Chapter Twenty
Eden burst in through Ida Mae's kitchen door, Ren hot on her heels. "Ida Mae!"
Ida Mae looked up from the coupons she was clipping. "Yes, dear?"
"Look at this!" She pulled up a chair and plopped down, setting a piece of paper on the table. "Okay. Nick shipped out that package to Tulsa, right? Well, here's the thing. When you're through shipping a package, you're supposed to put the order sheet into a box on my desk. That sheet hasn't shown up, and it's been a couple of days."
"And no one else would have taken it out?" Ida Mae asked.
"Nope. That's my job." Eden jabbed the paper with her finger. "See what this means? Someone placed the order without my knowledge and they didn't file the order form properly. And . . ." she paused, probably for dramatic effect.
"And?" Ida Mae prompted on cue.
"The order is no longer in the computer's database."
"What?"
"Someone went in and erased it," Ren put in. "There is now no record of that package, except with the shipping company."
"Why put it in the computer at all?" Ida Mae asked.
"To print the shipping label," Eden explained. "You have to fill out a form on the computer in order to print the label. If Nick tried to mail a package without the right shipping label, it would really call attention to itself. I bet the guy in the Jaguar put the order into the computer to get the label, had Nick fill the order, and then erased all evidence of it from the computer. Nick probably destroyed the form instead of returning it to my box."
"So, Nick is illegally shipping something," Ida Mae said. "He's not stealing baby formula, is he?"
"I don't think so," Ren said. "That certainly wouldn't bring in the kind of cash he's had lately. I think he's shipping drugs."
"Drugs?" Ida Mae blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Think about it," Ren said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He's shipping something under the radar. It's bringing in cash every ten days. What else could it be? Nothing else that valuable is small enough to ship in formula canisters. Unless we're talking about jewels, but no one really steals and sells jewels anymore. That's kind of a James Bond thing."
"Does Nick know what he's doing?" Ida Mae asked.
"It's possible they didn't tell him exactly what he was shipping, but he has to know it's wrong. Nobody pays you under the table for doing something legal. Besides, remember that conversation we taped between him and Mary? She said it wasn't right. So, she knows a little something about it, too."
Ida Mae shook her head, trying to squelch down the sick feeling that was building in her stomach. This meant jail time for Nick and Mary. What would happen to the children? For a second, she wished the Secret Sisters had never gotten involved, with all their hightech gadgets. But it was only a matter of time before the law got wind of it anyway, regardless of who brought it to light.
"What do we do?" she asked, feeling the weight of the decision.
"We still can't do anything," Ren said. "All this is conjecture. We have no proof of anything."
"Back to square one, then?"
"Not exactly," Eden said. "We know a lot more than we did. We just don't have proof of it, that's all."
"I wish someone would make a mistake so we could turn the whole thing over to the police," Ida Mae said. She pushed her chair back from the table and reached for the emergency can of soda pop she kept on the shelf just for times like this. Her stomach needed some attention, fast.
"You all right, Auntie?"
"I'm fine, Ren. I just feel a little sick, that's all." She poured the pop over some ice and began to sip. "I can't stand the thought of Nick and Mary ending up in jail and those poor children being farmed out somewhere."
"I can't promise you that won't happen," Ren said. "But I do know this. The sooner we can get to the bottom of this, the better for everyone."
"I have something to report," Eden said, her cheeks pink with excitement. "James Jeffries asked me out to dinner tomorrow night."
"The man in the Jaguar?" Arlette pressed her lips together. "That can't be a good idea."
"Oh, but it is!" Eden said, patting her grandmother on the arm. "I might be able to find out what's really going on."
"How did this come about?" Ida Mae asked.
"Well, I think Nichole-you know, the girl I asked about the car? I think she must have told him I showed some interest, because last week he came down to my desk and introduced himself to me. A few times since then, he's walked by and said hello, and today, just before I left, he asked me out."
"And you said?" Arlette asked.
