Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 05 - Gems & Gunshots (10 page)

“Nicole and Rex had been dating for about six months. We all thought they were getting pretty serious and the family was happy; we all liked him. The thought of her dating an older man just seems weird.”

“How did she come about getting the job at Gemstone’s Unlimited?”

He shrugged again. “I’m not sure of the exact details. She came home one day and said she had quit her job for a better one. At first my parents thought it odd because she had been working at a dentist’s office. You see, she was going to school to be a hygienist and had been thrilled to land that job, saying that she would be able to get a hygienist’s job there when she finished school and this would be a great way for her to learn the field and start her career. When my parents asked why the sudden change, she said the job at the jewelry store was more money and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be a hygienist after all. Changing her mind frequently wasn’t an unusual occurrence with Nicole, and my parents dropped it..”

“She had only worked at Gemstone’s Unlimited a couple weeks when this happened,” I said, thinking about it, “so if she met the owner, Greg, after she started working there, then maybe they weren’t having an affair. They wouldn’t have had much time to get to know one another.”

“No, but then I don’t know how well you knew my sister. She wasn’t one to think long about her decisions. She was what my dad would call impetuous. How do you know my sister anyway?”

“The truth is, Alan, I didn’t know her.”

He looked at me strangely, not that I could blame him. Here was some woman asking him about who his sister was dating and he just found out I didn’t even know her. I would be lucky if he didn’t think I was some crazy stalker lady.

“I don’t understand,” he said, looking very confused.

“I didn’t know her,” I repeated.

“Then why all this interest?” he asked, sounding angry again.

“Look, before you get mad, please let me explain. I was at the coffee shop across the street from Gemstone’s Unlimited when the robbery and Nicole’s murder happened. I guess, since I saw it happen, I feel compelled to try and find out what happened.” It sounded crazy, even to me; I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.

Alan just sat there with a puzzled expression on his face. No doubt trying to figure out how this made sense. “So, you’re telling me that you didn’t even know my sister, and yet you are trying to find out who killed her?”

“Um, yes. Are you mad at me for it?”

“It’s weird, but I’m not mad. Actually the opposite. I can’t believe someone would care enough about a person they never met to go to such lengths to find out who killed her.”

Now, he was making me feel guilty for intruding into his family. It’s not like I was doing this just for Nicole. He made it sound like I was this wonderful altruistic person, and while I tried to do the right thing when I made choices in my life, my motives here weren’t just about Nicole. It was about satisfying my curiosity and Amelia and finding out what Greg was hiding. Now I felt like a selfish person. “Alan, I need to be honest with you. It’s not just because of Nicole that I’m doing this.”

“Stop right there, Presley. It doesn’t matter. I’m just touched that someone cares to find out what happened.”

I still felt he wasn’t exactly clear on my motives, but I didn’t want to burst his bubble either. If he wanted to think I was this wonderful person, who was I to try and change his mind?

Chapter 16

S
tevens Dental. I saw the sign from the road. This was the place. I turned in to the lot next to the building and thought about what I was going to say when I went in. This was the dentist’s office Nicole had worked at before suddenly quitting to go to work at Gemstone’s Unlimited. I had asked Alan where she had worked during our conversation and the more I thought about it, the more I needed to know more about the sudden change in jobs and to find out if she was having an affair with Greg, since Alan seemed clueless. Of course I could understand if the jewelry store was more money, but I just felt there was more to the story.

Cooper had been annoyed with me last night as I was relaying to him all the things I didn’t think added up about the robbery/murder, and he told me I was over–thinking things and not everything was a conspiracy. I ignored him and instead asked why he thought the blackmailers had postponed the money exchange until tomorrow night. It was putting him on edge as to why they would extend things. I couldn’t help it if my gut just told me that some of these
supposed
explanations from Greg were, at the very least, embellished and not the whole unvarnished truth. I was hoping to find out the reason she gave the people at Stevens Dental she was quitting. It wasn’t a huge secret; not even from employment law standards, which I knew from my old HR days. I just wanted the office gossip. Not official statements or documents like what they’d given Cooper and the police.

