Footprints in the Sand (6 page)

Chapter 17

S
itting at his computer and working on the payroll, Walter realized that he was in rough shape. Without Shelley to assist him and with Kathy taking time off this week and next for her wedding and honeymoon, he was going to have to do the heavy lifting of managing the inn. That was going to keep him from focusing on his expansion plans.

There was nothing he could do about it. The last thing he’d want to do was deny Kathy the freedom to enjoy this special time in her life. Neither did Walter want to disappoint her mother. Things were going so well between them. He didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize that relationship.

He leaned back in his chair and put his loafer-clad feet up on the desk. All and all, he was content. He really enjoyed the time he spent with her Nora, and the prospect of Kathy as a stepdaughter pleased him greatly. He’d never married or had children of his own, and he’d come to regret it. He’d always been so driven. Now he was trying to have a more balanced life and was finding that he liked it. Sharing meals or catching a movie with Nora, having someone to talk with and care about had enriched his days and nights.

Still, Walter knew himself well enough to realize that he was first, last, and always a businessman. He pulled out the property survey from the drawer, spread it across his desk, and studied it. Each red X marked his progress. It excited him that his persistent attempts to persuade the town-house owners to sell him their property were coming to fruition. He already had six signed contracts. There were four more to sew up before he reached his goal.

The economy was on his side. Across the state there were far too many properties for sale and far too few buyers. Things weren’t going to change overnight. Another few weeks wasn’t going to alter the real-estate market. He knew he could afford to be patient.

Walter rose from his large desk and walked to the window. He noted with satisfaction that the rain had stopped. Though some was necessary and inevitable, too much rain certainly wasn’t good for business.

Suddenly it occurred to him that it was Valentine’s Day. He reached for his phone and scrolled through the listings till he came to the florist’s number.

“I’d like two dozen red roses delivered to Mrs. Nora Leeds,” he said.

It was of utmost importance that he stay in Nora’s good graces.

Chapter 18

K
athy walked out of the fitting room. Piper’s mouth dropped open and tears welled up in her green eyes.

“You’re a goddess!” she gasped. “Kathy, you are
so
beautiful!”

“Do you like it?” asked Kathy.

“Like it? I
love
it!” said Piper.

The dress was strapless, setting off to perfection Kathy’s shoulders and décolletage. The bodice was ruched. Beneath it, soft white organza flowed gracefully, creating a slimming A-line silhouette. A sweeping train was attached to the back of the dress.

“Gorgeous,” said Piper. “Just gorgeous. But there’s one little thing.”

Kathy’s wide smile disappeared. “What? What’s wrong?”

“What about the train?” asked Piper. “You don’t want it dragging behind you in the sand, do you?”

Kathy let out a deep sigh. “Of course not,” she said, smiling again. “That’s where you come in, cuz. You won’t mind carrying it for me, will you?”

“Oh, I see. You want me to be your Pippa Middleton,” said Piper. “Sure. I’ll do anything you want. I just hope my bridesmaid dress makes my butt look as good as hers did.”

“Aw, Piper.” Kathy laughed as she squeezed her cousin’s hand. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For helping me enjoy this and for taking my mind off Shelley for a little while.”

T
he sun was shining brightly and the sidewalks were already dry when Piper and Kathy came out of the bridal shop.

“Before we go get something to eat, want to stop at the Women’s Exchange?” asked Kathy. “There’s a mirror I’ve had my eye on, and I think this is the day that the price reduces. That is, if it’s still there.”

“Great,” said Piper. “I love that place. I’ll look in the book section to find something to read while I’m here.”

The long, low building was covered in pink stucco. The parking lot in front was full, and they had to wait for a space to open up. They watched from the car as workmen unloaded a truckful of furniture.

“I hardly buy anything new anymore,” said Kathy. “I always check here first. Sooner or later I usually find just what I want, or something even better than I had in mind. It’s saving Dan and me a ton of money while we’re setting up our place.”

When they got inside, Kathy steered Piper through the other shoppers to the rear of the store. “What do you think?” she asked, pointing to the mirror hanging on the wall.

Piper considered it. “I like the shape. Is the frame hand-painted?”

Kathy nodded as she checked the price tag. “I could wait a few weeks and the price would come down even more,” she said. “But I don’t want to take the chance that somebody else will buy it.”

