CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Would you like to sample some homemade baklava?” I asked Abby.
“Love to,” she said.
“Then let’s head over to St. Jacob’s tent,” I told her. “The Greek Orthodox women are selling it.”
We headed back up the midway and turned down the blacktop path that led past all the food tents, stopping at a small green tent with a big sign over the entrance that said, Homemade Baklava! Selene and one other woman were standing inside tables that formed a U-shape, all three tables filled with trays of the homemade pastry. There was no sign of my mother.
Abby looked over the trays. “What’ll you have? I’m buying.”
“Absolutely not,” I said. “My treat.”
As Abby pointed out the slice she wanted, Selene waved me over to the side. “Mama just left, thank God. She’s driving me crazy, Athena!”
“Has your Greek guy shown up?”
“No sign of him,” Selene said. “Thank God for that, too.”
“Okay,” I said, “when the man shows up, just remember my advice. Tell him you’re not looking for a relationship.”
Selene twisted her fingers together. “But Mama told him I am looking for a relationship. She beat me to the punch.”
“Then just tell him the truth. Tell him Mama is crazy, and she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Selene laughed. “I can do that.”
Abby walked over and handed me a paper plate with a slice of baklava on it. She had already taken a bite of hers and was chewing, her mouth full of the rich pastry. She swallowed and said, “Don’t look behind you, but I think the security guard is tailing us.”
“Where is he?”
“Straight across the path, by the elephant ear stand.”
Without turning, I said, “Do you see him, Selene? Big guy in a navy suit.”
My sister looked over my shoulder, her eyes searching until she spotted him. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Who is he?”
I didn’t want to trouble my sister about the threatening note, nor did I want to tell her that the man who was now following us could’ve been the one to leave it. And that he could possibly be a killer for hire. I could only imagine what would happen if that gossip spread around the diner. Mama would never let me leave the house again. “He works for the mayor.”
“And he’s following you why?” she asked.
“Good question,” I said.
Selene sighed. “What have you gotten yourself into now, Athena?”
Abby finished another bite. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
I was thankful Abby hadn’t gone into detail, but Selene wouldn’t let it drop. “Are you in trouble?” she asked.
Just then a man in his late thirties approached the tent. He was tall and incredibly fit, wearing a pair of worn overalls over a sage-green T-shirt. His eyes glimmered a bright blue beneath shaggy brown hair, and his smile was wide as he stood in front of my sister.
He held out his hand to her. “You must be Selene. I’m Tom Pappas.”
To my surprise, Selene blushed and reached for his outstretched hand, seeming to melt at his touch. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tom.” And by the look in her eyes, she meant it. “Come have a piece of baklava.”
He smiled into her eyes. “I’d love to.”
I took a deep breath and let it out. My work here was done. In fact, it hadn’t been necessary at all. But at least Abby and I had gotten to enjoy the baklava.
I turned back to Abby, who was scanning the crowd for the security guard. “Looks like he slid back into the shadows.”
“Why do you think he was following us?”
“I don’t know. Intimidation perhaps.”
I shivered, remembering how I’d been knocked to the sidewalk. “Let’s get out of here.”
“How about one more slice?” Abby replied, pulling out her wallet. “My treat this time.”
When we finally headed for the exit, the fairway was jammed with people, and the thumping music was deafening, setting my already-taut nerves on high alert. I couldn’t help but keep my head on a swivel, wondering if we were still being tailed. Abby, too, was constantly looking over her shoulder.
At one point, I turned to look behind me and ran into a group of people, who then parted to let me through. I started forward again and came to a sudden halt when a young mother with a wide stroller stopped directly in front of me. Abby continued around the stroller and was instantly swallowed up by the crowd.
I stood on tiptoe, searching for Abby, and felt a hand brush against my shoulder. I pulled the straps of my purse closer to my body and darted around the stroller, continuing toward the front gates. I felt a hand again, this time firm on my shoulder. My heart started to pump faster, and I picked up the pace, almost tripping over a couple in front of me when I heard my name.
“Athena, stop!”
I swung around, startled to see my partner standing behind me. “Case, what on earth are you doing here?”
“I came to find you. I just saw Selene, and she pointed me in your direction. Are you done with the interviews?”
I had my hand over my heart, trying to calm myself. “Yes, we were just leaving.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I told him. “Just a little freaked out.”
“Where’s Abby?”
