“I am. I didn’t think I’d ever meet a nice guy again. So far so good. So, let’s eat. I’m starved.”
We placed our sandwiches on our plates and I scooped a large mound of potato salad next to my sandwich and then gave Shirley a scoop of equal size. I took a sip of my lemonade and turned to Shirley.
“Okay. Tell me what you got.”
Chapter 65
Shirley decided to keep me in suspense while we finished our meal and talked about men. They were as much a mystery to us as we were to them. We talked about my brother-in-law and neither one of us wanted to believe he was cheating on my sister. Maybe that was just wishful thinking, but I knew how stubborn Michael could be. I just wished I knew what he was being stubborn about. Even the police, threatening to toss him in jail, couldn’t get him to talk.
“I liked that Tom is in my same age bracket,” Shirley began. “I was afraid my sister-in-law was going to set me up with a much younger guy. Not for me. And not for him either. Tom told me that my age was one of the things he liked about me. Said I was a fully developed human being with interesting thoughts and experiences.”
“He’s definitely a keeper,” I said, and then ate a forkfull of potato salad.
“He’s good-looking, successful. A real catch. He could probably have his pick of a hundred women all younger and in better shape than me.”
I looked at my friend. It seemed no matter how old we were, women just tended to be insecure about their desirability.
“Don’t even go there, Shirley. You’re right, he could have had his pick of anyone and he picked you because you’re fabulous!”
Shirley gave me her lopsided smile. “Okay. I hear you. It’s just been a long time.”
Once we finished our sandwiches and consumed the entire container of potato salad, Shirley made a large pot of tea and cut two thick slices of a homemade German chocolate cake. We took everything into the living room along with both my old and new bag, and settled into her comfy sofas.
Shirley poured out the tea while I began to empty my old bag, placing all the contents on the coffee table. I had no idea how much stuff I had in there, but at least everything had been in its own special compartment. I’m big on compartments.
“I love this new bag. I’ve been looking for something a bit bigger to better hold my Kindle. And besides, as much as I love my old bag, it’s, well, old. It doesn’t even look black anymore.” I held it up. Over the years the color had faded. Its once rich black fabric was now dulled to several shades lighter, and the shoulder pad casing had begun to crack.
“I have to confess. Tom gave me one as well and when I saw it, I told him that you would love it. And besides, I probably can’t be as objective about it as you can. I’m warning you. He’s serious about hearing your thoughts, both good and bad, so use it and keep track of any design flaws you find. He would rather release it after the first of the year and get it right, than rush it out for the holidays only to have people return it.”
I leaned back into the sofa pillows and smiled. “Well, listen to you, all informed about his business. I see good things happening here.”
Shirley blushed slightly. “I feel like a silly school girl. Okay. Let’s get back to something I’m good at.”
I sat up and started to put all my stuff into the new bag. “I’m all ears.”
“After our last meeting, I decided to contact some of my colleagues about Gail Hachmeister. You had my curiosity up and I wanted to see if she was up to something. What I was fishing for was some information on whether she’s keeping tabs on her husband via a private detective.”
“And is she?” I asked, while I looked for the right spot for my Swiss army knife. Yes, I carry one all the time. You’d be surprised how handy all those gadgets can be. And besides, I like gadgets.
“My source had no idea whether or not Mrs. Hachmeister had hired anyone to follow her husband.”
I put a forkful of cake into my mouth and shrugged. “Well, it was worth a try. Thanks for asking.”
Shirley put her fork down and reached for her teacup. “Oh, ye of little faith.”
I looked up at my friend. “Really? What? Uh-oh, I see a flaw. Lots of large pockets, which is a good thing,” I said, looking into the bag, “but not enough smaller ones. I’ll still use it, though. I love it.” I pressed the bag to my chest and smiled. “Sorry. Please continue. What did your source find out? And do we have to keep calling this person ‘your source’? Can’t we just call him or her Bob?”
“Okay, Bob said he heard through the grapevine that one of the women who volunteers with Gail Hachmeister on some committee for one thing or another, has hired a private detective to follow Mrs. Hachmeister. What do you think of that?”
“Wait…what? Someone hired a PI to follow Gail? Not the other way around?”
“You got it.”
“Why would some woman Gail volunteers with want her followed? Oh, I know. Some sort of election must be coming up and maybe this woman wants the dirt on Gail so she can besmirch her name and cause her to lose. I love that word, besmirch. I should use it more often,” I said.
“Oh, Gail’s name is going to be besmirched, all right. The woman really wanted her own husband followed, but evidently he’s a very clever guy who would pick up a tail like that.” Shirley snapped her fingers. “So instead the woman is having Mrs. Hachmeister followed. Same result.”
“And what result would that be?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew where this was going.
“Mrs. Hachmeister and this other woman’s husband are having an affair.”
Chapter 66
“Oh. My. God! Are you kidding me? No wonder she wants me to find the dirt on Gary. She needs to dump him before he gets wind of what she’s up to. What I want to know is what kind of provisions were written up in their pre-nup if it turns out that she’s the one cheating? Holy smokes. Maybe the guy will get everything! That would certainly be a reason to get rid of a husband.”
