Hardheaded Brunette (16 page)

Henry pulled out her chair. "Lady, everyone knows you solved a series of murders and helped lock up the killer. You deserve a little pampering. Let me start you each off with a glass of wine on the house. Then I'll recite the list of specials this evening."

"Okay." Gilda stared after him until a familiar figure out on the patio caught her eye.

Kane, his blond hair tousled by the breeze, sat near the railing at a table overlooking Lake Erie. Cripes, the man was handsome even when scowling. She couldn't see who he was eating dinner with, but he didn't seem happy.

Gilda leaned a little to her left for a better view.

"This is our house wine made for us across the lake in the Niagara region of Canada." Henry stepped in front of her, interrupting her thoughts. As he rattled off the list of specials, half Gilda's attention remained on Kane.

Marion tented her fingers and smiled. "I'll have the steak, medium-rare. Gilda?"

"What?" She twitched.

"What do you want to eat?" Marion asked. "The over-priced mini chicken, the steak, or the lobster with crab stuffing?"

Gilda looked from Marion to their waiter, with no idea what they were talking about.

Henry smiled. "Overwhelming choice, isn't it? Tell you what. Let me pick for you. You're not allergic to anything, are you?"

"Allergic?" She glanced back toward Kane, able to see him in a thin gap between Henry and the doorway across the room. "No."

"Good, then I'll return with your appetizers in a few minutes. Enjoy your drinks." Henry turned and walked toward another table.

Gilda frowned. "What appetizers?"

Marion shrugged. "Must be another perk of being a celebrity. What are you looking at anyway? Must be a good-looking dish over there. You're all but drooling."

"Kane's here with someone."

"That hunk's here?" Marion half stood. "Where?"

Gilda's face burned as people stared. "Sit down. He's out on the patio near the railing."

"We should go say hi."

"No, we shouldn't." She grabbed Marion's hand. "He's here for dinner with someone and he doesn't seem very happy."

"Who's he here with?"

Gilda shrugged. "I can't tell. The wall's in the way."

Marion averted her eyes then leaned back and smiled. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to the ladies' room. Since I have to walk past the door anyway, I'll see who he's dining with and tell you later."

"Good idea." Gilda sat back, grateful she no longer had to strain her neck or her aching shoulder to keep an eye on him.

While Marion took off on her mission, Gilda sipped her wine. She was about to take a second mouthful when Kane burst through the French doors and headed straight toward her table. Their gazes locked for a few heart-stopping seconds. Rather than pause to say hello, he flared his nostrils then stormed straight past her and out the front door.

Seconds later, Mena sauntered into the restaurant from the patio. Her steps faltered as her eyes grew wide. "Gilda. What are you doing here? Are you here with Mick?"

"Um. Hi." Gilda toyed with her napkin. If Mena was at the restaurant with Kane, who was watching the front desk at the school? "Mick gave me the night off, so Marion and I decided to come out for dinner and maybe take in a movie."

Mena glanced at the front door as she flashed a smile. "That sounds nice. You're lucky to have a friend like her. I hear she's always got your back, even if she is a bit psycho."

"Marion's a great friend." She cringed. "I was surprised to see you and Kane here. I thought you were covering the front desk while I was gone."

"Apparently, I wasn't paying attention to what Mick told me and crashed the computer." Mena seemed to squirm. "Kane dragged me out before Mick had a meltdown."

"You crashed my computer?" Gilda gasped. "What on earth were you doing? All you had to do was answer the phone and talk to people when they come in."

"I've got to go. Enjoy your dinner." Mena backed away. She crossed the restaurant and grabbed the maître d', giving him stern instructions.

Gilda's stomach churned. Had Mick ordered Kane and Mena to go out for dinner that night and work things out, or was something going on that Kane and Mena were smack dab in the middle of? Gilda was willing to bet they were both involved in something she really didn't want to hear about. Charlie's murder sprang to mind.

"Kane's here with Mena," Marion whispered once she returned to the table.

"Yeah, I know." Gilda sat back and wiped her clammy hands on her napkin. "They just left."

"They left already? Dang." Marion took a gulp of her wine.

"I don't understand," Gilda said. "Do those two love or hate each other? Every time they're around each other, they fight like siblings, yet they're always hanging out together. I don't get it."

