I couldn’t believe this. Jackie never, ever went to anyone but me. “Who is this dog, and what have you done to Jackie?” I asked in mock horror. “Seriously, Toni, she’s not usually this friendly.”
“Aww. We girls understand each other, don’t we, Jackie? We’re shopping buddies.”
“You’ll look pretty in your new outfits.” I opened the front closet to stash away her new leash. The leather jacket was gone. I turned to Toni. “Where did the—”
“I threw it away.” She patted my shoulder. “It was just an old boyfriend’s.”
She’d wasted no time in getting rid of it—probably just out of consideration for my feelings.
I sighed and followed her to the living room where I collapsed into a white armchair. Toni was a slave to white. Everything in the living room was white, from her wall-to-wall carpets, silk damask furniture and marble tables to the silk-draped windows. It was an elegant decor, but too sterile for my taste. I’d once asked her why this preference didn’t extend into her wardrobe.
“I’m not exactly the virginal type,” she’d quipped. She’d had a point.
She set Jackie down and disappeared into her white kitchen. I seized the opportunity and grabbed Jackie. As long as I held her, she couldn’t wreck anything. Toni reappeared with a tray of crystal flutes and disappeared again. She returned, this time brandishing a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
“You know what they say. ‘Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.’” She popped the cork with a flourish.
“Why are we having Champagne? I hardly feel like celebrating.”
“It will make you feel better.”
“That and a pound of chocolate truffles.” Toni always had a box of Godiva stashed somewhere and I so needed some right now.
She ignored my comment. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
The truth tumbled out. “You know what I thought? I thought Rob was going to propose.” There. I’d admitted it. “I don’t know why, but every man I’ve ever cared for has cheated on me. Is it me? Am I doing something wrong?”
“Don’t think that way,” she said emphatically. “You’re wonderful. Any man would be lucky to have you. It’s not you. There are lots of jerks out there, but also a lot of really nice women who make it easy for men to behave badly. Jerks gravitate to competent, loving and trusting women. I swear they have radars.”
I thought about this for a minute. “I know I worked harder on the relationship than Rob did. I guess I made excuses for him because he was a resident.”
“And because you loved him and wanted him to love you,” she said, voicing a truth I hated to admit.
I shrugged. “Maybe. I knew he wasn’t perfect, but who is?”
Toni lifted her glass. “To all the Mr. Perfects out there, wherever they may be.” She took a sip and set her glass back down. “Actually, Mr. Perfect is a myth. And so is Mr. Right.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I know so.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of perfectly nice men out there, but I agree that there is no such thing as a perfect man, which was why…” I let the thought drift off.
“The bigger problem is us. We choose men who convince us that we’re lucky to have them. We bend over backwards to hold their interest. What we need are men who know how lucky they are to have us. And that, my friend—” she lifted her glass in a toast, “—would make us the lucky ones.”
“Wow. A man who thinks he’s lucky to have me. I like that.” I stared dreamily into space.
Toni waved my comment away. “We’re not here to talk about men. We’re here to help you.” She leaned toward me. “I think I know who killed Rob and why.”
“Who? Tell me!”
She hesitated. “Obviously, I don’t have any proof. All I have is a theory, but it makes perfect sense to me. And I’m worried that because the police pegged you as the killer—”
“They’ll spend all their effort trying to prove me guilty. They probably won’t even look for other suspects,” I concluded.
“My thoughts exactly.”
I leaned forward. “I’m not going to wait for the police to do something. I have to solve this myself.” I hadn’t consciously made the decision before this moment, but I suddenly knew that was exactly what I had to do.
Her jaw dropped. “You mean, you want us to go out and play detective?”
“Not you, me.”
Toni nodded emphatically. “I can help. I guess I never told you, I used to be a gumshoe.”
“What the hell is a gumshoe?”
She smiled. “A gumshoe is an old term for a private eye, a detective, an investigator, a snoop.”
I burst out laughing. “You were a snoop? Well that I believe.”
Toni put on her haughty air. “Ha-ha! Very funny.”
“Come on,” I said. “You really expect me to believe that?”
“I swear I did work as a detective,” she said, crossing her heart.
I had a mental picture of Toni in a designer trench and her usual four-inch heels, skulking around a dark alley with a magnifying glass.
“You’re absolutely right. Don’t react, pro-act,” she said. “You’ve got to take charge of your own future.” She refilled my glass.
I gave her the eyebrow. “Now tell me the truth. You were never a detective, were you?”
She examined her impeccable nails. “Well, I did exaggerate, but I’d rather exaggerate than be boring,” she added lightly.
I looked at her with skepticism. “Oh, come on, admit it. You made that up.”
She took a sip of Champagne. “I did work as a detective. Well, sort of.”
“You told me you were a model before marrying Steven.”
“Yes, and I also did some acting. I had a role as a detective once,” she admitted, sheepishly.
I hooted with laughter.
Toni raised her chin defiantly. “I don’t care what you say. I learned a lot about being a detective during the filming of that movie.”
“Suuuure you did.”
Toni looked indignant. “I still think I know a lot about investigative work. Besides, what am I supposed to do? Sit around and let you do all the work?”
