Ava Montez, Her Life and Death

by Chuck Antone, Jr

  The doorman flagged her down a taxi and even opened the door for her in the pouring rain. He was pleasant, but the man didn't have the charisma of Charles. She was sure he didn't like his job as much as the doorman did at the Golden Towers.

  She gave the driver her address. She had a couple of hours before meeting Max for dinner – her 'date' – so she sat back and looked over her notes. Suddenly she realized she had forgotten to ask Kim a question that had been on her mind. It was the same question she had forgotten to ask Jake Austin. Not so much forgotten perhaps, as not liked to ask. She wished now she had raised it with both of them before she left their apartments. The ride to her apartment was only twenty minutes. She decided to call them both just as soon as she got home.

  Exactly twenty-two minutes later she was getting out of the taxi into the wet street and hurrying up the steps to her apartment with Kim's scarf tied securely around her head.

  Her answering machine light was flashing. She hit the answer button and it was Max.

  "Hi, our reservations are for seven forty-five at Pinocchio's. Hope you like Italian food. I understand it's the best in the city. I'll pick you up at seven fifteen." Then he sang, "I'll be down to get you in a taxi, honey. You better be ready about seven-fifteen." Then he added, "Looking forward to our time together." With a brief goodbye he hung up.

  Rae smiled to herself. Hearing Max sing his own version of that song reminded her of how much she liked his sense of humor. She was looking forward to her date. Okay, she was now officially calling it a date. Why not? After all, he had asked her out for dinner. Or had she asked him? No, she had asked about lunch, he'd asked about dinner.

  Pinocchio's was a famous Italian restaurant. She had always wanted to go there, but people needed a reservation, and sometimes it took up to two weeks to get in. She could never think that far in advance. She thought that Max was really fortunate, because they only made their "date" this morning.

  She recalled reading somewhere where four young men had opened the restaurant about nine years ago. The chef was the main owner; the other three were investors who did nothing at the restaurant. But in nine years all four became millionaires many times over. In fact she had just heard that they opened up their tenth Pinocchio's. The chef had become famous, and the other three were anonymous, and that was the way they wanted it. Each chef at any new restaurant had to be personally trained by the owner chef, so the food they served was always consistently excellent and the same in all their locations.

  Rae felt excited, and began thinking of what she should wear. She went to her closet and was about to pull out a red and white top when she realized she had forgotten to make her two phone calls.

  She went back into the living room, picked up the phone and dialed Jake Austin's number. After three rings, she heard, "Hello, this is Carol. How may I help you?"

  "Hello, Mrs. Austin, this is Rae, the reporter from the Reader. Is it possible for me to talk to Mr. Austin?"

  "Yes, of course. Jake says the interview went well. He's very pleased with your approach. Just a minute, I'll get him."

  Jake came on the line. "Rae? Did you think of something else to ask me?"

  "I do have a question, but it's not for the story. It will be off the record, so to speak. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'll still write a great story on Ava Montez."

  "Okay, shoot. What's your question? I love a mystery."

  Rae responded, "I know it's been over forty years since Ava's death, but during those years you must have come up with a name of someone who might have been the murderer. Maybe even more than one name. Has there been a name that keeps going over and over in your mind? And if so, was it one of the other suspects, or someone else?"

  "There has only been one name that keeps cropping up now that you've started asking questions." Jake sounded thoughtful. "I know it wasn't me, and Kim lost millions, besides being Ava's best friend, and Joseph was my best friend. I think the only person it could possibly be is Martha Brown, the housekeeper. Martha was quite a manly sort of woman, if you know what I mean. Large and muscular. She would have easily been able to lift Ava over the balcony railing, and she was the only one who disappeared right after the police had finished interviewing us and we were free to go on with our lives. I guess the police at the time knew where she went, but I never heard from her again."

  "She's on my list. I need to see her." Rae stopped writing. "Do you have any idea where Martha Brown is now?"

