“Careful, there are no screens, remember?” I lifted
him from the chair into a tender hug.
We looked out together. The waves caressed the
rocks and the wind was calm. We inhaled the sea air. A few golfers played on the
emerald greens, which were mowed in crisscross patterns, and couples strolled
hand in hand on the walking trails.
Breaking our reverie, someone stuck a key card into
a nearby door slot.
528?
I glanced at the clock on the radio.
2:15 p.m.
Two voices spoke too low to distinguish any
words. Following the mumbles, a peal of laughter rang out–a woman. Then she was
silent. Someone else thought it was naptime too.
***
The Miramontes Room was already full to the brim
where Hugh Porter was signing books.
A bit chagrined at having to wait in a line that
curled out the door, I tried to entertain myself by seeing how many of the
faces I actually knew.
Not a soul.
Still, many of them seemed rather interesting. It
was fun to imagine what they might be like. One robust gentleman wore his
collar so tight that his neck bulged and his face turned red. A set of twins
spoke unintelligibly to one another, hooked arm in arm, looking like the
opposite side to the same conniving person.
A heavyset woman stood at the very front, telling
Hugh that her family enjoyed the fresh lettuces she grew while he signed the
title page for her.
Just behind her, a tanned, lanky gentleman shyly
handed his book for Hugh to sign as soon as there was a pause in her nervous
chatting. “To Abner, would be fine, Mr. Porter.”
He thanked Hugh and quickly stepped away. Next,
Thomas Westover approached and leaned against Hugh’s table looking a little
smug. There, now that was someone I recognized. Thomas handed Hugh two books.
Hugh smiled. “Going to read it twice, are you?”
Thomas watched while Hugh signed them.
Finally, another half hour passed and it was my turn.
Taking the opportunity, I asked Hugh about the poisonous begonias. He seemed a
little weary, but humbly referred me to the correct chapter to find the answer.
I was quite done with the mad rush and overjoyed to
see Nicole maneuvering her way through the masses. I had been craving a decent
conversation all day and I hoped she would be the ticket.
“How was Paul Youngblood?” I gave her a knowing
grin.
“He was very interesting, especially the part about
landscaping for the romantic spa garden.”
She said it matter-of-factly, but I didn’t miss a
special twinkle.
“Now in all seriousness, Nicole, I wonder if
you could help me with an unusual request.”
“Sure. Oh, look, it’s almost time for tea. Why
don’t we go into the Fireside Room and wait for the others?”
“Good idea.”
I chose a table in the corner for the most privacy.
“Now, what’s this about, Jillian?”
“Walter’s father is in a touchy situation and has
asked for my help.”
“What can I do?”
I leaned in to whisper. “A little snooping.”
“Is it legal, this ‘little snooping’ or do I have
to bend the law?”
“It’s legal. I just need to know procedure at this
point.”
“That sounds all right. What do you want to know?”
“If money was missing from a business, how would
someone get it out of the account without being detected?”
“That’s a tough one. The accountant could be
crooked and doctor the books, saying less was taken in than went out.
Alternatively, someone could turn in invoices and receipts, making it appear
more was taken in than actually was, so the balance would be less. I suppose a
false account could even be set up showing money being paid out, but no money
coming in.”
“Like a phony supplier that was paid for goods and
services that never existed.” I spoke the thought aloud.
Ann and Dominique joined us and we ordered tea and
appetizers.
I couldn’t puzzle it out, no matter how much Earl
Grey I consumed. Why would anyone take the time to steal from a nursery?
Eight-thousand dollars of course, was a lot for a middle-income gentleman but
it was hardly worth it for an experienced criminal. Nurseries weren’t exactly
known for rolling in dough.
Dominique, turning toward Nicole, spoke with
enthusiasm, “Paul was wonderful wasn’t he? I had no idea spas had a frog
problem.”
Nicole smiled. “I wonder if Paul thinks of Celeste
Osborne as a frog in his spa.”
They laughed.
She continued. “Did you notice her sitting in the
front row hanging on his every word?”
“How could I not notice?” Dominique sipped her tea.
“She reminds me of a black widow getting ready to eat her mate.”
“Ladies, please.” I interrupted, telling them of
his previous relationship with Regina and about his fiancé’s tragic demise.
“I’m sure Mr. Youngblood can handle someone like Celeste. He’s not without
experience, tragic experience.”
Ann looked away for a moment. “Spencer Hausman is
coming this way. Let’s invite him to join us.”
How opportune.
