Heather Horrocks - Who-Dun-Him Inn 02 - Inn the Doghouse (17 page)

As Liz pulled open the door, I flashed back to the scene from not quite two weeks ago—Gene opening the same door for his knocked-up, minor fling. I shook off the feeling of déjà vu that tingled my senses and creeped me out.

We stepped inside, out of the brisk November air, and turned to the receptionist’s desk.

The woman sitting there was not Norma. I didn’t recognize her and I could tell Liz didn’t, either. This woman was young, blonde and looked like the poster gal for a typical male midlife crisis. Liz and I exchanged narrowed glances.

The blonde looked up and smiled in a friendly manner. “May I help you?”

“Where is Norma?” Liz asked, with an edge to her voice.

“The woman who used to work here? She retired, I think.” She sat up straighter in her chair at Liz’s tone. “I’m Kylee Thompson.”

Norma was in her forties. I doubted retirement at that early age was in her career plans. She always loved real estate and working here. Why on earth would she have quit? Unless perhaps, some family thing came up. Her mother wasn’t well the last time I was in, about six months ago or so. Maybe she had to quit to take care of her.

Liz adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. “How long have you been working here?”

“For a month.”

“Who hired you?”

“I did.” We looked up to find Lamont standing there. He made welcoming gestures toward Gene’s office. “Come on in, Liz, Vicki.”

Liz said, “I want to thank you for handling things for me, Lamont.”

“I’m glad I can help in some way. He was my best friend.”

Again, I followed Liz, taking a brief glance back at the trophy secretary who had replaced the working secretary. When she returned to her work, I saw that she could at least type. Little reassurance. Poor Norma. I decided to take her to lunch and see what was up.

Lamont took us into Gene’s office. He didn’t sit in Gene’s chair behind the desk—though it was obvious that’s where he was working before—but took the third chair next to ours “Liz, how are you holding up? Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m fine.” She tilted her head. “Why would Norma retire? She loved working here.”

“I’m not sure,” Lamont said, settling back in his seat. “Gene told me she was leaving and asked if I had anyone I could spare from the Salt Lake office to replace her. I found Kylee Thompson and she said she’d be willing to commute; so now she’s helping out until I can get this office staffed again.”

“You said you want to help me?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Please ask Ms. Thompson to pull any files on the Silver Creek Development.”

“Why are you interested in that?” Lamont asked, his tone sounding cautious.

“Because Herbert Norris mentioned to me that some questions were raised about it and I want to see the contract.” Liz thought for a second. “And I’d also like to see the file on the Borman property purchase. I understand there were some hard feelings between the Borman son and my husband.”

“All right.” He called out for Kylee, who popped in a second later. “Would you please pull the Silver Creek Development files?”

“And the Borman property purchase file,” Liz said.

“Sure.” Kylee smiled and disappeared.

Liz said, “I’ll go help her look. Gene and I set up the filing system here.”

Lamont shrugged. “That’s what I pay Kylee for, but if you want to make her feel inadequate, you have every right to do so.”

Liz sat back down and sighed heavily. “All right. While we wait, perhaps you can explain to me what you’re doing here in the Silver City office.”

“I asked my assistant manager to step in and help out at the Salt Lake office, and I came up to handle things here. With Gene and Norma gone, I had to act quickly. We’ve got a big deal going down, which could be in jeopardy without Gene. I’m trying to make sure your investment is handled correctly, Liz.”

Liz had told me that, even though Gene and Lamont had split up the business, they still worked on large real estate deals together.

“Thank you.” She leaned forward. “Lamont, why do you think someone would kill Gene?”

Lamont smacked his hand against the desk, startling us both. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine who would have wanted him dead. I came up here ostensibly to cover our bases, but also to ask questions. I wanted to see if I could figure out who might have killed him. And why. Everybody liked Gene.”

We sat in silence, with me still surprised at his outburst.

He glanced at Liz. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up, but who would have wanted him dead? Do you know something I don’t?”

Liz shook her head. “It seems I barely knew him at all. There’s more I
don’t
know about Gene than I do know. I was wondering if
you
might know something
I
don’t.”

He breathed out deeply. “I know that for the last year, he’s been acting a little strange. And apparently, he was spending a lot of money. I wasn’t sure on what. I saw his brother when he came into the Salt Lake office a few months ago. He told me Gene was stealing money out of his mother’s trust to pump into the business, but I didn’t believe a word of it. I told his brother to leave, that I didn’t want to hear any more, and that Gene was always scrupulously honest.”

Yeah. Until a woman was involved, apparently. And maybe also where the business was involved. Didn’t Lamont know Gene was dishonest? Or was Gene really honest and it just appeared he wasn’t?

Kylee knocked on the door and Lamont waved her in.

“I have three folders on the Silver Creek Development,” she said. “I’ve started copying them for you. But I can’t find the Borman file.”

Lamont looked puzzled. “It’s always been in there. Go look again.”

Kylee left to obey Lamont.

The longer we sat waiting while Lamont tried to fill the awkward silence with comforting platitudes, the stormier Liz’s face grew. Finally, she said, “I don’t care if she feels inadequate, I’m going to look for myself.”

“All right,” Lamont said.

It was even more uncomfortable when he and I had to sit in his office alone. “Your Who-Dun-Him Inn seems to be garnering five-star reviews on the internet,” he said.

“People love a good mystery.” I certainly did.

“I was thinking of taking my wife up there for a cozy weekend. She said she’d love to stay in your carriage house suite.” He leaned forward and confided, “She just loves Tom Selleck.”

