Deadly Dining

Chapter 8

  Jodie Marshall

  Jodie didn’t mind helping Paula on her murder cases since civil actions moved much slower than criminal ones. She’d have plenty of time to work on the Larson case later but Paula would be hard pressed to get everything she needed done before the case came to trial. Stan had asked her to look into Wilkinson Properties but she was unsure how to go about it. According to the report she’d been given, it held the office buildings that it built for investment rather than sale. That meant she couldn’t pose as a potential buyer which would have been the easiest and safest approach. As she was contemplating the situation the idea came to her to ask them to build her an office building. They would most likely refuse, but at least she would have a chance to ask some questions and look around. So, the next day she stopped by the Wilkinson Properties’ offices in Lincoln Park. A receptionist greeted her when she walked in.

  “Hello. Can I help you?”

  “Hi. Yes. I wanted to talk to someone about a construction project.”

  The receptionist gave her a puzzled look. “Which project?”

  Jodie frowned. “Oh, the one you just finished on Montfort. I was hoping to hire you to build one just like it up in Plano.”

  “Well, Mr. Wilkinson isn’t here right now.”

  “Is there anyone else I might talk to?”

  The receptionist thought about that a moment. “Mike Sutherland is our construction manager. He’s pretty busy but I could see if he had a moment to see you.”

  “Oh, thank you. I would really appreciate it.”

  “Have a seat.”

  Jodie took a seat on a white leather sofa. The office was very modern and richly decorated. A few moments later a tall, trim man in his mid-thirties stepped out. He was wearing jeans and a light blue denim shirt. He smiled at her.

  “Hi. I’m Mike. Can I help you?”

  “I hope so,” Jodie said with her brightest smile. “I fell in love with that new office building over on Montfort and I was hoping you could build me one just like it in Plano.”

  Mike gave her a sympathetic look. “Sorry. We don’t build for third parties.”

  “Oh, shoot. I really like your work.”

  “Thank you,” Mike said looking at his watch. “I was just going to lunch. If you’d like to come along maybe I can steer you in the right direction.”

  “Would you? That would be awesome.”

  Mike told the receptionist he was going to lunch and then escorted Jodie out to his blue Ford F-250. They got in and drove off.

  “Are you building it for occupancy or investment?” Mike asked.

  “Both. We’ll probably occupy about half of it and lease out the rest. That way our tenant can pay for the cost of the building.”

  Mike smiled. “Yes, that will work if you can keep it leased up.”

  “Oh. I have a tenant all lined up. That’s why I’m anxious to get it built as soon as possible.”

  “Have you seen the interior of the Montfort property?”

  “No. I’d like to, though.”

  “Well, I was heading over that way anyway to meet one of the subs, so I could show you now if you have time.”

  “Oh. Great.”

  Ten minutes later they drove into the parking lot of the Montfort Property. They got out and Jodie followed Mike inside to a spacious atrium with a huge water fountain.

  “Oh, this is so beautiful. I love the sound of running water. It really makes you think you’re in the outdoors.”

  “Yes, with the skylights it’s very light and airy too.”

  “So, how long have you worked for Wilkinson Properties?” Jodie asked.

  “About five years now.”

  “Is it a good company? I don’t know much about it.”

  “They’ve treated me okay.”

  “So, what will something like this cost me, you think? I only have a two and half million dollar budget.”

  Mike raised his eyebrows. “That might be enough, if you put out bids.”

  “Put out bids?”

  “Right. I could help you find an architect to draft plans and specifications. Then you’d send them out to construction companies and let them bid on the project. If you just randomly go in to construction offices they’ll take you for a ride.’

  “Oh, wow. I’m glad I ran into you.”

  As they were talking a man in a gray uniform with an Allied Security insignia walked up.

  “Excuse me a moment,” Mike said to Jodie. “Hey, George.”

  “Hi. . . . We’re ready to test the fire alarm system. I just need you to turn the power on.”

  Mike nodded. “Okay, give me a moment. . . Jodie, stay here a minute. I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure,” Jodie said smiling at George as Mike rushed off.

  “So, you Mike’s girlfriend?” George asked.

  Jodie laughed. “No. Just getting the grand tour.”

  “You going to lease some space?”

  “No. I want one built.”

  George frowned. “That’ll never happen.”

  Jodie realized that George thought she meant Wilkinson would build it for her, but she didn’t correct him to see where the conversation would lead.

  “Why not?”

  George shook his head. “Tom Wilkinson builds for a select clientele, if you know what I mean.”

  “A select clientele?” Jodie repeated. “What do you mean?”

