Angela spent the rest of the morning picking Herbert's brain for information, both on this case and others the older man had encountered over the years. He enjoyed sharing his expertise and stories regarding the strange things he had seen on the job. By one o'clock, Duncan still had not returned, so she took Herbert to lunch at the small restaurant in their building. The older man took pleasure in being treated to a meal and all the attention Angela showered upon him.
When her mobile rang, it was Duncan.
"I've gone over the forensic report and Herbert can leave whenever he's ready. Be sure to thank him and let him know I'll call him if anything else comes up. He really is quite impressive, Angela," Duncan added before signing off.
She was sorry to see Herbert leave. This morning was the most interesting she had ever had on the job and that was due to him. When she arrived back on the floor where she worked, both Duncan and his brother were standing beside her cubicle.
"Care to grab a spot of lunch with us?" her boss asked.
She looked from him to his brother and back. They looked uneasy, like they were keeping some sort of secret, and Angus did not make eye contact with her.
"Oh, I just ate with Herbert Smith. I put our lunch on the company account. I hope you don't mind, Duncan."
Angela had gotten used to calling her boss Duncan over the past week.
"No, that's perfectly all right. Uh, all right, then, we'll see you later," he responded before flinching like something had jabbed him in the ribs. "Ah, maybe you'd like to come with us and just have a coffee and dessert. It would do you good to get out of the building for a few minutes," he added.
"Are you sure? I'd like to go over the notes I took from our meeting with Herbert," Angela said.
"No, uh, I mean, yes, I'm sure. You should take a break and get out," Duncan stammered.
Her boss's behavior was so strange. An idea occurred to Duncan's assistant and she turned to his brother.
"What do you think, Angus, should I take an extra lunch? I might get fat."
Angus was forced to look Angela in the eye and her frank gaze unnerved him a bit.
It took him a moment to get the words out, but eventually he said, "Yes, I think you should definitely have an extra lunch with us."
Duncan tried to hide the amazement he felt. This whole situation was strange and he didn't want to make it any stranger with stunned expressions or a mouth gaping open in astonishment. Angus had never been uneasy around women, or tongue tied. His brother's recent behavior was unfathomable. Duncan was sure it had something to do with the hair straightening thing, which took on mystical proportions in his mind.
As the three made their way out of the building and around a corner towards the Leadenhall Market, Duncan attempted to make pleasant conversation. All Angela wanted to discuss was Herbert.
Leadenhall Market, a covered shopping arcade on Gracechurch Street, dated from the fourteenth century and contained several small eating establishments. It was a walk to get there, but a treat. Cobbled floors, and a roof painted in green, maroon, and cream welcomed shoppers and diners. Inside, large, ornate columns with gold accents flanked a central dome, and glass panels in the ceiling allowed light to flood the area. Tony shops and restaurants lined the arcade.
In the café, the trio crowded around a small table. The men had lunch, but Angela opted for a cappuccino instead of a second meal. The sheer size of Duncan's brother made him look ridiculous, sitting on a small chair at a tiny table. He resembled an adult in a kindergartener's seat. She noticed that Angus was dressed in a fine suit with snazzy shoes, shirt and tie.
When there was finally a break in talk about Herbert, Angus got the nerve up to say, "I think we've met before, Angela. It was several years ago, when you first started at Lawful and General."
"Oh? I don't recall that. Did you visit the office?" she asked.
"Yes, I came to see Duncan and you popped in. I believe you had curly hair then, if that narrows down when it was," he responded.
Angela took a good look at Angus. If he remembered their meeting, which had to have been several years back, she assumed he might be interested in her. She was astute that way. Maybe that's why the brothers acted so awkward at her cubicle. Perhaps the reason for the visit to Lawful and General was so Angus could see her again, not have lunch with his brother. Angus was a handsome man, no doubt. Angela would leave her options open, for now. She gave him a pretty smile while Duncan shifted in his seat, still uncomfortable with the situation.
