Murder Under Cover (23 page)

“Oh, dear, maybe it was the mumps,” Shiva said, and a frown marred her unlined forehead. “I’m getting so forgetful in my old age. My point is, I was in such a state that someone was able to slip a small parcel of drugs into my tote bag and I was arrested. I was completely innocent, of course. The State Department and the United Nations had to intervene.”

“That’s terrible, Shiva,” my mom said. “We never heard about it back here.”

“No, it was kept very quiet,” she said, sipping her tea. “I had just started working with the U.N., and nobody wanted an international incident to erupt.”

“That was good of them to clear it up quickly,” Dad said.

“Yes, I would’ve hated to be stuck in a jail cell when Robin was suffering so badly.” She gazed fondly at Robin. “It was the mumps. I remember you describing your chipmunk cheeks to me over the phone.”

“Anyway, that’s why I’m in Dharma, Mom,” Robin said wearily. After taking a deep breath and letting it out, she added, “Brooklyn sugarcoated it on my account, but the truth is, that man was shot in the head and the chest. It happened in my bedroom. There was blood everywhere. Then, two days later, I was viciously attacked on the street.”

“What?” Shiva’s frantic gaze whipped around from Derek to Austin to Gabriel to me. “No. Who did this?”

I watched Robin as Shiva freaked out over that brief but macabre description of the murder scene. Robin wouldn’t meet my gaze. I knew something was going on with her.

“The police are on the case,” Derek said. “But in the meantime, we thought it best for Robin to leave the city.”

“We’ll find out who did it,” I said with resolve. “And we’ll find that flash drive, too. I’m tired of having my door broken down.”

“Oh, my heavens,” Shiva said, her normally smooth forehead creased with worry. “But this has nothing to do with Rajiv, I assure you. He is a dear friend and would never hurt me this way. I . . . I’ll speak to him as soon as possible about this flash drive.”

“It would be helpful if you could,” Derek said. “The sooner we get some answers, the sooner Robin will be out of danger.”

Shiva’s frown disappeared slowly and a shrewd smile took its place. “Well, then, isn’t it convenient that Rajiv will be joining me in San Francisco in a few days?”

“Convenient indeed,” Gabriel mused under his breath.

“Isn’t it?” she asked, her eyes wide and clear and focused exclusively on Gabriel. “He insists he couldn’t bear my absence from Varanasi for more than a few days, so he’s flying out to meet me in San Francisco. I’ve promised him a trip down the coast after a few days in the city.”

“Sounds like a delightful trip,” Gabriel murmured, his gaze never leaving hers.

Shiva laughed, a pure, joyful sound. Was it Gabriel’s attentions that made her so happy? I couldn’t blame her for that. “Yes, it should be fun. But first things first. I’ll arrange a meeting with all of you and Rajiv and you’ll see that he’s innocent. Will next Saturday be soon enough?”

I looked up at Derek. “Is that soon enough?”

“It’s perfect,” Derek murmured as one eyebrow arched cynically. “Please convey our thanks to him for obliging us.”

I wasn’t proud of it, but while cleaning up in the kitchen, I noticed Robin heading toward the bathroom. So I followed her. We met at the bathroom door. “I’m going in there with you.”

“That’s just weird, Brooklyn.”

“I want to talk to you.”

She tried to stare me down but finally gave up. “A girl can’t get any privacy around here.”

I closed the door and locked it. “We used to share this bathroom, remember?”

“Yeah. You, me, and your three sisters.”

“Crazy,” I admitted. “I don’t know how you survived.”

“It was cozy. I loved living here with you guys.”

I sat on the edge of the tub. “It was pretty much the best time ever for me.”

“Yeah.” Standing in front of the mirror, she brushed her hair with her fingers. “I don’t care what you think of me, Brooklyn. I’m just not ready to go back yet.”

“For goodness’ sake, Robin, you were attacked and terrorized. I don’t blame you for not wanting to go back. We only came up here because I needed your help and you weren’t answering the phone. We were worried.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think about you guys being worried. I was with Austin and . . .” She met my gaze in the mirror. “So, did you get all your questions answered?”