  "No one I know has any idea what happened to her, or where she is. I knew you'd want to interview her. I'm sorry, Rae, I've already phoned a few contacts," Jake Austin explained apologetically, "but I've drawn a complete blank. It's forty years since we last met. She might even be dead, for all I know. I'm afraid I'm going to have to give up on that one."

  So that was that, for now. Rae closed her notebook. "Thanks, Mr. Austin. Like I said, the information is just for me."

  "You're welcome. Kim called right after you left her, and she's happy with you doing the story. She also invited Carol and me to your Easter music presentation. So we'll see you on Saturday night."

  Rae said, "Wonderful. My next question was going to be, would you and Carol like to come to our Easter cantata on Saturday night? I haven't told anyone yet, but I have a solo and will be nervous. I'm glad you're coming. It'll be good to see familiar faces out there. I hope all of you sit up front. Thanks again, Mr. Austin, I sure do appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

  "That's okay, Rae. And please call me Jake."

  "That's very nice of you. Maybe after the story is complete I'll do that."

  Rae knew that she couldn't call Jake Austin by his first name at the moment. She would feel funny asking him questions about the case, as she wanted everything to be business-like. Yet she felt comfortable calling Kim by her first name. She wondered why that was. She was also wondering if maybe Jake and Carol were believers also. She smiled to herself as she replaced the phone. It was easy to call them by their first names when she was just thinking about them.

  She turned off the phone, and then turned it right back on and dialed Kim's phone number. It was under Jake Austin's in her little notebook.

  On the second ring a voice came on saying, "Hello."

  Rae recognized the voice immediately. "Hi, Kim, this is Rae." She was being a lot less formal than on the call before.

  "Hi, Rae, I was just praying for you. Frank and I are looking forward to Saturday night. We've also invited Jake and Carol. We're going to make a night of it. We'll be going to dinner first and then for dessert afterwards. I know you'll be very busy before the event, but perhaps you could join us when it's over. We'd love to have you, and your dinner date tonight will also be welcome."

  Rae wanted to say, "Yes, my date is called Max," but said, "Thanks. It sounds like fun, Kim. I'm so happy you're all going to be there."

  She thought of telling Kim about her solo, but decided against it. She decided Jake would feel good saying to them after she sang, "I already knew she was going to do that!"

  "I have a question I'd like to ask you," Rae said. "It's off the record, so whatever you tell me won't go into the story."

  "That sounds exciting. Ask me, and if I can, I'll give you an honest answer."

  Rae asked Kim the same question she asked Jake Austin, using practically the same words. But this time she added, "And what did you mean when you said Ava might have been murdered by a so-called friend?"

  Kim said, "I've had my feelings about who could have done this. Off the record, I believe it was the film director, Joseph Morgan. He was a so-called friend."

  Rae was taken back. She hadn't met Mr. Morgan yet, and she was sure Kim was going to say Martha Brown, the housekeeper.

  "Why Mr. Morgan, Kim?"

  "Well, Ava had told me many times that he had hit on her. Not only before she and Jake were married, but also afterwards. She never wanted to tell Jake, because he was Joseph Morgan's best friend, and also her director. Joseph Morgan
had the power to ruin her career in films. The last time I talked to Ava she said he made advances to her again, and this time tried to touch her in inappropriate places, and even tried to kiss her. She said she was furious and slapped him across the face, and told him, 'If you ever do that again, I'm telling Jake.'

  "She said he laughed at her, and said, 'Jake has been my friend longer then he's been your husband. He'll never believe you.'

  "She said she told him, 'We'll see about that. In fact I may not wait for a next time. I may tell him just as soon as he gets home. I know for sure Jake will believe me. There's no doubt in my mind. How about yours?'

  "She said he looked at her with such hate that it scared her. Then he said, 'I'm sorry, Ava. I'll never make advances to you again. Let's not tell Jake. Why cause hard feelings among the three of us?'