"I said yes, of course. I'd be crazy not to."
"Well, I think you're crazy to say yes," Arlette told her.
"We can follow her," Ida Mae pointed out. "Where is he taking you?"
"To Laserre," she said. "I told him I'd meet him there at five."
"Good girl," Tansy said. "Meeting him there is such a smart idea."
"Laserre?" Ida Mae blinked. "That new French restaurant in Salt Lake?"
"That's the one."
"I've heard it's terribly expensive."
"Let's live it up for once," Tansy said. "We might never have the chance to eat there again."
Ida Mae considered. Tansy did have a point. And they had to protect Eden at all costs. She felt her resolve crumbling even before it had time to become cemented.
"I'll call and see if we can get a reservation," she said. She dialed and learned they could fit in her party of three-Ren had to work and would not be joining them. It was probably just as well-it would be such a shame if the boy had to watch Eden on a date with another man.
The ladies watched Eden enter the restaurant, then counted to sixty before crossing the street and entering themselves. Ida Mae looked around when they got inside-Eden must have already been seated.
"Babbitt, party of three," she told the maitre d'.
He led them through the dining room, past tables swathed in white linen. Ida Mae felt like a chick waddling after Mama Duck as he guided them to an empty table. She finally caught sight of Eden and James, off to the right, but they were nowhere near the table designated for Ida Mae's party.
"Will this be all right?" the maitre d' asked solicitously, and Ida Mae didn't think it was.
"Do you have anything . . . over there?" she asked, nodding in Eden's direction. "The sunlight on this table . . . is too bright." She knew her excuse was pathetic, but it was the only thing she could think of.
He looked at the table, and at the window. "Too bright?"
Ida Mae realized the sun was setting and felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden, but she had to carry on bravely. "Yes. I can't be subjected to too much light."
"She gets blotchy," Tansy interjected.
"More blotchy than she is now," Arlette added.
"I'll see what I can do. Please wait here."
He moved through the tables and looked around, then was back. "I believe I found just the thing," he said. "Please, come this way."
He situated them at a table several feet away from Eden's, but she was now close enough that she could signal if need be. Ida Mae breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her menu.
"I'm not blotchy," she said to Arlette, skimming through the entrée selections.
"You do get a little spotty under the eyes when you haven't had enough sleep," Arlette replied.
"Then you should pity me, not share the information with the world at large."
"It got us this table, didn't it?"
They looked at their choices for a moment, then Tansy said, "Don't look now, but they're both standing up."
Arlette started to put her menu down, but Tansy hissed, "I said don't look!"
All three women held their menus high, but peeked around the edges. Sure enough, James and Eden were walking away, led by the maitre d'.
"They aren't leaving, are they?" Tansy asked.
"I think they're sitting at that other table," Arlette replied.
They watched as Eden took her seat at a table near the fireplace.
"Well, now what are we going to do? She's clear over there, and we're clear over here," Tansy said.
Ida Mae raised her hand. The maitre d' saw and scurried over.
"What can I do for you?"
"I . . . I'm getting a little chilled. Would it be possible for us to move closer to the fire?"
"She does get very cold," Tansy said.
"She's downright icy sometimes," Arlette added.
He tilted his head to the side. "The fire might give off light, madam. Is that all right?"
"It's sunlight I'm allergic to. Firelight is perfectly fine."
"I'll see what I can do."
Once again, he scurried off to check for tables. Once again, he came back. "You are in luck. I do have one table."
"Take your menus," Ida Mae whispered, and the ladies tucked them under their arms as they rose. They had to pass Eden's table to get to their own, and they held their menus high, pretending to study them as they passed.
"Here you are," the maitre d' said, helping the ladies be seated. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"This is perfect," Ida Mae said.
"Very well. I'll send your waiter over shortly."
The three nibbled bread and peeked at Eden while they waited for their entrees. Eden seemed to be having a good time. Her light laughter filled the room from time to time, and James seemed very attentive. If Ida Mae hadn't known he was full of evil, she would have said he was downright charming.