“I’ll probably have a million more by the time I get home, but Derek and I will work it out. I’m looking forward to grilling Rajiv. I hope he’ll provide more insights.”

“I hope so, too.”

I stretched my legs out and crossed my ankles. “So what do you think you’ll do next?”

“I’m staying up here for a few more days.”

“That’s a good idea,” I admitted. “I can tell you’re happier here than you were in the city.”

“I am. Austin is . . . awesome.” Her smile softened. “So fierce and protective. I love the way he . . .”

I squinched up my face and covered my ears. There are some things a sister should never find out about her brother. “I don’t want to hear the details.”

She laughed. “Fine. I’m not quite ready to share them anyway.”

“I appreciate that.” I scooted to the end of the tub and leaned back against the tile wall. “You still worry me, though.”

“Why? I’ll be fine.” She paused as if thinking about what she had just said, and then nodded decisively. Maybe she was finally coming back to herself. I was glad to see it. Still, teasing your best friend is practically in the job description.

“I’m just afraid you’ll start wearing overalls and, you know, flannel.”

She cringed. “Not while I have a breath left in me.”

“You say that now, Robin, but you went hiking and camping.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling. “Weird.” As she spoke, she touched the skin around her eye experimentally.

“Does it still hurt?”

“It twinges every so often, but it feels much better. It’s just ugly.”

“Not so much anymore.” But I scowled at the memory of crazy Galina. “I can’t believe we took that lunatic woman down. I think she was on a mission to kill.”

Robin shuddered. “I hope she’s still in jail.”

“She’d better be. I’ll call to make sure when I get back to town.” I got up and studied her black eye more closely. “It definitely looks a lot better.”

“Austin got some concoction from your mom and it really helped.”

“Uh-oh. Was it green?”

“Yeah, why?”

I shivered. “Parsley.”

“Oh, right.” She pulled a tube of pink lip gloss from her purse and squeezed a small amount onto her lips. “Well, I hate to tell you, but it worked great.”

“Stranger than fiction,” I said, and held out my finger for a dab of her lip gloss. She complied, and I rubbed it on my lips as I returned to my perch on the tub’s edge. “So what are you going to do about your mother?”

Robin found an emery board in a canister on the sink and sat with me. “We talked for a few minutes while you were in the kitchen. She’ll stay in Dharma for a few days, visit with Guru Bob and some of her friends, and then we’ll follow each other back to the city when she goes in to meet Rajiv.”

“She seems happy to be here,” I said cautiously. Robin and her mother had a complicated relationship, to say the least.

“I was amazed and excited to see her at first.” Her smile turned acerbic. “But then did you see how quickly she turned everything around and talked about herself?”

“Sort of,” I said with some caution.

“Oh, come on. The way she went on and on about getting arrested in Uganda? She tried to pretend it was all because I had the measles and she was worried—and I’ve never had the measles, but whatever. But no, it was all about her. All about her and the United Nations, all about her and her missionary flights around the world. It’s always all about her. Maybe she can’t help herself. It’s just the way she operates. And maybe I’m just hypersensitive to every little thing she says, but still.” She tried to shrug off the negative thoughts, but I could see she was hurting.

“You’re right,” I said loyally. “When Shiva’s around, it’s all about her.”

“Thank you.” She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back, relieved that our friendship was back on more solid ground.

I studied her. “Is that why you got so gross when you described the blood and the vicious attack?”

“Yes,” she said sharply. “I just wanted to shake her up a little, get her to realize that I was the one suffering at the moment, not her.”

I nodded. “Okay. I think it worked.”

“God, do I sound like the world’s biggest whiny baby?”

“No, absolutely not,” I said, and hugged her again.

“Good.” She took a deep breath and it seemed to clear things up for her. “So I guess we’ll get back to the city Wednesday or Thursday. And I suppose I’ll stay at her hotel with her.”

“No, you won’t,” I said. “I’ll have your place completely cleaned and good as new by then. You can go home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

She winced, then said, “I still feel bad about having you do the work.”

