by Pat Doyle
How would I find out? I didn't think I could just go in to the police department and ask. I was sure they didn't just fill random people in on their police cases. Just then I remembered Steve, my ex-boyfriend. He had a cousin who was a cop. Maybe I would have to have dinner with Steve after all. I called him and arranged to meet him at Rocky's Pizza that evening.
Rocky's was my favorite pizza place. It was a local restaurant, not one of those big chains. The mood was relaxed, and the waitresses were friendly. Steve was already at a table when I got there. I sat down, kind of dreading our conversation. I knew I had to get some information from his cousin, and this was the only way I could think of to get it. I would just have to keep the conversation businesslike, if I could.
Steve was as annoying as ever. He was falling all over himself trying to be sweet. I'm sure he wanted to go out again. He probably thought that's what I wanted too. He was sort of handsome, in a dark-haired, tall, boyish way. He was kind of a hunk, in fact. But he was just too juvenile for me. I was not going down that road again.
“Steve...” I began. “Just so you know. This is not about getting back together. It's just a friendly dinner, okay?”
“I know,” he smiled. “So what kind of pizza should we get?”
We ordered our pizza, and then I tried to lead the conversation the way I wanted it to go.
“How's your cousin, Andy? Is he working on that big murder case?”
“He's helping a little. He hasn't been with the police department long enough to be one of the lead investigators.”
“So, is Dr. Parnell's ex-wife Tammy a suspect? Does she have an alibi?”
“Whoa, what is your sudden interest in this case?” I could tell Steve was getting suspicious. He had a weird look on his face, almost like he was upset. He was probably realizing that I just wanted to pump him for information and not get back together.
“Well, it did happen at Michael's theater. You know, my boyfriend, Michael?”
“Oh yeah, him. Well, I don't know anything. Andy doesn't talk about work with me, usually.”
I tried to turn on the charm. “Please just ask Andy if Tammy has an alibi. I'm soooo curious.” I gave him a big smile and batted my eyes at him.
“Sure, I can do that, no problem.” It seemed like Steve had calmed down. You can catch more flies with honey, as they say.
“And could you ask if his partner, Dr. Wright, has an alibi, too?”
Steve grumbled, but he agreed to do it.
“So who else do you think is a suspect?” I asked.
“Hmmm...” Steve looked thoughtful. “You know, Dr. Parnell's brother, Joey, just came back to town. He was out west for years, just got back now. Maybe he wanted some of his brother's money. Joey is always having money troubles. I heard he had some gambling debts too. Maybe the casinos sent someone to collect and he panicked.”
“So how would killing his brother help him get money?”
“Who knows? Maybe he stands to inherit from his brother. Or maybe he just got mad when Dr. Parnell wouldn't give him anything.”
“Mad enough to kill? I wonder...” I finished my pizza as quickly as I could, while we chatted about Steve's parents and his job, and stuff like that. I tried not to talk about anything too serious. I didn't want Steve to get any ideas about the two of us going out again.
As soon as I could, I made my exit. ”Thanks, dinner was nice, Steve, but I have to get going. I'll talk to you later.” I was eager to check out this new lead about Dr. Parnell's brother. Maybe I was getting the hang of this, I thought.
CHAPTER FOUR
Okay, Joey Parnell...how to find out more about him? I used to hear about him when he lived here, before he went out west. He was always hanging out at the Horseshoe Saloon, often getting into trouble or just being rowdy. I guessed it was time to pay a visit to the Saloon.
The Horseshoe Saloon was paneled in pine everywhere. Horseshoes were nailed up on the wall, along with a bunch of other metal things that you would find at a farm, parts of plows, rakes, and who knows what else. It had a real rustic look, if you liked that kind of thing.
“Hi, Honey,” I greeted the bartender. Her name really was Honey. Only it was spelled Hanni. It was a German name. It was pronounced Honey, so that's how I remembered it.
“Hi, Ginger, I haven't seen you in a while. What's new? Hey, your hair looks nice.”
