Anthony Carrick Hardboiled Murder Mysteries: Box Set (Books 1 - 3)

by Jason Blacker

  “That’s beautiful,” she said. “Aibhilin sure is lucky to have a father like you.”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes I don’t think she’d agree with you.”

  We laughed at that together. Our smiles holding hands, our eyes dancing along. Then I had to get us back on track.

  “So you said that Max called it off. Were you upset by that?”

  She nodded. “Of course. I loved him, I really did. And not just as a father figure if that’s what you’re thinking. I gave him all of me and he promised me the world. He said we’d be together forever, that he had finally met his soul mate but that he was having difficulty getting a divorce and that the other women were just flings. He promised me he’d end those soon enough. I’ve had a hard life Anthony, and I come from a small town and I guess I was naïve and looking for my knight and he seemed to fit the bill. Only his shining armor started to rust towards the end but I kept trying to polish it, to overlook the damaged parts. And then one day he was done with me and tossed me aside like a dirty rag.”

  I saw her eyes get wet. The pain was obvious. I reached out and squeezed her forearm. I wasn’t looking for trouble but I might just find it. Maybe I squeezed too hard. A tear rolled down her cheek. She looked at me and put a brave smile on her face. It was a courageous attempt. Sorry, she said. The pain is still so hard. I nodded at her, still holding onto her forearm. It was soft and warm. Times like this I keep thinking I should carry a handkerchief with me to offer damsels in distress. Old school. But I don’t do it. I keep forgetting. She slid her arm away from me to dig in her purse for a tissue. She found one and I leaned back in my chair. She looked out the window again and dabbed her eyes and then blew her nose. I watched Giselle at the front counter, trying to give Jade some privacy. Trying to get a peak at two suns rising. But I couldn’t. The cash register was playing hide and seek with me. Emphasizing the hide part.

  “Sorry,” she said again looking at me through pink eyes.

  “Don’t be,” I said. “Love will do that to you. Nothing wrong with having loved and lost. As a matter of fact it’s better that way then not having loved at all. That’s Tennyson for you. Actually goes like this. I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I like poems. I try to remember the odd one. Seems the poets have always had a gift for explaining the struggles of life.”

  She nodded at me and smiled.

  “You’re pretty strange for a private investigator,” she said. “I would’ve thought you’d be more tough guy all the time and no poet at all.”

  “Mmm. Is that a slap on the cheek or a slap on the back?”

  “It’s a compliment silly.” And I think she would’ve reached out to swat me gently on the arm if I was within reach. But I wasn’t.

  “Then I’m flattered.”

  We didn’t talk for a little while. She fiddled with the tissue still in her hand and I drank the dregs from my coffee and thought about the smoke I’d have when this was over.

  “Thanks for that,” she said looking at the tissue and then up at me. “You’re very kind, and I never killed him. I loved him. Even now, after all that he did to hurt me, I still love him. I know it’s strange or stupid, but I did.”

  “I believe you. Is there anything you can tell me about him or the other people in his life who you think might have been capable of this. What about his wife Vanessa for instance?”

  “No I don’t think so. He always spoke well of her even though their relationship wasn’t physical anymore. At least that’s what he told me and I believed him. Whenever I saw them together which was only once or twice, they didn’t seem strained. They seemed to like each other even. Maybe because they’d worked their relationship out in a way that worked for them. I don’t know. But she never seemed angry or mad and he never gave me any clue that they fought or argued. He said he was going to leave her eventually now that his son was older, but I don’t know if he was just talking about that for my benefit or if he was sincere. So much of what he told me Anthony is now up for grabs. I really feel used by him and that’s so hurtful when I gave him my heart and soul and loved him like I haven’t any other man.”

  She paused then and dabbed at her eyes which had started leaking again. Now it was my turn to look outside. She took some time to gather herself. She blew her nose again, crumpled up the tissues and put them in her empty coffee cup.

