The Player

by Joe Cosentino

  “Did they come up with anything?”

  “Nothing worthwhile.”

  I was surprised to see Kelly reenter with Zian so quickly. Kelly offered Zian a grin. “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  Zian pouted. “May I go to my room?”

  Kelly cocked his head. “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-five.” Zian stood his ground defiantly. “How old are you, Detective?”

  “Old enough to know someone twenty-five shouldn’t act like a child.”

  As if Daniel preparing to battle Goliath, Zian replied, “A police detective shouldn’t act like a bully.”

  Kelly smirked down at him. “If you know what’s good for you, little boy, you’ll calm down and let me continue my investigation.”

  Zian seemed ready to explode. “Based on your rude behavior so far, I don’t have much faith in your abilities.”

  Bending down so they’d be eye to eye, Kelly said, “Your good looks may excuse a childish tantrum in New York City, but we aren’t in New York City now.”

  “Did you take a class at the police academy in how to insult people?”

  “Actually, I knew that before going to school.”

  Rage filled Zian’s face. “Who do you think you are talking to?”

  “What we call a high-maintenance interview.”

  He gasped. “I’m going to report you to your superior!”

  Kelly handed him a card. “That’s my number, in case you remember anything else about Cynthia Butler Russell. And if you’d like to speak to my superior, I’ll be happy to forward your call.”

  Zian humphed. “Don’t hold your breath.”

  “How nice. Are you concerned about me, Zian?”

  “I meant I won’t be calling you, Detective.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Kelly offered him a victorious smile.

  Jim and Nelson Russell descended the long staircase. Buttoning his teal polo shirt, Jim said to his son, “What were you doing in Sergio’s room?”

  Nelson’s bulging muscles were on display as he slipped on an emerald T-shirt. “I can ask you the same thing about being in Aunt Sherry’s room.”

  When they arrived in the sitting room, Jim accosted Detective Kelly. “Your police officer told us Cynthia is dead. What the hell happened to my wife?”

  “Gabriel didn’t do anything!”

  Jim pushed Zian away. “Nobody asked you.”

  Kelly grasped Jim by the shoulders and led him away from Zian. “Jim, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “I don’t want your sorrow. I want you tell me what the hell happened to Cynthia.”

  “Please sit down.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do. Tell me how my wife died!”

  “I’m sorry to inform you that Cynthia’s throat was slashed with her letter opener.”

  Jim and Nelson gasped.

  “She has been taken to the coroner’s lab for further investigation.” Kelly pointed at Zian. “Pouncing on your guests won’t bring her back or help us figure out who murdered her.”

  A round-faced female detective raced down the stairs and said to Kelly, “Sorry about that, Dustin. They got away from me.”

  “It’s all right,” Kelly replied. “After this terrible tragedy, it’s understandable that the Russell family members are upset.”

  Jim seemed frantic. “Cynthia was only forty-five years old! She shouldn’t have been taken from us so soon.”

  “Calm down, Dad.”

  Kelly turned to Nelson. “I’m sorry for your loss as well, Nelson.”

  “Thank you.” Nelson seemed in shock.

  “If you and your father will accompany Detective Sturgess to the dining room, I’ll join you in a moment.”

  Tears filled Jim’s dark eyes. “Who did this to Cynthia?”

  “And why?” Nelson asked with a wobbly voice.

  “That’s what we are trying to find out.”

  Jim asked Kelly, “Are you?”

  Kelly seemed deadly serious. “I know we’ve had our disagreements in the past, but I’m determined to find out who did this, and anything you can tell us will be of assistance.”

  Nelson took his father’s arm, and the two men followed the other detective into the dining room.

  Kelly bent over Zian and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  Zian nodded and then put his arm around Gabriel. “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Gabriel glanced at Kelly.

  Kelly nodded his approval. “I know where to find you if I need you.”

  Gabriel followed Zian up the stairs, where they disappeared into their respective rooms.

  Kelly stood looking after them. “Your friend Zian is wound pretty tightly.”

  I explained, “I met Zian here yesterday. He seems to have taken a strong liking to Gabriel.”

