Murder on the Great lake: A Pet Portraits Cozy Mystery Book 2

by Sandi Scott

  “I don’t see where you’re headed.” Stan frowned.

  “A syringe could be how the roofies got in Deck’s body.”

  “Maddy said she saw some in the waste receptacle outside the men’s room.” Stan added.

  “I noticed that the men’s room is not far from the Bridge of the boat. Do you think the footage might show something?”

  Stan took Georgie’s hand.

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  Within minutes they were in his office with the door shut, the lights off and the video surveillance tape playing on Stan’s computer.

  “I didn’t notice it before but this guy really goes to the bathroom a lot.” Georgie pointed to the screen. “He’s worse than a woman.”

  “He’s also carrying a bag in each time. At least, it looks like a bag. Doesn’t it look like a small bag, like the kind you’d get penny candy in.”

  “Penny candy.” Georgie hummed. “My favorite was those peanut butter Mary-Janes. Those were so good.”

  “You’d crack your teeth on them.” Stan said through half a smile.

  “But so worth the risk.”

  “Well, I don’t think our friend Jake is handing out penny candy.”

  “Me neither.” Georgie nodded her head.

  “He was already questioned. Funny, because he wasn’t even on the radar so we had him in our informational file. We just called him in to collect more information. Nothing he said raised any red flags. If we were to call him in now, he might get suspicious.”

  “I might have an idea.” Georgie stood and walked over to the light switch. She slapped it on, went to her purse and pulled out his business card. “Aleta and I got this when we tried to get that free work-out session. It was sort of a bait-n-switch deal and he really wanted us to buy supplements to the tune of over $150. I could give him a call and tell him I’ve reconsidered.”

  “That’s too dangerous.”

  “What?” Georgie pouted her lips. “A lady in her sixties looking for something to put a little pep in her step. There is nothing more harmless than that. Come on, Stan. It’ll work.”

  After more than fifteen minutes of arguing and complaining and, ultimately conceding, Georgie opened Stan’s office door with a huge smile.

  “I’ll call you with the details, Stan.” She called over her shoulder as she waved to the folks in the bullpen and left the station.

  Chapter 12

  “I don’t see why I have to wear a wire?” Georgie protested as Stan hooked up a tiny microphone underneath her blouse.

  “Just pretend you are on one of those crime shows you like.” Aleta encouraged. “Crime Scene SVU or I Caught A Murderer.”

  “Who invited you?” Georgie snapped. “I don’t even think there is room in this van for both of us so you might have to just go sit on that bench over there with that homeless dude.”

  “That’s not a homeless dude.” Stan interrupted. “That’s one of our officers. Now hold still.”

  “You invited me.” Aleta snapped back.

  “I need to make more friends.” Georgie rolled her eyes as Aleta stuck her tongue out.

  “It’s nice to see you both enjoying each other’s company. A fine example of the bonds of siblings.” Stan teased making them both laugh. “Now, let’s go over this one more time.”

  “Stan, don’t worry. I’ll do it just like you said.” Georgie encouraged. “I’m looking for something that might give me an edge. I’m not afraid of experimenting with alternative methods to boost my energy. You know Stan, nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.” She fluttered her eyes at Stan.

  “Yeah, just don’t do the wink, wink part. And leave the nudging for me.”

  Georgie nodded. After Stan was finished hooking up her wire he tested it and sent her out into the park where Jake and she agreed to meet.

  The meeting had been arranged to take place near the Matisse statue in the park that Georgie had admired on several occasions. Georgie had to explain the sculpture over the phone which made her that much more suspicious of Jake.

  “Yes, Jake. It’s the one with the butt.” She rolled her eyes. Jake obviously didn’t know that this sculpture took the artist almost twenty years to complete. It was called The Back IV as that’s the stage the sculpture was in before completion. It’s a beautiful example of the human form seen through a very different lens. Each chisel, each scratch, each dimple was put there on purpose. It wasn’t random in any way but a deliberate and thoughtful expression. “Yes. I’m pretty sure it is a female butt. No worries there.”

