CHAPTER TWENTY

Veronica woke to the smell of bacon frying. She waited, but the only affect it had on her was to make her hungry. All you have to do is be awake to be hungry, Veronica. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear Mac and Dick's conversation.

"I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat."

"But you still eat like chicken, right?"

"Uh, no."

"I have some meat that might change your mind."

She rushed into the kitchen before he could continue, "Dick."

He opened his mouth and Veronica frowned at him. "Bacon, Ronnie, I was going to say bacon."

Under her breath, Veronica muttered, "sure you were."

Without asking if she was hungry, Dick set a tall stack of pancakes on the counter in front of her, "these are yours." He put a plate of bacon next to it along with a pitcher of warm syrup and a bowl of melted butter. Veronica chewed on a piece of bacon while pouring the butter and syrup over her pancakes. She wasn't the slightest bit offended by the amount of food Dick laid out for her, after all, he'd seen her eat.

Veronica glanced over at Mac, "aren't you eating?"

"Just waiting for Dick."

A wide grin spread across his face. Uh-oh. Veronica pointed her fork at him, "one word and I swear I will buy you a muzzle."

"Come on Ronnie, I think Mac can handle me." He gave Mac a plate of pancakes sans bacon and then poured them both glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice. "This time, leave the mess. You've gotta go see the Doc and Rosa is on her way."

Veronica ate another piece of bacon and considered not going to her appointment. Her regular monthly checkup was next week and a few days wait couldn't hurt. Being exhausted yesterday could be chalked up to two nights of lost sleep, not anemia. What she really wanted to do was find the BMW with the dealer plates and look through Piz's laptop. Mac teased her with the information of new emails and story drafts and then wouldn't let her read any of it last night. Instead she gave her some nonsense about tomorrow being another day. Well it was tomorrow and she was ready to work.

She picked up one of the navel oranges Dick left on the counter. According to the week by week chart, the baby was just a little bigger, almost five inches long and weighing over three ounces. Soon Veronica would be able to feel her moving. She sighed and put the orange down. There really wasn't a choice; she knew it would have to wait. Mac was already dressed and Veronica excused herself to do the same leaving behind her half eaten pancakes.

When she returned to the kitchen, Mac had the dishwasher loaded and the kitchen tidy. She shrugged, "I'm not the leave it for the help type. When I was born my spoon was plastic, not silver."

"You had a spoon? Lucky you." Veronica grabbed her bag, "if we leave now, there's time for me to drop you off at the office first." Mac frowned at her. "Hey someone has to be there to control the stampede of new clients, and by that I mean you, Preeminent People Greeter."

"I think I liked Grand Poobah better."

"I'll have the business cards printed first thing." They drove to the office. Veronica asked her to print everything from Piz's laptop and reminded her about the financial information for the other Balboa County Deputies. "And don't forget to check Parker's phone records for possible calls and texts to Piz. I need to know if he was using a disposable phone." And if he did, where was it? According to the evidence log, the sheriff's office didn't have it and it wasn't in his things. Did his killer take it?

Mac disappeared inside and Veronica turned the car around. Dealer tags were only allowed on cars that were held for resale and the only people allowed to operate those cars were employees, owners, and officers of the dealership or customers taking a test drive. She seriously doubted someone was taking a test drive at eight-thirty in the morning and decided to stop by to kill Piz in the middle of it. The search of the plate didn't turn up any reports of it being lost or stolen so there was a good chance Piz's killer could be at the dealership. Then maybe you shouldn't go alone, Veronica. What did you promise Logan? No unnecessary risks. Veronica weighed her options as she pulled into the parking lot.

The doctor's office was packed. She grabbed a few issues of Pregnancy & Newborn, Fit Pregnancy, and Family Circle before settling in for a long wait. The nurse called her name in the middle of an interesting and alarming article on cord blood banking. In no way at all did she feel in the least bit prepared for motherhood. Now she had to think about leukemia and aplastic anemia when she couldn't even decide on breastfeeding versus formula.

Since it was so close to her regular visit, Dr. Villella treated it like one. She went through Veronica's chart and asked her routine questions about how she was feeling. They discussed her being tired all the time, which was normal, but she took a blood sample anyway. "I will call you in a few days with the test results, but in the meantime try eating more iron rich foods," she handed her a list, "and slow down a little."

Easier said than done. They checked her weight and Veronica cringed at the twelve pound gain. Forget Madison Sinclair, the scale was her new nemesis. "Too much?"

She smiled and shook her head, "perfectly in range, but if it will make you feel better, next time you can stand on the scale backwards and I won't tell you the number."

Veronica shrugged. As long as the baby was healthy, she didn't care about the weight.

"Are you ready to hear your baby?" Hearing the heartbeat had a calming effect on her. It was perfect. The only way it could be better is if Logan was here to share it with her. The doctor echoed the sentiment, "you know you can bring the daddy with you to your next visit."