“Ladies, how nice.” Spencer beamed. “May I join
you?”
“By all means.” I smiled sweetly.
He pulled up a chair and motioned for our server to
bring another set up. She brought a cup, saucer, napkin, and utensils for him
then poured him a cup. He nodded to her in quiet dismissal.
I decided a few questions were appropriate. “Tell
us, when you’re not working Society affairs, what do you do?”
“Actually, I work for a large wholesale nursery
concern. I’m the business manager.”
“How interesting.”
“Yes, we’re located in Half Moon Bay, but we do
business with outlying retailers in the Bay Area supplying them with plants on
a wholesale level. We’re actually sponsoring this conference with plant
specimens and speaker fees.”
“Then you must work with Thomas and Evelyn Westover.”
I kept talking. “When I first met them I believe she told me they were
sponsoring the conference as well.”
I casually sipped my tea and took a dainty bite of
a ham and tomato sandwich.
“Thomas and Evelyn Westover own the nursery. I work
for them.”
“I see. How many retailers do you supply?”
“Actually, we have sixteen accounts at present.”
“You oversee all of them? Impressive.”
“Well, most of them, I should say.” He sipped his
tea. “Of course, Thomas manages one or two.”
“What about Evelyn?”
“Evelyn stays close to home managing the
promotional affairs. She goes to luncheons, teas, that sort of thing but
doesn’t like to get her hands dirty.” Spencer added this with a touch of criticism
in his voice.
He stood. “I really must be off. It was delightful
having tea with you ladies. See you at the reception.”
Ann looked at her watch. “I promised Evelyn I’d
meet her in the Club Room for a chat just about now. I’d better go. Something
tells me she’s not the kind to wait around.”
Dominique graciously signed for the tea. “I’m going
to check out the shops here. I like to know what other importers are bringing
in.”
“I don’t see how anything can compete with your
beautiful teak giraffes. Enjoy.”
Dominique stood and left.
I turned to Nicole and touched her arm to emphasize
the importance of my request. “Nicole, stay for a minute if you don’t mind.”
“Sure.” She gave me a questioning glance. After
scanning my face, she got a knowing look on her face. “Your mind is going a
hundred miles an hour. What can I do?”
A well-dressed older couple entered the room and
sat at the table next to us.
I lowered my voice to be discreet.
“I want you to find out about the financial affairs
of Thomas and Evelyn Westover. Try getting more info about Spencer Hausman,
too, for starters.”
Nicole glanced at the nearby couple out of
the corner of her eyes. “I do have ways, I suppose. I know someone who works
for a credit-reporting agency that could find out who does their personal books
and you already know who does their books at work. Give me a little time and
I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Nicole. I appreciate it. It’s possible
that I may be poking my nose into something that’s none of my business, but I
promised Walter Montoya I’d help and I never go back on my word. I only hope
it’s not someone in the Society who’s behind it.”
“Be careful, Jillian.”
“I will. You watch out too, Nicole.”
Perhaps I had been too quick to speak of Paul’s
strength against the barracuda–Celeste. They were waiting together by the
elevator as Nicole and I walked up.
“Jillian.” He nodded.
I could tell Celeste was none too pleased to have
her solitary time with him interrupted. I would have observed her better, to
get all of the potential subtext of the scowl she threw my way, but I wasn’t
quick enough. Paul’s good looks disarmed my detecting senses.
Wow! He is a
looker, and he’s looking at me…I mean, us.
He did seem to be examining Nicole rather slyly.
Soon enough Celeste managed to pull that plastic
smile over her face once again.
“Have you met Celeste Osborne?” He gestured toward
her.
“No.”
Not formally, anyway, though I did know enough
about her to be on my guard.
“How do you do, Celeste?” I tried to match her phony
smile with one of my own. “Your gardens are legendary. This is my friend from
our garden club, Nicole King.”
I gently nudged Nicole forward, for she had become
a little shy in Paul Youngblood’s presence.
Paul took Nicole’s hand and shook it. “Hello, I
believe I saw you at the lecture this morning. It was informative, I hope?”
“Yes…it was.” She blushed. “I’ve decided to add a
romantic spa garden to my yard after hearing you speak.”
Celeste couldn’t mask her jealousy but it only took
a few seconds for her to peel that fake smile right back over any genuine
emotion and interrupt their conversation. “How do you do?”
The elevator stopped and let us all off. Paul and
Celeste went into the Club Room together.
I gave an exasperated look toward Nicole. “Oh, to
be a fly on the wall.”
She smiled.
