Piper came into the office chuckling. “There’s really a man who goes by the name, Rotgut?”
I nodded. “Yep. And I wouldn’t laugh at him. It looks like he may have killed three people. That’s his pic.” I pointed to the monitor.
Piper grimaced. “Wow! That man must take ugly pills. I wouldn’t want to meet him anywhere, anytime. He looks like he eats kittens for lunch.”
Ida sighed. “Well, he might be involved in this. And he’s out of Savannah. So you two need to be careful tomorrow.”
Piper took a seat. “You know, I’m wondering, Ida. Maybe you should come with us tomorrow. I assume you can use a computer while we’re on the road, right?”
“Sure. I’ll just take a laptop and my phone. It’s all I need.”
“That might be of use. Depending on what we find. And if we are dealing with some hardcore criminals...” Piper looked at the screen again and shuddered. “And it looks like we are, we should go prepared for anything.”
I looked at Ida. “So can you come with us tomorrow? I mean, you don’t have to go shopping for some special shampoo do you?”
Ida shrugged. “I was thinking of going with you. But keep making fun of my personal hygiene products and I might change my mind.”
Piper leaned forward. “I’m not sure what shampoo has to do with anything, so I’m going to ignore that part for now. More important, what’s our plan of attack when we get to Savannah?”
I let out a deep breath. “Well, we should go see where Jacob lives and talk to his current girlfriend, Nicole. If we can.”
Piper and Ida both stared at me. Piper finally dared to ask, “Are you going to be alright?”
“What do you mean? I don’t have any animosity for this girl. I don’t even know her.”
Piper laughed. “Well, the only time you ever made me nervous was that time in high school when I thought you were going to rip Vicky Sue a new one. Remember when she kissed Jacob to thank him?”
I huffed. “She was soooo out of line.”
“No, she wasn’t. Jacob helped her Dad get the harvest done before bad weather moved in. It saved the family’s year. She just gave him a kiss on the cheek to thank him.”
Ida giggled. “Oh snap! A jealous Ginger. I would’ve loved to seen that.”
I turned red. “I was young and in love. I’ve matured since then. Or I've tried to.”
Piper snorted. “Where Jacob is involved, I don’t know. He was your first love and your first marriage. You have to admit, he’s your Kryptonite.”
“Ginger as Super-girl? Not.” Ida used her smug voice.
I tried my best to use a humble voice. “I guess you didn’t like the jab about your new shampoo then?”
Ida folded her arms. “No, I did not!”
Piper continued. “What is it with you two today. You’re missing my point, Ginger. We want to get information from Nicole. Not make her mad or insult her.”
I shot back. “I’ll be fine. What else do we need to do in Savannah?”
Ida responded. “Well, I would like to visit this C. Brown and Associates. The place that issued all the insurance policies.”
I nodded. “That’s good. Okay, we’re going to be busy. And we need to visit Bev Serve. The place where Jacob works. So anything else?”
Ida cleared her throat. “Do you think we should try and talk to Rotgut too?”
I felt raw fear flash within me. “Are you kidding?”
Ida winched. “No. He might be in the center of this. If we don’t actually meet with him, then maybe we can at least learn who he is, where he works, who knows him, things like that.”
Piper stiffened. “No, Ida is right. If we can talk to him, that would be good. We might learn something. There will be three of us, in broad daylight. And if we can meet him somewhere public, we should be fine.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I would rather not, but if you think it will help.”
Piper added, “So four stops. It will be a long day, but we should be able to do that in a day.”
I responded. “No, five. I need to go the Savannah police station at two-thirty, meet with Detective Eckart.”
Piper groaned, just a little. “I forgot about that. Well, that makes things harder. So it’ll be very long day.”
I said, “So we have a plan. What time do we leave?”
Piper mulled. “It takes forty-five to sixty minutes to get there. If we leave at eight, we can get most of our work in before having to go over to the police station.”
I looked at Piper. “So, you and Ida have the good cars. Ida needs to work on the computer. That means you should drive. Should we meet at The Oracle at seven-thirty then?”
