Murder Most Likely (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 3) Page 10

“Sometimes. We did some Tex-Mex at Mervyn’s company party.”

  Zoe coughed a little and set down her grilled corn. “Mervyn’s party?” she said as she reached for a paper napkin. “You mean the one where Todd Neumann died?”

  Her sober expression alerted Emma. “Did you know Todd?”

  Zoe carefully wiped her mouth before folding the napkin and laying it down. “Yes, I’d met him a few times at various conferences and seminars. It was tragic what happened to him.”

  “Yes, it was.” Emma looked at her friend with mounting curiosity. “How well did you know him?”

  “Oh, we were just acquaintances.” Zoe shrugged, picking at the remains of her fajita. “But Todd was well known in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, especially around tech startups. He coached a number of young entrepreneurs and helped them turn their little startups into huge successes.”

  “So he was genuine, then? He wasn’t just a modern day snake oil salesman?”

  “There are plenty of those around, and I’m sure Todd had his detractors, but in my opinion he really did want to help people, and his methods appeared to work. I never heard anyone say anything bad about him.”

  Well, clearly Zoe hadn’t spoken with Archer, but Emma didn’t feel right gossiping about Archer.

  “So Todd had no enemies, and he was a really nice guy who just wanted to help others achieve their goals. Sounds too good to be true.”

  “Oh, he had his vices, I’m told,” Zoe said. “Apparently he had a little problem with alcohol.”

  “So that was widely known?”

  Zoe wrinkled her brow. “I’m not sure. Why? Does that have something to do with his death?”

  No way could Emma tell her about the autopsy results Mervyn had illegally obtained that indicated the high alcohol level in Todd’s bloodstream.

  “Er, I don’t know. The police are still investigating.”

  “I see.” Zoe pushed her plate away and twirled the straw of her iced tea. “I guess the police have been all over Mervyn’s house looking for clues.”

  “Yes, they’re very thorough.”

  Tilting her head, Zoe gave her a knowing look. “I heard the sheriff’s department is involved. Does that mean Owen?”

  Zoe knew about the lingering ‘tensions’ between Emma and her ex, but Emma was reluctant to discuss the delicate situation. She shook her finger at her friend. “Nu-uh. We’re not going there.”

  “Hey, I just wanted to know if Owen is part of the investigation.” Zoe widened her eyes in mock innocence.

  “He is.”

  “It’ll be good to catch up with him. He’s arranging some kind of informal reunion on Wednesday night. We’re all meeting at a bar somewhere. You’re going, aren’t you?”

  A piece of corn caught in Emma’s throat, causing her to cough. What had Owen arranged? And why hadn’t he told her? Was he going to invite her? Of course he would, she told herself.

  “Er, yeah, I guess so.” And then it occurred to her that maybe he had invited Sherilee to this reunion thing, and that was why he hadn’t told her. Her stomach dropped. If Owen didn’t want her there, then of course she wouldn’t gate-crash.

  Zoe was tapping her fingernails again, looking pensive. “I’m going to ask Owen what he knows about Todd’s death.”

  Emma lifted her eyebrows. “He won’t tell you. He’s very obstinate about that kind of thing.”

  “No harm in asking.”

  Something about Zoe’s compressed lips caught Emma’s attention. Her friend seemed rather agitated about Todd’s death. Did she know more than she was letting on? Maybe she’d been more than just a casual acquaintance of Todd’s and didn’t want to reveal that. Back in high school she and Zoe had confided in each other over everything, but they weren’t teenagers anymore, and they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  “I’m not surprised Owen became a police officer,” Zoe said, a brooding look still on her face. “When I think about our high school days, I’m amazed at how some people have changed so drastically, while others haven’t changed at all. Some people are almost unrecognizable, and others, well, they might as well have never left high school.”

  Someone from the outside tapped on the window, startling Emma. She looked around to see Mervyn standing on the sidewalk, grinning at her. In the background, Georgia hovered, looking distracted.

  “Can we drop in to say hello?” Mervyn mouthed through the glass.

