Free Body Blows by Marc Strange Page A

out of Burnaby or wherever.”
    â€œOne lives in West Van, one in North Van.”
    â€œGee, lemme guess,” says Gritch. “Theodore is high up the British Properties, and ‘Leon’ is on the wrong side of the Capilano.”
    â€œHard to believe they’re brothers,” I say. “They don’t look anything like each other.”
    â€œHalf brothers,” Gritch says. “Theo’s from the first marriage. Lenny’s arrival was, shall we say, unsanctioned.”
    More evidence, if I needed any, that I know precious little about the man I work for. In fact, I may know less than anyone in the hotel.
    â€œYou find out why they didn’t put in an appearance?”
    â€œTheo’s out of town, according to his wife. Las Vegas or L.A. Playgrounds of the rich and famous. Probably accompanied by his ‘design consultant,’” he throws in. “Mrs. Theo sounded a wee bit sarcastic when she mentioned that part.”
    â€œThe ‘design consultant’ is female?”
    â€œImpression I got,” he says.
    â€œWhat about Lenny?”
    â€œAh, that too is interesting. Lenny, or Leon if you prefer, has moved out of the hacienda, current whereabouts unknown. Wife Jackie says as long as the support cheques show up, she couldn’t care less.”
    â€œI guess I’ll have to track him down.”
    â€œLenny’s a thug but I can’t see him doing something like that,” says Gritch.
    â€œThe rumour, in Housekeeping anyway, is Raquel’s husband did it.”
    â€œHusband, hunh?” He shrugs philosophically. “He living nearby?”
    â€œAmerican. California. Ramon Mendez. A couple of the maids say he was sending her threatening letters, hitting her up for money.”
    â€œYeah, yeah, that could be,” Gritch says. “She lets him in, figures they’re gonna sort it out, pay him off, or cut him off, turns into a domestic, violence ensues.”
    â€œAnother rumour is that Vera Dineen did it.”
    â€œHa!” Gritch barks. “Lordy, do they hate her guts up there or what?”
    â€œDid you know she once had a thing with Leo?”
    â€œOh, yeah, I heard that. Ancient history, but it lasted a while,” he says.
    There is a delicious aroma lingering in the office that gets my stomach talking to me again. Grundy, the starving sleuth, is almost certain there’s something to eat in here. Rachel recently hired a bookkeeper, a woman named Mariah who hails from a place where the waters are bright blue and the sun shines every day except during hurricane season. Mariah wears bangles and vivid colours and Gritch likes it that she doesn’t look the least bit Presbyterian. She also makes the neatest numbers I’ve ever seen. Mariah shows up once a week for a couple of hours to keep JG Security solvent, legal, up-to-date, and square with the taxman. Something else I always planned on doing. Sometimes she brings food.
    â€œAnything that needs my attention?” I ask Rachel. Don’t want to look too desperate.
    â€œNot a thing, boss man,” Rachel says. “We’ve got a convention of florists. How much damage can they do?”
    â€œYou’d be surprised,” Gritch says.
    â€œJoe?” Mariah is crooking one of her tangerine fingernails at me. “Excuse me for saying, my dear, but you really must start depositing your pay cheques and not leave them lying around.”
    â€œI keep meaning to do that,” I say.
    â€œThere’s a new bank down in the mini-mall. No excuse. It is very bad for the accounts.”
    â€œNever spends a nickel,” Gritch says. “Parsimonious as a Dundee bank clerk.”
    My stomach rumbles are clearly audible. Also, my mouth is watering. I open the office refrigerator. “What’s this?” I ask in all innocence.
    Mariah looks up from her perfectly aligned columns. “Jerk ribs,” she says. “Try one. I don’t