Granny Apples 05 - Ghost in the Guacamole (25 page)

W
ITH
no windows in the back of the restaurant, it was difficult to see at first. Emma moved cautiously until her eyes got used to the shadowy light. When she made her way from the back door into the hallway, diffused light drifted in from the restaurant's front windows, but it barely reached the back area. She put her hand on the wall for guidance, trying to remember exactly where the staircase to the upstairs offices was located. It was then she heard a noise. She froze. It was coming from upstairs. She strained to listen, shutting her eyes to concentrate. That's when she made out a voice. She was about to call out Rikki's name when she heard another voice. She stopped and got her bearings. The restrooms were on the left and the staircase next to them. To the right, just behind the large kitchen, was the storeroom and pantry she remembered from Rikki's brief tour of the place. She put out a hand and found a light switch but didn't dare turn the lights on. Nor did she want to use the light feature on her phone. Until she knew who was upstairs, she didn't want her presence known.

Finding the staircase, Emma took each step carefully, hoping none of them squeaked. Each had rubber safety treads on it, which helped to muffle her steps. At the top she poked her head around the corner into the hall. She saw nothing but could hear more clearly. One of the voices was Rikki's.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she heard Rikki say.

Another voice said something, followed by a loud slap and a cry of pain from Rikki. The other person was also a woman.

“Help her, Emma!” came an urgent whisper. She looked down the hall again and saw the hazy figure of Felix Ricardo. He was gesturing for her to hurry. “Please!”

Instead of moving forward, Emma pulled back and sent Phil a text:
Get help. Rikki & Iz.

There was another hard slap and more cries of pain from Rikki. Emma again peeked around the corner. The sounds were coming from Rikki's office.

“Where is it?” the other woman asked Rikki.

“I told you I don't know what you're talking about,” Rikki said in a frightened voice.

“The agreement. Where is it?”

“I don't know what you mean. I've opened the safe for you. Take what you want from it and leave. Go ahead. I won't say anything. I promise.”

“You bet you won't.” There were more muffled sounds.

Felix kept going in and out of the office, calling to Emma to help each time he came back out. He was upset and fading in and out, losing his power to materialize.

Emma stepped into the hall and melted into the wall. The sounds were coming from the right, by Rikki's desk. As long as no one moved in front of the door, Emma might be able to sneak closer. She moved down the hall as fast as she dared in a sideways slink, keeping as close to the wall as possible, and barely breathing. She passed the closed doors of the employee lounge and Hector's office.

“Quick,” Felix called to Emma, his voice growing weaker. “She's in the closet, now's the time.”

Emma peeked around the door frame and only saw Rikki. She was tied up and sitting in her desk chair. Both sides of her face were covered with red welts, adding more damage to what she'd received the day before. Her nose was bloodied again. The place had been ransacked. Noises and curses were coming from the large closet by the desk. It was the closet where Felix said the loan agreement had been stashed, but apparently Isabel hadn't found it yet. When Rikki saw Emma, her eyes grew wide with relief and concern. Emma put a finger to her lips as she slipped inside. Looking around for a weapon, Emma quickly and quietly unplugged a lamp that sat on a small table next to the sofa. Hoisting it high, she leaned flush against the wall next to the closet door and waited.

Felix stood opposite her. “Her gun isn't in her hand,” he told Emma. “It's in her waistband.” Emma nodded to Felix to let him know she understood. “I'll let you know when to strike,” the ghost told her, his hazy face serious but blurring. More noise continued coming from the depths of the closet. Things were being pulled from their places and tossed outside the closet, adding to the mess of the already searched office.

“Where the hell is it?” cried a voice that Emma now definitely recognized as Isabel's.

“I told you,” Rikki said, half in tears, “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Almost,” Felix told Emma, holding up a hand for her to be patient. Emma lifted the lamp up higher. “Now!” he screamed with his last bit of energy.