  Emma smiled, nodded in agreement, and turned back to Zoe. “Speaking of people who are unrecognizable…”

  Chapter Nine

  Mervyn wore a smart gray suit and white shirt, while Georgia was even more beautiful than usual in a silk indigo dress and chic black heels. They were a stunning couple, made even more striking by the decidedly casual surrounds of the Tex-Mex restaurant. As they approached Emma and Zoe, all the other diners turned to gawk at them as if they were celebrities, and Mervyn appeared to lap up the attention, nodding and smiling at one or two people.

  In contrast, Emma noticed that Georgia seemed quite listless. She’d obviously spent some time on her appearance, and she looked lovely, but she wasn’t smiling and avoided eye contact. At least she was holding Mervyn’s hand, Emma observed. Mervyn was attentive toward her, drawing up a chair for her so they could sit at Emma and Zoe’s table.

  “This is a surprise.” He beamed at Emma and Zoe.

  Zoe was staring at Mervyn and making no attempt to hide her astonishment. “Mervyn Butterick? But you look amazing! I wouldn’t have recognized you if you’d passed me in the street.”

  “Well, thank you.” Mervyn chuckled, enjoying Zoe’s approval. Then he glanced at Georgia and said, “Let me introduce you to my girlfriend. This is Georgia Perreira.” His voice filled with pride. “Honey, this is Zoe Chan. We went to high school together, and Zoe and Emma were best friends.”

  “Hi, Georgia. Nice to meet you.” Zoe smiled at Georgia, her eyes frank with curiosity.

  Georgia made a half-hearted finger wave. “Hi, there.”

  Mervyn didn’t seem to notice his girlfriend’s apathy. “I’m taking Georgia to Forage, that fancy new place across the street.” He nodded at the sleek, gleaming restaurant over the road.

  “Ooh, very nice,” Emma said.

  “It’s Georgia’s birthday. I wanted to take her somewhere special.” He lifted Georgia’s hand and pressed his lips to it, his eyes fixed on his girlfriend’s face.

  Georgia’s cheeks turned pink, and she squirmed in her seat. “I’m not sure if it’s the right time to go out to celebrate,” she said to Emma, sounding hesitant. “Not after poor Todd…”

  Sighing, Mervyn squeezed her hand, his expression tender. “Honey, of course we’re both mourning for Todd, but staying home and moping won’t bring him back. And besides, he wouldn’t have wanted you to brood over it non-stop. It’s not good for you. You need a change of scenery, and it’s just a dinner, nothing too fancy.”

  “Yes, you shouldn’t feel bad about going out,” Emma felt compelled to say, moved by the girl’s melancholy.

  Georgia blinked and exhaled a sigh. “I suppose so.”

  Mervyn lifted her hand higher, drawing attention to the spectacular sapphire and diamond bracelet clasped around her wrist. “What do you think, girls? My birthday present to Georgia.”

  Both Emma and Zoe oohed and aahed over the piece of jewelry.

  “It’s stunning.”

  “Fabulous.”

  Georgia accepted their compliments with a faint smile. “I told Mervyn he really shouldn’t have.”

  “But I wanted to.” He gazed into her eyes, totally smitten and unabashed. “You’re so special to me, Pookie Bear.”

  Just in time Emma stopped her jaw from dropping open. What man behaved like Mervyn toward his girlfriend in public? Georgia seemed equally taken aback by his lovey-dovey declarations.

  “Uh, thanks.” She flushed, trying to pull their hands beneath the table, but Mervyn continued to hold up her wrist, seeming oblivious to her growin
g embarrassment. “Mervyn…” she muttered through clenched teeth.

  “Oh, sorry.” He abruptly let go of Georgia’s hand, causing her to graze her knuckles against the table. He didn’t notice as he turned to Zoe with a question about where she worked.

  While Mervyn and Zoe chatted, Emma saw Georgia rubbing her knuckles, a worried frown on her brow.

  “Everything okay?” Emma asked in a low tone as Georgia looked up and caught her eye.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Georgia replied, “Oh, yes, thanks.” Then, with an obvious effort, she added, “How…how is everything going with the anniversary dinner?”

  “It’s going well.” Best not to say anything about Conrad Dupree, Emma decided; that would definitely not ease the mood. “You’ll be coming, won’t you? Since Mervyn’s the guest of honor?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Georgia fingered the sparkling sapphires on her bracelet.

