“Out of curiosity,” he said. “How do you think that an elderly couple could kill Simon Sterling? They were like eighty years old.”
“OK,” I said. I accepted his argument, but I’d also saved the best for last. “How about Gina Ginelli?”
At this Andy laughed, but I opened the purse I still carried.
“Look at this,” I said. “It was in the purse that Gina lent for the rehearsal dinner. To Tinkerbell. Think about it. He had a tattoo of a bell. Don’t ask, my cousin Kate told me. Plus, a cat named Tinker? I think they were having an affair. I think she was here to see Simon, not study for a role. And I’m sure she was in the Game Room at the Melville the night that Simon was murdered. I smelled her perfume last night.” I held my wrist to Andy’s nose to prove it. “I’d be willing to take an oath that this is the same scent I picked up in the Game Room.”
Andy took the note and read it. Then he pulled from a pocket on the side of his pants a small plastic bag. I’d never seen an evidence bag before. It looked like your basic ziplock bag, but it was still very cool.
“Not that it would stand up in court, but you’re sure about the perfume?”
“Yes,” I said. “I should also tell you that I swear I heard someone in Simon’s room last night. I got stuck in there for a moment and there was a knock on the door. It was Jessica asking for Joe. But why would she knock on Simon’s door?”
“First, please don’t tell me why you got stuck in his room,” said Andy. “Second, Joe’s room is next to Simon’s. She could have made a mistake.”
He had a point.
“I’m a little more interested in the Gina angle,” he said.
“Do you have enough new information to spring Bill?”
“Spring?” said Andy with a smile. “You’ve become a real gumshoe.”
“I know. I can’t stop,” I said. “But spring him anyway.”
“We can’t spring Bill,” he said. “But I’m willing to quietly reexamine the facts. If things line up, I’ll go to Bellamy. Meanwhile, don’t go back to Simon’s room. A yellow tape is a yellow tape. Even if there’s a potted fern in front of it. Deal?”
“Deal,” I said. I definitely was not going to tell him I’d taken the dead man’s candle.
“Good,” he said as we began to walk toward the end of the dock to town. He looked out at the moored boats. “Georgianna’s found a new spot for her boat.”
I followed his eyes to a cluster of small motorboats, bobbing in the harbor’s water. One was the motorboat I’d seen last night, and this morning. I really wanted to like Andy’s girlfriend, but I hoped she had not been the one to cut off Peter last night.
“Look,” said Andy, pointing past the edge of the harbor to the first row of stores in town.
Tony was standing at the display window in front of Jewel in the Sea. The same jeweler where Bill had put in an order for Maude’s anniversary gift. And the same jeweler where Jessica and her mother had had her engagement ring cleaned on Friday. He entered the store.
“That’s odd,” I said. “Last night, I heard him on the phone with his wife. He said he wasn’t going to spend a penny, and then he told me he’s pretty broke. If so, why’s he there?”
“Bill said that he only took half the money?” said Andy.
I nodded.
Chapter 19
Andy and I crossed the street toward Jewel in the Sea. To the right of their entrance is a large display window filled with many of Nantucket’s popular, high-end jeweled treasures. I’d also gotten my ears pierced here as a kid. It was the place to get your first gold studs. After that, it was a long time until you ever went back, but we could all say we had something from Jewel in the Sea.
I headed right for the door, but Andy stopped me.
We sidestepped to the window and pretended to look at the merchandise. It gave us a good view of Tony. The salesclerk was not in the showroom at the moment, so Tony was browsing the display cases. I found myself looking at the array of goodies in the window as well.
“Nice,” I said about the engagement ring section. Nantucket is a place where spontaneous proposals do occur, so a healthy engagement ring display was a good idea.
“Expensive,” said Andy.
“Is this thing with Georgianna serious?” I asked.
Andy looked at me funny and leaned against the side of the building. I turned away, not sure why I had asked.
“Look,” I said.
I pointed through the window. Inside, the salesman had returned and Tony was handing a wad of cash to him.
“OK,” said Andy. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”
He opened the door. I followed right behind him.
“Hello, Mr. Carlson,” said Andy.
Both Tony and the salesman looked at us from the counter. The moment Tony saw Andy in his uniform, he dropped the bag he was holding as if it was on fire.
“Hi,” said Tony. “Can I help you?”
Andy took a plastic bag from his pocket.
“I’m going to have to take the money,” he said to the bewildered salesclerk.
Andy pulled a tissue from a box on the counter and used it to put the money into another evidence bag, examining its value as he did.
“Twenty-five hundred dollars,” he said to me.
I had a strong suspicion we’d found the other half of the money from Friday night’s card game.
“Tony, give me the merchandise,” said Andy.
“What’s the meaning of this?” said Tony, indignantly, but he wasn’t kidding anyone. He looked seriously guilty.
I followed Andy and Tony outside. People were looking at them, and the sidewalk was crowded.
“Cross the street,” said Andy.
We crossed the cobblestoned street to a bricked sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot of the town’s Stop & Shop, where it was quieter.
“I have some questions for you regarding the death of Simon Sterling,” he said.
