Early Tuesday afternoon, Gilda unlocked the front door of the school and was startled to find a lone figure standing in the lobby. Her heart seemed stuck in her throat. Yoshida, Mick's shihan—or senior instructor—since he was a kid, stood no taller than her, yet his presence seemed to fill the room with foreboding.
"Shihan." She cringed. "Sensei Mick didn't tell me you were coming early."
"I neglected to tell him." When Yoshida turned to face her, his eyes narrowed and hardened. "I hear you have spoken with a number of people about Walter Levy, Miss Wright."
She shrank back without moving her feet. "I was trying to find out why someone would kill one of our most indispensable black belts."
He toyed with blocks on her desk one of the younger students had left behind. "Do you think by asking questions you can solve a man's murder?"
"No," she said, yet that was exactly what she was doing. No wonder Mick had called her Sherlock lately. "I guess so. I guess I feel like I owe it to his family to help find his killer."
His eyebrows rose as he placed a business card on top of the bottom layer of three blocks, and his hard gaze met hers. "Did you kill him?"
"No."
Yoshida's face softened. He piled two more blocks on top of the card. "Then you owe them nothing. Keep your mind on your work and your nose in your business. Asking questions and meddling in the affairs of others will not save this school."
She wanted to ask what he meant by saving the school but was concerned his comment was more a threat and less a stern piece of advice. "I will. Thank you."
"I will return in time for our training session. I would suggest you not show up, or you may get hurt." He turned on his toes and, abandoning his block creation, walked out the door.
Once the door closed, Gilda hid behind the desk in her cushy chair and dared to breathe. Despite the heat, she had a serious chill deep in her bones. A cup of tea would take the edge off, yet she was afraid to set foot outside the building. Too many suspects, too few answers.
She glanced at the clock. No sign of Mick or any of the other black belts. No classes. No students. No Walter. Tears threatened to fall on her paperwork and smear the ink. Yoshida was right. She didn't kill Walter, and she didn't owe his family anything, including peace of mind. The questions—snooping really—were all for her sanity. Her peace of mind…that her friends and coworkers weren't murderers.
Why had he told her not to come to train that night? Either he knew something was going to happen or—
"Who's in here?" Mick called from the front door. It wasn't like him to be so paranoid. Was he worried about running into the murderer, or just Yoshida?
"Just me." She guessed neither Yoshida nor Gary had stuck around outside to wait.
He peered around the corner. "Are you armed?"
"I have a stapler," she said. "Does that count?"
"I can deal with that." Mick leaned on the counter. "Whoa. Are you okay, Sherlock? You look as green as the mats."
"Yeah. Still a bit rattled, I guess."
"What are you doing here then?"
"Midmonth payments. Tidying up before the workshop. I don't want things to fall behind while we're closed." Gilda paused. "Yoshida was here when I arrived."
Mick stopped short, and the muscles in his shoulders tensed. "What did he want?"
"I don't know, but he seemed surprised to see me. The door was locked, and I had to use my key to get in."
"Interesting." Mick disappeared around the corner. "What did he say?"
She bit her lower lip and waited.
When she didn't reply right away, he reappeared. "Gilda? Are you sure you're okay?"
"Fine." She hated lying to him and shuffled her paperwork to appear busy.
"Uh-huh. Did he walk around and check out the dojo or anything?"
"He stood exactly where you are now, peeked through the doorway, then left," she said. "He did warn me not to train tonight."
"What were his exact words?"
"He suggested I not show up, or I may get hurt." She hugged her stomach. "He also told me to stop asking questions and meddling in the affairs of others since it won't save this school. What did he mean by that?"
Mick closed his eyes and ran a hand through his thick hair. "Go home, Gilda."
"But I—"
"Go home and don't come back until after Walter's funeral."
"I have to—"
He sighed. "Good-bye."
"Mick, it'll only take a—"
His jaw hardened. "Don't bother coming to the workshop later. Take the night off to go hang out with Marion. Go to a movie or for dinner. Anything."
She didn't even open her mouth this time. She just stared at him. After a moment, her shoulders drooped. "At least let me tidy up and file my paperwork."
He turned and went back to his office. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Gilda straightened up her desk before she walked outside into the heat and headed for home. The questions popped up at a rate that matched her pace and followed her all the way out to her garden. What was Mick up to, and why did Yoshida tell her not to show up to train that night? Frustrated, she puttered around in the sunshine for half an hour before the phone rang.
"Okay, Gilda. What's going on?" Marion asked.
"What are you talking about?" She sat on the back step.
"Oh, I don't know. First I overheard Thayer tell someone he ran into you at the morgue, and then Sensei Mick calls me—keep in mind, he's never, ever called me before—and suggested I keep you busy tonight for some reason. He even offered me bribe money. What in heaven's name have you done now?"
Gilda sighed. Mick really was trying to keep her away from the school. "I haven't done anything. I promise."
"Well, your boss seems to think I need to keep you busy tonight and suggested you and I go to dinner and a movie." The sounds in the background said she was still in the dispatch office. "What do you say? My treat. I'll stop at home and change, and then we can have dinner and a couple glasses of wine and—"
She was still stuck on one detail. "Mick put you up to this?"
"Yeah. Well, not totally. You are my best friend, you know," Marion said. "What's wrong? Did I miss something?"
"No, but I think I have. Tonight is the session with Shihan Yoshida, and both Yoshida and Mick have told me not to show up."
"Holy crap. Is your karate that bad?"
Gilda groaned. "I think there's something going on at the school that I've totally missed. I'm hoping if I go to class tonight, I'll find out more."
"See, that's where you and I differ. If Mick told me to stay away, I'd stay away and lock myself inside my house, no maybe about it. Hang on a sec, will you?" Her next words were muffled but clear. "Get lost. My conversations are none of your business. No, I'm not talking to Gilda. I'm talking to my boyfriend."
"Yeah? What's his name?" Thayer asked in the background.
"Tiny. Do you really want to mess with a guy named Tiny? No? I didn't think so."
Gilda smiled. "I have to get ready for class. I'll talk to you later."
"Don't you dare hang up on me, Tiny." She lowered her voice. "Honey, do you have brain damage? Listen to Mick. Forget about training, and meet me for dinner. Whatever's going on, you'll just end up smack in the middle. Do you want to end up like Walter?"
Gilda got up to pace the flagstone garden path. "No, but what if Walter found out something someone didn't want him to know? What if another black belt is being set up to die?"
Marion groaned. "Then you'll end up in the middle and get killed, no matter what I say."
"No, I won't. There will be other students there."
"And what if they're all involved?"
Gilda hadn't thought that far ahead.