Daddy's Gone a Hunting

32

Early Friday evening, Doug Connelly and Jack Worth met in the parking lot of the funeral home and went in to pay their respects to the late Gus Schmidt. Lottie, ghostly pale, who had returned to the receiving line after a brief rest, greeted them with the same coldness she had shown to Hannah.

“Gus never was himself after he was let go from Connelly’s,” she told Jack. “He wasn’t too old to work. He was a perfectionist and you know it.” To Doug she said, “Kate took advantage of him. He was devoted to her because she fought for him to have a year’s salary when he was fired.”

Both men listened, then Doug said, “Lottie, we know what the media is saying. It’s public knowledge that Gus hated Jack and me. We have no idea why Kate met him at that hour in the museum. For all we know, she may have reached out to him to see how he was doing. They were good friends. The truth will out. And now, again, I extend my deepest sympathy for your loss and this whole tragic situation.”

Recognizing that it was time to leave, Doug simply nodded to Gretchen and began to walk toward the door. But he didn’t get far, because most of the people there were his own employees, and many of them had worked with Gus. They were all extremely anxious to know if Doug was planning to rebuild the complex.

“I am moving heaven and earth to make that happen,” Doug assured them.

He’s lying through his teeth, but he does it with style, Jack Worth thought. He knew it was his own turn to step in. “Mr. Connelly,” he said, his tone respectful, “you’ve had an exhausting day at the hospital at your daughter’s bedside. I know you want to talk to everyone, but they’ll understand if you have to leave now.” His firm tone conveyed a clear message to the men whom, until yesterday morning, he had supervised on a daily basis.

“Of course… certainly… we’re praying for your daughter Kate, Mr. Connelly.”

Followed by Jack Worth, Doug left the funeral home and walked across the driveway to the parking lot.

Jack opened the door of his Mercedes for him. “No driver tonight?” he asked.

“It’s going to be an early night and I don’t intend to have more than one scotch at dinner. Did you make a reservation at Peter Luger’s?”

“Yes, I did, Mr. Connelly.”

“Good. See you there in ten minutes.”

It was less than a half hour later that they were seated at a corner table in the famous Peter Luger Steak House. They both ordered a scotch on the rocks, then Doug said, “Lottie just gave me a very good idea-in fact a perfect idea. Kate’s cell phone will show that she called Gus on Wednesday afternoon, but nobody knows what they said to each other. Maybe Gus planned to trap her in the explosion.”

Jack looked across the table at the handsome face of his boss. “Doug, do you think that anyone would believe that?”

“I don’t see why not,” Doug said promptly. “Anyone who knows Kate would vouch for the fact that she was prone to exaggerate for emphasis. For example, did she ever say to you that she’d like to blow up the whole damned complex?”

“Yes, she did, when she was out there a couple of weeks ago and saw that the security cameras still weren’t working.”

“Did you think she meant it?”

“No, of course not.”

“There you are.” The drinks arrived. Doug Connelly took the first sip of his and smiled. “Perfect.”

“You can’t do much to foul up a scotch on the rocks,” Jack remarked.

“Sorry, but I think you’re wrong about that, Jack. Too much ice in a drink can ruin it.”

There were some subjects that Doug had forbidden Jack to ever bring up. “Don’t even think about them,” Doug had ordered.

That was why Jack carefully phrased his next question before he asked it. “If Kate recovers, do you think she would go along with saying that Gus set her up by asking her to meet him?”

“Jack, Kate is a very smart young woman. She’s a CPA. She also has been extremely anxious to receive her ten percent share of the proceeds of any sale of the property. If Gus is blamed for everything, the insurance will be paid, including the insurance on the antiques. Arson by a disgruntled former employee is hardly unusual.”

Dismissing the topic, Doug looked up to catch the waiter’s eye. “I’m having steak, Jack,” he said. “How about you?”