Sicilian Murder

by Alec Peche

  “Yes and if you're pushed or trip you would go off the edge with some momentum, right? You wouldn't tumble just ten meters down the slope.”

  “So the dent in his skull and the fact he was found only ten meters below the rim makes you think he was dead weight, no pun intended, when he was pushed over the edge,” Nathan said.

  “That's my thinking at the moment. Of, course when we visit the crime scene tomorrow and I find a perfectly jagged rock with blood on it perhaps two to four meters below the rim, then my theory is crap.”

  “Has it rained here since his body was found?” asked Angela.

  “I'll take some hydrogen peroxide with me which should show brown even if it has rained since his body was found. The peroxide won't tell me whether I'm looking at human or some other kind of blood, but it's a starting point. I'd also like to go down the slope, but of course I don't want to tumble to the bottom and end up dead myself.”

  “Will the police have some kind of climbing gear to keep you safe? Maybe I should come and Angela and I can hold a rope that's attached to you.”

  “The two cops can do that. While my presence may be annoying, they don't want me dead from an accident on that mountain I'm sure. I'll be sensible and I've got Angela watching my six as they say on television,” Jill said with a grin. “Angela, let's hear what you found out.”

  “What's does that mean 'watching my six'?”

  “It means I have your back and it comes from the idea that you're standing on a clock looking at '12'. Your back is facing the '6' and that's what I would be protecting.”

  “Okay, weird. Today I interviewed Randy Chen's daughter. She's the only one that worked for him in the family business and accompanied him on this trip. I spoke with the son by phone as well as Randy's ex-wife. As the daughter was already here in Italy and his body will return to Wisconsin for burial, the family as yet, see no reason to be in Italy.”

  “Why his ex-wife?” Jill asked.

  “She was deeply involved in his company and was really quite distraught over his death. We can also rule out these family members as solid alibis came up in the course of our conversation. I'll interview Brenda tomorrow. In fact, since the body has been released to the family, they all may depart tomorrow with his remains back home. However we may want to keep Brenda with us as an intermediary with the family and the company. I think it would be helpful to have her onsite to answer questions rather than constantly calling or emailing her with questions. She knows our victim both personally and professionally, but I'm not sure what her role is with the company and maybe she's needed at home to manage it in his absence.”

  “Let's figure that out once Marie arrives, she's due to land at the airport soon,” Jill said looking at her watch. “So what was Randy Chen doing in Sicily?”

  “He spends a considerable amount of time outside of the United States sourcing plant substances for his homeopathic products. In fact his daughter estimated that he's out in the field as she said about half of the year. He'll explore a new product – see what people say about it, look for any evidence of the science behind the product, and then take some raw material home with him to analyze.

  “He'd have his lab people study the product and decide what format to sell the product in – liquid, pill, or some other format. He'll also want to make sure he can get plenty of the product if they should go into production. Recently, the company has expanded into pet products because Americans spend so much on their pets and so why not have a cut of that market?”

  “So did Melissa say what product her father was sourcing here in Sicily? I'd assume it's a plant since there are several plants that grow here and nowhere else in the world,” Jill said.

  “She didn't say what the exact plant was, but indicated that the leaf contained the active ingredient,” Angela replied. “She said that he was super excited about the product, predicting it would become their number one product as it had multiple uses.”

  “Did she refuse to name the product because she didn't know or because it was a trade secret?”

  “She didn't know. Her father planned to share the product with her the evening of his death, but first he wanted to 'source' it at its location somewhere on this island,” Angela said signaling quote marks with her hands.

  “Okay what does sourcing it mean?”

  “When her father was evaluating new plant materials, he liked to go spend time with the natural product. She said he would meditate by the product as part of his decision to use something new.”

  “That doesn't sound very scientific,” Jill commented dubiously promising herself never to order any products from her victim's company website. She remembered that she had in the past, but this idea of mediating by a new plant was just too much. Still she asked, “Did he ever reject some plants after meditating by them?”

  “Let's just say, that there have been a few.”

  “Did Mr. Chen mention to his daughter that he would be visiting one of Mount Etna's craters? I know there are no plants up there, so that wouldn't have been his meditation location.”

  “She did say that he didn't mention going to the Mount Etna crater, but depending on who he ran into along the way, it wouldn't have been unusual if someone said he should go up the mountain to see the view. She did say that he often kept notes in his cellphone of what he wanted to remember about a specific plant. Melissa has his phone but can't unlock it.”

  “Did she have an address for where he was going to source the plant? This island is hopelessly big if we have no idea where the plant is.”

  “She thought he mentioned he was going to a small town with the word “Sicily” as part of the town's name. I looked up the island on a map with her on my phone and there were at least three towns with “Sicilia” in their name, but Melissa Chen wasn't really sure if that was what her father had said in passing about where he was going.”

  “You'll have to show me these locations on the map when we get back to the hotel. I'd like to look at them in juxtaposition to where his body was found. Did she have any clue as to what he would be using this plant material for – what ailment it would cure?”

