SONGBIRD (JAX DIAMOND MYSTERIES Book 1)

by Gail Meath

  “Wild parsnips and carrots?” Jax asked. “The waiter at L’Aiglon Restaurant mentioned their chicken and biscuit dish had those vegetables in it. But even though they look similar in appearance, wouldn’t someone be able to taste the difference? I would think a poisonous plant would taste bad or bitter?”

  “On the contrary. The root of the plant emits a scent similar to fresh turnips, and they possess quite a sweet flavor,” Doctor Gettler replied.

  14

  Duke’s Club

  Jax and Tim left the medical examiner’s building and sat silently in his car. Even though Jax had been convinced all along that Sanders’ death was a homicide, they both needed time to fully grasp it.

  “I’ve got to report this to Captain Ryan,” Tim stated.

  “Inform Lieutenant Simmons, too. This gives us reason to start openly questioning suspects like Patricia Sanders and Robert Ashworth, but only regarding Sanders’ death. The Lieutenant warned me that Captain Ryan won’t listen to anything having to do with Kitty Cooper’s murder. Not without solid evidence as good as this.”

  “Jax, this proves Sanders was murdered, and we know the poison was in his dinner. But it seems far-fetched that Sanders’ wife and Ashworth killed him. Going from filing for divorce to murder is pretty extreme.”

  “Maybe. Sam Sanders had the number of his wife’s lawyer in his desk drawer, so it’s reasonable to assume that he’d found out about his wife wanting a divorce. Maybe he knew about their affair too. Ashworth could have been worried that he’d go public about it, tarnishing his impeccable reputation and family name. The man was bold enough to pay someone in the city plenty to keep his relationship with Kitty Cooper off the records.”

  “But to kill the man in such a sinister way? That was a slow and agonizing death.”

  “Yeah, but not as messy and obvious as a gun or knife. If it weren’t for Doctors Norris and Gettler, they would have gotten away with it. I agree, though. This isn’t going to be easy to prove.”

  “Don’t you have a date tonight?”

  Jax sat up. “What time is it?”

  “Going on six-thirty.”

  “Dang.” He quickly started the car and headed back to the station house. “She’s not going to be very happy with me for being late.”

  “I suppose you want me to give her a call and let her know you’ll be there soon?”

  “You’re a peach, Murph. Thanks.”

  After dropping Tim off, Jax raced through the streets to get home, at least as fast as Old Nellie would get him there. He cleaned up, filled Ace’s food and water bowl, then headed out the door. But he passed right by his car at the curb and ran down the street in the opposite direction of Laura’s apartment building. He knew Missus Kirby, a sweet old widow, had set up her flower cart just around the block. He handed her a dollar for half a dozen red roses and told her to keep the change. The woman wrapped a satin ribbon around the stems, he waved his thanks and rushed back to his car.

  Shortly after seven-thirty, he stood on Laura’s doorstep. He took a deep breath and knocked. As soon as Laura opened the door, he immediately began apologizing to her for being late, but he stopped mid-sentence when he saw her. She was wearing a shimmering pink evening gown with an uneven hemline that fell above her ankles, and a sparkling pearl headband. He had never seen anyone look so radiant.

  She smiled. “It was thoughtful of you to have Tim call me.”

  Slowly, he handed her the flower, but he was speechless.

  “Thank you. Did you want to come in?” she asked.

  He followed her into the apartment. “Did Tim tell you why I’m late?”

  “He said it pertained to work.” She pulled out a porcelain vase from the kitchen cupboard, set the roses inside, and filled it with water.

  He kept his eyes on her. “The medical examiner finally confirmed that Sam Sanders’ death was a homicide. He found a trace of poison in his system. It’s a whole different ballgame now.”

  “So, you were right all along. I was still hoping it wasn’t true, for Mister Sanders’ sake.” She set the vase on the coffee table in the living room and approached him.

  “Let’s not talk about it tonight,” he told her. “I was thinking about taking you to a place where I spend a lot of time, but now, I’m losing my nerve.”