I got out of the car, slung my purse over my shoulder, and hit lock on the key fob making sure it beeped before I walked to the door. Last thing I needed was to have Cooper’s car stolen, or my laptop stolen from the backseat. I walked through the door and headed right to the receptionist area. At the front desk was a young woman, probably early twenties, on the phone. She held up a finger to signal she would be right with me and smiled to show her appreciation when I mouthed it was no problem.

I went over and sat down so I wasn’t hovering over her and I picked up a magazine. I couldn’t help but overhear her on the phone with what must be a very difficult patient. The girl was handling it with a lot more patience than I would have. Hopefully that boded well for me getting information from her. I heard her set the phone down and take a few deep breaths, then in a cheerful voice she called to me.

“Sorry about your wait. How can I help you?”

“No worries,” I said, getting up and walking back to her desk. “It sounded like you had your hands full.”

The girl grimaced. “Not the most fun aspect of my job, but thankfully not all the patients here are like that. Now, do you have an appointment?” she inquired very businesslike.

“Actually, no. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me about someone who used to work here: Nicole Butler, she was a dental assistant.”

The receptionist frowned. “That poor girl. What a tragedy. I’m not sure how I can help. I just started working here when she left. Maybe you want to talk to Dina. She’s the head hygienist and she’s been here a long time.”

“That would be great. Is she in?”

“Yes, but she might be with a patient. Let me check.” The girl got up and walked through the doors marked
employees only
.

A few minutes went by and the girl returned with a woman who was probably in her early thirties and dressed in scrubs. I assumed she was the hygienist the receptionist had been talking about.

“Dina, this is the girl I told you had a few questions about Nicole.”

I smiled at her. “Thanks for coming out here to talk to me. I’m sure you’re busy.”

“I am. So, what is it you want to know about Nicole?” Dina said shortly.

“Do you know why she quit?”

“Are you from the school or something? We sent out her paperwork regarding the on the job training hours. Though it probably doesn’t matter now.”

“No, no. I’m not from the school. I’m just a friend. It’s just that she had wanted to be a hygienist for so long and then all of a sudden she changed her mind and quit this job. I guess you can say I’m just curious.” Yes, I was exaggerating a little, but I thought this might be my best chance for getting the information I needed.

Dina snorted. “You must not be that good of friend then if you think she really wanted to be a hygienist.” I was startled, thinking Dina had realized I was lying about the friend part when she continued talking. “Nicole’s goal was to marry rich and never work a day in her life. She took this job to please her parents and because she thought it might be a good place to meet rich men.”

I raised my eyebrows. I hadn’t thought of a dentist’s office as being a place to meet rich men. I would think it more a place to meet someone with insurance. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, I’m sure. It wasn’t a secret. Nicole was a decent worker, but she made no bones of the fact that she wouldn’t be working her life away in a dreary office like the rest of us. I thought she was crazy to think she would meet the rich man of her dreams here, and told her as much, but I guess she knew what she was doing because she met one and quit. If only I could be that lucky,” Dina said. “Except I guess she wasn’t so lucky, ending up killed.”

“So let me get this straight. She actually did meet a guy and quit working here for him?” This sounded crazy, but just went to show you couldn’t judge.

“I thought you were her friend,” Dina asked me suspiciously. “Shouldn’t you know this?”

“Apparently, we weren’t as good friends as I thought we were,” I said, trying to sound offended like a close friend would if she found out her friend had been hiding something from her.

“Apparently,” Dina said dryly. “But yes she told us she was leaving for greener pastures. That she had found the guy she’d been searching for to take care of her and was taking a job at a jewelry store to stay busy, but she didn’t need a career.”

“Why can’t I find one of those?” the girl at the desk muttered under her breath.

“It sounds good, but I’m sure it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, Jenny,” Dina said to the girl. “There’s no guarantee or retirement plan.”