"He's on deployment, but once he's home, he'll be coming with me." Short of tying him to the bed, Veronica couldn't imagine keeping him from any of her appointments. Although tying him to the bed did sound appealing. Veronica put it on her to do list. "Um, my hormones seem to be in a…overdrive."

Dr. Villella chuckled, "you're right on schedule for that too. Is your husband coming home soon?"

"Not soon enough."

She told Veronica to schedule her next visit in another four weeks and left her alone to get dressed. While she waited for the receptionist to make the appointment, Veronica picked up a booklet on the benefits of breastfeeding and tucked it in her purse before retrieving her cell phone.

She'd contemplated her options and narrowed it down to Dick. "Hey Ronnie how's the little two percent?"

"Huh?"

"Did you learn nothing in Sex Ed? Condoms only work like ninety eight percent of the time, no wonder you got knocked up."

Veronica actually grinned. She couldn't wait to tell Logan that his best friend was calling his daughter 'two percent.' "She's fine. I however need a favor."

"No can do Ronnie, you'll just have to wait for Logan to get home to satisfy those urges." Dick being Dick, what a surprise. She ignored him.

"Can you meet me at Dunn BMW in Encinitas in about an hour?" She was regretting not finishing her pancakes this morning, but an hour would give her enough time to get something to eat first.

"His and hers Bimmers? Nice." She explained the purpose of her trip. "And you want me to go with you? You sure you don't want to call your dad?"

"I'm sure." Dick agreed to meet her in front of Mr. Thrifty so they could arrive at the dealership together. Even after having lunch and making the drive, she got there before him. The dealership was a mile past Mr. Thrifty on the same side of the street, but what a difference the mile made. There was nothing cheap or rundown about this stretch of road. A berm of perfectly manicured grass and evenly spaced palm trees separated the dealership from the road.

Dunn BMW was its own city block, which allowed Veronica to drive a slow complete circle around the lot. Lampposts with flags reading Dunn on one side and BMW on the other ringed the blacktop. There weren't any salesmen outside, but who needed them? The highly-polished cars beckoned in the sunlight luring you in with a suggestive 'come buy me.'

She drove back to meet Dick and they took his Hummer. He was the perfect partner for this excursion. His wealth and sense of entitlement lent him the right attitude for wandering around an expensive car showroom. He could easily afford any of these models and he was waiting for something to impress him. The salesmen didn't hover, but they were paying close attention to their walking commission. They were sharks and Dick was chum in the water. With their attention focused on the money of this operation, they paid little attention to Veronica, which gave her the freedom to study them and her surroundings.

All the salesmen were exactly that, men- no women and no Marjorie. A sign on the back wall proclaimed; 'when you shop here, it's a Dunn deal.' Veronica rolled her eyes at the bad pun. None of the cars in the showroom matched Logan's and none of them carried dealer plates. She wandered back outside. These were all newer models and none of them were the one she wanted. What did you expect Veronica? A circle around it with a big black X across its hood? She finally found the dealer plate, right plate, but wrong car. Instead of a dark blue convertible, this tag was attached to a silver 650i sedan.

"Can I interest you in a test drive?" The salesman materialized out of nowhere. He towered over her and invaded her personal space. Veronica took a step back and shook her head.

Dick was by her side in an instant, "everything okay here Ronnie?" He was better than a personal attack dog.

She lightly touched his arm, "everything's perfect. This kind gentleman was just about to introduce me to Mr. Dunn."

The salesman took a few steps back and considered them. "He's in his office." Veronica waited expectantly until resignation settled over his features, "follow me."

Philip Dunn's office was three walls of floor-to-ceiling glass, which allowed him unobstructed views of both the showroom and the outside lot. It also allowed him to see their approach to his office. He circled around to stand in front of his desk before they crossed through the door. Tall, in his early forties, Philip Dunn was an attractive man. His ruddy complexion said he was happier outdoors, but his smile seemed genuine and there was a sparkle in his blue eyes.

He gave the salesman a dismissive nod and he left the room. Philip shook Dick's hand first and then Veronica's; a firm handshake, not too soft, with just the right amount of confidence. Did they offer The Art of the Handshake in business school? "Philip Dunn, it's nice to meet you…"

"Dick Casablancas and this is Veronica…" Dick stopped talking unsure if he should continue or if he'd already said too much.

Dunn didn't seem to notice the abrupt halt to the introductions, or if he did, he was too smooth to comment. "How can I help you today?" He waved toward his visitors' chairs and then returned to his position behind the desk. The wall behind him held various pictures of Philip Dunn glad-handing varying degrees of celebrities and politicians, most of them taken in front of gleaming, new BMW's. It was a not-so-subtle; you too can live like the rich and famous if you drive one of my cars.

