Cupcakes and Corpses

by Carole Fowkes

  After some sleep, I’d get my thoughts back on track.

  Chapter Six

  I dragged myself out of bed the next morning, showered and dressed, and had just finished a cup of tea when someone knocked at my door. “Claire, open up. It’s me, Brian.”

  Wondering if this was a social visit or an opportunity to reprimand me for sticking my nose in the two murders, I opened my door.

  There was Corrigan holding the pup that had once belonged to Eileen. He clutched the dog tightly as it squirmed in his arms. “I thought maybe you’d like to give this fella a new home.”

  My jaw dropped. “Oh, sure I felt sorry for him, but—” The puppy took that time to free himself from Corrigan and jump down into my apartment. He quickly circled my legs and pawed at them. When I bent down to scratch him behind his floppy ears, I could have sworn he hummed with contentment.

  Corrigan’s voice took on a cheerleader quality. “See how much he likes you?”

  I straightened to protest. “He’s adorable, but I can’t keep him. I’m never home. Plus, my landlady will demand a huge pet fee.” The puppy stood on his back paws and leaned against me. When I looked down he gave me those big, puppy-dog eyes, making him irresistible.

  “You can’t send him back to the shelter.” Corrigan looked at me with his big puppy-dog eyes, making him just as irresistible. He coaxed, “What do you want to name him?”

  I tsk’d, feeling my resolve dissolving like Alka-Seltzer in a glass. “He doesn’t have a name yet?” At that point the pup released a soft whine. I looked to the ceiling. “I don’t know why I’m doing this, but okay. His name is Charlie.” The newly named dog barked once and wagged his tail.

  Corrigan grinned. “In that case, I have a present for you and Charlie.” From the hallway he dragged a twenty pound bag of dog food into my kitchen, then pulled out a chew toy from his pocket. “Got one more thing. Be back in a second.” He took off before I could say a word. Meanwhile, Charlie and I stared at each other.

  When Corrigan returned, he was carrying a cage big enough for Charlie to move around in. “He’s cage trained, or so I’ve been told. Of course, now that you have a new addition to your family, you’ll want to spend lots of time with him.”

  My eyes narrowed. It all came together. The puppy was to take up any time I wasn’t at work. “So I won’t have a chance to work on Mrs. Amato’s murder case?”

  A slow flush appeared on his neck, a true sign he knew he’d been caught. Still, he denied it. Then, “I’ve got to get back to work.” He gave me a quick kiss and disappeared as fast as my paycheck on rent day.

  After Corrigan’s departure, Charlie looked expectantly at me. I merely shrugged. Then had an idea. “Charlie, how would you like to go to work with me?” I don’t know if he was a career-minded dog or not, but his stubby tail wagged and that was good enough for me. To my relief, he went without a fuss into his cage. I grabbed the chew toy and off we went. Uncle Gino had a new employee.

  When we arrived at the office, I found a bowl for water and set it inside the cage. I didn’t trust Charlie to wander around yet.

  Gino probably wouldn’t get into the office for another hour, so I went back to work on my list of similarities and differences in the lives of the two victims.

  I hadn’t gotten far when a woman wobbled into the office on spiked heels. Her dress was wrinkled enough to look as if she’d spent the night on a bar stool. Her brown eyes were bloodshot and her auburn hair, a bad dye job, stuck out every which way.

  “Can I help you?”

  Her voice was that combination of too many cigarettes over too many years and washed down by too much alcohol. “Yeah, I’m looking for Gino. He own this place?”

  Where was Gino when I needed him? I kept my voice businesslike. “Yes he does. He’s not in at the moment, though.”

  She snorted, “Figured. He was just about three sheets to the wind when I met up with him.”

  This was getting a bit much. “Um, if you’d like, I can give him a message for you.”

  She plopped down on the nearest chair. “Needed to take a load off. Don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable in the waiting room.”

  She shrugged. “Long as there’s no way for him to get in and out without me seeing him.”

  I assured her the front door was the only entrance and offered her some coffee. She looked like she could use it.

