Catharine Bramkamp - Real Estate Diva 04 - Trash Out (21 page)

I returned
to retrieve
the second case.  Beth
paused before each tall stainless steel tank
;
O’
R
eilly was standing sort of lost in the center of the warehouse, glancing around as if the coiled tubing would bite him.

“So why are you with Mark’s date?”  I approached Peter.

“
I
actually
brought her
, then when I left the party, she hooked up with that Mark guy. She said he didn’t mean anything
, and I understand Mark and Cassandra are an item.” Peter was glum.

“And you are offering up your cute secretary
to help Cassandra
because?”

“I was thinking I may still get a rise out of Cassandra, and I did
,
”
h
e added smugly.

“Just don’t bring her to the wedding.”

“That’s not part of the plan
,
”
h
e
glanced around to find Beth, but she had disappeared
.

“Here, make yourself useful,
” I
took his arm
and
dragged him to the two boxes of wine. I picked up one and he
dutifully grabbed the other and we staggered to my car. 

“Peter.”

“Yeah.” He
loaded the case into the back of my car,
straightened and blinked. 

“Just be careful.
Beth
may
have been
one of the last people to see
Fred
alive.”

He nodded.  “I don’t think you have to worry
about her. The
girl is skittish, hates conflict and squirts everything she touches with hand sanitizer before she touches it.”

I knew the
type,
they
turn on faucets with their elbows,
open the
restr
oom door with their rumpled paper towel,
and
lecture you about never placing your purse on the restroom floor because your Dooney and Bourke will be overrun with a convention of germs.

“I was treated to a long
lecture on
air born pathogens in airplanes on the drive up.”  

“Sounds romantic.”

“You take your chances
,
”
h
e admitted.

I walked Peter back to the winery.  I poked my head into the tasting room but Cassandra was
nowhere
to be seen.  “Thank you Cassandra
,”
I called, but
heard
no answer. 

I
phoned
Patricia
to check in.  She had been looking paler than usual, which, for someone who
favors white makeup and black eyeliner
even
on a
hot fall day
is saying something.

The last time I was in the office Patricia hadn’t even glanced up.  She just sat at her desk, head
resting on her open palm
,
listlessly mov
ing
her mouse randomly around her huge computer screen. 

“What’s wrong?”
I had asked.

“Nothing
.
”
S
he didn’t meet my eyes
.
  “Maybe I’m not feeling well.”

Before I could ask about Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, she abruptly gathered up her purse.  “
I
need to
go.” 
She didn’t even bother to turn off the computer.

I glanced at the site she had up expect
ing
to see the familiar MLS logo.  But she was look
ing
at wine
sites;
specifically Cassandra’s newly launched web site.  I saw the barrels and Cassandra on
v
ideo discussing
brix levels
.  I didn’t see anything out of order.  But I’m not as savvy as
our
receptionist.
I squinted at the screen. Cassandra had posted the same video on line that she played for the guests at the winery grand opening.  The computer volume was turned down, but I remembered this scene, Cassandra discussed chemistry while various staff members moved around behind her looking industrious.  I wondered if she hired extras for that portion of the video. I played the video again. Aside from
a terminal case of self-aggrandizement
on Cassandra’s part
,
I could not see that
there was anything amiss with the video. 
I
could
always
call
Raul and ask him to take a look. 

I considered that as I spoke to Patricia now.

“Have you filed everything for Rosemary?”  I quizzed. 

“I worked on the MLS for the Friends of Bob house. I’m caught up on everything.  Do you want to talk to Rosemary? She’s on floor.”

I reluctantly agreed.  At least Patricia was answering the phone.

“
Where are
you!
”
Rosemary
bellowed into my ear.

“It’s the great shower event today
,
”
I
replied
.  “You know that, I think it’s circled in red on my wall calendar.”

“Oh, say, have you noticed anything
peculiar
about Patricia?”

“Other than the usual?”

Rosemary paused and dropped her voice.  “We’re worried about her. She
doesn’t seem her usual self.
She forgot to check on my escrow.
And she lost the paperwork for Katherine’s short sale.”

“
Paperwork is
always
lost in a short sale
,
” I pointed out.
Even when we send it all through email, people don’t open their mai
l and
they accidentally delete things.  The more efficient we get, the more
frequent
the errors become.

