Major Crimes (13 page)

Geri put up a hand to shush me. “Nonsense. You’re not imposing. You’re keeping that old fart out of my hair.”

“Old fart? Uh huh. Okay.” Frank turned to me. “You know why they call her Geri? It’s short for geriatric.”

“Speak for yourself, old man.”

I decided to interrupt the spousal bashing. “No, seriously. I really do appreciate all you’re doing. I can pay you back…”

“Your money’s no good here.” Frank seemed insulted.

“I’m sorry. I’m not saying the right thing. It’s that…uh…most people wouldn’t take in a complete stranger and help them out. You did it without hesitation. I’m grateful that you’d help me.”

Frank’s expression turned hard. “Let me tell you something. I have a son about your age. Well, a little older than you, but I would hope someone would help him if he was in trouble. Plus, Freddy vouched for you. That’s enough for me. I’m sure he ran a background check on you before he sent you here.”

I nodded. “Thanks. Really. Thanks.”

“Our pleasure.” Geri patted me on the shoulder then sliced another piece of key lime pie. She promptly added it to my plate.

“So you have a son?”

“Yeah. He lives in Philly with his wife. We don’t see him much. He’s busy working all the time,” Geri said. “And his wife’s not Italian.”

I wondered what nationality she was, since Geri made it a point to tell me she wasn’t Italian. “And you have a daughter who I met.”

“Yes, Linda’s our oldest. She has six kids. Then there’s our other daughter, Kimberly. She’s the middle child.”

“And you’re related to Bonnie?”

“That’s Frank’s niece. His sister’s kid. She’s only half Italian though.”

“Half Italian?” I thought that was a strange thing to say.

“Yeah, you know. She makes those Greek salads and baklava and all.”

Of course—it was all about the food. Getting to know Geri and Frank better made me feel less like I was using them. Someday I’d compensate them for their help. Maybe not with money because they seemed like they’d be insulted with that, but I’d find a way to say thanks.

I helped Frank clean the dishes, then I sat on the couch to watch a movie with them. With a full belly and a reclining chair, it wasn’t long before I fell into a key lime pie coma.

* * *

A vivid dream appeared in my mind. Chelsey stood in a field filled with wildflowers. Her blonde hair blew behind her in the wind. Her eyes twinkled. Her flowing white sundress fluttered in the breeze against a brilliant sapphire sky.

As I approached her, I felt the intensity of her gaze burn through me. A feeling of pure and unconditional love washed over me. I embraced her. The sky grew dark. The flowers wilted, the gentle zephyr turned into a strong gust.

She pushed me away. Her face filled with horror as she looked over my shoulder. “Run!” Her voice was so shrill, my eardrums bled. I glanced over my shoulder. Police officers and their K-9s hurtled toward me. I froze for a moment. I turned to grab Chelsey’s hand, but she vanished.

I looked over my shoulder once more. The police officers shapeshifted into warlocks more hideous than the creations of George Lucas himself. The dogs morphed into dragons. With spears in hand and flames shooting from their pets’ mouths, the warlocks charged.

Streams of fire sailed past my head. Spears narrowly missed me. I glanced to my right, looking for an escape. I saw Freddy pointing. I sprinted past him, following his direction.

Toward the safety of an underground cave, I barreled through the field. Nearing the cave, I could see Frank and Geri waving me in. I lost my footing and tumbled. The warlocks had caught up to me. I scrambled to my feet but felt the fire singe the skin on my back. I was about to meet my maker when I was jolted awake by the sound of my ringing cell phone.

Chapter 17

Chelsey

Savoy’s Bar and Grill was shaped like a train car. I hiked up the stairs to the front deck and stepped into the entrance. The crowd was light. A few businessmen sat at the bar for happy hour. A group of three women ate at a high-top table.

I selected a stool at the far end of the bar—away from the other patrons. I ordered a glass of their house white wine and nursed it while I thought of what to ask the bartender.

When the bartender reappeared to ask if I’d like anything else, I placed an order for their chicken quesadillas and explained that I was investigating the death of Archibald Wallace. I asked if he had a moment to answer a couple of questions.

The bartender held up his index finger, encouraging me to wait. A lock of his black hair fell to his face. He moved over to the computer, punched in my dinner order, and returned. I learned he was there the night Archie passed away. He remembered Archie because he was a regular at Savoy’s. He hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

I asked him about a woman driving a Ford Focus.

“I was behind the bar all night, I can’t see what cars people are driving.”

I nodded. “Were there any women hanging around the bar, talking to Archie and his friends or anything?”

“There were at least twenty women talking to them. I think it was known some of them were cops. Women around here go crazy for the blue.”

