by Rose Pressey
“You didn’t ask,” he said with a smile.
That was the lamest answer I’d ever heard. “Don’t give me that crap. You could have told me when you found out that I was a PI, but you didn’t. Why not?”
“Yeah, why not?” Dorothy asked with a scowl.
“I had a job to do for my client. I just felt that it was best if no one knew what I was doing.”
I stared at him for a couple seconds. “Well, I guess I can buy that, but why were you at the gym? If you were taking photos of Matt’s wife, why did you go to that gym?”
I’d find out what info he had on Chuck. I’d been trying to get more information on the relationship between Chuck and Matt Cooper, and Keith just might be my key. Keith glanced over his shoulder at the receptionist, then looked back at me.
He lowered his voice and said, “I think Chuck Moore killed Arthur Abbott.”
He could have punched me in the stomach and it wouldn’t have felt any different.
“That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking,” I said. “But I thought you said you didn’t know his last name?”
“Yeah, I just found out.”
Dorothy popped a peppermint into her mouth and shoved one into my hand.
After placing the mint in my mouth, I continued, “I need to find the proof. They still have my client in jail for the crime.”
Keith nodded. “I’m aware.”
“Have you been following me too?”
“No, I haven’t been following you. Has someone been following you?” he asked.
“Several people have been following us,” Dorothy answered for me.
He stared at Dorothy.
“This is my assistant, Dorothy. You remember her from the gym?” I asked.
“Yes, of course.” He smiled. “Nice to see you again.”
She nodded.
“It’s Chuck and a couple other muscle men from the gym who followed me.”
“They even left a threatening note on her car,” Dorothy offered.
“Are you serious?” Keith asked.
I waved my hand dismissively. “Yes, it was silly really…something right out of some lame crime caper movie.”
“Nonetheless, it’s still a serious matter,” Keith said.
“That’s what I told her, but she doesn’t listen to me,” Dorothy said.
“Was that you in the park giving the photos to Mr. Louis?” I asked.
He nodded. “It was an associate of mine.”
“Well, he followed me. What was that all about?” I asked.
Keith frowned. “I wasn’t aware that had happened, but I’ll make sure to find out why.”
“Are you going to share the info you have with me now? Or do we have to do this the hard way?” I asked crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“Well, no, I’d rather not do this the hard way,” he said with a chuckle.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Good. I’m glad you see it my way.”
“Matt Cooper has been taking bribes and so has a judge too. I just don’t have sufficient proof yet.”
“How was that related to the death of Arthur Abbott?” I asked.
“Arthur was going to the authorities with that information. That on top of the fact that Arthur was cheating with Matt’s wife was enough to send him over the edge,” Keith said.
I released a deep breath. “Too bad I couldn’t have discovered this information.”
“I’ve been working on this case for a long time.” Keith must have seen the look of disappointment on my face.
Where was Matt’s wife? I had questions to ask her. Of course there was little chance she’d be truthful about her affair. But she could give me more insight into Arthur’s relationship with his law firm partners. Matt hadn’t wanted to get involved with telling Arthur about his wife’s affair with Sam because Arthur was in the same situation with Matt’s wife. How would I find her?
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Where are we headed?” Dorothy asked, then popped a peppermint into her mouth.
“The Dolphin Swim and Tennis Club,” I offered while navigating a turn.
She scowled. “Isn’t that a private club?”
I shrugged. “Since when did I let anything like that stop me? We can tell them that we’re interested and possibly want to join the club. They’ll give us a tour and we can snoop around for Mrs. Cooper.”
“Do you know what she looks like?” Dorothy asked.
I tapped my purse. “I have a photo inside. Take a look.”
She pulled out the photo and studied it, then turned to me and said, “I hope I don’t really have to join that club. You don’t pay me enough to afford it.”
I patted her hand. “Don’t worry, Dorothy, I’ll take care of everything.”
We parked outside the posh-looking club. The landscaping was lush and palm trees surrounded the area.
“We’ll just tell them you are my grandmother,” I said as I climbed out of the car.
When I glanced over, Dorothy was sending me a death glare.
“We’ll tell them you are my mother?” I asked.
She scowled again.
“We’ll tell them you are my sister?” That was my final offer.
She gave a grin. “Okay, I guess that’ll have to do.”
When we stepped inside the club, I was completely lost. People milled around, not glancing up at us. They obviously knew what they were doing, but I had no idea where to go. Finally, I spotted the front desk and headed that way with Dorothy hot on my heels.
“We’re here for a tour of the club?” I told the blonde-haired woman behind the desk.
“Sure, welcome to Dolphin Swim and Tennis Club. If you’ll just fill out this card, I’ll show you around.” She offered a huge smile and handed me a clipboard.
“How do you intend on finding her in this huge place?” Dorothy whispered.
“We’ll ask around.” I waved my hand through the air. “It’s probably not as big as it looks.”
