Miz Scarlet and the Acrimonious Attorney

by Sara M. Barton

  “Dynamite?”

  “You should have heard the explosion. The students and faculty panicked, thinking it was a terror attack. Who could blame them?”

  “That must have made their parents proud, eh?”

  “Oh, it did. They just couldn’t fathom why the feds wanted to charge their little darlings with an act of terrorism.”

  We stepped out of the car and crossed the parking lot. My thoughts returned to Grimacing Grimshaw.

  “If this isn’t about blackmail, why else would someone want to kill him, Kenny? I think we can rule out lust, jealousy, financial gain, and murder for hire.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “It was personal. Whoever killed him was very, very angry, and that someone stuck a really big knife into his chest.”

  “You keep coming back to that, honey.”

  “I know I do.” I shuddered at the memory of the confrontation in the parking garage with C. Philip Grimshaw’s killer. “How can I not?”

  “It was obviously a traumatic event for you. Maybe you should talk to a....”

  “Don’t go there,” I warned him. The last thing I needed was to see a shrink about Grimshaw’s murder. Knowing that the killer was behind bars would go a long way towards helping me forget what I saw. Be dispassionate, Miz Scarlet. Put some emotional distance between you and the killer. Force yourself to focus like a professional. “The killer came back to look for something. That’s pretty brazen.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Was that brazen or desperate? Maybe Grimshaw had something that belonged to the killer and carried it with him wherever he went.”

  “In that case, why not just mug him to get it?”

  “Maybe Grimshaw could have him arrested,” he suggested.

  “I don’t think the murder was just to cover up what he stole. That killing was vindictive and vicious. He wanted to pay Grimshaw back for something.”

  “Possibly,” he reluctantly agreed. Kenny turned his head and stared off into the distance, pondering the possibilities. That was always a sign that he had a mental itch he needed to scratch. A piece of the puzzle looked like it could be a good fit in the theory, but it was hard to connect it to solid evidence.

  “You said no one found that prize money in Connecticut.”

  “It’s possible he banked it in Miami, honey.” He rubbed his forehead, pausing for a few minutes while he rebooted his thoughts. “Or he could have signed it over to a third party. The tournament officials should know. They’ll have the routing numbers, and once we have those, we’ll know where the money wound up.”

  “And what happens if that financial transaction doesn’t show up in any of Grimshaw’s accounts? Is it lost to the Hartford cops?”

  “They would have no reason to pursue the money trail down here, especially if they don’t know it exists. Why do you ask?”

  “Maybe that’s why Grimshaw was murdered in a parking garage in Hartford, instead of in the Florida Keys, to throw off suspicion.”

  “It certainly complicates the investigation.”

  “Hmm....Does that mean that while Larry and her Hartford cop friends are investigating the nephew back in Connecticut, we have an opportunity to follow the money trail here?” I gave him a sly grin.

  “You’d like to rub Larry’s nose in it?” He gave me a disapproving glance. “I thought Larry was your friend!”

  “She is, she is. But the thought of Edna Mae Rivera at the Four Acorns Inn for a week is terrifying. I’d do just about anything to avoid that fate.”

  “Edna Mae is rather strong-willed, isn’t she?” He gave me a knowing smile.

  “She’s like a Category 5 hurricane on steroids, bound to do some damage to anything and everything in her path. I’m not sure the roof of the Four Acorns Inn can withstand the hundred-and sixty-mile-an-hour winds.”

  “She’s not that bad!” he laughed.

  “Yes she is!”

  Kenny put his arm around my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “Come on, Miz Scarlet. Let’s go see the Siren of the Seas. And whatever you do, play it cool. Use your poker face. If the killer is down here, we don’t want to tip him off that we’re on the hunt.”

  “Would it help if we announced that the Hartford cops arrested Grimshaw’s nephew? That way, it looks like we’re just trying to wrap up the loose threads, instead of trying to unravel the whole theory.”

  “Good idea.”

