Enemies Closer (18 page)

Michelle looked totally confused. “No, we didn’t. Large sums?”

“Close to forty grand.”

Michelle looked from Kincaid to Carlisle. “Thanks for the vote of encouragement, but Dovetail isn’t making that kind of money.”

“So, no payouts from Dovetail?”

“None, except our salaries which are direct-deposited on the first of the month. We’ve been able to increase those since we opened, but all of our extra profits either go into the restaurant’s savings account or we reinvest them. Why are you asking me this?”

“All profits and expenditures are accounted for? Nothing is off in your record books?”

Now she looked alarmed. “Yes, everything is accounted for. I do the daily books myself and our accountant does quarterlies. We’ve never been off, certainly not by forty thousand dollars. What’s going on?”

Kincaid frowned apologetically. “We really can’t talk about it, Mrs. Perkins. It may be nothing.”

Michelle was shaking her head. “You’re going to have to excuse me right now, detectives. In addition to running my restaurant without a manager or a chef, now I have to start double-checking my books.”

Chapter Sixteen

W
hen they were back on the street, Kincaid looked at his partner. “That was easy.”

Carlisle shrugged. “She cooperated, but I don’t know if she was telling the truth.”

Surprised, he said, “If she wasn’t, she’s a great actress.”

“Hey,” said Carlisle. “Is that Clara? And Ben?”

Following her gaze, Kincaid said, “It certainly is.”

Across the street, Clara walked beside Ben, holding his hand. Before crossing she glanced toward the entrance to Dovetail and spotted the detectives. Carlisle held up a hand to stop them and she and Kincaid met them on the other side of the street.

“What are you doing here?” asked Kincaid brusquely.

“Just stopping in to see Michelle,” Clara replied casually. Ben had to look down at the sidewalk to hide a grin. The unrelenting tug-of-war between Kincaid and Clara was almost comical.

“Really? Because I think you came here to ask Michelle about the money in your sister’s account. Maybe even about Eddie’s police record and his whereabouts on Monday night when Madeline went missing? Even after we warned you to proceed with caution? Even after Susan Burns’s brutal murder?” Kincaid’s voice had developed a rhythm; a Kewpie doll coil of red hair bounced on his head as he enunciated, “Even after we warned you of the severity of the situation, of the danger you’re putting yourself in, of the chance you will compromise our ability to find Maddy alive, of the sheer, bullheaded stupidity you are demonstrating by pursuing your own amateur investigation?” He paused to take a breath but Carlisle put a hand on his arm to keep her partner from going on.

Clara was incensed, her mouth pursed into a rebellious scowl. “Listen up, big brother,” she growled, “you two have yet to bring my sister home, and until you do, I’ll do whatever has to be done to find her, including stepping on your delicate police procedural toes!”

Kincaid and Clara glared at each other in stubborn silence. Ben exchanged a look with Carlisle, who shrugged and said, “So, you’re at an impasse.”

Clara turned sharply to face her, but Kincaid let out a snort. “Right.”

When Clara turned again to face Kincaid, the exasperated look on his face made her chuckle. “You’re an ass, Kincaid.”

“Yeah, well you’re pigheaded.”

“Yeah,” she agreed blithely.

“Listen,” said Carlisle, “we just asked Michelle about possible payouts from the restaurant. She said they didn’t make any, and we didn’t tell her why we were asking because we don’t want her to know about the money in Maddy’s account.” She didn’t mention Eddie and Susan’s possible relationship because she didn’t want Clara to start asking questions.

Clara looked disappointed. “Did you ask about Eddie’s arrests?”

“We did.”

“And?”

“She knows all about her husband’s police record.”

“So, did you get any new information at all from her?”

Carlisle just looked at Clara for a moment. She felt tremendous sympathy for her and understood her frustrations, but it was time to make a few things crystal clear. “Clara, we can’t stop you from searching for your sister, but if you walk into that restaurant now and confront Michelle with everything we have learned in the last twenty-four hours, you
will
compromise our ability to locate Maddy and determine who is responsible for her disappearance. Information about our investigation will spread through that restaurant like wildfire. Whether Michelle is involved, whether her husband is involved, if the jealous lunch-shift hostess or the disgruntled sous chef did it, the information we gather during our investigation could help the kidnapper elude the police. So my partner and I,” she patted Kincaid on the shoulder, “are asking you, for the good of our investigation, to refrain from asking Michelle any leading questions.”