“I still don’t understand, even if you find her what are you going to say?”
“I’ll ask her about her affair. I want to know what was going on inside that law firm. Allison doesn’t have any more info.” I finished the information card and clipped the pen back onto the board.
“What makes you think she will?” Dorothy asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t, but it’s worth a shot.”
I stepped back over to the desk and handed the woman the card.
She peered down at the information and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Thomas. I’m happy to show you and your grandmother around the club. Please follow me and we’ll get started.”
“Ouch!” I said, hopping on one foot and holding my shin with my hand. “Was it really necessary to get violent?”
“I was supposed to be your sister,” Dorothy said through gritted teeth.
“Oops, I forgot,” I said with a devilish smile.
Our tour guide was in front of us, droning on about the benefits of the club. She had no idea that we weren’t paying the least bit of attention. “When she’s not looking, we lose her,” I whispered to Dorothy.
“You can’t be serious.” Dorothy frowned.
I quirked my eyebrow. “Dead serious. We’ll slip into the women’s locker room.”
Our guide walked past the door marked as the women’s locker room, so as soon as we approached, I opened the door and dragged Dorothy in with me. As we stepped farther into the locker room, I stepped over to a woman who looked approachable and pulled out the photo. Yes, I realize that was probably a creepy move, but I had no other options.
“Have you seen this woman?” I asked.
The woman glared at me, then looked down at the photo. She didn’t reply, but instead went back to applying her lipstick.
“Can you just tell me if you’ve seen her?” I pressed.
She looked at me through the mirror. The scowl on her face remained. She would probably have us thrown out of there at
any second.
Finally, she looked over at me again. “Yes, I’ve seen her.” She pointed toward the tennis courts.
I looked in the direction of her pointing finger. “Thank you,” I said softly.
When I started to walk away, she grabbed my arm. “What do you want with her?”
I sucked in a deep breath. “It’s official business.”
“It’s because she didn’t pay her dues, isn’t it?” she said with enthusiasm.
I frowned. “What? I have no…”
“I knew they were having money problems. It’s a shame.” She shook her head.
By the look on this woman’s face, I didn’t think she was all that sincere about her statement. What made her think that the Coopers were having financial problems? Yet another mystery to unravel, although I doubted it was important to this situation.
“Thank you for the information,” I said, then hurried away.
We made our way outside and toward the tennis courts. The sky was brilliantly blue sprinkled with fluffy white clouds. There was a café area by the courts. I scanned the area looking for the woman.
Just when I was about to give up, Dorothy pointed and said, “Is that her?”
I looked in the direction of her pointing finger. “At that table of women?”
“Yes, the woman in the white blouse.”
“Yes, that’s her. Good eyes, Dorothy.” I motioned for her to follow my lead.
“I don’t take vitamin B for noting, you know,” she said with a snort.
“Let’s go have lunch,” I said.
Dorothy shook her head. “Something tells me this won’t end well.”
“Oh, what’s the worst that could happen?”
We stood at the café’s entrance waiting for the hostess to seat us. I was sure she’d seen us standing there. Dorothy started coughing and the woman finally approached.
“We’d like a table please,” I said, looking around at the empty tables.
“Are you members?” she asked looking us up and down.
“We’re standing in here aren’t we?” Dorothy quipped.
She stared for a moment, then said, “Just a minute please.”
“We are going to get caught. And don’t think for one minute I am going down with you, missy. I will act like I don’t know you.” Dorothy warned with a wave her finger. “They will believe the old lady over you any day.”
The hostess led us across the room. I wasn’t exactly dressed appropriately for this place, and by the looks from the women sitting around, they thought so too. We sat at the table right beside Matt’s wife and her friends.
I took a sip of water and pretended that I was looking at something else when I glanced back to check out the women. The brunette with the bob frowned when she noticed me staring. I whipped back around quickly.
“Well, that was a real smooth move,” Dorothy retorted.
I scowled. “I’m trying my best.” I leaned back, straining to overhear their conversation.
“Aren’t you going to confront her?” Dorothy asked.
I shook my head.
She frowned. “Well, what are you going to do now?”
“I’ll think of something, just give me a second.” I tapped my finger against the table, then took another bite of my breadstick.
Dorothy acted as if I was supposed to come up with some grand plan right away.
“You’re pressuring me. Stop staring,” I said.
When I heard Matt’s name mentioned again, I leaned back farther. My chair tipped back and I grabbed the table to keep from crashing on my butt. The table shook and our water glasses splashed across the pretty white tablecloth.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Dorothy fumed.
I straightened in the chair and attempted to regain my composure. Everyone in the place was staring at me. Hadn’t they ever seen a woman almost fall out of her chair before? Of course the women at the table behind us were whispering about me. I heard a giggle and then a description of my frazzled hair. Hey, the humidity was killer.
After the commotion died down, the café returned to normal. My face was still red though. When the women left the table, we got up and followed them. The waiter rushed over and I figured he was chasing me because I’d left such a lousy tip. But it had been all that I could afford.
