Granny Apples 05 - Ghost in the Guacamole (10 page)

Emma leaned back from the computer screen and took another sip from her glass while she pieced together what they knew so far. “We have Carlos Fuentes, a college-bound waiter at Roble meeting some mystery man in secret and taking a wad of cash from him. From what we can determine, this guy knows T.J., or Carlos would not have mentioned him.” She put down her glass and leaned forward, willing the photos to say something she could understand. “Did you pick up anything about any of the Ricardos?” she asked Phil.

“Not that I could hear,” he reported.

“So,” Emma continued, “we have no idea if this meeting had anything to do with the Ricardo family or the sale of the restaurant.”

“Maybe T.J. sent the guy to make the money drop,” suggested Granny. “You know, so they wouldn't be seen together.”

Emma nodded. “That's a good point, Granny.” This time Elizabeth did the honors of translating Granny's comment to the two men.

“Yes,” Phil agreed. “A very good point.” He turned to the ghost. “Granny, what else did you observe following Carlos?”

The ghost thought about her answer for a minute. “Not much. After he stashed the cash in his locker, he went back downstairs and waited tables and helped tidy up the restaurant for dinner. His shift ended shortly after that. He changed out of his waiter's shirt, grabbed the money, and took off on a motorcycle parked at a nearby gas station. I think he knew the people at the station because he waved to them as he took off.”

Emma relayed the information, then added, “They might be friends who keep an eye on his motorcycle while he's at work. Did you tag along, Granny?”

“I did. He went to a house in a residential neighborhood. I think it was his family's home. There was a middle-aged woman cooking and a couple of kids running around. Carlos changed his clothes, had something to eat, and talked a little to the woman, who I'm pretty sure was his mother. Soon after, he kissed the woman on the cheek and left again. This time he went to a nearby school, a college I think. He was hanging around talking to some other kids for a little bit before getting a soda and settling at a table outside to study.”

“It sounds like he's taking some evening summer school classes before entering college in the fall,” noted Phil.

“Sure does,” Emma said. “That's pretty ambitious.” She looked at Granny. “What about the money, Granny? Did you see it again?”

The ghost nodded. “He stashed the envelope in a box in his closet. A shoe box or something like that.”

“What was the neighborhood like where Carlos lives?” Phil asked. “Could you tell?”

The ghost gave the question a lot of thought before answering. “It wasn't as grand as this one by a long shot,” she said, describing what she remembered. “The houses were small and close together, but mostly tidy and well maintained. Lots of kids running around outside. Carlos waved to some folks when he drove up, so I'm guessing he grew up there or has lived there a long time.”

Emma gave the report to the others. “Sounds like a typical blue-collar neighborhood.” She looked at Granny again. “You didn't by any chance notice what city or area it was in, did you?”

The ghost shook her head. “That's a negative, Chief. And I'm not sure I could find it again. I was connected to Carlos, not the place. I do know we took the freeway to get there, but I'm not sure which one.”

“That's okay, Granny,” Emma told her. “You did great.”

“Okay,” said Phil. “We have this seemingly nice kid from a working-class family taking a lot of secret cash from a man in a suit. I don't think it was a drug exchange because it didn't look like Carlos gave the guy anything in return.” Phil turned in Granny's direction. “You didn't see Carlos hand anything off to that man today, did you, Granny?”

“That's another negative,” the ghost answered. Emma repeated her answer to Phil, this time word for word.

“We really need to identify that man in the photos,” Emma said. “Phil, can you capture that frame where his face is the most clear and e-mail it to me? Maybe I can find out who he is.”

“I can,” Phil answered, “but I won't if you're going to flash it around.”

“Why not?” she asked, a little annoyed.

“Because we don't know anything about this guy,” Phil answered. “Use your head, Emma. If he has criminal connections, especially to any gangs, just showing his photo around could get you killed.”

“Phil's right,” Paul Miller agreed, taking his seat again.