Right after Ida Mae's roast beef arrived, James got a call on his cell phone. He excused himself to go answer it, and stepped out into the hall.
"This might be important," Tansy whispered. "One of us should go listen in."
"I'll go," Ida Mae said. "My dinner needs a minute to cool anyway."
She rose and walked toward the hallway, thinking she could pretend to be on her way to the ladies' room. But when she got there, she saw that she was in a corridor that led directly to the kitchen, with no ladies' room in sight, no pay phone-no logical reason for her to be there. There was, however, a large potted plant in the corner. She dove behind it just as James, who was facing away from her, turned on his heel and started pacing back the other way.
"I don't know why you think that," he said into the phone. "I've done everything you asked me to do."
Ida Mae crouched, trying to ignore the fact that the plant was some variety of fern, and she was allergic to most types of fern.
"I think it's only my right," James continued. "I've done all the legwork, haven't I?"
Ida Mae tried to ignore the fact that the plant was set in some sort of peat moss, and she was allergic to most types of peat moss.
"We'll have to talk about this on Monday," James continued. "I'm at dinner right now, and I need to get back to my table. Yes, I'm with a woman. It's none of your business who." He listened for another minute, and then snapped, "I said we'd talk on Monday." He shut his phone, snapping it like a castanet, then strode back into the dining room.
Ida Mae began to straighten from her hiding spot, then startled at a voice behind her. The maitre d' had come up and was inquiring what she might need.
"I was just looking for the ladies' room," she said.
"If you go out through the dining room, you'll find it to the left," he said. "I'm afraid there's nothing back here but the kitchen and an emergency exit."
"Thank you," she said, and made her way back out to the dining room, where she took her seat and checked her food. It was now just right.
"What happened?" Tansy asked, just as Ida Mae let loose a longrestrained "Aaachoo!"
"May I offer you a tissue and an antihistamine?" the maitre d' asked, appearing at her elbow. She didn't appreciate the touch of sarcasm in his voice.
"Why did you change tables?" Arlette asked later that night as they gathered at Ida Mae's to compare notes.
"James said he wanted to sit somewhere a little more intimate," Eden explained. "We couldn't really hear each other talk where we were at first."
"I'm just glad we were able to change tables too," Ida Mae said. "I would have felt terrible if you hadn't been in our line of sight."
"I was giving thought to rigging semaphore flags with two napkins and a couple of long breadsticks, but you solved that by moving, too," Eden told her.
"So, what did you find out?" Tansy asked. Ren hadn't said anything yet. If Ida Mae had to describe the look on his face, she would say he glowered.
"Nothing much, really. James has worked for the company for about two years, moved here from New York, likes the area, and he enjoys salmon."
"That's it?" Tansy sounded disappointed.
"Well, his Jaguar's about a year old. He had it shipped out from New York."
"Why New York?" Tansy asked. "Couldn't he find one a little closer to home?"
"I guess he has a friend who owns a dealership and gave him a special price," Eden said. "He's very proud of that car. He even gave it a name-Elvira."
"Elvira?" Ida Mae asked. "What kind of name is that?"
"I named my first car," Eden said. "It had problems with the shocks and every time it went over a bump, it bounced, so I named it Tigger."
Everyone nodded their approval of her wise choice.
"What about you, Ida Mae?" Arlette asked. "What did you find out when you went to eavesdrop?"
Ida Mae leaned forward a little, eager to share as she recounted what she'd overheard.
"That sounds very promising," Arlette said. "Definitely suspicious."
"I thought so too," Ida Mae said. She pulled out her pad and made notes on everything they'd said. "Now, Eden, are you going to keep dating James?"
"I don't know. He said he had a good time and he'd like to call me, so I guess we'll see."
"Whatever happens, be sure to tell us whenever you go somewhere with him," Ida Mae said. "We'll want to be on hand at all times."
"I will," Eden replied.
And Ren continued to glower.