  As boats go, I had to admit the Merritt yacht was impressive, even tied up at the dock. With its long, gleaming white hull and tall fly bridge tower, it dwarfed the other boats at the small Islamorada marina.

  “Is it weird that Zee keeps the boat down here in the Keys, Kenny?”

  “Not necessarily. If he comes down here to fish, it’s probably a lot easier and cheaper to keep it in a marina like this. Monaco probably lives in the area, and since he’s responsible for its upkeep, it makes sense to dock it in his neck of the woods.”

  “I was thinking that it makes Zee look like a big shot because he’s got the biggest boat.”

  “Yeah,” he laughed, “I’m sure he gets lots of attention down here when he sails into port. Up in Miami, a boat this size looks like a dinghy next to some of those mega yachts.”

  Kenny wanted to talk to the dock master, so we made our way to the office. An older man in a khaki shirt and shorts perched on a stool, reading the newspaper. He looked up as we came through the doorway.

  “Good afternoon, folks. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m here on business,” Kenny announced, whipping out his private investigator’s license to flash at the dock master. “I don’t know if you heard, but one of the men who regularly fishes on Siren of the Seas was recently murdered.”

  He sat up quickly, shocked by the news. “No! Who was it? Forrester? Jones?”

  “C. Philip Grimshaw.”

  “Grimshaw?” He shook his head. “Are you sure about that?”

  “I am. Why?”

  “I could have sworn I saw him just the other day with his wife. They stopped by to talk to Greg.”

  “Can you recall what day that was?”

  “Oh...might have been three or four days ago.”

  I looked at Kenny. When our eyes met, I knew I didn’t have to remind him that C. Philip Grimshaw had been in lying in the morgue back in Connecticut for the better part of a week.

  “You’re certain you saw him?” Kenny pressed him. “Is there any chance you could pin down the date?”

  “Well, let me think. It must have been over the weekend, because they had the girl with them.”

  “Grimshaw’s stepdaughter?” I asked. I couldn’t picture the guy on an outing with his Margarita and Sybil. He never struck me as the warm, fuzzy type.

  “That’s her. Yes.”

  How could Grimshaw be in two places at the same time? Maybe the dock master’s memory was faulty. I wondered if we could confirm his last flight into Bradley International Airport. Now I know why Larry gets so picky, demanding that every detail has to be examined inside and out. One wrong fact can throw off the whole case.

  “Is Greg around? I’d like to ask him a few questions,” Kenny said.

  “He was here a little while ago,” the older man replied, scratching his chin stubble. “I think he said something about going up to Miami tonight for a meeting with Mr. Zee. He should be back here tomorrow though. He’s got to get ready for the weekend.”

  “Another fishing tournament?”

  “No, Mr. Zee is hosting his annual boat hop. He invites the Islamorada community out for a day of fishing. All the boats drop anchor in the same area, and then people visit by jet ski or skiff. There’s lots of food and drink. If you’re going to be around this weekend, you should go down to Harry’s and see if you can get seats on one of the charter boats. It’s a fun day on the water.”

  “Thanks. We might just do that,” Kenny told him, reaching out to shake his hand. “I appreciate your time.”

  “There goes Jack,
Greg’s son. He might be able to help you.” The dock master pointed to the lanky young man as he walked by the office window.

  “Good idea. Come on, Scarlet.”

  As soon as we were out the door, Kenny leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Let’s discreetly follow the guy. We want to get a handle on him before we make our approach.”

  We did a loop around the marina, admiring the boats. I tucked my hand in the crook of Kenny’s elbow, content to stroll along. When we reached the end of the gravel road, we turned around and walked back. Jack Monaco was swabbing the foredeck with a mop.

  “He looks fairly approachable,” I decided, looking over the captain’s son.

  “Do you think so?”

  “You don’t?”

  Kenny patted my hand. “Watch how he keeps an eye on us as we go past the boat. He’s a little too interested in our movements.”

  “He is?”

  “He is.”