  “Her guess was weight loss as that's the outcome that so many people seek when they visit their store.”

  “We better head back to the apartment as Marie should arrive at any time,” Nathan said as he listened to the discussion between Jill and Angela.

  They turned around and started walking back to their neighborhood with Jill peppering Angela with questions, but not learning anything new about the product that Randy Chen was excited about. As they approached their apartment building they saw Marie exiting a taxi and heading to the trunk for her suitcase.

  After hugs were exchanged by all, the group moved inside the building towards their rented apartment.

  Once Marie placed her suitcase and backpack in one of the bedrooms, she came back to the sitting room where Nathan had a reheated dinner for her and he laid out the four wines he'd purchased earlier for them to try. Once Marie finished her dinner, Jill asked, “I understand the family is returning home tomorrow with Mr. Chen's body, do you think your sister would be willing to stay here for a few days as we try to sort out Randy and his company?”

  “I don't know. She may have much to do back in Green Bay. Let me talk with her first and I'll get you an answer. How about if I invite her over to our little wine tasting party?”

  “As long as she wouldn't fault us for not spending every single minute trying to solve the mystery of Randy's death.”

  “Not to worry. She's a Wisconsin girl, beer and wine breaks are important. Besides haven't you already done an autopsy, met with the cops and interviewed his family and you've been on Sicilian soil for what, six hours?” Marie asked.

  “Yeah I guess we have been productive,” Jill said with a smile. “Let's delay starting our wine testing until we know if your sister is going to join us.”

  A few moments later, Jill, Nathan, and Angela could tell that Brenda wasn't going to join
them that night from what they heard on Marie's side of the conversation.

  “She'll move in tomorrow after Melissa Chen leaves to fly back to Wisconsin. She's trying to help her at the moment. I would offer to do some work tonight, but I suspect that once we start tasting wine, I'll be falling asleep as it's been a long day getting here and I didn't sleep on the plane.”

  “Okay I'll admit to being a little fuzzed brained myself. I got a little sleep on the plane, but I really concentrated during the autopsy and having the two Italian cops watching my every move was different. So I'll be quick to follow you into fuzz brain-land. Is that even a word?”

  “Well ladies, I've been here a few days and have no jet-lag what so ever, so I guess I'll take notes on your thoughts about the wine before you fall asleep.”

  “Thanks, Angela,” Jill said. “Let's began our tasting!”

  By the second glass of wine, Jill was beginning to yawn between swallows, by the third she was having a hard time thinking of words to describe the wine and by the forth, she was falling asleep during Angela and Nathan's conversation. He grabbed the wine glass out of her hand afraid she would spill it and steered her to bed. Marie followed at her heels.

  He returned to the living room to finish the tasting with Angela. They opened the fourth bottle and took notes on the subtle flavors.

  “I think this is my favorite. There are fewer aftertastes,” Angela said.

  “I agree. I taste fewer tannins, which means this bottle is less dry and since Jill doesn't like dry wines, I think she will like it more. We'll save some for her.”

  “How do you make a dry grape less dry? Didn't one of you say that the grape used for this wine is considered dry?”

  “It is a dry grape, but after Jill ferments the wine she could add potassium sorbate which stabilizes the wine and prevents it from fermenting further, then she could add sugar or honey to increase the sweetness. She would probably enjoy that process and she might create a unique Nero d'Avola wine by moving away from the standard dry version.”

  “Sounds like a plan. How's Henrik's vineyard doing? I haven't heard much since I did the photography and you showed me the finished marketing materials.”

  Henrik Klein was a friend, and millionaire owner of a computer technology firm. They met him while solving his wife's murder. They had become good friends since and recently with Nathan's advice, he had purchased a winery near his home in Stuttgart, Germany. Angela did the photography while Nathan had designed the label and marketing materials.

  “I chatted with him a few weeks ago and he said his first vintage was already sold out. Henrik wasn't sure if it was the wine or the label that made it so popular,” Nathan said with a grin.

  “He's not doing the blending himself, right?”

  “No he hired a woman from California that Jill had met in her wine industry meetings. The woman had been blending in her home and produced what Jill thought were good wines and she knew she wanted to leave the competitive California market. So Henrik flew her out to the winery, interviewed her, and liked what he saw, and gave her a chance and now we've collectively helped him make his winery successful, though I'm sure he would have gotten there on his own in time. He has that magic touch.”

  “Yeah he was the only one to catch a thief and then marry her. He does have the magic touch. So he doesn't need us for any more work on the winery? That's too bad, I enjoyed seeing my photographs used to produce wine.”

  “Actually, I think you will have a lot more work coming your way if you want it. Henrik wants to do a second varietal with purchased juice since he's so impressed with his winemaker, so once he settles on the grape with her, we'll need to design materials for him. So we may need you to shoot new photographs there or locally in the United States depending on what he chooses. Also, I personally liked working with you, and I'm going to start hiring you for my own work. My current photographer is retiring, and you're top of my list to hire in the future. So if you're agreeable, I think there's a lot of travel in your future.”