This was a man who made his livelihood on reading people and as the old adage said, you can't bullshit a bullshitter, Veronica decided to play it straight. "We are trying to locate a witness who was driving one of your cars." Not exactly straight, but close enough. She handed him a print out of the Caltrans image. There were no telltale signs of where and when the image was taken since she'd cropped out all surrounding details until only the car and license plate remained.

"A witness? Are you with the police?"

He knew very well she wasn't because she would've had to identify herself as one. "A private investigator." Veronica showed him her license. Unlike the clerk at the Comfort Stay, he took his time reading the information before returning it to her.

"I'm not sure I should help you." She noted his word choice, not can, but should. He knew it was his car, but what else did he know?

"I saw the plate on your lot. It's on the silver sedan." Veronica backed off, "can you tell me how dealer plates work?" He visibly relaxed and launched in to a detailed explanation, most of which, she already knew from her research. She feigned interest until he was done. "So was this car sold?"

"It was."

He would be great on the witness stand; short, direct answers to her questions with no elaborating and no volunteering additional details. Cross examination was hard, maybe it was a good thing she decided to give up a career as an attorney. "When it was here were you or one of your employees driving it?"

"No."

"Where do you keep the keys?"

"In a lockbox on the showroom floor."

"Could you show me? Maybe it's been tampered with? Someone took the car and returned it to the lot?"

"Without me noticing? I don't think that's likely."

"It didn't drive itself there." No one ever accused Logan of being nice, and no one ever accused her of being patient.

"And where is there exactly?"

"A friend of mine was murdered and your car, this car, was seen at the crime scene. If you weren't driving it, you need to tell me who was, or at least, who had access to it." He blanched at the words.

"All the employees have access to the lockbox from the receptionist up…"

It was a sexist assumption, but her ears perked up at the mention. "Receptionist?"

"My sister, Marjorie, works," his face screwed up on the word works, "here when she's in need of some fast cash, which is usually in between boyfriends."

Veronica managed to remain calm and casually asked, "is she here now? Your sister? Maybe she saw something?"

"No she's back home with our parents in D…why this interest in my sister?"

A nonchalant shrug, "no interest. Can I ask your other employees if they saw anything? Noticed any keys missing?"

"I would prefer it if you didn't." He stood up to signal the end to their meeting. Veronica didn't bother to thank him for his time. She hustled Dick out of the office and back to his car.

"Talk about boring. Is this what you do all day? Maybe it's time for a career change Ronnie."

"That my friend was one of the most interesting conversations I've had in weeks."

He stared as if she'd lost her mind. "Your idea of a good time and mine are radically different."

"And we all know what your idea of a good time is Dick."

"Yeah well, two percent says you know how to have some fun."

An interesting conversation was going to be explaining to her five-year-old why Uncle Dick kept calling her two percent. "I wouldn't let Logan hear you call the baby that."

"Why? Unlike you, he has a sense of humor." He dropped her at her car and with a wave he took off. Veronica couldn't wait to get back to the office. Here's to the inventor of smartphones and 4G wireless. She accessed her search engine and plugged in the name Marjorie Dunn. There were just as many Marjorie Dunn's in the state of California as there were hotels in and around Neptune. She would have to find Marjorie through Philip.

She searched for him using the address of the dealership and then with his social security number found his home address. Hopefully there was a Mrs. Dunn and she was a stay at home mom. Veronica took the 5 South toward Del Mar and then traveled inland. His dealership must do well, but not well enough, to afford waterfront. It was an average size house of the familiar California tan stucco and terracotta tile roof variety. Veronica rang the bell. Philip Dunn's wife had the same ruddy, outdoor complexion as her husband. Athletic and toned with sun-kissed brown hair and wide doe eyes, she smiled at Veronica. "Can I help you?"

"Is Marjorie home?"

Her brows knitted together, "Marjorie doesn't live here."

"Oh. You must be her sister-in-law, Karen right?" Thank you search engine.

"I am."

Great she was just as chatty as her husband. "When I talked to her last night, she said she was back in town and we made plans. Told me to meet her here."

Karen's gaze wandered past Veronica and down the street as if looking for her errant sister-in-law. From her unhappy expression, it was clear she was hoping to avoid finding her.

"Would you mind if I waited for her?" Veronica asked at the same time Karen said, "why don't you try her apartment?"

"I thought she lost that apartment when she broke up with whats-his-name."

"Hard to keep track of them isn't it? No, if she's back in town, she's there."

Veronica bit her lip, "uh you don't have the address do you? For my GPS? I'm not so good with directions. I tend to get lost."

"Hang on a sec." She left the front door open and Veronica peeked inside. A cramped foyer cluttered with kid debris; shoes, sneakers, bookbags, a skateboard and a soccer ball. She backed out before Karen caught her snooping. When she returned, she was holding a small address book. "It's 1031 Cliff Drive in Neptune."