up in the traffic jam that happened after the shooting and was twenty minutes late.”
“Oh,” Heaven said with disappointment in her voice, “so you weren’t here. I thought… Let me tell you what I thought. This is a pretty high building and I thought maybe you saw someone going up on the roof. They’d have to have come up this way, wouldn’t they?”
“You think a sniper used this building to pick off the Foster’s Blimp?” Dale said with barely concealed excitement.
“But I guess you didn’t see anything, before you left for the ballet?” Heaven asked again.
“No, dear, no one came up here with a deer rifle and camo gear. The only person I remember was a Santa Claus photographer, waiting for the elevator when I came down.”
Alarms went off in Heaven’s head. “Wait a minute. Someone in a Santa suit was waiting for the elevator to go up? How do you know he was a photographer?”
“He had two cameras around his neck and one of those big silver Halliburton suitcases that photographers use,” Dale said with a slight amount of pique in his tone. He knew a photographer when he saw one.
“You didn’t happen to talk to him, did you?”
“I said something like, ‘Oh, I suppose someone’s having a child’s Christmas party,’ and he smiled and nodded and got on the elevator. Nice idea, having a Santa that also takes photos of the little ones,” Dale said.
“So you never actually heard the Santa talk? And you don’t have any idea what floor he was headed for, do you?”
“No, but I know almost everyone in the building. Do you want me to ask around?”
Heaven got up and popped the last bite of the truffle in her mouth. “Would you, please, Dale?”
He stood up and gave that cute smile again. “Are you working with the police on this, or is it your own investigation?”
“My friend Bonnie Weber in the police department is heading this case, and also the death that happened atthe Foster’s factory yesterday. I just happened to be around when both of the, uh, incidents occurred,” Heaven said as she walked toward the door with her arm intertwined with Dale’s. “I think she sent uniforms around to all these buildings after the blimp was shot down. But you weren’t home to tell them about the mysterious camera-toting Santa.”
“Well, I don’t know how mysterious he was but I’m glad to be part of Heaven’s G-men.” Dale chuckled and gave Heaven a peck on both cheeks, European style.
“I’m sure this will be a waste of your time. I’d go with you up and down the halls but I’ve got to get back to work. We have lots of reservations tonight.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I have plenty of time to waste. But Katy, or Heaven as you call yourself now, from what I’ve read and what you’ve said, someone is either out to make trouble for Foster’s, or it could be to make trouble for you.”
“Don’t be silly. It was just a coincidence that I was around both times.” She hoped she sounded convincing. The thought that it was directed at her had crossed her mind. She’d dismissed it, of course, as paranoid thinking. Not everything bad that happened in Kansas City was about her.
W ow,” Joe Long said as he walked into Heaven’s kitchen/living room. “Good tree.”
“I know. Hank got it last Sunday, not at the last minute like I usually do because I’m feeling conflicted about using up our natural resources for my own pleasure. He told me that particular tree was grown to be consumed, just like a carrot. He was very persuasive.” Heaven was looking around for her bag and coat.
“How Zen, I think,” Joe said. “What are you looking for?”
“My coat and stuff. I was so tired last night when I got home I just threw them down.” She was doubled over the back of a couch, butt up, pulling on the sleeve of a bright yellow down-filled long coat that had slid on the floor. “And after that I threw myself down on this couch and watched the Christmas tree until I fell
“Oh,” Heaven said with disappointment in her voice, “so you weren’t here. I thought… Let me tell you what I thought. This is a pretty high building and I thought maybe you saw someone going up on the roof. They’d have to have come up this way, wouldn’t they?”
“You think a sniper used this building to pick off the Foster’s Blimp?” Dale said with barely concealed excitement.
“But I guess you didn’t see anything, before you left for the ballet?” Heaven asked again.
“No, dear, no one came up here with a deer rifle and camo gear. The only person I remember was a Santa Claus photographer, waiting for the elevator when I came down.”
Alarms went off in Heaven’s head. “Wait a minute. Someone in a Santa suit was waiting for the elevator to go up? How do you know he was a photographer?”
“He had two cameras around his neck and one of those big silver Halliburton suitcases that photographers use,” Dale said with a slight amount of pique in his tone. He knew a photographer when he saw one.
“You didn’t happen to talk to him, did you?”
“I said something like, ‘Oh, I suppose someone’s having a child’s Christmas party,’ and he smiled and nodded and got on the elevator. Nice idea, having a Santa that also takes photos of the little ones,” Dale said.
“So you never actually heard the Santa talk? And you don’t have any idea what floor he was headed for, do you?”
“No, but I know almost everyone in the building. Do you want me to ask around?”
Heaven got up and popped the last bite of the truffle in her mouth. “Would you, please, Dale?”
He stood up and gave that cute smile again. “Are you working with the police on this, or is it your own investigation?”
“My friend Bonnie Weber in the police department is heading this case, and also the death that happened atthe Foster’s factory yesterday. I just happened to be around when both of the, uh, incidents occurred,” Heaven said as she walked toward the door with her arm intertwined with Dale’s. “I think she sent uniforms around to all these buildings after the blimp was shot down. But you weren’t home to tell them about the mysterious camera-toting Santa.”
“Well, I don’t know how mysterious he was but I’m glad to be part of Heaven’s G-men.” Dale chuckled and gave Heaven a peck on both cheeks, European style.
“I’m sure this will be a waste of your time. I’d go with you up and down the halls but I’ve got to get back to work. We have lots of reservations tonight.”
“Don’t you worry about me. I have plenty of time to waste. But Katy, or Heaven as you call yourself now, from what I’ve read and what you’ve said, someone is either out to make trouble for Foster’s, or it could be to make trouble for you.”
“Don’t be silly. It was just a coincidence that I was around both times.” She hoped she sounded convincing. The thought that it was directed at her had crossed her mind. She’d dismissed it, of course, as paranoid thinking. Not everything bad that happened in Kansas City was about her.
W ow,” Joe Long said as he walked into Heaven’s kitchen/living room. “Good tree.”
“I know. Hank got it last Sunday, not at the last minute like I usually do because I’m feeling conflicted about using up our natural resources for my own pleasure. He told me that particular tree was grown to be consumed, just like a carrot. He was very persuasive.” Heaven was looking around for her bag and coat.
“How Zen, I think,” Joe said. “What are you looking for?”
“My coat and stuff. I was so tired last night when I got home I just threw them down.” She was doubled over the back of a couch, butt up, pulling on the sleeve of a bright yellow down-filled long coat that had slid on the floor. “And after that I threw myself down on this couch and watched the Christmas tree until I fell
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