Crooked River (Jack Francis Novel)

by MP Murphy

  “Great. Where’s she at now?”

  “I sent her home. She wanted to meet up with us but I told her to stay out of the whole mess.”

  “She won’t,” I said. “That woman is driven. She spent all night following Alex and me.”

  “You know Jack after all these years you still amaze me. You are with two women tonight and one’s a killer while the other is a stalker. I can’t imagine how you find them but you sure can pick the good ones.” Colin had the audacity to laugh at himself.

  “Really funny, in fact I’m not sure if either is true yet.”

  “I suggest you figure it out quickly before you find yourself in real trouble with one or the other or both.”

  “You must mean more trouble and don’t forget for a second that you are the reason I’m in this mess.”

  “That’s why I’m here watching over you.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Thanks a lot.”

  Chapter 23

  My few hours of sleep were incredibly restless as I tossed and turned in my bed. I finally got out of bed determined not to fight it any longer. Even with the case on my mind all night, I had been unable to come up with a way to proceed now that Charles Beard was dead. The problem was I had no way of proving that either. I guess the best I could do was prove that he was missing. As with any problem I get stuck on, I needed to look for a distraction. Problems faced head on can be stubborn and unrelenting so I decided to clear my mind of the road blocks.

  The cab ride east down Euclid Avenue barely took ten minutes before I found myself hopping out on Mayfield Road in Little Italy. I ducked into Corbo’s Bakery for a cup of coffee and some fresh biscotti. It was still early but the day was giving every indication of heat and humidity. The wind was still blowing, and the smell of rain continued to linger in the air, but somehow a muggy day was upon me. I took my breakfast to go and walked slowly over to University Circle and into the Cleveland Museum of Art, in search of some air conditioning and a little piece of mind. I have wasted hours in this museum, usually as a distraction for a cold winter day. The Cleveland Museum of Art has the size and beauty of any major art venue in the country, and Gilded Age wealth had left collections that could compete with New York and Chicago, while steady donations had allowed the museum to grow over the years. I had full hope that a few restful hours inside would make everything right with the world.

  I had knocked out all of my favorite collections finishing up with the medieval armory, and as I decided to take a quick stroll around Wade Lake, I felt someone coming up behind me. I assumed it was another museum guest, looking over my shoulder at the antique guns, when I heard a calm, sultry voice that I was not expecting.

  “A room full of weapons created for some of the cruelest paths to death and now we worship them as art. We humans are a romantic species wouldn’t you say?” I turned to look right into Alex’s eyes, her soft pouty lips, and realized I now had two women following me. My eyes darted around the large marble room anticipating Madeline’s arrival as well. “I can see the cat has got your tongue this morning,” Alex continued.

  “Your appearance is a little unexpected, considering last night. Did you come here looking for some piety?”

  “No I prefer facing my problems head on and by myself.”

  “And I’m a problem?” I asked.

  “Yet to be determined Jack. Why did you follow me last night?”

  “Why did you shoot Charles Beard?” I had run out of patience for games and I wanted to get right to the point. Her reaction and response would tell me a lot about her and the truth.

  “So he’s dead then?”

  She seemed honestly shocked but I was not going to give in so easily. “Don’t play coy with me Alex. I watched you head towards his house seconds before I heard gunfire and then you came running out at full speed.”

  “Did you actually see me go into his house?”

  I started to think about her question, but before I could give her an honest answer, she continued, “I don’t believe you did Jack.”

  “I did see Charles Beard’s dead body.”

  “Well good for you.” She was still so calm. She radiated with a confidence that fueled her sexuality. “I seemed to have missed the shooting on the morning news. You did remember to call the police and report it?

  “The body went missing.” I was a little ashamed to admit it even though it was out of my hands.

  There was a small moment of shock on her face, or possibly confusion. “Were you able to recover what you were looking for then?”

  I knew I had already given her too much, but in reality, I had already gone too far by sleeping with her. All hell, what did I care? “No, that seems to have gone missing as well.”

  “Funny,” was the only response she had. “Good day Jack, and take care of yourself.” She turned to go down the white, marble staircase that led to the lawn surrounding Wade Lake. “Oh, one more thing Jack.”

  “What is it?”

  “I would just hate it if you thought I killed that man.”

  “I’m not sure what to think Alex,” and I walked away before anymore could be said.

  Chapter 24

  Chelsea was sound asleep in bed when Madeline returned home. She had a bottle of sleeping pills on the table next to her, and the TV was muted. In the glow of the TV light, Madeline could make out streaks under Chelsea’s eyes where her makeup had run. Even though it seemed like her little sister had gone to bed upset, Madeline took a minute to enjoy the rare silence. She hadn’t talked to Chelsea all night and Madeline wondered if that was to blame for how rough Chelsea looked.

  She slept very little that night and more than once had thought of taking a few of Chelsea’s sleeping pills. A dance had played out between Jack Francis and Charles Beard. Madeline could feel a fondness for Jack developing. He was a handsome man with the right mix of confidence and compassion. The night had nearly reached a boiling point for Madeline when she watched him take Alex up to his condo, but she had calmed her nerves. She always got what she wanted eventually.

