grapes from Delano—and a selection of cheeses from a small producer in Point Reyes Station.
I think Tag was happy to have a reason to come back to the conference center so he could see Lucinda and make sure she was all right.
“Let me help you with that,” Tag said. Sissy was trying to cut her own piece of pizza with the tool lying next to it, and it was clearly driving him crazy watching her struggle with it. She gave him a dirty look, no doubt reminded of her mother. Finally, Tag couldn’t take it anymore.
“The pizza has already been cut into exactly equal-sized pieces.” He took another spatula, picked up one of the perfect little rectangles of pizza and deposited it on her plate. Lucinda came over just in time.
“Tag, honey, thank you for bringing this feast over,” she said, giving him a hug. Everyone else added their thanks. “But don’t you want to get back to the restaurant? The waitstaff is probably setting the tables all wrong.”
Tag’s face clouded. “Do you really think they are? You’re right. I better get back there.”
When he left, Lucinda rolled her eyes and turned to me. “I love him, but he drives me crazy. I must have told you how he started going around with a ruler making sure all the plates were the same distance from the edge of the table. He said he saw some English butler doing it on a TV show.” Lucinda rocked her head with disbelief.
Kevin walked in and sniffed the air, then saw the food. “Nobody cleared this with me,” he said. He pulled me to the side. “Vista Del Mar does all the food service on the premises.”
I started to argue. The gift shop certainly didn’t get their food from the Vista Del Mar kitchen. I made their muffins. And what did it matter anyway? We’d been through a shock and missed our lunch. As soon as I said something about talking to the Delacorte sisters, he backed off and turned on his heel.
I left the group to eat and went outside where I could get some privacy. I pulled out my cell phone and called Frank. He was probably going to freak. He hadn’t heard from me in months, and suddenly I was calling him every day.
“Feldstein?” Frank said. “Again? What’s up now?”
“I was hoping you could help me with a situation.”
“Okay, Feldstein, I knew you were leaving something out when you called before. What kind of mess are you in? Need a background check on a guy you met online? Take my word for it—he’s probably married and a deadbeat besides.”
“I love your take on people,” I said. “I don’t need a background check, and for your information, I meet guys the old-fashioned way, in person.” I brought up the retreat and told him what had happened. As soon as I said the word
murder
, Frank made a noise, and even though I couldn’t see him, I pictured him leaning back in his reclining office chair, shaking his head.
“Feldstein, you’re in charge of a group and one of them is murdered the first night? How could you let that happen?”
“It isn’t like I planned it,” I said with an edge creeping into my voice. “And now, the thing is, they kind of think I’m going to investigate and find out who did it.” I paused while I got to the uncomfortable part. “But, well, I’m not sure how to proceed.”
Frank laughed, and I heard his chair squeak in protest and knew he must be trying to recline farther. He had this habit of leaning back to the extreme, and one of these days, he was going to push too hard and the whole thing would break. I knew it sounded ridiculous, but I always pictured that when the chair broke it would somehow catapult him into the air, which would have been quite a sight.
“We mostly stick to getting the goods on cheating spouses, and catching insurance cheats—skiing when they’re supposed to be on crutches. But I suppose I could give you a few pointers.” He stopped for a moment. “You carrying these days?”
“Carrying? You mean do I have a gun? Not even close. All I have is a
I think Tag was happy to have a reason to come back to the conference center so he could see Lucinda and make sure she was all right.
“Let me help you with that,” Tag said. Sissy was trying to cut her own piece of pizza with the tool lying next to it, and it was clearly driving him crazy watching her struggle with it. She gave him a dirty look, no doubt reminded of her mother. Finally, Tag couldn’t take it anymore.
“The pizza has already been cut into exactly equal-sized pieces.” He took another spatula, picked up one of the perfect little rectangles of pizza and deposited it on her plate. Lucinda came over just in time.
“Tag, honey, thank you for bringing this feast over,” she said, giving him a hug. Everyone else added their thanks. “But don’t you want to get back to the restaurant? The waitstaff is probably setting the tables all wrong.”
Tag’s face clouded. “Do you really think they are? You’re right. I better get back there.”
When he left, Lucinda rolled her eyes and turned to me. “I love him, but he drives me crazy. I must have told you how he started going around with a ruler making sure all the plates were the same distance from the edge of the table. He said he saw some English butler doing it on a TV show.” Lucinda rocked her head with disbelief.
Kevin walked in and sniffed the air, then saw the food. “Nobody cleared this with me,” he said. He pulled me to the side. “Vista Del Mar does all the food service on the premises.”
I started to argue. The gift shop certainly didn’t get their food from the Vista Del Mar kitchen. I made their muffins. And what did it matter anyway? We’d been through a shock and missed our lunch. As soon as I said something about talking to the Delacorte sisters, he backed off and turned on his heel.
I left the group to eat and went outside where I could get some privacy. I pulled out my cell phone and called Frank. He was probably going to freak. He hadn’t heard from me in months, and suddenly I was calling him every day.
“Feldstein?” Frank said. “Again? What’s up now?”
“I was hoping you could help me with a situation.”
“Okay, Feldstein, I knew you were leaving something out when you called before. What kind of mess are you in? Need a background check on a guy you met online? Take my word for it—he’s probably married and a deadbeat besides.”
“I love your take on people,” I said. “I don’t need a background check, and for your information, I meet guys the old-fashioned way, in person.” I brought up the retreat and told him what had happened. As soon as I said the word
murder
, Frank made a noise, and even though I couldn’t see him, I pictured him leaning back in his reclining office chair, shaking his head.
“Feldstein, you’re in charge of a group and one of them is murdered the first night? How could you let that happen?”
“It isn’t like I planned it,” I said with an edge creeping into my voice. “And now, the thing is, they kind of think I’m going to investigate and find out who did it.” I paused while I got to the uncomfortable part. “But, well, I’m not sure how to proceed.”
Frank laughed, and I heard his chair squeak in protest and knew he must be trying to recline farther. He had this habit of leaning back to the extreme, and one of these days, he was going to push too hard and the whole thing would break. I knew it sounded ridiculous, but I always pictured that when the chair broke it would somehow catapult him into the air, which would have been quite a sight.
“We mostly stick to getting the goods on cheating spouses, and catching insurance cheats—skiing when they’re supposed to be on crutches. But I suppose I could give you a few pointers.” He stopped for a moment. “You carrying these days?”
“Carrying? You mean do I have a gun? Not even close. All I have is a
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