Just as Isabel's head emerged from the closet, Emma struck it with the lamp as hard as she could. The young woman staggered backward, then pitched forward out of the closet as her right hand fumbled to locate her gun through the searing pain. Before she was totally outside the closet, Emma grabbed her by the arm and slammed her face into the doorjamb. Isabel screeched, staggered more, and dropped the gun, which Emma kicked to the side. The younger woman was putting up a fight, screaming and throwing wild one-arm punches and kicking with her legs as her long hair whipped around her face. A few of her kicks connected with Emma's legs, but Emma held her tight. Grabbing a bunch of Isabel's hair in one hand, she yanked, forcing Isabel's head to snap backward. Her nose was dripping blood and she started coughing. Emma then kicked Isabel's feet out from under her and brought her to her knees. Letting go of her hair, Emma held both of Isabel's arms behind her back in a death grip. Isabel Gonzales might have been a lot younger, but Emma was in great physical shape and kept her cool as she subdued her opponent.

“It's over, Isabel,” Emma told her. “It's all over.”

“Ana,” Rikki said, between catching her breath and her tears. She took a deep breath and made another effort. “Ana's here.”

A shot rang out just as Emma realized what Rikki was trying to tell her. The bullet went high and wide and pierced the wall. Emma yanked Isabel to her feet and pulled her in front of her, then stepped backward until she reached Rikki, using Isabel as a human shield for the two of them as best she could.

At the doorway was Ana Gonzales. In her hand was a gun, but the gun was shaking and unstable. Tears ran down Ana's young face, which was puffy and red, and her eyes were ringed with smudged makeup.

“Don't do this, Ana,” Emma said softly to the girl. “Don't throw your life away.”

“She made me do it,” Ana choked out.

“Shut up, you stupid bitch,” Isabel screamed at her sister.

“You have so much ahead of you, Ana,” Emma cajoled. “Put the gun down. We'll work it all out.”

“You're pathetic,” Isabel taunted Ana. “If you hadn't been puking your guts out while I tried to find that document, she wouldn't have been able to sneak in here.” Isabel spit blood at her sister and sneered, “Daddy's little princess. You and Rikki should have been sisters. Both of you are worthless.”

Ana steadied the gun and took aim. In a flash, Emma realized that Ana wasn't aiming at her or Rikki, but at Isabel. Another sister setting out to kill her sibling.

“No, Ana! Don't!” Emma cried, unsure of what else to do. She didn't want Isabel shot, but if she moved her out of the way, both she and Rikki would be in the line of fire. Taking a last-second gamble, Emma tightly held on to Isabel and turned them both so that she, and not Isabel, was in the gun's path. With her target out of the way, Emma hoped Ana wouldn't fire. She was wrong. The second shot missed, but not by much.

From the hallway came a loud grunt as Phil hurled himself at Ana, knocking her to the ground. The gun fired again, the third bullet taking out a window. Phil knocked the gun from her hand and grabbed it, holding it on her while she sniveled in a heap on the floor.

From outside came the scream of sirens. The cavalry had finally arrived.

T
WO
days had gone by since they'd rescued Rikki Ricardo, and Emma and Phil were enjoying their final evening together before Phil had to return to San Diego. When the front doorbell rang, Emma got up to answer it and found Jeremiah on her doorstep. She showed him into the den, where he took a seat across from the sofa. He declined a glass of wine.

“Where's Phil?” he asked.

“He just ran out to pick up something for our dinner tonight,” Emma told him. “We're having Thai. Would you like to stay? We've ordered plenty.”

“No, but thanks. I just stopped by,” Jeremiah explained, “because I thought you two might want to know how everything is shaking out.”

“We're assuming it was Isabel who shot T.J.,” Emma said, curling her legs up under her.

“Sure was,” Jeremiah confirmed. “Seems Bullock was only involved in paying Carlos to grab the loan document. Lucy had her own game going on. She claims she didn't know about the deal between Bullock and Carlos, and Bullock claims he knew nothing about any deal with Isabel. Lucy was paying Isabel to steal the document. Isabel set up the diversion with the tour bus crowd, sneaking in with them and up the stairs during the confusion of lunch. She was apparently in the closet trying to open the safe when T.J. surprised her and she shot him.”

