by Dawn Eastman
“Mom, why don’t you take Dad outside to cool off?” I gestured toward the door that led into the back alley.
“Mr. Vaughn, your son is out front,” I said. “I suggest you go now.”
Richard Vaughn cast a menacing glance at Dad’s back, shrugged Mac off, and strode out of the kitchen.
“Alex, what happened?” I said. “I’ll help you clean up.”
The door swung open and Diana and Lucan came through.
“What’s going on?” Diana asked. “We just saw Richard Vaughn storm out the front door.” She lowered her voice. “He was soaking wet and I think he had salad in his hair.”
I closed my eyes slowly and took a deep breath.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Vi said. “Richard said something to Frank about Grace leaving Derek all those years ago. And your father said she was better off. And then Richard said, ‘Like Rose? I’m sure she’s had time over the years to regret her choice,’ and then your father attacked him.”
“Dad? Attacked Richard?” I said.
“Well, he told him to step into the kitchen, and then he attacked him.”
Alex was shaking his head. “That’s not what happened.”
Vi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Alex.
“They came through the door, arguing,” Alex said. “Richard was in front and Frank was right behind him—they were definitely angry. Then one of the servers came through the door right behind them and the door slammed into Frank, who stumbled forward and pushed Richard. Richard turned and took a swing at Frank and then we had to pull them apart.”
Mac nodded. “I didn’t see the beginning, but I saw them arguing and followed them into the kitchen. They were already swinging away when I got here.”
“They took out the whole counter of salad,” Vi said and pointed to the mess on the floor.
Mac chuckled. Then Alex started to laugh. Pretty soon we were all laughing at the idea of my dad and Richard Vaughn wrestling in a pile of salad.
Harriet Munson peeked through the door with an angry scowl. “Really, Violet, I would expect a bit more decorum at a time like this.”
We quickly sobered up and looked contritely at Harriet. Diana and Lucan slid past her and back out into the restaurant.
Mac and I began to pick up the mess, but Alex shooed us out of the kitchen.
The crowd grew quiet as we stepped back through the door. All eyes watching.
“There’s been a small accident in the kitchen,” Mac said. “We’ll have to skip the salad and go straight to dessert.”
27
I pulled the door wide to allow Aaron and Richard Vaughn and Theo Lancaster to enter. I was surprised Aaron hadn’t come alone. I’d gotten the impression he wanted to keep the whole thing a secret. It felt weird to be in the same room with Richard Vaughn now that I knew about his history with my mother. I couldn’t imagine Mom with anyone but Dad, and this man had almost married her. I could see why she had been attracted to him. Even now, he was a good-looking man, though currently marred by a puffy right eye—go Dad. He was tall, with silver hair and bright, intelligent eyes.
“Thank you for seeing us,” he said. “I know this has been a difficult week for you. I knew your sister when she was younger and she was a charming girl.”
“Thank you, and I’m sorry for your loss as well. Please, have a seat.” I gestured toward the living room. “Can I get you anything?”
Theo took the armchair. Richard and Aaron sat on the couch and leaned forward, elbows on knees, in identical postures. “No, thank you,” Richard said. “I’ll get right to the point. We’d like to hire you for a rather delicate situation.”
I nodded that he should continue.
“We’re . . . missing a large portion of our inventory and we’d like you to find it.”
“Inventory? What kind of inventory?”
“Diamonds,” Aaron said. “Thirty diamonds, all between one and three carats, went missing from our safe last week.”
“Don’t you think this is a matter for the police?” I asked. “If you were burgled . . .”
Richard shook his head and held his hand up. “We don’t want to involve the police.”
“I’m not sure what you think I can do,” I said. “I don’t really handle this sort of thing. I can find items, certainly, but I don’t track down stolen goods.”
Aaron pressed his lips together and hesitated for a moment.
“We know who took the diamonds. We just don’t know what he did with them and we’d really like to recover our property.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “If you know who took them, it should be very easy for the police to find this person and compel him to turn over the jewels.”
“It was Derek who took the diamonds,” Richard said. He rubbed his face and then stopped suddenly when he touched his swollen eye.
I took a quick breath. I hadn’t expected this. “Perfect” Derek had stolen from his family’s jewelry store?
“Are you sure about this?”
“We have it on video.” Aaron clasped his hands loosely between his knees. “We have seen all of the personal effects that were found by the police, which means he must have hidden them before he was killed.”
“Maybe whoever killed him stole the diamonds,” I said. “There have been worse motives.”
“We thought of that,” Theo began, “but have reason to believe that Derek stole the diamonds to pay off a debt. Those people wouldn’t have killed him if he’d given them the diamonds.”
“Maybe it was someone else,” I said. “Who else might have known about the missing diamonds?”
A glance passed between Aaron and Theo.
“We’re the only people who know any diamonds are missing,” Richard said.
“Unless his killer accidently discovered the jewels after he was dead, we don’t think his killer took them,” Aaron said.