  “Are you kidding? I loved working with you and Henrik. I knew exactly what kinds of shots to take as you painted such a clear picture in my head for Henrik's label and brochures. It was easy. Call me anytime you want.”

  “Good. Once this case is over, I have a job for you in Louisiana for a spirits label, and then one in Northern California for a beer label. Send me a contract that specifies your hourly rate, transportation costs, and photo editing costs, once you return home and we'll be good to go.”

  Angela stepped over to give Nathan a hug saying, “This sounds like brilliant fun and success in my future as a photographer. Thanks!”

  “I've only worked with you on one job, but you gave me the photographs I wanted with the least amount of instruction. That's a perfect photographer for me!”

  After a little more time discussing what his photography needs were in New Orleans and California, they headed off to their respective bedrooms to sleep.

  Chapter 5

  Jill, Marie, and Angela were sipping coffee in the kitchen strategizing their day. In less than an hour, Angela and Jill would accompany the two cops to the location of where Randy Chen's body was found. Jill left Nathan a note asking him about renting a car – did it make sense to rent one or to hire a driver for trying to find Mr, Chen's plant somewhere on the island of Sicily?

  Marie was going to meet up with her sister as soon as Melissa left with her father's body to travel home to the United States. Jill had the x-ray films of her victim's skull and the indent looked suspicious, still Jill needed to see the crater. Melissa was glad she'd hired Jill and her team, but sad to think her father might have been murdered. Really sad as she was unaware of any enemies he had, and Melissa assumed that if the autopsy evidence proved conclusive for murder, that it was a random mugging gone bad.

  Angela and Jill noted to ask the police about the personal effects found on his body. If he was carrying money or had an expensive watch on, then that negated Melissa's theory. Sicily had a high unemployment rate and was a poor region of Italy, but it wasn't known for random muggings resulting in death.

  Angela spent some time listing questions for the two cops. She thought this might be the only time she got to question them. Jill made sure she had her hydrogen peroxide with her, along with gloves, q-tips, and other supplies for a forensic pathologist visiting the scene of the crime. They thought the trip to the crater would take several hours, as it, they guessed would take at least an hour to get there.

  The two women were standing outside their apartment building when they saw a Polizia car approaching and Jill said, “I think that means that Vice Questore Cavallaro is driving.”

  The car pulled next to Jill and Tenete Rosso exited, reaching to open the back seat door of the vehicle. He paused, mid-motion noticing Angela and said, “We committed to taking you to the crime scene, not your friends.”

  'Okay', Jill thought. 'He's in a bad mood today. Great, just what she needed.'

  “This is my teammate, Angela Weber. Her duties on the team include photography and interviewing. She's not here as a spectator. If this is a problem for you, then give me the Geo-coordinate of where Mr. Chen was found and we'll rent a car and get there on our own.”

  Rosso muttered a series of rapid fire Italian words and then leaned into the front seat of the car for a conversation with Cavallaro. Jill glanced over at Angela to see if she was taking it in, and she winked at Jill that she was.

  Rosso returned from his conversation with his partner of the day and said, “Get in,” opening the back car door for the ladies. Jill and Angela were thrilled that there were no bars separating them from the front seat, an indication that the car was not used to transport people under arrest.

  Angela smiled at the two officers and said, “Buongiorno”.

  The two officers responded back in kind.

  “About how long is the ride to reach the location where Mr. Chen was found?” Jill asked.

  “It will take about forty
-five minutes.” Cavallaro replied.

  “Who found him and called the police?” Jill asked as so far none of the details of the case had been shared with her by the family or law enforcement.

  “A group of hikers approached the crater where he was found. They had halted their hike waiting for the snow to end on the mountain top around one in the afternoon. There was perhaps a two to three hour period mid-morning when no one ventured toward the crater because of light snow. We don't usually get snow in October and because it was expected to be a quick storm, the hikers waited for it to pass. Volcanic rock can be slippery when there's water on it,” Cavallaro said.

  “Which police force responded to the scene?” Angela asked.

  “Neither of us. The hikers included a doctor who determined that Mr. Chen was dead and it looked like a tourist accident. At the scene there was no evidence of foul play as you Americans call it. An ambulance was called to remove his body, but the police were not notified until the ambulance had loaded up Mr. Chen. The hikers assisted the ambulance attendants in moving Mr. Chen out of the crater and to a stretcher. He was loaded in the ambulance and on his way back to Catania by the time Carabinieri arrived,” Rosso said.

  “Did you respond to the crater, Tenete Rosso?” Angela asked.

  “No, one of my officers did.”

  “May I arrange an interview with that officer?”

  Rosso looked backed at Angela with a pained expression wondering how much to cooperate with these Americans. He needed to talk with his colleagues for some input on this unusual case. Never in his fifteen year history as a member of the Carabinieri had he had an American private detective insert herself into a case. And a woman at that! The American Consulate had called his headquarters in Rome to secure their cooperation and now both he and Vice Questore Cavallaro were unsure what to do in their jobs. It was a weird and undesirable feeling.