Getting Rich (A Chef Landry Mystery) (28 page)

“What do we do now?” Jake asked.

“Maybe we can go over the different chores that need to be done to get Skinny’s ready to reopen.”

“Good idea,” Marley said, turning to grab another burger from the plate on the kitchen table. To my surprise, the meat in the three remaining buns was gone. “How can that be?” he asked. “They were here a minute ago.”

I checked around the room. Sure enough, the dogs were chewing on burgers. Jackie threw me a furtive glance, as if to say, “Hey, I only took what you’d already promised.” She returned to her meal, eyeing me suspiciously. I didn’t have the heart to scold her.

“Maybe she’ll tell us which she likes best,” Marley said, laughing.

The kitchen was clean and we had already gone over the list, dividing it among the guys, when my cell phone rang. It was Toni, at last.

“Where are you?” I asked. “I was getting worried about you.”

“I’m in front of the Hyatt Regency,” she said. “The blonde woman is heading inside.”

“Isn’t that where Judy is staying?”

“Yes,” she said in a tight voice. “I want to go in and see if I can find her. It’s lunchtime, so maybe they’re meeting in the restaurant. Can you come sit in the car? It would be just my luck that they leave by the side entrance while I’m running around in the hotel trying to catch them.”

“I’ll be right over.”

“I’m parking on Avenue Road, just north of Bloor. The keys will be in the exhaust pipe.”

I hung up and called to the guys. “I need a lift right now.”

We piled into Toni’s BMW with Jake at the wheel and drove off in a screech of rubber.

“I always thought Toni was a cowboy behind the wheel,” I said, as he took a corner so fast I thought we’d roll over. “But she has nothing on you.”

“Hold on. It’s going to be a rough ride,” he said.

“Oh, shit. Now you’re dropping quotes too. I think you’re spending way too much time with Toni.”

He laughed, and I was pleased to note that Charles was chuckling too.

We crossed Bloor and Jake came to a rubber-burning stop inches away from his car. “I’ll find a parking spot and join you inside,” he said. Before I could argue, he had driven off.

I got out and felt around the exhaust pipe, and came away with the key. I settled in for what could be a long and boring wait. But to my surprise, moments later I spotted Judy walking down the sidewalk. I slipped down in my seat. When I pulled myself back up, she was walking into the hotel.

Shit
. I had to notify Toni. I grabbed my cell and pushed the speed-dial button.

“What is it?” she answered in a harsh whisper.

“Judy is just walking into the hotel.”

“Uh-oh. Thanks.” She clicked off and I imagined her ducking behind a potted palm or column. I was just putting my cell away when I noticed a man walking down the street. Could it be? He was still some distance away, but I was almost sure...I squinted.
Damn.
It was him. I grabbed my cell again.

“What is it now?” Toni whispered.

“It’s Steven. He’s headed toward the hotel. No, wait, he’s stopping.” I prayed that he would walk on. He was looking around.
Shit.
“He’s just walked in. Oh, Toni, I’m so sorry.”

“So he’s involved too. Great.” She hung up. I snatched my bag, dropped in my phone and scrambled out of the car. Whatever was going on in there, Toni should not have to handle it alone. I hurried over as fast as my crutches could carry me, and luckily a bellman opened the door for me. I looked around. No sign of any of them.

“Excuse me. I’m trying to catch up to my friend. She just walked in. I was trying to keep up, but...” I gestured toward my cast. “She’s a good-looking blonde. Judy Donaldson. She told me which room, but I can never remember numbers.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you her room number. You’ll have to call her from one of the courtesy—”

“Oh, there she is,” I lied, just as an elevator door started closing. “Judy,” I called out, waving.

Just as I’d hoped, by the time he swiveled around, the doors were fully closed. “I guess there’s no harm in telling you,” he said. “She’s in Room 717.”

“Thank you,” I said, already hurrying to the elevator. While I waited, I called Toni again.

