Scent of Gardenia (Scott Tucker Series) (8 page)

Chapter
19

Mike
received Mercedes’ call giving him the address for the Nielsens’ and the
meeting time. He could tell that Scott and Mercedes most likely spent
additional time together, as Scott was the last one in this morning, bringing
with him two dozen doughnuts.

It was
strangely quiet in the office today. Scott was in and out of the office working
on Mr. Strong’s project. Holly was completing an investigation. Bill was off
playing with the MIT computers. Paddy was with the AG getting an earful of what
Nielsen’s missing son meant to him.

Paddy
was strangely quiet on the drive to Brookline to meet with Mercedes and Larz
Nielsen. That gave Mike some time to think about the approach to take with the
investigation. He wondered how Paddy was going to bill the project, where it
was out of the country.

*.*.*

Mike
spotted the brass sign with the address Mercedes had given him. The wall along
the street was a combination of old stone pillars with steel fencing in
between. The house was not visible from the road. Entering the driveway, he
noticed the security gate was in an open position. He drove up the winding
driveway, spotting Mercedes’ white T-Bird under the portico. She was already there,
which was good.

Paddy
finally commented, “I don’t think we have to worry about the investigation
payment, do you?”

“No, I
would say we might all want to join in this investigation…it is in Bermuda you know.”

Mike
could hear the Westminster chimes ringing inside. An elderly man with gray hair
and a white coat greeted them. “Good evening.”

Paddy
spoke before he could. “Yes, I’m Paddy O’Brien and this is Mike Miller. We have
an appointment with Mr. Nielsen.”

“Yes he’s
expecting you. Your associate, Ms. Strong, is already in the study with Mr.
Nielsen. Please come in. I’ll take your coats.” He took our coats, hanging them
in the vestibule closet. “Please, if you will follow me.”

There
were many artifacts in the vestibule, hallway and study. “Excuse me Mr. Nielsen;
Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Miller have arrived.” Mercedes and Mr. Nielsen immediately
stood.

Mercedes
introduced us. “Mr. Nielsen I would like you to meet Paddy O’Brien and Mike
Miller, gentlemen, this is Mr. Nielsen.” After some quick handshakes, Mr.
Nielsen waved at the other two chairs facing his very large antique desk.

“Gentlemen,
I appreciate your coming to discuss my son’s disappearance. First, would you
care for a cocktail?

They
both replied, “No thank you.”

“Well,
please let me begin. Ms. Strong has been very helpful. I’m sure she is walking
a fine line between her official duties and her sympathy for my dilemma. I
appreciate her recommendation of your office. Victor Young has given me a
glowing report on how professional and thorough your office is. I need a
separate investigation into my son’s disappearance. Although Ms. Strong has
been very helpful, her hands are obviously tied. I don’t want her to jeopardize
her position by overstepping her bounds.” He stood up and looked out the window
behind his desk.

“I am
going to share some things with you that I have not shared with Ms. Strong. I
feel you need to know as many facts as I can provide to assist you in exploring
all avenues of my son’s disappearance.” He sat back down, handing us two
photographs. “These are my two sons. Nils is the blond and Nigel has the darker
hair. These are my only children. My wife died about ten years ago.” He waited,
while we both looked at the photographs.

He shared,
“I have a very large import company and several Scandinavian furniture stores.
Suffice it to say we have done very well—perhaps too well. The following is a
little hard for me to convey, but I feel you need to know these details.” He
stood up again, walking over to the small bar to our left.

“Please
join me, I could use a cocktail. Mercedes, what can I make you?”

“Thank
you Mr. Nielsen, any bourbon on the rocks would be fine.” He proceeded to put
some cubes in two glasses and poured a dark liquid from a carafe. He handed one
of the glasses to Mercedes. “Please gentlemen, the scotch is on the left, vodka
and gin in the center and the bourbon on the right.” They poured their drinks
and sat back down.

Mr.
Nielsen took a healthy hit. “My two sons do not get along. My oldest son,
Nigel, feels Nils is just a rich kid who has never grown up. There’s some truth
in that, but he has overplayed that perspective. Nigel feels being the oldest;
he is in line for the fruits of my success. Although I’m not ready to ‘exit
stage left’ yet, I have contemplated selling the business. That’s where my sons
have had some heated words. They have had two fights that I am aware of. One of
those was just before Nils left on his cruise to Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. That was just over two months ago. The other fight and I heard this
second hand…” He paused, looking at Mercedes, “was when Nils arrived in Bermuda.”