Emma's mother picked up the near empty pitcher. “You two talk some sense into her hard head. I can't even listen to this.” She went into the house through the back kitchen door, then stuck her head back out. “Are you two going to be here for dinner or going out?” she asked Phil and Emma. “Your father was going to grill swordfish tonight.”

Emma and Phil looked at each other, then Emma said to Phil, “Would you be disappointed if we skipped that movie and stayed in?”

“Not at all,” he answered with a smile. “We can all watch a movie here.”

“Hot dog!” Granny said with excitement. “I love family movie nights.”

“We'll join you, Mom,” Emma said to Elizabeth. “Do you have enough?”

“Plenty,” Elizabeth said with obvious pleasure at the thought of a family dinner at home. “Would you whip up that couscous salad to go with it?” Emma smiled and nodded. “And we'll also grill some eggplant and tomatoes,” Elizabeth added. “How does that sound?”

“Better than any five-star restaurant, Elizabeth,” Phil answered with a wide smile.

When Elizabeth went back into the house, Paul said to them, “What we need is a way to check on the identity of this guy without raising suspicion.”

“We?”
Emma said, snapping her eyes to her father.

“You know what I mean,” Paul said. “Don't you have any connections you could ask for a favor, Phil?”

Phil laughed. “Tax attorneys do deal with criminals, Paul, but not usually this type.” A silence fell over the table, then Phil added, “But I think I know of a contact Emma has and doesn't even realize it.”

“W
HAT
in the world are you talking about?” Emma asked Phil with surprise. “Or should I ask, who in the world are you talking about?”

Phil gave her a sly grin. “Who texted you just today?”

Emma gave the question quick thought, then asked, “Gino Costello?”

Paul Miller sat up with interest. “Isn't that Tanisha's father, the famous writer?”

“Yes,” answered Phil. “And a few years ago he wrote a best-selling novel centered around Latino gangs in Los Angeles.”

Granny move closer. “That doesn't mean he can finger the guy in the photos.”

“I agree with Granny,” said Emma. “She just said that doesn't mean Gino can identify the man with Carlos.”

“I said
finger
him,” the ghost said with emphasis. “If you're going to investigate crime, you have to learn the lingo.” Emma didn't translate that.

“You don't know unless you ask,” Phil said. “It's a great book. I remember seeing him on a lot of talk shows when it first came out. He'd done quite a bit of deep research for it, including being given direct access for interviews by the gangs themselves. Seems they were determined that he get it right in the book. He was even blindfolded and frisked for wires when he was taken to meet with them.”

“I wished I'd been there,” said an excited Granny.

“It wouldn't hurt to ask the man,” offered Paul.

Emma fished her phone out of her purse, which she hadn't taken into the house yet. She put the phone on the table, where it remained quiet and still while she gave the idea thought. “He did text me to call him.” She picked up the phone and started sending a message.

“You writing him now?” asked Paul.

“Yes, Dad. I'm going to ask him when is the best time to call tonight, if he's available. He lives in Chicago, which is two hours ahead of us, but he could be anywhere at the moment. I understand from Tanisha that he travels a lot.”

Almost immediately, Emma got a text back. “Wow, that was fast!” She read it. “He says he's available for a call around nine tonight our time. He'll call me.”

“Can I sit in on it?” asked an eager Phil.

“There he goes,” said Granny, “going all fan-boy again.”

Emma smiled at Granny, but said to Phil, “Sure and make sure you e-mail that photo to me so I can send it to him if he agrees to look at it. Meanwhile, I'm going to go make that couscous salad for dinner.” She looked at the time on her phone as she got up from the table. “Today has flown by. Seems like we were just having lunch and now it's almost time for dinner.”

“Don't you want to hear what else I found out?” asked Granny, her hands on her hips with impatience. “Or don't you care now that you have a fancy writer on board?”

Emma stared at the ghost. “You have more, Granny?”

