by Lee Strauss
“You seemed to be in a frightful hurry to get here,” Rosa said in mock seriousness as she stepped out of her car. “Is there a special on croissants or something?”
“Ha. You’re funny.” One corner of Colin Monahan’s mouth pulled upward into a half-smile. “What’s the matter?” He spread his hands in front of himself, gesturing to the Corvette. “Are you afraid your baby ain’t got what it takes to burn some good rubber?”
“Well, if you must know,” Rosa began, “I was being kind. Your funny little car is cute, but…well, let’s just say it lacks the dominant pedigree that my motorcar has.”
“Ho, ho!” Colin Monahan laughed. “Dominant pedigree? You’re a piece of work!” He gestured toward the café. “I think you should join me. They serve great craft beer here.”
“Do they serve tea?”
He laughed. “Tea? Ha, that’s a good one!”
Rosa’s expression was without humor as she lowered her sunglasses to look at him.
“Oh, you’re serious…um…” Colin Monahan cleared his throat, “Sure, they must have tea. Maybe even English muffins and crumpets.” His chuckle caught in his throat.
Rosa was happy to accept. She’d been wondering how she would wrangle an interview with Orville Gainer’s two grandsons and was thrilled with this serendipitous turn of events.
Colin claimed the booth next to the window, “Gotta keep an eye on my chariot.”
Rosa noted a marked difference from the Colin Monahan she had met at the Gainer party the first time she was there, and the brash man sitting before her now. A leather jacket and blue jeans rolled to the ankles replaced the pressed suit and tie. At the party, he had been pensive and moody, almost reluctant to talk. Now he gave off a certain bravado and swagger and was rather flirtatious.
Shortly after they’d taken a seat, a cheerful waitress in a bright yellow uniform came to take their order.
“I would like a cup of Earl Grey tea,” Rosa said.
The waitress pulled a pencil that was tucked behind her ear and grinned. “It’s just plain black tea, sugar.”
“I’ll take black tea with milk.”
Colin Monahan ordered a dark beer and French fries.
“So, tell me,” Colin Monahan started. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward. “How does a proper lady like yourself get involved in something like private investigative work?”
Again, that sly smile, Rosa thought. He wasn’t truly interested in her background; he was making a pass at her. A rich young bachelor like Mr. Monahan was probably used to obtaining any hapless girl he chose to toy with. Rosa was not so easily impressed, but she could play the game when it suited her purpose.
She allowed a flirtatious smile. “I’ll tell you that story if you tell me yours first.”
Colin Monahan cocked his head sideways and hesitated. “Well, I guess that’s your job, isn’t it? You were probably planning to question me sometime soon anyway, I figure. I just saved you a phone call, didn’t I?”
Rosa was saved from answering when the waitress arrived with their orders.
Colin Monahan smirked. “And you get your cup of tea and cookie too!”
Rosa raised an eyebrow then blew on her tea.
“Ha! Okay, fire away, Sherlock. What do you want to know?”
“Where were you last Tuesday night, the night Dieter Braun was murdered?”
“Right to the point, huh?” After wolfing down several fries and following that with a long swig of beer, he answered. “Well, if you have to know, I was up on Caesar’s Point with a girl.”
“Caesar’s Point?”
“It’s a lookout spot south of town off the main highway. A lot of young people go up there to, ah, well it’s kind of a make out spot. Backseat bingo if you get my drift.”
Rosa had seen and heard a lot of vulgar things in her line of work and was unruffled by her companion’s brashness.
She challenged him. “You’re a little old for that, aren’t you?”
“I wasn’t aware of an age limit. Making out under the stars overlooking the ocean never gets dull.”
“Were you in your, er, Roadster?” Rosa nodded toward the blue hot rod sitting in the parking lot.
“Nah, not enough privacy. Jenny has a nice Oldsmobile.”
Rosa took out her notebook. “Jenny…”
“Ah, ya, I don’t remember her last name, sorry.”
Rosa stared back.
