“No worries. It’s a fraught week, isn’t it? I was waiting for you to be ready to talk about why you got spooked.”
“The thing is, the detective interviewed me today. At the library, in fact. He warned me not to pursue the investigation. And later I kind of didn’t follow his advice.”
Jason peered at me over his glasses. “Kind of?”
I ticked stories off on my fingers. “First, I went with Alana to meet with Katherine about how she handles weddings. No, wait. Something happened earlier.” I told him what Luisa had said about Walter.
“I might have heard about Russom’s predilection for gambling.” He drained off the water the tofu came in, cubed the firm block, and drizzled tamari generously over it.
“Oh?” I asked.
“You know what I do, right?”
“Internet crimes.”
“That’s the ballpark. It’s not illegal to gamble online in California, but it is against the law to start your own private betting site. I shouldn’t tell you this, but Russom has been attempting that and trying to hide it.”
“Interesting,” I said. And maybe not paying the taxes on what he made, either.
“He’s been on our radar for a while.”
“Well, while Katherine and Alana were talking, I happened to see a photograph in the hallway of Walter looking very friendly with someone in front of a casino,” I went on. “After we left Katherine’s—and no, she isn’t going to hire Ms. Control Freak Russom to run her wedding for a zillion dollars—we drove up to Santa Inez to check out the casino.”
Jason gaped.
“Okay, it was my suggestion. Alana was happy to go along. Neither of us had ever been inside one, and it’s a pretty drive.”
He made a scoffing sound, but didn’t speak.
“While we were there, I met the manager, Jimmy Lightfoot. He was the one in the photograph. I also talked with a waitress, who said Walter plays high-stakes poker.”
“She happened to tell you Walter plays poker?” He cocked his head and squinted through one eye at me.
“I might have referred to him as an acquaintance I was looking for.” I cleared my throat. How could my old classmate be making me squirm like this? “Walter himself came in a little later. The waitress made it sound like he was a regular.”
He nodded. “But you weren’t threatened at the casino.” He focused on nicking the ends off a pile of snow peas.
“No, not at all, and we drove back. After Alana dropped me off at my room, I decided to visit the mission. It was closed, but anybody can walk around outside, so I did. Except I stupidly left my phone in my car, and I got distracted checking out the grounds until it was almost dark.” I told him about the noise, about thinking someone was after me. “I was nearly to the parking lot when I swear I saw someone wearing light pants following me on the pathway along the stations of the cross. I ran for my car and drove like a maniac to the library, where I called you.” I blew out a ragged breath.
“Hey, girl. You’re safe. Okay?”
“Yeah. Thing is, when I arrived at the mission, the parking lot was empty. When I got back to the lot, a big SUV was parked near the exit. Katherine drives one, and so does Walter, or he owns one, anyway. Plus, you saw what Tommy was wearing at the library.”
He gave me an incredulous look. “You actually think I notice what another dude is wearing, like, ever?”
I laughed. “I suppose guys don’t pay attention to that kind of thing. Although you are a detective.”
“Cyberdetective, Robbie. Cyber being the key word.” He measured rice wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, and hoisin sauce into a small mixing bowl and whisked them together.
“Anyway, Tommy was wearing light chinos in the library.” I got back to my story. “Earlier, Katherine had on a pair of cream-colored pants, and she’s definitely in good enough shape to give chase. Either of them could have been after me. Or maybe it was one of Walter’s bodyguards.”
“Russom has bodyguards?”
“It looked like it when I heard him speak last night. Big guys in shades acting like Secret Service agents.”
“Okay. But why would Moore be chasing you? I can kind of see Katherine doing it, or the dudes hired to protect a company president under threat. Maybe. But a kid barely out of high school who lives at home?”
“Because he’s an eager-beaver intern who seems completely taken with his boss? Because if Walter is suspicious of my asking questions around town, he could have asked Tommy to help put me out of commission. Or Katherine, as you rightly point out.”
“I don’t suppose you wrote down the SUV’s plate number,” Jason said. “Or noticed the make?”
I shook my head.
“See, women notice clothes. Men notice cars.” He held up a hand when I opened my mouth. “Gross generalization, I know. Forget it.”
“What about this?” I went on. “Suppose Katherine killed Paul to help her gambling-addicted father, and Walter wasn’t in on it? She knows he needs money. She knows Paul was leading the effort to basically put Agrosafe out of business. She puts Paul permanently out of business instead.”
“Paranoid much?”
“Hey, I thought you were my buddy.” I pointed at him, at me, back at him.
“You know I’m your friend.” He didn’t smile, though, and continued slowly and carefully. “You need to tell Gifford everything you’ve told me tonight.” He set a wok on the stove and lit the gas burner under it. “But be aware he won’t be happy you just happened to be wandering unaccompanied in Russom’s house. Or that you went to the casino and asked questions about the man.”
“I’m aware of that. And I will call him.”
He poured sesame oil into the pan. “This is going to go fast, and we’ll eat in minutes. I’m going to stop talking. I have to focus.”
He ignored me as he deftly wielded long cooking chopsticks, stir-frying one ingredient after the next.