“Go for it,” said Piper.

Kathy gestured for one of the male workers to take the mirror down.

“It will be up at the front desk when you’re ready to check out,” he said.

They wandered through the aisles. While Kathy browsed in the china-and-glassware section, Piper selected Tina Fey’s autobiography and two paperback novels from the shelves at the other side of the store. She spotted a necklace she admired in the jewelry department.

“Would you like to try it on?” asked the white-haired woman behind the counter.

“Yes. Thank you,” said Piper.

“It looks good on you,” said the woman as Piper fastened the strand around her neck. “The turquoise brings out the green of your eyes.”

As Piper observed herself in the mirror, Kathy walked up beside her.

“Hi, Mrs. Golubock!” she said, recognizing her mother’s neighbor. “I forgot that you work here on Tuesdays.”

“Hello, Kathy.” The older woman smiled. “Nice to see you. How are the wedding plans coming?”

“They’re coming,” said Kathy. “In fact, this is my cousin Piper, my maid of honor. She just came down from New Jersey yesterday.”

“Nice to meet you, Piper,” said Mrs. Golubock. Piper shook the frail, manicured hand the woman offered.

Golubock. Golubock.
Piper tried to remember where she’d heard the name. Last night at dinner. This was the woman who’d seen a man carrying what she thought was a woman’s body into the vegetation near the condo.

Piper looked at Kathy and waited for her cousin to bring up the subject. But Kathy steered the conversation to the wedding and her hopes that the weather would be good on Saturday.

Finally Piper took off the necklace. “I’m going to think about it,” she said, ever conscious of her tight budget.

As Piper returned the necklace to Mrs. Golubock, the woman closed her eyes, wobbled forward, and collapsed to the floor.

Chapter 19

D
r. Robbins pulled the last sheet off the prescription pad. As usual, he’d been going through them quickly this morning. Some were for patients he’d had for a long time, and some were for recent referrals. It was gratifying to see how word spread when patients were satisfied.

He opened his desk drawer, looking for another pad. Finding none, Dr. Robbins immediately picked up the phone to call out to the reception desk.

“Umiko, I’m out of scrips,” he said in exasperation. “You have to order some more, fast.”

“I’ll be right there, Cryder dear,” answered Umiko.

Almost instantly there was a soft knock, and then the doctor’s door opened. Umiko stood there smiling, holding up a small blue pad in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. “How could you think I would ever let you run out?” she asked coyly. “I’ve ordered more.”

His frown morphed into a smile as he remembered the Japanese custom on Valentine’s Day. The woman gave the man candy. Next month, on March 14, “White Day,” Cryder would reciprocate with a gift of his own. He had a jade bracelet in mind. “I should have known better,” he said, taking the pad and candy from his wife. He put the new prescription pad in the desk drawer.

“Don’t forget to lock it,” said Umiko. “We don’t want someone ripping us off again. Those scrips are too tempting a prize for some of our patients. They’d rather have those than one of your precious netsuke.”

“You don’t have to remind me, Umiko.” He nodded at the door. “How many more are out there?” he asked.

“Four.”

“So many?”

Umiko leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “That’s what you get for having so many satisfied customers.”

Dr. Robbins sighed. “They’re patients, Umiko, not customers. I hate it when you call them customers.”

“Sorry, dear. You’re right, of course.”

Umiko turned to go back out to the reception area, then stopped and pivoted around.

“Cryder?”

“Hmm?” He was straightening the line of small ivory figures on his desk.

“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

“About what?” he asked absentmindedly.

“About selling our place to Walter Engel for the Whispering Sands expansion.”

Cryder’s head shot up. “Absolutely not! First of all, because I know you don’t want to sell, and second, because I don’t want to sell to
him.
I don’t like the way he conducts business.”

Chapter 20

G
oing over the table-arrangement chart for the wedding breakfast on Saturday, Isaac thought about Kathy Leeds and how sorry he was that this whole business with Shelley was upsetting her right before the wedding. He couldn’t say that
he
had missed not having Shelley around for the last few days. Her absence made his life so much easier.

Though Walter Engel owned the Whispering Sands Inn, Isaac had little contact with him. Shelley was his supervisor. She oversaw all the events held at the hotel. If clients wanted a wedding reception, family reunion, business meeting, or some other kind of organized gathering, they booked it with Shelley. It was Isaac’s responsibility to draw up plans for the events and implement them.