“I gave my statement yesterday,” said Tony. “What’s this about?”
“This is about how you got twenty-five hundred dollars when you told me you were broke and you told your wife you wouldn’t spend a penny,” I said.
“Can I do the questioning?” Andy said.
“Of course,” I said. “Ask him where he got the money.”
“Good idea,” he said. I picked up the sarcasm, and shut up.
Andy looked at Tony.
“So?” he said. “If what Ms. Wright is saying is true, where did you get the cash?”
“From my bank account,” said Tony, making a sort of duck face in his defense. It didn’t suit him.
“Andy can check, you know,” I said.
“Stella!” said Andy.
I pulled my fingers across my mouth. My lips were sealed.
“Is that the answer you want to go with?” said Andy. “Because Ms. Wright is correct. The police can check your account.”
“On what grounds?” said Tony.
“On the grounds that we have new evidence to suggest there was more money that went missing from Simon Sterling the night of his murder. Money that Bill Duffy did not take.”
“About the same amount you were just about to spend at Jewel in the Sea,” I said.
Andy pointed to a bench about five feet away. I sat, but leaned forward so I could hear the rest of the conversation.
“Fine,” said Tony. “But if I tell you anything, I want you to promise not to press charges against me. Actually, I think I need a lawyer.”
“If you’d like a lawyer,” said Andy, “I can take you down to the station, and we can wait until you get a lawyer. I can have you out of there by this evening.”
“I’m the best man in a wedding today,” said Tony.
“Suit yourself,” said Andy.
Tony cursed a bit.
“After the card game, I went back to the Game Room,” said Tony. “I was going to confront Simon about the card game. After I went up to my room, I thought about it and realized that he
and Bill were probably in on some con together. The table was round, you know. It got me thinking.”
“Excuse me,” said a lady wearing a money belt and carrying a large tote and some shopping bags. Behind her were about seven people. All looked related, and each filled about the width of the sidewalk. I looked down the wharf and realized the latest ferry had arrived, filled with more day-trippers heading to see the boats cross the finish line this afternoon.
Andy pulled Tony aside as the high spirits of the FIGAWI crowd encroached upon our serious conversation. I noticed he held Tony’s arm tightly.
“What happened when you went back to the Game Room?” Andy said when the crowd had passed.
Tony suddenly looked exhausted.
“Simon Sterling was dead,” he said.
“You saw the body?” I said, rising from my bench. “Before anyone else? Why didn’t you call the police?”
Tony stared at the sidewalk and said nothing. Andy studied him.
“Did you touch anything?” he said.
Tony nodded.
“What did you touch?” he asked.
“Simon Sterling,” said Tony.
The best man closed his eyes as if he was trying to wash away the image. I couldn’t decide if it was because he felt tremendous remorse about having killed Simon, or tremendous guilt about having touched a murdered man. I now realized that when Tony had dropped his camera on Simon Sterling, he had done so on purpose. He was able to leave fingerprints on the body without arousing suspicion.
“Look,” said Tony. He was sweating now. “I didn’t kill the guy. I was just there to take what was mine.”
He sounded an awful lot like Bill, and I gave Andy a look that said as much.
“He stole my money,” said Tony, who was now on a roll. “I wanted it back.”
I went right into Tony’s face.
“You withheld information that probably put an innocent man in jail,” I said. “You are worse than Simon Sterling on any day.”
“No, I didn’t,” said Tony. “When I found the body, Simon was only carrying half the money. If anything, my theory lined up. I figured he had already given Bill his share, or that Bill had wrestled him for it. Not my fault if Bill’s a maniac and killed him.”
“Either way,” said Andy, reaching for his cuffs, “you might want to think about that lawyer. You withheld evidence in a murder investigation.”
“Wait a minute,” said Tony, stepping back.
Another tourist with an overstuffed day bag cut between us.
“Sorry,” the lady said.
In the moment it took for Andy to let her pass, Tony bolted. He outright bolted!
Poor Tony. He had no idea that Andy was on track in high school. He wouldn’t stand a chance. Especially on these crooked sidewalks.
Andy dashed after him. Tony had on his side the fact that the streets were packed for the town’s sailing event and it was easy to fade into the crowd. I followed, but Emily is the only one I know who can rock heels and cobblestones. By the time I’d removed my shoes, Tony had already rounded the corner with Andy in pursuit, and I could no longer see either of them as I fought through the sidewalk and street traffic. I had a feeling, however, that they’d be heading right toward the movie theater, so I took a side road that cut through the streets. I picked up the most speed I could, but once again wished I’d been more devoted to the gym this winter.
At this point, the only thing I had going for me was my experience on the cobblestones. I basically know the layout and angle of every stone on these streets. As kids, we had a game to race each other along them. I came home with many a bruise and scrape, but my mom used to laugh and tell me it might come in handy one day. I was glad she’d been so understanding because now, ahead of me, I was reaching what I hoped was the intersection of Tony’s escape.
“Ooooph,” I said, colliding with our perp as I fell to the ground.
The victory was mine. Tony lay on the ground next to me. A couple of well-meaning pedestrians offered us a hand, but Tony brushed them off. I, on the other hand, accepted.