Piper hesitated. “Alright. I guess I can drive.”
Ida tittered. “So it’s girls day out in Savannah. This ought to be interesting. Do you think we’ll have time for some shopping? I need new clothes for an award show I’m going to with Scooter and Savannah has really nice stores.”
I furrowed my brow. “Are you serious. We have lots to do and we’re trying to find someone who attempted to murder another person.”
Piper shrugged. “Well, Ida is right. No need to waste an opportunity. Maybe Ida and I can go shopping while you see your friend at the police station.”
I uttered, “I can see we’re intensely focused. This ought to go well when we interview the guy named Rotgut.”
Ida waved at me. “Oh lighten up, it’ll be fun. And we’ll get to everything you need done, too.”
Piper looked at her phone. “It’s still only noon. Is there anything we should do with the rest of this day?”
I looked at Ida. “Can you help me make the phone calls and send emails to set up our meetings for tomorrow?”
“Yes, but the moonshiner might be hard to track down. The others should be straightforward.”
“Good, that will help.”
Piper tapped on her phone. “I need to get my oil changed so I’ll call and see if Donnie can get the work done today. No reason to risk a break down during a trip to the coast.”
Ida threw her hands over her head. “Woo-hoo, road trip!”
“Somehow I still don’t think you understand we are chasing a potential murderer, Ida. And his name is Rotgut. You saw his picture. Remember?”
Ida giggled. “Doesn’t matter why, it’s still a road trip to Savannah. Love that town.”
Chapter Eight
WE HIT THE ROAD EARLY the next morning and were well on our way to the coast. I sat in the front passenger seat and Piper kept her eyes on the road as she spoke. “You were early to my office this morning. Eager to make this trip?”
“Not really. I’m not the traveling type. You know that. But I do want results. And at this point, Savannah may provide answers to some tough questions.”
Piper snickered. “I think you’re afraid of Sammy the Rotgut.”
I scrunched up my face. “Is that how you say his name? I didn’t even think about how to address him. Is it Mr. Rotgut?”
Piper laughed harder. “After seeing his pic, I’ll call him whatever makes him comfortable.”
Ida was in the back seat typing on her laptop. “Just like I thought. That Rotgut guy is hard to find. Seems he keeps a low profile.”
I glanced over my shoulder to watch her work. “I don’t think murdering moonshiners hang a shingle and wait for people to find them.”
Ida shot back. “Well, no, of course not. But the insurance office does and we’re cutting it close. The man who runs the place is Christopher Brown. He said he could meet first thing at nine. So that’s stop number one and we need to step on it to make it in time.”
Piper pointed to a road sign. “Speed limit is fifty-five. I’m doing sixty. Going as fast we can and not get stopped. I’m not paying for a speeding ticket.”
I adjusted my seat belt. “We’re fine, should be there right on time. So what are we going to ask him?”
Ida answered. “Well, first confirm he issued all three policies.”
I added. “Then I would like to know who paid for them. You still didn’t find a payment from Jacob for two of them, right Ida?”
“Yep. But I’m not sure he’ll volunteer that information. That might be, as they say, confidential.”
Piper jumped in. “We’ll see what we can do with Mr. Brown. Then what’s next after him?”
Ida answered. “Nicole Carr, at the condo where she and Jacob are shacked up.”
Piper looked in the rear-view mirror. “Ida, that’s insensitive. We don’t want Ginger riled up when we meet with her.”
Ida chuckled. “I don’t know, might be fun to see what happens.”
I turned in my seat to scowl at her. “That’s not going to happen. I just want to find out who might have wanted to harm Jacob and frame me for it.”
Ida raised her eyebrows. “Ah, so there it is. You don’t like being a suspect. I guess I get that. I wouldn’t like it either, so sorry.”
“I accept your apology. If you pay for dinner.” I eyed her playfully.
Ida pinched her eyebrows together for a second. “I guess I can live with that. Deal.” She laughed and Piper joined her.