  "She knew Joseph Morgan was scared and worried, and she said she enjoyed every moment of it. She'd been frightened of him for years, every time they were in a room by themselves. Now it was his turn. She said she told him, 'I'll think about it.'

  "Three days later she was dead. I wondered at the time if he was in their penthouse planning to kill her, and before he could do anything, Jake came home.

  "Ava had told Jake she thought she heard him come in a few minutes before he actually did. I believe Joseph was there. He had a key to the elevator. Perhaps he wanted to find out if Ava had told Jake.

  "After Jake went in to take his shower, Joseph Morgan could have come out from wherever he was hiding. Maybe Ava told him she was going to tell Jake as soon as he came out. I don't know what, but I think something happened to cause him to throw her off the balcony. I believe he went there with the intentions of killing her. I've no proof. You can call it a woman's intuition. The police didn't attach any importance to my theory, but these past forty plus years I've stayed away from Joseph Morgan whenever possible. He knows I believe he murdered Ava."

  Rae thanked Kim for her outspoken honesty, adding, "I'll be seeing you Saturday night at church, and thanks again for the invite for the dessert time. Oh, and there may be two of us. I hope to have a friend with me."

  Joseph Morgan the film director? Martha Brown, the muscular housekeeper? Or could it have been Jake Austin, the confident-sounding former studio owner? But surely not Kim Blakely Townsend. She hung up the phone and started to get ready for her night out with Max.

  CHAPTER 16

  Rae . . . Falls in Love

  Rae went across to her closet, excited about her first date with Max. She took out the red and white blouse and a pleated white skirt and held it front of her, looking in the mirror. It looked good. She finished the outfit off with red shoes that had a tiny white bow on each one. She looked in the mirror again and thought maybe she was too dressed up for Pinocchio's.

  Even though she had heard the restaurant was expensive, she felt over-dressed. She looked more like she was going to an afternoon cocktail party. Not that she had ever been to one, she reflected.

  So she opted for another outfit that she'd worn only once before. It was for the Pastor's birthday party a couple of months ago. Light gray slacks, long sleeve lavender top and a sleeveless vest that matched the pants. She finished the outfit off with black and gray shoes. The heels weren't as high as the red ones, but she felt they would be fine, even though Max was over seven inches taller than she was.

  She thought about Max, his good looks, cute personality and how just about everyone liked him. She also recalled that when she first arrived at the Reader how nice he was to her. She always liked him, but they were very seldom on the same assignment. The few times they had a working lunch together were always fun, and she enjoyed being with him. Had she been blind to his advances, or was she reading too much into what might be nothing more than friendly behavior?

  Not long after she started at the Reader, she broke her engagement with the doctor, and didn't feel like looking for a new relationship. Then after a year or so, when she thought she might be ready, and hinted around the office so Max would hear about it, he got engaged. A year later, when Max broke that engagement, they had become very good work colleagues. And perhaps that was all it was.

  But after he saved her life out in the street, the way he looked at her, and now asking her out for dinner, surely things were beginning to change. Of course they were still good friends, but something else was happening to them. It was like their relationship was moving up to another level. She felt she was falling in love with Max. But down deep within her soul she knew before that could completely happen she had to find out something.

  She wondered if Max was a Christian, or, if not, if he was willing to become one. And if he did become one, she hoped it would not be just because of her -- although she would definitely influence him -- it would have to be because he wanted to. He had said he was once a churchgoer. Perhaps he had previously invited Christ into his life.

  Before their relationship got too serious, she was going to ask him. She didn't want it to be like her last relationship when she was engaged for a year before she admitted to herself that her fiancé did not share her faith in any meaningful way. She had felt many times that the year had been a waste of her time.

  She glanced again in the hall mirror before leaving her apartment. It was 7:05. She had ten minutes before Max arrived. Turning on the hall light she went downstairs and found a quiet spot in the lobby where she sat down and prayed, asking the Lord to give her wisdom and the opportunity to ask Max tonight how he felt about God and His Son Jesus Christ. When she had finished, she looked up and there was Max coming through the door, carrying a white rose and wearing a big smile on his face. She remembered telling him at the park that her favorite flowers were white roses.