“I don’t know. I lost her in the crowd.” I grabbed Case’s hand so we wouldn’t get separated, and together we headed for the gate. And there was Abby standing calmly next to the exit sign scrolling through her phone. “I thought I’d lost you,” I told her.
“Not that easily,” she said with a laugh.
We headed back to her car, the sounds of the fairgrounds diminishing as we made our way across the vast parking lot. Still feeling eyes on my back, I turned to look over my shoulder. Several people were walking casually behind us, chatting and laughing, nothing suspicious. When I turned back around, I noticed Abby scanning our surroundings.
Case finally broke the silence. “Did I miss something? Are we being followed? What’s going on?”
“I don’t think so,” I answered. “Not anymore.”
“The mayor’s security guard was keeping tabs on us,” Abby said. “But he won’t follow us out here, not while he’s on detail.”
“Sounds like there’s more to this story,” Case said. “Why don’t we grab some food somewhere, and you can fill me in?”
“How about having dinner at my hotel?” Abby asked. “That’s close, and it’s always empty. It’ll be nice and relaxing.”
“That works for me,” I said.
“Athena, if you want to go with Case and fill him in on our possible stalker, I’ll meet you both at the Waterfront.”
We waited until Abby had safely pulled out of her parking spot before Case led me a few rows down to his Jeep. On the way to the hotel, I filled him in on our interviews with the mayor and his security guard.
“Are you sure the security guard was the same guy who knocked you down?” Case asked.
“Not one hundred percent sure, but he certainly fits the description. And he knew where our office was without being told.”
Case didn’t answer right away. He shifted in his seat, his eyes darting between the rearview and driver’s side mirrors. “Okay,” he said, “then one of our stronger theories is that the security guard worked as a hired killer for Charles Sloan.”
“Right. The only problem is that we haven’t figured out what the mayor’s motive is. But we can discuss that with Abby over dinner. There’s her car right in front of us.”
Once again, Case seemed more focused on the rearview mirror.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“You know that feeling you get all the time, like you’re being followed?”
“It’s not all the time.”
“Well, I think it’s contagious. Don’t turn around.”
His last few words were unnerving. “Don’t turn around? Why? Are we being followed?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes still darting between mirrors. “Since the highway exit. I think we’ll know for sure once we get to the Waterfront.”
I watched as Abby changed lanes in front of us. As Case did the same, I sat in nerve-racking silence, trying to subdue the urge to turn around. I couldn’t see anything but bright headlights in the passenger side mirror, but I did notice the car behind us had also changed lanes.
We followed Abby into the Waterfront hotel’s parking lot. The car behind us did the same. “What should we do?” I asked.
“Nothing yet,” Case said.
Abby pulled her car into an empty space near the rear of the lot. There were several other parking spaces closer, but the spot she chose was directly under a floodlight. Smart move. Case drove past her parking spot and circled around, the car behind us following even closer then.
“It’s a guy, but I can’t see his face,” Case said.
I had my phone at the ready. “Should I call the police?” I asked.
“Hold off a minute.” Case arrived back at Abby’s car and pulled into an empty space near hers, the bright yellow convertible now clearly visible in my sideview mirror. Abby was still in her car gathering her belongings. I dialed her number to alert her and waited for her to pick up.
As her phone rang, the car that had been following us pulled into the spot directly behind ours and right beside Abby’s, its headlights shining brightly through our back window. In the sideview mirror, I could still see Abby in her car.
My call went to voice mail. “Case, she’s not picking up.”
At that moment Abby exited her car, and as she did, the headlights behind us went dark. Before I could see who was driving, the car door opened, a man got out and immediately approached Abby, wrapping his arms around her as though to incapacitate her.
Before I knew what was happening, Case was outside the car rushing toward the man. I jumped out and ran to help, not even knowing what I could possibly do. As I approached, Case grabbed the man from behind.
I heard Abby shouting, and the next thing I knew, Case was down on the ground with his hands forced behind his back.
“Marco,” Abby shouted, “stop! I know him.”
* * *
Marco held out his hand to help Case up. “Sorry about that, man.”
As Case brushed off his clothing, Abby said, “Case, meet my husband, Marco Salvare. Marco is an ex–Army Ranger. He has very quick reactions.”