“That's what I said, isn't it?” Granny tapped a foot on the patio floor.

“But I thought you said Carlos just went home then to school.”

“He did,” answered Granny. “But there was something else that happened at the restaurant that you haven't given me time to tell ya. You're not the only one who can do that fancy multitasking, ya know.”

Emma took her seat, saying to the two men, “Granny said something else happened today at the restaurant.” Once settled back at the table, she said to the ghost, “Okay, Granny, spill it.”

“Well, not if you're going to get all snippy with me,” the ghost said with a sniff.

“Really, Granny,” Emma said, working to keep frustration out of her voice. Granny could be so touchy at times and sometimes needed to have information pulled from her. Emma attributed part of that to Granny being a ghost with a sketchy sense of time and the other part to Granny simply being ornery. “I want to hear what you found out. I'm all ears.”

Even though the two men couldn't hear Granny, both leaned forward to show their eagerness for the report.

“After Carlos went back to work,” Granny began, “it got kind of boring so I flitted around doing some hard-core surveillance.” The ghost scrunched her hazy brow to show how serious she was taking her assignment. “The place was almost empty of customers. The chef was in the kitchen getting things ready for dinnertime. You know that pretty young hostess that was there before?”

“You mean Ana Gonzales? Hector's daughter?” asked Emma.

“Yeah,” confirmed Granny. “Her. Well, she was on break and in the storeroom playing kissy face with one of the other waiters.” Emma quickly told the men the report so far.

A muted chuckle came from deep in Phil's chest. “Good thing her father is off today.” He'd gone back to researching on his laptop.

“Hector wasn't off today,” Granny said, clearly confused.

“Yes, he was, Granny,” Emma told the ghost. “Before you and Felix showed up today, Rikki told us that Hector takes Wednesdays off, including today.”

“Well,” Granny said with assurance, “working or not, he showed up and went straight upstairs and barged into Rikki's office. It looked more interesting than watching Carlos fold napkins and fill salt shakers so I followed him. Rikki was at her desk working and Hector started yelling at her.”

“Hector and Rikki were fighting?” Emma asked with interest. She was looking at Granny but heard Phil's computer go silent next to her.

“Like cats and dogs,” Granny confirmed. “He was growling and baring his teeth like a pit bull and she was hissing and fussing like an angry cornered feline.”

“What about?” Emma asked. “Could you tell?”

Granny nodded. “At first it was difficult to understand. They were speaking in Spanish, but Hector was so wound up and talking so fast that I think Rikki was having trouble following him. He was pacing and gesturing like a windmill as he yelled.” Granny herself paced while she tried to piece it all together. “I thought he was going to have a stroke.”

“What is it?” asked Phil.

“Granny witnessed a big argument today between Hector and Rikki,” Emma told the men. She turned back to Granny. “Go ahead, Granny. What else happened?”

“Rikki told Hector to calm down and to speak slower and in English. She got up and closed the door to her office and got him a bottle of water from one of them small iceboxes she had by her desk. After she handed it to Hector, he plopped down on her sofa and drank some of it and collected himself a little, but he was still steaming mad. But at least I understood what he was saying after that.”

Emma translated for Phil and Paul. “What else, Granny?” she asked when she was done.

Granny looked directly at Emma. “They were fighting about you, I think. At least part of the time.”

Emma pointed at herself. “Me? Are you sure?”

The ghost nodded. “Hector was mad that Rikki had you come back. He said T.J. was right, that you were a fake and probably a plant by either Lucy or Fiesta Time. He demanded to know what you said to Rikki.” Still surprised, Emma told the men.

“Wait a minute,” said Phil. “Hector wasn't even there today when we were. I wonder who told him.”

Granny shrugged. “Rikki asked him the same thing and he didn't answer.”

“I'll bet it was his daughter who told him,” Phil said even before Emma had a chance to translate Granny's response.

Emma shook her head. “But she wasn't there today when we were. At least I didn't see her.”