  “Who doesn’t appreciate Henri Matisse?” She hissed to Aleta who shrugged her shoulders.

  Before Georgie could get two steps away from the van Aleta stepped out.

  “Now, you be careful.” She said while smoothing her sister’s hair away from her forehead. “This guy might be a little off.”

  “Well, he doesn’t know who Matisse is so I would have to agree with you. I mean...”

  “Georgie.” Aleta took her sister’s hands. “Please be careful. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “I’m not joining the French Foreign Legion.” Georgie joked and smiled back. “I promise. I’m going to do exactly what Stan said. This will be the first time I ever did since the day we met.”

  Aleta watched Georgie head toward the sculpture.

  Stan opened the door of the van and let Aleta back inside before they drove to the surveillance spot where they would watch Georgie and Jake and hopefully catch some kind of transaction.

  “She’ll be all right, right Stan?” Aleta asked. “You wouldn’t have let her do this if she wasn’t completely safe. Right?”

  Stan didn’t say anything but instead focused on getting the cameras in place and listening to Georgie as she talked to herself on her way to the statue.

  “I don’t even remember what this guy looks like.” Georgie muttered. Her words could be understood perfectly. “I guess I’ll just look for the guy who calls Henri Matisse’s timeless sculpture the butt-statue. Jeez. What kind of world do we live in?”

  “Is your sister always this talkative when she’s alone?” One of the assisting officers asked Aleta.

  “Yes.”

  It took another half an hour before Jake arrived. Georgie had actually been enjoying herself, nearly forgetting why she was at the sculpture when she heard her name being called. When she turned around she was suddenly intensely aware of the magnitude of the situation.

  “Georgie?” Jake asked. He seemed even bigger than he had been just days ago when she and Aleta had attended his seminar by accident.

  “Hi, Jake.” She stammered and stuck out her hand. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Yeah.” He looked at the statue then back at Georgie. His t-shirt could have been painted on his skin it was so tight. The seams around his short sleeves were stretched around his massive biceps. He reminded Georgie of a bulldog when he walked, sort of weaving from side to side in order to manage the extreme weight of his chest and shoulder muscles. She was grateful that his shorts were baggy, and came all the way down to knees that exploded into mammoth calves. The only strange thing was his fanny pack that looked quite dainty around his small waist.

  Despite all this Georgie couldn’t help but focus most on his bulging eyes and the pulsing blue vein that wound from his temple down his neck like a fleshy worm.

  “So, Georgie.” Jake wasted no time. He stood directly in front of her, towering over her, and stared down with a forced smile. “What is it that I can do for you today?”

  “Well, like I told you over the phone, I’m looking to lose some weight and I need to do it quickly.” She looked around her to see if she could see any other hobos that might be Stan’s officers but she didn’t see any. “I mean, very quickly. I’ve been hitting the gym and watching what I eat but it doesn’t seem to be helping at all. I mean, I can’t say it hasn’t helped but I feel I’ve hit a plateau.”

  “Yeah, I’ve hit that wall before myself.” Jake
answered. “So you want to lose weight fast. I’ve got just the thing.”

  He reached into his fanny pack and pulled out a small baggie of pills.

  “What are those?” She asked innocently. The truth was she didn’t have any idea what they were.

  “These are Adderall. They just put a little pep in your step while they control your appetite. I use these myself and almost every client I help train uses these.”

  “Really?” Georgie took the baggie. “And they will help me lose weight?”

  “Most definitely.” He kept grinning like his mouth was frozen that way.

  “How much?”

  “Well, since you are a first-time buyer I can give you five pills for two-hundred-fifty dollars.”

  Georgie waited.

  “It’s cheaper than a gym membership.” He chuckled.

  “Okay.” Georgie agreed. She fumbled in her purse and began to ramble. “I’m really glad that I ran into you at that cruise, Jake. That sure was an ordeal.”

  “What cruise?”

  Georgie looked up to see the smile was gone.

  “You know, the cruise on The Catherine O’Leary for all the Fit Family gyms owners and trainers and whatever?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He muttered, narrowing his eyes. “Yeah, that was a fun party.”