"Love's a weird and wonderful thing."

Henry appeared with stuffed mushroom caps and escargots. "Ladies, I have the pleasure of letting you know someone has performed a random act of kindness and paid for your meals. Not only your appetizers and entrees, but dessert and coffee as well."

Gilda's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Oh, wow. That's so nice." Marion glanced around the room. "Who did that?"

He smiled. "I'm not at liberty to say. All I know is I'm here to serve you an amazing meal. You ladies are to relax and enjoy your evening."

Gilda scratched her head. Was that the reason Mena had pulled the maître d' aside? Considering she wasn't exactly one of Gilda's biggest fans, she must be up to something.

Marion raised her wineglass and smiled. "Cheers to our mysterious benefactor."

"Yeah." She raised her glass. What would their evening out cost her in the long run? "Cheers."

Two hours later, stuffed with good food and tingly from wine and Irish coffee, Gilda and Marion stumbled down Main Street toward Gilda's house. They gushed about the flavors and textures and how they probably wouldn't be able to eat again for days.

"My favorite was the cheesecake." Marion sighed. "I love chocolate. Not that tonight helped with the whole diet and exercise plan, but it was so worth the guilt tomorrow."

Gilda laughed. "You have to treat yourself once in a while, right? Let's call this our treat for the next three months and go for a long walk in the morning."

"Deal."

Despite the alcohol in her system, Gilda zeroed in on a figure in dark pants and a hoodie striding toward them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she leaned closer to Marion, hoping there really was strength in numbers. "You want to come over for coffee?"

"If I eat or drink anything else, I'll burst," Marion said. "I could stop by tomorrow before work. I'll walk you home, though, if you're worried."

The dark figure walked straight toward Gilda and bumped into her right side, sending shooting pain through her shoulder. She gasped and fought the urge to yell, deciding not to provoke him. Whoever he was, it might have just been a stupid accident.

"Well, that was rude." Marion turned around. "You want me to straighten him out?"

"What if he has a knife?"

She huffed. "Then I'd wrestle it away and stick it up his—"

"Marion!" Gilda grabbed her friend's arm and sucked in a sharp breath at the pain. She was sure the amount of wine Marion had consumed had given her far more bravado than she actually had. "Self-defense is also about knowing when to get out of a situation rather than make it worse. Let's just call it a dumb accident. We had a nice dinner. Let's leave it at that."

Arm in arm, more out of fear than friendship, Gilda let them into her house and flicked on the lights. The chair was overturned in the middle of the living room amid torn pillows, scattered books, and broken knickknacks. Whoever had searched her house this time was serious. They had sliced open cushions and smashed dishes all over the kitchen floor.

Gilda sagged to the floor and groaned. "No, not again."

"I'll call the police." Marion seemed suddenly sober. "You'd better call Mick."

With Marion's help, Gilda found Mick on speed dial. Her hands vibrated so badly she couldn't even hold her phone. In the end, she got a recorded message. "Mick, where are you? Someone broke into my house again. You need to get over here."

Before she'd hung up, there was a knock at the door. Fabio stood on the porch, a team of forensics people behind him.

"That was fast." Marion's eyes widened. "Were you parked around the corner waiting or something?"

Fabio helped Gilda to her feet. "Actually, yes. We just wrapped up another call a few doors down. It seems whoever trashed your house also hit one of your neighbors' homes. Are you ladies okay?"

"Fine." Gilda's throat clogged with tears. "We were at The Cove for dinner and just got back to…"

"Out for dinner." He frowned. "Don't you normally work evenings?"

She glanced around the room. "Mick gave me the night off. I hurt my shoulder and he wanted me to get some rest and not do anything stupid, so Marion and I went out for dinner. It was strange, though. Someone paid for our meals."

"Who?" he asked.

Marion led Gilda out to the porch swing and handed her a blanket. "We don't know. Henry wouldn't tell us."

Fabio nodded. "Who else knew you were supposed to be home tonight?"

"Everyone at the school," Gilda said. "Mena was supposed to cover the front desk so I could stay home and rest my shoulder."

He raised his eyebrows. "Who knew you and Marion were going out for dinner?"

