Away in a Murder (3 page)

“I heard that, but I was hoping it was all made up. I mean she always promoted herself as anti drugs. I believed her. I was hoping maybe she just wanted to escape the lime light. I’d really like to meet her someday. Call it a fantasy.”

“She didn’t use drugs. We thought it was suicide, not an accidental over dose,” I said.

“Well, I’m still going to dream. You never know.”

Oh, I knew.

We pulled up in front of my house. He turned the car off and looked at me. He looked worried.

“Do you need me to come in with you? I could hang out, maybe make dinner for you?” he said.

“You cook?”

“Ok, I can microwave. Or call out for something.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think we know each other well enough yet. Before we spend time alone in my home, lets at least go on a couple of dates. I’d like to get to know you better before I decide if I want to give in to temptation.”

“Oh, I tempt you?” he smiled.

He did, but I really didn’t want to tell him that. A woman has to keep her man guessing at least a little.

“Not yet. Bye, Marlowe,” I said.

I got out of the car and went in to my house. My sanctuary. It was time to prepare my battle plan against Al Learner.

After a couple of hours of reading e-mails and watching videos on my computer I was interrupted by a knock on my door. It was Frankie, I was grateful for the interruption.  My eyes were getting so tired.

“Mom,” he said, “have you been working on this stuff all this time?”

“Yes, and I could really use a break.”

“Good, cause I’m hungry. Let’s go up to Festival De La Manatee and see Minerva. I think William is working tonight too. We could say hi.”

William was the father-in-law of our head engineer Jerome. He was also the preacher at a store front church that he founded. And he was fast becoming a friend of ours. He was a great man. Unfortunately when he was young he got in to trouble and went to jail for a time. Even though I know and trust him, the park has a policy of not hiring anyone with a criminal record. No, exceptions. Not that I would make one for him or anyone else. That just wouldn’t be right.

“I didn’t know he was working there,” I said.

“Not at the restaurant. He’s working for your hotel. You need to pay better attention to who you hire.”

“Honey, I spend almost every waking hour at the park. I let the hotel’s HR handle the hiring for it. I really don’t even know most of the people at the hotel.”

“By the way, before you protest, I already called Minerva and told her we were coming. She’s making something special for us. So let’s go.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him anyway. I was hungry and I’d been sitting in my living room way too long. But again, I thought that he needed a girlfriend and to stop hanging out with his mommy so much.

When I arrived home earlier I had changed out of my business casual clothes and into a pair of shorts and an Adventure Universe t-shirt. I could not go to Festival De La Manatee dressed like that. So, I made Frankie wait while I changed in to something decent again. Minerva’s restaurant didn’t have a dress code, the idea was that people could feel comfortable going straight there after spending the day at Adventure Universe. But, I felt that as the park’s CEO I should be presentable anytime I was in public. Especially if I was on park property. Technically the hotel wasn’t on park property, but it was close enough.

Frankie approved of my choice of clothing and we walked up to the main house/hotel that contained Minerva’s restaurant.

When Frankie and I arrived at the hotel I had to stop outside and look at it for a moment. It was once the home of the previous owners of Adventure Universe. It was huge. There were four or five bedrooms on each of three floors and each bedroom had its own ensuite. In the center of the front driveway there was a huge fountain with winged horses in the water and carved figures surrounding the water spout. It was atrocious for a home. For a hotel it wasn’t so bad. It used to be referred to as the Neuspech House, the last name of the former owners. (And the same name of the town in which we lived.) I had renamed it Summer House. First, for my last name. (My way of leaving a legacy?) Second, because it was a place where you could always find the happiness of summer.

After climbing the steps and entering the hotel’s lobby Frankie and I were greeted by William. He was on duty as a page, or bellhop this evening. I walked over to him and shook his hand. It wouldn’t do for the owner to be seen hugging one of the employees. And I knew my presence was known because everyone had stiffened up and some of the staff were even trying to look busy where they hadn’t bothered before. I laughed. I wasn’t that kind of owner. As long as the job was getting done, a few moments of down time were fine. I did it myself.

