Chapter 8
“I’m going home with Gregory tonight after we’re done here,” Sascha told Kat and Prescott before closing, and Gregory showed up to take her home. “We’re dropping by my apartment to pick up some of my things.”
Kat raised her brows.
“He wants me to try and figure out who is attempting to kill him. He’s paying me to do the searches, just like he’s paying his PIs to investigate it. I won’t charge him if I don’t come up with something that will help though.”
“For how long?”
“Four days. The carriage house won’t be ready until the fifth day, so I figure I’ll live in luxury at his place for the time being and try to figure out what’s going on.
But if you want me to look into his business, I can.
” She said that for Prescott’s benefit, since he was in competition with Gregory.
Prescott smiled. “No. But if you can learn who is after him, that would be great. We just don’t want you to be in the thick of it.”
“I’ll be careful. Whoever this guy is, he didn’t go after the PIs that Gregory hired. He hasn’t tried to attack Rose. Just Gregory. And I’m certain he thought Gregory was in the limo when the pickup truck attacked us on the bridge.”
“Okay, well, if it gets crazy, call us, and we’ll come pick you up, and you’ll stay with us,” Kat said.
“Or you can stay with me,” Lucy said.
“Thanks,” Sascha said.
They finished with their last customers, and then Gregory was there to help them take down the tents and pack up their supplies. That was something Sascha hadn’t expected. She was glad for the extra assistance.
Once they hauled out their gear on a wagon and offloaded all of Lucy’s booth items, table, chairs, tent, in the back of her car, then unloaded Sascha’s stuff into the back of Prescott’s SUV, Sascha gave them all hugs and said good night, then went with Gregory to his car—a ten-year-old-or-so Ford Explorer.
She couldn’t imagine him having an older car like that.
It wasn’t brand new, not some fancy brand car, not a sports car, and not a vintage car.
He got the door for her. It was clean, detailed, but nothing like she had expected. She climbed into the seat and fastened the seatbelt, and he got into the driver’s seat. “If you’re wondering, this is my undercover car.”
She laughed. “Okay, I get it.”
“I bought several. They’re at different locations, not at the house. That way no one knows or, hopefully, suspects they’re mine.”
“How do you get to the house then?”
“I drive it there, and then Raymond or one of my other staff members drives it away from the house and stores it somewhere that’s preplanned.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. After the limo accident, I had to come up with a plan.”
“It sounds like a great plan.”
When he arrived at her apartment, she was going to tell him that he didn’t need to come in, but he was already getting out of the car to get her door. Such a gentleman. Just like Damon.
Then she unlocked her apartment door, and they went inside, and he looked around at her colorful, eclectic apartment. She hurried into her bedroom to pack a bag. “You have a swimming pool, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Sometimes I can get some really great ideas when I’m relaxing in the pool.”
“Yeah, I do some of my best thinking in a pool or the shower.”
She took off her gypsy clothes and put on a wide-legged pair of striped pants and a matching long-sleeved shirt in greens and blues—comfortable and fun. She slipped on some loafers, packed her bags, and rolled them out to the living room, where Gregory was looking at her family photos.
“Still trying to figure out more about us?”
He chuckled, took the bags from her, and carried them to his car while she locked up her apartment. He put her bags in the back. He drove her to his home, and she rested against the seatback.
“I bet your work wears you out.”
“You mean because I have to concentrate on visions? It sure does.” She was certain he meant because she had to make up so many stories for so many people.
“So when you mentioned bars with regard to Marvin, were you thinking about some of the bars he frequents?”
“No.”
Gregory glanced at her. “Then what?”
“He’ll be behind bars. Though I don’t know for sure, like in a premonition, I would imagine that when he ends up in jail, if Rose is still seeing him, that will be the end of their relationship.”
“Why is he behind bars?”
“I don’t have the foggiest idea. I just see him holding onto the bars of a jail cell, yelling that he wants a phone call to get in touch with his lawyer.”
As soon as they arrived at Gregory’s house, Sascha saw Stephanie’s white Chevrolet Cadillac sitting in the circular drive.
“Hell,” Gregory said.
“I told you so.” Sascha wondered how long it would take Gregory to believe she had special abilities.
A man left the house and carried Sascha’s bags back in, while another got in the car and drove it away.
Gregory escorted Sascha into the house. Rose hurried to meet them and warn them that Stephanie was there.