“So who was it she was involved with?”

“I don’t know. All I know is she left and then shortly after was murdered at the jewelry store. Poor Mr. Anderson. I’m sure he feels bad that Nicole was killed at his store.”

That caught me off guard. “You know him?”

“Who? Mr. Anderson? Yes, he’s one of our patients. Has been for as long as I’ve been here, which is almost eight years. Listen I have a patient in the chair and I need to get back to work. Give her family our condolences.”

“I will. Thank you, Dina. Thanks, Jenny.”

“No problem.”

I walked out of the office thinking this was the connection I had been looking for. It couldn’t just be a coincidence that Greg was a patient here and Nicole left here to work for him and then they had an alleged affair and then she ended up murdered. All of this had to be connected somehow. I pulled out my phone and dialed Amelia’s number. She answered on the third ring, sounding out of breath.

“Hi, Amelia. You sound winded. Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all. I just got back from a run. What’s up?”

“I have a weird question. Do you know how Greg came to hire the girl who was killed? Nicole?”

“No, but I can find out for you. Why?”

“I’d rather not say yet, I don’t want to misspeak, but if you could find out that would be great.”

“Sure. I’ll call you when I find out. Hey, you want to meet up at the club for some tennis and lunch tomorrow?”

“As long as you don’t mind that I suck at tennis?” I laughed. “You’re much more athletic than I am.”

“Not a problem. Okay, talk to you later.”

“Bye.” I tapped the phone on my cheek trying to think of the possible meaning this information could have.

Chapter 17

H
ello?” I said answering my phone. I hadn’t recognized the number, but it was the area code for San Diego, so it could be anyone I had recently met out here.

“Hey, Presley. It’s Alan.”

No wonder I hadn’t recognized the number. I had called him but hadn’t programmed his number into my phone. “Hi, Alan. What’s up?” I was very surprised to hear from him.

“I was thinking about what you said the other night, and I called Nicole’s boyfriend Rex to ask him how things were before she died. You were right. She was seeing someone else. She broke up with him the night before she died. I guess she just hadn’t had the chance to tell us.”

I hated to be excited about someone else’s misfortune, but I knew she had been having an affair with Greg. I just knew it, and that had to be why Alan was calling me. “What did he say?” I said, trying to mask my eagerness.

“Just that things hadn’t been great between them, that she seemed distant and wouldn’t tell him why. Especially after she had quit her job at Stevens Dental for the jewelry store. He said he finally came out and asked if there was someone else. She said yes but wouldn’t tell him who. She would only tell him it was complicated and she was sorry. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. That it just happened.”

“So he had no idea who she was seeing?”

“No. He said she refused to tell him. Listen, I have to get back to work I just wanted to call you quick and tell you this.”

“Can I call you later? There are a few more questions I want to ask.”

“Sure, but my phone is almost dead, so if it’s before five, call me at work.”

“Where is that?”

“Monroe Insurance Services. Just Google it and call the main number and ask for me. They’ll put you through.”

“Monroe Insurance Services?” I said, thinking that name sounded familiar and wondering why.

“Yeah, the glamorous family business. Hey, I really have to go. I have a client waiting. Talk to you later.”

Alan hung up and I sat there dumbfounded. Monroe Insurance Services. That was the company I called that day for Amelia to find out about the checks sent to Gemstone’s Unlimited for the stolen diamonds. This couldn’t just be a coincidence. I felt I was getting closer to knowing the truth about all this. Nicole’s family owned the insurance company that Greg just received a huge payout from and Greg may or may not have been having an affair with Nicole. Had he persuaded her to come work for him and/or start an affair with her so he would have an inside connection with the insurance company? Or were all the related things just the biggest chain of coincidences I had ever come across?

I didn’t think so. It was too many coincidences to be random acts. They had to be connected. I needed to talk to Cooper and take the chance of him getting mad. He needed to know this, which was exactly the point I was trying to get across a few hours later when he finally made it home.