Garrick's big league." Gary scanned the street. "Is he at the school now?"
Gilda nodded. "Yeah. He's been in town for a while now. Fabio and Thayer caught him swinging a sword around on the beach a couple days ago."
His eyes widened. "That was him? Wow, I thought Mick had finally snapped."
"Funny. That's the same thing Fabio said." She let Gary open the door to the school then led him inside.
"Holy crap, it smells like mangy, wet dog in here." Gary set his tray with three coffee cups on the counter and peered into the dojo.
Gilda smiled. "Correction. More like thirty mangy, wet dogs."
Thayer strode toward them. "Don't leave, del Garda, I want to talk to you."
"That makes one of us." Gary handed him a cup. "Hey, I brought you some coffee. Gilda and I thought you might need the boost today since it looks like it'll be a long one."
Thayer blinked, caught off guard. "That's very nice of you. Thanks." He took the cup and lifted it to his mouth as he walked back into the dojo. Before he could take a sip, he was chased right back out by Mick waving a shinai , a bamboo practice sword. "Great, where else am I supposed to interview people?"
"Try my office or the staff room in back." Mick growled then turned to Gilda. "Did you get coffee?"
"Here, take mine." Thayer handed him the cup Gary brought. "I've already had too much today anyway."
Mick winced and met Gilda's gaze. When she shrugged, he opened the lid and sniffed the contents then followed Thayer across the room. "Just the way I like it. Thanks, Thayer."
Thayer shot Gilda a scowl.
She averted her gaze and tidied her desk, hoping Mick would convince him and Fabio she had no idea who Charlie was. With a sigh, she waved to catch Fabio's attention. "If you don't need to question me anymore, I'm going home."
"You go on ahead." Fabio waved her off. "I'll follow up with you later since I have a feeling we'll be here for a while. I do have one quick question for you first."
Gilda glanced toward Mick. "What's that?"
"Can you dig up a list of everyone who was at the reception last night? I'm not sure I'll get the whole truth from this crowd, and that would give me a good place to start."
"Sure. I was there anyway, so that'll be easy," she said.
Fabio raised one eyebrow. "Did anyone get in a fight with Charlie while you were there?"
Gilda nodded. "Pretty much everyone and apparently it got worse after Marion and I left."
"It did?" He mused. "Interesting."
"I think you should go home now." Mick turned and walked Gilda out of the dojo, with Fabio's gaze boring into him. "You can talk to the cops later."
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.
"No, you did fine. Just let me handle this one, okay, Sherlock?" Mick touched her cheek. "There are many things you don't know. Things you don't understand."
"You will fill me in though, right?"
"Yeah. I'll call you later when things settle down." Mick kissed her. "Why don't I send Marion with you? You two can go for a run or something and burn off some of that nosy energy that will get you in trouble otherwise."
She placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt."
Gilda huffed. "Do you think I'll get hurt if I stay?"
Mick's lips moved but no sound came out.
Marion barreled across the lobby and met them both at the front doors, saving him from having to answer. "Not that I want to stick around for the floor show, but that Thayer's got a lot of nerve. He told me to go home like a good little girl and stay out of the way like he thinks I'll cause trouble. Can you imagine?"
"Yes." Gilda shot one last glance at Mick. "Yes, I can."
CHAPTER FOUR
While the police questioned everyone at the school, Gilda and Marion had an early lunch at the deli and griped about the way Mick had been treating them before they went their separate ways. Gilda busied herself in the garden, weeding as she thought about Mick and his connection to Charlie Hunt. She'd heard nothing from
Gilda nodded. "Yeah. He's been in town for a while now. Fabio and Thayer caught him swinging a sword around on the beach a couple days ago."
His eyes widened. "That was him? Wow, I thought Mick had finally snapped."
"Funny. That's the same thing Fabio said." She let Gary open the door to the school then led him inside.
"Holy crap, it smells like mangy, wet dog in here." Gary set his tray with three coffee cups on the counter and peered into the dojo.
Gilda smiled. "Correction. More like thirty mangy, wet dogs."
Thayer strode toward them. "Don't leave, del Garda, I want to talk to you."
"That makes one of us." Gary handed him a cup. "Hey, I brought you some coffee. Gilda and I thought you might need the boost today since it looks like it'll be a long one."
Thayer blinked, caught off guard. "That's very nice of you. Thanks." He took the cup and lifted it to his mouth as he walked back into the dojo. Before he could take a sip, he was chased right back out by Mick waving a shinai , a bamboo practice sword. "Great, where else am I supposed to interview people?"
"Try my office or the staff room in back." Mick growled then turned to Gilda. "Did you get coffee?"
"Here, take mine." Thayer handed him the cup Gary brought. "I've already had too much today anyway."
Mick winced and met Gilda's gaze. When she shrugged, he opened the lid and sniffed the contents then followed Thayer across the room. "Just the way I like it. Thanks, Thayer."
Thayer shot Gilda a scowl.
She averted her gaze and tidied her desk, hoping Mick would convince him and Fabio she had no idea who Charlie was. With a sigh, she waved to catch Fabio's attention. "If you don't need to question me anymore, I'm going home."
"You go on ahead." Fabio waved her off. "I'll follow up with you later since I have a feeling we'll be here for a while. I do have one quick question for you first."
Gilda glanced toward Mick. "What's that?"
"Can you dig up a list of everyone who was at the reception last night? I'm not sure I'll get the whole truth from this crowd, and that would give me a good place to start."
"Sure. I was there anyway, so that'll be easy," she said.
Fabio raised one eyebrow. "Did anyone get in a fight with Charlie while you were there?"
Gilda nodded. "Pretty much everyone and apparently it got worse after Marion and I left."
"It did?" He mused. "Interesting."
"I think you should go home now." Mick turned and walked Gilda out of the dojo, with Fabio's gaze boring into him. "You can talk to the cops later."
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.
"No, you did fine. Just let me handle this one, okay, Sherlock?" Mick touched her cheek. "There are many things you don't know. Things you don't understand."
"You will fill me in though, right?"
"Yeah. I'll call you later when things settle down." Mick kissed her. "Why don't I send Marion with you? You two can go for a run or something and burn off some of that nosy energy that will get you in trouble otherwise."
She placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt."
Gilda huffed. "Do you think I'll get hurt if I stay?"
Mick's lips moved but no sound came out.
Marion barreled across the lobby and met them both at the front doors, saving him from having to answer. "Not that I want to stick around for the floor show, but that Thayer's got a lot of nerve. He told me to go home like a good little girl and stay out of the way like he thinks I'll cause trouble. Can you imagine?"
"Yes." Gilda shot one last glance at Mick. "Yes, I can."
CHAPTER FOUR
While the police questioned everyone at the school, Gilda and Marion had an early lunch at the deli and griped about the way Mick had been treating them before they went their separate ways. Gilda busied herself in the garden, weeding as she thought about Mick and his connection to Charlie Hunt. She'd heard nothing from
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