Claire Gulliver #02 - Washington Weirdos Read online

  Washington Weirdos

  A Claire Gulliver Mystery

  What some readers say about Washington Weirdos:

  A wonderful cozy mystery!

  April 11, 2010

  by D. Lockwood (Kerrville, TX)

  This is the second book in a series, and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. I love that the main character makes use of her brains and intuition. If you want to settle down to a nice cozy mystery, give this a try! I’m going to start the next book in the series now...

  Better than Washington politics!

  July 6, 2009

  by Truth Hungry “Alabaxter” (Houston, TX)

  Washington Wierdos is not political - it’s waaaaaay better intrigue. It will catch your imagination immediately.

  Entertaining and Enjoyable

  July 14, 2006

  by Steven Rigolosi (New York / New Jersey)

  I admit it - it was the title that drew me in, as it seems to embody so much of what I’m thinking about our nation’s capital at this point in time.

  This book was a delightful surprise. It contains many elements that book readers will appeal to (who could *not* love the owner of a bookshop called “Gulliver’s Travels”?), as well as a nicely plotted little mystery that delivers a solid surprise ending. I found the author’s evocation of Washington, DC, to be right on the money - and a very nice contrast to the depressing portrait of the city in James Patterson’s books (which I think I’ve now read too many of). Recommended, though Claire - a city girl herself - should know better than to be wandering around unknown cities alone at night!

  The excitement starts on page one

  April 23, 2010

  by Su Co (Boston, MA, USA)

  This is the second book in the Claire Gulliver series by Gayle Wigglesworth who writes wonderful light mysteries with no graphic sex and violence to get in the way of the plot. Her books cannot really be called Who-done-its because fairly early it is apparent, however that doesn’t spoil the story in the least.

  Her characters (the good guys, that is) fill my requirement that they be the kind of people I would like to hang out with. Her main character, Claire Gulliver, is easy to identify with as she is a working self-sufficient woman facing new experiences.

  Her descriptions of places, ships and food bring a satisfying depth to the story. The touch of romance is just right and doesn’t overshadow the mystery.

  I am looking forward to the next Claire Gulliver Mystery.

  Books by Gayle Wigglesworth

  GAYLE’S LEGACY,

  Recipes, Hints and Stories Culled from a Lifelong Relationship with Food

  THE CLAIRE GULLIVER MYSTERIES

  Tea Is For Terror

  Washington Weirdos

  Intrigue In Italics

  Cruisin’ For A Bruisin’

  Malice In Mexico

  A POTTERY MYSTERY

  Mud to Ashes

  Washington Weirdos

  A Claire Gulliver Mystery

  by

  GAYLE WIGGLESWORTH

  Copyright © 2005 by Gayle Wigglesworth

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written permission from Gayle Wigglesworth, except for the inclusion of quotations in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2005906448

  ISBN: 978-0-9825519-2-9

  Gayle Wigglesworth, publisher

  Email: [email protected]

  Web site: www.gaylewigglesworth.com

  Acknowledgements

  Once again my thanks to my best friend and husband, David, who not only helped me research locations and settings for this book but ruthlessly edited it. And to my daughters, Janet and Danielle, who again proofed it, and my son-in-law Dave, who volunteered to read it without having read the first book so that I could be sure this book could stand on its own.

  Dedication

  I’d like to dedicate this book to my sister-in-law, Linda Coates, who is more than a relative and more than a friend, she is both. Linda loves a mystery, perhaps even more than I do, and she loves Washington, D.C. So Linda this book is dedicated to you. Thank you for your encouragement and support over the past four plus decades.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  PROLOGUE

  Going through the mail was never Claire’s favorite task, so the plate of ginger snaps and the mug of tea were meant as a bribe. She dutifully sorted the accumulation in the basket until she reached the embossed envelope from Vantage Airlines. She felt a clutch of fear grip her stomach as she turned it over, examining it carefully.

  It was strange how quickly things had returned to normal after she came back from London. The story for the other tour members, her mother and friends was readily accepted. And why not? No one would have guessed what really happened.

  Of course, Lucy, Mrs. B and Claire all knew the truth and were haunted by what had almost happened. But then as the weeks passed, and they became involved once more in the details of everyday life those fears gradually receded.

  Claire studied the creamy stationery. This was no normal promotional offer she could tell. She used her letter opener to cut through the top and unfolded the letter to scan the contents.