“Oh yeah, Julie worked her magic on me. Say, I'm curious, has Joey Parnell been in here lately? I heard he's back in town.”
“He's here now.” She motioned towards the pool tables, and there he was. He had his back to me, but I recognized him by how he held himself. I always did think he had a great body. He turned toward me, and I noticed he had a beard now, a reddish blond one. It looked good on him. His old jeans and t-shirt looked great on him too. I forgot how cute he was.
Why were the trouble-makers always the most good-looking? I had to watch it. I was an investigator now. I couldn't fall for some bad boy's charms.
“Hey, good-looking,” he called to me. “Do I know you? You look familiar.”
“We've never really met, but I used to see you around, in the old days. I'm Ginger Kelly.”
“Hi Ginger, I'm Joey Parnell. Do you play pool? Want to join me in a game?”
“Sure, I'm not very good, but I'll play.” At least it was a good way to get to talk to him.
As we played, I tried to figure out what to say that would lead me to some information. This detecting was harder than I thought. How did real detectives do it? Wait, I was a real detective now, wasn't I? I had a case to work on. I would think of something.
“So, Joey, what brought you back to town?”
“Aw, I'm just here for a visit. Hadn't seen my brother in a while. Of course, he's dead now.”
“Oh my God, I forgot you just lost your brother! I'm so sorry. When is the funeral?”
“It's on Friday. You're probably wondering how I can play pool at a time like this. The truth is, I never knew David very well. He was so much older than me. He was away at college and medical school most of the time I was growing up. Still, I'm bummed that he's dead. I never even got to talk to him.”
“Wait, you didn't see him before he was murdered?”
“No, we were supposed to go to dinner the next day. I don't even know why he was at the movies. When I called him, he told me he had to work late.”
Hmm, this was suspicious. Should I believe that Joey never saw his brother? Or did they maybe have an argument that he didn't want to tell me about? If Joey was telling the truth, then why did Dr. Parnell tell him that he was working and then go to see a movie? I had more questions than answers.
We played pool for a couple of hours, but I didn't end up with any more information from Joey. I did get a big hug good-bye, though. “Don't be a stranger, Ginger. I like you. Hey, you'll be at the funeral, right?”
“Yes, I'll be there, Joey. Take care.”
As I was leaving, I stopped to talk to Honey. “Isn't it terrible about Dr. Parnell? Who would ever want to kill him?”
“I don't know. It's awful. It's hard to believe there's a murderer in our town.”
“Yeah. And I thought everyone liked him.”
“I wonder why Frankie didn't see who murdered him,” Honey said.
“Frankie? Who's that?”
“Frankie Delano. Dr. Parnell's friend. They were in here for some burgers before the movie. I thought they were going to the movie together.”
“Really? That is strange. Maybe he changed his mind at the last minute and Dr. Parnell went alone.” I didn't really believe that. Actually, I thought Honey had given me a great lead. I would have to find out more about this Frankie. He might know a lot about what happened. “Well, good night, Honey. See you later.”
It was late, and I was tired. I headed home to crash. No sooner had I got inside, than Steve called.
“Hi Ginger. I didn't forget about talking to my cousin Andy. He said Tammy doesn't have an alibi. She was home
alone. And they are interested in her because she worked at Ed's. That's where the steak knife came from. The murder weapon, you know.”
“How about Dr. Wright? Does he have an alibi?”
“No, he doesn't either. He said he was in his office, alone. The receptionist had already left for the day.”
“Okay, thanks, Steve. I appreciate it.”
“Where have you been? I've been trying to call you.”
“Sorry, it was loud at the Horseshoe Saloon. I didn't hear my phone ring.”
“What were you doing there? I didn't think you hung out in bars.”
“That's none of your business, Steve. I can do what I want. We're not dating any more.”
“What does Michael think? Or was he with you?”
“Goodbye, Steve.” Why were men always trying to run our lives? Last I checked, I had a brain. I didn't need any help, thank you.