“What about the other waiter we saw with Carlos?” Phil suggested. “Maybe that's her boyfriend and he told her and she told her dad.”

“Granny,” Emma said, returning her attention to the ghost, “what did the boy with Ana look like?”

The ghost gave it some thought. “He seemed about her age, maybe a little older, but not much. He wasn't as tall as Carlos, but not a little guy either. Oh, and he had a mustache, one of those scraggly ones that hardly seems worth the trouble.”

Emma turned to Phil. “I think we found the source of Hector's information. From Granny's description, I think Ana's boyfriend is the same waiter we saw with Carlos when we arrived. It's a safe bet either he told Hector or he told Ana and she told her father.” She looked back at Granny, who was now kneeling and cooing to Archie, who was on his back showing his belly to her. “What did Rikki tell Hector, Granny?”

“Sounded like the truth to me,” Granny said. “She told him that Felix showed up and wanted her to sell the restaurant.”

“That couldn't have gone over well,” noted Emma.

“I've seen dynamite explosions with less bang,” said Granny. The spirit stood up and came closer to Emma. “Hector got downright nasty after that. He called Rikki a fool if she listened to you and a fool to believe Felix could return from the dead.” Granny furrowed her forehead and punched the air like a boxer. “I wanted to give him what's what for talking to that poor girl that way.”

“What else did he say, Granny?” prodded Emma.

“Not much, but Rikki assured him that she has no intention of selling and he needs to be patient and to trust her.”

“Did that calm him down any?” asked Emma.

“It did seem to mollify him a bit, at least until Rikki mentioned something about her father's death.”

Emma sat up straighter. Quickly she brought the men up to speed on the conversation. “Did she ask Hector about it, Granny?”

“She sure did. She asked Hector if there was anyone who might have wanted to kill Felix. The question took him aback and he reminded her that the coroner called it an accident. Then Rikki said something like, but what if it wasn't? Hector was still for a moment, then exploded, calling Rikki a little fool again.”

“What did Rikki do?” asked Emma.

“I half expected the child to dissolve into tears, and she seemed close to it, but then she changed.”

“Changed how, Granny?” asked Emma, her senses pricked and sharp.

Granny floated back and forth as she remembered. “It was as if she became another person,” reported Granny. “Just when I thought she was going to start sobbing, she straightened up in her chair with ramrod posture and glared at Hector. Then she reminded him that even if he was like family, in the end he wasn't. He was an employee and he needed to remember his place.”

“Boy, that doesn't sound like Rikki at all,” said Emma. She paused, then asked, “Granny, did you see any indication of Felix's spirit being present when this happened?”

“None,” answered Granny with a shake of her head. “But I get what you're saying. It could be he was there but slipped in undetected and took her over, but I don't think so. I don't think Felix's spirit is that evolved. He can barely find his way down a hallway.”

“What happened next?” asked Emma.

“Not much,” Granny told her. “Hector seemed stunned by her turn of behavior. After a few seconds of silence, he got to his feet and left, but not before giving her one of them if-looks-could-kill stares.”

When Emma finished giving a full report to Paul and Phil, Phil said, “Do you think Felix was there, or do you think Rikki had finally had enough badgering from Hector? Didn't you say he sometimes forgets she's in charge?”

Emma nodded. “That's what Rikki said. Maybe she finally did have enough. Everyone is telling her what to do, including the ghost of her father. Rikki needs to do what is right for Rikki, even if that means bucking Felix and Lucy or pushing back on the pressure from T.J. and Hector.”

Emma got up from the table. “Nice work, Granny.”

“Do you want me to keep tailing Carlos or keep looking for Felix?” the ghost asked.

“Neither,” Emma answered. “Except for the call later with Gino Costello, let's all take the night off.” Emma headed for the back door. “Meanwhile, I have a couscous salad to deal with, which is sounding like a whole lot more fun.”