wall behind the bench. “Yes, I think Miranda was seeing someone on the side.”

  “Was it Peter Tanaka?” I asked.

  “I never got his name,” Seema said, looking from me to Zee, “but several times I heard Miranda lying to her husband on the phone. You know, telling him she had to work late when she didn’t or was meeting friends for a drink, then telling me she couldn’t wait to go straight home. Something was definitely up with her.”

  “Any idea how long this had been going on?” I asked.

  Seema closed her eyes and gave it some thought. “Off and on for a while, but about four months ago it became more apparent that something was off with that marriage. A few times Rocky called the office looking for her. She only worked three days a week, but I got the feeling her husband thought she worked more or at least different days than she did. Each time the receptionist buzzed me and asked what she should tell him. She didn’t want to lie to Rocky, but she didn’t want to get Miranda in trouble with either Rocky or the doctor, who wouldn’t like it if he found out. I told the receptionist to tell him that Miranda had stepped out but that she’d give her the message to call him. The next day I told Miranda that whatever she was doing, to keep us out of her lies to her husband.”

  It certainly did sound like Miranda had something going on the side with Tanaka. “What did Miranda say to that?” I asked.

  “She apologized, and it seemed genuine. I asked her if she and Rocky were having problems and told her if she needed to talk, I was here for her.” Seema shook her head slowly. “Husbands. We’ve all been down that rough road, you know?”

  Both Zee and I nodded, fully understanding Seema’s comment. Even the best of marriages travel some broken track once in a while.

  “Did Miranda ever take you up on that offer?” asked Zee.

  “Not really. She just promised not to put us in the middle anymore.”

  I scratched my nose. Something certainly smelled off.

  Seema stood up and consulted her watch. “I really have to get going. I have to get the kids home and start dinner.”

  Zee and I stood up with her. “Thank you, Seema,” I said. “But one last question. Did the police ask you about this?”

  “Yes. They seemed to think Miranda was cheating on Rocky too, and with this Tanaka guy.”

  A cool November night was in progress when we stepped from the building into the parking lot. Salty dampness from the nearby ocean penetrated the early evening air and my suit jacket.

  “I really appreciate you taking time to talk to us,” I told Seema as
I pulled my jacket around me tighter.

  “No problem. I’m very sorry about Miranda.”

  Seema took a couple of steps away, and we headed for my car. We weren’t quite inside when Seema jogged over to where we were parked. “There’s something else,” she said. “It’s probably nothing, but I just thought of it. Something I didn’t tell the police.”

  Zee and I reversed our progress and came to stand by Seema next to my car. “What is it?” I asked.

  “Around the time that I noticed things were kind of off with Miranda, she started showing up with a few new things. First it was a pair of diamond earrings, then a necklace. And just a few weeks ago she had a new purse. I never said anything about the jewelry, but the purse was awesome. It was a Kate Spade satchel in a killer peacock color. She said Rocky had bought it for her with a bonus he received from work. I thought maybe it was a sign that they were getting past the rough spot.” Seema leaned against my car and looked out toward the road beyond the parking area as she tried to remember details. “Then, about two weeks ago, I stayed a little late to finish up a patient and saw her come out of the ladies’ room in the building’s lobby and leave. She wasn’t in her uniform. She was dressed to kill in a very expensive-looking dress and shoes.”

  “Maybe she was meeting Rocky for dinner?” suggested Zee.

  “Maybe,” said Seema, “but why didn’t she change upstairs in our ladies’ room? That’s what most of us do when we have plans right after work. It’s much nicer and roomier than the ladies’ room off the lobby.”

  “Seema,” I said, “do you remember what day that was? Can you narrow it down a bit?”

  She played with her ponytail, then nodded. “I’m pretty sure it was a Wednesday, because I never book late patients except on Wednesdays when my husband can pick up the kids.” She paused, obviously thinking about something else. “This is just my opinion, but in the time I worked with Miranda I never knew Rocky to buy her expensive things. In fact, I got the feeling they couldn’t afford stuff like that, but I know she had a taste for them. The only thing she ever said to me about her marriage was that she and Rocky wanted different things out of life. Maybe she found someone to give her those things.”