So there were women going crazy over Bryce?
A twinge of jealousy hit me. I brushed it off and continued my questioning. “Were there any women here alone, not with a group of friends? Someone who may have left alone?”

The bartender shrugged. “There were a few.”

“Could any of them have gotten close enough to drug one of their drinks?”

“Sure. It was a Saturday night. Have you ever been here on a Saturday night? We were packed. There were bodies squeezing into the bar at every opening trying to order drinks. Everyone was on top of each other’s drinks.”

My quesadillas arrived. I asked the bartender if there was a manager I could talk to. He said he’d get the manager for me.

I forked a piece of chicken from my quesadilla and dipped it in sour cream before cramming it into my mouth. I was starving.

Halfway through my meal, the manager of Savoy’s approached me. He extended his hand and introduced himself as Dmitri. He tried to be helpful, but he didn’t have much more information than the bartender.

“I was going to have the bartenders cut the two men off from drinking. They looked wasted, but I didn’t have to, they left. I stopped them on the way out and called a taxi for them. They were in no condition to drive,” he said.

“Which cab company did you call?” I knew the answer, but it was never bad to get confirmation. When Freddy was gearing up for court, witnesses who could confirm times and dates were essential.

“Gabby’s Cabbies.”

“What time was that?”

“Umm, around quarter ’til one, I think.”

With more questioning, I didn’t learn much. Dmitri didn’t notice any strange women. Whoever this woman was, she blended in with the crowd.

“Do you have surveillance cameras in here?”

“On the outside. If you give me a few minutes, I’ll be happy to copy the video from that night.”

“Do you have a list of regulars who were there that night that I can question? Maybe someone else saw something.”

“I can do you one better. There was a band playing here that night called Five O’Clock Shadow. They had a photographer with them. If you go to their website, they have pictures posted. Maybe you’ll get lucky. Give me a couple of days and I’ll take a look at the pictures too, and I’ll email you a list of who I recognize from them. I don’t keep phone numbers of our patrons though.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

I took my time finishing my quesadillas. I asked the bartender for a glass of water to wash down my food. I left him a generous tip for helping me.

Dmitri came out from the back room and handed me a DVD of the security footage from the night Archie was killed. Shaking his hand, I thanked him and left.

I thought about how I’d find time to check out the video and the pictures. Not that my checking them out would help. I didn’t know who I was looking for. But I knew the right person for the job. And he happened to have some free time on his hands.

I unlocked my car door and sat inside while I dialed the phone. Bryce picked up on the second ring. He sounded half asleep.

“Hi. How are you holding up?” I asked.

“Hey. It’s great to hear your voice. Geri and Frank are feeding me well.”

“I imagined so. Were you sleeping?”

“Yeah. I guess I nodded off. Why’d you take off without saying goodbye?”

“Because I knew you’d want to come with me and…well, never mind about that. I have something you can work on for your case.”

“Go on.”

“I just finished speaking with the employees at Savoy’s. A band played the night Archie was murdered. They took pictures. Maybe you can look through the photos, see if there’s anyone familiar—like the girl in the Ford Focus. Or someone you recognize hanging near the bar or something.”

I gave Bryce the web address for the pictures and told him the manager would email me names of employees and regulars that appear in the pictures. I told Bryce I’d send those names when I had them. I also told him about the DVD. He had already seen the video from Savoy’s, compliments of Frank. I thought Bryce could watch the surveillance recording from the entire night—see if he saw anyone entering Savoy’s as well as exiting.

“I’m not sure I need the DVD, Frank seems to have access to the footage from that night. Keep it on you, though, in case I do need it. I’ll come get it.”

“You really shouldn’t come get it. We shouldn’t be seen together and you shouldn’t risk being seen period.”

“Whatever.”

“That’s your biggest flaw, Bryce. You’re stubborn. And you have a blatant disregard for your own safety. A total disregard for consequences.”

“Anything else about my issues you’d like to share?”

“Yeah, you’re impulsive and you’re lucky you have those dimples or I might not be able to overlook your pigheadedness.”

“Oh, you like my dimples now, do you?” Bryce sounded a little too seductive for my comfort. It was probably a good thing we were separated at the moment. I might’ve had some feelings I couldn’t control.

“Okay, Bryce. I’m changing the subject. Have you found any more information on your end?”

“The DNA results on the ring came back showing the blood was from a woman.”

“That’s interesting.” I pondered that. If the ring was a real clue in the murder, then our two main suspects, Drew and Solar, couldn’t have done the deed. It didn’t mean anything, though. There could’ve been more than one murderer. “But it was a man’s ring.”

“Yes…”

“It could’ve been Archie’s ring. Maybe the ring is more valuable than we thought. Maybe the perp tried to steal it and dropped it on the way out.”