Clara looked from Carlisle to Kincaid to Ben and said, “Okay. Yeah, that makes sense.” She turned to Kincaid. “See? You don’t have to be such a jerk. I’m perfectly reasonable when you speak to me like I’m an adult.”

Kincaid rolled his eyes, trying to hide a smile.

Ben, who had been silent until now, said, “I think Clara should still check in with Michelle. It would seem strange if she didn’t.”

Clara nodded in agreement. “They should all keep thinking that I’m on their side.”

“Fair enough,” said Kincaid. He looked at Ben and asked for the second time in twenty-four hours, “Any chance you can keep her reined in?”

“No,” Ben replied before Clara could retort. “But I think you can trust her.”

“Okay,” said Carlisle with a stern look, “same rules apply. Anything you find out, let us know immediately.”

The detectives crossed the street and walked back to the unmarked sedan. “She is really a handful,” said Kincaid with a broad smile.

“Why do you egg her on, Jerry?”

“I can’t help it. She’s like a kid sister I have to torment. Besides, the old one-two punch worked perfectly. I pissed her off, and then you went in with the cool voice of reason.”

As they pulled out into the street, Carlisle smiled. “We’re a good team, Kincaid.”

Maddy Gardner emptied another bottle of water and set it down beside her. It was daylight again, though not much light penetrated her underground prison. Bleakly, she unwrapped a granola bar and took a bite, trying to make out the nutritional information. No vitamin C, she guessed.
If all else fails, I’ll still die of scurvy down here.
The thought made her giggle a little and the slightly hysterical sound was eerie – the packed soil floor and walls of the basement absorbed sound, flattening it, like the sound of her own voice reverberating in her head underwater.

A warm tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away angrily, steeling herself to begin the day’s work. She was going to find a way out of here.

Maddy didn’t know how long she’d been unconscious before she woke up here, but she did know that there had been five sunrises since then. Five days. Someone had to be looking for her. Michelle would have called out the cavalry the first day she didn’t show up for work. Maddy thought of Clara and hoped she wasn’t putting herself in danger, but in her heart she knew that Clara would have come looking for her. Her little sister was like a heat-seeking missile when something needed to get done and if Michelle told her Maddy had disappeared, Clara would be in Seattle leading the brigade to find her.

But what if I’m not in Seattle anymore?
She immediately dismissed the thought. It wasn’t productive, and piling on more trouble would only ruin her morale.

Finishing the granola bar, she opened another gallon jug of water, taking a swig and swishing it around in her mouth before swallowing. What she wouldn’t give for a toothbrush.

Maddy had spent the last few days methodically searching the circumference of her tether for anything that might get her out of this place. She knew the window of the cellar faced east because she got the most light in the morning, but that meant that by noon she lost most of it. There was no light to speak of reflecting on the ceiling and she had yet to find a door that led into the place. There must be a hatch in the floor above her. She figured she’d been brought down on a ladder. And not very gently. She had bruises on her arms and legs that could not be explained by her chain.

Trying again to remember where she went Monday night, she quickly grew frustrated. Her mind remained completely blank. The more Maddy thought about it, the further away the answers seemed. Taking a few deep breaths, she decided to leave it for the time being.

Now she needed to take advantage of the diffuse light coming through the narrow window.

Standing, Maddy let the filthy sleeping bag fall to the floor and began stretching her limbs. She did a few squats and lunges for good measure – she could at least keep her muscles from atrophying. Next, she picked up the wood plank she had pulled from the crate holding her dry storage foodstuffs and walked to the end of her chain, where she had found the corner of a metal box sticking out of a soft spot in the otherwise hard-packed earth.

Maddy Gardner sat down with her makeshift shovel and started digging.

Chapter Seventeen

“T
hey played me,” Clara said to Ben after the two detectives walked away.

“He pisses you off. She calms you down.”

“Classic good cop, bad cop.” She smiled appreciatively. “They’re right, though. I have to watch what I say. Chances are good that Michelle will tell Eddie anything she finds out about the investigation. And he may use it to hide something.”

