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  The silence in the room was only broken by sound from the outside. People walking along the path outside Cameron’s house speaking in loud tones, a sort of whoosh from a sudden wind, ducks quacking in the canal. What Danny Garrett had just referred to was so damned obvious. Cameron got up from the sofa and began pacing back and forth while mumbling, “Of course. This could have to do with money. A lot of it.”

  “Okay, Danny, since you brought it up, the only other person with access to our accounts is Matt.”

  The Colonel shook his head. “Amazing that none of us thought about that. I guess we were so shocked by the disappearance and supposed robbery. And then, the discovery of poor Al’s dead body. I say poor Al even though I couldn’t stand the guy. I guess that’s what you do when someone dies violently. This is like living in the middle of one of those TV detective shows, but it’s real and I’m the only one of us who hasn’t solved some case in the past.”

  They were all left to ponder Barbara’s role in the whole gruesome matter. Was she involved or was she a victim in danger? The next step wasn’t hard to figure out. They had to call Matt and include him, if only because he had access to the bank accounts. It was decided that Cameron should be the one to place the call.

  She took her cell off the side table and pressed the link that dialed Matt’s number. After a few rings, he answered with “Matt Darwin speaking.”

  “Matt, I know it’s a little late, but could you possibly come over to my house? I’m here with Danny Garrett, the Colonel and my friend Kate Steele. As you know, Danny is former FBI and my friend is the CEO of FraudBusters. We are going over this horrible situation about the Shadys and realized you might be able to help us sort some things out.” As an afterthought she decided to add a light tone. “After all, you play a detective in the movies and on TV. This is a chance for you to get involved for real. Can you?”

  The actor had been taken by surprise but said of course he would be over. “Anything to help. Just give me ten minutes or so.”

  While they were waiting for Matt, talk turned to Kate’s business. Danny wanted to know more about it. She filled him in on two recent cases. Cameron noticed that Kate kept running her hand through her flowing auburn hair, and flashing smiles while speaking. As for Garrett, he leaned in while she was talking. His body language changed, too. Maybe, just maybe, when this was finished they would get together.

  The Colonel said, “Careful what you say to Matt. If you mention the movie, he’ll probably want to see the script for the pilot so he can try to snag a part. Even though he’s on top, as I understand it you’re only as good as your last movie in that business.”

  They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Matt stood framed in the doorway, every inch the movie idol. He wore faded jeans, a tight-fitting black tee molded to his taut body. On his feet were loafers without socks. Every hair of his salon-perfect hairstyle was in place. How did he do that with the wind blowing? Jokingly, he said, “Reporting for my scene. Seriously, what a mess this is. When Al didn’t show up at the meeting, who ever thought he would turn up dead. And, in the canal, no less. I haven’t heard anything about Barbara. Have you?”

  The Colonel said, “That’s part of what we want to talk about. Have a seat.”

  Cameron asked if she could get him a drink. When he thanked her but declined, she remembered hearing a rumor that he had done a stint in rehab for alcoholism and was sorry she had offered.

  13

  Matt Darwin settled into a chair that afforded the full view of everyone. He fixed them with his steely blue gaze, leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees, then tented his hands. The actor appeared to channel one of his on-screen characters.

  “So, I assume the main thing is the police have this under control. They do, don’t they? You all look so serious.” He paused for a beat. “Okay, what’s this about?”

  “Well, it is true they’re investigating, and true they really don’t want my input about things they may not have thought of or don’t want to explore. You know, never the cops and FBI shall meet. But, Matt, I did spend many years in the FBI, so maybe I look at things in a different way. Kate, here,” he pointed to Kate, “as Cami just told you, is Kate Steele of FraudBusters, and she also recognizes the loose ends even if the cops don’t.” Danny paused for breath.

  “Simply put, some of the things just don’t add up. For one thing, Barbara is still missing and except for you, she is the only one with access to the reserve account. An account, I must mention, that she said has millions of dollars in it. Then Shady turns up a few days after his disappearance as a bloated corpse floating in the canal, and truthfully even the cops think he may have been killed somewhere else. Fortunately for us one of the detectives loves my books and I’ve been able to get some off-the-record information from him.”

  He let that simmer for a while. They agreed before he arrived that no one would say a word while Darwin digested what Garrett said. All of them wanted him to put two and two together himself so he would see that it didn’t add up to four. Without question something was definitely off when it came to Barbara Shady. Did she have a part in all of this?

  Always the diplomat, Kate had suggested this approach would be better to avoid any chance of sounding like they were accusing him of anything. They wanted Darwin to say he’d looked into the bank account or at least say he would. By having him come to the conclusion himself, he couldn’t help but buy into their theory and not feel bad he missed something.

  After a tense silence that lasted a few minutes, the HOA president stood up and began to pace. It was easy to see he had slipped into the character of his most famous role, Detective Angus Macpherson. Even the tone of his voice changed.