Later, back at Duncan's flat, Angus grilled his brother about Herbert and why he generated so much interest from Angela. The idea of Angus being threatened by the much older Herbert sent Duncan into hysterical laughter. It was some time before he could get the message out to his brother that Herbert would be no competition on the field of Angela's affections.
* * * * *
He spent a frustrating week, making little progress on the case. Herbert's findings had been the high point. Angus stayed all week, making multiple visits to the garage that he considered purchasing and spending time with Sophie and his nieces. Johan wanted to revise his work, to include the forensic findings, and needed more time to do so. He had to fit the project around his government work.
Duncan counted on Johan's game theory analysis to provide insight into this case. Since Caroline was the beneficiary of the life insurance policy, the claim could not be paid unless she was ruled out as a suspect. If someone other than the beneficiary proved responsible, Lawful and General would pay the claim. Although an unknown worry nagged at his subconscious, he couldn't consider Caroline as responsible for Stuart's death. His hope was that Johan's conclusions would point suspicion on Peter and perhaps Julia, Stuart's nephew and niece. He would need to update Police Scotland as well. It was going to be a messy business.
Johan planned to take possession of his new place at the end of the week. He organized an outing to a local pub and then dinner at his flat afterwards for Duncan and Angela, his only friends in London. Duncan asked if Angus could tag along and Johan reluctantly agreed. Angus was happy to have another opportunity to see Angela.
They met at The Boot, an ancient public house situated not far from Johan's flat in Primrose Hill. Angela was the last to arrive and she looked stunning in a soft lavender jacket and matching sweater with jeans. The color set off her blue eyes and they almost appeared purple. Her long reddish brown hair stood out against the pale lavender. The three men all gawked at her as she maneuvered through the crowd to reach them. Since Johan was even bigger than Angus, Duncan and his brother squeezed into one side of the booth as the Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go blasted through the pub's audio system.
"Sit here, Angela," Johan called as she approached.
He managed to make a small amount of room available for her on the seat next to himself. Somehow the conversation came around to the origin of people's names.
"My name means strong!" Johan proclaimed. "Stark derives from strong. All the men in my family have been strong, and some of the women too," he jested. "Tonight I make my mother's recipes for raggmunk and varmrokt lax to share with my new friends!"
Johan dug into his pocket and produced his wallet. He opened the leather case and revealed a photo of his parents, which he passed amongst his friends.
"Your mother is a very beautiful lady," Angela remarked, "and you look just like your father!"
Johan's mother was a striking blonde with green eyes, tall but frail in stature. Her hair was braided and piled on top of her head in a traditional Swedish fashion. His father looked a lot like the son.
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Angela asked.
"I am only child and very close to my parents, especially my mother," the Swede replied.
No one would ever picture Johan as a mama's boy.
"I learn to cook from my mother and grandmother, strong women! They cook with big cast iron skillets, pots and pans," Johan said, gesturing as to the size of their cooking implements.
/> Not unlike the last time they gathered in a pub with Johan, he became the life of the party and drove all conversation. Just as Angus fought back some resentment, Angela made an attempt to focus the discussion on him.
"Your mother must be a fantastic cook to run a catering business," she said.
Angus, caught off guard, missed his chance to steer the dialogue.
"Well, it seems we were all well fed growing up!" Duncan chimed in since his brother appeared tongue tied.
"I'm not sure Miss Angela got enough to eat, but I will make sure she does this evening!" Johan exclaimed, giving Angela a major squeeze.
She took it good heartedly and bestowed a large smile upon him. After they'd each had a pint of bitters, or in Angela's case cider, Johan suggested they move on to his flat. It was a short walk there, but since it was chilly, the Swede kept his arm around Angela. Angus began to resent him, in spite of his good nature.