Mike
could tell Mercedes was hearing this for the first time. “Mr. Nielsen, we
appreciate your being frank with us. This will be helpful, please continue.”

“Nigel
has denied going to Bermuda, but I have my sources and I know for a fact he did
go there around the time Nils disappeared. I did not confront Nigel after I
confirmed he went to Bermuda. Although my sons have different views, I can’t
believe either of them would actually cause the demise of the other. However, I
want this aspect investigated to learn what actually happened.” He took another
hit on his drink. “Let me continue, Nils was traveling with a male companion
and three young women. I would like to know what happened to them, and the
‘Import-ant’, which is the 42 foot yacht Nils was sailing at the time of his
disappearance.”

They all
drank simultaneously. Paddy asked, “Mr. Nielsen, were either of your sons
involved with drugs?”

“I
understand from Mercedes you prefer to be called Paddy. So Paddy, I’m glad you
are thorough enough to ask that question. I have not been able to confirm that,
but I have considered that possibility. I would appreciate your investigation
including that facet. I have no respect for anyone using drugs, and should I
find either of my sons involved with drugs, it will have an impact on my will.”

Mike
asked, “Is there anything else you care to share? Do you have any thought as to
what happened in Bermuda?”

“Mr.
Miller, or if you prefer Mike, I have given hours of thought to that. My best
guess is that my sons did have a fight, but it was just two siblings. Nils
might have been so upset about it to alter his plans to do something he wasn’t
planning on. I have no idea what that would have been.”

He
continued. “Let me explain. When Nils had any major problem during his youth he
would sign up for a new course, or lock himself away and read for days. If my
sons had a fight, Nils might have sought some diversion to take his mind off
things. However, Nils would not have done so for a long period of time without
touching base with me. Maybe he would be out of touch for a day or two, or up
to a week, but not for months. No, without any question, Nils has met with some
misfortune.”

Paddy
responded, “Thanks for your candid input.”

“You’re
very welcome. Thank you for your time. One other thing that I can’t ignore…the
Import-ant
is not in Bermuda.” He held up his hands. “So where is it? More
importantly, where are the other four people who were with Nils? Three of them
were young women. There’s something strange happening in Bermuda. I would like
to know what it is, and where my son is.”

Paddy
wanted to discuss the financial details of the investigation with Mr. Nielsen. Mike
and Mercedes left him alone to discuss those details.

They
went to the vestibule where they would be out of ear shot. “Mercedes, what’s
your take based on the new input from Mr. Nielsen?”

“I
didn’t know about the fights or Nigel’s trip to Bermuda. The authorities in Bermuda are not aware of any of that either. However, I don’t think it has anything
directly to do with Nils’ disappearance, but based on what Mr. Nielsen said, it
could have resulted in Nils altering his immediate plans. We have been trying
to track down the yacht, but feel the name might have been changed or it might
have been scuttled.”

“Mercedes,
thanks for thinking of our office for Mr. Nielsen’s investigation. More
importantly, thanks for giving us back our Scott. We really missed him while he
was grieving.”

She
smiled, flipping her hair. “As far as Scott is concerned, you don’t need to
thank me…it’s
my pleasure
.”

Chapter
20

“Scott,
you did an excellent job on the demo for the Real Estate Board today. Based on
their comments I think we will be doing a much larger pilot soon. Care for a
victory drink?” Stephen Strong beamed as we entered his private office.

“Thank
you Stephen, I would be more than happy to join you.” I thought about the
project –
I was thrilled to see the success of the demo with the use of the
computers. Seeing the successful implementation would be exciting.

He
opened the cabinet doors to display the mirrored bar. “If I remember correctly
you prefer Bourbon on the rocks.”

“Yes,
that would be nice.” I watched, as he made the two drinks.

He
handed me one of the glasses. “Here’s to the future—cheers.”

“Cheers.”
We touched glasses. He waved for me to sit in one of the leather chairs in the
sitting area.

“Scott,
there are some things I want to talk to you about. Now might be the best time
to discuss them.” He sat in the adjacent high backed chair about three feet
away. “First, you never have charged me for all of the effort you have
expended. You also have never discussed any fees with me. I find that very
strange. I need your feedback to help me understand where we currently stand.”

I took a
long hit on the drink, then put it down on one of the coasters. “Well, I guess
I have some reservations about charging you. Mercedes asked me to touch base
with you. Since your project is what we are trying to base our expanded
business model on…well, your project would be a good reference for us for
future business.”

“Do I
understand that you have done all of this work gratis?” He frowned, putting his
glass down.

“That’s
right,” I replied after a period of hesitation.