Ben agreed, but he wasn’t ruling Michelle out of the pool of suspects. He understood that Clara did not want her sister’s business partner and dear friend to have had anything to do with her disappearance, but that was Clara’s blind spot, not his. In the finance industry, the business of money had driven more than a few good people to do bad things, and the ones who were already bad just got worse. The pursuit of money attracted more than its share of sociopaths. Making money was a natural fit for those who had no sympathy and experienced no remorse.

Before they had left his office, Ben’s hacker friend had telephoned to say he’d just received an
official
request and needed a few extra hours to get back to him. They had decided to check in at Dovetail in the meantime.

“Do you still want to talk to Michelle?” he asked.

“Yep. I’ll just ask how she’s managing. Tell her we haven’t found much.”

Ben couldn’t tell whether she was serious or not. “Clara, I want you to tread carefully.” When he saw the look on her face, he went on, “I know that’s not what you want to hear from me, but you’re going to anyway. I barely know you, but I like you and I want you to live long enough for me to see just how much. I also care a lot about your sister. Maddy has become a good friend over the last months and I know how much she loves you. She would not want you to put yourself in mortal danger, especially when the police are already on the case. If you’re determined to go to war, I’ll be right there with you, but don’t tempt fate. I don’t want you to walk into Dovetail and bait the bad guys. Let’s just see what we can learn, try not to make anyone suspicious and wait for the intel on Eddie Perkins.”

Clara was still bristling. She didn’t like being protected and she didn’t like being coddled. “First of all, Ben, I really didn’t intend to ask Michelle anything but how she’s holding up, or tell her anything other than that I am waiting for word from the detectives. Second, if it takes a war to find my sister, then I’m going to war. With or without you.”

Ben’s voice was low and firm. “Being bullheaded and charging at everything that moves is no way to win the war, Clara. I know you’re frustrated, but I’m on your side. And if I think you’re about to do something stupid, I’m going to tell you. Take it or leave it.”

Clara glowered at him. “Well, I suppose I’ll take it.” She looked out over the Sound and took a deep breath of salty air. “I believe we’ve just had our first fight, Mr. Radcliffe.”

“You’re a pain in the ass, Miss Gardner,” he said and then pulled her to him and kissed her long and insistently.

When his strong arms loosened and slid to her waist, she pulled back and said in a sultry voice, “If this is the way we make up, I might make a habit of being a pain in your ass.”

He tipped his head and touched his forehead to hers. “Let’s get this over with.”

She leaned back and looked at Ben. “You don’t like Michelle very much, do you?”

He sighed. “It’s not that.” He pointed across the street. She followed his gaze and saw Eddie’s silver BMW.

“He’s back,” she said.

“Back?”

“I forgot to tell you, when I was leaving Manny’s with our lunch order I saw Eddie driving away from Dovetail. He was in such a hurry that he almost ran over a few tourists. When I got back to your office, Jack was there and it slipped my mind. Now he’s back.”

“He just pulled up.”

“Before or after you kissed me?” she asked coyly.

“After. Otherwise I never would have noticed.”

With a smug smile and a delighted little wiggle, Clara said, “Let’s do it,” and turned to cross the street.

When they entered, the restaurant was emptying; a party of four was just getting up to leave and a couple in the corner window seat lingered over nearly-empty glasses of white wine. Michelle had been flipping through the reservation book at the host stand and looked up automatically at the sound of the door with a bright, cheerful smile on her face. When she saw Clara, the smile fell and her shoulders sagged, not in disappointment but in exhaustion. She put both elbows on the counter and let her head fall momentarily into her hands.

“I’m not sure I’m going to make it another day, Clara. Where could she be? I don’t understand.” Tears brimmed at the corners of Michelle’s eyes, but before they could fall down her cheeks, she wiped them away and took a deep, shuddering breath.

Clara walked over and gave her sister’s friend a hug. “You know Ben, don’t you?” She kept one arm around Michelle and used the other to indicate Ben.

But Ben wasn’t paying attention. He was staring at Eddie Perkins.

Eddie Perkins stood behind the bar with a lowball of something clear in one hand, staring straight back at Ben. “You’re Maddy’s friend,” he said.

“I am,” said Ben. Clara felt Michelle’s shoulders tense.

Eddie looked from Ben to Clara to his wife. “You helping Clara get through this?”

