Part 7
gagengirl entertainment
Pulling into Pearl Tarkey’s driveway, I took a deep breath and let it out. It wasn’t like she was expecting me, so I was a little nervous. I opened the door and stepped out, looking up toward her house. I saw a blue Ford Focus and Gus Hobbs’s black Ford Escape, so I knew someone was home.
I closed my door and started toward the house.
Seconds later, I had a gun in my back. I swallowed hard as I stopped in my tracks. I didn’t dare turn around or say a word.
“Ms. Michaels?” Pearl Tarkey stepped outside of her house. She was dressed in black slacks and a green painted shirt.
“I need to talk to you.”
She made a motion with her hand and the gun was removed from my back. I felt a hand on my back before he spoke. “It's not wise to drop by unannounced.”
“It’s not like we exchanged phone numbers.”
Gus Hobbs guided me toward the front door. “What are you doing here?”
I didn’t know if he knew about the trees or not. “I’ve been working on something for Ms. Tarkey.”
He laughed. “The trees? Do you have information?”
“Yes, I do. And it couldn’t wait.” I stopped outside the house.
“It’s seems you have good timing. We just returned from mass.” Pearl Tarkey stood in her doorway.
Mass? The idea of her attending mass surprised me. It was Sunday, but I only made it to service about once a month. Unless it was near a holiday.
“I have information regarding your trees.”
“Would you mind if I changed from my church clothes?”
I didn't think it was wise to say that I did. So, I shook my head.
“Mr. Hobbs, would you help our guest get settled in while I change?”
He nodded and escorted me inside to the living room.
I sat down on her white couch and ran my hand across the fabric again. It was so soft, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I hoped it wasn’t animal skin or fur. But it was so…
“Would you like something to drink?”
I looked up at Gus Hobbs, who was studying me. “Water?”
He nodded and stepped away to get it.
I was surprised to be left alone in the house. He obviously trusted me or was testing me. I remained sitting, not interested in having a gun in my face or my back. Pablo would be furious if he knew about that gun. I’d have to leave that little tidbit out when I told him what happened.
He was upset when I left so quickly after breakfast. It was the first day in three weeks that he wasn’t heading into work. A trip down to Santa Barbara had been his plan for the day. I ruined that with my insistence on providing Pearl Tarkey with an update.
Gus Hobbs returned a minute later with a bottle of water. He opened it in front of me, so I could hear the cap snap open, and then handed it to me.
“Thank you.” I took a sip.
He noticed my hand on the couch. “It’s rabbit skin. I killed them myself for her.”
I jumped off the couch, horrified.
He threw his head back laughing. “I'm sorry. That was too much fun for me.”
“That is not funny.”
“It is a little funny.” He smirked. “I would never harm a rabbit. I happen to have two New Zealand red rabbits.”
“As pets?”
He nodded. “Pets. Not food. I’m a vegan. I don’t eat animals.”
Another surprise. I would have pegged him as a meat-eater.
Pearl Tarkey entered the room, now dressed in black yoga pants with her green painted shirt. “Is there a problem?”
Gus Hobbs shook his head. “No. We were discussing the couch fabric.”
“It’s twice-brushed cotton twill, or so I was told.” She approached me. “A friend of Howard’s had gifted it to us.”
As she sat down in the blue plaid chair across from me, I recognized her shirt. “I like your shirt. It’s from Jenger’s, isn’t it?”
“It was a gift.” She glanced at Gus Hobbs. “I believe that is correct.”
I forced a smile as I sat back down. “I have a few from her.” I had bought the first one and Pablo had ordered a few for me as gifts since then.
She cleared her throat. “You said you have information?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I wasn’t certain if she’d had me followed or not, so I started from the beginning. “I wasn’t sure where to start with this. I’ll be honest. When Isabel, one of The Elskede’s chefs…”
“I know who Miss Orozco is.”
“Right. Of course you do. She told me that her brother-in-law is an environmental studies consultant.”
“Mr. Pedersen.”
I nodded, wondering if she somehow knew the names of everyone in the Santa Ynez Valley. “So, I asked him if there was any environmental reason to tear down the trees.” I paused, hoping she wouldn’t be upset when I admitted that I brought him to her property.
“How long was he here?”
“We were here for about an hour?” I bit my lip, bracing myself for her reaction.
