Echoes of Titanic (39 page)

“She looks so natural, doesn't she?”

Kelsey jumped and turned to see Yanni standing beside her.

“I was just thinking about that scarf,” Kelsey replied. “It ought to come off. Gloria was not a scarf person at all.”

Even as she said it, Kelsey realized that Yanni
was
a scarf person. She wore them all the time. Maybe she really had chosen the outfit, as Vern had said. Then again, if her visit to his place had been as innocent as that, why had she lied about it?

For a moment, Kelsey considered saying something blunt and provocative, such as, “Amazing how you managed to pick out these clothes while getting your hair done at the same time.” But she held her tongue. At least the girl had chosen the rest of the outfit well. Except for the scarf and those too-dark lips, Gloria looked as if she could hop up from the casket and get back to work.

“Actually, I helped choose the clothing. I wanted her to be wearing the diamond necklace she got from her sister, the one who owns the jewelry
store,” Yanni said softly. “But the funeral home gave it back and requested a scarf instead.”

Kelsey looked at Yanni as she processed that thought. She didn't understand until the young woman motioned toward her own neck and whispered, “Some things they couldn't cover with makeup.”

A surge of nausea rose up in Kelsey's throat at the memory of Gloria's dead body. Of course. She had died by hanging. Her neck had been a mess.

“Excuse me,” Kelsey said, and then she turned and made her way through the crowd, praying she could get to the bathroom before she was sick. She managed to make it, but by the time she got there, the urge had passed. In its stead she just felt shaky and weak, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

How could this have happened? How could Gloria be dead—and in such a violent manner?

Kelsey stayed where she was, leaning her back against the wall of the handicapped stall for a good five minutes, until she felt normal again. Just as she was about to emerge, she heard voices—familiar voices—coming into the room and decided to wait.

“He told me they were kissing in the elevator, no lie,” one of them said softly. “He saw it himself on the security camera.”

“No way! In the past few days? Or before it happened?”

“Like, a month ago.”

“No way! And he never told—” She stopped short, clearing her throat, and then they both fell silent. Kelsey realized they must have come around the corner and spotted feet under the stall.

“Don't stop on my account,” she said as she swung open the door to face exactly whom she expected to see: one of her female coworkers and her executive assistant.

“Kelsey!” Sharon cried, throwing her arms open for a hug.

In response, Kelsey took a big step backward, folding her arms across her chest.

“What is it?” Sharon said, looking genuinely hurt. “How are you? We miss you.”

Kelsey studied the girl's face, wondering how she could be so obtuse. Just yesterday she had promised to assemble the team and have them meet with Kelsey at their usual restaurant. Instead, Walter had shown up, and Sharon hadn't even had the decency to text her a warning, much less give her a call.

So much for being her eyes and ears.

“You're upset. I'm sorry. We shouldn't be gossiping.”

With a soft “Oh, please,” the coworker slipped into the nearest stall, but Kelsey and Sharon stayed where they were.

“It's not the gossip, Sharon. What happened last night? You couldn't warn me that Walter had canceled my team meeting? Couldn't even send me a text?”

The girl's face colored. “I'm so sorry about that. But to answer your question, no, I couldn't. Walter specifically said that I was not to communicate with you in any way until further notice or else. What was I supposed to do? Risk my job?”

Kelsey felt a renewed surge of nausea. Why on earth would Walter prohibit communication between them? That was pushing the whole separate-the-company-from-the-Tate-name thing way too far.

Exhaling slowly, she felt the energy draining from her body. Earlier, she had been filled with righteous anger. Now she was just tired of the struggle.

“I understand,” she said. “It's not your fault.”

“Thanks, Kelsey.”

They shared that hug, and as they pulled apart, Sharon began to volunteer the gossip she'd been discussing when she first came in. Unfortunately, just as she said the words, “Guess who's been having an affair?” Yanni strode into the room.

She stopped short, staring at the two women, her face growing ashen.

“K-Kelsey,” Yanni uttered in her lilting accent. “I was just coming to check on you. I thought you might need some help.”

Cheeks burning, Kelsey stepped to the sink and began washing her hands as Sharon ducked wordlessly into a stall.

“Thanks for your concern, Yanni. I thought I was going to be sick for a minute there, but the feeling passed.”

Yanni nodded, and then slowly she turned and walked out. As quickly as possible, Kelsey rinsed and dried her hands and then followed along, terribly embarrassed. Affair or not, unless it was relevant to Gloria's death, whatever was going on between Vern and Yanni was none of her business.

She caught up with the black-haired beauty in the hallway, took her by the elbow, and apologized. In response, a flicker of gratitude flashed in Yanni's eyes, and then they filled with tears.

“For what it's worth, Kelsey, she didn't…” Yanni's voice trailed off as she blinked away her tears.

Kelsey waited, unsure what the girl was trying to say. Yanni cleared her throat and tried again.

“Gloria knew,” she whispered. “She knew and she didn't even care.”

With that she turned and walked away, leaving Kelsey to stare after her. Behind her, Sharon and the other woman emerged from the restroom and tried to sweep her up with them to head back into the wake. When they reached the lobby, however, Kelsey declined, saying that she had to be going. Sharon gave her another hug and then turned to continue on into the room, which was now full of people. Looking at all of the activity inside, Kelsey noticed that Yanni had taken her place up front beside Vern, shaking hands with well-wishers and acting as if she had every right to be there. Not ten feet behind her lay the dead body of the man's wife.