“Wouldn’t it just. So she kills Victor, just because it would cause all sorts of theories. She knew what he was like and knew there would be tons of suspects. Then she dives in for the kill and goes after her real prey.”
“But she misses.”
“Yeah, crap happens,” Shirley shrugged. “She’ll try again. I’m going to warm up some more water.” Shirley took the pot into the kitchen and returned shortly with more tea and more cake.
“Shouldn’t we warn Gary that his wife is trying to kill him?” I asked. “By the way, this cake is delicious.” I cut a thin slice and took a bite.
“Thanks. Old family recipe. If we warn Gary and it turns out we’re wrong, that might cause all sorts of problems.”
“But if we don’t, he might die.” I scrunched up my face in deep thought.
“What’s that face? Have you thought of something else?”
“Not exactly. Before I got here tonight, I was telling my grandmother and her friends that something was nudging me in the back of my mind.”
“And?” Shirley asked.
“I think it’s telling me that I’ve been looking at this all wrong.”
“You mean you don’t think the murder of Victor and the attack on Gary are connected?”
I zipped up my new bag and set it aside along with my older one, which I intended to still use when I went to the beach or any other place where my new bag might get very dirty. “Oh, yeah, I think they’re connected all right, but not in the way we’ve been thinking. Meaning I’m not sure Gail Hachmeister is the killer.”
“Alex, it all fits. Gail had access to the building. I know,” Shirley held up her hand when she saw me start to protest. “Someone could have gone in behind someone else and then what? Hid in a closet for hours? Gary was attacked late and the one company in the building that’s open on Saturdays closes at four. Other than Gary and that person who came to his rescue, were there any other people in the building?”
“Not that I know of. I don’t think so.”
> “Right. So think about it. Would you sneak in at say around four, and hang out for what, five hours or more? And wouldn’t Gary have come out of his office long before then to use the restroom? The killer could have gotten to him then and had plenty of time to get home for dinner. No. I think someone showed up right about the time of the attack, and that means that person had to have a way in. Gail is the only one who fits that bill.”
“Maybe Victor’s sister or mother killed him and took his key card.”
“And why would they then go after Gary?” Shirley asked me with skepticism lacing her tone.
I fell back into the cushions and pressed my palms to my forehead. “I don’t know. Geesh.”
“Forget about it for now. Give your brain a chance to bring those hidden theories of yours to the forefront. Tell me if you think I should spend a billion dollars on a new sunroom.”
That got a laugh out of me. “Sorry to tell you, but I don’t think you’re that far off on the price.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“If your budget allows, go for it. You’ll enjoy it for years to come. This is a great house, and if you and Tom start living together or get married, it will give you extra space to accommodate having another person around.”
“His house is tiny. He loves my place. That’s a good idea. Even if it doesn’t work out, I would have a beautiful room from which to enjoy my garden.”
I helped Shirley clean up the mess and then gathered my things.
“I better get going. I don’t want Meme and Frances and Theresa standing outside.”
Shirley walked me to the door.
“Give them all a hug for me. We really must have another get-together with your whole family so I can introduce Tom to everyone and get Meme’s seal of approval.”
“Yes, wait to hire Kate Cavanaugh until you do. You may only need a tiny room if Meme doesn’t like him. And besides, Ms. Cavanaugh may turn out to be a killer and then you’d probably have a hard time getting your deposit back.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“As soon as I get home I’m going to ask my husband if they found a key card on Victor Sanjari’s body.”
Chapter 67
Victor Sanjari’s body was devoid of key card, wallet, and cell phone when he was found. So far none of his credit cards had been used, but if Elizabeth Applegate was right about him carrying around a large wad of cash, someone made a killing out of a killing.
It was only after I arrived at my office that I remembered something else I should have asked my husband. The fact that he didn’t volunteer the information even though he could see I was on to something caused my blood to boil. Well, maybe not a full-on boil, but let’s just say it was a steady simmer. These key cards were electronic and everything these days could be tracked. It was mind-boggling that people got away with anything anymore. I needed someone to check if Victor’s card had been used on the night in question, and I knew just who to call.
“Good morning, Suzette. It’s Alex Harris. No, no more forms to fill out. I just wanted to ask you a question. It pertains to my investigation into Victor’s death.”
“Whatever I can do. How can I help?”
“Do you have any way to track his key card?”
“Sure. I do all the issuing and cancelling of the cards right from my desk. Let me check the log to get his number and I’ll run it. Hold on.”
I could hear Suzette typing away in the background. After a minute or so, the typing stopped. There was no sound coming from her end.
“Suzette? Are you still there?”
“I’m here. This can’t be right.”
“What? What can’t be right?” My blood was now at full boil.
