Point of Betrayal (8 page)

“Mom, why don’t you sit here?” Evan asked. He pulled out a chair at the place Ari guessed was the second-best location, the side facing the dining room.

“All right,” Georgie said with an accommodating smile. “Thank you, son.” She adjusted the silk scarf draped around her neck and politely scratched her nose with a finely manicured finger. She wore multiple bracelets on each wrist and a variety of colored stone rings on her fingers. The gray-blond hair that had been scooped up by the red bandanna earlier now formed a halo around her well-maintained face. Her shimmering cocktail dress, a reward for what Ari imagined was a vicious exercise regimen or a lot of plastic surgery, clung to her curves.

Steve sat next to her, leaving the cheap seats, the ones facing the restaurant with no ocean view, for Sam and Evan. They were as identical as twins could be, she thought. Both possessed strong features and dark brown eyes. Ari wondered if she would be able to tell them apart if they were dressed alike.

She glanced at Steve. Brown eyes seemed to be his only contribution to their gene pool. He was short and portly with a receding hairline, and his doughy facial features conveyed kindness, not charm, which probably played well to his cynical constituents.

“You’re going to love the food here,” Sam said.

“What do you recommend?” Jane asked everyone.

“I always enjoy the veal,” he replied.

“But the tri-tip is better,” Evan disagreed.

“No, no,” Steve interjected. “We all know the salmon is the best.”

All three engaged in a lighthearted sparring match until Georgie looked up from her menu and said, “Boys, boys.” She glanced at Jane and Ari. “Do you feel sorry for me yet? One woman surrounded by all this testosterone for over three decades.”

“You love it and you know it,” Evan said. “You’re the center of attention.”

Georgie harrumphed. “If that’s the case, then where’s my martini?”

Steve motioned for the waiter, who took the drink orders and departed. Once everyone had set aside their menus, Steve faced Jane and Ari. “Ladies, I appreciate your help with our little problem. Sam has told me one of you is a licensed investigator?”

“Actually that’s our friend,” Ari clarified for the second time that day. “She’s arriving on Tuesday. Jane and I are getting a head start doing some of the interviewing and laying the foundation.”

“Ari’s being modest,” Jane said. “She’s solved several cases herself even though she isn’t a PI.”

“Aren’t you a realtor?” Sam asked.

“I am.”

“But she used to be a police officer,” Jane inserted, “until she became a born-again capitalist.”

Everyone laughed and Georgie asked, “So how is it you solve murders?”

Ari didn’t have an easy answer. “It tends to happen by accident. I’m just in the right or wrong place, depending how you look at it.”

“All we ask is that you’re discreet,” Steve said seriously after the drinks arrived and the dinner order was placed. “So how can we help you?”

Ari pulled a small notebook and pen from her purse. “I hope you don’t mind if I take notes, but I’ll need to share this with the PI.”

“Of course,” Georgie said. “We’ll help however we can. What’s happened to Sam is such an injustice. Nina was a wonderful girl, but she was incredibly clingy. She couldn’t understand when it was over.”

Ari’s gaze traveled to Sam, who’d grown tense, but he didn’t disagree with her. She began to wonder about the relationship between mother and son.

“First, since I can’t interview the police detectives assigned to the case, I’ll need to ask you some review questions. I know Sam was home alone when Nina was killed, but where were the rest of you?”

“I was at a school music concert,” Evan offered. “I’m the assistant principal where Nina worked.”

“I was at my boutique at the John Wayne Airport, closing up,” Georgie said.

Steve motioned for another drink and said, “And I was at a charity function for the fire department.”

“And that’s why they came after me,” Sam summarized. “I have no alibi.”

“Can any of you think of a reason why someone would want to harm Nina?” Jane asked.

“I’m certain it had something to do with her occupation,” Georgie said. “She had some rather unseemly dealings with parents and students.”

“Do you remember any specific examples?”

Steve pointed his fork at Evan. “What about that Michaela girl? She mentioned her a few times. Wasn’t there a problem with the mother’s boyfriend?”

Evan cleared his throat, and Ari sensed he was hesitant to discuss students with his family. “Well, Nina suspected there may have been some abuse by the mother’s boyfriend—”

“That guy is nuts,” Sam added.

