For the People Chapter 64
Kate slides in to sit on the leatherette-topped bench in the back coffee shop booth where Naomi Jacobs is waiting. "Ms. Beckett, thank you for meeting me here. No one in my family or neighborhood comes here because it isn't kosher. And I didn't want to see anyone I know right now."
"I understand," Kate acknowledges. "Is it all right for you to have a soda or something?"
"I can have one of their bottled iced teas. It's kosher and doesn't come in contact with anything that isn't. And please, get whatever you want. It won't bother me. People I know are always eating stuff I'm not allowed to have. I'm used to it. When Jason Jordan bought me candy at the Angelika, I asked for Milk Duds. They're dairy, but they're kosher."
"Did Jason know that's why you asked for them?" Kate inquires.
"I doubt it. I mean it was my first date, and I didn't want to scare him off. And I didn't know how boys behave on dates either."
Kate nods. "And he took advantage of that. Naomi, if you can, I need you to tell me exactly what happened with you and Jason. Just start at the beginning and take your time."
"All right," Naomi agrees. "I'll try."
"While you were gone, Ryan and Esposito called to crow," Rick reports. "They said they've got the guy who slashed Alan Trehosen's throat."
"Did they get a confession?" Kate asks, slipping out of her shoes.
"No, he decided to lawyer up. But they've placed him at the scene, and the presumptive murder weapon was in the room where he was crashing. It's the right kind of steel, and the blood on it matched the victim's type. The DNA results are still out, but the suspect yelled lawyer the minute they mentioned the weapon. He knew they had him. Since Lily and I played a small role in the case, the boys wanted to know if we want to celebrate at Maria's Casa. It's a family joint. Ryan is bringing Jenny and the kids, and we could bring Lily. A balloon or two might even be involved. It could be fun."
Kate sinks down in a chair. "After what my witness told me, I don't feel much like celebrating. There's a monster out there, Babe. He's preying on young women who don't know how to recognize him for what he is. God knows how many other victims there are, afraid or ashamed to speak up. It turns my stomach."
"All the more reason to get away from it for a while. The boys won't be discussing cases in front of Sarah Grace and Nicholas. We'll just have a nice dinner. The only horror stories we trade will have to do with endless laundry and sleepless nights. And Lily will love it. You know how she likes interesting colors and smells. Maria's Casa has both."
"All right," Kate agrees. "But I want to grab a shower first."
"Lily's napping. Want some company?"
"Yeah, that would be nice."
Sarah Grace readily fills in the puzzle on the placemat thoughtfully provided by a Maria's Casa server. "This is too easy!"
"When I was a kid I used to make up crosswords of my own and give them to the so-called adults to solve," Rick recalls. "It used to drive some of the actors and crew backstage at my mother's plays crazy when they couldn't figure them out. But I remember, there was this one stagehand who got them right every time. It turned out that he was actually working on writing a play. He eventually got it produced and won a Tony." Rick pulls his ever-present notebook out of his pocket. "You want to give it a shot? You never know where a talent with words will take you. And there's always the joy of endlessly stumping the grownups."
Sarah Grace takes the notebook. "Doing my own has to be more fun than this baby stuff."
"Uh ba uh." Lily echoes.
"Is she starting to babble?" Jenny asks. "She's a little ahead of schedule."
"Genetics. According to my mother, I came out of the womb babbling," Rick replies.
"And never stopped," Esposito puts in.
"Hey, a little respect," Rick protests. "I did help you catch your key witness against your perp."
"No one is supposed to be talking shop tonight," Jenny reminds the group. "Kate, have you seen the new soap, Carnation Valley, from the producers of Temptation Lane? It's supposed to be set in a town only 20 minutes away so the characters can do crossovers. It's only been on for a couple of weeks, but there are already plotlines that pull from both shows. They broke up Felix and Lola and put them in the two separate towns. And now Felix is interested in Yvonne and Lola spent the night with a new character, Hendrick."
"I haven't seen Carnation Valley yet," Kate admits.
"Look's like we'll be adjusting the old DVR," Rick observes.
"There's a new telenovela too," Esposito reports. "My, uh, tia told me."
Rick picks up a freshly fried tortilla chip and dips it in a bowl of salsa the server warned is the spiciest. "Sounds like the airwaves are heating up across language barriers." He samples his chip and coughs. "This salsa is getting up there in the Scoville range too."
Esposito dips his own chip. "Not bad, but it could use more habaneras."
Rick clears his throat. "I think I prefer to keep that much heat on the screen, or more intimate places. But did you know that a guide just came out for the words most necessary to keep readers interested in romance novels? One publishing magazine was predicting that in a few years most romance novels will be written by robots and no one will be able to tell the difference. Rook would be so insulted and…."
Lily's feet start waving wildly as a mariachi band begins playing at the front of the restaurant.
Kate, who endlessly heard Rick's rant when the magazine article first came out, settles back in her seat. "Thank God."
Rick flinches as a trumpet player sounds a few sour notes. "Someone's having an off night."
A few seconds later the musician falls to the ground. The guitar player leans over him. "Call 911! He's not breathing." Kate rushes up to start performing CPR.
Rick sighs. "So much for a relaxing dinner."
"So did the boys ever find out what happened to the downed trumpeter?" Rick asks as Kate puts down her phone.
"The hospital wasn't able to revive him, and they're waiting on Perlmutter to figure out COD."
"I thought the brothers Perlmutter were retiring to buy a cabin in the woods to scare local fauna and rejoice in boredom."
"According to Ryan, they got too bored. So Edgar decided to start an online accounting firm, no personal interaction required. And Perlmutter came back to the ME's office on an as-needed basis. Apparently, with the shortage of forensic pathologists, they need him quite a bit. So he's on the case. But he hasn't issued a preliminary yet."
"That's unusual. As I recall, he couldn't wait to announce someone was shot or stabbed and mime the process. And if the demise was natural, he'd tell us to get lost. Could he be stumped or just waiting for a dramatic reveal?"
"I have no idea," Kate admits. "But Ryan's going to call after Perlmutter comes through. If it's a murder, I might have another case to prosecute. I've already picked up Liam O'Doyle, who allegedly killed Alan Trehosen. It's probably going to trial."
"Won't that be awkward since yours truly participated in nabbing one of your witnesses?"
"You have no direct knowledge of O'Doyle's actions. So I have no reason to call you. And whoever is defending O'Doyle doesn't either."
"I suppose that simplifies matters. But you'll be handling those two cases on top of Thomas Milcham and Jason Jordan. You're going to be a very busy lady. Are you sure you don't want running shoes?"
Kate wraps her arms around Rick's waist. "I'll think about it."