Piper started singing with the radio and Ida and I fell silent to watch some road signs whiz by. Then we briefly discussed the meetings for the rest of the day, but for some reason, we moved on and discussed what was on the radio and how much money Ida would spend on dinner. And before we knew it, we pulled into the parking lot of a small white building with a sign out front that read C. Brown and Associates.
Piper plunked her left hand on the steering wheel and turned so that she could see both the front and back seat. “We’re here, with two minutes to spare. Showtime!”
I took a deep breath. “Let’s do this. Ida, you should wait here. Three of us might be a little too much. And see if you can track down someone we can talk to, or anyone that knows Mr. Rotgut.”
“Fine, leave me out of the fun. Alright. I can also find the best stores to shop at while you’re in there.”
Piper and I exited the car and went inside. We found a small office with a young woman working at a spot just inside the door and an older, disheveled man working at another station in the rear of the open space. I raised my voice and addressed both of them. “We have a meeting with a Christopher Brown at nine o’clock.”
The frumpy man rose. “I’m Mr. Brown. But I prefer to be called Chris by pretty ladies.”
“My name is Ginger and this is Piper. We appreciate you taking the time to meet with us.”
“My pleasure, please have a seat.” He grabbed two seats lined up against the wall and moved them to the front of his desk. We followed his lead and sat. He continued. “So what can I do for you?”
Piper clicked into journalist mode. “So, in the last year we understand you issued three life insurance policies that cover Jacob Allen, a salesman from Bev Serve. Can you confirm this for us?”
Chris eyed us for a moment. “Who are you again?”
I leaned forward a bit. “I’m Ginger O’Mallory. Jacob’s ex-wife and a named beneficiary on one of the policies.”
“Ah, I’m sorry for your loss. So you’re here looking to get paid?”
I snorted. “No, that’s not it at all. Jacob was hurt and it looks like someone was trying to kill him. But it didn’t work. So I’m not sure why I would be getting paid.”
Chris pulled a long face and shuffled in his seat. After letting out a deep breath, he said, “Oh, I just assumed. So many policies to manage, and so many people filing claims. I can’t keep them all straight. And people are always looking to get paid.”
Piper pressed. “So did you issue the policies?”
He leaned back in his chair. “I can’t reveal any client information.”
I asked, “Well, if I am named as the beneficiary of a policy, do I have a right to see that policy?”
He interlocked his fingers and rested his hands on his big belly. “I guess, maybe, um, I don’t really know. It was not purchased by you. So it’s kind of complicated. I think that’s a question for a lawyer.”
Piper pounced. “So, you’re saying you did issue the policy.”
“I...I...I’m not saying I did or didn’t. I’m just saying this sounds complicated and you should ask someone who knows the laws better than me.”
“But you’re an insurance agent. You don’t know?”
“No. I think you should leave now.”
I looked over at Piper. “I think we can go now. We’re not looking to cause trouble.”
She nodded back. “Yeah, you’re right.” Piper then sneered at Chris. “I don’t like the smell in this place.”
Chris scowled at us as we got up and left. We wasted no time getting back to the car where we found Ida with ear buds in doing a butt dance in the back seat. I raised my voice. “Hey, you find anything while we were in there?”
Ida jumped and pulled the white plugs from her ears. “You scared me! What?”
“You find anything?”
“Yeah. I love Imagine Dragons. That song Thunder gets me moving.”
Piper flashed at her. “We’re in there dealing with a slime ball and you’re out here doing a disco butt jig?”
“Technically, Imagine Dragons is not disco.”
“You know what I mean.”
I cut in. “Alright, let’s focus. Ida, did you find anything?”
“Nope. Rotgut is a ghost.”
I grunted. “That’s not helpful. Alright, what’s next?”
Ida muttered only one word. “Nicole.” After she put away her ear buds and reshuffled a few things in the back seat, she asked, “How about you two? Did you learn anything?”
Piper answered, “Yeah, this guy is a guilty scum bag. He assumed Jacob was dead. Why? And he didn’t admit to it, but he issued the policies. I’m sure of it.”