“Sam, please,” Evan said. “We’re still talking about a family at my school.”

Ari grabbed her pen. “What’s the little girl’s name?”

“Michaela Glass,” Evan answered. “She was one of Nina’s favorite kids. She’s incredibly bright and optimistic, despite having a mother with a drug problem who chose an allegedly abusive boyfriend. Their names are Eden Glass and Bobby Arco,” he added so she could write them down.

“So Bobby Arco didn’t like Nina interfering?”

“He threatened Nina at one point,” Sam said. “Told her to stay out of his business or she’d regret it.”

“When did that happen?”

“About two weeks ago,” Evan said.

“Was there anything else?”

Evan shrugged. “It’s hard to say. They were constantly showing up at the school, and Nina had many conferences with Michaela. I imagine there was a lot Nina kept to herself.”

Ari turned to Sam. “Did Nina ever talk about her journals?”

“Sure,” Sam said with a nod. “She wrote in her journal constantly.”

“You never told us that,” Georgie interjected.

“It’s not important. It was private.”

Ari glanced up. “Do you know where she kept her recent journal or her old journals?”

He shook his head. “No, we didn’t talk about it. I knew they were very private, so I didn’t press.”

The meals arrived and after sending her tri-tip back three times, Georgie was finally satisfied. Ari and Jane had both ordered the Catch of the Day, a roasted bass that was absolutely delicious. Ari couldn’t imagine how Georgie’s dinner could have been so sub-par that it needed to return to the kitchen repeatedly, but she noticed the men catered to her every whim, asking her continuously if she was all right or enjoying the meal. Ari sensed they weren’t particularly worried about Sam’s fate, and she imagined they’d hired an excellent attorney in case Sam was charged with the murder.

“Tell us about your boutique, Georgie,” Jane asked. “You have several locations, don’t you?”

She smiled as the conversation returned to her. “Yes, my store Bare Essentials is located in nearly every airport in California. We sell travel products for those who forgot their toothbrush or who want something unique like a neck pillow made from feathers.”

“You do your own art?” Ari asked.

“Yes, it’s a passion. Have you seen those painted wine and martini glasses?”

“Oh, yes,” Ari said, though she was not sure she ever had. “They make great gifts.”

“They certainly do,” Georgie agreed. “You girls will need to stop by the store before you leave. I’ll give you a special discount.”

“That would be so nice,” Jane said in her fake voice.

Ari could tell she didn’t like Georgie, so she wasn’t surprised when she turned and asked Evan, “Did you always want to be an educator or have you thought about a career in politics too?”

He laughed. “No, I think we’ve got enough politicians in the family. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher.” He threw a glance at Sam. “And if it weren’t for me, Sam and Nina never would’ve met.”

“You introduced them?” Ari asked.

The men exchanged a grin, and Georgie said, “Yes, and I may never forgive my number two son,” she joked, but her tone was laced with acid. “While I’m distraught over what happened, and I admire Sam for volunteering to plan Nina’s funeral, I knew she wasn’t right for him.”

“Don’t go there, Mother,” Sam said sharply.

“Honey, I wasn’t insinuating anything. I know you’re still getting over Nina—”

“I was
never
over Nina, Mom. That’s the part you couldn’t understand. It’s my duty to plan her service.”

He threw his napkin on the table and stormed out of the restaurant. Evan and Steve stared at their plates while Georgie toyed with her olive. “Have you ladies heard about Steve’s impending appointment?” she asked as if nothing had happened. “The governor is going to ask him to lead a special task force to investigate potential changes to the child abuse laws in California.”

Ari chose her words carefully. “Are they insufficient?”

He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Well, they’re rather antiquated. The governor is concerned that loopholes exist which allow many criminals to escape prosecution.”

“And next year is an election year,” Evan added. “The appointment could lead to something
bigger
.”

“That’s hardly the point, son,” Steve said. “This would be a valuable examination at any time.”

Evan said nothing but continued to look cynical.

“If I may ask, what did Nina think of the task force?”

“I think you just did, dear,” Georgie said.