  Then there was Charles Beard, that scum of a man who had the audacity to blackmail her sister. Part of her hoped that Alex had shot him dead, as it would have been one useful purpose to that woman’s life. Yet if she did shoot Beard then Alex more than likely had her hands on the blackmail evidence, which according to Madeline, put her right back into the frying pan.

  There were unseen forces at play here but the problem was Madeline had no sense of what they could be. First off, who had shot the man in the photos with Chelsea and who would have left her alive to see it? Maybe her sister was being set up to cause the family embarrassment? Alex was somehow connected to the shooting, she could figure that much out. It would explain why she was at Beard’s store and at his house. Did Alex’s shooting of Charles Beard rule out the possibility that the whole episode was blackmail from the beginning or a mere coincidence? There was no such thing as coincidences, Madeline thought, and if Beard was involved from the beginning, then why kill him now? Alex must have shot Beard tonight to retrieve the evidence of the first murder, therefore, Beard was outside of the original plan. He stumbled upon Chelsea by accident and then took advantage of the situation. That had to be it, but unfortunately it led Madeline down another road.

  Jack and Madeline both saw Alex head towards Beard’s house tonight, and Alex had seen Jack before she took off back to the cab after the gunfire. Madeline had tailed Alex in her car afterward, and if Alex knew she was being followed, and had identified her car, she would know she had been there too. The thought worried her because she knew Alex had no qualms about killing Beard to cover up a murder, so why would she hesitate in doing it again? Then the worst thought of the night hit her. There had been two witnesses to the first murder, and Alex had shot the first one tonight. The second one was sleeping in her bedroom down the hall. Chelsea was in danger.

  Madeline needed composure and she needed a plan. Talking through all of this with Jack might help. He may eve
n have a good idea about how to protect Chelsea. The man was former FBI after all. She had to rely on herself first and foremost though. It was Madeline’s job to look after her sister and she would do whatever was needed to see her safe. Now was the time to act, and no longer react, to what was happening.

  Chapter 25

  “We need to talk,” ordered Madeline over the phone. I immediately regretted Colin giving her my number. Sure it was a public number, and she could have found it on her own, but Colin made it too easy for her.

  “About what?” I had a pretty good idea that any further interaction outside of my condo would not be wise today, especially after the run-in at the museum.

  “Can we at least meet for dinner and talk about it in person? I’m not a big fan of this over the phone chit-chat.”

  “I don’t know it’s already been a really long day.”

  “I promise not to shoot anybody unlike your more recent date.” The woman had a little acid in her voice but it was quickly covered by a casual laugh.

  “I’m still under the employment of your father. Do you really think it is a good idea to meet in such a social manner?” I could have cared less about what old man Gilmore thought, but I was looking for any excuse not to meet her for dinner. I was staying home and staying out of trouble.

  “That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it Jack. Dinner will be about the job you’re doing for Father anyway. Meet me at the club at 7:00. I’ll be at the bar.” She hung up not even giving me a chance to respond.

  I put my phone down on the bar in front of me and took a sip of my bourbon. Katya was standing on the other side with her arms crossed. Her eyes were boring a hole in my forehead as I sensed her staring at me. Looking up was a mistake, just another in a long list of them I had been making lately. She pounced the minute we made eye contact.

  “You be careful with that one. Madeline will have your mind warped in no time. Oh, don’t give me that look Jack. I know you are a sucker for a beautiful woman and this one is rich and smart to boot. Sometimes a little too smart for her own good.”

  “What do you want me to do? She wasn’t taking no for an answer. I really just wanted to go home, plop my ass down on the couch, and call it a day.”

  “No one tells Madeline Gilmore anything, especially no. The smart thing would have been to not answer the phone.”

  “Hell why didn’t you tell me that before I picked it up? A little bit of help from you might have allowed me to avoid dinner tonight.”

  “Jack, what do you want me to do hold your hand? Sometimes you’re a smart boy, and other times you’re a sucker. Now listen to me, Madeline doesn’t fall for men. Every man in her life is an object to use to her advantage. She will eat you alive if you’re not careful. That woman wants something more from you and it’s not a commitment.” Katya was burning but she was truly worried about me.

  “Wow, aren’t you being a little hard on her? I thought the two of you were practically family?”

  “My dad and Captain Gilmore were close but Madeline and I are not. Those two girls and I never ran in the same circles. Just because Madeline’s father is my godfather never meant that she and I would become fast friends.”

  “It’s only dinner anyways. There can’t be much harm in that.”

  “You’re being pretty optimistic. How did your date last night go?” The woman was devious and had the smile to go with it.

  “Colin told you? I should have known.”

  “He had no choice, especially when you called to get him out of bed in the middle of the night.”

  “She followed me to the museum today,” I blurted out.

  “Who did?”

  “Alex, my date from last night.”