He was talking about my wedding suite, styled after Magnum, P.I. “She has good taste.”

After chatting for another ten minutes, I excused myself to locate the restroom. I wanted to find my sister and get out of here.

Kylee wasn’t at her desk, but I could hear her in the back with Liz.

And, upon seeing Liz’s angry face when she came out, I wondered what the heck was going on with Liz.

Storming past me and toward the front door, Liz said, “The file is gone. It just disappeared.”

“Do you think Matt Borman might have taken it?”

“I don’t know. But I intend to find out.”

“So we’ll be talking with Matt soon?”

“I think he just moved up the list of possible suspects.” She pulled out her phone to call Grandma.

“Better them than you.”

“You said it, sister.”

~ ~ ~

Lonny was right. A night at the theater—Dolly Parton’s
Nine to Five
—was exactly the distraction we needed. I was amazed at the incredible sets they devised for this theater in the round, some rising from the stage floor while others descended from the ceiling.

Since Salt Lake City was large enough, and far enough away from Silver City that we wouldn’t encounter anyone we knew, Liz went with us. She was actually smiling, too.

Standing to give an ovation to the fabulous cast, I glanced over at Lonny. He was looking at me and smiling. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Oh, Lonny, thank you. It was wonderful. It really was.”

The clapping subsided and people started to move toward the aisles.

Zach decided he’d rather sleep over at my mother’s than go to the musical, so Lonny gave my son’s ticket to his younger sister, Belinda, who was seventeen. She was instantly dashing toward the nearest exit. I suspected the two large Pepsis she drank might have had something to do with that.

Grandma, seated on the other side of Lonny, gave him a quick hug. “That was really something. Thanks so much. I’d like to pay you back for the tickets.”

“Absolutely not,” he insisted. “I wanted to do this for all of you.”

Liz smiled at him. “It really was wonderful. I needed that.” She hefted her purse handle onto her shoulder and reached over, around Grandma, to hug him.

Gradually, we began to work our way toward the aisle. I impulsively reached out and took Lonny’s arm. He bent his elbow and covered my hand with his.

“It really was nice of you.”

“I can be nice when I have to.”

“Yes, you certainly can.”

As the others walked ahead of us toward the exit, Lonny and I fell behind, jostled by other patrons.

We paused, waiting for the crowd to inch forward. Lonny looked at me and slid my hand down until he held it in his. “I’m asking again, Vicki. Will you go out with me?”

I looked up into his eyes, and my hand suddenly felt very warm in his. I told Robert I would say yes the next time, but I didn’t expect the buzz of adrenaline that suddenly struck my heart. I hadn’t been on a date with another man since I started dating Robert. That was in high school. I hadn’t said “yes” to anyone else in all those years.

But now it really was time. I knew it.

I nodded and managed to get out a weak, “Yes.”

He looked pleased. “Next week?”

How could one little word be so hard to say? “Give me an extra week to get used to the idea?”

“All right.” He smiled. “Two Saturdays from today.”

There. I did it. Pandora’s box was now open.

~ ~ ~

Friday, November 11

The next day, Friday, I had Inn business to attend to. Two Fridays a month, I hosted a murder mystery dinner, along with a little help from a few talented actors—old friends, Stephanie and Lonny, and a relative newcomer to town, Xavier Xee—who were currently breaking their legs in the dining room.

I was in the kitchen with David. He prepared a five-course French meal that could have landed him a chef position at any of the fanciest resorts in the area. Luckily, I had him all to myself.

As a chef, of course. That’s what I meant.

I glanced over at the one-way mirror that revealed how the dinner was progressing. The actors were performing wonderfully, and the guests—two German couples traveling together, a family from New York with three teenage boys, and three young Arizona families with a couple of babies who were having a family reunion on the third floor—seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Everything in the dining room—from the built-in china cabinet my great-whatever-grandfather designed for his favorite first wife to the large, formal, cherrywood dining table that could expand to seat fifteen or twenty—was original, except for the large, faux antique mirror hanging on the wall between the dining room and kitchen. I had to pay big bucks to get a mirror that looked antique but worked like those used in police stations; but I needed it so I could keep tabs on the mysteries and know when to orchestrate the actors as well as the meal.

For the moment, I was relaxing. We had just served the main course and wouldn’t go in again for twenty minutes.

“Want a taste?” David asked, holding out a tiny bowl.

I turned back to see him looking oh-so-incredibly-adorable and sexy in his jeans and T-shirt, covered by what must have been one of Liz’s frilly aprons. Chocolate brown with pink polkadots, and a pink ruffle. “It takes a very secure man to wear an apron like that.”

“I believe I’ve heard you comment on my extreme manliness before. I must be getting to you.”

“I thought about buying you a duct tape apron for Christmas, but now I’m leaning toward florals if only to tone down your extreme machismo.”

“The thoughtfulness of that gift is amazing.”

I laughed and stepped closer to the mini ramekin bowl he held out. Whatever the creamy stuff was underneath the crusty, brown shell looked and smelled heavenly. “What is it?”

“
Crème Brûlée
,” he said, giving it a shiver-inducing, full French accent. “Do you know what that translates into,
mon ami
?”

I intended to look up
mon ami
as soon as I got a chance. What exactly was he saying in that yummy French accent? “Does it mean
delicious
?”

“Close enough.” He laughed as he handed me the tiny bowl. “Sit and eat a little.”

Taking a spoonful, I tasted it. “Oh, my gosh. I think that’s the yummiest thing I’ve ever eaten.”

David smiled. “Glad you approve.”