“It says that someone entered the building at nine twenty-four on the night Gary was attacked using Victor’s card. Victor was already dead then. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know yet. Suzette, I need you to keep this information to yourself. I’m sure the police already have it, but don’t tell anyone else. I don’t know what it means, but we don’t want anyone getting wind of the fact that we know Victor’s card is still in use.”
“Okay. Whatever you say, Alex. I don’t mind telling you that this is freaky. I have goose bumps all over my arms.”
“Same here.”
I hung up and sat at my desk staring out the window. I couldn’t decide if I was mad at the police, or I should say John, for not telling me about the key card, or excited that another piece of the puzzle had just dropped into my lap. I chose to be excited because getting angry with the cops would get me nowhere. And besides, when was I going to learn my lesson? Cops were not your friends. At least not the one I lived with. I was just surprised he told me the card was missing from the body in the first place.
I put all thoughts of evidence-withholding cops to the side and tried to sort through this latest clue. Now that I had this little gem of information, what exactly did it mean? Well, for one thing, it meant I was only looking for one person, which already cut my work in half. For another, it meant the crimes were related. I already knew that, but it was good to have it confirmed. It also meant the attack on Gary was planned and not a spur-of-the-moment thing. Did it also mean that someone killed Victor just to get the key card? Or was Victor killed for the same as-yet-unknown reason Gary was attacked? I thought about this for a few minutes and then my mind went to Gail. Did all of this new information prove that Gail Hachmeister was not involved? Not necessarily. She could be a very crafty woman who wanted her husband dead and used Victor’s card to get into the building. As a matter of fact, she would most certainly use Victor’s card, or anyone’s for that matter rather than her own and leave a digital footprint for all the world to see. So maybe the only reason she killed Victor was simply to get her hands on his key card.
I picked up the phone and dialed Suzette again.
“Suzette, sorry to bother you again, but does Mrs. Hachmeister know where you keep the key cards? And if so, does she know how to activate them to make them work at the doors?”
“No and no. They’re locked in a safe and only I have the key. I keep it on my key ring and it’s always with me. She was never trained on the software, plus you need a password to get in.”
“Okay, but everyone in the building has to have a card, so is there a master card key keeper? Someone who could have made her a card if asked?”
Silence on the other end.
“The property managers. It’s their system after all, and each office suite gets a password so that they can activate and deactivate cards as needed without having to go through the property managers.”
“So she could have asked them to make a card for her?”
“Technically, yes, but then it would show up in our system. And when I just checked for Victor’s card, there were no new cards added to our system.”
“Maybe they put it under their own master system,” I suggested.
“Yes, that could have happened, but why would she do that? If you’re suggesting that Mrs. Hachmeister is the guilty party, asking someone to make her a new card would only draw suspicion to herself, right?”
“I guess.”
“Let me put you on hold.”
I was suddenly listening to music. As hold music went, this wasn’t all that bad. A couple of minutes later, Suzette came back on the line.
“I talked to our property manager and made up a story about Mrs. Hachmeister losing her card. I told them that I hadn’t gotten around to it and before I did, I wanted to make sure she didn’t ask them first. They said no, she never asked. And I checked Gary’s while I was at it. He used his card on Saturday morning to come into the building, so she didn’t somehow have his.”
“Thanks, Suzette. You’ve been more than thorough. I knew you’d be a great fit with our firm.”
So if Gail attacked her husband, she had to have used Victor’s card. And if she used Victor’s card, she could only get it one way. I sat there pondering this for
a moment and then realized with a jolt that all of this meant nothing. I was no further than when this information fell into my lap an hour ago except for two things. The first was that I now knew for certain I was looking for one person and not two for both crimes, and the second was a gut feeling that told me Gail didn’t do it.
Chapter 68
If I was going to follow my gut instinct about Gail, then I was back at the same place I was before. All of my suspects wanted Victor dead, but not one of them had any problems with Gary Hachmeister. So did that mean the killer was someone on one of Gary’s construction crews? Perhaps Gary and Victor were running a scam with one of the foremen and something went awry. If that was the case, I would never find the killer. I couldn’t start showing up on construction sites. I would get thrown off immediately; or worse, I would get tangled up in the illegal immigrant scheme and I had a feeling whoever was at the head of that, would not take my involvement lightly.
I had to find a connection between one of my current suspects and Gary Hachmeister. I felt certain I could leave off Mary McCarthy, Brian Jankowski, Elizabeth Applegate, and Kate Cavanaugh. They may have all had beefs with Victor for one reason or another, but I didn’t think any of them knew Gary with the exception of Kate.
So who did that leave me with? Ruth and Delilah Sanjari and Maddi Wickersham. I could pare that list down by getting rid of Ruth. Could the woman stay sober long enough to put an elaborate plan into place? And what was her gripe with Gary? She was a mom and maybe she never liked Victor’s choice in friends. It sounded flimsy to me, so I moved on to Delilah. She was actually heard threatening her brother shortly before he died, and if Victor and Gary had been friends since childhood, Delilah obviously knew Gary Hachmeister well. Same with Maddi. Her sister was married to Victor, and Maddi could have come across the Gary on many occasions.