  “Until Deck Zannowski fell overboard.”

  “What did you just say?”

  Georgie looked at Jake and blinked her eyes.

  “The man who fell overboard. His name was Zannowski. Did you know him?”

  “What the hell are you driving at, lady!” Jake screamed. He took a step closer. “You need to watch what you say to people or you might get yourself in a whole heap of trouble!”

  “I didn’t mean anything.” Georgie stammered. “I was just asking if Deck was a friend of yours.”

  “There you go again! What are you bringing him up for? What do you think you are doing talking to me this way?”

  “What way?”

  “I’ve got half a mind to choke the life right out of you. No amount of training or muscle building would be able to save you from being snapped right in half!” He yelled with spit flying out of his mouth. Suddenly the friendly bulldog image Georgie had envisioned transformed into a raging pit-bull.

  “I just asked you about Deck and...”

  “Don’t say his name!”

  By this time half the park was watching Jake clenching and unclenching his fists as he leaned down to shriek into the face of an older lady not even half his size.

  Several men who were just out for a jog or walking with their girlfriends stopped what they were doing and approached the scene.

  “Hey. Is everything all right, ma’am?” They asked Georgie.

  “Yes. I think so.” Georgie thanked them and tried to keep her voice from trembling.

  “No. It’s not fine. You’re up to something lady and you better start talking or else...,” Jake pointed his finger at Georgie and poked her in the shoulder with such force she nearly fell to the ground.

  “Hold it!” Thank heaven it was Stan’s voice. “Hold it right there! Jake Gies! Step back from the woman and put your hands up!”

  “What is this?” Jake stuttered. He clenched his teeth as he spun around to see Stan standing there with a gun pointed at him. “What do you think you’re going to do with that?” He smirked as he took a step closer.

  “Put your hands up, Jake. You’re under arrest.” Stan remained calm.

  Jake just didn’t know when to quit. He not only didn’t put his hands up but he charged at Stan. In an instant Georgie had a confused impression of Jake running, Stan’s gun going off, and both men falling to the ground. It seemed to take forever but in less than a minute, half a dozen cops in civilian clothes came out of nowhere to pull Jake off Stan and finally get handcuffs on him.

  It took two pairs of steel bracelets linked together to bind Jake’s hands behind him due to the size of his muscles. Even though he had been shot at close range, Jake acted like he didn’t even feel it. He yelled and cussed and tried three times to run away only to be tackled again by the group of policemen until they finally got him into the back of a paddy wagon. The squad car’s backseat was too small to hold his massive body.

  As soon as Jake was securely handcuffed, Stan got to his feet and jogged over to Georgie.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Stan, you heard what I was saying. Just like we rehearsed. I didn’t go off the script. I don’t know what made him go all postal like that.”

  “Really? You don’t know?” Stan smoothed out Georgie’s shirt and pushed her short gray bangs from her forehead. “It’s obvious that guy is hitting the steroids pretty hard. No one has muscles that big naturally.”

  “Really? So that was what they call ‘roid rage?”

  “That’s what it looked like. Once he detoxes and calms down I guarantee he’ll be the most sincerely remorseful guy in the whole lock-up.” Stan shook his head. “It’s really sad. He’s probably a nice guy.”

  Aleta came running from the van she had been sitting in.

  “Oh my gosh, Georgie!”

  “Did you see that guy?” Georgie slapped her own forehead. “He was like a mountain of flesh.”

  “He was like Jabba the Hut, if Jabba the Hut worked out.”

  “Right. He was like The Blob if The Blob worked out.” Georgie added between laughs.

  “Yes. He was like Apocalypse Now Marlon Brando if Apocalypse Now Marlon Brando worked out.” Aleta added, laughing as she hugged her sister. “Are you okay?”

  Georgie nodded but rubbed her shoulder.

  “I think I’m going to have a bruise there.” She moaned pathetically.

  “Do you want me to get the paramedics down here?” Stan asked nervously.

  “No.” Georgie smiled at him. “I’m fine, really.”