“What?” she whispered.

“Judy’s room number is 717.”

“How’d you—” she started, and then stopped. “Thanks,” she said.

After hanging up I made the same call to Jake. “We’re only a block away,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you there.”

An elevator opened and I climbed in. I went up and seconds later the doors opened. I stepped away from the bank of elevators and sneaked a peek down the long hallway. There she was, strolling away as if she didn’t have a care in the world—the murderous bitch. At that moment, the emergency exit door facing the hallway flew open and Steven stepped out. I ducked around the corner before he could see me.

When I dared peek out again, he was racing after Judy. My heart was pounding. That was close. Too close. Poor Toni. Not only her sister, but her husband as well. She would be devastated.

The elevator doors slid open again and Toni stepped out. “There you are,” she said. “I looked all over the hotel, the restaurant, the bar. I never found her. And the front desk refused to give me her room number. How did you get it?”

“The bellman told me.”

She looked at me with new respect. “Wow. All he told me was to use the courtesy phone.” And then seeing the worry in my eyes, she said, “What’s wrong?”

“Er, Judy just went down the hall and around the corner—to her room, I guess. Steven was right behind her.”

All at once her eyes narrowed and her jaw set. “Oh, yeah? Well, we’ll see about that.” She marched down the hall, ready to kill. I galumphed after her.

She was about ten feet ahead of me when she turned the corner. In the next instant I heard her gasp, and then a crack, followed by a thud. I worked my crutches faster. I came around the corner half expecting to find Steven splayed out on the carpeted floor. But to my horror, Steven was holding Toni from behind, his right hand covering her mouth. He was whispering something in her ear.

“Stop,” I yelled. I fumbled for my phone, dropping my purse. “I’m calling the police right now.” I waved my phone menacingly.

“Will you shut up?” he whispered harshly, glancing back over his shoulder. “What are you trying to do? Let them know we’re out here? Now, if you promise to be quiet, I’ll let you go.”

Toni nodded, and he slowly took his hand away.

As soon as her mouth was uncovered, Toni took a step back and ground one of her five-inch stilettos into Steven’s foot, all the while screaming “Fire!” at the top of her voice.

Steven was hopping on one foot, muttering a long string of expletives, when suddenly the door to Room 717 flew open and Richard stepped out. His eyes fell on us and shock filled his eyes. He took a step back, trying to close the door, but it was too late. Toni had already jammed her Vuitton purse in the doorway.

“Not so fast,” she said, shoving him out of her way. One thing about Toni. She never let anyone stand in her way.

“No, Toni,” Steven called, running in after her. I hurried over, working my crutches as fast as I could. I got to the door, and stopped, staring at a scene straight out of
Law and Order.
Steven was frozen in place, an expression of horror on his face, as Toni was held with a gun at her head by none other than the blonde woman.

“Come one step closer and she dies,” the woman warned him. Judging from the steely glint in her eyes, she wasn’t fooling.

Standing across the room, Judy looked stricken. “What’s going on?” She looked at her husband, who had backed toward what I figured must be the bathroom, an irritated expression on his face. “Richard? I don’t understand.”

“Aw, shut up.” He turned to the blonde. “Got any suggestion as to how we can get out of this one?”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” she said. “You’re the one who came up with the foolproof plan.”

Judy’s eyes went from the blonde to her husband. “What is she talking about? Please tell me she isn’t talking about—”

“Close the fucking door,” the blonde shouted, jabbing the barrel of the gun into Toni’s head. “Unless you want your friend here to take a trip six feet under.”

Judy ran to the door and closed it.

Toni, who had remained quiet until then, said, “Isn’t that what you’re going to do anyhow? I have bad news for you. I still haven’t changed my will. So neither you,” she said to Judy, “nor you,” she said to Steven, “will get my money. It all goes to Nicky.”

