Page 80 of A Week Away
Even from outside I could see that I’d be underdressed for lunch. The collared shirt I’d worn the day before was sitting in a pile on the bathroom floor back at the corporate flophouse. I had almost an hour before lunch so I drove over to the mall, wandered around for a while, then finally went into Hudson’s and bought an over-priced, navy blue Izod shirt on Charles Henderson’s tab. I found a men’s room and put it on.
Then, I drove back to the hotel, parked, and went into the restaurant. It was 11:50. The tablecloths were red and white checks, which made it seem like they were downplaying the upscale nature of the place. The host, a bald guy with a thin mustache and a gold vest, walked me across the plush carpet, put me at a booth against the wall, and laid down two menus.
I glanced at the menu. It looked good but pricey. A waiter, very young and a bit nervous, came by and asked if I’d like a cocktail.
“Do you have lemon soda?”
“Limonata? Yes, we have that.”
“Good. I’ll have one.”
The soda arrived quickly and I sipped it while thinking about the questions I needed to ask Claudia. I had to find out more about Mr. Cray’s personal life. If he killed Joanne I needed to know why. I also needed to figure out if hecouldhave killed her. Had there been enough time on Monday afternoon for him to be in all the places he needed to be?
My soda was nearly gone when Claudia walked in. The host stopped her and looked as though he might ask her to leave, but she pointed at me and walked by him. As she sat down, I asked if that happened a lot.
“Him? He was just being helpful. I’ve been helped out of nicer places than this.”
She wore a dark purple dress that hugged her curves and a lot of gold jewelry that at least looked real. I hadn’t thought much about what she was wearing when I watched her walk in to Top Dog earlier.
“Purple?”
“In honor of Joanne.”
“I got the impression you didn’t like her much.”
“I didn’t. If I liked her I’d be wearing black.”
The waiter came over and asked Claudia, “Hello, um, would you like a cocktail?”
“I’ll have a Cosmo made with your best Japanese vodka. And is there a wine menu?”
“Oh, um, sure… I’ll bring one right over.” He started to step away, then came back. “Did you want another soda? Sir?”
“Sure.”
Before I could decide on my first question, she asked, “Now, who are you again? The last time we talked I neglected to ask who the fuck do you think you are.”
I smiled at her belligerence. She wasn’t going anywhere until she got her fancy lunch so I relaxed. “I told you. My name is Nick and I’m a friend of the family.”
“Joanne’s family? You in the Mafia?”
“No.” I decided I needed to resort to my cover story. “I’m helping Cass find his father. We met in an AOL chat room for people with missing relatives. Although now I’m trying to help him with what happened to his mother.”
“Mmm-hmmm, I’ve heard about men like you, chatting up teenaged boys on the computer.”
“It’s not like that. My daughter ran away a few years ago. We found her. She’s all right now. People helped me find her so I feel like I should return the favor.”
“That’s bullshit,” she said as the waiter laid the wine menu down in front of her with one hand, and with the other set down a large plate of appetizers: pate, white bean spread, tapenade surrounded by a circle of bruschetta.
“Complimentary hors d’oeuvres. I’ll, uh, get your drink. Then, you know, take your order.” He scurried off.
Claudia covered one of the tiny slices of toast with a big gob of pate. Before popping it into her mouth, she said, “Go ahead. You want to ask me questions. Ask.”
“Mr. Cray seems to have a lot more money than he could earn with a company like Top Dog. Do you know where it comes from?”
She chewed for a moment then swallowed. “His wife. She’s from some hoity-toity family around here. Made all their money in glass for windshields, I think. Or maybe carburetors? Doesn’t matter I guess.”
“With a business like that, they must need lawyers. Why isn’t he working for her family?”