  Sure enough, I snuck a peek over my shoulder and caught him glaring at us. “That’s weird. Why would he have a problem with us?”

  “Why indeed.”

  “We haven’t even had time to start questioning people.”

  “No, we haven’t.”

  “So, why would he hate us, Kenny?”

  “Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he’s up to something and he wants to make sure we don’t stumble on it at an inopportune moment.”

  “Oh,” I nodded. “You don’t think it’s necessarily personal.”

  “That’s right. So, with that said, let’s find out.” He led the way over to Siren of the Seas. “Excuse me. I’m looking for Greg Monaco.”

  “He’s not here.”

  “I really need to speak to him. I’m a private investigator, working on the murder of C. Philip Grimshaw.”

  I expected to see a shocked expression or a double-take as he absorbed that information. But Jack Monaco had no reaction at all. He barely blinked and turned his attention back to his mopping.

  “Yeah, well, he’s not here.”

  “Do you have a number where I can reach him? It’s important that I....”

  “No.”

  “You don’t have a phone number for your own father?”

  “Nope.”

  “I hope you don’t think that your surly attitude has deterred me. I’ll be happy to get back to your father after I speak with the owner of the boat. I may or may not be accompanied by representatives of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.” Kenny pulled out one of his business cards from the case in his back pocket. “I’ll leave my business card for your dad. See that he gets it.” He leaned over the railing of the boat and deposited the small white card on the deck.

  Mesmerized by the hostile reaction to Kenny, I stood there, and as I did, Jack happened to glance over at me. As our eyes met, an involuntary gasp escaped from my lips.

  “Come on, Scarlet.”

  I felt Kenny’s fingers tighten on my elbow as he pulled me away. When we were fifty yards away, he growled in my ear.

  “What is wrong with you? I thought I told you to use a poker face!”

  “He has two different colored eyes.”

  It took a few seconds for the words to filter through Kenny’s brain. When they got to where they were going, he stopped short and turned to me.

  This time it was Kenny who registered his surprise. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “You’re telling me he’s the guy you saw in the parking garage?”

  “No.” I stood there, still reeling from the shock. “No, I’m not saying that. I...I don’t know. But he has two different colored eyes, Kenny. How rare is that?”

  “It’s pretty rare, babe,” he admitted. With his hand on my back, he urged me to walk towards the parking lot. “Let’s pull ourselves together. We don’t want Jack to think something’s wrong.”

  “It can’t be a coincidence. It’s got to have something to do with Grimshaw’s murder. Maybe he is the guy.”

  “But you’re not sure. You can’t really identify him as the man who was in the parking garage.”

  I sighed heavily. “No, I can’t. All I know is this is the second time in a week I’ve seen someone with eyes that don’t match.”

  “Well, let’s put that aside for a bit. There’s nothing much we can do with it at the moment. How hungry are you? Why don’t we find a nice place to eat?”

  The list of restaurants that I made earlier in the day came in handy. We drove down the road to a small waterfront restaurant for seafood and cocktails, sitting outside at a table that afforded us a great view of the sun setting over the water. By the time the stars came out, we were satiated. Over coffee and molten chocolate lava cake, we finally put away the Grimshaw case and concentrated on us.

  “This is nice,” I told him. “Just the two of us, alone at last.”

  The waitress brought the check. Kenny examined it quickly, pulled out his credit card, and set it on the tray. He slid his hand across the table and took mine. “I agree. We rarely get to spend any time without the rest of the gang. It’s too bad. We should make more of an effort.”

  “We should.” I gave him a little smile. “We make a good team.”

  “I was just thinking the same thing. Tell me, Scarlet, how do you feel about....”

  At that moment, his cell phone trilled. I glared at the sleek black phone as it began to bounce along the surface of the table in its bid for attention. I had to fight the urge to snatch up the polymer-and-glass miscreant and toss it into the ocean. Maybe if I loaded a photo of some chum on the screen, I could get a shark to swallow it whole and give me an uninterrupted hour of Kenny’s time.