  “I don’t mean to be dragging up old difficult memories. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this. I’m sorry you had to get caught up in it. Seems pretty rough for an attractive woman like you. I’m sure you deserve more.”

  She nodded at that and gave me a weak smile. Weak as the sun in Alaska at winter solstice. Her eyes fogged up but then drifted on by.

  “Anyone else you think I might look at with an eye to having committed this murder?”

  She looked down at her hands which were in her lap. She fiddled with them a bit and knitted with them. Maybe she was coming up with a good yarn.

  “Well the couple of times that Max brought me over to his home when his wife was away, the housekeeper, I forget her name…”

  “Maria,” I offered.

  “Yes Maria. Well she was always snooty and grumpy with me. She’d hardly say anything to me and mope around and barely bring us drinks or anything when Max would ask. Everything seemed to be such a huge effort for her. I remember a couple of times Max would excuse himself and go and have a talk with her. It would turn into this big yelling match. I couldn’t hear exactly what they’d shout about, or rather what she was shouting about but you could tell by the tone that she was extremely upset. Max would come back and apologize about it but would never want to talk about it. And on those occasions I wouldn’t see Maria for the rest of the night.”

  Looked like Maria was on the winning horse so far, or at least inching up to first place rounding the last bend. I still needed to check on my other leads and I wasn’t sure Jade here knew much about Sulan or the hookers. What the hell, I’d go out on a limb. I was willing to go ice fishing on thin ice.

  “Do you think or know if Max was sleeping with Maria?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I know for sure, but he probably was the way she acted whenever I was around. Sure seemed to be real jealous. But Max wouldn’t say anything about her one way or the other. He’d just brush it off and tell me he didn’t want to talk about her. That she was just temperamental and hot headed generally. But now that you mention it, and with my blinders off, I’d have to say he was sleeping with her.”

  She looked over at the other side of the coffee shop. I don’t think she liked the thought of Max with Maria, or with any other woman. I didn’t blame her. Maybe she was trying to burn other images over the thought of him banging the maid. Maybe she was mad at me for asking. Maybe she wanted to get going but didn’t know how to tell me that. Or maybe I should stop wondering about what she was thinking.

  “Painful memory?” I asked. She shook her head again and looked back at me.

  “Not really. Just thinking back to those times and what he said. How kind and caring he seemed. And now he’s dead. I just don’t know what to make about all of this.”

  I nodded. There wasn’t much to say. I left us in silence for a bit.

  “Anyone else you can think of that might have had a grudge or something against Max?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No. He was pretty charismatic, maybe that’s why I fell for him and wanted to believe all those things he said to me. People seemed to like him. He had an easy way about him when meeting people. It was very enduring.”

  She looked out the window again. I looked over at Giselle. She was an attractive blond woman. Maybe another struggling actress. Still, no seeking in the hide and seek. Inside I sighed.

  “Listen Jade. I’m sorry this happened to you. You’re an attractive woman and you’ve got a wonderful name. Seems a shame you got caught up in this.”

  “You thi
nk so,” she said looking back at me with those sad eyes. I still wanted to take a splash in them.

  “I do Jade. I really do, and I’m pretty sure you’ll land on your feet. But I’ve gotta ask. Where were you on late Saturday afternoon early evening?”

  I looked at her intently now. Trying to get any waiver of untruth. Even the slightest breeze from masking the truth.

  “Well from around two p.m. I was with my friend Rene and we spent most of the day shopping. At around six p.m. we went for dinner at Traxx at Union Station.”

  I nodded.

  “We were there until about eight p.m. and then from there we drove around until nine thirty when we went to the movie theatre and saw Hairspray at the AMC Burbank. I was probably home by around midnight or so. Is that good? I can give you Rene’s number if you’d like to confirm.”

  “No that’ll be okay. The cops might be coming around and they’ll need it I’m sure. I believe you, I think you’re just a lovely woman who got caught up in a bad situation and that’s a shame. I hope you’ll forgive me for lying to you. But I’m pretty sure your career will take off if you give it time. You’re young yet. You’ve got lots of time.”

