Part 9 (1/2)
Trevor entered from behind us with the wine bottles. ”Happy Thanksgiving, Linda.” He kissed her on the cheek. ”What would you like me to do with these?”
”Oh, how nice of you both. Thank you so much. Here, let me take them. I've already got two bottles open.”
He handed over the wine, then stood gazing at the food.
”Can you do me a favor?” she asked. ”Can you take these out to the living room?” She handed him a silver tray of mushrooms and one of canapes. ”I have my hands full right now.”
”Sure, no problem.”
She watched him leave, then lowered her voice. ”Yes, shoo fly, shoo, and don't come back. Why is it men always want to stick around the kitchen and get in the way? At least Wolfgang knows better than to come in here when I'm cooking.”
I glanced at the hired chef, a lanky older man Linda had used on other occasions. He didn't look up from his stirring and seemed happy to be left alone.
”How are you feeling?” I asked.
”Fine.” She rotated her shoulder for me. ”I still feel it a little, but less and less all the time.”
I looked back toward the door leading to the living room. ”And did you talk to her?”
”Who?”
”You know.”
”Gwyn, not in the kitchen.” She motioned toward the cook, then whispered, ”Big ears.” She took me by the arm. ”Come on, I want to show you the new bathroom.”
She led me down the hall past the living room and on upstairs, then she stopped and turned to me. ”I called my girlfriend, Sheila, and everything is set. I talked to the investigator just last night and we decided to do a background check on them, then go from there.”
”That's all?”
”Well, if there's a red light somewhere in their past it will probably show up there.”
”But I thought maybe he would follow them and see what they're up to.”
Linda studied me. ”I don't understand. What would we gain by doing that? I don't think they're going around committing murders right and left. We would have read something in the papers by now.”
I rolled my eyes. ”It just seems like we should try to find out as much as possible, as soon as possible. You know, bug their phones. I don't know.”
”We'll do the background check-for now. It's what he suggested.”
”Did you tell him why we were asking?”
”h.e.l.l no. Why, did you think I would?”
”I didn't think about it until just now. What did you tell him?”
”Just that I wanted to check out their past. I didn't tell him more than that and he didn't ask.”
I nodded. ”Did he say how long it would take?”
”No, but he'll leave a message on my cell phone when he's got something.”
We walked toward the remodeled bathroom even though I'd seen it the last time I came to visit.
”You saw this already, didn't you?” she said.
”Yes.” I peered inside at the new shower, white embossed wallpaper, and green and white striped towels. A painting I'd done for Linda of a marina lined with sailboats adorned the wall.
”We should get back,” she said.
The men were standing near the front window by the Christmas tree as we approached. Wolfgang held a gla.s.s of red wine. Trevor was reaching for another stuffed mushroom.
”So when do we eat?” Wolfgang asked with a smile at Linda.
”When it's ready,” she answered, coming close to him and whispering something up toward his ear. He bent down to listen, then laughed.
”Hey, no secrets,” said Trevor, wagging a finger. ”Very impolite.”
”She's making lewd suggestions.”
”I was not.” Linda bopped him on the arm.
”Yes, you were.” He drew Linda into his waist and held her there.
I looked across to Trevor, my arms folded tightly to my chest.
”Gwyn,” said Wolfgang, ”don't look so stiff. Relax.”
I ignored him and nodded toward the Christmas tree, delicately ornamented in silver and gold. ”Your tree is so pretty. I don't even have ours up yet.”
”I didn't do it this year,” Linda said, ”what with the accident. Wolfgang wouldn't let me.”
”I don't know why she bothers,” he said, ”too much work if you ask me.”
”I like decorating the tree,” she said. ”It puts me in the mood for Christmas.”
”Seems silly,” said Wolfgang. ”We're not even going to be here.”
”You're not?” I said. ”Where are you going to be?”
”Hawaii,” said Linda. ”Isn't it great? It's Wolfgang's idea, a surprise Christmas present for me. He sprung it on me this morning.”
”How long?” I asked.
”Two weeks,” she said, ”over Christmas and New Year's. We'll have the remodeling done by then and we'll both need a break.”
”And,” said Wolfgang, ”it will give her an excuse to buy a whole new wardrobe for her new enormous walk-in closet.”
”And for you to parade around in front of all the young chickees on the beach.”
Wolfgang raised his eyebrows. ”Hadn't thought of that.” He flexed an arm. ”I'll have to add a few extra reps to the workout.”