  He stopped pacing and tapped an index finger against his chin. “Okay, so if she’s involved and it has anything to do with the money, I’d better check our balance first thing in the morning. When it comes down to it, we really don’t know anything about her except that she was Shady’s wife and claims to be a CPA. Before you ask, she kept all the bank statements. Like the rest of the Board members, after she took over all I ever saw were the reports and spreadsheets. They were so professional, I never thought it was important to actually check the statements. Um, I hate being involved with any paperwork other than a script.”

  “You knew Al better than any of us,” Cameron said. “By the way, would you like some water or something?”

  He smiled and said, “Thanks, that would be great.”

  She went to the kitchen and returned with a cold bottle of Evian water, then handed it to him. “Truthfully, Matt, I never had a desire to get to know him. He was such a pompous, nasty guy. He must have had a different bedside manner when he was practicing medicine, because with that personality I can’t picture him becoming as successful as he supposedly was with people in the movie industry. My guess is he liked being around them—actors and the like, so maybe he opened up more to you than to us. What can you tell us about him?”

  Darwin took a sip of water and looked thoughtful. Barely noticeable ripples appeared in a forehead that looked like it had been recently shot full of Botox.

  “Look, Matt,” Kate said, “I’m not really part of this, but I want to help. If there is even a hint of any kind of fraud here, I’ll spot it. I understand he was retired. Do you know anything about that? I mean, he was old enough to have hung up his shingle, but some doctors practice into their eighties and even longer. Did he ever talk about that with you?”

  Before the HOA president could answer, the Colonel said, “Hold your thought.” The old warrior stood and massaged his bad knee. “Gotta use your facilities, Cami. When you get old like me, you just can’t hold it as long, ya know. Don’t get up. I know where it is.”

  He limped off to the hallway just beyond the living room and turned right toward the powder room. The hall was hung with some of Cameron’s advertising awards including last year’s coveted Clio award that recognized innovation and creative excellence in advertising, desig
n and communication. The taps of his cane against the polished limestone floor could be heard in the living room. While they waited for him to return, the discussion turned from the missing wife to Al Shady and questions like whether Darwin knew if the doctor had retained his medical license and if he had any knowledge of his lifestyle before they moved to the canals.

  “Medical license? Must have kept it active. One time when I couldn’t get hold of my doctor’s office to refill a prescription, he did me a favor and wrote one. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I get these awful migraines and I guess when I called in desperation, he felt sorry for me. Now that I think about it, though, I was able to give him the name of the medication I needed, and it sure didn’t take much for him to ask what pharmacy I wanted it call into. You know, he said something like he could write prescriptions for me any time I needed something. It struck me as a little strange for him to say that. I mean we were not close friends by any means.”

  The sound of tapping in the hall signaled the Colonel’s return. Upon entering the living room, he glanced at the contemporary clock above the fireplace, an artistic creation of thick water cut glass with sterling silver hands but no numerals. “Does that thing say it’s ten o’clock? Back in my day, clocks had numbers so you could tell. You youngsters. Anything for the design and the hell with practicality.”

  His comments drew laughs, and Cameron said, “Yes, Colonel, it is ten. Time flies, doesn’t it? We were just asking Matt what he might know about the late Al Shady. I mean, none of us would buy the line this was an accident, so what could have caused someone to want him dead?” She added with unmasked sarcasm, “His warm personality? Who knows? Maybe it has nothing to do with Barbara and she just got caught up in it. On the other hand, he was pretty wealthy and she’s about half his age. Hopefully, we’ll certainly know more after Matt checks the bank balance. But in the meantime, let’s focus on Al. The cops raised the question of revenge when they tried to nail you, Colonel. In my mind that brought up the question whether anyone actually had a revenge motive.”

  Kate added, “That could be a perfectly reasonable alternative. The more we can find out about him while the cops look for Barbara, the more we can understand if this is or isn’t what it appeared to be at first. Not out of the question that it really could be all about him, and she took off because she was frightened.”

  14

  They kept the discussion going for another half-hour, but when the Colonel began to nod off, Garrett suggested they call it a night. Besides, at that point they had exhausted just about everything they knew about the ill-fated couple and agreed to meet again the following night after they learned more about the status of the bank account. Hopefully by then Garrett would also have additional information from his new detective friend.

  Cameron walked over to the Colonel who had slid down in the easy chair, his chin resting on his chest as he snored gently. She gave him a light tap on the shoulder and after a few inward snorks he sat upright looking a little confused.

  “Sorry if I startled you. Um, you sort of nodded off and we’ve decided we can’t accomplish anything more tonight, anyway.”

  Fully alert now, he said, “Did I miss anything important? This drifting off is one of the things I don’t like about being as old as I am. But then, what a blessing that I’m in ship shape. Poor old Clarence. He’s beginning to drag, too. Twelve is really old for a dog his size, but he’s a trouper, that boy.”