She turned to Gus Hobbs. “Mr. Hobbs, will you make certain Mr. Pedersen is paid for his time.”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t expect to be paid. He was doing me a favor.”
“Nonsense. He was using his expertise. He should be paid. So, you say there’s no environmental reason to tear down the trees.” Pearl Tarkey sighed. “I wouldn’t have expected there to be one, either.”
I nodded. “I didn’t mention that my brother is in town.”
“And how is Mr. Michaels?”
I had to laugh at her question. “Mr. Michaels?” I shook my head again, laughing. “I can’t imagine he’d ever expect to be called that.” I noticed she wasn’t laughing. “Sorry, he’s in town because of…”
“I can guess why he is in town, Ms. Michaels.”
“So, I kind of mentioned the trees to him and he helped me realize that it might be for a legal reason.” I took a deep breath and let it out. I wasn’t certain how she’d feel that I’d involved so many people. “So, I called … an old friend. He’s an FBI agent. And it seems that it is the FBI who is trying to tear down the trees. I had hoped I could talk to him about it, but…”
I stopped when Pearl Tarkey stood up and walked over to her windows. I noticed she was looking toward the trees.
Not sure what to say, I remained quiet for a minute. I looked at Gus Hobbs, who was shaking his head.
I stood up and approached her. “Why are these trees so important to you?”
“My husband planted them when we moved here.” She turned around to face me. It was that moment when I realized I was taller than her. I had never stood next to her before. “They were just saplings when he died. I scattered his ashes around the trees.”
I saw the pain in her eyes. It had been ten years since her husband died, but she hadn’t stopped missing him. I knew that pain. “I haven’t given up yet.” But I didn’t know what I could do to stop my ex from tearing down the trees. There was another option I could try, but Pablo wouldn’t like it.
She shook her head, disappointed. “Ms. Michaels…”
“Pearl…” I stopped myself. I couldn’t call her Pearl Tarkey to her face. And Ms. Tarkey seemed so formal. “This isn’t over.”
“Thank you for trying, Ms. Michaels. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have breakfast now.” She stepped out of the room.
I turned to Gus Hobbs and noticed the pained look on his face. “I’m sure you miss him, too. I know loss.” I pulled a small notebook out of my purse and wrote down my mobile number. Tearing the page out, I handed it to him. “If anything changes, please call me. I’m not done yet. I have one more option I can try.”
He managed a smile as he took the paper from me. “It’s cute that you think we don’t have your number.”
“Humor me, okay?”
Twenty minutes later, I pulled into my driveway. I was concerned when I saw Pablo’s white Jeep missing. My brother’s black Jaguar convertible was still on the street in front of the house. Wondering if anyone was home, I opened the front door of the house.
“Hello?” I waited a few seconds for a response before repeating, “Hello?”
Pablo came out into the living room a few minutes later. “I was wondering how long you’d be.”
“I’m sorry.”
He came closer. “You’ve been crying. What happened?”
“She scattered his ashes around the trees. That’s why she’s so desperate to keep them.”
He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me. “I had no idea.”
“I didn’t either. My parents are buried in Los Angeles. I can easily visit their final resting place any time I want.”
“What are you going to do?”
I shook my head, pulling away from him. “I don’t know. I feel like I have to do something.” I changed the subject, briefly. “Where is my brother?”
"I let him borrow my car to take the kids down to the zoo. While he was more than willing to take the kids in his convertible, I thought the Jeep was safer.”
“I thought you wanted to go down there. Why didn’t you take them?”
“I wanted to spend the day with you.”
I looked at my watch. “When do you think they’ll be back?”
He smiled. “I think we have plenty of time…” He reached for my hand.
“There’s something I should probably tell you first.”
“What’s that?”
I told him that I’d started off the day by calling my ex-fiancé.
An hour later, we were in bed discussing the trees again. “I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“The Elskede is an incredibly popular hotel. A lot of celebrities and politicians stay there when they are in town.”
He leaned over me. “You are correct.”
“I need a couple numbers from your records.”
Pablo sighed as he sat up. “Now I know why you were so willing to have the angry sex. You wanted something.”
I pulled the sheet up, covering myself. “You did, too.”
“Well, I miss the closet sex. So if I get you those numbers…”
I slipped my arms around him. “I’ll owe you one.”
“There are three numbers you want. I’d say you’ll owe me three.”