  “Feel about what?” I said quickly, trying to stop him from checking the caller ID, but I just wasn’t fast enough. That hand of his reached out and scooped up that obnoxious little gadget like it was his best friend in the world. “Nuts!”

  “It’s probably Greg Monaco,” he announced. “I really should take this. Don’t worry, love, we’ll pick up where we left off.”

  “Sure we will.” I sat back in my seat. Timing is everything, isn’t it? In all the years I had known him, Captain Peacock remained the man who got away. Right after I fell hard for him in high school, his family moved away. He had married someone else, lost her to complications from MS, and wandered back into my life a few years ago. Ever since then, I had tried to make up for lost time, only to have my efforts thwarted again and again. As Jenny had so blithely pointed out, I wasn’t getting any younger. Both the Googins girls thought I should have closed the deal long ago. And my brother Bur? He thought Kenny and I were incapable of solidifying our love affair like the adults we were. He thought we were too stuck in our naive high school romance to act like real adults and give our hormones a spin around the block. At the moment, it sure looked like my big brother was right.

  “Mr. Monaco, I appreciate the call. I was wondering if you were planning to come back to Islamorada tomorrow. I’d like to ask you a few questions about Philip Grimshaw.” He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, waiting for the captain of Siren of the Seas to respond. “No, of course I understand you’re very busy preparing for Mr. Zee’s boat party. Monday? To tell you the truth, I was hoping to get back to Connecticut before then. The police have an arrest warrant for their suspect, a relative of Mr. Grimshaw’s, so I’m trying to complete my investigation in time to pass along any relevant information. My questions aren’t all that complicated. I could ask them now, if you’ve got a few minutes. Right. Well, if that’s my only option, I guess I’ll have to stay on a couple more days. Very well. I will see you on Monday at nine.”

  He hung up and gave me a Cheshire cat smile, signed the check, and retrieved his credit card.

  “Well?” I leaned forward expectantly. “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is hunky dory.”

  “What did he say?”

  “It’s not what he said, love. It’s what he didn’t say. He’s avoiding me, hoping that if he’s hard to
find, I’ll just go away without ever meeting him.”

  “And that’s what you’re going to do?”

  “In a pig’s eye! No, we’re going to get ourselves to Johnny Zee’s party. The Monaco family won’t be able to avoid us there.”

  “This must be the sneaky side of you that I rarely see.”

  “If you’re asking me if it’s part of my professional skill set, then the answer is yes. Whenever someone is this evasive, it’s my job to find out why, and if it’s relevant to the case, I will hunt down the information and make sure that we’ve got the right guy.”

  “That’s what I like about you,” I grinned.

  “As well you should,” he laughed. He pushed his chair away from the table and rose to his feet. “Shall we?”

  “Shall we what?”

  “Shall we go back to the condo?” Kenny wiggled his eyebrows and winked at me. We headed to the parking lot, sauntering along the path that overlooked the beach. The waves whooshed their way onto the sand and then rolled back out to sea before regrouping for another lunge at the moonlit shore. It was soothingly hypnotic. When Kenny stopped to kiss me, I was putty in his hands.

  “Captain Peacock, are you trying to seduce me?” In the darkness, it was hard to see his face, but his hands gave him away.

  “Miz Scarlet, if I’m not, I should have my head examined. Have I told you today that you have a way of taking my breath away?”

  “I do?” I had to admit I wasn’t expecting that. My heart started to beat a little faster as we continued walking.

  “You do.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Come away with me to the Kasbah.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I thought we might sit under the stars and pledge our eternal love to one another.”

  “That sounds serious,” I teased, not wanting to get my hopes up.

  “It is.” His voice grew husky as he leaned over and nibbled on my ear. “I intend to declare....”

  As I quivered in his arms, my knees weak and wobbly, I found myself ready to surrender to his sultry musings. But in the blink of an eye, the magic of the night abruptly ended when he unexpectedly let go of me.