  Cameron and Kate accompanied the men to the courtyard to say their good nights. Everything was so quiet along the walk in front of the house it almost didn’t seem real. A lone mockingbird started a rant in one of the trees, but other than that not a sound was heard. Compared to Kate’s vintage Painted Lady Victorian right in the heart of San Francisco, the quiet Venice Canals neighborhood was downright peaceful. Kate looked up at the black sky sprinkled with stars and the small slice of moon. “I’ve never asked you this, but do you ever just come out here and drink in the peace and quiet of this paradise? It’s sort of like having your own retreat. Beautiful, tranquil. Sometimes when things really get hectic and tense, I wish I lived somewhere like this.”

  “By hectic and tense, do you mean like the situation we’re right in the middle of now? Missing trophy wife, dead old doctor and who knows what else? I mean, I know in your business you get involved in crime way more than I ever have. In fact, most of the time the only theft I’m concerned about is some other agency hijacking a client. But occasionally, like now, trouble decides to find me and when it does everything seems to blow up and Milt goes crazy worrying about me. Do you realize this is the first time we’ve been involved in playing sleuth and haven’t had Kim involved with her level accountant’s mind? What do you say we call her tomorrow and let her know what’s going on?”

  Kate yawned and patted her mouth. “Good idea. Let’s do it, but tonight I think I need to turn in. All this tranquility is getting to me.”

  As they walked back into the house Cameron said, “Do I remember correctly, or did you threaten to sell that gorgeous Victorian of yours a few years ago? I think you were considering moving to Sausalito back then. What happened?”

  “Ah, like many pipe dreams it wasn’t really practical for me. I need to be near my office and although it sounded so appealing, fighting traffic to drive in didn’t. Besides, I do love my house. You haven’t seen it since Art of Paint finished the five-color paint job. I’ll have to send you a photo. Better yet, you’ll need to spend a weekend with me when this is all over. It’s such fun to see people’s reactions when they visit for the first time expecting the inside to look like arsenic and old lace because of the cool outside. Then they walk into sleek contemporary design.”

  Cameron turned off the outside lights and locked the door. “Deal. I’d love to visit, but right now I’m going to turn in, too. I’ve got a heavy day ahead. What will you be up to?”

  “Me? I’m going to find out more about your missing Barbara Shady.”

  THE NEXT MORNING, CAMERON puttered around in the kitchen when Kate made her way down. For once the beautiful redhead didn’t look picture perfect. Instead of one of her designer outfits, she wore jeans, a tee shirt and sneakers. Even without her flawless makeup, though, she could have passed for much younger. The problem was she looked tired, and that was unusual for her.

  Concerned, Cameron poured a cup of coffee as her friend sunk into one of the breakfast room chairs. The aroma of the good French roast filled the small area. Kate put her hands around the cup and took a sip. “Boy, I’m dragging this morning. Good thing I don’t have any appointments. I just couldn’t get to sleep last night thinking about that body and the missing wife. Something is nagging at me, but I can’t seem to grab onto it. Like maybe I’d heard something about him before, but that’s crazy. I haven’t spent that much time in LA. Maybe it’s about her. I don’t know. Wish I could put my finger on it, because it is definitely bugging me.”

  “You know what? It’s a beautiful morning. Why don’t we walk over to Mama’s Bagels on Washington instead of grabbing a bite here? The ocean air should wake you up. I’ll trade these flats for heels when we come back and take off for the office where I must put my nose to the advertising grindstone while you lounge around here. That way you’ll be rested for tonight.”

  “Lounge around? Not by a long shot. My dear, I will be pounding the keys and manning the phone getting background information on those two. Hmmph. That’s called work.” She gave a cheerful laugh to show her sarcasm wasn’t anger.

  “Okay, a change of subject. What do you think of Danny Garrett? Quite a hunk, isn’t he?”

  During the walk they passed the time with small talk. Kate agreed that Garrett was a hunk and Cameron detected a nice lift to her friend’s voice as she talked about him. Mama’s Bagels occupied a prime spot in the little strip shopping center that was next to a big open area filled with tables and umbrellas. It was a popular morning hangout, and Cameron knew lots of the regulars. Before going inside to place th
eir order, she waved to a few who flashed smiles and waved back. One bald fellow with a diamond stud in his ear called out, “Hey, Cami. Who’s your friend?”

  She laughed and replied, “Forget about it. Out of your class, Freddie.”

  Minutes later they savored bagels slathered with cream cheese topped with Nova Scotia lox and capers while Kate filled her in on some of the things that had tormented her through the night. At the crux of it all was the obvious question. Why was Al Shady, respected retired Beverly Hills doctor to the stars, being watched by the police? Was he really the victim of a break in or was there something more sinister to it? Maybe they would learn more that evening.

  15

  As it had turned out, the new client wasn’t interested in promoting their Sexy Senior exercise tapes. The project at hand was much more challenging. They had added disposable underwear for incontinent men and women to their line and wanted to market it under the Sexy Senior brand. The campaign currently underway with a different agency was failing terribly which wasn’t that surprising. After all, what could be sexy about incontinence underwear for the senior demographic?

  Although she willed herself to concentrate on the campaign, the image of Al Shady’s bloated corpse invaded Cameron’s thoughts, so she was having a hard time. What had the good doctor done to deserve a death like that? True, she hadn’t liked him at all, but no one deserves what happened to him.