I leaned against her. “I won’t be doing the work. I’ll call other people to do it. And seriously? Better me than you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I would’ve taken care of it already, but it’s been a little crazy around my place.”

Her smile was soft with regret. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“But by the time you get back to the city, it’ll be a done deal,” I said, standing up to give her a hug and end the conversation.

 

Derek and I made it back to the city with barely enough time to shower and change into party clothes. For me, the choice was simple. I owned one black dress and one pair of black heels. I’d worn the dress once before, last month when I had a special date with Derek, but we’d had to cancel due to an inconvenient murder.

His offices were located in a beautiful four-story Mediterranean-style building on California Street near the top of Nob Hill. The party took place in the spacious two-story-high lobby, where a crowd of over one hundred people was mingling, drinking, laughing, and chatting when we walked in. They all seemed to know one another, naturally, which intimidated me a little. But since I was here with the boss, I was determined to be cool.

Derek’s office administrator, Corinne, stood near the wide arched doorway and acted as unofficial greeter, so I met her first thing. She was in her fifties, slightly overweight but comfortable with it. Her hair was a beautiful platinum gray bob and her eyes sparkled with wit and good humor. She introduced me to her husband, Wallace, who gave truth to the notion that couples grew to resemble each other with age.

A waiter passed with a tray of champagne glasses and Derek handed me one. I took a bracing sip for courage.

“How are you enjoying San Francisco?” I asked Corinne.

“Oh, we’ve fallen in love with the city,” Corinne exclaimed, her British accent clipped. “The first day we arrived, we spent two hours wandering through Golden Gate Park. We got lost in the Japanese garden. It’s exquisite. And your arboretum rivals our Kew Gardens. You’ve seen it, of course?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful,” I said. “Do you live near the park?”

“Just a few blocks away,” Wallace explained. “We’ve purchased a lovely flat in the Sunset District.”

“I love the Sunset,” I said. “One of my brothers lived near Ninth and Judah for a while. You must be fairly close to the beach.”

“Oh, yes. We love your beaches. So rough-and-tumble. And the fog is lovely.” She patted her husband’s arm. “Reminds Wallace of home.”

“I’m so glad,” I said, smiling at him.

Wallace took a long sip of beer. “Drove up to Mendocino last weekend. Spectacular drive. You Californians have no idea what a paradise you live in.”

“Oh, we do,” I insisted. “San Franciscans love their city and take it very seriously. No teasing allowed. Not like Los Angeles. Everyone mocks Los Angeles, but here, it’s not permissible.”

They both laughed and Derek beamed. I took a moment to glance around the spacious lobby, then smiled at Corinne. “The offices are beautiful. I imagine you’re responsible for pulling everything together in time for this party.”

“Oh, I like this girl, I really do,” she said, patting Derek’s arm.

“So do I,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

A look passed between them and Corinne smiled her approval. Had I just passed a test?

“Hi, boss!” a woman cried, and four attractive women gathered around to greet and flirt with Derek. After a minute of laughing and teasing, he introduced me to all of them. I was determined to remember as many names as possible, so there was Shana, word-processing supervisor; Maris, personal assistant to one of Derek’s partners; Liv, accounts supervisor; and Kara, human resources secretary. Liv and Maris had moved here from London, and the other two had been hired locally.

Derek had mentioned the name Maris before. She was the one who was working with the real estate broker to find Derek the perfect home. And why that caused a spurt of jealousy to zing through me, I didn’t want to know.

The women were dressed for a night on the town, and I guessed this party qualified. They all described their jobs to me in glowing terms, then mentioned a club they were planning to go to later that night. They seemed friendly and interested in what I did for a living, which was nice. Then Derek saw a client approaching and the women took that opportunity to head for the bar.

Derek introduced me to everyone we encountered as he led me on a brief tour of the offices.

“I can’t imagine anything more boring than roaming around a business office,” he said, grabbing two more glasses of champagne just before we left the lobby and entered a well-lit hall. “But the views from several of the offices are spectacular.”

“This building is beautiful,” I said as I peeked inside one large office. “I love the high ceilings and the crown moldings and the windows. How did you find the space?”