  As the beverage was brewing, my mind ran wild with ideas of what Gino had done yesterday after leaving the office. Before my imagination could get too far, though, I shut it down. Some things I just didn’t want to picture.

  By the time I brought her the coffee, she had opened the cage door and Charlie was sitting on her lap. “Hope you don’t mind. The little guy wasn’t too happy locked up.” The smile she bestowed upon Charlie softened her whole face.

  “That’s okay, but let me know if he gets to be too much.”

  Blessedly, Gino chose that moment to stroll into the office. “Betty!” For one of the few times I can remember, Gino was at a loss for words. “Uh, um, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

  Charlie jumped from Betty’s lap just as she stood. “I guess the booze makes the memory slip, huh? You promised me you’d help find my sister, Rose. Remember?”

  Charlie barked and Gino looked down as if he’d just noticed the dog. He asked Betty, “You brought your dog with you?” He was clearly not a fan.

  I couldn’t let her take the rap for Charlie. “No, he’s mine. Isn’t he cute?” Charlie, rather than making it easy, proceeded to growl at Gino. I scooped the mutt up and put him back in his cage.

  Gino’s nostrils flared. “Claire, dogs don’t belong here. Our work is serious. We save people’s lives.” He was laying it on thick. For Betty’s benefit?

  “I know. This was an emergency, though.”

  Betty, not to be ignored, jumped in. “Leave her alone. Dogs are good for people. Relaxes them.”

  It didn’t seem to be working on Gino.

  Betty continued, “Now are you gonna help me find Rose like you promised, or not?” Her words were tough, but she looked somehow vulnerable, as if she were going to cry.

  Gino was a lot of things, but cruel wasn’t one of them. He grasped her hammy upper arms. “Sure. Sure I am. Don’t worry, Betty. We’ll find her.”

  Dabbing at her made-up eyes, Betty gave him a wavy smile. “Thanks. I knew you were a stand-up kind of guy.”

  Gino returned her smile with his uncertain one. “Claire will take all your info down. As soon as she puts Spot there back in his cage. Or does he need to go outside?”

  Apparently, Charlie knew that word, ‘outside,’ and let out an excited bark. I would be getting some exercise today.

  When we returned, Charlie happily went into his cage to nap. Gino had retired to his office, probably engaged in the same activity.

  It wasn’t difficult to get what I needed from Betty. Rose had been missing for eight days. Betty had already filed a missing persons report, but since her sister was intermittently homeless, the police didn’t seem to be pursuing the case very hard.

  Betty gave me a photo of Rose, probably taken in happier times. She’d had a husband, but he was killed in a hit-and-run. Since then, Rose preferred her own company. As far as Betty knew, the last place she’d been seen was walking out of a women’s shelter run by the Catholic Center.

  We’d just finished when Gino came out of his office. I didn’t know if he was going to ask for a fee from Betty or not. Either way, he could handle that end of the business. I left them alone and returned to the computer to search for any further information on Rose Grisaldi.

  Less than thirty minutes later, Gino announced he and Betty were going to breakfast. Actually, he put it as, “I’m taking a client out for a breakfast meeting.” That meant he planned on taking a deduction for it.

  Charlie woke from his nap and whined. He was probably hungry. I’d forgotten
his puppy food and understood it was a bad precedent to feed a dog people food. With that in mind, I found a cheese Danish left over from the beginning of the week and we split it. Charlie seemed to enjoy it more than me.

  By the time Gino returned from his meeting, it was almost quitting time for me. I couldn’t resist, “Did you have a nice breakfast?” Sugar dripped from my words.

  All I got in return was “Um hmm.” Then, “Did you dig up anything on her sister?” So much for Gino working the case.

  “Just the usual ‘last seens.’ No one has spotted her since last week. But then she didn’t exactly carry on a nine-to-five kind of life.”

  “True. I’ll check with my connections and see what I can dig up.” He dropped into his chair, massaging his temples. Too many bellini’s? He paused for a moment. “Given any more thought to combining forces for the reward on Eileen’s killer?”

