“Who was running for president?”
“Good question, let’s see, fifteen years ago who was running? You know I don’t remember. You’re the history expert, you tell me,” she laughed.
“So, the wide-eyed young girl joins his campaign and ends up working for him?”
“Well, there’s a story in that. The salad’s already done. Let me start the pasta, and I’ll tell you.”
He followed her into the kitchen.
She fussed around with the kitchenware, and then began, “I was at the election night gathering of all the campaign workers at the Legion Hall. As word of the victory spread, well-wishers poured in from the street. Air conditioning couldn’t begin to handle the overflowing mob plus the TV lights. The hall was hot and we were exhausted. It had been a long day. I took off my painful shoes, and they got kicked over, I didn’t know where. I remember I was soaked, trying to keep my damp stringy hair out of my eyes and sipping on a beer. Looking as I did, I kept ducking to avoid all the cameras.” She watched the boiling water and gave stir to something in a small saucer. “I’m skipping the garlic tonight.” In between her cookery, their eyes would reconnect.
“A special time for you.” He wondered if she could feel his eyes on her body whenever she looked away.
She went on with the dinner preparations. “I was running on adrenaline, and couldn’t have been happier. An hour later, the cameras were gone and the crowd thinned. Tony Hackett, his campaign manager, came over as I hunted for my other shoe. He said Mayor Towson wanted to meet me. Tony obviously enjoyed saying ‘The Mayor.’ I told him no way. I was a mess. I needed to freshen up, which was impossible there. Tony said just come on the mayor is waiting. I asked if the mayor was thanking all the block workers. No, he was alone and asking for me by name.” In time, she finished in the kitchen and they moved to the dining table.
He refilled the wine glasses and she proposed a toast to “new relationships.” Ray was all in favor of new relationships—could she mean them?
“I had never formally met him, and I never dreamed he knew I existed. So, there I was in my bare feet carrying one shoe and following Tony to some room in the back. He introduced me to the great man. When Al noticed I wasn’t wearing any shoes, he reached down and slipped off both of his own shoes. Wasn’t that sweet? I’m standing there sweating, straggly hair hanging down, looking like a barefooted third-world refugee, and he takes off his shoes.”
“Very classy. What did he want?” His eyes wandered around her hair and her warm blue eyes. He decided that he liked her a lot.
“Two weeks earlier, our precinct captain had failed to show up for a get-out-the-vote canvass. We volunteers started to disperse so I stood up and told them we could do it without a leader. I fumbled through it.”
“Actually, you became the leader.”
“Somehow, Al heard about it and wanted to thank me. He offered me a job at City Hall. He was mayor for eight years and I was his administrative assistant. Started selling real estate part time.”
“You must have been pretty close to him. I heard about the disposition of his estate.”
“A complete surprise. His attorney called me to his office. He said Al had changed his will recently, and left me those Chinese dishes and that rare Chinese trader’s catalog that he told you about. I wouldn’t know what to do with them. I’ll give them to charity unless you want them. You’re the only person I know that understands what they are. I know you’ll appreciate them.”
“That’s far too generous. I could never accept them. And you must be very careful about disposing of those items. You’d be making a big mistake by giving them to charity. Promise me you’ll not take any action until you talk with an appraiser. I’ve a friend at Sotheby’s in New York.”
“I’m sure they’re very nice, but I’ve no use for them. She reached across and closed her hand over his. “You want coffee now or shall we stick with the wine?”
“I had coffee in jail. Let’s stick with the wine.”
She stood by the sink while he cleared the sorbet dishes from the table and handed them to her. She turned and gave him a quick, light kiss on the lips. “You know, you’re very nice, Ray. I’m certain that you’re innocent, and I hope everything works out for you.”
He wondered what would happen if he just pulled her to him and kissed those lips hard. What he actually did was mutter, “Thanks.”
They moved with their wine glasses to the couch and sat side by side.
He was aware that an unexpected degree of closeness with Tammy had begun. Although he had no particular expectation, he did know that he wanted to spend more time with this woman. He had detected a value and an attraction to her that went beyond her physical beauty.
He would need to move carefully. Let things progress naturally. If a friendship developed out of this then it would be worth it. He hoped the evening had gone pleasantly for her. He would wait a day or so. Not appear too anxious. Then ask her out to dinner. Would she accept? That would be the mighty test of whether she wanted to see him again. He didn’t dare dream of what might happen after that.
Then he noticed Tammy had moved closer to him on the couch.
She reached over and rested her hand on his thigh, and said, “Now just because I made you dinner, I don’t want you to feel obligated to sleep with me.”
Chapter 34
When Ray nervously phoned Loraine Dellin the next day, he was surprised she didn’t hang up. In fact, she agreed to meet with him provided it was at some public place. He wanted some answers about why she had trapped him—he didn’t know why she agreed.
They met in the parking lot of the public library. She backed into a parking space but didn’t get out, sat there with the window down and the engine running. Ray leaned at the window. “There’s a bench over there, we could sit and talk.”
She didn’t budge. “This is fine, under the circumstances.”
“Yes, the circumstances being you’re ready to speed out of here as soon as I try to reach in there and grab you by the throat.”
“Is that what we’re going to talk about, retaliation? Just don’t make any sudden moves. I’m not joking about that.”
“What, you have that little Smithy Wesson next to you there in the car? Little risky carrying around the murder weapon, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t murder anyone but I know who did. That’s why I agreed to meet you. I wanted to tell you. I figure I owe you that much.”
“You owe me plenty, and I know you’re not here to help me. Okay, let’s have it, if you didn’t do it, who did?”
“Norma Martin. Did you know Martin is a Hispanic name? She’s actually Cuban.”
“Cuban-American, and runs a Cuban café. Some secret.”
“Don’t you get it? Everyone knew Al was having an affair, well she’s the one. He thought he could handle being involved with her. But she had him all sexed up so the whole tribe could rob him blind. You sleep with one of them and the entire family climbs into bed with you. That’s the way they operate.”
“Where are you getting this nonsense?”
“Al was into some big Tampa real estate deal with her not knowing her family was setting him up. The deal went bad and he broke off with her. The family was afraid he’d reveal their secrets, so she killed him. She was actually seen leaving his apartment the day of the murder.”