The queen is dead. Long live the queen.

With a sigh, Kelsey crossed the lobby and moved past a man who was standing off to one side, leaning a shoulder against the wall and chewing on a toothpick.

“Leaving so soon, Miss Tate?”

Kelsey paused to look at him, knowing the face was familiar but not quite able to place him. Then he shifted to stand up straight, and with the glint of a silver badge clipped at his waist she remembered who it was. Detective Hargrove.

“Oh, hi, Detective,” she said, stepping closer. “I'm surprised to see you here.”

He shrugged. “Never know what you might pick up on at a thing like this.”

He was staring off toward the crowd milling about in the large room, and she turned to watch with him.

“Actually, I'm glad I ran into you,” she said. “I never did hear the final conclusion about Gloria's death. Has it been ruled a suicide, or…?”

Again, he shrugged. “Still undetermined at this time.”

She nodded, thinking about that. “So the investigation is still open.”

“Yep.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

At that he returned his attention to her. “A question, actually. Gloria Poole received a phone call on her cell Monday night around ten thirty. Did you make that call?”

Kelsey gaped at him. “No, but I've been wondering the same thing since I heard about it from Vern.”

“Any idea what it might have been about, or why she went back to the office afterward and worked all night?”

Kelsey shook her head. “I wish I could tell you, but I don't have a clue.”

He nodded, popping the toothpick back in his mouth. “All right. Well, thanks anyway.”

She started to go but then turned back toward him. “Wait a minute. Don't you have her cell phone, or at least her cell phone records? What number did it say?”

“Call came from a pay phone.”

“A pay phone? Do those things even exist anymore?”

He smiled. “Yeah, here and there.”

“Where was this one located?”

“Over near Times Square.”

Times Square. Kelsey thought for a long moment.

Rupert and Rhonda Brennan.

Their hotel was very near Times Square.

She expressed that thought to the detective, who thanked her, nodding.

“Already looked into it. At the time, the two of them were at a Broadway show.”

Kelsey shrugged. “It's not hard to slip out, maybe during intermission, make a call, and then come back in.”

“Yeah, but intermission for that show ended at nine forty-five, and from what I've been able to ascertain, the two were never seen missing from their seats. They had fifth row center, so it's not like they could have slipped out and slipped back in unnoticed.”

“Fifth row center?” She asked incredulously. “Did they get them from a discount booth or something?”

Hargrove shook his head. “Bought separately for full price. Four fifty per.”

Their eyes met. Rupert and Rhonda Brennan went to the theater their first night in town and sat in $450 seats? Each?

“Did they pay for that themselves?”

“Nope. They claim the tickets were waiting for them at the front desk when they checked into their hotel, a fun surprise from their anonymous benefactor. Unfortunately, we weren't able to trace the original purchaser. They were bought from a VIP ticket broker two weeks ago, with cash.”

“Cash,” she echoed. The calling card of the anonymous.

Kelsey was thinking about that when she noticed a taxi pulling up out
front and discharging a group of passengers. How much easier and faster it would be at this hour to grab that cab rather than using the subway. Noting her interest, Detective Hargrove shook her hand and said he didn't mean to hold her up. Smiling gratefully, she told him to give her a call if she could help any further.

“Will do,” he replied with a nod and a tired smile. “Thanks.”

Moments later she was inside the taxi and rumbling across the city toward Cole's office in Chelsea. Though her head was spinning with all she'd learned, she was glad to feel a fresh surge of adrenaline at the thought of what lay ahead. It was time to get into Brennan & Tate and take a look around.

Time to find some answers.

K
elsey called ahead, and Cole was waiting for her at the door to the building when she arrived. She paid the cabbie and dashed inside, greeting her handsome ex-boyfriend with a smile.

“Wow, look at you,” he said, taking in her styled hair, carefully applied makeup, and black vintage Yves St. Laurent dress. For jewelry, she'd worn just a simple diamond tennis bracelet and her favorite earrings, a pair of diamond studs. Too late, she remembered that the earrings had been a gift from him, a Valentine's Day surprise back when they were dating.

If that registered with him, he didn't show it. Instead, he seemed to be captivated with the overall effect, his eyes dancing with admiration. Kelsey swallowed hard, realizing how much she had missed those adoring gazes of his.

“I brought along a change of clothes,” she told him, holding up the black oversized purse she'd been lugging around all night.

“That's good,” he replied, motioning toward the stairs. “Somehow, I think our activities tonight will go a lot better in sneakers than stilettos.”

They moved up the stairs side by side, and as they went Kelsey stole a few glances at Cole as well. He, too, was all in black: black shoes, jeans, belt, and button-down shirt. Combined with his handsome face and sandy brown hair, the effect was so sexy it was mesmerizing.

“How long will we be here before we head out?” she asked.

“Depends. We have some information to go over, but we'll try to move quickly. How did you do on your tasks?”

In response she reached into her purse and pulled out the Brennan & Tate floor plans, which she'd had to fold instead of roll. “Here you go. I also talked to Pamela, though it didn't go all that well.”

Taking the thick, folded pages from her, Cole opened them slightly and peeked inside. “Nice. I forgot what a whiz you are at getting things done.”

She smiled. “How about everyone here? Any success?”

Cole grinned as they reached the door for Thornton Resources and he swung it open for her. “Oh, we have a few surprises in store. Why don't you go change in the bathroom and then meet up with us in the conference room?”