“Wrong,” the blonde said. “Because Nicky is going to be dead too. And then the whole amount goes to your sister, as your closest living relative.”

Judy gasped. “Richard, what is she talking about? Tell me you’re not a part of this. I would never accept the money under those circumstances.”

“You won’t have to,” the woman said, chuckling. “I will.”

“You? But you’re not related to Toni.”

Richard walked over to the blonde and smiled. “Judy, meet your other sister, Susan.”

I was too stunned to utter a word. So my farfetched theory that Toni might have more than one other sister had proven true. And neither Judy nor Steven had anything to do with the plot. It was a small consolation, considering we would all be dead soon.

“There are a couple of problems with your plan,” Steven said. “First of all, how do you propose to kill us? We’re in a hotel, surrounded by people. A gunshot won’t go unnoticed. And you have only one gun against four of us. You won’t be able to kill all of us.”

I couldn’t believe the man could be so calm under this kind of pressure.

Toni cut in. “And even if you did, you’ll never see a penny of my money.”

“Oh, and why not?” asked Susan, smugly.

“Because,” Toni said, as smoothly as Steven. “If Nicky doesn’t survive me, all my money goes to charity. And my will is solid. No lawyer will be able to overturn it.”

Steven picked up from there. “So, unless you’d enjoy spending the next twenty-five years in jail, I suggest you get the hell out of Dodge while the going is good. Actually, twenty-five years would be the minimum you’d get. For premeditated murder, you’d get life.”

Susan looked at Richard, dumbfounded. “This was all your idea,” she shrieked. “I will not go to jail because of you. She pulled the gun away from Toni’s head and slowly backed her way to the door, waving the gun around the room. “Nobody come close or I swear I’ll shoot.”

“Wait for me. I’m coming too.” Richard grabbed a laptop bag and pulled the room phone from the wall. “Everybody give me your cell phones, now.”

He hurried around the room, grabbing everybody’s phone and stuffing them in his case. He joined her at the door. Susan’s gun was still trained on us. “If any one of you tries to come after us, I won’t hesitate to kill you,” she said, and just as she was about to open it, a knock came at the door.

“Open up. This is the police,” a deep voice said from the hallway.

And then everything happened very fast. While Susan swiveled around, Toni dug into her purse, coming out with her own gun. The door flew open and Charles, Jake and Marley came charging in. There were no police, I realized—Jake had uttered the command. In the ensuing madness, Susan tripped and fell, dropping her gun.

Before she could get it, Toni yelled, “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.” Everybody froze.

Steven walked over to Toni. “Well done, sweetheart.” He gently put a hand over the gun. “How about I take over from here?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” She threw him a confident smile. “Why don’t you call the police, sweetheart?”

Two months later

It was eleven-thirty in the evening the night of our official reopening. After our last clients left, the gang congregated into the dining room for some champagne. To Toni’s and my delight, Steven and Mitchell joined us.

“I can’t believe we did it.” Leaning my crutches against the table, I let myself collapse into a chair. “We got the restaurant open in record time.”

“I wish Judy could have been here.” Toni slipped off her five-inch heels and massaged her sore feet. We were zonked from a two-month marathon of hard work and a few too many margaritas.

“But under the circumstances, I can understand that she doesn’t feel much like celebrating. Imagine being betrayed by your husband that way.”

It had taken a long time, but under questioning by the police, at last the details of the plot had been revealed. Detective Menard had called earlier and given me an update. It seemed that Susan Bentley and Judy’s husband had met years ago—ironically, it was when Susan had showed up unexpectedly, looking to meet the half sister she’d just found out about. But Judy was not home that day and Richard opened the door. He and she fell in instant lust and had been having an affair since. Richard had been on the point of asking Judy for a divorce when she found Toni. That day, she’d come home to tell him breathlessly how rich her sister was. A few weeks later, when she mentioned that Toni was talking about changing her will in her favor, Richard saw this as his opportunity to get rich.