Ben nodded, but didn’t say anything and Eddie shrugged, poured another finger of vodka and slunk off toward the kitchen. He slurred something about being hungry and disappeared behind the swinging doors.

“It’s nice to see you again, Ben,” said Michelle, relaxed now that Eddie was gone. The last two people in the restaurant waved on their way out and she called a cheery goodbye before locking the doors behind them. “Let’s sit down,” she said leading Clara and Ben to a table. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” They both declined. “I have a sandwich waiting for me in the kitchen. I’ll be right back. Nothing? You’re sure?”

After she walked away Clara whispered, “What was that all about?”

“Eddie just rubs me the wrong way.” He saw Michelle coming out of the kitchen. “Later.”

Michelle sat down with a glass of ice water and a baguette smothered in Brie and roasted plum tomatoes. She cut the bread in half and picked up one piece. “I’ll be better once I have some food in my stomach. It feels like I’m right on the edge, all of the time. I’m just so tired and I feel so useless. The police keep coming in to ask questions and with Susan murdered, I can’t help but look at everybody here with suspicion.” She sighed and finally took a bite of her sandwich.

“I’m sorry, Michelle,” said Clara. “I’m so busy being terrified that Maddy has been hurt or worse,” she said with a hitch in her voice, “that I haven’t been thinking about how hard this is for you.”

“And you shouldn’t be thinking of me, Clara. Your sister is missing. God, I can’t believe I’m complaining to you of all people. Forgive me.” The color was beginning to return to Michelle’s cheeks already and she seemed more steadfast. “Ben, I’m so glad you two have connected. I know that Maddy always wanted you to meet.”

“Ben has been really supportive,” said Clara with a smile in his direction.

Ben smiled back at her. “I’m glad we connected too. Though I wish it had been under different circumstances.” He was trying to be attentive, but he couldn’t help wondering why Eddie Perkins had felt it necessary to get drunk in the middle of the afternoon, when his wife’s business was in crisis. In order to assuage his own guilt, perhaps?

“Has there been any news at all?”

Clara shook her head slowly. “Not really. I think the two detectives on the case are doing everything they can, but there’s simply no sign of her.” She reached a hand across the table and squeezed Michelle’s wrist. “Look, I know it may feel strange to you, but I hope you know that no one, least of all Maddy, would blame you for bringing in some help. In the kitchen, out front, whatever you need. She would want you to keep Dovetail running smoothly. She’ll want the restaurant to be in good shape when she comes back.”

Ben noted that Michelle couldn’t meet Clara’s eyes when she replied. “Oh, Clara, thank you for saying that. I actually lined up a few interviews for tomorrow after the brunch rush. I just couldn’t face another week like this one.”

In spite of herself Clara tensed, but she said, “Good. That’s good.” She patted Michelle on the arm. “It’s wonderful that Eddie has been able to help out too.”

“Right,” she replied without much enthusiasm. “He’s been in every day since Maddy went missing. This whole thing has been really hard on him too. We’re both so frightened.”

“Were either of you close to Susan?” asked Clara.

Michelle looked at her, pausing to swallow another bite of her lunch. “I don’t think Eddie knew Susan very well. Neither did I, I suppose, but as an employee and associate, I was fond of her.”

She was lying, Ben knew it, but he hoped Clara wouldn’t push. He said, “The homicide detectives must have come here. Did they tell you anything, Michelle?”

She looked at him and for just a split second he saw a flash of irritation in her eyes, but it was gone when she replied, “Nothing. They just asked a lot of questions. Clearly, they think someone here killed her. Or maybe Harry, her boyfriend.”

“How well do you know Harry?” he asked.

Michelle was thoughtful. “I don’t know how
well
I know him, but I’ve known him for years. He went to hospitality school in Vegas, but he’s from Seattle and he’s been on the restaurant scene since he moved back. He’s Gemma Stein’s golden boy.” Then she explained, “If you don’t know already, Gemma is a partner in a very successful restaurant management group in Seattle. They own Gigi’s, where Harry works.” Her eyes widened. “Which is where Maddy had dinner the night she disappeared. Maybe Gigi’s is the link between Maddy’s disappearance and Susan’s murder!”