  “I think what we need is some chocolate fudge from that gourmet shop just a couple of blocks from here.” Aleta suggested.

  “That sounds perfect. But can we get them to go? I’d like to get home.”

  “I tell you what.” Stan interrupted. “I’ll get the fudge if you take Georgie home. I’ll meet you there after I get things wrapped up with Mr. Gies.”

  “It’s a deal.” Aleta patted Stan on the shoulder.

  “Thanks, Stan.” Georgie sighed and gave him a kind smile.

  “Thank you, Georgie. I couldn’t have done it without you.” He tilted her chin up and looked deeply at her. “Do you need help getting that wire off? I think it might be wrapped up tight underneath your shirt.”

  “Get out of here.” Georgie laughed.

  “Come on.” Stan urged. “Let me help.”

  “Stan, you are too much.” Aleta laughed.

  “Stop encouraging him.” Georgie shook her head and rolled her eyes. She tried to act like she was annoyed but the rosy color in her cheeks and the twinkle in her eyes tipped Stan off that she was really enjoying it. “See you later, Stan.”

  It wasn’t until a little past nine o’clock at night that Stan finally made it to Georgie’s house. He had the fudge, a bottle of red wine and a bouquet of flowers.

  Chapter 13

  “I wasn’t sure if I should stop by. It’s kind of late.” Stan said as Georgie let him inside.

  “What late?” She scoffed. “I’m not an old lady who eats supper at four and is in bed by eight. Besides, it gave me a chance to get my place back in order for company.”

  “Are you going to call Aleta?”

  “Naw.” Georgie waved her hand. “We had some rice crispy treats and coffee that she whipped up at her house. She probably is in bed already.”

  “Well, these are for you.” He handed her the bouquet of red and pink roses.”

  “Stan, this is really too much.”

  “They aren’t from me. They are from the guys in the precinct who were on the sting. They wanted to say thanks for helping and for being such a good sport.”

  “Good sport? Is that what yo
u call putting your head in the lions mouth? A good sport?” She chuckled. “I’d call it the back end of a donkey. Remind me never to offer to be the bait for a sting ever again.”

  “Were you really scared?” Stan scratched his head before bending over to scoop up Bodhi who was sneezing and snorting at his feet. “Hello Bodhi. I missed you, too.”

  “I was scared. That guy lost his marbles.”

  “Yeah, well, when we got him to the station we had to throw him in the drunk tank for safe keeping. He was not very happy with us.”

  “I’ll bet.” Georgie took the roses into the kitchen, motioning for Stan to have a seat while she put them in a lovely vase with bright yellow daisies all over it.

  “But, once he calmed down the guy fell apart, just like I predicted.” Stan's thought process abruptly changed direction, “You were right about the needles, though.”

  “Really?” Without asking if it was for her, Georgie took the wine bottle from Stan and quickly pulled the cork, pouring two glasses half full. “What did he say?”

  “Jake Gies had a very lucrative steroid business going on. He tried to get Deck involved. Deck’s gym attracted people from all over. It would have made distribution and demand for Jake’s ‘product’ very simple.”

  “Those are family gyms. That sounds very gross to me.”

  “Me too. And apparently Deck thought the same way as well. When Jake came pedaling his supplements Deck told him to hit the bricks. But that wasn’t all.”

  Taking a seat at the table, Georgie put a tiny plate in front of Stan and one in front of herself then proceeded to dole out the squares of fudge.

  “He basically blackballed the guy. He not only wouldn’t allow him in his gym but he also spread the word about his dealings to every trainer, client, and gym owner in a five hundred mile radius. Even if some of these guys turned a blind eye to Jake’s dealings, that severely hurt his business and reputation. He was mad.”

  “Mad enough to kill him?”

  “Yes, ” Stan said taking a sip of wine. “but, that’s the real tragedy. Jake wouldn’t have been mad enough to kill him had he not been on steroids. The juice made him angry enough to know he wanted to confront Deck, to hurt him and get him out of his way. So he planned for that with a syringe full of Rohypnol. It was in with his supply of amphetamines and barbiturates that he was selling at the cruise.”