  On the way to the restaurant in the cab, she asked, "How in the world did you get a reservation for Pinocchio's so fast? I tried once and they said it would be in two weeks. You got them in less than eight hours. You must be a very lucky guy."

  He looked at her and paused for a second. Her heart seemed to be beating faster and louder. She thought to herself: I hope he can't hear it.

  It was the way he was looking at her: the smile, the hair, the handsome face and oh, those eyes. She couldn't stop her heart or quiet it down.

  Then he said, "No, it's not luck. The maître d' is a very good friend of mine."

  All Rae said was, "Oh."

  For some reason she had never thought of Max having friends outside of the office. She didn't know why she thought that way. After all, she had friends outside of the office, so why shouldn't Max?

  Pinocchio's was a fun place. It was much larger then Rae was expecting it to be. She could tell Max approved of what she had on, just by the way he looked at her, and she was relieved she had changed her mind about what to wear. A couple of times during the meal he even told her how nice she looked. She definitely would have been over-dressed with the red and white outfit!

  They lingered over their meal, sharing further events in their past, laughing about silly things that had happened in their lives. And being more open than before while revealing the occasional private thoughts and dreams for the future.

  As they got into the taxi while leaving the restaurant, Max said, "Tell me, Rae, what do you think of Pinocchio's? Is it a place you'd come back to?"

  "Yes, for sure," Rae said, aware of a big smile on her face. "I loved it. It has great atmosphere, great service, and the Italian food was better than delicious. I'd come back over and over again. I can see why it's so busy, with a waiting line to get in."

  Max said, "The evening is still warm. How about a walk in the park?"

  Rae smiled. "I'd like that."

  Max told the taxi driver, "The park overlooking the Golden Towers." Turning to Rae, he said, "If you get too cold you can have my jacket." He had a broad smile on his face.

  "Thanks." To herself she was thinking: Instead of your jacket you can warm me up with your arms if you like! She smiled back at him and could feel her face turning red. She was glad i
t was dark in the taxi, and was hoping Max wouldn't notice. He gave her that smile again, and when he looked into her eyes she wondered if she might have said her thoughts out loud.

  About five minutes into their walk, Max took her hand as they strolled around the park. The path circled around the man-made lake. With the moon shining on the water it was a perfect time for a romantic stroll. Most of the time they walked in silence, only breaking the quiet moments on occasions when something in the park caught their eyes.

  Other people were also strolling, and some, like them, were holding hands. Some had their arms around each other, and others were sitting on the benches embracing and hugging and kissing.

  In the quiet time of their walk Rae was praying that she would have an opportunity to ask Max about his relationship with the Lord. The restaurant had seemed too busy for asking such a significant question.

  She felt a peace come over and an inner voice saying to her, "Now is the time." It was an inner voice she had come to recognize.

  A few feet away, a couple got off one of the benches. It was like the Lord was saying, "This is your chance, Rae. Take Max over to that bench and ask him about his relationship with Me."

  "Max, can we sit down? There's something I would like to ask you?"

  "Sure."

  They sat and he immediately put his arm around her. She liked the feeling of security it gave her. She hesitated for just a moment. But again she felt the nudging of the Lord.

  She felt afraid all of a sudden. What if Max wanted no part of Christianity? What if he said, "I've been there, done that, and now it's time to move on to bigger and better things."

  What would she say? What would her response be? She knew down deep in her soul she would have to end the relationship. Then that peace came over her again, and once more she heard that voice.

  Don't worry, Rae. I am with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.

  She knew it was the Lord's voice.

  She turned to Max. "I've really enjoyed our times together at work, and especially these last couple of days. But before our relationship can go any further, I must know about your relationship with the Lord. You told me, Max, that at one time you went to church. Is He still part of your life, or have you rejected Him?"