“No, no,” she said. “He was tall and better dressed. He was classy looking. Always well-manicured.”
“And he comes in here for subs?”
“No, he comes in here to get a few of my specialty sauces,” she said. “He’s a connoisseur.”
“But you don’t know his name?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“Okay,” Richard said. “If you think of anything”—he pulled out his card—“anything at all, or if you see him come into the store, please contact me right away.”
She frowned at him.
“I don’t want you to be in any danger either,” Richard said.
Her eyes widened. “You really think it’s him?”
“No, I don’t,” Richard said, “but, until we talk to him, we can’t take him off the suspect list, so we’re wasting time.”
She nodded. “Okay,” she said. She immediately put the card down, off to the side, then she added, “You better leave. You’re not good for business.”
And, just like that, they were sent to the street.
“Too bad,” Richard said. “Their sandwiches look decent.”
“Right,” Andy said. “It should have been an easy thing to do. Just buy a sandwich, ask a few questions, and get out. But we’re not exactly getting a good reputation doing this.”
“No, we sure aren’t.”
“That’s okay too. Locations, like this, they stick together. Rather than call us, I suspect she’ll tell him that we were asking about him.”
Richard looked at him, looked back at the store, and nodded. “My feelings exactly.”
*
Naomi walked into her apartment, frustrated and angry. “It’s that bitch’s fault,” she said, talking to herself. “I shouldn’t have to work for a living like this as it is. But now I can’t seem to get any jobs.” And that bothered her. She stormed inside her apartment and slammed the door closed.
A voice, calm and controlled, asked, “What’s your problem now?”
She spun on him. “Why are you always here? Even when I don’t know it?”
“You told me to come and go at will,” he said, in a mild tone. “Plus I do own this apartment, as you know.”
“I know that,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean that you just get to come and go.”
“Interesting,” he said. “Because, up until now, I’ve paid an awful lot of the rent on this one.”
She groaned at that reminder. “I know that,” she said. “I’m just really having a shitty day. I can’t get any work. I’ve just been turned down on two other art jobs.”
“Normal,” he said. “Just stay calm.”
“Easy for you to say,” she said, glaring at him. “You don’t have to work for a living.”
“No, I don’t,” he said cheerfully. “And that hasn’t changed in all the time we’ve known each other.”
She threw herself down on her couch. “I was heading to the top. What happened?”
“You probably pissed off the artist,” he said.
“It’s that bitch Cayce,” she said. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t like me.”
He gave a chuckle that she had heard often.
“I know. You keep telling me to be nicer. It’s not part of my DNA.”
“It might need to be something that you cultivate,” he said mildly.
She wondered at the silkiness of his tone. Just something about having a friend who had more money than you all the time, that dressed better than you all the time, that made friends better than you all the time, that just seemed to get everything handed to him all the time. He had been very generous over the decades. “Why do you even like me?” she groaned.
“You amuse me,” he said.
She sat up and glared at him. “That’s not funny.”
“I thought it was,” he said. “You’re obviously in a bad mood. I did bring you some Chinese food. It’s over on the counter. But I really don’t want to hang around while you’re like this.” And he sauntered toward the front door.
She should call him back, but he was right. She wasn’t in a good mood.
As soon as he was gone, she raced over to the Chinese food and crowed in delight. It was her favorite noodle dish. She immediately put it on a plate and stuck it into the microwave.
It might be the only meal she got for the next twenty-four hours. She was no good with money. It was always a case of what she could buy instead of planning or saving. She wanted what she wanted, and she was no good at denying herself.
When the Chinese food was warmed up, she sat down at the table and shoveled the food in her mouth. When she was done, she could feel a warmth taking over her.
“Thank God for a hot meal,” she said. She yawned and whispered, “But now it’s really nap time. Then I’ll go out and party!”
She got up, stumbled into her room, and threw herself across the bed. She was asleep almost immediately.
Chapter 19
“Having a day to myself at home really means catching up on paperwork,” Cayce whispered to herself. But then that was okay too. She didn’t know if Richard was coming back tonight, but she couldn’t get the idea out of her mind that maybe she should cook a meal for him.
She had two steaks in the freezer, which she took out to thaw, and she sliced some potatoes, thinking to make scalloped potatoes. She put the slices in a bowl of cold water, added salt, and let them soak. As soon as that was done, she went back to the paperwork with a cup of tea in her hand.
Just about the time she sat down, Frankie called her.
“You were supposed to see my girlfriend,” he said, and his voice held a little bit of panic.
“I know. I took a look,” she said. “I also told you that she wouldn’t be a good match for the first job, so there should be nothing to panic about.”
“I know. I know.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just afraid that she’ll break up with me if I don’t get her this spot.”
“And you know perfectly well that, if that’s the case, you don’t need to