“Yes, I can see that,” Case said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Marco shook his hand. “Same here.” He was dressed in a black T-shirt with the logo Down the Hatch on it, a pair of slim-fitting blue jeans, and scuffed black boots. His hair was dark brown, as were his eyes, and with a five o’clock shadow on his jaw, he was an extremely handsome man. He and Abby made an attractive pair.
“This is my partner, Athena Spencer,” Case said, and I shook Marco’s hand.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about you, Athena,” Marco said with a charming smile.
“What a coincidence,” I said. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.” And suddenly my sister’s prediction popped into my mind. Abby had indeed been followed by an M.S. Marco Salvare. Could that be a coincidence, too?
Case rubbed his shoulder. “You’re going to have to teach me that move.”
“I’d be happy to,” Marco said. “You never know when you’ll need it.”
“Sorry I couldn’t answer your call, Athena,” Abby said. “I was on the phone with my mom. She’s watching our pets.”
“Is there a problem?” Marco asked her.
“Nope. She just wanted me to know she fed them and took Seedy out for her walk.”
Marco rolled his eyes.
“Let’s go have some dinner,” Abby said. “I’m starving.”
As we walked across the parking lot, my phone rang. I stopped to answer it and heard, “Athena? This is Rosemary Dalsaurus. I’m sorry to be calling so late, but I just got home.”
“That’s okay, Rosemary. How can I help you?”
“I wanted you to know that an envelope from the CB Development Company came for Carly today. I showed Mayor Sloan and asked if I should find out where to forward it. He said he’d handle it and took it into his office. His door was open so I could see what he was doing. He opened Carly’s mail, Athena. And then he put it into a folder in his filing cabinet.” She paused, then said, “It doesn’t feel right to me. What do you make of it?”
“I’m not sure what to make of it, Rosemary. I’ll have to run it past my partner and see what he thinks. At any rate, I appreciate your letting me know. If you see anything else unusual, give me a call.”
We reached the hotel’s front entrance, and Case opened one of the double doors for me. “What was that about?”
“I’ll fill you in over dinner.”
In the Waterfront’s dining room, the four of us were shown to a table near one of the big windows that looked out onto the lake and their swimming pool. Marco took in the white tablecloths, the silver-edged china, the beautiful chandeliers, and nodded in approval.
“Very nice,” he said. “Very classy.”
Abby opened her menu. “The food here is excellent, too.”
“Let’s start with a bottle of champagne,” Case said, summoning the waiter.
Once Case had ordered the bottle and glasses for all, Marco said, “Bring me up to speed. The last I heard was that you were going to try to interview the mayor.”
“We did that,” Abby replied. “He didn’t give up any useful information, so there’s still the question of whether he had a sexual relationship with Carly. We’ve had three people tell us it was true, just with no positive proof. Only rumor.”
“Motive?” Marco asked.
“We haven’t locked in his motive,” Abby said.
“However, we don’t think the mayor would have poisoned Carly himself,” I added. “He wasn’t backstage long enough. But his security guard was backstage before the models got there, which would’ve given him access to Carly’s dressing room.”
“Is the security guard loyal enough to kill for the mayor?” Marco asked.
“We don’t know,” Abby said. “We do know that the guard owes the mayor for getting him released from prison.”
“So only with the help of his security guard did the mayor have the means and opportunity,” Marco said. “And you have only a possible motive. He sounds like your weakest suspect.”
“There’s also a question about what Carly was involved in,” Case added, “and whether that could have caused her death. We know she received mail at the mayor’s campaign headquarters from a construction company called Unified, the same company she and her ex-husband had contacted about building their land-based casino. It’s also the company whose plans for a mega-mall were shut down by the mayor, which leaves the question about what she was planning and whether someone found out about it.”
“That someone being the mayor,” I said, “who is against big businesses building in town.”
“Carly also received mail in care of a CB Development Company,” Abby said, “which we know nothing about.”
“Well, then,” Marco said, rubbing the dark stubble on his chin. “That looks like your next lead. That’s what I’d be focused on.”
“And here’s an update,” I said. “Just before we walked into the hotel, I got a call from Mayor Sloan’s campaign secretary, who said Carly received a letter just today in care of CB Development Company. The mayor took the letter, opened it, then filed it away.”
“Why would he open Carly’s mail?” Abby pondered. “And why would he keep it—unless he was involved somehow?”
“It sounds like you need to dig up information on CB Development,” Marco said.