  At this, Mervyn broke into their conversation. “Hey, Emma, I’ve got this giant-sized novelty check done up especially for the dinner. I assume there’ll be somewhere I can hide it until my speech?”

  “Yes, of course,” Emma said. “You can drop it off earlier in the day, and I’ll put it backstage. Then, when you and the principal are on the podium, I’ll bring it out.”

  “Perfect.” Mervyn rubbed his hands together. “I’m looking forward to this dinner.”

  He really was, Emma realized as she took in his gleeful grin. After all those years of being ignored and bullied, Mervyn was finally going to be noticed and applauded. He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t find some enjoyment in that.

  A waiter stopped at the table to clear their plates.

  Mervyn tapped him on the arm. “Hey, if it isn’t Leonard. Hi, Leonard. Remember me? It’s Mervyn Butterick.”

  The waiter, a burly man with large, work-roughened hands, looked at Mervyn and turned slightly pasty. “Uh, yeah, hi…Mervyn.”

  “You were on the football team with Conrad. Still hang out with him these days?”

  “Not much,” the waiter mumbled.

  “No? But you used to copy everything Conrad did. Don’t you remember? You used to stick my head down a toilet on a regular basis.” Mervyn snickered. “Yes, you made my life a misery once upon a time.”

  The waiter’s cauliflower ears began to glow like they were on fire. “Um y-yeah—I mean n-no…” he stuttered, clumsily piling up the dirty crockery in his haste to retreat.

  “And here you are, bussing tables on minimum wage.” Mervyn pulled out his wallet and extracted a hundred dollar note. He tucked the bill into the waiter’s shirt pocket. “Here you go. Just a little something to show I don’t hold grudges. Go buy yourself something nice, like a cigar, or some deodorant.” He waved his hand in dismissal, and the waiter scurried away.

  Emma met Zoe’s eyes and they both raised their eyebrows at each other. Georgia leaned toward her boyfriend. “Mervyn,” she murmured, “that—that was a little mean and unnecessary, don’t you think?”

  “Huh? You think?” He seemed genuinely surprised. “But what about what he did to me in high school? Wasn’t that mean and unnecessary too?”

  “Yes, of course, but you’re better than him.” Georgia squeezed his arm. “You are, Mervyn. You don’t need any petty revenge.”

  He looked at her for a long while, and gradually his face softened. “You always want to see the best in me, don’t you, honey?” He waited for her to smile back at him before addressing Emma and Zoe. “Good chatting with you. See you later.” Taking hold of Georgia’s hand, he drew her to her feet, and hand-in-hand they walked out of the restaurant.

  “Whew!” Zoe blew out a breath as they stepped outside a few minutes later, having settled the bill. “That was quite an encounter.”

  “You honestly didn’t recognize Mervyn?” Emma asked, curious. “I thought you’d have run into him sometime or other, seeing as you both work in the same industry and the same area.”

  Zoe lifted a shoulder as they walked down the street toward their cars. “I’m in San Francisco, and he’s in San Jose. And it’s a big industry, with lots of companies. I probably bumped into him in the early years, but not since he lost so much weight and smartened up his wardrobe. It’s amazing how the right clothes can totally transform a person. And he certainly knows how to treat a woman. That bracelet he bought for Georgia must have cost tens of thousands of dollars. But, of course, he can afford it these days.” She sighed wistfully. “If only I could be so lucky.”

  Emma cast an enquiring glance at her friend. She’d never taken Zoe as the avaricious type, but she did seem rather envious of Mervyn’s riches. Maybe it came from working in an industry where becoming a multi-millionaire before you turned thirty was feasible and maybe even commonplace. In that kind of environment, even Zoe’s stratospheric salary package might seem anemic by comparison.

  “He was a bit mean to Leonard, though,” Zoe added with a slight frown. “But I guess Leonard must have bullied him a lot in high school.”

  “Yes.” Emma chewed on her lip. “Sometimes, I feel guilty that I didn’t do more for Mervyn back then.”

  “What? That’s silly. You were friendlier to him than most people. Definitely friendlier than me.” Zoe pulled a rueful face. “Anyway, what did we know back then, huh? Did we ever think our lives would turn out like this?”