“Yes
,
but she lost the copies of the copies of the paperwork
.
But I had a copy of the last set of copies
,”
s
he said smugly. This from a woman who once erased
the hard drive on her lap top with the
magnet bracelets
she wore in the name
of  increased
health and vitality.

Thinking of that
episode,
I ventured,
“
M
aybe her
c
hi is off?”  I
braced for
Rosemary to
launch into a long solution involving chi,
vapors
, night rangers, elves, what have you.

“
Katherine
think
s
somet
hing
is bothering her.
And her aura is
very dark.“  Rosemary’s tone was
sepulchral
.

“Her aura
is always dark, she researches
murders as a hobby.”  I rolled my eyes. It was just one set of lost papers, give the girl a break.

“Yes, but she hasn’t researched anything in over a week
,
”
Rosemary
whispered.
  “We haven’t heard about a single murder in over six days.”

I heard a click.
“Inez had to put her on
probation
,
”  Katherine
chimed in
.
  Was no one working today?

“She could lose her job. What would
w
e do without her?” Both women lamented.

I agreed. I didn’t want to break in a new secretary any
more than they did. 
“I had no idea it was this bad.”

“You’ve been out of town.” They both intoned.

Grandma
’s number
flashed on my phone
.

“Listen. Once I’m done with this wedding, I can help you with Patricia. Don’t let Inez fire her.  I may need her for
my
escrow.”  I cut them off and picked up the call from Prue.  I didn’t know whether to stand in the driveway and talk or bring in the wine while I clutched the phone to my ear.  If I had an
ear piece
, that would help.  But I keep forgetting where I put it.

I settled for the driveway.

Before I could say anything
, Prue
launched into the doings of Claim Jump
.

Prue finished up the saga of the
repair of the
hole in my floor
that apparently was quite involved and included multiple slabs of plywood as well as an additional permit for the sub flooring
from the City
,
with
“
h
ave you seen Melissa
or
Debbie?” 

“They’re together?” 

“Oh Allison, of course not, but no one has seen either woman all day, Melissa missed two appointments
with Hospice which is terribly unlike her
,
and Debbie missed the City
Council
meeting last night.”

Like Sarah Miller, Melissa was a Claim Jump project.  I knew a little about her, she was trapped in an early and now abusive marriage.  Her husband
rotated
in and out of jail and Melissa
rotated
in and out of the emergency room.  Tom once admitted that
apprehending, incarcerating and releasing
Dick was
a whole
job security
program
.
One he’d happily forgo.   I knew that if Melissa was missing, the police chief
was 
diligently
searching. 
In Debbie’s case, he may have glanced
up and down
Main Street, but not for longer than five minutes, just for show.

“I’m sure Tom is on the case Prue, why are you worried?”

“Debbie was going to present her findings about the fire to the council last night
, she only has
five
more days to get her
signatures and file for her lawsuit, she wouldn’t miss a chance to strong arm a few more signatures
.”

Debbie was determined to spearhead a class action suit on behalf of
every homeowner who lost their
homes in the Red Dog Fire, just a year and a half ago.  If she
succeeded
,
Lucky Master’s money, most of it, would
be abruptly siphoned out
of Claim Jump
leaving
a lot of local
organizations
high and dry.  The question then was not
why
didn’t
Debbie
appear at the
council meeting, the question was
what Claim Jump resident was enterprising enough to stop her?

“Can you come up?”  Prue asked.  My call waiting beeped.  “Just a second.”

The other caller was Marcia.  I winced as I answered.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia
launched into her own
agenda
with as little regard for pleasantries as my grandmother.
  I’m fine, thank you for asking.
  I glanced at
Emily’s
front door that led directly to the patio.  I hadn’t heard a sound since I pulled up.  Ben’s truck was
gone,
Emily could be in the back, or gone.  I could stack the wine in Ben’s apartment
;
I had the key.

“I need a new copy of the Pest report, your signature dips below the signature line and I can’t make out your typed name under the line.
Maybe a hard copy as well as the electronic is a good idea.
And do you know you need to have all grounded outlets in the bathrooms? That bathroom downstairs does not have a grounded plug, you many have to replace it or re-wire the first floor.  And did you plan to fix that chip in the
kitchen
counter top?”

“Wow
,
Marcia.”  I inserted my comment into her tirade.  “I’m so sorry, I have be ou
t of town on a emergency with a
client. 
I’ll have to get back to you on those issues,” I
counted on my fingers
. 
I had two
and a half
days before the shower. “Three days.”