“So it was kind of an accident?” Emma asked. “Rikki wasn't targeted.”

“There's a difference of opinion on that,” Jeremiah said. “She was supposed to die according to some accounts, and only the document was to be stolen according to others. Again, Bullock is claiming no knowledge of any of this.” He stretched his legs out. “My personal opinion is that Isabel was hired to do both, but whether that can ever be proved is another matter.”

“What about Ana?” Emma asked. “She really didn't seem all that on board with it.”

“Ana claims she was coerced, but we're still not sure about that either. Isabel says Ana was in on everything from the beginning. Ana also claims they were only going to steal the document. She was in the employee lounge tossing her cookies when you came in.” The left side of his mouth turned up. “If Ana had the nerves of steel needed for crime, you might have been looking down the barrels of two handguns when you broke in there.”

“Did Hector know about any of this?” she asked.

“He admitted that he saw Isabel at the restaurant the day of the shooting. He wanted to confront her himself, but couldn't reach her, then everything happened so fast.”

“Have either Lucy or Rikki heard from their mother yet?” Emma asked after taking a sip of her wine.

“Not yet,” Jeremiah answered. “But Lucy conceded that her mother knew about the plan to steal the agreement. I doubt that Elena Ricardo is very anxious to return to California.”

“We heard from Rikki this morning,” Emma told him. “She said T.J. is going to be fine and that the restaurant is not going to be sold to anyone.”

“So I heard.” Jeremiah laughed softly. “The publicity over the two shootings will probably even help business.”

“Thank you, Emma,” came a voice from near the fireplace. Emma and Jeremiah both turned to find the ghost of Felix Ricardo standing there. With him was Granny.

Emma sat up straight. “Felix, I didn't expect to see you again.”

“I wanted to come by and thank you for helping Ricarda.” He looked at Jeremiah. “You, too, sir. You saved her life and our family business.” The pleased look slipped from his face. “Although I am very sad about Lucinda and about Hector's girls. Hector and his wife are beside themselves with shame and tragedy, as I am about Lucinda. Whether she realizes it or not, she will always be my daughter.” The ghost floated about as he thought about what to say next. “And now I am going to return to where I belong. I do not wish to stay like your Granny here. Too much sadness. I want to rest in peace, as the saying goes.” The ghost smiled at Emma. “I wish you and your man, Phil, a long and happy life together.”

“Thank you, Felix,” Emma said just as the spirit disappeared.

Granny looked at Jeremiah. “Did you tell her yet?”

“Tell me what?” asked Emma.

Granny came close and Emma could see how excited she was. “Jeremiah asked me if I would help him sometimes. Is that okay with you?”

Emma looked at Jeremiah, then at the ghost. “He offered you a job?”

“More like a partnership,” Granny said with pride. “He wants to learn more about working with spirits. I told him that he needs to talk more with you and with Milo, but that I'd help with some of his cases. Imagine, Emma, real detective work!” Granny was about to pop with excitement.

“She'd be a great asset,” Jeremiah said with a laugh. “As long as you're okay with it, Emma. I wouldn't want to step on any toes.”

Emma laughed. “Sure, why not?” she said to Granny. “Go have some fun. Do you start this . . . um . . . partnership right away?”

“No,” Jeremiah answered. “I'll be busy helping the police clean up this Fiesta Time mess for a bit.”

“And I want to go down to Julian and spend time with my man, Jacob,” responded Granny. “I miss Julian when I'm away for very long. I'm going there now unless you'd rather I stick around here?”

“Go on, Granny, you deserve it. Phil and I are just going to be hanging out having some alone time tonight.”

“Yeah, I know what that means.” The ghost winked at Emma and left.