Solvang 2
Part 7
gagengirl entertainment
Pulling into Pearl Tarkey’s driveway, I took a deep breath and let it out. It wasn’t like she was expecting me, so I was a little nervous. I opened the door and stepped out, looking up toward her house. I saw a blue Ford Focus and Gus Hobbs’s black Ford Escape, so I knew someone was home.
I closed my door and started toward the house.
Seconds later, I had a gun in my back. I swallowed hard as I stopped in my tracks. I didn’t dare turn around or say a word.
“Ms. Michaels?” Pearl Tarkey stepped outside of her house. She was dressed in black slacks and a green painted shirt.
“I need to talk to you.”
She made a motion with her hand and the gun was removed from my back. I felt a hand on my back before he spoke. “It's not wise to drop by unannounced.”
“It’s not like we exchanged phone numbers.”
Gus Hobbs guided me toward the front door. “What are you doing here?”
I didn’t know if he knew about the trees or not. “I’ve been working on something for Ms. Tarkey.”
He laughed. “The trees? Do you have information?”
“Yes, I do. And it couldn’t wait.” I stopped outside the house.
“It’s seems you have good timing. We just returned from mass.” Pearl Tarkey stood in her doorway.
Mass? The idea of her attending mass surprised me. It was Sunday, but I only made it to service about once a month. Unless it was near a holiday.
“I have information regarding your trees.”
“Would you mind if I changed from my church clothes?”
I didn't think it was wise to say that I did. So, I shook my head.
“Mr. Hobbs, would you help our guest get settled in while I change?”
He nodded and escorted me inside to the living room.
I sat down on her white couch and ran my hand across the fabric again. It was so soft, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I hoped it wasn’t animal skin or fur. But it was so…
“Would you like something to drink?”
I looked up at Gus Hobbs, who was studying me. “Water?”
He nodded and stepped away to get it.
I was surprised to be left alone in the house. He obviously trusted me or was testing me. I remained sitting, not interested in having a gun in my face or my back. Pablo would be furious if he knew about that gun. I’d have to leave that little tidbit out when I told him what happened.
He was upset when I left so quickly after breakfast. It was the first day in three weeks that he wasn’t heading into work. A trip down to Santa Barbara had been his plan for the day. I ruined that with my insistence on providing Pearl Tarkey with an update.
Gus Hobbs returned a minute later with a bottle of water. He opened it in front of me, so I could hear the cap snap open, and then handed it to me.
“Thank you.” I took a sip.
He noticed my hand on the couch. “It’s rabbit skin. I killed them myself for her.”
I jumped off the couch, horrified.
He threw his head back laughing. “I'm sorry. That was too much fun for me.”
“That is not funny.”
“It is a little funny.” He smirked. “I would never harm a rabbit. I happen to have two New Zealand red rabbits.”
“As pets?”
He nodded. “Pets. Not food. I’m a vegan. I don’t eat animals.”
Another surprise. I would have pegged him as a meat-eater.
Pearl Tarkey entered the room, now dressed in black yoga pants with her green painted shirt. “Is there a problem?”
Gus Hobbs shook his head. “No. We were discussing the couch fabric.”
“It’s twice-brushed cotton twill, or so I was told.” She approached me. “A friend of Howard’s had gifted it to us.”
As she sat down in the blue plaid chair across from me, I recognized her shirt. “I like your shirt. It’s from Jenger’s, isn’t it?”
“It was a gift.” She glanced at Gus Hobbs. “I believe that is correct.”
I forced a smile as I sat back down. “I have a few from her.” I had bought the first one and Pablo had ordered a few for me as gifts since then.
She cleared her throat. “You said you have information?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I wasn’t certain if she’d had me followed or not, so I started from the beginning. “I wasn’t sure where to start with this. I’ll be honest. When Isabel, one of The Elskede’s chefs…”
“I know who Miss Orozco is.”
“Right. Of course you do. She told me that her brother-in-law is an environmental studies consultant.”
“Mr. Pedersen.”
I nodded, wondering if she somehow knew the names of everyone in the Santa Ynez Valley. “So, I asked him if there was any environmental reason to tear down the trees.” I paused, hoping she wouldn’t be upset when I admitted that I brought him to her property.
“How long was he here?”
“We were here for about an hour?” I bit my lip, bracing myself for her reaction.