  She gazed up at him. “Jax, take me someplace fun. All I’ve done is work on stage since I came to the city. Sunday was the best time I’ve ever had.”

  He wanted to kiss her then. If Tim’s statement about her being out of his league wasn’t so heavy on his mind, and he didn’t think that he’d scare her off, he would have. He couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed spending time with someone else. Maybe never. There was so much trash sitting in his head, from his childhood right through to working on the police force. And he’s been struggling to let go of it.

  He realized then that the past few years he’s been hiding away, burying his head in the sand as though the memories of his past would all magically disappear when he emerged. But it was always there. During his entire life, he’s had only two loves. Ace, and what he was about to introduce to her now.

  He offered her his arm. “Then, it’s settled. I had a great day with you, too, so I’m taking you to the one place I enjoy most of all.” He escorted her to his car and drove through Manhattan. But the closer they got to their destination, the more nervous he became. “I know there are plenty of nightclubs here in your territory, but there are a few places just north of Manhattan. The Pelican Club is new and one of the more popular places. But the proprietor, Orin Marino, and I don’t get along so well.”

  “Why not?”

  “Like most of the nightclub owners, he’s a known bootlegger and racketeer who can’t seem to keep his nose out of trouble. While the Pelican Club is all about booze. Duke’s Club is all about good music. I figure that’s right up your alley.”

  Laura was more than curious now. And her puzzlement heightened after Jax parked the car and told her they had a short walk. Yet rather than head down the street, they entered Roy’s Shoe Store on the corner. Jax held her hand as they passed by racks of men, women, and children’s shoes into the back room. There, he led her down a dark, narrow stairway and through the corridor to the last door.

  When it opened, Jax greeted the attendant, and the man motioned for them to go inside. Laura looked around in amazement. The dim lighting and smokiness lingering in the air made it difficult to see the entire cabaret-style room. Yet, it was filled with people from all walks of life dressed from casual to elegant, and the room was lavishly decorated with red wallpaper and gold-framed portraits. There was a bar, a few dozen tables, and a dancefloor. But it was the quartet playing on stage who gripped her attention.

  Jax pointed to the table near the band, and as they walked through the crowd, everyone they passed acknowledged him. After they sat down, he leaned over and asked, “I’m going to wait a while to have a cocktail, but I can order you one.”

  She shook her head, still focused on the musicians. Everyone in the room remained quiet, too, as they listened to the band. Laura was familiar with diverse types of music, including Dixieland, swing, and bebop. But she found jazz particularly interesting since it made the best use of brass and woodwind instruments and, her specialty, the piano. She also enjoyed the improvisation, syncopation, and rhythm. Yet, hearing it and seeing it in person was a whole new experience altogether.

  “Is this place all right with you?” Jax asked when the quartet stopped playing for a short break.

  “It’s perfect. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “Well, hang onto that thought,” he chuckled. As the band passed by their table, they each stopped to talk with Jax, and he introduced them to Laura.

  “You must come here a lot,” she told him after they left. “You know everyone.”

  He looked around, smiling. “It’s like a second home to me.”

  “You surprise me, Jax. From Coney Island to this. It’s like night and day
.”

  “Well, this club is as illegal as the rest of the nightclubs, but there hasn’t been any trouble here, so the police leave this place alone. What I admire is that every penny the owner makes from the booze they sell is generously given to the employees and the band, rather than overstuffing his own pocket. That’s not customary at other nightclubs, which is why they’re often raided.”

  She was about to respond, but he suddenly stood up.

  “Would you mind terribly if I left you here alone for a few minutes?” he asked. “I won’t be far away.”

  “No, that’s fine.”

  He stood there a moment longer. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  The band had gathered back on stage again, and curiously, she watched Jax join them. One of the band members pointed to the black case on the floor. She wondered what was going on when she saw Jax open the case and lift a brass trumpet from its berth. He blew through the mouthpiece a few times and walked over to stand beside the saxophone player.