He
quickly responded, “No, that’s not right.” He got up from his chair and walked
over to his desk and opened his center drawer. He came back and handed me an
envelope with my name on it. “Scott this is made out to you, but you can
deposit it in the business account if you desire.”

I opened
the envelope. It was a check for ten thousand dollars. “Mr., I mean Stephen;
this is far too much for the time we’ve spent on this project. I’m sorry I
can’t accept this.” I put the check back in the envelope and reached over to
hand it back.

He held
up both hands. “No Scott. I consider this fair payment for what you have done
to get my idea into a working model. This process improvement will save
thousands of dollars just in the Boston segment of the real estate listings.
We’re talking about the major portion of a state-wide process improvement,
which will add considerably to the savings. Please accept this check, or I will
be forced to send a larger check to Paddy for your effort. Scott, this project
shows how computers can be used to improve business processes. Don’t miss the
opportunity to ride this wave. If not your office, then someone else’s will
surely jump on it now that it has been demonstrated.”

I
considered his comments. “I’m sorry; I should have detailed how we were going
to bill this project. I’ll accept the check, but I’m embarrassed about this.”

He
picked up his drink and took another long swallow, and I followed suit. “Scott,
you’re really one of a kind. I can see where you’re going to have a very
successful career, especially with your fine education.” He swirled the
remaining contents of his drink. “Here’s to a long and successful working
relationship.”

I raised
my glass and we both finished our drinks.

“This
brings me to my other subject I wanted to talk to you about. Since we’re going
to have a long successful professional relationship, can you tell me how you
and Mercedes are getting along?”

*.*.*

Unfortunately
my glass was empty. I felt my stomach turn.

“Scott,
can I freshen up our drinks?”

“Yes
please.” I could see the smirk on his face in the bar mirror. He handed my
glass back. I put the envelope down on the end table and stood up. “Stephen,
that is really between Mercedes and me.”

I stood
behind my chair. “Please let me explain my situation. I have been grieving over
the loss of my wife for two years. Mercedes has for years always been in the
background, and I have thought of her often. Recently, she has come back into
my life, and has given me a new zest for life and the future. I enjoy her
company. We’ll have to see where it takes us. I also owe her my life as she did
risk hers to save mine. Without any hesitation, I can tell you this…if she were
suddenly removed from my life there would be an extremely deep void.”

He
studied me, weighing what I said. “Scott, without overstepping my bounds, I
want you to know how much I approve of you. I would be very happy if you
continued to brighten her life.” He took a deep breath before adding, “She’s been
so focused on her education and professional career, I feel she has missed out
on the finer things life has to offer. I have seen a new glow, and would like to
see more of it. She’s all I have left.” He looked at his now empty glass. “I
think I’ve said enough.”

*.*.*

We talked
for a short while. Then I left and headed for the office. For the first time
since I’ve dealt with Stephen I felt uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable about
the large check, but more uncomfortable about the personal discussion involving
Mercedes.
Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted this project if I was going to be
dating Mercedes. But, I didn’t know that when I accepted it. Come on Scott,
you’re not that stupid. You knew where this was going. You know what affect Mercedes
has had on you. Yes, she does make me uncomfortable, but I’m working on
changing that. I’m going to miss her when she leaves for Bermuda.

The
office was closed when I arrived. Paddy and Mike were meeting with Mr. Nielsen.
I walked into Paddy’s office, putting a note on the envelope containing the
check. I explained why the check was made out to me and that it was for the
work on the real estate project.
Ten thousand dollars would almost buy a new
house. This was just a drop in the bucket to Stephen’s real estate/development
business. There’s no doubt he likes me. I wonder what kind of discussion Mercedes
had with her father about me. I have to say goodbye to her before she leaves.

*.*.*

There
was no answer at her apartment. I contemplated going over to say goodbye in
person, but she might be late getting home.
What if she arrived with another
man? For the first time since we got back together, I wondered if there was
someone else in her life.
I was staring at the phone but not really seeing
anything but the pictures of her holding onto another man’s arm smiling as they
entered her apartment building. My breathing was labored like I had just finished
a long run.

Scott,
if you want her to be part of your life, you have to make sure she knows how
you feel about her. If she does have other suitors, at least she can consider
me one of them. I really don’t like the idea of sharing her with anyone else.
What if she goes to Bermuda with someone else from her office? Can I actually
picture her without a man in her life? Is there any chance she has been waiting
for me all this time? Can I be that lucky?
My
mind was racing with so many thoughts.
It was like someone flipped a switch
and a light went on—I now knew the most important thing for me to do.