“Whaaat? I met her at a bar in Schofield earlier that night. She’s a nice girl. Nice figure too.”
“What’s her phone number?” Rosa lifted her pen to write.
Colin just shrugged his shoulders. Rosa sighed.
“Either it’s me or the police who will be talking to her.”
“I think she said she was here visiting friends. She’s from out of town.” He squinted as if remembering a long-forgotten detail.
“What friends?”
“I think she knows the bartender where we met. I don’t know his name, offhand.”
“Which bar?” Rosa was getting impatient.
“Yeah, which one was it now? Oh ya, The Tanker.”
“What time were you there at the bar?”
“I think around eight, stayed until around ten, and then Jenny and I left.”
“Did you speak to anyone besides Jenny?”
Colin sipped his beer, then said, “Nah.”
“Was your Roadster parked in the parking lot?” Rosa tilted her head and stared with an expression she imagined was worn by frustrated teachers across the nation. “In other words, can anyone other than Jenny with no last name and no phone number or known address vouch for you?”
Colin sniggered. “I see what you’re getting at. But, no, I parked down the road in front of Ralph’s supermarket. There is a lot of lighting in that huge lot. Less chance of someone scratching the paint.”
“Was there anyone else at Caesar’s Point?”
“I don’t know.” Colin grinned. “The windows were kind of steamy.”
“If I were you,” Rosa said, “I would think hard if you saw anyone or if anyone saw you. Right now, you have a very weak alibi.”
With the money at Colin’s disposal, Rosa knew Colin could buy off a bartender to say he was at the bar. Besides that, it would be a job trying to find witnesses that might have seen his hot rod parked at the supermarket after opening hours.
“Why, Miss Reed,” Colin said, his crooked smile returning, “I think that you believe I make a good suspect.”
Rosa watched him intently. There was a flash of something that showed in his eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was anger or fear.
Undaunted, she said, “Tell me about your relationship with the rest of the Gainers.”
Colin rolled his eyes. “That was the first question the police asked me this morning too. You detective types need to update your playbook.”
Rosa took a sip of tea and grimaced. She’d been so busy questioning Colin Monahan that her drink had cooled.
Colin took her silence as mute disapproval. “Okay, okay. I have been instructed to cooperate with you,” he said with some sarcasm. “I wouldn’t want word getting back to the old man that I didn’t answer all of your questions. I get along fine enough with just about everybody. I mean, my dad’s Irish as you know, and though Grandpa would’ve preferred a British bloodline, it’s as near as acceptable as you can get in this clan. More palatable than say, Romano. Or even worse, Braun.”
“Have you worked with any of the Gainers in your business?” Rosa asked. “Import and export, perhaps?”
“Sidney and I did some work together. I thought maybe that would work out well.”
“It didn’t?”
Colin finished the last of his fries then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “It’s funny, you know, when we were kids, we were close. He was almost like an older brother. We both learned to sail on my grandpa’s yacht. We would go out on excursions together as teenagers.” He grinned in that infuriating way. “We were popu
lar with the girls.”
He paused as he reflected then said, “When Sidney hit his adult years, he turned into such a drag.”
“It didn’t work out in business, then?” Rosa asked.
Colin stared into his beer glass.
Rosa pressed. “Your grandfather promised me that I would have access to all the financial records of the various businesses too.”
That seemed to catch Colin by surprise. He looked up at her and quickly drank down the remainder of his beer. “Oh, really?” He tapped his fingers on the side of his beer glass. “Well then, I suppose you would find out that my import and export business hasn’t done so well. It was a good idea, but there were some, uh, unfortunate events that caused big setbacks. Sidney enlisted partners that didn’t deliver on their promises.” He snorted. “Sidney puts on a good show. He’s all cool and suave while I am always the guy who gets into trouble. I’m always screwing up, it seems.”
He sighed, showing a rare sign of vulnerability. “My dad is proud of me when I defend myself and get into a fistfight, but the old man at the top…well, he is downright disgusted, and he lets me know it. Says next time he’ll let the police arrest me.”
