Otter Under Fire (18 page)

“And they didn’t catch a high school kid that committed murder?”

“At the time she killed these people, they were considered accidents.” Troy began, “She was in the car with her boyfriend when he was killed and she actually got some scars from the crash. She was at her graduation party when her parents were murdered, so she wasn’t a suspect at the time.”

“So why do you guys know so much about her?” Otter asked.

“Because we’re looking for her,” Graham said, finally.

“Why would Clark have her on this list?”

“Maybe he knew her.” Troy said, “Maybe he had an affair with her.”

“I don’t see that,” Otter said, “Particularly since it says Jameson. Clark wouldn’t mess around with a man.”

“We’ve been through your employee list, she’s not there.”

“You only have a few women there and we know it’s not you, nor Annie, nor Sandy.” Joel said.

“We have a couple of women that do masking, but they’re Mexican.”

“She’s big and blond,” Graham said. “Five ten easy, light skinned and very stocky. She couldn’t be very convincing as a Mexican no matter how good her makeup is.”

“I will ask Michael if he knows the name,” Otter said. We’ll keep it between the two of us. You know this Charlotte person could be there as a guy.”

“That would have to be some disguise,” Joel said.

“Take the cards,” Graham said generously. “He will appreciate the whole periodic table element—no pun intended.”

“He will,” Otter said. “It will be a lot easier to explain to him as well. Thanks.”

On the way back down the I-17, Otter thumbed through her cards and thought of killers.

“What do you call that place?” She asked Joel.

“The Community Center,”

“Good name.”

“We think so.”

“Are there lots of members?”

“Hundreds, but not all of them come on a regular basis.”

“How do you finance something like that? I don’t see you being able to afford a club of that scope on just membership fees and it’s too nice to be a government organization.”

“Boy, are you always so full of questions?”

“Usually,” Otter smiled at him, “you didn’t ask Susan to meet me because I worked at AzTech, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Too bad, since you sure didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.”

“And just what have I gotten myself into Miss Ottenberger?”

“I know you’re some big do-dad, doing fancy covert work, but you might find yourself surprised now and again.”

“A Big do-dad and his merry men,” Joel laughed, “Sounds like a children’s show.”

Man, she was exhausted. She usually ran off at the mouth when she was tired. She’d better keep it shut or she would mortify herself.

“And not to worry my lady, I am finding myself more and more surprised every time we meet. I am also finding myself immensely entertained.”

“I’m a serious person,” she said grumpily, “I’m not meant to be entertaining.”

“I’m not in any way saying I don’t take you seriously,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road. “You are most definitely a force to be reckoned with, but you have a sense of humor and you like to stab people with it.”

“How about zinging? I like to zing people without warning, that’s part of the fun.”

“OK, you like to fatally zing people to death. They never see it coming and we poor helpless mortals can’t handle that sort of thing.”

“But you have a sense of humor, don’t you?”

“Not allowed. It’s surgically removed three weeks after you join my unit. They put it in a jar with formaldehyde and put it on a shelf.”

“That must be painful.”

“It is, and they take out the sense of wonder and surprise too.”

“Wow, how do you survive something like that?”

“That’s how they see what you’re made of. Once they know they can make you a tough big do-dad.”

“With merry men,”

“Right, with merry men, and once you are a big tough do-dad, you are let out into the world to right its wrongs.”

“Gee, just like a super hero.”

“Kind of, but you don’t get a cool cape or shield.”

“How sad for you,”

“Sometimes, but they don’t put us in tights either, so it’s not all bad.”

“Good thing,”

“But it’s probably a good thing my trainers didn’t know about you.”

They were turning into her driveway and Joel put the car in park.

“Why is that?”

“Because my senses of humor, wonder and surprise are growing back, since I’ve met you, and they aren’t supposed to do that.”

“They’re doing such exciting things with stem cells these days.”

“Otter, Otter, Otter,” he said. He leaned over and kissed her. “Don’t you feel it?”

“Feel what exactly?”

“That we are meant to be together one day.” He laughed when he saw her expression.

“You don’t know that,” she said. “But I wouldn’t find myself very disappointed if you were right.” She kissed him lightly on the lips and jumped out of the car before he had a chance to get out and open the door for her.

He watched her activate her palm plate and go inside her garage. He let his mind go back to the day when he had first seen her. He chuckled to himself at how astonished Otter would be if she knew exactly when that day was. Although she was everything and more than he hoped for, he couldn’t tell her all the details yet. Fortunately his training also taught him patience. He put his car in gear and backed slowly out of her driveway.

Otter put all her things down and put the cards next to her lunch bag to take to work the next morning. She took a shower and turned on the television and decided to slum for a bit. She bundled into her nightshirt and grabbed Spooky for a cuddle.

That’s what she got when she got tired and smart at the mouth.

More than she expected.

India international text service:
Hello Tempest, this is your mother, Viola Blackthorn Claremont.