  He scratched at his thin beard. “That may change.” He started off.

  I stopped him. “Detective, isn’t it unorthodox for you to call a potential suspect in a murder investigation ‘little boy,’ a ‘child,’ and ‘wound tightly’?”

  “This is a small town. We do things differently here than in the big cities. And I’m an unorthodox guy.”

  “Since it’s a small town, as you say, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you and the Russells had some previous differences. What were they?”

  “Stop playing detective.”

  “What should I do?”

  He winked at me. “Enjoy the apple.”

  Chapter Five

  I SAT on the B and B’s living room chaise, eating the apple Detective Kelly had given me from the dining room. It was four thirty in the morning, but I felt wide-awake.

  Sherry Butler made her way down the staircase with the tail of her flowery silk robe flowing behind her. “Andre, have you heard the horrible news about my sister?” She used a tissue to wipe a dry eye.

  Nodding, I headed to a garbage pail and threw out my apple core. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Please join me.”

  “Thank you.” She sat on the chaise. “That female detective woke me and said my sister was murdered at her desk. Who could have done such a horrible thing?”

  “Detective Kelly is trying to find out. He’s questioning your brother-in-law and nephew in the butler’s pantry.”

  She shivered. “Does he think it was a robbery?”

  “It’s too early to tell.”

  “Who found my sister?”

  “Gabriel, in room five, is a sleepwalker. He woke up and found Cynthia stabbed with her letter opener—and the murderer gone.”

  “How awful!” She rested back on the chaise. “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. And in between it’s time to party. That’s what I always say.” She sighed. “Cynthia hated that. She hated pretty much everything I said. But she was my sister. And I certainly didn’t want to see any harm come to her.”

  “Of course not.”

  “My sister gone.” She rested a manicured hand on my knee. “Do you have a sibling, Andre?”

  “My brother died with my parents in a car crash when I was four.”

  She grasped her ample bosom, which was popping out of the robe. “How terrible! I will never understand why such awful things happen. First to your brother, and now to my sister. Satan must be rejoicing on his throne in Hell.”

  Renata and Sergio clamored down the stairs. Sergio’s muscles were barely contained by his white T-shirt and jeans. His mother wore a rose kimono.

  Sergio made a beeline for Sherry. “We heard the bad news about Cynthia. Is Nelson all right?”

  At that moment Kelly ushered Jim and Nelson into the living room.

  Nelson collapsed into Sergio’s strong arms.

  Sergio asked him, “Are you okay?”

  “I am now.” Nelson rested his head on Sergio’s shoulder. “How could this have happened to my mother?”

  “I don’t know.” Sergio kissed Nelson’s forehead. “I’m here now.”

  “I’m glad.”

&
nbsp; Jim moved next to his son. “Nelson, at this horrible time, we need to—

  “Be with loved ones for support.” Renata shot Jim a stern glance.

  “I agree.” Sherry rose and took Jim’s hand.

  Kelly cleared his throat. “Ms. Butler, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Sherry choked out, “Thank you, Detective.”

  “I’d like to speak with you next.”

  Sherry offered Kelly a demure glance. “Where are you taking me?”

  He replied, “I’m questioning everyone in the butler’s pantry.”

  “How… cozy.” She offered to Jim, “I’ll be back shortly. Don’t go anywhere.”

  “Where would I go?” Jim pointed at the yellow tape masking the door to his living quarters.

  Kelly explained, “For the time being, the living quarters are off limits.” He turned to Renata and Sergio. “I’ll be ready for you soon.” Finally, he addressed Sherry. “Ms. Butler?”

  Sherry took Kelly’s arm and followed him out. Nelson and Sergio sat together on a chaise. With Nelson still in his arms, Sergio rocked his lover back and forth, whispering softly in his ear.

  Clearly not approving, Jim headed toward them. Renata intercepted. “Mr. Russell, how about if you and I get some air together.”

  “Why would we do that?” Jim asked.

  She took his arm. “So I can give you my condolences. And we can talk about our sons.”

