Undercover In Glimmer Creek

Gabe raised an eyebrow. “She couldn’t do that here?”

“Of course. She just thought it would please her grandfather to spend time with him. He’s getting on in years.”

“He must have hoped she’d step into his shoes when he retired.”

Liam let out a snort of laughter. “Patrick Connor will never retire. He enjoys empire building too much.”

It didn’t sound as if Liam got along any better with his father than Gabe did with his own. “Isn’t Poppy Gold an empire?”

“Poppy Gold is modest by comparison to Connor Enterprises, but it doesn’t matter. This is our home. After we started the bed-and-breakfast business, I discovered an interest in historical restoration, so that’s been my primary focus. I’m grateful to my grandfather, James Connor, for preserving the old part of Glimmer Creek. Dad, of course, didn’t feel the same. He felt it was a waste of money.”

“So he agreed with calling it Connor’s Folly.”

“That’s right. Once Dad was grown they would have arguments about keeping ‘useless’ property with so much expensive upkeep, though he didn’t try selling until James was gone. Sadly, Granddad died in a boating accident soon after handing the company over.”

“Maybe that’s why your father doesn’t believing in retiring.”

This time a genuine laugh came from Liam. “Yup, he says it’s dangerous. Mostly I think he’s seen too many men of his generation retire and die of heart attacks within a year. It’s a question of priorities. Don’t define yourself by work, Gabe. Family is what matters.”

“I’m not that close to my family. Most of them, anyway.”

“Sorry to hear it.”

Gabe checked his watch; Rob would be getting impatient, wondering if something was wrong. “I wish I could stay, but I need to make a call.”

“Of course. By the way, if you have navy friends who want to visit, they can stay in the John Muir Cottage. We keep it reserved for active service members, as well as veterans and military families going through a rough time. We might have to coordinate visits, but the house is separated into several different spaces, so a room is usually available.”

“No.”

Liam looked taken aback by the emphatic refusal, and Gabe was annoyed that he’d let down his guard. He didn’t know how to define the members of his former SEAL team. They were men he’d trusted with his life more times than he could count. At the same time, he couldn’t afford to disrupt his investigation.

“That is, I appreciate the offer,” he added quickly, “but it isn’t necessary. I don’t know anyone who could get leave right now, and California is a long way from where they’re stationed. It’s good to know about the cottage, though. Do service members just ask to stay here?”

“Not exactly. It began with an old friend from the army. We stayed in touch after getting out, and Randall rose quickly through the ranks. When the wife of one of his men was ill and the family needed a break but couldn’t afford to go anywhere, he called and asked if they could stay at Poppy Gold for a week. Everything evolved from there. We also get referrals for veterans having trouble finding jobs.”

“That’s nice.” Gabe was impressed. A number of places offered discounts to the military, but Poppy Gold was going beyond that.

“It’s the least we can do. Have a good evening, Gabe. Thanks for all the help today.”

“Uh, sure.” Both Liam and Tessa had a habit of thanking Poppy Gold employees for their work. Gabe was never certain how to respond since he was in Glimmer Creek with ulterior motives.

Back at his studio cottage, he quickly connected with Rob via Skype. “Sorry I didn’t answer earlier, I was talking to Liam again,” he explained.

“No problem. I understand there was a bit of excitement this afternoon.”

“Minor quake, barely worth mentioning.”

“Good to hear.” Rob leaned closer to the camera on the computer. “I wanted to tell you that my research doesn’t show any direct benefit to Connor Enterprises from any of the information leaks.”

Gabe was unaccountably relieved, maybe because he didn’t want to think Liam was guilty. “That’s good. Did you find out who recommended Poppy Gold as a place for TIP’s executive retreats?”

“It was through Poppy Gold promotional efforts. The personnel department says they kept getting brochures in the mail, stacks of them, and thought the place looked interesting. Then they got a phone call from the Poppy Gold marketing department, discussing the facility and amenities. It seems innocent enough.”

“Except that TIP is an import-export company and the Connors are connected to a company in the same line of business. That’s why I wanted to know how you started coming here. Coincidences bother me.”

Rob shook his head. “You’re still trying to pin this on Liam and Tessa?”

“I’m trying to pin it on whoever is guilty. There’s a difference.”

“Whatever. What have you discovered on your end?”

Gabe thought back to the last time he and his brother had spoken. “For one, I’ve learned more about why Tessa returned to Glimmer Creek, rather than staying in San Francisco.”

“Anything questionable?” Rob asked.

“No. Tessa’s mother died, and her father had trouble running the place alone. I also gather that Liam and his father are radically different.”

“I’d say that was like you and Dad, except the two of you might be more alike than you realize.”

“Not a snowball’s chance,” Gabe retorted. “It’s okay to be a workaholic if you don’t have a family.”

“If you say so. What else?”

“I keep thinking that someone in Housekeeping or Maintenance could be our culprit. If one of those employees was found in a guest’s rooms, it probably wouldn’t be questioned. So I’ve got an idea for setting a trap.”

Quickly he laid out his plan. A small group was coming for the supposed “executive retreat,” and Rob had reserved one of the large mansions on one side of Poppy Gold. Gabe wanted his brother to request a last-minute change to a Victorian on the other side of the historic district. That way, the thief might reveal his or her identity by asking for a switch in work assignments. At the very least it would give Gabe someone to investigate.

In the past five days he’d mostly learned about two employees who seemed to be spending more than they earned, though he had to be careful about asking too many questions. He was also compiling a list of Poppy Gold staff from various posted work schedules and would soon have a private security firm do background checks.

“I’d have to come up with a good excuse. Even then, Tessa may not be able to accommodate us,” Rob said at length.

“She’ll try. From what I’ve seen, she’s obsessed with client satisfaction.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Gabe narrowed his eyes. His brother seemed to offer a defense whenever he said something that might be critical of Poppy Gold’s manager. “Hey, are you interested in Tessa? I hope not, because that could make things sticky.”

Rob chuckled. “She’s appealing, but I’ve got enough to think about without starting anything like that. How about you?”

“Give me a break. Anyway, I’m going to make a copy of the work assignments for when you’re here and track any alterations.”

“All right. Good night for now.”

“Night.”

Gabe disconnected. While he’d love to have already solved the case, he hadn’t actually expected to learn much before his brother’s visit to Poppy Gold. He’d just wanted to spend a few days getting familiar with the facility.

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