Blackthorn Marketing:
Mom, I know it’s you. I told you that you don’t have to spell out your full name.

India international text service:
I hope I didn’t wake you, I know you hate to get up early, but rising early is good for you.

Blackthorn Marketing:
It’s 6 at night, mom, you didn’t wake me. I told you that too. We are 12 hours behind you.

India international text service:
How are you girls doing?

Blackthorn Marketing:
I’m starting a new industrial revolution and Otter is trying to catch a killer. She has a new boyfriend who’s like a mysterious secret agent type, nothing special, really.

India international text service:
So you say Otter has a new boyfriend?

Blackthorn Marketing:
Yes, she does.

India international text service:
He’s not another dog trainer, is he?

Blackthorn Marketing:
No I think he works for the government.

India international text service:
Well, that’s something then.

Blackthorn Marketing:
Yes mom, now tell me a little about your trip. You must be having a good time.

India international text service:
Oh we are, and our new guide is really interesting.

Blackthorn Marketing:
What new guide?

India international text service:
Oh, we didn’t tell you. Mr. Devon had to go back home. He really was quite ill, you see. They think it was his heart.

Blackthorn Marketing:
But what happened? Why didn’t someone tell me?

India international text service:
They said they sent you a letter telling you all of this.

Vaguely Tempest remembered a letter coming from the travel agency. She had thought it was an invoice of some kind. She started going through her bills looking for it. She found it quickly enough.

Blackthorn Marketing:
OK, I found it.

Tempest scanned the letter quickly and then picked up her phone again.

Blackthorn Marketing:
Mother, you didn’t really tear down a marketplace, did you?

India international text service:
No, I did not. We were all cleared of wrong doing.

Blackthorn Marketing:
It says here that the American consulate had to get involved?

India international text service:
That’s what our taxes pay for, isn’t it? He needed to do his job.

Poor Mr. Devon, he hadn’t stood a chance, Tempest thought.

India international text service:
I am starting to get a little homesick, Tempest. I can’t wait to see you next week.

Blackthorn Marketing:
Next week?

India international text service:
Yes darling daughter, I’m due home next week.

Blackthorn Marketing:
Of course, it will be good to see you.

OMG, she thought.

“This is amazing,” Michael said as she laid the cards on the table in the conference room. “Clark did all this?”

“I think it was his commentary on people in the shop and some clues to who he thought was a threat.” Otter said.

“How did you figure this out?”

“Clark’s nephew came by the shop on Saturday. He said that Clark told him that only you and I possessed the skills to figure out the clues. So I thought about what you and I knew that not many other people in the shop would. It took some thought and some finessing, but this pattern started to form from one of my ideas.”

“He has me under carbon,” Michael observed.

“Essential for what we do here,” Otter said, “and under heat and pressure…”

Michael grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Mackenzie I’m a diamond in the rough.”

“I don’t think she will find that as big of a surprise as you think,” Otter said matching his grin.

“Yeah, probably not,”

“I found the references really interesting,” Otter said, gesturing toward the cards.

“He has Gonzo under lithium,”

“Gonzo has a calming influence and he’s known for his stamina around here. He just keeps on going.” Otter said.

“He has Ron Defray under plutonium.”

“So we have to wonder if he thought he was dangerous or if he just didn’t like him.”

“Maybe both,” Michael said, fingering the cards.

“Considering what we’re thinking may have happened, I wouldn’t rule anything out right now.” Otter said, “But I don’t see him letting Defray get close enough to him to shoot him in the head at close range.”

“Point understood.”

“And Defray was working the day that Marvin Jones was killed, I was here with him.”

“Was anyone else here on vacation that day?”

“Annie took a personal day; she had to take care of some family business. Nobody else was on vacation.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Annie.”

“I agree,” Otter said.

“He has Annie under neon.” Michael let out a laugh. “He chose a very apt element for our hippie.”

“I thought so too.”

“I need to double check some things about that day,” Michael said, taking a planner out of his breast pocket and keying in a note.

“I still think we don’t tell anyone else in the shop,” Otter said, “I don’t want to take the risk of the wrong person hearing about this.”

“I happen to agree with you.” Michael said. “It looks like this is more complicated than I thought—although I am relieved that Clark wasn’t blackmailing everyone who works here plus everyone in his church.”

“I think he just wanted to get information, maybe personnel files. The problem is that he didn’t get a lot of cooperation.”

“We don’t know that,” Michael pointed out. “You haven’t talked to everyone.”

“Have you ever heard of anyone named Jameson Pennell?” Otter asked. “That name shows up on here too.”

Michael thought for a moment then shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.”

“How about Charlotte Roberta Jameson Pennell?”

“No,”

“Ok, how about Cal de Lemn?”

“Sorry Otter, I don’t know that one either.”

“I’ve been told on good authority that this Charlotte person is a killer who disappeared years ago. She’s on some government watch list.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Internet,” Otter lied. “I tried running the names.” Which wasn’t a bad idea, she thought to herself, she would have to get on the computer when she got home. She also needed to contact Detective Addison and hope he didn’t laugh at her.

