A Roux of Revenge (12 page)

“Oh, no problem. I knew Joe. He trained me, in fact.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Smart guy. Everything I know I learned from Joe. Although I haven’t talked to him for a few years now.”

“Guess he wasn’t happy about retiring.”

The man laughed. “No, he wasn’t. He was fit to be tied, in fact. Felt bad for the guy. His work was his life. Plus his wife had died a few
years before.”

“So you were with him when that robbery in Bennington happened?”

“I had just started with the company. I did my best to carry on after Joe was forced out, but . . . I couldn’t make any headway. Neither could the police. You weren’t involved in that investigation by any chance, were you?”

“Oh no, not at all. But it was all over the news at the time. Couldn’t avoid hearing
about it.” Nate paused. “Who would I talk to about looking at your company’s files if I need to?”

“That’d be the Legal Department. Hold on. I’ll get you their information.” Nate was put on hold to the sound of music once again. “Got a pen?” Isaac Brewer recited the information, and Nate quickly jotted it down. “You can send your subpoena to them.”

“Thanks.”

“Has something new come
to light about this?”

“No. We’re working on something here that might have a connection, but I don’t have enough information as of yet. If it looks like it pertains to your case, I’ll give you a call.”

“Thanks,” Brewer said. “I’d appreciate that. That case drove Joe crazy.”

“Would you say he was the kind of guy to keep trying to chase it down? After his retirement I mean?”

“Oh,
hey, is that what’s he up to?”

Nate remained silent.

“Yeah, I could certainly see Joe doing just that, now that I think about it. The guy was so thorough. If there was anybody who couldn’t let something go, it was Joe. We used to call him the pit bull—behind his back, of course. But don’t repeat that.”

Nate chuckled. “I won’t. I appreciate your time, Mr. . . . uh . . . Brewer. Thanks
a lot.”

“Hey, if you talk to him, tell him I said ‘hi’ and to give me a call.”

“Will do,” Nate replied.

Nate clicked off. He glanced at his desk where he had doodled triangles all over the blotter. He wasn’t sure yet if he’d mention this call to Joe.

Chapter 17

T
HE LATE-AFTERNOON DINNER
rush hadn’t started. There were only a few customers at the tables. Lucky looked forward to a break of her own. Other than a piece of toast she had grabbed in the
morning, she hadn’t eaten all day—that and the coffee Miriam had offered her. The bell over the door rang. She sighed and pushed the thought of a break away for another half hour. Guy Bessette stood on the threshold and waved to her. She smiled and indicated he should grab a stool at the counter. He headed her way, and when he entered the restaurant, Lucky noticed a small figure behind him, following
in his wake.

“Haven’t seen you for a while, Guy. How is everything?”

“Just great, Lucky. I’ve been pretty busy with the shop and all; that’s why I haven’t come by.” Guy, a mechanic, had inherited Snowflake’s only auto shop when its prior owner was murdered.

“But,” Guy said, smiling, “I have a new helper, so things should go a lot smoother now.” He indicated the young boy who had followed
him in. “What would you like to have, Tommy?” Guy asked.

Tommy wore a loose sweater and a pair of threadbare corduroy pants. He couldn’t have been more than nine years old. The boy shrugged. “I don’t have any money, Guy,” he said, studying the list of daily specials.

“Don’t you worry about money. You’ve earned your keep today. I’m buying, so order whatever you want.” He turned to Lucky
and winked. “Tommy wants to be a mechanic when he’s older, so I’m startin’ to train him now. He’s a big help.”

Lucky smiled at Tommy. Before she could ask for his order, he solemnly informed her, “I would like a chicken salad sandwich and a small bowl of beet and barley soup, please.”

“Same for you, Guy?” Lucky asked.

“Sounds good.”

“Coming right up.” She placed the order slip
on the hatch, and Sage grabbed it quickly.

“Excuse me,” Tommy said. “What’s the pumpkin contest? I saw a sign in the window.”

“Well,” Lucky replied. “The jack-o’-lantern that gets the most votes wins three all-you-can-eat meals for two at the Spoonful.”

“Really? Wow!” Tommy’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not eighteen yet, but can I still enter?”

“Of course. We’re open to all ages,” Lucky
replied, doing her best to keep a serious expression on her face.

“What’s in there?” Tommy asked, pointing to the hatch behind the counter.

“That’s our kitchen, and Sage is our chef. Would you like to meet him?”

“Sure.”

“Go in and say hello. He’s very friendly.”

“Okay.” Tommy spun the stool around and hopped off, heading through the swinging door to the kitchen.

“I like
your young friend,” Lucky replied to Guy.

Guy leaned forward and spoke in a quieter voice. “He comes to see me after school just about every day. Poor kid’s lonely. His mother’s been very ill. She’s the only family he has. She’s still recovering from surgery, and she can’t really take care of him or do much with him. I keep an eye on him in the shop and teach him whatever little things I can
about cars. Keeps him busy, and when I quit for the day, I take him home. His mother is getting stronger, but she’s got a ways to go. He mentioned her birthday’s coming up. Between you and me, I think he’s asking about the pumpkin contest so he can treat his mother to some fancy dinners.”

“Oh, how sweet!” Lucky exclaimed. “And how kind of you, Guy. That’s really wonderful.”

“Hey, Harry
did the same for me. I’m happy I can repay it a little bit. Even if Tommy’s only turning nine now. ’Course he could change his mind ten times before he hits sixteen, but he’s good company for me too.”

Tommy returned to his stool just as Sage placed the two orders on the hatch. Lucky reached over and delivered the dishes to Guy and Tommy at the counter.