The next morning I googled Frankie Delano. There couldn't be that many of them in a little town like Daffodil. I was right; there was only one person by that name. He ran the frozen custard place on the edge of town. It was called Frankie's. Of course.
Well, I was due for some frozen custard, a Midwest treat. It's so much better than ice cream. So creamy. Now that I thought about it, I had to have some, right away. Okay, it was only 9 am, but it was fall, after all, not winter. It wouldn't be that strange to order frozen custard at this hour, would it? At least I could drive by and see if they were open.
I got to the custard stand and checked the sign. Darn! They didn't open until 11. I had two hours to kill. I decided to call Julie, my main source for gossip.
“Hi, Julie! No, my hair is fine. I just have a question for you. What do you know about Frankie Delano?”
“Oh God! He's one of my customers. I do know something juicy about him, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. He told it to me in confidence.”
“Okay, I promise. You know I can keep a secret.”
“Okay, well, he told me that he is seeing a married woman! Can you believe it?”
“Really? Who is he seeing?”
“He didn't tell me who. Just that she's married. He did say she works for him too.”
“Oh my. Thanks a lot, Julie. I'll let you get back to work now.”
I was still in Frankie's parking lot. I didn't have anywhere else to go. I decided to make a list of suspects while I was waiting.
Tammy, Dr. Parnell's ex-wife. She had a motive, the insurance money. And no alibi. Also, the steak knife murder weapon came from her former employer.
Dr. Wright, Dr. Parnell's partner. He wanted to dissolve the partnership. That would be one way to do it. Not the easiest way, but still. He did seem like kind of a violent person. Angry, anyway. And he had no alibi either.
Joey Parnell, Dr. Parnell's brother. He needed money. And it was suspicious that he just got back to town and his brother got murdered.
Frankie Delano. I wasn't sure if he was a suspect yet, or just a person of interest. He was supposed to be at the movie with Dr. Parnell when he got murdered. What happened? I would just have to wait until Frankie's Custard opened to find out.
At quarter to 11, a black SUV drove up. Could this be Frankie? A short stocky guy with gray hair got out. He looked to be around sixty. Dr. Parnell was only in his forties, but I guessed they could still be friends. I had nothing to lose by asking him. I got out of my car and said hello.
“Hi, you're early. We don't open until 11.”
“I know, but I had such a craving for frozen custard. Are you Frankie?”
“Yes, I am. You can come and wait inside while I get things ready.”
“Thanks. I'm so sorry about Dr. Parnell. I heard he's a friend of yours.”
He gave me a sharp look. “Yes, how did you know?”
“It's a small town. Honey at the Horseshoe Saloon said you two were in there getting burgers before the movie. Everyone is talking about the murder. After all, we don't get murders here too often.”
“I guess that's true.”
“So you were with him at the movie? Did you see anything? Did you see the murderer?”
“No, I left early. I had a date. I just went to the movies because he wanted some company, but he knew I couldn't stay for the whole show.”
A date with the married woman. Of course I didn't say that. I couldn't betray Julie's confidence. I wondered if it was true that he had a date, or if he was lying to cover something up. Maybe Dr. Parnell didn't approve of him dating a married woman. Maybe they got into a fight. But why would Frankie bring a steak knife with him to the movie? No, that didn't make sense. Unless maybe he had the steak knife in his car and went out to get it, and then came back in and murdered Dr. Parnell. Over an argument about a woman he was dating? It sounded kind of far-fetched to me. Still, maybe he had another motive. And the date with the married woman was his alibi.
My head was starting to spin from all this thinking. I needed some frozen custard fast. Luckily Frankie was ready and I was able to buy a big cone of the chocolate. Mmmmm. I could think more about the case later.
After I finished my custard, though, I felt like I was at a standstill. What would a real detective do next? I already listed the suspects I had so far. I wondered if there were any more that I didn't know about.
I went out to my car and called Michael. The murder happened at his theater, so maybe the cops told him something. Or maybe he noticed something.
