Chili Con Corpses, page 18
“Who?” James wondered, feeling a headache coming on. He realized that he had forgotten to take his blood pressure medicine that morning. Settling for two aspirin, he gulped them down with the remnants of a warm, flat Diet Coke that had been on his desk since lunchtime.
“I don’t know.” Lucy pointed at her piece of paper. “That’s not all my news, either. I called Solmes Investments today, just to take a shot at finding out more about Gary, and guess what?”
James rubbed his temples. “Do I even want to know?”
Lucy’s eyes gleamed. “They told me that no one by that name works for their firm.”
“But Murphy said he was talking about his job at Solmes during our cooking class. It’s where he and Kinsley met.” His mouth grew dry. “Oh Lord, do you think Kinsley even knows that he’s been lying about his job?”
Lucy glanced at her watch and then stood up in alarm. “James! It’s after five! I wanted you to call the company pretending to be one of Gary’s clients and demand to know what happened to him. We’ve got to know more before we go to Lindy’s party tonight!”
James felt panic surfacing in his belly. “First the robbery and now this news about Kinsley’s lesser half. Still … what difference does Gary lying about his job make?” He stared at the phone number Lucy had shoved in front of him. “McClellan will be at Lindy’s, so we don’t have to worry about anything bad happening tonight. I can always call Solmes after New Year’s.”
“Come on, James!” Lucy pleaded. “See if someone is still there answering the phones. I think we need to know now.”
“I’m no good at this kind of stuff,” James protested. “Who could I pretend to be?”
Lucy had turned pink with frustration. “Just think of some snobby name from your stint at William and Mary. Some of your students must have been from rich, blue-blood families. Put on a drawl and act angry that your money manager isn’t returning your calls. Just do it! Now!” she barked at him.
Responding to the command in Lucy’s tone, James’s fingers began dialing the New York number. Strangely, he felt a calm fill him as the phone began to ring, and he cast a quick glance at Lucy. He was surprised to realize that despite everything that had happened between them, he still wanted to impress her.
“Solmes Investments,” a nasal voice answered after three rings. “May I help you?” The woman sounded as though she would prefer to do anything but.
“Gary Lowe,” James stated in an elongated drawl, deliberately omitting the word “please.”
After a pause, in which James could hear the sounds of murmuring and glasses clinking in the background, the woman tiredly said, “Mr. Lowe is no longer with this firm.”
“What!” James thundered. “What are you talking about? I go to Europe for a few months and come back to hear this! Where the hell is he?” James could feel his heart drumming against his rib cage as he shouted into the phone.
“I’m not at liberty to say, sir. Actually, we’re closed at this time, so if you could call back after New Year—”
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” James hollered at the top of his lungs. “THIS IS RANDOLPH OLIVER THE FOURTH!” He gulped in air. “You get me someone who can tell me where my broker is or so help me, I will have your job, missy!”
“Um …” James had finally rattled the woman’s icy composure. “I’m pretty new here, sir, but if you can just hold …”
“Oh, give me that phone!” another voice dictated from the background. “Whatdoyawant?” a woman lisped as though she was well on her way to becoming drunk.
James spoke excruciatingly slowly as if the person on the other end of the line wouldn’t comprehend him otherwise. He was as condescending as he could possibly be. “I would like someone with half a brain in their little heads to tell me where in the Sam Hill Gary Lowe has gone. Why is he not sitting there at his desk right this very minute making me more money?”
“Because he was fired for front running, you arrogant piece of shit. Happy New Year!” The woman giggled, hiccupped, and then slammed down the phone.
Replacing the receiver, James immediately returned to Google in order to search for the term “front running.”
“Wow!” Lucy shuffled her chair closer. “I didn’t know you had that in you, James. You should join the Shenandoah Players.”
“No teasing.” James was relieved to return to his quieter tone of voice. “Gary was fired, Lucy. For something called front running. I’m checking out what that means. Aha, here we go.”
Lucy picked up her chair and moved it alongside James’s. “What did you find?” she asked eagerly.