“I’m sure the police are looking closely at Harry,” said Ben noncommittally, “and at Gigi’s as a possible connection.”

“Maybe, but they seem to have a laser focus on Dovetail.” Her voice was becoming bitter. “They stop in all the time to ask the same questions over and over. They were here today. Just before you came in, as a matter of fact.”

“The homicide detectives?” asked Clara innocently.

“No, the other ones. Kincaid and Carlisle.” She lowered her voice. “They were asking about Eddie. Whether he had a nonprofessional relationship with Susan.” She looked out the window. “Ridiculous.” But she said it with no conviction at all and Clara wondered whether Michelle had any idea what Eddie was up to while she was busy with the restaurant.

That she didn’t mention the detectives’ interest in Eddie’s criminal past was not lost on Ben or Clara. But she said, “Were Maddy and Susan friends outside of work?”

“I don’t think so,” said Michelle. She turned to Ben. “You would probably know better than I do. Since we opened the restaurant, Maddy and I haven’t spent much time together away from work.”

Ben shook his head. “As far as I know, they were friendly but not friends.”

Clara said, “I wish I could figure out the connection between Maddy’s disappearance and Susan’s murder.” Ben saw the pointed look on her face, but Michelle didn’t seem to notice. She went on, “Is there anything at all going on here that might have put them in danger?”

Now Michelle was all attention and she said sharply, “Like what, Clara? It’s a restaurant. The staff has their little dramas and flirtations, the front of the house is bummed when they don’t make as much money in tips as the night before, happy when they make more. The cooks fight with the waiters. The waiters fight with the bartenders. The managers try to keep everyone happy and they all go out and get drunk when it’s over. If there was an issue that couldn’t be solved with good beer and Cosmopolitans, I certainly didn’t know about it.”

Clara kept her cool, but Ben could tell Michelle’s tirade had irritated her. He squeezed her knee under the table. “It’s a natural question, Michelle,” he said with a cool expression. Then with a barely perceptible edge in his tone he added, “Maybe Eddie knows something. Is he still in the kitchen?”

She stared at him for a second before responding. “If Eddie knew anything, he would have told the police, Ben.” Then with impatience, she continued, “Anyway, what’s your involvement in all this? I know you and Maddy are friends, but now you’re the family detective?”

Clara tensed, but Ben said simply, “I’m whatever I need to be to get Maddy home to her family, Michelle. No matter what it takes.” He stared at her until she looked away.

“Yeah, okay. I’m sorry.” She seemed genuinely chagrinned. “I’m at my wit’s end with all of this.” She looked toward the kitchen. “And Eddie is just checked out. He’s drinking too much. He’s testy about everything.” When she saw Ben’s eyebrow go up, she added quickly, “He’s stretched thin. Trying to run his own business while helping out here.” She gave a rueful smile. “My husband does not belong in a restaurant except as a patron. He has no patience for all of the personalities you have to deal with to run a successful hospitality business.” She checked her watch. “Speaking of which, I have to start prepping for dinner. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She looked from Ben to Clara. “And, again. I’m sorry I’m such a crazy bitch.”

Clara reached across the table and patted Michelle’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. Just hang in there.”

They all stood, Michelle picking up her plate and glancing disdainfully at the half-eaten sandwich she had not been able to finish. “Not much of an appetite lately. Maybe I’ll finally lose the ten pounds I’ve gained since opening this place.” Then, almost to herself, she added, “Eddie would be happy about that.”

When they were back on the street, Clara said, “That was a weird thing to say.”

“About losing ten pounds? Yeah, it seems pretty irrelevant.”

“No, what I mean is, she thinks that her weight would be relevant to Eddie, in spite of the terrible things that are happening at their restaurant.”

Ben wasn’t so sure Michelle’s comment had been innocent. It seemed deliberately inserted, but he didn’t say anything. At this point there was no reason to make Clara question Michelle’s motives.

She went on, “Kincaid and Carlisle held out on us; they didn’t mention anything about Eddie and Susan having a relationship. Susan
was
very attractive, maybe they were involved. Plus, he should be doing everything he can to help his wife keep it together, but he’s just getting drunk and acting annoyed.”

Now Ben said something. “According to Michelle.”

She turned to him. “You’re the one who doesn’t like Eddie. And we
saw
him drunk.”