"I only texted Mick." Gilda tugged the blanket around her shoulders.

Marion sat next to her. "We did see Kane and Mena at the restaurant, though."

Fabio met Gilda's gaze. "Did they know you were going to be there?"

"Not unless Mick told them after I texted him," Gilda said.

If only she hadn't picked up Charlie's necklace from the beach. What if the key belonged to whatever Charlie might have hidden at her house? Might have. She headed toward the kitchen to hand it over to Fabio, but Thayer steered her back to the porch swing.

"But I have something I need to give Fabio," she said.

"Later." Thayer draped the blanket around her. "You're in shock. You can talk to him when we're done with our investigation."

She huffed as he walked away. Handing over Charlie's necklace would apparently have to wait until all the activity settled down.

A few minutes later, Mick came running up the sidewalk to the front porch. "Gilda, are you okay? I just got your message. What happened?"

"She's fine." Marion waved a hand. "So am I, thanks for asking. I was here too."

He nodded. "Glad to hear you're okay, Marion. Did you guys just get here?"

Gilda stood and hugged him with one arm. "Yeah. I opened the front door and found…" She paused to clear her throat. "This time they broke things and cut cushions open."

He hugged her to his chest. "At least you weren't home. We can replace your things. You needed a new couch anyway."

"That's not funny."

Gilda met Mick's gaze. "I thought you were teaching class."

"I was." Mick kissed her. "When I heard my phone going off, I had a gut feeling and got Razi to take over so I could check my messages."

Gilda's stomach sank. "Was Kane in classes at all tonight?"

"No." He frowned. "Well, he came in, but when Mena didn't show up to cover the front desk, he said he'd go find her. He said he needed to settle some stuff with her."

"Wait," Gilda said. "She told me she was at the school and crashed the computer."

Marion's jaw dropped. "Well, I don't know what they settled. Kane looked like he was ready to jump across the table to choke her."

"What makes you say that?" Mick asked.

"Mostly the bulging veins sticking out of his neck and forehead," she said. "And the fact his knuckles were white."

Gilda tilted her head. "You saw all that when you walked past to go to the bathroom?"

Marion blushed. "Actually, I snuck out the other door and walked right past their table. Mena was giving him heck for flirting with Gilda. She also wanted money for some shipment she got at her store, but he told her to take a hike. Even though they broke up ages ago, apparently she won't leave him alone."

"He does call her his stalker." Gilda wiped her eyes with the blanket. "What's the deal with them anyway?"

Mick shrugged. "I don't know. She likes hanging out with fighters. Wherever Kane goes, Mena goes, and she hits on every guy she meets. She planned to open her own business, but I haven't been by to check it out yet."

Gilda sighed, unconcerned with Mena's business activities for the moment. She was more bothered by the abundance of fingerprint powder and the overall mess in her house. One thing that stuck in her head, however, was the likelihood Mena was the person who'd paid for her and Marion's dinners. Had she been trying to keep them away from Gilda's house even longer? Either Mena or Kane could have searched her house while she and Marion were preoccupied.

"I know that look." Marion folded her arms. "What's wrong?"

Gilda shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just overwhelmed."

"No, you're thinking about the murder and trying to figure things out again." Marion stomped her foot. "That's it. Gilda, you're coming home with me. First that guy bumps into you, then we find your house ransacked. I don't think you're safe here."

"What guy?" Fabio asked from the doorway.

Gilda told him what little she could remember then broke down in tears.

"It's okay," Mick said. "I'll stay with her tonight. She'll be fine."

"And what if whoever did this comes back?" Marion asked. "No offense, but she needs more protection than just you, Sensei."

Gilda wiped her eyes. "He's a black belt in two different martial arts. What more do you suggest I do? Hire a bodyguard?"

Mick glanced at Marion. "Actually, I think you're already stuck with two bodyguards, babe."

Fabio snorted then began to chuckle. He didn't stop until he disappeared through her front door into the house.

"Something I said?" Mick raised his eyebrow.

Gilda looked around the yard then noticed Gary's dark sedan up the street. She left Mick and Marion standing on the porch to walk across the street. If anyone was in a position to hear rumors about any recent crimes, it was Gary.