Chapter 30
Rachel walked down the block a ways before digging her cell phone out of her purse. She saw that she had four missed calls. All from Red. As she called him back, she stuffed the bag of voodoo trinkets in her purse.
“Rachel, finally,” Red answered, breathless.
“Sorry, I was caught up. Everything okay?”
“I’m still at Flora. I have two surprises for you. One, I think I found Erin’s mystery man.”
“And two?” she asked.
“You’ll have to see that one for yourself,” Red said. “Meet me over here.”
The Flora Gallery and Coffee Shop was a short walk from Verdene’s. As Rachel rounded the corner, she spotted the café and saw several tables with massive green umbrellas adorning the sidewalk. She spotted Red, walked quickly to his table, and sat down.
“Well, that was fast,” he said.
“I was just around the corner,” Rachel said, putting down her heavy purse. She looked around. All the tables were occupied with people enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. “Where is my surprise?”
“Here it comes now. I took the liberty of ordering lunch for us.”
Rachel turned and saw a familiar face walking toward her.
“Stacy!” She hopped out of her chair to greet her best friend. Rachel had met Stacy Case while working in the Bahamas. Stacy had been employed as a reporter by the Miami Sun and was investigating crimes against cruise ship passengers. At first, Rachel had dismissed Stacy as just being a nosy journalist looking for a story. But Stacy proved herself to be invaluable while helping Rachel crack open the case of the missing Knowles girl. Together they discovered that the cruise ship in question was involved in several illegal activities. Stacy’s extensive knowledge and persistent attitude had won Rachel over. Stacy had recently left the Miami Sun to work as a freelance writer, and she helped Rachel with cases whenever her time allowed.
“Surprise!” Stacy pulled up a chair.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were working on a big story in California,” Rachel said.
“I wrapped it up yesterday. Last night Red called me to see if I could fly in and help you guys out. We decided to keep it a surprise.”
“Well, color me surprised. I didn’t think I would see you for another couple of weeks,” Rachel said.
She hadn’t seen Stacy since they’d been in Mexico together. Stacy had flown to Cozumel along with Mike Mancini to stay with Rachel for a few days after she’d first found out about the child abduction ring. Then Stacy had been forced to return to California to cover a story she’d already committed to, about the Mexican Mafia. When they’d said good-bye, Rachel hadn’t been sure when they’d see each other again. There was no doubt that Stacy’s sudden appearance was an unexpected surprise that lifted her spirits.
The waitress arrived behind Stacy with a tray and dished out glasses of lemonade and plates of food.
“So,” Stacy said, after taking a long sip of her drink. “Red filled me in on what’s going on with the O’Malley case. Crazy, huh?”
“Speaking of crazy, I just ran into Melinda. She and another lady were at the voodoo shop when I left.” Rachel told Stacy and Red about her encounter, leaving out the part about her personal visit with Madame Verdene. She knew Red wouldn’t approve, but luckily Stacy would entertain the idea of mediums and psychics. Rachel couldn’t wait to get her take on the whole thing.
“I wish you would stay away from that place,” Red said, before stuffing his grilled chicken wrap in his mouth. “Pure crap.”
“Tell me how you found Erin’s mystery man,” Rachel said, changing the subject.
Red pointed to the coffee shop. “Erin has some paintings inside. Very nice. You should take a look. I inquired about the artwork, speaking with the manager, and she had a lot of nice things to say about Erin.” Red paused and took a drink of his bottled water. “And, she told me that Erin was just in here the week before she disappeared. I asked the manager if Erin was alone and she said no. Erin frequently met with another man at the café. Someone the staff knows very well.”
Rachel asked, “Gavin Beckwith?”
Red looked shocked. “How did you know?”
“Melinda chased me down as I was leaving the shop and told me. She thought it might help with our investigation. She apparently has been trying to decide whether to report this to the police or not. According to her, she hasn’t even told Chris yet.” Rachel felt bad about taking the wind out of his sails. “What else did you find?”
“Well, he’s a local art dealer, for starters. The manager said that Erin and Gavin were having lunch that day and Erin seemed upset about something. They had a heated conversation outside, and Erin left without touching her lunch.”
“Did the manager report any of this to the police?”
Red wiped his mouth with a napkin. “No. She said she didn’t think it was relevant at the time. You have to remember, the FBI hasn’t released information about finding Erin’s arm. They are still waiting on official tests. The manager doesn’t know that Erin is possibly dead.”
“Still. Something like that could be important to the case,” Rachel said.
“I agree,” Stacy said. “But people around here tend to mind their own business.”
“How did Melinda find out about the affair?” Red asked.
“She didn’t really say. I got the feeling it was more speculation,” Rachel answered.
“Well, I think she was on to something. The manager said that Erin and Gavin frequently have lunch here…”
“And there was a heated argument. Maybe she was breaking it off with him. Having second thoughts about putting her marriage in jeopardy,” Stacy finished.
Rachel stabbed a piece of chicken and lettuce with her fork. “Sounds easy for us to find out. We can pay him a visit. Get his photo, show it to Matt,” she said, taking a bite.
“Just what I was thinking,” Red said.
Stacy pulled a camera from her backpack. “I just happen to have my camera on me.”
“I already got the directions to Beckwith’s art gallery. It’s just a few blocks from here. We can pay him a visit after we’re done.”