She turned to Gus Hobbs. “Mr. Hobbs, will you make certain Mr. Pedersen is paid for his time.”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t expect to be paid. He was doing me a favor.”
“Nonsense. He was using his expertise. He should be paid. So, you say there’s no environmental reason to tear down the trees.” Pearl Tarkey sighed. “I wouldn’t have expected there to be one, either.”
I nodded. “I didn’t mention that my brother is in town.”
“And how is Mr. Michaels?”
I had to laugh at her question. “Mr. Michaels?” I shook my head again, laughing. “I can’t imagine he’d ever expect to be called that.” I noticed she wasn’t laughing. “Sorry, he’s in town because of…”
“I can guess why he is in town, Ms. Michaels.”
“So, I kind of mentioned the trees to him and he helped me realize that it might be for a legal reason.” I took a deep breath and let it out. I wasn’t certain how she’d feel that I’d involved so many people. “So, I called … an old friend. He’s an FBI agent. And it seems that it is the FBI who is trying to tear down the trees. I had hoped I could talk to him about it, but…”
I stopped when Pearl Tarkey stood up and walked over to her windows. I noticed she was looking toward the trees.
Not sure what to say, I remained quiet for a minute. I looked at Gus Hobbs, who was shaking his head.
I stood up and approached her. “Why are these trees so important to you?”
“My husband planted them when we moved here.” She turned around to face me. It was that moment when I realized I was taller than her. I had never stood next to her before. “They were just saplings when he died. I scattered his ashes around the trees.”
I saw the pain in her eyes. It had been ten years since her husband died, but she hadn’t stopped missing him. I knew that pain. “I haven’t given up yet.” But I didn’t know what I could do to stop my ex from tearing down the trees. There was another option I could try, but Pablo wouldn’t like it.
She shook her head, disappointed. “Ms. Michaels…”
“Pearl…” I stopped myself. I couldn’t call her Pearl Tarkey to her face. And Ms. Tarkey seemed so formal. “This isn’t over.”
“Thank you for trying, Ms. Michaels. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have breakfast now.” She stepped out of the room.
I turned to Gus Hobbs and noticed the pained look on his face. “I’m sure you miss him, too. I know loss.” I pulled a small notebook out of my purse and wrote down my mobile number. Tearing the page out, I handed it to him. “If anything changes, please call me. I’m not done yet. I have one more option I can try.”
He managed a smile as he took the paper from me. “It’s cute that you think we don’t have your number.”
“Humor me, okay?”
Twenty minutes later, I pulled into my driveway. I was concerned when I saw Pablo’s white Jeep missing. My brother’s black Jaguar convertible was still on the street in front of the house. Wondering if anyone was home, I opened the front door of the house.
“Hello?” I waited a few seconds for a response before repeating, “Hello?”
Pablo came out into the living room a few minutes later. “I was wondering how long you’d be.”
“I’m sorry.”
He came closer. “You’ve been crying. What happened?”
“She scattered his ashes around the trees. That’s why she’s so desperate to keep them.”
He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me. “I had no idea.”
“I didn’t either. My parents are buried in Los Angeles. I can easily visit their final resting place any time I want.”
“What are you going to do?”
I shook my head, pulling away from him. “I don’t know. I feel like I have to do something.” I changed the subject, briefly. “Where is my brother?”
"I let him borrow my car to take the kids down to the zoo. While he was more than willing to take the kids in his convertible, I thought the Jeep was safer.”
“I thought you wanted to go down there. Why didn’t you take them?”
“I wanted to spend the day with you.”
I looked at my watch. “When do you think they’ll be back?”
He smiled. “I think we have plenty of time…” He reached for my hand.
“There’s something I should probably tell you first.”
“What’s that?”
I told him that I’d started off the day by calling my ex-fiancé.
An hour later, we were in bed discussing the trees again. “I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“The Elskede is an incredibly popular hotel. A lot of celebrities and politicians stay there when they are in town.”
He leaned over me. “You are correct.”
“I need a couple numbers from your records.”
Pablo sighed as he sat up. “Now I know why you were so willing to have the angry sex. You wanted something.”
I pulled the sheet up, covering myself. “You did, too.”
“Well, I miss the closet sex. So if I get you those numbers…”
I slipped my arms around him. “I’ll owe you one.”
“There are three numbers you want. I’d say you’ll owe me three.”
Solvang 2