  After Renata and Jim exited out the front door, Sergio grasped Nelson by the shoulders. “You know I’m here for you.”

  Nelson nodded. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

  “I can’t tell you how much you mean to me.”

  They shared a kiss.

  Sergio’s handsome face was full of love and adoration. “This may sound crazy, but the first time we met, I knew you were the man for me.”

  “I was a fool to let my parents talk me into leaving the City with them.”

  “Cold Spring is a nice place.”

  “It’s only nice when you’re here.”

  They embraced.

  Standing behind them, I realized three is a crowd and I hurried up the stairs, anxious to speak to Freddy.

  The moment I entered our room, I plopped down on the player piano bench, loaded the roll marked “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” by Cole Porter in 1928, and pedaled. By the start of the second verse, the lights flickered, the room turned cold, and the scent of expensive champagne bubbled around me. I turned to find my ghostly lover standing over me, looking as handsome as ever in his 1930s suit, bow tie, patent leather shoes, and spats.

  “James wrote that song and ‘Let’s Misbehave’ while entertaining me in France. The poor boy was infatuated with me, which caused Nelson Barclift to chase after us in a jealous fit. At a swank hotel in Paris, James pronounced his undying love for me in bed late one night. Or the man he thought was me. Unbeknownst to James, I had stashed Barclift under the covers while I attended an all-night party in the next room. Upon hearing James’s declaration of love, Barclift leaped into his arms, and they spent the whole week in bed. Barclift was so appreciative, he footed the bill for my trip through the rest of Europe.” He winked at me. “One good turn deserves another.” Then he noticed the clock on the night table. “What are you doing up so early? In my day, I’d be zozzled, staggering off to bed at this hour.”

  I hurried to my feet. “Freddy, there’s been a murder.”

  His eyes seemed to double in size. “In my country home?”

  I nodded. “Cynthia Butler Russell, the owner and manager, was killed in her office.”

  He sniffed. “Serves her right for turning my home into a brothel.”

  “It’s a bed-and-breakfast, Freddy. And all the guests are suspects in the murder.”

  “Now you’re in the trolley.” He rubbed his long hands together. “Give me the details, Watson.”

  After we were seated on the bed together, I said, “My new friend Gabriel Bennett—”

  “Ah, the sleepwalker. One of my roommates at university, Tyler Maxwell, was a sleepwalker. Each night, my other roommates, Palmer Skeffington and Reg Tootington, made whoopee, and Tyler bumped into their bed, sound asleep. One particular night, poor Tyler crashed into their bed with such force, he landed on top of a very surprised Palmer and Reg. It all worked out in the end, so to speak, when they became a happy trio. Actually, it was a dream come true for Tyler.”

  “Gabriel woke tonight at Cynthia’s desk. Her throat had been slashed with a letter opener.”

  “How dreadful!”

  “As I told you, Gabriel sleepwalks because of a trauma he experienced as a boy.”

  “His older brother treated him badly.”

  “Right, and his adoptive parents didn’t stop it!”

  Freddy placed his index finger on his cleft chin. “Has Gabriel searched for his birth parents?”

  I nodded. “Gabriel said he found nothing worthwhile.”

  “Unlike Gabriel, my chums, Brenda and Benji, were successful. After a spat with their adoptive parents, the siblings wanted desperately to find their birth parents, fantasizing that they were wealthy aristocrats. When B and B discovered their birth parents to be paupers, their crusade ended. They raced home to their adoptive parents, never straying outside the family manse again.”

  I sighed. “I’m concerned about Gabriel. He was making headway in therapy, even creating a plan for his recovery. Being accused of a murder he didn’t commit could really set him back.”

  “Actually, therapy can be incredibly helpful or put one’s head in a spin. When Sigmund Freud trapped me on his couch and begged me to make love with him, my head was in a spin. So was the rest of me as I ran out of his laboratory.”

  I rubbed my temples. “Freddy, Dustin Kelly suspects one of us in the house is the murderer.”

  “Who, pray tell, is Dustin Kelly?”

  “The local detective in charge of the investigation.”

  He guffawed. “We don’t need a peeper.”