  “Well how about that. That is awful brave for a woman who shot someone last night. Then again she could be a total psychopath or completely innocent. Those are only the only two options there.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “Well if you shoot someone and everyone knows it was you, then you go and hide. If you don’t, then you are obviously too messed up in the head to care.”

  “Expert analysis again Katya,” I got up to leave the bar but turned back. “If she didn’t shoot him then who did?”

  “There must be another player in the game that you are not aware of.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  “Oh Jack.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Have fun on your little date tonight.”

  “Thanks. By the way, Madeline told me to meet her at the club. Which club might that be?”

  “Only one she would go to for dinner. Erieview Tower top floor and don’t bother taking your wallet, you can’t afford it.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. See you later.”

  Katya answered, “Anytime,” as I walked out.

  Chapter 26

  I found myself deep in thought as I dressed for dinner with Madeline. My nerves were a little on edge and not from anticipation of my date but because of my conversation with Katya. Had my instincts told me that Alex was the one who shot Charles Beard, then I think I would have been alright, but somewhere inside it felt like she was innocent and that was the problem. The mere thought of an unknown player had me worried. The case had me in the dark as it was, and I had no desire to find out things were going to get even more complicated.

  Also, there were the missing bodies. It was an oddity that at least made some sense, no bodies, then no witnesses, then no murder. There were still two witnesses for those missing bodies, and so there was still a pair of murders to solve. Chelsea and I were the two remaining witnesses to two murders, and neither of us actually saw the murder only the aftermath. Where did that put us? At risk? Probably.

  Assuming that Alex was after the same photos of Chelsea that I was, I had to assume she was either working for Captain Gilmore, or whoever killed the first man. It was doubtful Captain Gilmore had hired two people for the same job, so Alex was working for the opposition or at least connected to them, but who were they? Based on my own assumptions, Alex had every reason to want Charles Beard dead, because it would make confiscating the photos from him easier, and also eliminate a prime witness to the first murder. Even with all reasoning pointing to Alex as the shooter, my gut told me otherwise.

  Had I been blinded by the woman’s charm in one quick evening? I doubt it. My life had been mostly spent alone and independent. Sure, I relied on a solid group of guys in my Army days, and even now with my FBI time behind me, Colin was still a constant in my life. He had been a good partner and a reliable friend. My parents had passed away a few years back and my only disappointment was that they never saw me married. It was in the love department I often found myself alone. Military, then FBI lifestyles, had allowed me very little time to nurture any relationships. Now that I have retired to the private sector, I have found it hard to abandon old ways. My independence has allowed me to deflect every woman I have come across and now Alex was going to change that in one night? I found it very doubtful in deed. My gut was right and there was no way I was blinded.

  There was another factor telling me Alex was innocent. She had the appearance of hired help. The woman was too cool, too calm, and fully in control of herself. It told me she was not the shooter at the Zeitlin house trying to cover her own tracks. No, she was hired to clean up someone else’s mess. If Alex hadn’t done the first shooting, then Katya was right about another player but now I was wondering if there were two? Had there been two separate murderers, one for each body?

  I toiled with every scenario as I finished getting dressed and drove over to the Erieview Tower. I nearly ran over the valet as I pulled up to the building because I was so deep in thought. Inside, the lobby of the skyscraper was nearly empty. A cavernous corridor filled with quiet echoes of a long work day gone by. Toward the bank of the elevators, a security desk sat aglow from the monitors, illuminating a lone man guarding the post.

  He looked at me with warring eyes as
I approached him. “I’m heading up to the club,” I said to him, looking for a little help with directions. The security guard simply pointed to the elevator closest to his desk and I headed into it. There were no buttons for individual floors, but instead the gold panel simply had an intercom button, and a spot to slide a magnetic card. An engraved gold plated sign told me to use the intercom if I was not a club member.

  A voice crackled over the speaker as I waited, and the elevator closed off from the world. “How may I help you tonight sir?” I looked over my shoulder at a mounted camera.

  I was amused already and I still had to get into the club. “I’m supposed to be meeting with Madeline Gilmore.”

  “One moment please.”

  I waited patiently for about thirty seconds before the elevator began to move upward. The steel car moved quickly up the length of the tower to the top floor, where the doors opened onto a marble floor and well groomed maître d’. Behind the club’s greeter was a floor to ceiling view of downtown Cleveland, and the evening lights sparkled through the windows. What a view.

  “Miss Gilmore is in the bar waiting for you sir,” the maître d’ pointed off to his right.

  “Thank you.”

  “Will you please inform Miss Gilmore her table is available whenever she is ready.”

  “I can do that,” but I had been dismissed as the maître d’ pretended to busy himself. Gypsy in the palace, I thought to myself as I walked into the bar feeling a little out of place.

  Chapter 27

  The bar lacked the ambience of a country club that I was expecting to see. Instead the room had a more modern flair. Glass windows lined three of the walls giving views of the sprawling city lights and the harbor to the north. Rather than the standard cocktail tables there were clusters of sofas and armchairs, set up to compliment an array of coffee tables. Candles were lit across the room giving a warm feel to the openness of the room.