Tommy said, “I told Sage I wanted
to enter the contest, and he told me he’d help me do the carving if I needed help. My mother doesn’t let me have a knife yet. She said someday she might.”

“That’s good,” Lucky replied.

“You know, Tommy. I think I’ll do a pumpkin too, so if Sage is busy, let me know. I’ve got some good carving knives at the shop.”

“Thanks.” Tommy grabbed his sandwich and took a hefty bite of it. “I
don’t wanna tell my mother about it. She wouldn’t like me using knives, and if I win, I want to surprise her for her birthday.”

Lucky and Guy nodded their agreement. Guy winked up at her when he was sure Tommy wouldn’t notice.

Chapter 18

“C
OME IN, COME
in,” Sophie trilled happily when she opened the door. “I’m so glad you made it. Finally. How many nights have we invited you over for a drink but you’re always so busy. Where’s
Elias?”

“He, uh. . . . It’s just me.”

“He couldn’t make it?”

“No.” Lucky smiled, but didn’t offer any further explanation. “Sorry. I should have let you know.”

She had called Elias’s office at the Clinic that afternoon to invite him to come along to see Sophie and Sage’s new apartment. Their conversation had been stilted to say the least. After what seemed to her a long silence,
Elias said he had made some other plans but perhaps next time. To be completely truthful with herself, she was relieved. She was still disturbed about seeing him in his office with Paula. It would have been too hard to pretend that everything was fine, especially with Sophie and Sage looking on. And then there was the evening at the Pub. She had been upset and was sure Elias had been as well. But
she had come away feeling she was being chastised for her reaction. She had turned it over and over in her mind, and she was still convinced she had a right to be, if not angry, then at least put out that he had hired someone with whom he had been involved in the past. Not to mention the fact that Paula was actually staying at his house, however temporarily. Was she acting like a jealous lover?
Probably, yes. Was she jealous? Well, yes and no. Intimidated might be a better way to explain her feelings. And threatened. There was that. Paula was accomplished and striking, and Lucky was sure she hadn’t been mistaken about the tension she had felt when she walked into Elias’s office. Even if he were being honest with himself, she suspected Paula had other plans.

“That’s too bad.” Sage
appeared behind Sophie, a towel thrown over his shoulder.

Lucky smiled. “You look like you’re still working.”

“Yes, my girlfriend is a slave driver. Here, let me take your jacket.” Lucky shrugged her shoulders out of the sleeves and handed it to Sage. He hung it on a peg in the hallway. Both Sophie and Sage had given up their respective studio apartments and moved to a larger two bedroom
in a small building on Chestnut Street. Sophie had been decorating and picking up odds and ends of furniture. They were excited to show off their new space.

Sophie grasped Lucky’s hand. “Let me give you the quick tour.” She led Lucky down the hallway to an open door. “This is our bedroom here and . . .” She pulled Lucky further down the hallway to a second room. She reached around the doorjamb
and flicked on a light. The lamp illuminated a much smaller room that was dominated by a desk and a filing cabinet. “We’re going to use this as an office. Don’t mind the mess. We still haven’t unpacked all our boxes. Right now it’s more of a storeroom.”

She beckoned Lucky to the end of the hallway. “This is the kitchen. This is what sold us. Check out that fabulous stove. Sage just loves it.
He made some hors d’oeuvres for us tonight. What would you like? Red or white? We have a great Chilean import. Want to try that?”

Lucky nodded, and Sophie reached up to a wineglass holder over the sink and pulled down two delicate crystal glasses. “I found these at a yard sale years ago, and I’ve saved them for ages. This was the right time to bring them out, I thought.” The wine was already
decanted. Sophie poured two small glasses, one for Lucky and one for herself. “Here you go.”

Sage scooped up a tray from the counter. “Let’s sit in the living room, it’s far more comfortable there.” Lucky and Sophie, carrying their wineglasses, followed him to the other end of the apartment. A CD of soft jazz instrumentals was playing on the stereo.

Sophie sat and kicked off her shoes,
curling up at one end of the sofa. “Sage mentioned that Janie’s been staying at your place.”

“Yes.” Lucky took a sip of her wine. “This is delicious by the way. Thank you. I feel bad for her. She’s fighting with her mother right now. She disappeared one night after they fought, and Miriam was hysterical. I finally found her sleeping in the storeroom at the Spoonful in her sleeping bag. I couldn’t
let her stay there. So I offered my sofa, rather than have her wandering around all over the place. I’m just trying to figure out how I can get her to talk to her mother and make it up.”

“What in heaven’s name is her problem? Her mother’s such a nice lady. I thought they were real close, especially since her father died.”

“Well, they are, or rather they were, but something’s come up that’s
really upset Janie.”

“Like what? Does her mother have a new boyfriend or something?”

Lucky laughed. “No, it’s not that. It’s . . . something from the past that has Janie so upset, but Miriam confided in me, and I can’t talk about it. It’s really their business.”

“Okay.” Sophie nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Hey,” Sage said. “Try some of these.” He placed a small dish and napkin on the
coffee table for Lucky and held out the tray of several different hors d’oeuvres
.

“These look tempting and I am hungry.” Lucky chose three different ones and began to nibble.

Sage watched her expectantly. “What do you think?”

“They’re fantastic,” Lucky mumbled, her mouth full.

Sage passed the tray to Sophie and she took one. “I’ve been picking at these for the last hour before
you arrived.” She turned to Sage. “I hope you’ll still love me when I weigh three hundred pounds.”

Sage smiled but said nothing. He reached over from his chair and grasped Sophie’s hand. They turned and smiled at Lucky. “We invited you over because we have some good news,” Sophie said.