“I don’t know much about the financial world, but according to this definition, it’s when a trader makes his own order before executing a big order being placed by the company or a customer he works for. Because of the big order, he knows how the market is going to be affected and tries to make a nice bundle for himself in advance.”
“I’m totally confused by what you just said.” Lucy shook her head. “Can you explain exactly what Gary did in Stockbroking for Dummies terms?”
James reread the definition on the computer screen. “I’ll do my best. Okay, so Solmes Investments decides to buy ten thousand shares of stock for, ah … Meaty Treats Dog Food.”
“Meaty Treats!” Lucy laughed. “You’re making that up, right?”
“Right. Now, Gary sees the order for ten thousand shares and thinks the purchase will drive up the price of Meaty Treats stock. So he buys a bunch of stock at the current price, executes the order for the ten thousand, and then sells his shares at the higher price. He makes a lot of money in just a few minutes.”
“How much money?”
James shrugged. “Could be thousands every time.”
“But he got caught and then fired because of this front running.”
“Apparently,” James continued in a voice laced with sarcasm, “he was fired and then magically appeared in Quincy’s Gap to stand by Kinsley in her time of need. How touching.”
“Doesn’t hurt that Kinsley’s worth millions, either.” Lucy was angry. “We’ve got to tell her, James! That poor woman has been through enough pain. I’m not going to let some greedy, cheating, lying, pig scum cause her any more grief!”
“That’s the Lucy I know and love,” James said fondly and then, watching Lucy’s eyes alight with happiness, realized that he had chosen the wrong words in which to compliment his friend’s loyalty and desire to see justice done. He made a big show of examining the time on the wall clock over Lucy’s head. “Uh, guess we’d better part ways for now. I’ll see you at Lindy’s. I know she wanted to meet up and share information before the other guests arrive. What time are we supposed to be there?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.
“She wants us all there at eight—including Murphy, who seems to have become an unofficial supper club member,” Lucy said with a trace of acerbity.
James didn’t reply and he couldn’t move, as he was trapped between Lucy and the far wall of his office. “Are you dressing up, since you’re the guest of honor?” he inquired, hoping to stir her into action by addressing her vanity.
Lucy wore an enigmatic expression as she stood. “I sure am. You won’t believe your eyes tonight, James.”
Following her to the door, James had a feeling that Lucy was absolutely correct, and that many unpredictable and eye-opening things might occur at Lindy’s party.
Murphy called James to tell him she was running late and he should head over to the party without her. He arrived at Lindy’s small bungalow ten minutes early and was delighted by the sight of her outdoor decorations. In lieu of white or multicolored Christmas lights, Lindy had strung the straggly azalea bushes flanking her front door with dozens of glowing chili peppers.
Lindy opened the door, kissed him hello, and thrust a paper hat into his hand. “It’s a dress code requirement, Professor.” She grinned and gestured to her own fuchsia tiara bearing the words Happy New Year in silver glitter. “Unless you want one of these.”
James popped the weightless lime-green cone on his head, admiring how sharp Lindy looked in a silver blouse, large silver hoop earrings, and a flowing black skirt made of some kind of shimmering fabric. “No thanks, I’ll settle for the annoyance of having a string irritating the underside of my chin all night. By the way, you look fantastic, Lindy. Luis Chavez doesn’t stand a chance.”
“I’ll drink to that! Can I get you some fiesta punch?” she asked, leading James into the kitchen. She dunked a soup ladle into an enormous ceramic bowl and filled a hot-pink plastic tumbler to the brim with pale red liquid.
“What are we drinking this evening?” he wondered as he took in the other decorations. Lindy had strung a group of red, yellow, pink, and lime-green balloons across the doorways leading into her kitchen and living room. A piñata shaped like the children’s cartoon character Dora the Explorer dangled down from an eyehook at one end of the living room ceiling while a disco ball hung from the other. Rainbow-colored streamers were strung across all the light fixtures in each of the four downstairs rooms. Small tables covered with striped plastic cloths were arranged throughout the living room and a range of delicious smells were emanating from Lindy’s oven and stovetop.