“You look great,” I said to William. He really did. His uniform was ironed, creased, and wrinkle free. Unfortunately not all of the hotel's pages I’ve seen so far looked as good.

“Thank you, Misty. I feel great. This sure beats bussin’ tables. At least I think it does. I’ll tell you when we get really busy. With only one floor open, we ain’t that busy right now,” William said. “By the way some TV reporter just checked in. Nasty piece of work. He’s been rude to everyone since he got here. Didn’t even give me no tip for carrying his bags, just looked at me and closed the door. Why’s he here anyway?”

“He’s interviewing Mom tomorrow,” Frankie said.

“Oh. Now you best be careful, Misty. That man’s a sly one. I don’t like his show none, but I’ve seen parts of it when other people was watchin’ it. Can’t believe people like that sort of thing. Makes my skin crawl just lookin’ at that man.”

The bell rang at the front desk. This meant they needed William.

“Gotta go. I’ll say a prayer for you tonight, Misty. And for that man cause Lord knows he ain’t heaven bound the way he’s goin’. Enjoy your dinner; Miss Minerva’s waitin’ for you.” With that he left and went to see what the front desk needed.

I had to laugh as William walked away. He was always so happy. In that respect alone he was a role model for others. Not to mention that he was hard working and dedicated to his job. When he was bussing tables at the buffet he would clear and wipe down other people’s tables. I really admired him.

Frankie and I turned and walked over to the podium of the restaurant’s hostess. She looked up and smiled at us.

“Good evening, Shirley,” Frankie smiled at her.

I thought I saw her blush. Frankie had that effect on women. He was good looking, but mostly he had a way of charming people. Worked on almost everyone, especially the women. And yet he had never been on a single date as far as I knew. I never understood that.

“Hello, Mrs. Summer, Mr. Summer. Minerva’s expecting you. Follow me, please,” Shirley said.

We followed her over to a table in the corner. I loved they way Minerva chose to decorate the restaurant. There were images of sea life and water everywhere, especially her beloved manatees. The theme was reflected in the décor, the walls, the menus, and even the furniture. It wasn’t tacky and it didn’t make you feel like you were in an aquarium. It was just elegant. It was calm and peaceful. Just the thing to help families relax after a busy day at the park. Not to mention the park’s CEO and CFO.

After we were seated Shirley handed our menus to us, took our drink orders and headed for the kitchen. A moment later, Minerva came out and walked over to our table. She greeted us with a hug then pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Hi, guys,” Minerva said. “Sorry I hid you in the corner, but that reporter guy, Al Learner, is here. I didn’t want him to see you before you were ready to talk to him, Misty. Frank called me and told me what happened today. Besides, this way you can stake him out before he sees you.”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“He’s over in that corner.” She pointed to where he was sitting. “We put him in the back because he’s been mean to everyone since he got to the hotel. And every other word out of his mouth is a nasty one. I’d almost swear he was drunk, but he’s not. He’s just mean.”

Frankie and I looked over to where Minerva was trying to point, without looking like she was pointing. Seated at a table was a man wearing a button down shirt that was probably very expensive and was definitely well tailored. His hair was impeccable, and I wondered how much gel it took to make it that way. From what I could tell, he was reasonably fit and had some muscle tone. His face however, ruined the rest of the picture. He was probably in his late fifties if I had to guess. He was good looking and had very few wrinkles, don’t get me wrong. But his face was in a scowl and that aged him. Right now the scowl was directed at his server. She was a petite but feisty young thing named Delia. She was holding her own with him. She wasn’t smiling, but she wasn’t rude either. I was proud of the way she was handling the situation.

“Do you really expect me to eat this slop?” he yelled. As he was saying it he swept his arm across the table. This action sent his plate, his silverware and his glass all crashing to the floor. And he managed to splash food and drink not only on Delia but also on the lady at the table next to him. The man she was with stood up and yelled at Al.