He treasured his job. Isaac loved coming up with an artistic vision and bringing things together. His concepts were always big and lush—in direct opposition to the simple, plain way he was brought up. Isaac liked things lavish and unrestrained. He believed that if you wanted something special, you just had to be willing to pay for it. That’s the way it was.

Shelley was far more concerned with the bottom line. That was where they always came to professional loggerheads. Shelley offered the client an estimate, and Isaac had to bring the event in under that amount in order for the hotel to make a profit. He did his best, often required to put aside his own creative vision in favor of doing something less expensively. Still, Shelley was forever shooting down his ideas as being too grand and too costly. She was always keeping him from doing what he really wanted.

Though Isaac had stood up for himself in his disagreements with her, Shelley had the final say. If he wanted to keep his job, he had to kowtow to her wishes. He scaled back his plans and tried hard to get more bang for the buck. It had become increasingly frustrating, but he’d found a way to compensate himself for her aggravation.

It started with the mosaic of the sea turtles. He had long admired its beauty and artistry. But its size and prominence had been a challenge. Isaac had disarmed the security cameras and learned the night watchman’s routine. Pulling off the theft was quite an accomplishment.

His mistake was in getting sick for a week. Unannounced, Shelley had come to the apartment to drop off his paycheck. Elliott, unaware that the mosaic hanging over the sofa was stolen, let Shelley in. She looked around and left without saying a word.

When Isaac returned to work, Shelley confronted him, outraged by his dishonesty. He begged her not to tell Walter or the police, and to give him another chance.

Isaac had already been looking for another job just in case. The Sarasota Ritz-Carlton and the Hyatt had event planners who weren’t going anywhere. Besides, he had no real desire to relocate.

As he made a note to himself to add a small round table for Kathy’s wedding cake, Isaac knew that without Shelley he could stay right here at the Whispering Sands Inn. Life would be so much easier.

Chapter 21

P
iper and Kathy ran behind the counter to help.

“Mrs. Golubock! Roz!” Kathy leaned over the older woman and took hold of her hand. “Are you all right?”

Roz’s eyes were closed, and all color had drained from her face. Blood oozed from a cut on her forehead. But her chest moved up and down: She was breathing.

“She really slammed her head against the edge of the counter on the way down,” said Piper. “Someone call 911!” she shouted to no one in particular.

“I’ll do it!” yelled one of the other exchange volunteers.

Customers quickly crowded around, craning their necks to see what had happened. Kathy knelt beside Roz, rubbing her hand. Piper tried to remember the first aid her father had taught her. Roz had fainted, which meant that the blood supply to her brain was momentarily inadequate, causing her to temporarily lose consciousness. At least that’s what Piper suspected.

“Somebody get me something to prop up her legs,” Piper commanded. “Kathy, can you loosen her belt? And is there a first-aid kit around here?”

A low stool from the display floor was handed across the counter. Piper lifted Roz’s legs above heart level. Kathy opened the first-aid kit that was thrust at her.

“Take one of those gauze pads and apply some pressure,” said Piper. “Head cuts bleed a lot. Hopefully it’s not as bad as it looks.”

When Roz opened her eyes, Piper breathed a sigh of guarded relief. The woman tried to raise herself.

“Don’t get up too quickly, Mrs. Golubock,” said Piper. “Just rest a few minutes.”

Roz was sitting up when the paramedics arrived. They checked her vital signs and treated the cut. When the blood was wiped away, the abrasion turned out to be relatively minor.

“Let’s take a ride to the emergency room and have a doc check you out,” said the paramedic.

“I’m telling you I’m fine,” Roz insisted. “Though I admit that I’m stupid. I didn’t eat any breakfast this morning. I’m so sorry to have bothered everyone like this.”

After another unsuccessful attempt to persuade Roz to go to the hospital, the paramedic had her sign a document stating that she had denied the offer of further medical treatment.

“At least you have to get someone to take you home,” said the paramedic. “You shouldn’t be driving.”

“We’ll take her,” said Kathy. “Roz can go with me, and Piper can drive her car home.”

“All right,” said the paramedic as his partner packed up the emergency gear. “But remember: Fainting can have no big medical significance or it can be the sign of something more serious. You should have yourself checked out by your own physician.”