  She threw herself back into her chair, stunned, yet smiling and laughing at the same time in disbelief. The entire band played a few warmup notes, then they began another tune.

  During the next half hour, Laura didn’t move, and she could barely breathe as she watch Jax play. Not once did he need to even glance at a sheet of music. What he hadn’t memorized was expertly improvised. And if he wasn’t looking at her, his eyes were closed, visibly feeling the overwhelming elation that she always did while singing or playing the piano.

  She couldn’t take her eyes off him, especially when each musician took turns with a brief solo. Jax played the trumpet with his heart and soul, to the point where she could feel him taking himself away from the crowd and the room to a place so far beyond anyone’s reach.

  When the tune ended, he walked to the back of the stage to pack his trumpet into the case. The band members were disappointed that he was finished, and he kept shaking his head, letting them know he was done. Before joining her again, he motioned to the bartender, and immediately, a beer and a Gin Rickey were delivered to their table. And he held that dimpled grin on her as he sat down. But it appeared more humble than smug to her now, as though he was nervous to hear what she thought.

  “Did I do okay?” he asked.

  “Okay? Jax, that was wonderful. I can’t even think of a word to describe it. Where on earth did you learn to play the trumpet, and why didn’t you say something? You are unbelievably talented. I was starstruck.”

  “Starstruck, eh? Well, that’s way more than I expected, given your abilities. I don’t mean that in a negative way. I mean...”

  She reached over and placed her hand on his. “I know what you’re saying. Thank you so much for introducing this part of yourself to me.”

  He turned his hand around and folded his fingers around hers. “It feels good being able to share it with someone else for once.”

  It was well past midnight by the time Jax drove Laura home and walked her to the door of her apartment. She retrieved the keys from her purse, but he took them and opened the door for her. She turned to him. “Did you want to come in?”

  He rested his hand on the wall beside her. “No, not tonight. It’s late, and I should be getting home to Ace.”

  His blue eyes gripped her again. “I loved watching you play.”

  “Not as much as I love watching you sing. My little bag of tricks is empty now. No more surprises.”

  She smiled. “I’m sure you have a few more up your sleeve.”

  “Yeah, maybe. Well, I guess I should go.”

  She headed into her apartment, then looked back at him. “If your coffee is as good as your lamb chops, I could stop by before I go to the theater tomorrow morning. Ace probably misses me anyway.”

  “I make the best dang coffee in the city.”

  15

  The Suspects

  Wednesday, June 6

  “Ace, relax. She’ll be here soon,” Jax called from the kitchen when he saw Ace sitting by the front door. “I never should have told you that she was coming over.” But Ace didn’t budge. “I guess I can’t blame you for being anxious.” And he went back to prepping breakfast.

  A few minutes later, Ace stood by the door, wagging his tail, even before Laura knocked. Jax hurried over to open it, but Ace budged him aside to greet her first. “Good morning,” she laughed, and she bent down to hug Ace.

  Jax snatched her hand, shooing Ace away, and led her into the kitchen. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I usually just have coffee in the morning, Jax. I didn’t expect you to cook anything.”

  “Once you taste my puff pancakes with homemade raspberry jam, you’ll be back for more.”

  As they ate breakfast, Jax asked Laura what she had planned for the day. She told him that she had a few errands to run this morning, then she, Jeanie, and Margie were going to meet for lunch and do a little window shopping.

  “I met Jeanie at the ballgame, didn’t I? She’s a pretty woman.”

  “Margie is, too. She’s Jeanie’s roommate. She was supposed to join us for the game, but she doesn’t like baseball very much. She’s anxious to meet you, though.”

  “What time do you need to be at the theater for your performance tonight?” he asked.

  “Four o’clock for rehearsal. I’ll probably get there a little earlier.” But her mind drifted. “Margie told me that she’s been seeing the owner of the Cotton Club. I’m not sure who that is, but after what you said last night about club owners being bootleggers and racketeers, I’m worried about her.”