The flat looked much like it did when they inspected it the previous week. Johan had added a smoker on his balcony, where the varmrokt lax, salmon, was curing. He set to work melting butter in a heavy iron skillet and poured everyone a glass of wine. The table was already set and it was obvious Johan had put a lot of effort into entertaining his friends. After refusing any help from Angela, he began cooking the raggmunk, or potato pancakes, with crispy pork and lingonberries. In no time, Johan was serving smoked salmon on mixed field greens and potato pancakes. It was obvious he had spent time in a kitchen before, as he moved like an experienced chef with perfect timing. He had prepped the dishes before going to the pub, so he served his meal like clockwork.
None of the guests had sampled home cooked Swedish food before that night, and they were impressed. Everyone agreed that dinner tasted delicious. He smoked the salmon to perfection. The greens were a nice contrast to the crispy pancakes, fried in butter and topped with a smidge of bacon and tart lingonberries, prepared in a thin jam. Johan explained that the lingonberry had been a staple in Sweden for centuries. He could sometimes find them at the market in London, where they were imported and sold as whortleberries.
For dessert, Johan produced a prinsesstarta he had made himself, and served it with strong, Swedish coffee.
"This cake is princess cake and I make it for Angela," he stated, setting the beautiful creation in the center of the table. "This green icing and pink rose are marzipan, and the inside contains custard, sponge cake, and lingonberry filling."
Even though Johan had dimmed the lights before serving dinner, Angela's blush was apparent to everyone. The prinsesstarta tasted every bit as good as it looked and was the perfect companion to the robust coffee he served.
In the end, Johan escorted Angela home and Angus accompanied Duncan back to his brother's flat.
"You sure don't act like you are interested in Angela, Angus," Duncan said, once home. "Why, you never even talk to her. You hardly looked at her all evening. I don't know what's wrong with you, Angus. I told you about that whole change that took place when she got her hair straightened, right? Maybe that's what's affecting you. Apparently, something happens when a woman straightens her hair. I mean, people have come out of the woodwork chasing after her since then. Even I've felt differently about her." Here Angus raised an eyebrow at his brother before Duncan continued, "I'm considering giving her a promotion, and it would cause a lot of trouble for me too, upset the apple cart so to speak. I'd have to find another secretary to replace her."
Angus shook his head and said, "I'm going to bed," before walking dejectedly to the bedroom.
Duncan took his place for the night on the sofa, where he'd slept since his brother arrived in London, and placed a call to Caroline.
Chapter 10 - Johan's Conclusions
The work week was almost over, and Duncan had not heard from Johan. Angus continued to mope around the apartment, claiming he was still "running the numbers" on his would-be garage purchase. Duncan would have to return to Scotland soon, with or without Johan's results. Christmas and Boxing Day were fast approaching and he still hoped to spend those with Caroline.
"Johan just called me and he's coming over with his results this afternoon," Angela said, excitement gushing from her voice. "I've reserved the meeting room for two o'clock. I can't wait to hear what he's come up with!"
A wave of relief washed over Duncan, drowning any annoyance he might have felt that Johan had phoned Angela instead of himself with the news.
"Angela, can you book the night train for me this weekend to Edinburgh? Make a reservation for Angus on the same train, will you? Send me the confirmation number so Angus can pay for his own ticket."
Angela looked crestfallen.
"You're going back so soon? What if Johan's analysis is inconclusive, like yours?" she asked.
"In that case, I might as well go back up and give Police Scotland everything we've found. Besides, I plan on being in Edinburgh for Christmas," Duncan said, picking up his cell phone to text Angus the good news that they would be leaving this weekend.
When he looked up, Angela had gone. Duncan shrugged and focused his attention on his computer screen. He had spent the morning tweaking his fault tree analysis to no avail. Now, his stomach growled. The interface only got so far before sending the error message he had become so used to seeing, or the error message came from his animation program, or the interface crashed. He decided to take a completely new approach. He entered the known activities of Chief Inspector Wallace, Constable William Ainsley, and his friend, Donald Merriwether into the program. He also added Caroline's activities on the day Stuart died. This took the rest of the morning, as his tree grew to epic proportions. He clicked the Start button from the menu and walked out of his office, in search of lunch.