“Normally, I’d take care of that end of the investigation,” Case told him. “But I’ve had my hands full with another job.”
“Then why don’t you let me look into it?” Marco asked. “I have to go back to New Chapel tomorrow, but I can work from there.”
Abby reached over and threaded her fingers through Marco’s. “That would be great, sweetheart. Thank you.”
He smiled into her eyes. “No problem, sunshine.”
I had to sigh at the obvious love they shared. I glanced at Case and saw him smiling at them, too. Then we glanced at each other, and Case reached for my hand. Not being one for public displays, I patted his hand playfully and picked up my menu.
Our waiter appeared with the bottle of champagne, ending the awkward moment. After he’d filled our glasses, he said, “May I take your orders now?”
* * *
After a nice, relaxing meal, I glanced at Abby. “I wish we could get a look at the letter Carly received today. I can’t help but wonder why the mayor kept it.”
“Where’s the mayor’s office?” Marco asked.
“In a small, three-story building on Greene Street,” I answered.
“A small building.” Marco rubbed his hands together. “Maybe it can be breached. I’m free this evening.”
“In this case, sweetheart,” Abby said to him, “I think we have another means of gaining entry. Athena, didn’t Eleni say she has a key to her husband’s office?”
“What are you suggesting?” I asked.
“What if we enlisted Eleni’s help in finding that letter?” Abby replied with a twinkle in her eye.
“Enlist the help of a suspect?”
“Why not?” she replied.
“Do you really think Eleni would help us?”
“If she knew Charles had kept a letter sent to Carly, wouldn’t you think she’d be very interested in what that letter was about?”
Marco patted Abby on the back. “It’s worth a try.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll phone Eleni right now and set something up.” I stepped away from the table to make the call.
When she answered, I said, “Eleni, this is Athena Spencer. I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Well, hello, Athena. How can I help?”
“A piece of mail arrived at your husband’s campaign headquarters yesterday, a piece of mail for Carly Blackburn that may be instrumental in helping us with her case. Unfortunately”—I paused, unsure of how to explain it—“your husband kept the letter.”
“I’m sure he’s planning to forward it to Carly’s estate,” Eleni said.
“The thing is,” I said, “he opened it and then filed it away.”
Silence. Then very skeptically, Eleni responded, “How did you learn about this?”
“I’m not at liberty to say,” I replied, “but it’s important for us to know what the letter is about.”
“Us?”
“Abby Salvare and me.”
“I was under the impression that reading someone else’s mail is illegal,” Eleni replied coldly.
“Your husband has already opened it and read it,” I replied. “We wouldn’t be asking if this wasn’t important.”
Eleni didn’t sound happy. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Help us get into his office,” I said.
More silence.
“You have a key, right?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m just not sure it’s the right thing.”
“Aren’t you a little curious as to why your husband kept Carly’s letter?” I asked.
Eleni was silent again for a long moment, then she sighed, as though she’d resolved her own doubts. “I am curious.”
“Do you know what time his headquarters closes?” I asked.
“Five o’clock,” Eleni replied.
“Are you available to go tomorrow after five?”
“No, I’m not,” she replied. “If you want my help, we’ll have to go this evening. It’s the only time I’m free.”
I glanced at my watch. It was already eight o’clock. “How about eight thirty?”
Sounding very reluctant, she agreed. “Charles gets home at ten. I’ll have to be back by then.” She paused, then added, “We’ll have to meet in the alley behind the building. I don’t want anyone to see me.”
“Great,” I said. “We’ll see you there.”
I stepped back to the table and told everyone about the plan. “We’re going to have to leave now to make it there by eight thirty. She wants to meet in the back alley, so she’s not seen by anyone.”
Abby turned to Marco with a sad smile. “Sorry, sweetheart. Looks like I’m going to be working tonight.”
“It goes with the territory,” he said. “Just one thing, though. Athena, how well do you know this Eleni?”
“I’ve known her casually for several years,” I answered, “but my mom has known her for a long time. Why?”
Marco took Abby’s hand in his. “I just don’t want you two walking into a trap.”
“How about if we accompany them?” Case said to Marco.
“Eleni isn’t expecting more people,” I said. “She might get spooked.”
“Then Case and I will wait in the car,” Marco said. With a wink, he added, “You won’t even know we’re there.”
Abby squeezed his hand, then turned to me and said eagerly, “Okay. Let’s go find out what Carly was up to.”