  “He doesn’t build for just anybody off the street. If you’re not in his inner circle of customers they won’t give you the time of day. Plus, you don’t want to do business with these people.”

  “Why not? You do business with them.”

  “I’m just a sub. I deal only with Mike. He’s okay, but you want to stay away from Tom.”

  “Well. Thanks for the heads up. Mike actually told me Wilkinson Properties couldn’t do the project, but he offered to help me find someone else to do it.”

  “Oh, good.”

  As they were talking Mike returned.

  “Okay. The power is on,” Mike advised.

  “Jodie here says you’re helping her find a construction company?” George said.

  Mike sighed. “I’m going to steer her in the right direction, but keep your mouth shut about it, okay? You know how paranoid Tom can be.”

  George nodded. “ Right, my lips are sealed.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Okay, we’ll be out of here in about an hour,” George said.

  “Fine. I’ll stop by after Jodie and I have lunch to check the results.”

  “See you then,” George said and walked off.

  Mike and Jodie continued their tour of the building and then went back to Mike’s truck and drove off. They stopped at Dickey’s Barbeque and, while they ate, Jodie pressed Mike for more information about Tom Wilkinson. “George said Wilkinson Properties only builds for a select clientele. Does that mean what I think it means?”

  Mike looked around nervously. “George should have kept his mouth shut.”

  “Oh. Right. I was just curious.”

  “The less you know about Tom Wilkinson the better.”

  “Why do you work for him, then?”

  “He pays me double what I could get anywhere else.”

  “Oh. That’s a good reason.”

  “So, what about you? What business are you in?”

  “I’m a lawyer with a small firm and our tax advisor said we should consider buying a building rather than leasing. So, I was given the task of researching our options and reporting back to the partners.”

  “Lucky you. What kind of law do you practice?”

  “A little bit of everything. I’m defending a personal injury case right now. My client stopped a robbery at a jewelry store and restrained the robber until the police got there. Unfortunately when he was disarming the robber the gun went off and grazed the owner. Now he is suing my client for negligence and assault.”

  “Oh. I read about that in the newspaper. Wasn’t he ex-military po
lice?”

  “Uh huh. That’s the one.”

  “That sounds interesting. Do you like your job?”

  “Yes. I do. It’s challenging at times but never boring.”

  “Well, I can give you the names of a couple of architects and then we can go see them together. They’ll give you a better deal if they know I’m your friend.”

  Jodie nodded, pleased to hear that Mike was now her friend. “Oh. That’s nice of you, but that’s so much trouble. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do with your spare time.”

  Mike shrugged. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  Jodie blushed and looked away. She liked it when men flirted with her even if she had no intention of hooking up with them. It gave her power over them and she felt like she had Mike right where she wanted him. She’d have to be careful, though. Mike’s boss, Tom Wilkinson, wouldn’t be the least bit charmed by her. His type hated women except when they needed a blow job or someone to knock around. And if he found out what she was up to, he’d likely order someone to put a bullet in her head.

  In light of that realization she wondered if she should continue her relationship with Mike. She thought she may have already learned as much from him as she could, but she finally decided it would be good to keep up the charade for a while longer. Besides, she kind of liked Mike, so a little time with him wouldn’t be entirely wasted.

  When she got back to her office there was a message from Carl. Her love life was suddenly heating up and she didn’t know if that was good or an unnecessary distraction. After considering the situation for a moment she dialed Carl’s number.

  “Hey. Thanks for calling me back.”

  “No problem. What’s going on?”

  “Oh. Nothing. Just thought maybe you’d like to have dinner tonight. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since last night.”

  “Yeah. That was fun but I have to get some sleep tonight. You know. It doesn’t look good if I fall asleep at my desk.”

  Carl laughed. “I promise I’ll get you to bed early.”

  “Alright. Where do you want to meet?”

  “You like seafood?”

  “Sure,” Jodie replied.

  “There’s a Red Lobster on Greenville and LBJ. That’s pretty close to your office, I think.”

  “Yes. It is. How about 6:00 p.m.? I’ve got to get some work done this afternoon. I’ve been out all morning.”

  “Did you have to go to court?”

  “No. I was helping out Paula on her murder case. She had me doing some undercover work.”

  “Nothing dangerous, I hope.”

  “No. It’s just some background information we needed.”

  “Alright. See you at six.”

  Jodie hung up and went into Paula’s office to tell her what she had found out. She told her about her cover story to Mike that the firm was looking to construct a building. Paula complimented her on her ingenuity.

  “So, Stan’s theory may be right. Wilkinson Properties is some kind of money laundering operation for the mob or maybe one of the drug cartels. I’m not sure who exactly, but I got the impression it’s the type of organization that might use violence to get what it wants.”