Sascha gave Gregory an I-told-you-so look.
“We saw her car," Gregory said, annoyed.
"That's not all. Damon came with her."
"Hell, no." Gregory looked at Sascha.
She shrugged. "I don't know about everything that's going to happen. I told you that before." She just hoped Lucy wouldn't hear that Damon was here when Sascha was.
"I told them that we were having an intimate dinner, but you know how Stephanie is.
As far as she is concerned, an intimate dinner includes her.
And Damon took over in the kitchen to make sure there would be enough food for all of us.
" Rose got a call and answered it. "No, Marvin. We have dinner guests."
Gregory reached for her phone, and Sascha suspected Rose wouldn't just tell Marvin no and stick to her guns.
"No, we're not setting another place so you can join us," Rose said.
"Give me the phone," Gregory said, ready to put Martin in his place.
Then Sascha saw Damon talking to Stephanie in the living room. She needed to put Damon in his place too. She stalked off to the living room.
Gregory took the phone from Rose and said, "You're not invited to dinner, Marvin." Then he hung up on him and handed the phone to Rose.
"I already told him that," Rose said, annoyed with Gregory.
"You weren't invited to dinner," Sascha said to Damon, following Gregory’s lead. "What will Lucy think if she learns of it?"
"I didn't know you would be here. I came to speak with Gregory."
"Oh?" Sascha wasn't sure he was telling the truth, but then again, he wouldn't have known she was going to be there, so maybe he was.
"Yeah. A guy's been coming around Lemoyne's frequently of late.
He asked the staff if you, Gregory, ever come to the restaurant.
They told him for sure, but that you didn't have a regular time that you visited.
He asked if you had a significant other.
And the staff said not that they knew of, except sometimes you're there with your sister and her boyfriend, Stephanie, or business clientele. "
"What did he look like?" Gregory asked, coming up behind her.
"He was wearing a dark suit as if he were one of my customers, and he belonged at the restaurant.
He was about six feet tall, had reddish-colored hair, and wore rectangular metal-rimmed glasses; they didn't notice his eye color.
But he talked to the staff when they were at locations without security cameras.
No one thought much of it until they heard about the accident.
They knew Sascha was involved, and we had dated so they wondered if there was any connection to the unknown man. "
Maria asked, “Is everyone staying for dinner?”
Gregory reluctantly nodded, and they all took their seats. Stephanie made sure to sit next to Gregory, who was sitting at the head of the table. Gregory made sure Sascha sat next to him, holding out her chair for her but not for Stephanie. And Damon didn't either, but he got Rose’s chair for her.
Wine was served, and then the salads and hot loaves of bread were set on the table.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Gregory sounded irritated.
Even though it didn't sound like the details were enough to catch the guy, it did give them something else to go on.
"No one told me until this evening when they realized whoever this man is, he might be the one involved in the limo accident involving Sascha," Damon said.
A few minutes later, Maria came to speak with Rose and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner, but Marvin is here. Should I set another place for him?"
"No!" Gregory threw his linen napkin on the table and stalked out of the dining room. Rose waited a moment, probably trying to decide if she wanted to get involved or let Gregory handle it, but then she hurried after Gregory.
Sascha wished she had the ability to make someone disappear, like Marvin and Stephanie.
"You're not planning on staying here at Gregory’s place, are you?" Stephanie asked Sascha.
"I am. I'm not sure for how long. We'll see." She had no intention of telling Stephanie what she was doing here or how long she was staying.
“I wish you wouldn’t, for your safety,” Damon said.
Then Gregory and Rose returned to the table together, both of them looking very unhappy about the situation.
Sascha tried to think of anything that would cheer everyone up. She finally latched onto an image of a large party that Damon was in charge of at Lemoyne's. "You've got a great event coming up in a couple of weeks."
Damon frowned at her. "Bookings have been slow. I don't have any event coming up like that."
"Right, but it's an impromptu affair," Sascha guessed.
"Who's setting it up?"
"I don't know. All I see is lots of eating, drinking, dancing, and music. Everyone is having a ball."
Damon's expression brightened.
"Gregory's going to meet a beautiful redhead and begin dating her," Sascha said. So sometimes she made things up, especially to irk someone who irked her—like Stephanie.
"Right. Like you?" Stephanie asked, snarky like.
Sascha smiled brightly. "Well, thank you for thinking I'm beautiful. But I don't know who he is dating."