  Vantage Airlines, Incorporated

  Office of the Chairman of the Board and President

  David Burlington Lickman

  July 27, 2001

  Ms. Claire Gulliver

  Gulliver’s Travels Book Shop

  714 Elm Street

  Bayside, California 94403

  Dear Ms. Gulliver,

  On behalf of everyone at Vantage Airlines, I would like to invite you to be our guest, here in Washington, D.C., for ten days from August 27, 2001 through September 5, 2001. The Board of Directors hopes you will attend our board meeting on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 so they can personally express their thanks for your efforts on behalf of our company.

  Additionally, Mrs. Lickman (MiMi) and I would like you to be a guest at our home in Maryland over the Labor Day weekend so you can attend our annual Gala and the other festivities we host to celebrate the end of summer.

  We all hope you can arrange your schedule in order to accept this invitation. We believe you will enjoy Washington D.C. as well as the events of the Labor Day weekend. My assistant, Suzanne Queensley, will be contacting you next week to make the arrangements for your trip and answer any questions you might have.

  Please come, we do look forward to meeting you.

  Sincerely,

  David Lickman

  She read it a second time more carefully.

  The CEO and President, David Burlington Lickman was inviting her to be Vantage’s guest in Washington, D.C. They wanted her to attend a special meeting of th
e Board so they could show their appreciation for her efforts on behalf of their corporation. Additionally, the Lickmans would like her to be their guest for the long Labor Day weekend in their home in Maryland, where they were hosting a Gala to celebrate the end of the summer.

  She was stunned. Who would expect a major corporation such as Vantage Airlines to issue such a personal invitation? It was a really caring thing to do. It made her feel like they really did appreciate what she had done. She decided right then that the Lickmans must be very nice people. But she still felt a little guilty about Vantage’s appreciation. Truthfully, she hadn’t given a thought to saving the airline. She had been totally concerned with her own safety and that of the others on the plane. The results, of course, benefited them all. Doug Levine, who had been the State Department’s representative assigned to protect her interests through all the interrogation and investigations by the British, kept telling her how grateful the airline was for her action. That had planted an expectation in her head that she could receive some formal thank you and perhaps even a gesture of appreciation, like some free bonus miles or a complimentary ticket to somewhere. But then as the weeks passed without hearing from Vantage she had dismissed the idea. But never had she expected a personal invitation such as this.

  Yes, she admitted, she had always wanted to see Washington, D.C. She had vowed someday she would go to the Vietnam Memorial because she identified so much with that era while she was growing up in San Francisco. And she had heard so much about the Smithsonian. It would probably take a week to even make a dent in the museums. And, of course, what librarian (albeit ex-librarian) could resist an opportunity to visit the Library of Congress?

  She toyed with the idea of getting on a plane again. It was so soon. She kind of rolled it around a bit in her mind, but strangely the thought didn’t seem to alarm her. What did concern her was her business. She had a bookstore to run and it needed her. She couldn’t just be running off on trips every few months.

  A Gala, she thought. What was that precisely? It sounded rather posh. She decided to ask Lucy about it. Lucy, her travel book author friend, was the one who knew just what Claire should wear when she had been invited to an afternoon society wedding several months back. Surely she would know what a Gala required and maybe she had even heard of the Lickmans. Or, Claire thought, she could check the Web. David Lickman, as the head of a major corporation, could surely be found on Google.

  The invitation was tempting. Maybe she’d discuss the trip with Mrs. B, her assistant manager, when she came in this afternoon. Maybe there was a way. Maybe it was possible. It seemed that this was a unique opportunity, something not to be missed.

  And Labor Day was only a month away.

  CHAPTER ONE

  The evening was balmy, not hot and humid as Claire had been led to expect. She took a deep breath, looking around. It wasn’t yet dark, but very shadowy between the bright bluish white glows emitted from each light stanchion lining the paths which ran along each side of the long park the locals call the Mall.

  She was glad she had come out. She had spent too many hours cooped up in a plane. And while it was dusk here in Washington D.C., her body was still on West Coast time.

  And she wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to be indoors with this great city to explore, Claire thought with satisfaction, noting the joggers, cyclists and other tourists taking advantage of the beautiful evening. However, she did notice the numbers were dwindling as the evening wore on. Then she noticed, for some reason, there were fewer people on the path she was on. Perhaps the other path was more popular because it was closer to the busy street it paralleled. And noticing how deserted her side of the park had become stirred a feeling of unease so she walked faster, suddenly anxious. She glanced over at the other path, considering cutting across. At the same time she scolded herself for being spooked. But when hairs at the base of her skull prickled, she paid attention. That’s when she noticed the sound of someone coming up behind her rather quickly.