“This is good work.” Michael said. “What are you going to do next?”

“I need to update the police,” she said gathering up the cards, “And then maybe do some more research on this Charlotte. Maybe something else will come to me as I proceed.”

“Just keep me in the loop,” Michael said. “And I will contact this detective Addison and do some research as well. Can I have a copy of your list?”

“Sure,” she gave him one copy each of the list before and after she put it in order, “maybe you’ll see something I didn’t.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“And Mackenzie, make sure you’re careful. If there is something dangerous going on, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Doing my best to keep safe, sir,” Otter said, “Unfortunately, I think I’m too far in to let it go now.”

Michael looked at his watch. “We’d better wrap this up, I have an appointment in an hour and Mitch will be back from his meeting and will want to brief me on what happened.”

After Michael left the room, Otter pulled out her cell phone and left a message with Detective Addison to ask if she could meet with him again.

Ron Defray confronted Otter when she came out of the meeting.

“So what were you and Michael talking about in the conference room for so long?”

“We’ve having a hot torrid affair, and we didn’t want anyone to know about it.” Otter said

“You must think I’m stupid, I know what you were doing.”

Otter’s heat lurched. “Oh, and what were we doing?”

“You’re re-structuring the shop again. Fucking moving things around from the way I fucking had them.” He fiddled with his bullet casing in agitation.

“Then you know that it’s not something I can talk about with you.”

“Fuck you, Mackenzie, I was a fucking good production manager and I don’t fucking appreciate you fucking with everything I did.”

“I don’t appreciate your language either.”

“Fucking get used to it, I still have some influence here and I’ll use it.”

“God damn it, Defray, get over yourself. This is not about you.”

“You know I find your language offensive,” Defray said looking insulted.

“In what way?” Otter asked in surprise.

“You are taking the Lord’s name in vain, that’s not right.”

“You can drop F-bombs all day long and that’s ok, but a God damned it, isn’t?”

“You need to stop saying that. It’s wrong.”

“Why did you and Clark dislike each other so much? Seems to me you would be best pals or something,” Otter said, deliberately changing the subject.

Taken off guard, Defray actually answered her. “He always thought he could do things better than me. Kept saying that if he was in charge the shop would run smoother, he had all these forms he wanted me to use with the guys on the floor. You know what a pain in the ass he was.”

“Born bureaucrat,” Otter nodded, “Yeah, he could be a pain.”

“We got into some big arguments over how he thought a schedule should go and tried to over-ride what I did. I called him some choice names and told him to mind his own business. He told me I was as much good for this shop as a blow from a plutonium bomb. There was never any love lost between us.”

“Makes sense,”

“And unlike you, I think he killed himself, it’s his last ‘fuck you’ to the world. He knew he’d fuck everyone up and probably had a great time thinking about it while he was fucking planning it.”

“You could be right,”

“I am right.”

“Do you remember anyone here named Cal de Lemn?”

“No, we never had anyone here by that name and I’d remember. Why?”

“I met someone at a store somewhere who used to work here; he asked if Cal was still around. So I wondered.”

“They have to be mistaken. No Cal ever worked here.”

Gee I’m getting good at this lying thing, Otter thought to herself. If my grandma was alive, she’d paddle my ass good.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Defray?” a heavily accented voice cut between them.

“No, nothing’s wrong, Mitch,” Ron Defray said hastily.

“Then I suggest you go back to work,” Mitch said smoothly. As they watched Defray’s retreating back, Mitch asked, “Is he giving you trouble?”

“He’s a little upset that Michael has some changes he wants me to make.”

“Ah yes, Michael told me you had a meeting this morning. I think the changes are all for the better, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Otter said. “Whatever Michael wants, that’s what will happen. I just think Ron Defray hates women and that’s his main problem with me.”

Mitch looked surprised.

“You really think so?” He asked her.

“Oh yeah, he likes to say nasty sexist things to me once in a while to see if he can get me to react. I don’t usually give him the satisfaction. But this isn’t an official complaint.”

“Ok, if you say so. If he gets out of hand, let me know.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“You’re doing a good job,” Mitch said, “It’s what we expected.”

“It’s early yet, but I hope so.”

“You are going to the ball this weekend?”

“Yes, I plan on it.”

“My wife and I have been looking forward to it. She likes to put on a pretty dress and go to parties.”

“What about you?”

“I like to sit with a cold beer,” he said with a laugh. “After working here all day, sometimes parties are too much.”

“I can understand that.”

“I’m sure you can.”

Otter threw herself into the job and stopped thinking about her mystery for a while. They shipped literally tons of bars of raw stock that weighed over 500# each. They shipped car parts and brake line parts for trucks, they shipped jet parts and medical parts and more and more raw stock to other companies that would turn it into components for any number of machines. She shifted schedules; put her people where she thought they would do the most good. She refined everything again and shipped more material.