* * * * *
Duncan made it back to the office by two p.m. The headache that started before lunch pounded his brain, so he hunted around for some aspirin before walking to the meeting room. The room was empty, but someone had placed glasses, a pitcher of water, and cups and saucers on a credenza. Duncan poured himself a glass of water and downed two pills before taking a seat. He hoped the aspirin would grant him some relief from the throbbing in his head. He should have taken a few breaks during the morning instead of concentrating on his computer the entire time. The only moments he shifted his gaze were when Angela stopped by.
Duncan got up and walked to the wall of windows opposite the conference table. He let his eyes focus on buildings in the far distance, then glanced at close structures, like the Gherkin, before shifting his eyes to the Shard. It felt therapeutic to adjust his vision back and forth, and he soon lost track of time. When he heard Johan's voice, his headache was almost gone.
He turned to see the Swede and Angela approaching the conference room. They were in high spirits.
"Sorry, we're late," Angela said. "The service was slow at Palmer's."
Palmer's was a local restaurant where the employees of Lawful and General often ate. As Angela and Duncan took seats side by side, Johan stood at the end of the table, in front of the white board, prepared to give a full-on presentation. He took up a marker and spoke as he began writing an outline on the board.
"The service was slow, but the food and company, good!" Johan turned and winked at his friends as he continued scrawling.
Angela giggled and smiled at Duncan, who stopped himself just short of an eye roll. He was anxious to hear Johan's results.
"There!"
Johan intimated the outline was finished and turned to face his friends. He was obviously proud of his work.
"Game theory is usually used for economic situations. However, I prefer to utilize mathematics in human decisions, psychology, if you will. We start each module with two players. Each makes choices. These choices determine future choices. Every player has a strategy. With enough information, we can predict a player's choice, within reason, of course." Johan continued, "The math is solid and I have my work to back up my findings, but today I keep it simple."
He grinned from ear
to ear, looking from Duncan to Angela and back again. Angela stared at the white board to see if Johan had placed any pertinent information there, but it looked as if he had just listed definitions of terms used in game theory. She had already familiarized herself with those through her research on the internet. She understood the terms, but the math behind them was well beyond her grasp.
Johan shook his head, and still smiling, leaned towards them with raised palms, as though he were asking if anyone could guess his results. He took a deep breath. Angela could see his chest expanding which only added to the anticipation. Distracted by the idea that his navy suit must have been custom made for him, her thoughts went adrift.
Meanwhile, Duncan was losing patience. Something about the relationship between Angela and Johan aggravated him, not enough for him to notice, but enough to affect his mood in a negative way.
"Well?" Duncan interjected.
"The wife did it!" Johan exclaimed, releasing all the air he had stored in his lungs.
Angela's jaw dropped and Johan responded to her reaction with an expression of unadulterated pride. His eyes were trained on her face, so he didn't notice Duncan's response.
Duncan thought the Swede resembled a giant circus ape, performing for his assistant. His face showed disdain, as he stood to leave the room. He had to get out of there before he said something he might regret.
"She's not capable of that," Duncan stated calmly as he walked towards the door.
His words were cold and flat, in direct contrast to the previous atmosphere in the room. Duncan's behavior jerked Angela and Johan from their revelry. Johan looked perplexed and hurt, but Duncan's words told Angela everything she needed to know about her boss. Her face crumpled and she fought back a tear.
"No, no, Angela. You must not be sad. It is all right. He will understand when he sees the math. It's just his ego because his fault tree did not discover the obvious," he said, bending low and placing his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. "Do not worry. I am not offended. My math, it is solid. I will speak to Duncan later. I have more findings to share with him. Let us go for a coffee, while he ices his feet," he added.
Mystery: The Merlon Murders II: A Duncan Dewar Mystery of Murder and Romantic Suspense (Duncan Dewar Mysteries Book 2) Page 11