I looked into her pleading eyes. “Oh, all right,” I groaned. “But I swear, if I get into more trouble because of you—”
“Great,” she exclaimed, cutting me short. “Now that we have that settled, how about I order some sushi? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
Oh, thank goodness. Food. “Ask for extra soy sauce. They never give you enough. And extra wasabi.”
Five minutes later Toni was back from the kitchen after placing the order, and we returned to the business at hand.
“The first thing we have to do is come up with a list of suspects.”
She nodded knowingly. “Know what I think? That bitch he was having the affair with killed him.”
“Maybe. But before we settle on any one suspect, we should consider who may have had a grudge against Rob.”
There was a long silence, then Toni said, “Maybe she stayed in the area last night, hoping to speak to Rob alone.”
“I just said, we have to look at more than just one suspect.”
She shook her head. “No, wait. Listen, if Rob broke off with her, it might have turned into a violent argument.”
A violent argument. Toni was beginning to sound like the detectives. But her theory sounded plausible.
She added, “Maybe she joined Rob after the party. He could have broken off with her. That would have caused a fight.”
If Toni was right, then maybe Rob really had loved me. I liked her theory. It saved some of my pride.
“If she stayed in the area after the party—who knows, she might have been standing outside the door. She could have heard the argument you and he were having. Didn’t you tell me Rob was begging you not to break off with him? That she meant nothing to him?”
I nodded and she continued, sounding more convinced.
Hmm. I played the idea in my mind. “We weren’t exactly shouting, but I guess a person near the entrance could have overheard.” Then I remembered something. “Hold on. I saw a car drive off from my place this morning.” I hesitated. “But if that was her car, that would mean she spent half the night at my place. Why so long?”
Toni grimaced. “You might not want the answer to that.” I was struck with an instant image of the two of them in my bed. “Besides,” she added, “you don’t know that it was her car. It could have been a neighbor’s.”
“True,” I admitted. “Or maybe he broke off with her, and she returned later in her car to kill him?”
“Did the police say anything about the time of death?” she asked and then snapped her fingers. “Steven has friends in the department. I bet he could find out for us.” She picked up her glass and took another sip. “I swear, Nicky, if that skinny bitch did it, we’ll get her.”
“Was she skinny? I didn’t notice. I guess everyone looks skinny to me.”
“She was no more than a size six.” Toni picked up the bottle of Champagne. “Would you like another glass of bubbly?” Without waiting for a reply, she refilled my glass.
“No, thanks,” I answered, a moment too late.
Toni gave a little shoulder wiggle. “Some people say their glass is half full, others say their glass is half empty. What I say is, if you’re not drinking that, give it to me.” And she seized my glass and sat back down. “All right, if you think we should look at other suspects, let’s. Can you think of anyone, anyone at all, who might have had it in for Rob?”
I closed my eyes and thought. “No,” I said at last. “He was a resident, for goodness sake. His job was to save people’s lives.” I hesitated. “Unless…somebody might have blamed him for a patient’s death.” I dismissed the idea immediately. “I can’t believe that. All his patients adored him. You’ve known him longer than I have—did you ever get the impression that he was anything but a likeable guy? Clearly I didn’t know him well enough.”
“We never know what goes on in another person’s mind.”
“You know who I thought was interested in Rob?” I asked, and without waiting for her reply, I said, “Kim. She sort of makes me uncomfortable, the way she tries so hard to be friends, calling, dropping by and always asking about Rob.”
“I think she’s lonely.” I must have looked skeptical because she continued, “Seriously. Just look at her. All she has is her career. You said yourself she never dates.”
“I didn’t say she never dates. She does date, but they never turn into relationships. There’s a big difference.”
Toni thought for a second. “Maybe she tries too hard with men too—spooks them.”
That actually made sense.
Tony frowned. “Rob was specializing in oncology, wasn’t he?”
I remembered one side of Rob’s I’d admired. “Yes. Lately, he’d been excited because of some double-blind placebo-control study for a promising new drug.”
“What’s a double-blind whatchamacallit?”
“That’s when scientists test a new drug by giving one group the real thing and a second group a placebo. Then they look at the cure percentages of both groups.”
Toni shook her head. “How do you know that stuff?”
“My mother was part of a study when she had breast cancer. Nobody ever told us if she got the real drug or the placebo. But—” my voice went soft, “—she didn’t make it.”
“I’m so sorry,” Toni said.
I smiled. “It was a long time ago.” I was pensive for a moment. “Rob was such a humanitarian.”
Toni smirked. “Yes, the doctor who loved too many.” And then she noticed the look on my face and immediately changed the subject. “You know who we should contact? Janice Bradley. That’s her name, isn’t it? Your friend in the washroom? She can give us the name of the other woman.”
Although it was just about the last thing in the world I felt like doing, that was something I should handle myself. “She’s my friend. She’ll tell me whatever I want to know. But I’m warning you, I am not talking to the skinny bitch. You want to help? That’ll be your job.”