“It’s champagne and cranberry juice,” Lindy answered James’s question. “Very refreshing, isn’t it? Oh, there’s the doorbell.” She grabbed some hats and tiaras and hustled to greet Gillian and Bennett, who both gushed over the transformation of Lindy’s house.
“The colors are simply pulsing with life and spirit!” Gillian shouted brightly. “I can just feel the renewal that a new year brings!”
Bennett mumbled something in agreement and then said, “What’s with the kid piñata?”
“She’s a Spanish-speaking cartoon,” Lindy replied, directing her new guests into the kitchen where James was already ladling two glasses of fiesta punch into pink tumblers. “This is a Spanish-themed party, remember?”
“Hello?” Lucy’s voice called out from the front door. “Can I come on in?”
“Oh!” Lindy marched into the hall and exclaimed “Oh!” again.
When Lucy joined them in the kitchen, James could see why Lindy had been at a loss for words. While Gillian’s outfit was typically eccentric in that she wore an electric orange poncho stitched with green llamas over a gold lamé tank dress, Lucy was wearing a purple ruffled dress that could have been featured in Sixteen Candles or a Bangles video.
“What’s with the eighties getup?” Bennett queried and turned to Lindy. “Were we supposed to dress in some kind of special way tonight?”
“No,” Lucy quickly answered and then fluffed a tier of absurd ruffles. “This was the dress I wore to my senior prom. My high school prom. See? It fits again!”
All four of her friends examined her figure as she pivoted in a circle. There was no doubt that Lucy looked terrific and had toned her body into far better condition than it had been in during the previous New Year’s Eve, but she was still a bit voluptuous to be wearing this particular style of dress.
“I figured since I was the guest of honor,” Lucy continued, yanking at the hem of the dress, which was riding up both of her thighs, “I should break out something I wore when I was in good shape.”
James tore his eyes from the row of wrinkled fabric across her hips and around her waist where the dress was clearly too tight. “You look great,” he assured her kindly, and she beamed in response.
“A toast to our future deputy!” Lindy hailed her friend while raising her glass. After they drank, Lindy gestured toward the living room. “Let’s get talking before the others get here. I’ve got some tapas for us to enjoy while we’re trying to unravel Parker’s mystery.”
As they settled themselves in the next room, the doorbell rang again and Lindy ushered Murphy inside after handing her a yellow tiara. “Help yourself to some punch in the kitchen and then come join us. We’re about to share our latest findings.”
“Good,” Murphy said. “I have a feeling that this is our last shot to figure things out.”
“Why?” Lindy wondered in concern. “No, never mind. I’ll find out when you tell everyone else.”
Murphy entered the living room with a glass of punch and a dazzling smile. James locked eyes with her and tried not to let his gaze wander all over her body, which looked incredibly sexy in a pair of off-white suede pants and a tight, black top with a low neckline. She wore high-heeled black boots and a wide belt with silver studs. Like Lindy, she had also added a pair of saucy hoop earrings to her ensemble.
After exchanging kisses on the cheek with the supper club members, Murphy took a seat in a folding chair next to where James was perched on the end of the couch. With Lucy on his other side, he found himself wishing that he had sat in the leather chair next to the television, but Bennett had claimed it first.
“Let me hand out some snacks while I tell you what I figured out, which isn’t much,” Lindy said as she began to place an assortment of finger food on paper plates. “I’ve been racking my brains over how someone could have learned Adam Sneed’s name, that he was a student in one of my art classes, and that all of my students were taking a field trip to Luray Caverns.”
“I don’t mean to disturb your train of thought,” Gillian interrupted, “but these mushrooms are absolutely inspired.”