  She stopped under one of the lights and whipped around to face the person approaching. The man paused, startled, then a hard smile spread across his face and the blade on the knife he held clicked into place.

  Sharply she sucked in her breath. Her heart thundered with fear.

  His grin widened at her gasp. He was enjoying this.

  She hadn’t brought her purse; but desperate for something to offer him she thrust her hand in the pocket of her windbreaker, reaching for the few bills she had grabbed in case she wanted to take a cab back. Her fingers closed over a chunky object and dimly she registered it was her screech alarm.

  His eyes never left hers as he began advancing. He appeared to be savoring his control over the situation. She was so frightened she couldn’t breathe. Her fingers clumsily twisted around the little alarm in her pocket until the trigger came free and the sudden deafening screech shattered the evening.

  He jumped back. His eyes darted around nervously. Then recovering, he moved forward again. His knife was ready.

  The body came out of nowhere, slamming into him sideways with a force which sent them both to the ground. The knife flew through the air; the streetlight gleaming off the blade traced its trajectory. She wanted to run, to scream, to cry for help but she stood mutely rooted. Her eyes were riveted on the men on the ground in front of her. Her would-be attacker rolled free and came up on all fours. He was poised, looking at the knife, which lay temptingly only a few feet away. But her rescuer’s hand protectively hovered over it, his gaze fastened on the attacker’s eyes. The evil grin had been knocked off his face and he sidled off a few feet before he made up his mind. Quickly he gained his feet and ran for the other side of the Mall leaving his knife and his intended victim behind.

  Claire’s knees buckled suddenly and she sat on the path with a force that knocked her breath out with a whoosh. Stunned, gasping for air, she tried to make sense of what had happened.

  Her rescuer climbed to his feet, shouting over the ear-damaging screech, but she couldn’t make out his words. However, when he cupped his hand to his ear she understood, groped around in her pocket, found the alarm and the dangling pin and after a few futile attempts she managed to insert the pin and silence it.

  They stared at each other, ears still ringing in the stillness. Then, he leaned toward her. “Why are you down there? Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head, dazed, sure she was dreaming.

  No chance of that, she told herself, the stones on the path biting cruelly into her butt were too real for this to be a dream.

  “Jack? Jack, is it really you?”

  Then gathering strength, she demanded, “Jack, what are you doing here?” She had thought when she bid him farewell in London several months ago that they would never meet again. Yet, unbelievably, here he was.

  “Here, in the park, or here in Washington?” He was being facetious, an annoying habit of his.

  She tried to keep impatience out of her voice. “Either, both! What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I knew you were coming in today, so I stopped by at your hotel but just missed you. The concierge said he showed you on the map how to get to the Vietnam Memorial, so I headed this way to see if I could catch up. Luckily! I was across the park,” he gestured in the direction of the path on the other side, “when I saw you. Then I saw him skulking after you. It looked rather sinister so I headed this way as fast as I could.”

  He looked at her sternly. “How many times have I warned you not to walk alone on dark deserted streets?” He shook his head in disgust.

  Somehow his scolding made her feel defensive. “I had my screech alarm.” It sounded rather feeble even to her.

  “So that’s what it was. Well, it was a big help.” He waved at the empty space around them. He was right, no one had responded to the alarm.

  Her face paled. “He was planning to use that knife. I could see it in his eyes.” She shuddered and pulled the lightweight windbreaker close around her. She felt chilled. �
��He was going to kill me.”

  Jack reached for Claire’s hand to help her to her feet and guided her toward the bench at the side of the path. He sat next to her still holding her hand tightly in his, stilling her trembling somewhat as they both contemplated her brush with violence.

  “You don’t think it had anything to do with Guiness, do you?” she whispered horror apparent in her shaking voice.

  “God, I hope not!” He paused, then continued, “I wouldn’t think so. What would be the point?” Then he went on. “This looked like a rather nasty, but normal, mugging to me. Unless, of course,“ he said with concern, “you’ve had any other strange incidents happen to you recently?”

  She shook her head, “No, no problems; no scares. I lead a rather staid life.”

  “I’ve noticed,” he teased, then shaking his head in frustration, “I’ll get some of the guys to run that knife and see what we can get.” He turned toward her. “You don’t have a hanky or a Kleenex, do you?”

  She felt in her pockets and dug underneath the screech alarm to come up with two wads of tissue and offered them to Jack.