Toni waved my concern away. “Don’t you worry, I’ll do whatever you want me to. I promise.” Ha! That was laughable. Toni gave me her famous cat-got-the-canary smile. “As for the bitch, I’ll take her myself. But the first thing I’ll do is canvass the neighbors.” Her eyes were glowing with eagerness. “Somebody might have seen something.”
At that moment, the delivery boy arrived with the sushi, and we jumped into action. Toni retrieved money from her wallet. I carried the bags into the kitchen and pulled plates from the cupboard.
By the time we sat down to eat, I was weak with hunger, but at my first bite, my stomach clamped shut. There was no way I could eat another morsel. In fact, I felt nauseated just looking at the food. I glanced up to find Toni watching with concern.
“Are you all right?” she asked, studying me with worried eyes. “You look ready to pass out. You’ve hardly slept in days,” she said, looking at her watch. “It’s nine-thirty. Why don’t you go to bed?”
That was the best offer I’d had all evening. “Good idea. I could use some sleep. I don’t care what you say. I’m going into work tomorrow.”
“Work?” Toni exclaimed. “You need some time off, girl. Don’t worry about work. Charles and I can run the place until you’re through the worst of it.”
I didn’t bother arguing, but there was no way in hell I was staying away from the restaurant. I had a business to run, one on which my financial security depended. I trudged off with Jackie. After taking her out for a quick pee, I collapsed into bed.
As I dozed off, I could hear Toni cleaning up. She was probably thinking up a dozen plans to save me. Ha. Whatever she concocted would likely further mess up my already-messed-up life.
tactics to avoid insanity
The next morning I woke up feeling almost hopeful. Having Toni’s company last night had done me some good. As for her helping me investigate, I just knew it was a bad idea. Hopefully, in the light of day, Toni would have come to her senses. It was one thing for me to do it. I was already in trouble. But I knew my friend—anything she did was bound to make things worse. My thoughts were interrupted by a small furry creature crawling out from under the blanket.
“Jackie,” I whispered. “What are you doing here, you sneaky little monkey? You know you’re not allowed in this bed.” She peeked out from under the sheets, looking smug. I chuckled. “I know. Not your fault.” Last night, I’d felt so awful that I’d snuck her into bed with me. “Better get out before Toni catches you.” I threw back the blankets and carried her to her kennel.
From across the hall, I could hear the shower running. Toni was up. It was time for me to get my pretty little behind—oh, all right, my pretty large behind—into gear.
An hour later, I returned from walking Jackie.
“I’m back, and I brought breakfast.” I brandished a brown paper bag from Pusiteri’s.
Toni was at the dining room table. She quickly folded the newspaper she was reading and hid it behind her back. “Is that what I think it is? Did you get fresh croissants?”
“What were you reading? It’s an article about Rob’s murder, isn’t it?” I dropped the bag on the table and put out my hand. “I want to see it.”
“Trust me, you don’t.” She left the table, taking the paper with her. A moment later, I heard the trash compactor. “Here’s some free advice,” she said, returning with cups and plates. “Don’t read the papers. Don’t watch the news. And don’t listen to gossip. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you do.”
“Oh, Toni. What am I going to do?” I asked, covering my face with my hands.
“What you’re going to do is have a cup of coffee and eat breakfast,” she repli
ed in a no-nonsense tone. And for some reason, her firmness was exactly what I needed.
I was pouring myself a cup when the phone rang.
“Help yourself to the croissants,” Toni called over her shoulder as she picked up the kitchen extension, “but leave a couple for me.” If it had been anyone else, I might have taken offense. But Toni’s comment was less a reflection on my appetite than evidence of her own.
In my lap, Jackie watched my every move in anticipation of a few crumbs. I picked up the wire basket, pulled back the folds of the linen napkin, and a puff of fragrant steam escaped. I closed my eyes and took a deep whiff. Normally, I loved the smell of freshly baked croissants. This morning, it left me indifferent.
“It’s for you.” Toni’s voice pierced my musings, and I opened my eyes to her, standing stiffly, one hand on her hip and the other holding out the receiver. One glance at her tight mouth and I didn’t have to ask.
“Hello, Steven.” I kept my voice carefully neutral.
“I have some news for you, Nicky.” It was eight o’clock in the morning and the man was bright and alert. How could anybody sound this awake so early? Yesterday he mentioned having to work all night. Didn’t the man ever sleep? Ha! I knew what Toni’s comment to that would be.
Toni pulled a chair and helped herself to a croissant, her movements slow and deliberate. She spooned strawberry jam onto her plate.
“The coroner has determined that Rob died between midnight and one thirty in the morning,” Steven’s voice was all business.
I felt a surge of hope. I covered the mouthpiece and repeated the information to Toni. Steven’s voice pulled me back.
“Unfortunately, the police are convinced you had time to kill Rob, then go back to the restaurant for Toni to join you. In other words, we’re back at square one.”
I groaned. Across the table, Toni guessed correctly. “So my statement didn’t help?”
I shook my head and whispered, “He died before you showed up with the martinis.”
“I do have some good news,” Steven said. “The police are finished combing your house for evidence. That means you’re free to move back in.”
Getting Skinny (A Chef Landry Mystery) Page 9