“Thanks. Milla gave me a bunch of recipes for tonight.” Lindy grinned. “Anyway, I realized, after rereading my daily planner, that the school had hosted Parents’ Night a week before the field trip. My students were showcasing their work, and I was begging for chaperone volunteers at the time. Any Tom, Dick, or Harry could have learned Adam’s name and all the details about the trip that night. I handed out fliers to everyone I could. And I saw so many people that night—parents, grandparents, third cousins once removed—the killer could have been there in disguise and I would never have known.”
“Nothing about the fake Mr. Sneed looked familiar to you when you saw him at Johnny Appleseed’s?” Lucy asked. Lindy shook her head no.
“I’ll go next,” Gillian volunteered. “I dragged poor Bennett with me to get Dalai Lama’s teeth cleaned, which my sweet darling did not enjoy in the least, the poor soul.”
“Him or me either,” Bennett grumbled. “I had to sneak into Dwight’s office while Gillian drank tea and ate cookies behind the front desk. And I was out of sight for so long that Gillian told June I had diarrhea and was locked in the men’s room!”
Gillian smirked. “Well, I had to think of something. June was very sympathetic, too. She offered to brew Bennett some wild blackberry tea to assist with his healing, but he insisted on leaving as soon as he was done investigating. Rushing about is so stressful on the bowels, Bennett.”
“Can we keep in mind that I didn’t actually have diarrhea, Gillian?” Bennett fumed.
“June also told me that the reason Dwight moved to our gloriously beautiful part of the country was that Parker was one of a very small group of veterinarians practicing animal dental cleanings without the use of anesthesia. Dwight wanted to be trained by such an avant-garde thinker and, indeed, Parker taught him all she knew.” Gillian sighed. “June is very impressed with how Dwight learned to look an animal in the eye, speak to it in calm and gentle tones, and calm its fears.”
Bennett rolled his eyes. “Anyway, while those two nut jobs gabbed away about kitty dentistry and whether fruit flies have a soul, I learned that Dwight went to Princeton. That’s curious because it’s the school where Gary went, too.”
Murphy leaned forward in her chair. “Did you follow that trail? Did you call Princeton?”
“First, we waited for the moment to feel right,” Gillian stated while fluffing her hair, which was dusted with some sort of glitter. “We needed a very lucky time of day, so we phoned the Alumni Office just before sundown. Bennett pretended to be calling on behalf of the Luray Post Office. He said that a postal box belonging to Dwight Hutchins had just been switched over to a Mr. Gary Lowe and wanted to know which one should be receiving the Princeton alumni mail. Once Bennett was told the two men graduated the same year and both belonged to the same fraternity, we felt that there was just too much coincidence in this picture.”
The group fell silent. “It’s clear to see how Dwight benefits from Parker’s death,” Murphy finally said. “He has full control of a successful practice now.”
“What does Gary gain?” James wondered aloud. “Is he planning to help Dwight with his future investments or is he up to something more devious?”
“Devious?” Lindy was bewildered until James explained the discovery he and Lucy had made about the former stockbroker.
“Deceit can cloud much deeper psychological issues,” Gillian breathed and then shuddered.
Lucy absently pulled a piece of chicken from a kebab and plopped it in her mouth. “There’s more,” she said when he was finished chewing. She told the group about the burglary of Colin’s office.
“That’s where my story enters the picture.” Murphy waved a kebab at Lindy. “These are almost savory enough to distract me from what I have to share, but it’s not much of a tale. As soon as I heard about the burglary from a friend of mine at The Harrisonburg Herald, I met up with Colin at his office where he was going over everything that had been taken. He’s really concerned about the missing ampoules of Wildnil. He and the local law enforcement officials think some kids or even some crazy hunters plan on using the drugs to go after hibernating black bears.”
Gillian leapt to her feet. “That would be monstrous!”
“Well, I’m not convinced their logic is correct,” Murphy told Gillian in a soothing tone. “It seems odd that this burglary occurred at the same time Gary showed up in Virginia.”
James tried to absorb all of the information he had heard thus far. Suddenly, he remembered an important detail. He turned to Murphy. “Did you ask Colin about his lack of action at Ramsay’s farm?”