  “Thank you Anthony. I sure hope so. Some days it just seems like such a struggle that I wonder if I’ll ever make it. I keep wondering if I should move into B movies. I know I could get in there and make some good money at it, but I just don’t feel comfortable about it yet. A guy I know thinks I’d be awesome in some of the movies that he’s got coming down the pike. What do you think? It would help pay the bills.”

  I could see how she could make some money at that. Guys are very visually inspired. I am, that’s for sure. But there’s a difference between being inspired and being lascivious. The porn industry contributed to lasciviousness. I looked at her and I could see the appeal in seeing her naked. But she was so young. Relatively.

  “I’d say hold tight Jade. I don’t think that’s a safe or holistic way to make a living. I know you might be desperate, but rather work as a waitress or something and pursue your art. Eventually you’ll make it and be glad you didn’t finance yourself through sex and your physical talents. I don’t think that’s any way to live. You have to be able to sleep at night and you’re a young attractive woman, you can do better than sleeping with strangers for money. I urge you to take some pride. I think that’s a slippery slope to other murky things. When I was younger than you I could have gotten into the dark side. Into a criminal lifestyle and made some good money at a young age. But I chose to go to school and then become a cop. I don’t like to think what might have happened to me if I’d ended up on the other side of the street. This guy who wants you to take your clothes off is going to be making the real money at your expense. Don’t be fooled by his swagger and false promises. It’ll derail you from your true goals. That’s all I’ll say. I think you’re a wonderful young woman you deserves the best. Not someone who should settle for scraps from the tables of lascivious men.”

  Enough said. I hated getting on my high horse. I don’t like heights. She nodded at me again and her eyes warmed up and the sadness drifted away for a moment. Thanks Anthony, she said. I really like you you know. And I knew what she meant but I wasn’t going to go there. Not with someone who had been a suspect in my investigation. I smiled at that and just told her I liked her too. We sat silently then for a while and looked around at other things. I gave Giselle a break and took in a young goth reading a graphic novel with a large frosty coffee drink in front of him. This Los Angeles, my Los Angeles is a smorgasbord of humanity. It’s one of its charms. The color and flavor of the different folks expressing themselves. I turned back to Jade, I needed to move on and get going.

  “Listen Jade you’ve been very kind and understanding about me having brought you here under false pretenses.”

  “Well you’re a private investigator who quotes poetry. How could I not?” She smiled at me and I nodded.

  “But I’ve gotta get going here on this case and get to some more investigating. So if you don’t mind?”

  She looked at her watch. “Wow, yeah me too. I’ve got to go and run some errands.”

  She stood up and I stood up with her. She offered me her hand in a business manner. I took it and kissed the back of it.

  “You’ll be fine Jade. As a matter of fact I look forward to seeing you on the big screen someday. Be well, and keep faith in your heart. If I can help you with anything give me a call.”

  I offered her my business card which she took and looked at. Then she put it in her pocket.

  “Thank you Anthony. Mr. Anthony Carrick. Perhaps I will one day.”

  Then she turned around and walked out of the coffee shop. I sighed after her. She had something that tumbled in my insides. I sat back down heavily. The wanting was harder than the having and I couldn’t see how to go about the getting.

  NINETEEN

  Johnn Rotten's Insights

  I took my seat again and fished out my phone from my pant’s pocket. I called my friend at homicide. The one you’ve already met. I was eager to get going.

  “Yeah,” he said. I think somebody was a little hung over from the night before.

  “Captain Rotten.” I didn’t think he’d be in a playful mood but I was going to try my best.

  “Yes Mr. Wishes,” John said.

  “You mean Vicious,” I corrected.

  “No,” he said. “You’re calling me because you’ve got wishes. You’re wishing and hoping I’ve got answers and information for you.”

  “Very good John. Not bad for an old man who’s sucking on a hangover this morning.”

  “Yeah, well I think I’m in good company there.”