Rosa noted how Colin believed his grandfather had a powerful sway with the police. She thought sourly that perhaps he did.
“Sidney’s his blue-eyed boy,” Colin continued. “Always gives the impression that he’s got the world by the tail.” He let out a scornful chuckle. “That’s a big front.”
“Oh?” Rosa said. “How so?”
“Whereas I have already proven that no matter what I do, I can’t please the old man, Sidney can do no wrong.” He looked away as he shook his head, his mouth turned down in a scornful scowl. “It’s why I’ve stopped trying. If he thinks I’m a bad boy, then I’ll be the bad boy.”
Then he looked Rosa straight in the eye. “But Sidney’s the good grandson, and he’d do anything to get and keep Grandpa’s approval. Anything.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Colin looked away again. “Nothing. Forget it.” He pushed himself out of the booth. “It’s been nice chattin’ with you, Miss Reed.” He smiled, but it was a sarcastic expression. “I suddenly realized that I have more important things to do today than sit and talk about the Gainer clan. No offense. You can report to old man Gainer that I was the perfect interviewee. Or not, I don’t care.”
Colin Monahan slipped on his sunglasses and with an air of defeat, took his leave.
13
Rosa’s next stop was the Santa Bonita Hospital—more precisely the morgue. Stepping into the sterile-looking environment, she waved through the glass office window to Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Philpott. She couldn’t stop her eyes from furtively searching for Larry.
“Hello, Miss Reed,” Dr. Philpott said. The pathologist had a happy, Father Christmas type of appearance and demeanor that Rosa felt quite incongruous with his workplace and vocation.
“Hello, Dr. Philpott.” As a private investigator, Rosa didn’t have the authority to request information from either pathologist but hoped that she’d have some sway with Larry. Before, she’d only ever showed up with the support of Miguel and his badge.
“What can I do for you today?” Dr. Philpott said with a twinkle in his eye. “No, let me guess, I’m not the pathologist you’re looking for.”
Word of Rosa and Larry going out on a few dates had clearly reached the man. His statement was true, if not for the reasons he suspected. She smiled.
“Is Dr. Rayburn in?”
“He’s in his office. I’m sure you know the way.”
Dr. Philpott chuckled at his joke as the offices of the two pathologists were side by side, then disappeared into his own.
Rosa knocked on Larry’s office door.
“Com’ on in, Rosa,” he said.
Rosa opened the door and stepped inside. She smiled at Larry, who was seated at his desk, a pen in hand, and a stack of papers clearly in need of signing.
“I suppose you could hear all of that?” she said.
Larry waved to the walls. “Paper thin.” Then louder, “Aren’t they, Mel?”
Rosa couldn’t help but chuckle. She took the chair facing Larry.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Rosa said. “I’ll only take a minute of your time.”
Larry dropped his pen and locked her gaze. “For you, Miss Reed, I have all the time in the world.”
Rosa felt herself blush. Larry Rayburn wasn’t one to keep his feelings to himself, a trait rarely found among the British, especially the gentlemen folk. Rosa had a hard time adjusting to his transparency.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve embarrassed you.”
“Oh no,” Rosa said, feeling newly embarrassed at the notion that Larry could read her discomfort on her face. “I’m just not used to blatant admiration.” At least not from anyone other than Miguel, once upon a time, a long time ago.
Larry laughed. “I’ll try to ease up then, but ya don’t make it easy, ma’am.”
Rosa laughed in return. “I’m here because I’ve been hired by Orville Gainer to look into the death of Dieter Braun.”
The amusement in Larry’s eyes faded. “I thought you were hired by Mrs. Janet Gainer to find Mr. Braun.”
“Yes, but then, once I located his body, Mr. Orville Gainer engaged me.”
“I see.” Larry frowned. “Well, I’m fairly new to Santa Bonita, not even five years, but I’ve heard of the Gainer clan. You best be careful, Rosa.”