“I don’t like the robbery theory. Nothing else was stolen. Archie had a nice house, but he wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination. Why drug me if it was a burglary gone wrong? That hypothesis doesn’t fit.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t agree?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think.”

“Anyway, Frank and I got a license plate for the Ford Focus. It’s registered to a rental car company in Madisen.”

“Was it Meyer’s? I was just there.”

“You were? Why?”

“I had a rental car earlier today. I can go check them out next, but I have to go quick. They close soon. Then I’m heading home for the night. I’m exhausted from running around all day. Freddy wants me to get DNA evidence. I’ll start doing that in the morning.”

Bryce gave me the license plate number. I told Bryce I’d call him with updates.

“Call me tomorrow,” he said.

“I will.”

“I love you.”

Did he just say he loved me? What the…?

“Umm
…”

“Uh, I mean I love you for doing this for me. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“No problem.”

We disconnected. That was awkward. Normally, I would’ve pondered that statement to death, but I had a job to do. There was time for that later.

* * *

Foot to pedal, I sped to Meyer’s and made it there before they closed—barely. I scurried into the front office and asked to speak with someone in charge.

“You were just here. Lose something?” the lady behind the counter chirped.

I whipped out my private investigator’s ID and showed it to her. “I was hoping you could help me with a murder investigation. I need to know who rented a Ford Focus, license plate number MMM71C on the night of May thirtieth.”

The woman took my ID, glanced from it to me several times, and then slid it back to me over the counter. “Not unless you got yourself a court order.”

“Look, we are pretty sure that the murderer drove that car on the night of the murder. We know it was a woman. You could crack this case wide open. You’d be the hero who solved Archibald Wallace’s murder!” I grinned, hoping the excitement in my voice was contagious.

“Really?” The woman’s eyes lit up like fireballs.

“Yes!”

Her face turned stern. “Not without a court order.” She was messing with me.

My shoulders dropped. “You don’t know how important this is. An innocent man is about to go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. You’d be saving his life.”

“So, then, his attorney should be able to get a court order with no problem.”

“He doesn’t have an attorney yet.”

“Then I suggest he get one.” She pointed to the clock. “We are officially closed. It’s time for me to get back to my family. Good day, ma’am.”

Dejected, I turned with my tail between my legs and drove home. I sent a text to Bryce,
No luck at Meyer’s.
Then I called Freddy.

“Yellow.”

“Why do you say ‘yellow’ when you answer the phone? It’s a color, not a greeting.”

“Whatcha got for me, Chelsey? Any DNA?”

“Not yet, I’m going to tackle that tomorrow.” I relayed my findings from Savoy’s to Freddy, told him about the license plate, and told him how I had no luck at Meyer’s.

“I’ve ruled out Jennifer Pavlica and Tina Liara. I’ve confirmed both alibis, they were both out of state at the time of the murder, so you don’t have to collect their DNA.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. They could’ve ordered the hit.”

“Yeah, and a hitman wouldn’t have stabbed Archie forty-something times. You also don’t need to bother with Drew or Solar. The DNA test on the ring came back as female.”

I protested. “You can’t rule out Drew. I know something is up there. I’m sure of it.”

“Chelsey, I need DNA from the most likely suspects first. If those don’t pan out, we can get more from other suspects.”

“I know, but…”

“Don’t go wasting your time on other people. It may take you a while to get it from the people we need.”

“Fine! Who do we need again? Archie’s wife Pamela. Their daughter Brittany, Cynthia Sterling, and Archie’s first wife Martha?”

“Don’t forget Archie’s girlfriend, Lake.”

“Lake? Are you joking? Her name is Lake? Her first name?”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?”

“No.”

“Then I’m not joking.”

“What’s her last name? River? Ocean?”

Freddy sighed. Not only was Freddy
not
joking, he was not in a mood for others’ joking. “Chelsey, concentrate.”

“I got it. Pamela, Brittany,
Lake
, Cynthia, and Martha. See? Got it.”

“Don’t engage with them. Just get the DNA and get out of there.”

“Really? You don’t want me to question them or anything?”

“Chelsey, pay attention. Don’t engage.”

“Alright already. Don’t go getting your panties into a bunch.”

Freddy grunted. “If you weren’t my niece’s friend…”

“I know, I’d be out of a job or demoted.”

“Go get to work. And what did I tell you?”

“Don’t engage.”

“Repeat it to me again.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Repeat it!”

“Don’t engage.”

“Did it sink in?”

“Yes, it’s in. How about Dira?”

“Who?”

“Dira. Bonnie’s assistant. She used to work in the police department at Coral Beach and Archie used to bully her—called her dumb.”

“Let me get this straight, she’s a suspect in your mind because…someone called her dumb?”