  “Why not?”

  “Holmes and Watson are on the case!” He kissed my cheek. “Tell me about the suspects, Watson.”

  I tented my fingers. “As I mentioned, Jim Russell and his sister-in-law, Sherry Butler, are having an affair.”

  “Yes, and Cynthia wouldn’t give the poor man a Declaration of Independence.” He grimaced. “A moot point now, though, isn’t it?”

  “Exactly.”

  He leaned back on his palms. “As I recall, Cynthia, unlike her sister Sherry, disapproved of her son’s barneymugging with young Sergio Santino—to Sergio’s mother’s disdain.”

  “It’s more than sex, Freddy. I believe Nelson and Sergio are in love.”

  “Like us.” He wrapped his arms around me, and we shared a lengthy, wet kiss. “Tell me about the cake-eater who fancies Gabriel’s baby cakes.”

  “Zian seems more preoccupied with Detective Kelly now, and Kelly seems to return the interest. Though they got off to a very rough start. Zian seems to have a problem with authority figures.” I slid to the edge of the bed. “Probably due to his father, the military man, who rejected him. But Zian may have good cause to suspect Kelly, since Kelly and the Russells had some kind of past disagreement.”

  Freddy rose and paced the room. “While I was engaged in a rumble to shield off Johnny Broderick’s advances in the rumble seat of his car, the famous New York City detective, known as Broadway Johnny, whispered sweet nothings in my ear—about a case. Two mothers, knowing their rebellious children well, feigned a feud, refusing to let their teenage children see each other. Of course, the boy and girl ran straight into each other’s arms. When their children turned eighteen, the mothers invited the whole town to an elaborate wedding, where the mothers drank a toast to their successful plan.”

  I scratched my head. “Did someone get murdered at the wedding?”

  “Yes. The fathers. By the restaurant owner’s torpedo when the fathers couldn’t pay the bill for the wedding.”r />
  “What does that have to do with this case?”

  Freddy posed at the fireplace. “Elementary, my dear Andre. I wonder if there might be another reason why Cynthia was against Nelson and Sergio’s friendship. And why is Jim not as vocal about it? And does our peeper Kelly have anything else hidden in his shoe—besides gum?”

  “How do I find out?”

  He placed a hand on his narrow hip. “Investigate. Listen. Observe. Snoop. Ask open-ended questions to openmouthed suspects.”

  “What if they won’t talk to me?”

  He lifted me to my feet for a tantalizing kiss. Then he said, “Use your great looks, dazzling charm, and inner wits. By imitating me!”

  We were interrupted by a knock on the door. I left Freddy and opened the door a crack.

  Gabriel stood opposite me with a sheepish look on his sweet face. “Sorry, Andre. I couldn’t relax. How is Kelly’s investigation going downstairs?”

  Knowing Freddy was invisible to anyone but me, I opened the door. “Come in.” After sitting Gabriel on an armchair across from the fireplace, I sat on the other chair. “How are you holding up?”

  “Not so well. It all seems like a nightmare—literally. I can’t believe that woman was murdered—probably minutes before I opened my eyes.” Gabriel slid to the edge of his seat. “Is the detective trying to make a case against me?”

  Freddy sat at the edge of the bed. “Tell him to pay Kelly no mind. We’re on the case.”

  “I’m not telling him that,” I whispered to Freddy.

  Gabriel touched my shoulder. “I know you’re not. You’ve been incredibly supportive, and I can’t thank you enough.” He took my hand.

  “This is my bedroom, not a petting pantry.” Freddy said, “Look here, Andre, you’re mine!”

  “Of course. I’m yours always,” I replied to Freddy, forgetting Gabriel was with us.

  Gabriel released my hand and sat back in his chair. “Andre, you’ve been a real friend to me, but as I explained to Zian, I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

  Freddy said, “Fine, now get out of my bedroom.”

  I glanced over at Freddy in anger. “There’s no need to be rude.”

  Gabriel gasped. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Andre, I think you’re a great-looking, sensitive, and terrific guy, but my only feelings for you are those of friendship.”