For Sale in Palm Springs: The Henry Wright Mystery Series

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Henry was startled when the phone rang. He must have dozed off.

"Hello?"

"Henry, its Rosie returning your call, how have you been?" The familiar voice said in his ear.

"I'm good, well, thank you for returning my call. What time is it?" Henry found himself fumbling for his watch that he had put on the desk.

"It's a quarter after three, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Rosie sounded concerned.

"No, no, not at all, I'm not a napper." Henry felt that he wasn't really, though the warm Palm Springs weather certainly made afternoon siestas easy. It must have been the alcohol during brunch that was having this effect on him.

"What can I do for you?" Rosie's voice sounded as smooth as the morning's champagne.

"Well, I sort of want to talk to you a little bit more about Rex Thornbird's relationship with the other agents in your office and perhaps agents in other offices as well."

"You don't think someone in our office did it?" Rosie asked with alarm in her voice.

"No, I really don't think so. Why kill the golden goose? But I do want to get a better understanding of who might have thought of him as a rival or maybe who didn't get along with him." Henry explained.

"Ok, I understand." She said tentatively, she didn't sound as though she understood. "I have a busy afternoon, today was the day for real estate tours and I have a lot of notes to transcribe. How about dinner tonight, say around seven?"

"That sounds great!" Henry had to be careful to control the enthusiasm in his voice. "Where would you like to meet?" He asked with a little less excitement.

"Well, we sort of had a Mexican lunch the other day. Do you like Chinese?" He could hear Rosie thinking on the other side of the line.

"Sure, do you want to go to Lam's? Henry remembered his take out from last night.

"No, I was thinking of something a little nicer. Have you ever been to P.F. Chang's Bistro in Rancho Mirage?" He heard Rosie flipping pages in the background.

"Is that the place that always has a line outside in The River shopping center?" Henry thought he had seen it when he drove out to Palm Desert on Route one-eleven.

"Yes, that's the one, I'll make a reservation for seven, is that ok?" Rosie asked.

"I'll see you there." Henry answered once again trying to keep his voice calm.

"Ok, until then. Henry, one question before you hang up?" Rosie's voice was hesitant.

"Yes, what is it?" Henry hesitated as well.

"Dinner doesn't need to be totally about business does it? I think I'd like to get know you a little better." Rosie asked quietly.

"No, no it certainly doesn't, I'd like that. See you at seven." Henry answered.

"Good, until then." Rosie hung up the phone.

"Until then." Henry said to a now quiet phone as he hung up slowly.

He couldn't believe what was happening. He had not been interested in any women since getting engaged to Irma over forty years ago. Maybe what Charles had said was true, he had been hiding from his emotions since Irma's death. But why now, and why did he feel this way about Rosie Murphy? He couldn't figure that out. Was he cheating on Irma by seeing Rosie for dinner, it was more than business; he couldn't deny that, he wanted it to be more than business as well. He could certainly talk to other people in the Coachella Real Estate office about Thornbird and his interactions with the other employees there.