“I intend to. At the moment, there’s no reason for alarm. I’m simply fact-finding.”
“And you want to know about certain facts that I have?”
“That’s right.”
“I can give what is considered general knowledge in the hospital,” Larry said. Rosa wondered if Miguel had beaten her to the punch and had cautioned Larry against giving her certain information.
Larry went on. “First of all, my estimation of the time of death is roughly between six p.m. and midnight Tuesday. That time frame is based on the usual factors: the degree of rigor mortis, the vitreous potassium level, lividity, stomach contents, etcetera.”
Rosa was familiar with the forensic elements.
“As for the cause of death, well, I could tell straight off when I saw the body that it wasn’t that fallin’ shelf that killed him, though it caused a fracture of the hip and a rib.”
“Hammer blow to the head?” Rosa ventured.
“A hammer is a very probable weapon. The injury to the skull is consistent with the claw end of a hammer. From the angle of the blow, I would say the killer is between five foot eight and five foot eleven in height if the blow was administered while both killer and victim were standing.”
“That makes perfect sense.”
“You know what else would make sense?”
Rosa lifted her chin, eager to hear anything that might help her move this case along. “What’s that?”
Larry grinned. “You goin’ out for dinner with me tonight.”
That would be twice in three days. Rosa liked Larry, but she’d just gotten out of a marital engagement and wasn’t ready to jump into anything serious quite yet.
“I’m afraid my evening is already booked,” she said lightly. “Can I take a rain check?”
The disappointment that flashed behind Larry’s blue eyes was fleeting. He quickly recovered.
“Well, I’ll have to check my calendar, Miss Reed.” He made a show of looking at the calendar propped on his desk. “Ah, yes, anytime beyond tonight will work.”
The next morning, after a wonderful breakfast of huevos rancheros, a Mexican-style omelet prepared by the ever-cheerful Señora Gomez, Rosa collected Diego in her satchel and headed for Santa Bonita pier. Sidney Gainer, under the arrangement Rosa had with Orville Gainer, had agreed to an interview before he left for San Diego on his yacht.
It was another lovely morning, and although it was only nine o’clock by the time Rosa arrived at the main boating dock, the su
n was already warm. The luxury yacht was painted white with beautiful mahogany-brown trim and was equipped with a wonderful back deck for lounging. On the side of the boat, its name, Conqueror, was painted in black.
As Sidney Gainer helped Rosa step onboard, Diego poked his head out of the satchel. “You brought a cat onto a boat?”
“Is that a bad idea?” Rosa asked. It hadn’t occurred to her it might be. He had done fine on the rowboat on Lake Fairbanks. She’d left her cat to fend for himself most of the previous day and didn’t want to do it two days in a row. “I mean, do you mind?”
“No, I don’t mind at all, it’s just that I don’t have a life preserver that small.” Sidney chuckled smoothly, and Rosa could see how his charm could work in his favor.
Rosa placed the satchel on the enclosed deck, and a few moments later, Diego gingerly stepped out. After sniffing around for a few seconds, he went directly to a spot where the sun was shining onto the wood floor and lay down.
Rosa smiled at her pet. “He’ll be asleep in a moment. Nice boat, by the way.”
“It’s a fifty-three mahogany hull,” Sidney Gainer proudly said as they sat down on the leather-padded bench seats on the rear deck. “Sleeps eight. I bought this particular model because I like the flybridge feature on it.” Sidney pointed to the canvas-covered station where the navigation and steering equipment was located. “On a nice day like today, I can take off the canvas and open the front window to let the wind in while I am driving. I like the feeling of being high up off the waves. If I leave soon, I’ll be in San Diego by nightfall. I don’t know if Grandpa told you, but I’m a seafaring man. You’ll never find me on an airplane.”
“I flew here from London, via New York,” Rosa said. “It was a rather pleasant experience, like dining in a fine restaurant thousands of feet in the air. I got here all in one day!”