Granny and Jeremiah hadn't been gone long when Emma heard the doorbell again. She'd almost drifted off to sleep on the sofa, so it took two rings of the bell to get her attention. Thinking Jeremiah must have forgotten to tell her something, she padded across the hardwood floors and answered it. This time she was surprised to find Grant Whitecastle standing on the other side of the door.

“Hi, Emma, do you have a minute?” he asked, looking sheepish and uncomfortable.

“Um, I guess. What's this about?” She showed him into the den, where he sat in her father's favorite chair while she took her spot on the sofa.

Grant looked around. “Kelly told me your folks are in Julian. Did Phil go back home, too?”

“No, he didn't. He's out rounding up some dinner.” She hesitated. “You're making me nervous, Grant. Is Kelly okay?”

“She's fine,” he said. Grant had been slouching but now sat up straight. “I wanted to talk to you, Emma, alone. About us.”

“Us?” She didn't try to hide her surprise. “What about us?”

Grant leaned forward and clasped his hands together between his knees. “I don't want you to marry Phil, Emma.”

Emma sat at attention, her back ramrod straight. “I don't think that's any of your business, Grant. Not in the least.”

Grant Whitecastle, TV showman and aging celebrity bad boy, took a deep breath. “Don't marry him, Emma. Remarry me instead.”

Emma hopped to her feet. “Have you been drinking, Grant? Is this some kind of booze-initiated joke?”

“It's no joke, Emma. I made a huge mistake leaving you. Carolyn and I are getting a divorce. I want us—you, me, and Kelly—to be a family again.”

Emma waved a hand in the air. “That ship has sailed, Grant. Trust me on this.”

“Give it a chance, Emma.” He got up and looked her square in the eye. “I'm a changed man. I want to go back and correct the biggest mistake of my life. Please, Emma, come back to me. It's not too late.”

He reached out to her, but before he could touch her, Emma backed up. “I don't love you anymore, Grant. I love Phil.” She started walking to the front door. Reluctantly, Grant trailed behind her. They met Phil in the hallway. He'd come in through the back and had dropped the food off in the kitchen.

“What's going on?” Phil asked, eyeing Grant with suspicion.

Emma stood next to Phil and put an arm around his waist. Automatically, his arm went around her shoulders. “Grant was in the neighborhood,” Emma explained, “and stopped by to ask me something. He was just leaving.”

“Good,” Phil said to Grant with no frills. “Don't let us hold you up. I'm sure you're a busy man.” He twitched his mustache to punctuate the comment.

Grant started to say something, but checked himself. On the way out the door, he turned to Emma and said, “We can discuss this more fully later.”

Emma shook her head. “There is no later, Grant. Not in a million years.”

As soon as Grant was out the door, Phil asked, “What was that all about?”

“He came by to propose to me,” Emma told him as she started for the kitchen. “Let's eat.”

“Now hold on,” Phil said, stopping her. “What was he proposing? Something about his show?”

“No, Phil, he proposed marriage to me. Grant wants me back.”

Phil stared at her, then turned around and went out the front door. Emma started to go after him, then changed her mind. Instead, she went into the kitchen and started pulling food containers from a plastic bag. A few minutes later Phil came in. He went straight to the freezer and pulled out two bags of frozen peas, holding one against his left eye with his left hand, and resting his right knuckles against the other.

Emma stopped what she was doing and stared at him. “What happened?”

Phil shrugged. “Not much, but I think I changed his mind about that proposal.”

Emma came around the counter and stood in front of Phil. She took the bag of peas from his eye and inspected the bruised area just below it. It wouldn't be long before the eye blackened.

“I hope you didn't hit him too hard, Phil. He has to be on camera, you know.”

Again Phil shrugged. “Not my problem, and I'm sure he employs a lot of very good makeup people.”

“I should be very angry with you,” she said to him, staying close.

“But you're not?”

In answer, Emma very lightly and very carefully kissed the bruise.

Phil tapped a finger against his lips. “Grant missed these, you know.”

Emma wrapped her arms around Phil's neck and planted a long, hard kiss on his mouth. Dinner could wait.