“I know this is a difficult time for you,” Richard said, “but with Grace and Paul’s flight from town, doesn’t it seem likely that they were involved?”
“Dad!” Aaron said. He glowered at his father. Theo looked embarrassed and studied the carpet.
I inhaled quickly and prepared to defend Grace and Paul when I remembered that I had no proof they didn’t do it, and no other likely suspect.
I sat up straight and shook my head. “There is nothing linking them to Derek’s murder.” I heard the steely tone creep into my voice. I liked Richard Vaughn less and less. I found myself wishing Dad had a better right hook.
“We don’t want to get into an argument about Grace’s guilt or innocence,” Theo said. He held his hands out in a placating gesture. “I don’t think she had anything to do with it. We were hoping you could simply help us find the diamonds. Even a general idea of their location would be useful.”
I stood and went to the window to look out at the sunny spring afternoon. My radar was ringing and I didn’t trust Richard, but one way to find out more about this family and maybe help solve the murder was to agree to help them.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“What’s your fee?” Richard stood to pull out his wallet.
Vi said we should always charge ten percent of the worth of the item. That got a little tricky when the item was worthless to anyone but the owner. Knowing it was diamonds he was looking for, I didn’t think I could charge him ten percent. If my methods worked, it only took a few minutes.
“Five percent of the worth of the recovered items.”
His smile slipped into a smirk and I regretted giving him a break. “Done. In fact, if you deliver them within the week and keep this between us, I’ll give you six percent.”
Again I felt that frisson of warning, but I put my hand out to shake on the deal.
“I’ll be in touch as soon as I have some news
for you.” I walked to the door, anxious to end this conversation.
“How long does it usually take?” Aaron asked.
“It depends, but at least a couple of days.”
Richard nodded and pulled five hundred-dollar bills out of his wallet. He held them out to me. “I assume you require a retainer?”
Since most of my clients so far had been owners of lost cats, I’d never received a retainer. I pocketed the money and thought anxiously about the lecture I would receive from Vi when she found out about my discount deal.
“I’d appreciate it if you would give this your undivided attention,” Richard said as I opened the front door.
“Of course, top of the list,” I said.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Aaron said. “Grace was . . . one of a kind.”
“Some of my best memories are times I spent with your sister,” Theo said. “I’m very sorry.”
I closed the door behind them and leaned against it. I let out a long breath and waited for the irritation to subside.
I went to the kitchen to make tea and think.
Mac had taken the kids and the dogs out for a walk in the woods. I’d told them to stay away until about five o’clock. I was glad for the time to myself.
Derek had stolen diamonds from his family’s business. Why? I remembered the rumors that he had been a gambler. I supposed he could have debts from that. The whole story was strange. He must have known about the security cameras. Unless he didn’t know they were there? If I were investigating the crime, that’s something I would want to know, but I wasn’t. I was only hired to find the diamonds, not analyze why he had taken them.
I was too hyped up from the memorial, the brawl, and this new news to focus on finding the diamonds.
The electric kettle clicked off and I poured the water into a mug.
Besides finding stolen diamonds, trying to keep my sister and her husband from being accused of murder, and keeping my father out of any more brawls, I would have to get Sophie signed up for school and figure out how to get all of her stuff shipped here from New York.
I sat at the table with my tea and pulled a blank piece of paper off the top of Mac’s pile of papers. I would need a list to keep track of everything. I’d also need to contact Rupert and find out what else the will contained besides giving me custody of the kids. At least I could accomplish that much. I reached for the phone and dialed.
I took a sip of tea. How did my life turn upside down so quickly?
28
My head was still spinning from my conversation with Rupert when the dogs, the kids, and Mac burst in the door. They brought the damp smell of earth, leaves, and fresh spring air in with them.
Tuffy and Baxter made a beeline for the kitchen and both sat in front of their dinner bowls. Seth had taught them this trick and it was so much better than the nudging, whining, and pathetic stares that had been their previous method of asking for dinner.
Seth followed them in with Sophie right behind. She had been more closely attached to Seth than his shadow since Grace and Paul had disappeared, and I marveled again that Seth tolerated it with such good humor. I thought that his empathy for animals might extend to certain humans as well.
“There you are,” Seth said to me. “Is Logan’s dad gone? What did he want?” Seth swung open the refrigerator and pulled out the dog food.
Sophie bent and picked up the bowls, which caused Baxter to lie down quietly, and Tuffy to begin leaping into the air. Seth had not been able to convince him that his acrobatics were not actually helpful and would not speed up the delivery of food.
“He wanted to hire me and Vi to find something,” I said, and avoided meeting his gaze.
“Is it Draco?” he asked.
I looked at him blankly.
“Logan’s pet snake,” Seth rolled his eyes at me as if I should know who Draco was. He spooned the food into the bowls.
“No, it’s not a missing pet case,” I said.
“Oh, good,” Seth said. “Logan’s pretty attached to that thing and his mother keeps threatening to set it free in the woods.”
Another thing I’d rather not know.
“As far as I know, Draco the snake is safe at home.”