I added, “I got the same impression. Mr. Brown in there expected me to say Jacob was dead when I told him I was the ex-wife named on the policy. Why? The only answer I come up with is he thought Jacob would be dead by now. So he knew an attempt on Jacob’s life was going to made, but didn't hear how it turned out.”
“I agree. So not what we expected, but we did learn lots. This Brown guy is scum and is involved up to his eyeballs. Now let’s go see what we can learn from this Nicole Carr.” Piper started the car and put it in gear.
We were at the townhouse where Jacob lived with Nicole quick enough. We pulled up to the guard shack, I was surprised to find a gated community, but we checked in and drove through the extravagantly landscaped entrance. We found the unit and parked, then decided that it would be alright if all three of us went in this time. We made our way past the manicured flower beds to the entrance and I knocked on the raised panel door.
A voice came through the door. “I’ll be right there!”
I looked back to Ida and Piper. “She knows we’re coming, right?” Ida nodded yes. I turned back to the door and waited.
I heard the deadbolt flip and the door opened to reveal a short, but fit, blonde haired woman with sparkling blue eyes. She wore Lululemon running pants and a sports bra that left nothing to the imagination. I stammered for a second and finally said, “Hello, I’m Ginger, Jacob’s ex-wife.”
“Right on time. Glad you made it. I so wanted to meet you. Jacob has mentioned you more than a few times.”
“I’m glad to meet you, too?” I was fumbling for the right tone.
Piper came to the rescue. “We’re so sorry about Jacob. We’re all hoping for a quick, full recovery.”
Nicole smiled. “Thank you. I was going to run up to the hospital later to see him tonight. The doctors are not telling me much right now.”
Ida blurted out, “Wow, nice place. This must cost a few pennies each month.”
Piper jabbed Ida with her elbow. “Where are your manners?”
Ida chuckled. “Who said I had any?”
Nicole chuckled too. “It looks like you’ve spent some long hours in the car this morning. Would yo
u like some ice tea?”
I nodded yes. “Sounds great.”
Nicole stepped back, held the door open wide, and held her hand out. “Well, come on in and have a seat. Relax a bit.”
We sat on the plush sofa and Nicole went into the kitchen. I scanned the nicely furnished living room and noted that Jacob did not pick any of the items; he did not have good taste and this place was screaming fine living. She returned a couple of minutes later with a silver tray. It was a full platter with a pitcher of ice tea, ice cubes, glasses, a squeeze bottle, and cut lemons. She beamed, “I have unsweetened tea here, but there is simple syrup in the squeeze bottle and cut lemons, so you can fix it up the way you like. And there’s more ice for those who like lots of ice.”
Piper looked over at me, wide-eyed. “Look at this, The Grumpy Chicken should serve ice tea like this. It’s fancy.”
Nicole cocked her head to one side. “What’s The Grumpy Chicken?”
I snuffled. “It’s the pub I own and run with my father. I’m surprised Jacob didn’t mention it.”
“Jacob mentions so many pubs and bars. But to be honest, I never really listened to all that. I’m not into the bar scene and found his work a bit boring. But The Grumpy Chicken is such an unusual name.”
Piper picked up on it. “I see. So you didn’t know much about his work?”
“No. Not really.”
“Can you tell me about the insurance policies he took out?”
Nicole wrinkled her nose. “You said policies, with an ‘S.’ I’m aware of only one life insurance policy, the one he took out to cover me in the event of his death. See, we financed this place together, so we had to insure ourselves. I can’t afford it on my own if I lost him.”
Piper continued. “I see. So what do you do for a living?”
“I’m an aerobics instructor.”
Ida bleated. “We should have guessed by the outfit.” This time I jabbed her with an elbow.
Nicole blushed. “Oh, I was just out for a run. I like to run before I go to work. I have a class to do this afternoon.”
I scooted to the edge of my seat. “Nicole, it looks like Jacob had three life insurance policies. Do you know anything about the other two?”
A Highball and a Low Blow (Grumpy Chicken Irish Pub Series Book 3) Page 5