The two men ignored her snide retort, and Evan looked at his father. Neither commented, and Ari sensed it was a point of contention between them and Nina, a social worker who likely had clear opinions about child abuse laws, especially if domestic violence victims were criminalized.
Biz will hate this guy
, she thought.

“Let’s just say,” Steve said, “Nina didn’t share my vision about reform. I’m sure she was a fine social worker, but her perspective was limited by her own experience in her own school.”

“That’s my school too, Dad,” Evan added. “Nina and I were on the same page.”

“About everything,” Georgie snorted into her drink.

Ari sensed she was drunk and becoming less inhibited with her comments.

“Of course, the governor’s interests are far more utilitarian,” Steve said, ignoring his wife. “I’m just honored that he’s considering me.”

“We’ve earned it, honey,” Georgie added, raising her drink. “After all that money I’ve contributed.”

Steve seemed to bristle at his wife’s comment. He dabbed his lips with his napkin and stared at his plate.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Evan asked, “Are you ladies interested in dessert or is that against your fitness regimen?”

Jane and Ari exchanged a glance, and each reached for her purse simultaneously. “We should get back,” Ari said. “Traveling days are tiring.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Steve said.

The two men rose and shook their hands while Georgie’s farewell was a dismissive nod with only a thin smile.

Once they were inside the rental car, Jane exclaimed, “Reality TV was never that good! What a bunch of suspects!”

Ari frowned, not sure she saw any of them as capable of murder. “I’d like to know more about Eden Glass and Bobby Arco.”

“They’re strong possibilities,” Jane conceded, “but haven’t you always said most murders are committed for personal reasons?”

“Yes, but since Nina was a social worker, she falls into a gray area. Her work was very personal and dealt with people’s private lives. If she threatened to expose Bobby Arco as a child abuser, the family would be destroyed. People will do anything to protect their families.”

“That makes sense,” Jane agreed.

“It makes the boyfriend
and
the mother more likely suspects than any of the Garritsons,” Ari continued. “Why would any of them want to kill Nina? I’m not sure disapproving of her marriage to Sam is enough of a reason, and their alibis seem solid.”

They arrived back at the resort. Ari was dreaming of a hot bath and her plush robe when Jane said, “I arranged a little surprise for us.” She wore a lascivious grin that scared Ari.

“It’s not a surprise if you know about it,” Ari said, “and I’m not up for that.”

“It’s not
that
.” She checked her watch as a knock on the door sounded. “Right on time.”

Ari dropped onto the bed, imagining Jane had invited total strangers over for an impromptu party. She couldn’t fathom three more hours of small talk even it if was in the company of beautiful women—the standard guests at any of Jane’s get-togethers. So she was slightly relieved when only
two
beautiful and buxom women in skimpy bikinis followed her into the suite carrying massage tables.

“Ari, this is Sage and Sunday, not their real names of course. I thought we, meaning more specifically
you
, could use some relaxation.”

They were practically mirror images. Both wore their long bleach-blond-hair swept to the side and their matching pink bikinis revealed skin the color of copper. They clearly had read and revered the instruction manual for becoming a California girl.

She took a deep breath and opened the balcony’s sliding glass door. “May I see you, please?” Jane bowed her head and followed her out.

“If you think—”

“Honey, they’re real masseuses. I know you’d never agree to a professional, and you’re not ready anyway.”

They glanced into the room where both women were busily setting up their tables and pots of oil.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Jane said, shedding her shoes and dress on the balcony and escorting Ari back inside.

Since all eyes were on her, she stripped and climbed on the table. It was luxurious. The knotted muscles in her back felt like stretched rubber bands about to break. She overheard Jane and Sage chatting continuously, but she preferred to listen to the quiet mood music from Sunday’s boom box. She couldn’t move when it was over.

“Just lie still for a few minutes,” Sunday whispered. “Enjoy the after.”

Only then in the absence of her touch did Ari’s thoughts drift to Molly and the missing link in her life. She realized Sunday had massaged her broken heart as well as her body.

They exchanged a friendly hug as she left and Ari expressed her thanks. Jane’s goodbye was completely R-rated. When she cupped Sage’s breast, Sage scolded her.

“No, no. I don’t mix business with pleasure. I really am a licensed masseuse, and I want to keep it that way.”