  “Well, that’s good and bad. It’s something I’d love to argue to the jury, but doing so could be dangerous.”

  “Right. Apparently Tom Wilkinson isn’t someone you want to mess around with.”

  Paula nodded. “Yes. So he might not appreciate us slandering him.”

  “No. So, we’ll have to gather enough evidence pointing to Wilkinson as the one behind the murders to convince the police to investigate him.”

  “That’s what I was thinking, but I don’t know if that’s feasible.”

  “Well, Mike likes me, so I’ll be seeing more of him. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “I hope so.”

  Jodie went back to her office and returned telephone calls until it was time to leave to meet Carl. She was tired but still looking forward to spending the evening with him. She decided Carl would be good for her as she was under a lot of stress. She needed a way to let off steam and couldn’t think of any better way to do it than frolicking under the sheets with a handsome hunk.

  Carl was waiting when Jodie arrived at Red Lobster. He got up eagerly when she walked in and went over to her. They kissed briefly and then went to the hostess on duty and told her they were ready to be seated. She looked at her seating chart and then gestured to one of the waitresses to come over. The waitress came and they followed her to a table and sat down.

  “So, what have you been doing today?” Jodie asked.

  Carl shrugged. “I’m in charge of the evidence room, so I spent the day cataloguing evidence and retrieving files for detectives.”

  “Really? Do you like doing that?”

  “Not really. It’s a temporary assignment while Sergeant Morris is on vacation. Last week I was working in records. That’s why I brought you your police report.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  “That reminds me. When I was putting away the police report, after I made you a copy the other day, I noticed there were several others.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Apparently Herb Stein has been robbed before.”

  The waitress returned and took their orders. They decided to split an Admiral’s Feast. As the waitress was leaving Jodie’s phone rang. She picked it up. She saw it was Mike so she answered it.

  “Hey. I got us an appointment with Walter Sledge for Monday. He’s a good architect and said he had time for a new job.”

  “Great,” Jodie said feigning enthusiasm. “You work fast.”

  “Well, it gave me an opportunity to see you again.”

  Jodie smiled and looked guiltily at Carl. “Right.”

  “Ten o’clock. I’ll pick you up from your office.”

  “You know where I work?”

  “Oh, yeah. I looked you up in the yellow pages.”

  She laughed. “Okay. See you on Monday.”

  She disconnected the line and smiled at Carl. “I’m meeting with an architect on Monday. We’re thinking about constructing an office building. You know it’s such a waste of money to pay rent and have nothing to show for it.”

  Carl nodded warily as the waitress showed up with their bread and salads.

  “That’s a big job, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah and I’m a little out of my depth so a friend is helping me out.”

  “Good. A lot of people get ripped off by contractors.”

  “Tell me about it. My boss, Stan Turner, has handled several nasty construction lawsuits over the years.”

  After dinner they went to Jodie’s apartment but this time they managed to end their love-making early enough to get a good night’s sleep. When Jodie woke up she smelled the aroma of coffee and bacon. She got up, put on a bathrobe and went to the kitchen. Carl, who was sipping a cup of coffee, smiled at her as she came in.

  “You hungry. I can make you an omelet.”

  Jodie nodded. “You sure know how to spoil a girl.”

  Carl shrugged and went to work. Soon Jodie was digging into a delicious looking three egg omelet. “Umm. This is good,” she reported.

  “Glad you like it. You want some toast?”

  “No. This is all I could possibly eat. I usually don’t eat that much for breakfast.”

  “Oh, you should. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Jodie said looking happily at Carl. She could get used to this guy, she thought. She’d never known a man to be so considerate and useful around the house. She thought back to her first husband who had turned out to be lazy and useless as a husband.

  “Did you get a good night’s sleep?” Carl asked.

  Jodie nodded. “Yes. I feel much better.”

  “Good. I slept good too. I like sleeping next to you. You’re warm and you smell so good.”

  Jodie smiled wryly. “Good, because I like waking up to the
smell of coffee and bacon in the morning. You’re not going to stop doing that once we’re together are you?”

  Carl shook his head. “No. I promise. I’ll always fix you a great breakfast. Are we together now?”

  “I suppose so,” Jodie said, “but you’ll have to move in here. I like my apartment better than yours.”

  Carl shrugged. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care if we live in a box on the beach.”

  Jodie laughed. She couldn’t believe things were moving so fast with Carl, but it felt right and she didn’t want someone like him to get away. After breakfast they celebrated their new relationship back under the covers and they were both late to work.