“Anytime you want to meet, I’ll be available. And I’ll make certain you have access to all our personnel plus any of our records that you’d like to examine—anything you want, you’ve got. We all want to see whoever did this caught and strung up.”
I nodded. “Good. Thank you.” I turned to Nicki. “Nicki?” She’d been looking around the room as I talked to Gaston, but she turned back to me when I spoke.
“We’re guessing that you are the one who was closest to Sophie. Even before we talk to Eric and his people, though, we were wondering if you might have some time to talk to us , maybe on Monday? We’d like you to help us fill in our knowledge gaps.”
She looked at me for a second, and then she gave me a little half smile. “Of course. Where would you like to meet?”
“How about your place, Monday morning. Does ten o’clock work ?”
She looked surprised. “Ten in the morning?” She thought about this for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, then. I’m afraid I don’t have an address card handy. Do you have something you can write on?”
“That’s okay ,” Toni said cheerfully. “We already have it.”
Nicki glanced at Toni, then back at me. “Excellent, then,” she said. “Monday morning it is.”
“Wonderful,” Cecilia said. “Everything’s arranged, then . We needn’t keep you any longer.”
We said our good-byes and watched them work their way back into the crowd, Cecilia leading the way, working the crowd, shaking hands with the new donors. After a few seconds we turned toward the entry hallway toward the lounge.
As we made our way, Ron started laughing quietly.
“What’s so funny?” Toni asked.
“Wasn’t that just a little slice of fun?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean ? You and Nicki playing some nasty chick stink-eye.”
“I ’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Toni said, all sweet and innocent.
Ron laughed. “Course not.” He turned to Yoshi. “Yosh, this one’s smooth . We’re going to have to watch out for her .”
“Watch out for me?” Toni cried. “What about you and Cecilia? What’s that all about? That seemed a little . . . frosty.”
“Cecilia? Me? We’re tight.” He crossed his fingers . “We’re like that.”
“Bullshit!” Yoshi said, as he faked a cough.
“Partner . . .” Ron said, a warning tone in his voice.
“Screw it, man,” Yoshi said, smiling. “This is going to be fun. It’s like our own little soap opera around here. There’s a lot of subtext at play.”
Ron smiled. “Well . . . maybe just a little.”
“Well,” Toni said, “I hope you’re not including me in that reference.”
I quickly reached over and put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at me.
“Remember, dear ,” I said, looking first at her, then at Ron and Yoshi, “and you guys too. Subtext aside, there is the nagging little issue that we’re all supposed to be on the same side.”
“Spoilsport,” Ron said.
“Well, technically, he ’s right,” Yoshi said. “Not to mention the fact that somewhere out there, there’s a guy—a bad guy . A killer, in fact. And he’s on the loose .”
Chapter 4
“Now that the preliminaries are behind us, let me start by saying welcome aboard,” Ron said. He lifted his bottle of beer, and we all clinked.
I nodded. “Thanks. Although, we haven’t accepted the job yet.”
“ You will,” he said with certainty.
“You sure?”
He nodded. “ Yep. One: Cecilia wants you. Two: she’s loaded—her family, anyway. Three: she’s damn near impossible to deny. Four: Why the hell not? It’s a worthwhile case, right?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I suspect we’re about to find out. But before we do, I gotta ask: Why?”
“ Why what?”
“You played it pretty cool on the phone yesterday. Why are you guys letting us in?”
Ron smiled. “ Ouch! You sound suspicious. Are you implying we wouldn’t normally open a police investigation to a
I nodded. “Good. Thank you.” I turned to Nicki. “Nicki?” She’d been looking around the room as I talked to Gaston, but she turned back to me when I spoke.
“We’re guessing that you are the one who was closest to Sophie. Even before we talk to Eric and his people, though, we were wondering if you might have some time to talk to us , maybe on Monday? We’d like you to help us fill in our knowledge gaps.”
She looked at me for a second, and then she gave me a little half smile. “Of course. Where would you like to meet?”
“How about your place, Monday morning. Does ten o’clock work ?”
She looked surprised. “Ten in the morning?” She thought about this for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, then. I’m afraid I don’t have an address card handy. Do you have something you can write on?”
“That’s okay ,” Toni said cheerfully. “We already have it.”
Nicki glanced at Toni, then back at me. “Excellent, then,” she said. “Monday morning it is.”
“Wonderful,” Cecilia said. “Everything’s arranged, then . We needn’t keep you any longer.”
We said our good-byes and watched them work their way back into the crowd, Cecilia leading the way, working the crowd, shaking hands with the new donors. After a few seconds we turned toward the entry hallway toward the lounge.
As we made our way, Ron started laughing quietly.
“What’s so funny?” Toni asked.
“Wasn’t that just a little slice of fun?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean ? You and Nicki playing some nasty chick stink-eye.”
“I ’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Toni said, all sweet and innocent.
Ron laughed. “Course not.” He turned to Yoshi. “Yosh, this one’s smooth . We’re going to have to watch out for her .”
“Watch out for me?” Toni cried. “What about you and Cecilia? What’s that all about? That seemed a little . . . frosty.”
“Cecilia? Me? We’re tight.” He crossed his fingers . “We’re like that.”
“Bullshit!” Yoshi said, as he faked a cough.
“Partner . . .” Ron said, a warning tone in his voice.
“Screw it, man,” Yoshi said, smiling. “This is going to be fun. It’s like our own little soap opera around here. There’s a lot of subtext at play.”
Ron smiled. “Well . . . maybe just a little.”
“Well,” Toni said, “I hope you’re not including me in that reference.”
I quickly reached over and put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at me.
“Remember, dear ,” I said, looking first at her, then at Ron and Yoshi, “and you guys too. Subtext aside, there is the nagging little issue that we’re all supposed to be on the same side.”
“Spoilsport,” Ron said.
“Well, technically, he ’s right,” Yoshi said. “Not to mention the fact that somewhere out there, there’s a guy—a bad guy . A killer, in fact. And he’s on the loose .”
Chapter 4
“Now that the preliminaries are behind us, let me start by saying welcome aboard,” Ron said. He lifted his bottle of beer, and we all clinked.
I nodded. “Thanks. Although, we haven’t accepted the job yet.”
“ You will,” he said with certainty.
“You sure?”
He nodded. “ Yep. One: Cecilia wants you. Two: she’s loaded—her family, anyway. Three: she’s damn near impossible to deny. Four: Why the hell not? It’s a worthwhile case, right?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I suspect we’re about to find out. But before we do, I gotta ask: Why?”
“ Why what?”
“You played it pretty cool on the phone yesterday. Why are you guys letting us in?”
Ron smiled. “ Ouch! You sound suspicious. Are you implying we wouldn’t normally open a police investigation to a
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