“So what did he want?” Seth handed a bowl to Sophie for Baxter and put Tuffy’s bowl on the floor.
“Who?” Were we still talking about the snake?
“Logan’s dad,” Seth said. He was bent over Tuffy, fixing his collar while the little dog inhaled his food. “What did he want?”
“He asked me not to talk about it,” I said.
Seth stood and crossed his arms. “Everything’s a secret with them.”
“What do you mean?”
Seth shrugged. “Logan says his grandfather has a terrible temper and they can’t ever tell him anything.”
“Is that all?”
Seth glanced at Sophie and then back at me. “Well, he says ever since the events at the zombie run his parents have been whispering to each other all the time and acting weird. He said his mom was crying when he came home from school and she never cries.”
“Well, the family is going through a really tough time right now,” I said. “I’m sure things will calm down when the police are finished with their investigation.”
“He says the only person acting normal is Theo,” Seth said.
“Does he spend a lot of time with Theo Lancaster?” I asked.
Seth shrugged. “I guess. He says Theo is more like an uncle than Derek ever was.”
“Hmm. I got that impression as well.”
Sophie had been watching our exchange and she jumped in as soon as there was a lull. “I’m hungry, Aunt Clyde.”
“What do you guys want for dinner?”
“Mac says we can have pizza,” Sophie said. “I like pineapple, but Seth likes mushrooms.” She made a disgusted face.
“We can get both, I said.” Based on what Rupert had told me, they could buy the whole store. “Why don’t you and Seth go pick a movie to watch and I’ll order the pizza?”
Sophie skipped into the living room, dragging Seth behind her.
“No princesses or unicorns,” Seth grumbled.
“Okay,” Sophie said.
“Pick something funny,” I said. “No scary movies.”
I heard the television click on, and the kids began discussing choices.
Mac walked into the kitchen and both dogs wagged their tails while continuing to eat. I wanted to tell Mac about the Vaughns’ story of the diamonds, and struggled with my promise to keep it a secret. If Mac could get word to Roy that Derek had stolen diamonds from his family, it would give them another area of inquiry into his death. Either way, I didn’t want to talk about it now, when there was a chance of being interrupted by the kids.
“So, pizza?” I said.
Mac grinned. He and Seth loved pizza and would have it almost every night. With Sophie living here, I would have one more vote against me in the great pizza debate.
Mac put his arms around me and rested his head on top of mine.
“I’ll let you pick the toppings,” he said.
“Only because you know I like the same ones you do.”
“You do?” He pulled away and looked down into my face. “How lucky is that?”
I grinned and pushed him away. “You order. Sophie wants pineapple, and she doesn’t want any of Seth’s mushrooms touching her half.”
Mac clicked open his phone and dialed.
* * *
Later that night, Mac and I picked up the pizza boxes, plates, and napkins from the living room coffee table while Baxter and Tuffy examined the carpet for any stray pieces of cheese or pepperoni. Seth had agreed to read the Lemony Snicket books to Sophie and I could hear his voice floating down from the top of the stairs as he told the sad tale of
the Baudelaire orphans. It occurred to me that they should have picked a series that didn’t involve orphans and evil guardians, but it was too late.
Mac clipped on the dogs’ leashes.
I went to the bottom of the stairs and called up. “Kids! We’re taking the dogs out. We’ll be right back.”
Seth stopped reading. “Okay.”
Tuffy glowered up the stairs and sat. He hated it when anyone other than Seth took him for a walk. Baxter wagged his whole body and weaved in and out between Mac and me. Tuffy finally gave in and allowed me to pull him out the door.
The cool night air made both dogs happy and they sniffed along the sidewalk like they were reading a good book.
I decided to take advantage of our five minutes alone to tell Mac my news from Rupert.
“I spoke to Rupert earlier this evening,” I said. “He told me about the money Grace and Paul left in trust for the kids.”
Mac stopped and turned to me. Baxter tugged for a moment at the leash and then sat with a dramatic sigh.
“I got the impression that they didn’t have any money after all the troubles with the Milano family.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know how they did it, but they have an account for the kids. It’s for their college and health insurance and maybe a yacht . . .”
“What?”
I told him the amount in the bank account.
He blinked. He didn’t say anything. We walked in silence for a few moments.
“I’m . . . I don’t know what to say.”
I nodded. That was pretty much my reaction when Rupert told me.
“I guess I can stop worrying about how we’ll support them,” Mac said.
“Rupert has been named the executor, so he will oversee the accounts, but they also arranged for a very generous monthly stipend.”
“Is this what you’ve been thinking about all evening?” Mac asked.
“What?”
“You’ve been in a different world since the Vaughns visited.” Mac turned to look at me. “I thought it had to do with them, I knew something was bothering you.”
I bent to pet Baxter and avoided Mac’s eyes. I didn’t know what to do. I had made a promise to the Vaughns and Theo to keep their request a secret, but something about it didn’t feel right. On the other hand, Mac wasn’t actually working this case.