Delia was trying to talk them both down, but it wasn’t working. I could see that her face was getting red and her fists were balled up. Her tone may have been calm, but she wasn’t calm inside.

“Looks, like I’ll be giving her a free meal,” Minerva said. She took a deep breath. “I’d better go handle this.”

She got up and walked over to the couple who were now busily wiping food off of the lady’s silk blouse. I heard her apologize to the lady. The man said something and angrily pointed to Al.  Al then stood up and got face to face with the man. The woman was pulling at the man, sensibly trying to get him away from Al. The man must have listened to her because he turned around and started walking away. I thought it was over but, that was when Al grabbed the man by the shoulder and turned him around. Then Al screamed, “You can’t walk away from me,” and punched the guy in the face.

It was then that security finally arrived. They grabbed Al and took him out of the room. Then they tended to the man that Al had punched. They offered to call an ambulance for the man, but he refused. I was secretly hoping they’d call the police and have Al locked up. Then the interview might have to be canceled. Oh, and because he deserved it.

Minerva was talking to the lady in a voice so low I couldn’t hear what she was saying. She was holding the lady’s hands in hers. The lady was nodding and her face was starting to relax. Minerva was working her magic. She could take a hold of any situation and make everything right again. I envied that. Watching her I wished I could get her to teach me how to do that.

The couple left, not quite smiling, but not looking as upset as they had been.

After she made everything ok, Minerva walked back to our table. She did not sit down this time. “Misty, do you think you can take something off that couple’s bill? I did give them a complementary meal, but the man is really angry,” she said. “Not that I blame him.”

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll talk to the manager on duty before I leave. Maybe we’ll even add it to Al Learner’s bill.” That was a joke. I think. Could I do that?

“Misty, you are a wonder. Now, let me send your food out. I made something special for you.” She winked at me and walked back in to the kitchen.

“Mom, you can’t do this interview,” Frankie said. “You can’t handle that guy. He’s mean. You’re not used to mean people.” He really looked worried. Maybe my panic attack today scared him more than I thought.

Little did Frankie know about what his mom could really handle. I was already planning my strategy against Al the terrible. First, I noticed that Al was about my height, maybe a little shorter. That meant I would wear the highest heels I could. I wanted to force him to look up at me. I wanted to make him feel little. Just like he had done to people here tonight. Not just the couple, but everyone who witnessed the altercation.

Second, from watching him I learned that no matter he said or did, what I needed to do was keep my facial expression and my voice calm. The worse he got the calmer I needed to be. I would talk to him like he was a small child. I wasn’t planning to talk down to him, but no matter what he did I needed to keep an “awe isn’t that cute” attitude. No doubt he was going to try to push as many of my buttons as he could. All I had to do was turn off the switch and not react. That should really get him mad.

“Oh, what an ass!” Frankie said pulling me out of my daydream.

“Frankie, not so loud.” Was he forgetting where we were? “Who’s an ass?” I had to ask.

“That Al Learner guy. I was just going to leave a review on line for Festival De La Manatee. But, he already did. He gave her no stars and really trashed the restaurant, the hotel, and even Minerva herself. He said her food tasted like rubber.”

“What an ass!” I said.

“That’s what I said. Oh, cool, someone recorded the fight and just posted it complete with audio.”

“Who?” I said looking round the room.

“Me.” He gave me his little boy smile that let him get away with so much.

“That’s my boy.” I said and I meant it.

The server brought our meals over. Frankie and I didn’t say a word as we enjoyed our delectably prepared food. My steak was one that made you just close your eyes after each and every bite. You wanted nothing to come between you and the flavor. Everything was perfect. I could probably eat here five days a week and never get tired of it.

How could Al call Minerva’s food slop? She was a classically trained chef who graduated from one of the world’s best known culinary schools. Then, she trained in Paris. The man obviously had no taste. Maybe Al’s idea of gourmet food was fast food drive through.

What an idiot. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow. I was ready to do battle.