  ***

  The following morning Emma was up bright and early at her gym class. She had slowly whittled off some of the extra pounds she’d gained since returning to Greenville and was determined to keep up the momentum. On first joining the gym more than a month ago, she’d attracted the attention of her male instructor, and gone on a date with him which had ended rather disastrously. After that, Emma had deemed it wise to change classes, and her ex-date had seemed rather relieved when she told him. The female instructor Emma now had was a former triathlon competitor, a bronzed and sculpted athlete with a loud, infectious laugh, and the session was strenuous and invigorating.

  Later, showered and changed, Emma headed out to work. Her first task was to do the rounds of the hotels and bed-and-breakfasts where Mervyn’s employees had been staying and make sure that they had checked out and were on their way back to San Jose. This was the first job where she’d been asked to arrange accommodation, and she thought it would be a useful addition to her services. Now she was back in Greenville, she had to think of creative ways of expanding her business, and being an accommodation broker could bring her additional revenue.

  Most of Mervyn’s employees seemed only too glad to be leaving town. Todd’s death had obviously shaken them, plus they had all been interviewed by the police. When Emma conveyed Mervyn’s apologies to them, they were very understanding, and it was heartening to realize that most of them had a soft spot for their boss.

  After she had waved off the last employees, she drove to her office, which was located in a quaint wooden Victorian house situated on the main street of Greenville. The first story of the building housed Lulu’s Salon, where her part-time assistant Caitlyn worked as a manicurist. On the second story, an airy room with a lace balcony and views of Shamrock Lake served as the headquarters of A Perfect Party. The white painted walls, white desk, comfy couch, and potted plants gave her domain a fresh, vibrant atmosphere. Emma loved her office and being the sole owner of her business. Sure, it was hard at times, shouldering the worries on her own, but nothing could beat being independent.

  Caitlyn was busy with a customer in the salon, so Emma hoofed it upstairs where she set down her bag, eased off her heels, and plumped herself down on the small couch. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Mervyn’s number.

  Mervyn sounded cheerful as they exchanged greetings, so she deduced that Georgia’s birthday dinner had gone well. She reported to him that all his employees had checked out and were on their way home.

  “I’m also calling because I have some news about Archer Janick,” she said.

  Mervyn’s tone instantly sobered. “Oh, yeah?”

>   “It appears that after he was thrown out of your house, he went to his local bar and drowned his sorrows. According to the bartender, he was there from eleven pm until two in the morning, at which point the bartender put him into a cab. He couldn’t have killed Todd.”

  “I see.” There was silence for a little while before Mervyn continued. “And you trust this bartender? You think he’s telling the truth?”

  An image of Bulldog with his hawk tattoo and metal necklace rose in Emma’s mind. “Well, he told me he’s a grad student, if that makes any difference.”

  “I suppose it sounds plausible,” Mervyn replied with obvious reluctance. “But I’m not crossing Archer off the list completely. There might still be a possibility that he faked this alibi. Maybe he pretended to be drunk, and when the bartender wasn’t looking, slipped out to do the deed, then returned to get hammered.”

  “I saw him being questioned by Owen. I’m sure Owen will verify his alibi.”

  “Owen?” Another pause ensued. “So maybe you could ask him…”

  “No,” she said firmly. “I’m not going to ask Owen about Archer’s alibi. He wouldn’t tell me anyway. We’ll just have to take the bartender’s word, for now.”

  “Okay…and um, Emma, I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it.”

  Was that a hint of shyness in his voice? She couldn’t think why Mervyn would be bashful with her. She replied briskly, “It’s no problem. I want to help you.”

  “Thanks, again. I’m working on the eSolutions angle. I’ve got a few contacts out there who may be able to tell me more about Ralph Bautista. They’re going to call me back when they have any news.”

  “Sounds promising.”

  “In the meantime, I’ve got to do some work with Ivan this morning.”

  Emma frowned as she recalled Mervyn’s chief financial officer. “When I got to his hotel this morning they said he’d already checked out and his car was gone.”

  “I said I’d investigate him, remember?” Mervyn said. “I asked him to stay here for an extra day or two so we could go through some financial spreadsheets. While he’s here, I’m going to put out a few feelers about what he and Todd were arguing about.”