“You forgot your purse,” he said as he shoved my little bag toward me.
I grabbed it without looking. “Thanks.”
The women walked inside the building and I knew we had to go after them. Wherever they went, I was going to follow. They glanced around a few times and I knew they were suspicious of why we were following them. When they looked back again, I stopped, pretending to study a photo on the wall.
“Oh, that was real smooth. I’m sure they didn’t suspect you at all.”
“Be quiet,” I whispered. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re about to get in trouble.”
Our guide was looking for us. I saw her scanning the room. I grabbed Dorothy’s arm and rushed her down the hallway. The women had stepped into the locker room, so I pushed Dorothy through the door and inside the room. The women scowled when they spotted us, but they didn’t say anything about our odd appearance inside the locker room.
I noticed Matt’s wife at the back of the room. She was standing alone, so I knew this was my chance to approach her. What did I have to lose now? I had already broken all the rules by chasing her around the club.
When I walked up, I said, “Excuse me.”
She whipped around and said, “Are you following me?”
She looked like she was ready to take a karate stance. I didn’t know karate, so she might be able to take me down with one move. I’d have to take a few classes.
“No, I’m not following you. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I just need to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, I do mind,” she said, grabbing a towel and walking away.
I followed her across the room as she hurried her steps.
“I don’t think you should do that. She’s getting ready to let you have it,” Dorothy said as she rushed behind me.
“Yeah, I know, but I can’t stop now.”
When she stopped in front of the mirror, I knew I had to explain who I was and what I wanted.
“Why should I talk to you?” she continued to stuff things into her bag.
She looked upset and as if she really did want to talk to me. “If you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere I have to be.”
“It’ll just take a moment and it’s very important. You don’t want an innocent woman to go to jail for life, do you?” I asked.
She paused and let out a deep breath. “No, I don’t. Look,” she lowered her voice. “I’m trying to work this out with my husband. Matt isn’t who I thought he was. He wouldn’t let me break off the affair.”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
She looked around to see if anyone was listening. The other women had already left the room. “Matt threatened me. It wasn’t just psychical. He threatened to get rid of Arthur if I didn’t stop the affair…He meant get rid of him financially, of course.”
I hadn’t expected that revelation, but at the same time I wasn’t surprised. If she was fearful and suspected something strange was going on, then it was most likely true. After all, she had the inside info. Now I just needed to figure out what to do with the info I’d uncovered.
I’d just started to respond when someone approached, pulling me out of the conversation.
“There you two are. I’ve been looking all over for you. I started to think you were just playing games with me.” Our tour guide gave a forced smile
I snorted. “Of course not. We’d love to join.”
Dorothy poked me in the side. “Ouch. What my much older sister wanted to ask is if you give a senior discount.”
The woman smiled from ear to ear. “Of course. Let me just get the paperwork
.”
When she turned and walked down the hall, I glanced over my shoulder. Mrs. Cooper had disappeared. Dorothy turned to face me. If looks could kill, I’d be at the bottom of that pool next to us.
“I told you I didn’t want to join.”
“We’re not. Come on.” I tugged on her arm and rushed toward the door before the woman came back.
I felt badly about lying to our tour guide, but it had been completely necessary. Hey, maybe someday I really would join the club.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next day I headed toward the restaurant on the beach. The card I’d found at the boat dock had two addresses written down. One of them had a street number and the other one didn’t. When I looked up the address with the number, I found out it was a restaurant. It was the same restaurant that Allison had told me Matt and Arthur had eaten at the day before Arthur’s death—the one I’d forgotten to check out. It would be a long shot, but maybe if I went there I could show Arthur’s picture and it would give me some clues.
The air was hot and muggy as I walked across the wooden boardwalk to the restaurant. The restaurant sat right on the beach. It looked like an old weathered beach house, but it had obviously only been around for a few years. The walls were covered with every beach-themed item possible. Fishing nets, palm trees, flip-flops, and surf boards just to name a few. It looked more like a sports bar with multiple TVs all tuned in to a different sporting event.
A quick look at the menu posted on the wall by the door let me know that they served sandwiches, seafood, and beer. The walls facing the beach were all open-air, allowing the breeze and the smell of the ocean to waft through the space. The place was empty except for a couple at a table across the room and a guy on the same side toward the back of the restaurant. He looked up at me when I entered, but the couple was too engrossed in their conversation to know anyone else was around.
I sat down at the table closest to the door. I figured while I was there I might as well have lunch. The waitress might be more likely to help me out if she knew I was a paying customer. The tables were made out of the same weather-beaten wood as the walls. There were four stools around each table. I pulled one out and sat down. I knew the odds that I’d find any information were slim, but I had to try everything I could think of. I couldn’t just wait for the case to solve itself. I looked around the room for an employee. The woman at the back of the room noticed me and held up her index finger.