Andy reached us before Tony was even standing. He had Tony’s arm and his handcuffs out.
“You OK?” he said to me.
I nodded, and put my shoes back on.
“Wait, wait,” said Tony. “I’m sorry. I’m really not myself. What if I give you some information that might help you?”
“It would have to be darn good,” said Andy. His voice was pretty official and scary, I have to say, but I noticed he did not put the cuffs on Tony. “You just fled a cop and knocked Stella over.”
“Look, I’m just a broke guy who needed some cash to buy an expensive wedding gift to make my friend look good. Jessica’s friends are all fancy folk who give expensive gifts. Maria and I look like paupers next to them, and I wanted for once for Joe to have a friend in the same league. I love the guy. I took the cash because it’s mine, by rights, and I wanted to buy something without my wife knowing. That’s all I’m guilty of, I swear. I panicked when I saw the dead body, and I was not thinking straight when I took the money. Then, I was afraid to tell Bellamy,” said Tony.
“So far, you’re just whining,” said Andy. “What’s your information?”
Tony rubbed his neck. I got the feeling he really didn’t want to say what he was about to say, but that he was desperate to have Andy let go of his arm.
“First, I knocked on Simon’s door. He didn’t answer, so I went back down to the Game Room,” said Tony. “When I entered, I could swear someone was hovering outside the Sun Room doors.”
“What time?” Andy said.
“A little after three?” said Tony.
“Did you see who it was?” said Andy.
Tony scratched his head and looked defeated.
“No,” he said, “it was like a shadow, and light-footed, so I wasn’t even sure of what I was seeing. If it helps, Simon was super dead. Like, he’d been dead for a while.”
Andy looked at me, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Gina Ginelli. My theory that she had been in the Game Room on Friday night was gaining strength.
“And here’s another thing,” said Tony, looking pitifully desperate now. “Joe would never kill a guy, but he’s been acting very strange all weekend. He’s disappeared a few times and had me cover for him.”
“Selling out your best friend?” I said.
Tony swallowed.
“I just mean he might know something,” he said. “Yesterday, Joe asked me to tell Jessica he had a headache, but when I went to check on him, his room was empty. I mean, the night of the card game, Joe left in a huff. He told Simon that Mrs. Sterling had been right about him after all.”
My mind flashed back to the creaking floor I’d heard last night.
“This is all so out of control,” said Tony. “I mean, who’d really think a candle would kill someone?”
“Exactly,” I said in defense of my beautiful, broken candle before I realized I was agreeing with a murder suspect.
“Listen,” said Tony. “I’m buying a stupid wedding gift. That’s not enough of a motive to kill a guy. I’ve been everywhere I’m supposed to be all weekend. Nothing I’ve done suggests I’m guilty of anything more than what I told you.”
It was strange, I had to admit, that Joe was disappearing every now and then. I wondered if Mrs. Sterling was right, and maybe Joe really was cheating on Jessica with Maria. I tried out the idea that Simon found out about an affair between Joe and Maria, and then decided to blackmail Joe. That could give Joe a motive. Maria, however, didn’t strike me as someone who was the homewrecking type. And from the smile she had this morning on David’s porch, she wasn’t pining over Joe.
I considered another angle. Perhaps, like Tony, Joe needed the money from the card game for something he desperately needed to do without Jessica knowing. And maybe Simon found out what that was, and Joe had to stop him from telling her. If this was the case, I wondered what Joe might be hiding from his fiancée.
“I’m going to ask you to stay on the island until we speak again,” Andy said to Tony. “And I’m going to ask you to keep this conversation to yourself. You can go for now, but I may have further questions for you.”
“What about my gift?” said Tony. “That was my money, fair and square. I mean, mostly my money. I guess some of it would have been Joe’s. But I’m buying him a gift with it.”
Andy held up his hands.
“You need to stop right there or I’m going to arrest you,” he said.
“Fine,” said Tony.
“Chin up,” I said to Tony in a conciliatory tone. “I’ll see you at the wedding this afternoon. No hard feelings about the crash. I’m fine.”
Tony looked like he’d been hit by a truck at this point. I felt sorry for the guy as we watched him walk away from us.
“Assuming Gina was the shadowy figure, do you think she or Joe had anything to do with anything?” I said as his figure disappeared into a crowd of tourists that was growing by the minute.
Andy didn’t answer, but I could tell his brain was working on the puzzle.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m also not sure Tony has said anything to change Bellamy’s mind about Bill. After all, Bill was caught with Simon’s money. He was the one in charge of the candle, and we know he punched Simon. Plus, he confessed he was looking for revenge against the dead man.”
“That was just heat-of-the-moment talk,” I said.
“It was heated talk that sounded a lot like a confession to Bellamy,” said Andy. “But I’ll look into a couple of things.”
“I’m teaching a class now.” I checked the time. With all the distractions, I wouldn’t be making it home to change for my class with the Candleers. My heels, chiffon top, and chef pants would have to be my fashion statement until I got home. It was at least better than putting on Gina’s couture skirt that was folded in my bag.
Murder's No Votive Confidence Page 15