  I nodded but I didn’t feel like saying much.

  “Nothing that a couple of glasses of cold water and a chaser of aspirin will cure.”

  “Good call, I’ll be doing that as soon as I get off the phone with you.”

  “Okay, that’s a freebie from me to you. How about returning the favor for an old friend.”

  “What you talking about Sid?” He was trying to be serious but I could hear his voice cracking into a grin already over the phone.

  “Nice try. I’ve had a lot of water and a lot of coffee and I’ve been handcuffed to a chair for the last hour or so and my back teeth are floating. Help a brother out.”

  “Alright, I’ve got what you want. Leaf Shivers is the one you want to be speaking to. And listen Anthony, I’m giving you this out of the kindness of my heart. You go speak to her and I want you to be a human tape recorder. You’re going to remember everything and share it all with me. Deal?”

  “Yeah sure, deal. How come you have all this info already and you haven’t called me?”

  “Because I wanted to see how long it’d take you to want it. So do you want it or do you want to bitch at me some more?”

  “Hmm. Tempting offer, I think I’ll choose the wanting it.”

  “Well as you might have figured, Leaf Shivers is how you say, a nom de plume. Her real name is Gretchen Popinoff.”

  I smiled at that. “No wonder she has a stage name,” I said.

  “Yes indeed. Anyway she’s good for a handful of aggravated assaults. Nothing too serious but enough to give me the sense that she’s a spoilt baby with a temper tantrum. And she doesn’t mind going toe to toe with men or women. One particular case, from when she was just an up and coming hooker when she was working the street, she gave this guy a beating because he wouldn’t pay her. Now that’s as best as we can tell because obviously neither of them were very forthcoming. She bit part of his ear off and bashed his face a bit with this flashlight she keeps in her purse. He had some good bruises. She also tried to claw his eyes out but managed only to scrape away some of his cheek and neck. She’s also tangled with some of her colleagues if they’ve ventured into her turf. Now the last report we’ve gotten on her is from two years ago. That seems to be the time she hooked up with Angels from Heaven. I guess maybe they have anger management programs
for their staff or she just isn’t having to fight with colleagues for scraps of meat if you’ll excuse the pun, or she’s not dealing with the same kind of scum she would if she was working on the street. So I’m thinking she’s a good one for the rough stuff.”

  “Yeah, sure sounds like it. Apparently Max liked it rough. What about this Ruby Red lady.”

  “Ah Anthony, always the charmer, always so polite. Ruby Red we have nothing on our system about. Could be a new alias or she’s just kept herself really carefully under the radar.”

  I watched the goth kid get up and skulk out. He left his finished mug of empty frosty on the table. I wanted to go out after him and shake him by the collar. Just rude leaving your trash for other people to clean up. It’s the small courtesies that keep the milk of human kindness flowing. Just pissed me off. I glared after him but he didn’t notice and it didn’t make me feel any better so I cleared my throat and focused back on Johnny.

  “Thanks Rotten, that sure is helpful. I want to go and see her. I figure about now would be a good time. Maybe still catch her in bed enjoying her beauty rest. Now if I wanted to do that, how do you think I might find her?”

  “Funny you should say, because I have an address for her from the last report. Now this is about two years ago like I said. But maybe she’s settled down now with her full time employment. She’s at OceanRock Apartments down in Chatsworth. Number three oh three, ninety nine oh three Lurline Avenue. Really easy to get to. Probably best to take the four oh five to the one eighteen.”

  “Thanks dad.”

  “Very funny. I’m just trying to help you out here and I get no respect.”

  “Listen, what is this young lady like? Do you have any descriptions on her?”

  “Give me a sec and let me pull these reports again.”

  He put me on hold and I listened to top forty for a while until he came back on asking if I was still there.

  “Barely,” I said. “I know now why I left the department. It’s that damn music.”

  “Easy Sid. Those kids are working hard to make that kind of money, pumping out that top forty stuff. We should be so grateful to hear those sultry sounds.”