“Hi, Michael. How are you? I was wondering if you heard anything more about the murder. Do the police have any suspects?”
“How should I know?” he growled. “They don't tell me anything. One good thing though, attendance is way up. I thought maybe the murder would scare everyone away, but it's just the opposite. Everyone wants to see where it happened. I had to put Billy by the back door to direct people to the scene. They are asking all kinds of dumb questions. Billy is the perfect person, he doesn't mind questions. He likes the attention.”
“So tell me, did you notice anything before the murder happened? Like, was Dr. Parnell with anyone? I heard his friend Frankie was with him. Did he really leave early?”
“Hey, I have a theater to run. I don't have time to check on people. I did see that Dr. Parnell came in with Frankie, but that's all I know. I was in front by the concessions.”
“So how did you hear about the murder?”
“Some old guy came running up front to tell me. He was white as a ghost. He said he was going to go out the back door for a smoke, and there he was. Dr. Parnell's body, I mean. I thought the old guy was going to have a heart attack. I'm glad he didn't.”
“Old guy, huh? Maybe it was Frankie. He's kind of old.”
“Nah. I know Frankie. This was someone else. Nobody I know.”
“Oh, so you know Frankie,” I said. “Do you know if he's dating anyone?” Maybe Michael would know about the married woman.
“I don't know about dating. I've seen him in here a couple of times with Angela Cotton. She works for him. It couldn't be a date, because she's married. Probably they're just friends from work. Her husband's a trucker. He's out of town a lot. She probably just wants company.”
“Oh, okay.” I decided not to press the issue. “So the funeral is on Friday. Will you come with me? It's at 11 o'clock.”
“Can't. I have to work. Can't be taking off all the time. You'll be okay. I'm sure half the town will be there. Dr. Parnell was really popular.”
“Okay. Well, I'll let you get back to work now. Bye.” I didn't really expect that Michael would take off work just to go to this funeral with me. It was just as well. Dr. Parnell's brother, Joey, didn't know I had a boyfriend. For some reason, I wasn't really eager for him to find out.
Anyway, at least now I had someone else to talk to. Angela Cotton, the married woman that Frankie was seeing. I found out her address from Google and headed over to her house.
Angela lived in a side-by-side duplex. The yard hadn't been mowed in a while. I hoped that meant t
hat her husband was out of town. I really wanted to talk to her alone. I rang the doorbell, and a plain-looking woman with brownish hair answered the door.
“Angela?”
“Yes, and who are you?”
“I'm Ginger Kelly. Could I ask you a few questions?”
“Why? What is this about?”
“Please let me in. I don't want the neighbors to overhear.” I gave her a knowing look. It worked, because she let me in. She didn't invite me to sit down, though.
“Okay, go ahead,” she said.
“I'm looking into the murder of Dr. Parnell.”
“You? You don't look like a detective.”
“I know. But I'm a mystery writer. I know a little about detecting. And Dr. Parnell was my doctor. I just want to see that his killer is brought to justice.”
She laughed at that, and folded her arms.
“I hear you're seeing Frankie Delano,” I continued.
Her face flushed red. “Get out of my business. I have nothing to say to you.”
“Calm down. I'm not going to tell anyone. I don't judge you. I'm sure you get lonely with your husband on the road all the time. I just want to know what happened the day Dr. Parnell was murdered. Frankie was at the theater with Dr. Parnell, but he said he had to leave early for a date. Is that true?”
“Yes, he came right from the theater to my house to pick me up. He had nothing to do with the murder. Believe me. Frankie wouldn't hurt a fly. But I told all this to the police already.”
“So Frankie didn't see anything suspicious while he was at the theater?”
“No, of course not. He would have told the police if he had.”
All right. I was stumped. Another dead end. I said goodbye and left.
CHAPTER FIVE
I felt like I was at a standstill again. Could I add anyone to my list of suspects? Angela Cotton, the married woman who was seeing Frankie Delano, didn't really have a motive, as far as I could tell. I guessed I'd leave her off the list for now.