  “With good reason,” he said. “Tell her to be careful, Laura. We don’t need another Butterfly murder on our hands.”

  “Oh, Jax, don’t scare me. I’ll make sure I talk with her about it this afternoon. Okay, enough of me. I want to hear what you have planned for your day now that you’ve got proof Mister Sanders’ death was a homicide.”

  “Murph has the pleasure of informing Patricia Sanders of our findings and asking her a few questions, hopefully making her nervous enough to say something she shouldn’t. I have a more grueling task. I’m going to pay the Ashworths a little surprise visit at their home. As the owner of the theater, Missus Ashworth needs to be notified that we’re investigating a murder now, and I’m curious to watch her son’s reaction when told of it.”

  “Margie said New York City was a far cry from my little hometown, but I never realized how true that was until all this happened. I still can’t believe that Robert Ashworth could be involved in two murders. And you think he paid someone to cut your brake cables, too, don’t you? I haven’t wanted to even think about that. We both could have been killed.”

  “Thanks to your ingenuity, we weren’t, Laura. And whoever was responsible didn’t know that you would be in the car with me, so you’re not in any danger.”

  “But you are,” she said worriedly.

  “It’s nice having someone worry about me. But between you, Ace and Murph, I’m as snug as a bug.”

  “Well, I don’t envy you today. I shouldn’t say anything negative against Missus Ashworth after everything she’s done for my career, but she’s a very dramatic, self-absorbed woman. Of course, given her wealth, I suppose that’s to be expected.”

  His eyes lit up. “Why don’t you come with me?”

  She burst out laughing and stood up. “You’re on your own, Detective. Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious. I’m going to leave while the getting’s good.”

  An hour later, Jax and Ace headed for the Ashworth mansion on Fifth Avenue. Laura’s comments didn’t help his nerves any. As it was, he had to tread ever so carefully with the Ashworths, Robert especially. He needed to pose every question without sounding accusatory. Otherwise, they would become defensive and resort to using their money and influence to stop the investigation, just as they had done in the Kitty Cooper case.

  “Unbelievable...” Jax muttered as he pulled up across the street from the Ashworth mansion. “How would you like to live in that joint
, Ace?”

  The fifty-seven-room stone mansion spanned the entire block with a nine-foot cast iron barricade guarding the estate from trespassers. While Jax sat there studying the palace and the surroundings, he didn’t see Robert’s Rolls-Royce. But curiously, he noticed Sanders’ sporty Fiat out front, along with a turquoise Pierce-Arrow parked behind it, which was another lavish vehicle that cost more than his apartment building.

  He sat there for a while, silently running through his questions. He wasn’t sure if he was prepared to confront both Ashworths and Patricia Sanders at the same time. He also resented the fact that he had to do Tim’s dirty work, too, since was supposed to question Patricia at her apartment.

  He took a few deep breaths and got out of his car. After he crossed the street, he noticed the front gate had been left open. He climbed the steps and used the brass door knocker to alert those inside. It took the elderly butler exactly eight seconds to answer.”

  “I need to speak with Missus Ashworth,” Jax stated.

  “I am sorry, sir, but she traveled to her summer home this morning.”

  “Is Mister Ashworth available?” he asked.

  “And you are…”

  “Detective Diamond. It’s an important police matter.”

  “Wait here, and I will see if he is available.”

  The butler began closing the door, but Jax stuck his foot out to stop it from shutting. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I wait inside while you find out?” And he boldly entered the domed entryway, ignoring the displeasure on the older man’s face.

  Reluctantly, the butler turned around. “If you insist, sir, then I must ask you to wait in the library.” He led the way to the main hall and headed for the door on their right.

  As Jax followed him, he glanced around. The massive foyer was lined with sculpted busts and oil paintings of either their ancestors or other notable people. It was a pretty gruesome scene in his mind. But to each his own, he figured. There were also seven doorways encompassing the room, along with a wide, winding staircase, and an elaborate crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.