  He caught me by surprise. “I…I haven’t had a chance to think about it. The dog, here…”

  “I’ll give you until Monday. I’m gonna go into my office and close my eyes for a while. My sinuses are killing me today.”

  Yeah, too much alcohol is murder on sinuses.

  Once Gino shut his office door, I called Ed. He seemed to always know somebody who knew something.

  “Hey, kiddo. You calling about tomorrow night at Lucci’s?”

  “What?” My father’s engagement event slipped my mind. “Oh, no. You’re going, aren’t you?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. Frank and Suzy make a great couple, even if Lena’s having a tough time accepting it. You’re taking it better than my wife, aren’t you?”

  “It was a shock, but they make each other happy and that’s what counts.”

  “Yeah, maybe you and Corrigan will be next.” His tone was only half-joking.

  “Don’t place any bets on it.” Actually, I had no idea where our relationship was headed. Right now, that suited me fine. “The real reason I called was to find out if you knew a woman, Rose Grisaldi or her sister, Betty. Rose was on-again, off-again guest of the Catholic shelter.”

  He repeated Rose’s name a couple of times as if searching his database memory. “Can’t say I have, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know someone who does. Why? What’s she done?”

  I explained, ending with, “The police have probably talked to the shelter’s management, but it doesn’t hurt to talk to other people. Sometimes you find something different.”

  “Send me her picture.”

  “I’ll text it to you. If you find anything let me know.” While Ed was putting out his feelers for anything on Rose, I planned to visit the women’s shelter. But what to do with Charlie?

  I rapped on Gino’s office door and opened it. To my surprise, he was actually working on Rose’s file. “Gino, could you make sure Charlie’s okay? It would be useful to visit the shelter where Rose was last seen.”

  Straightening the collar on his shirt, he cleared his voice. “I was just going to pay a call to the shelter myself. After you finish the filing and whatever else you have, why don’t you and Rover take the rest of the day off? Start the weekend early.”

  “It’s Charlie and, okay, if you’re sure.”

  “Yeah. I did promise Betty I’d do it.”

  Before leaving to go to my evening job at Cannoli’s, I took Charlie home and did my best to dog-proof my place. After walking my pup, I even promised him when I got home, we’d sit and watch a movie and share a bowl of popcorn.

  I’d just arrived at the bakery and was tying my apron on when Ed found me. “Hey kiddo, this look like the missing Ms. Rose?” He pulled out his phone and showed me a fuzzy photo of a woman who could have been Rose standing next to a guy playing a piano in a lounge.

  “Hard to tell, but it could be. Where and when was the picture taken?”

  “It’s a bar, Sessions, over on West 25th. The guy who took it says it was some time the end of last week. He couldn’t remember exactly what day.”

  “Thanks, Ed. I’ll tell Gino. He can pay a visit there.”

  He frowned. “Tell me I’m not doing this for him.”

  “No, I asked you for me. I felt sorry for her sister, Betty. I really don’t know if Gino will find anything. The police haven’t.”

  He crossed his arms. “Okay then. Gotta go remind Lena why she married me.”

  “Huh?”

  “Ya know, help her, kiss her. That sort of stuff.”

  “Is it a chore already?”

  He waved his hand. “No. Just the opposite. I’m a lucky man. I do this hoping she thinks she’s a lucky woman.” He turned and headed into the eating area, whistling.

  Picking up a tray of cheesecake slices, I wondered how Ed got so smart about relationships.

  I had no time to talk after that. We had so many customers that evening, the time went quickly. I had every intention of calling Gino to tell him about Sessions, but all I accomplished was leaving him a message.

  Charlie was so excited to see me, he leaked a bit before he got outside. I forgave him, though. It had been an eventful day. For both of us. To celebrate, we watched that movie on television and ate popcorn as I’d promised.

  Chapter Seven

  Charlie was sleeping in my lap on the sofa when I awoke. We both answered nature’s call and had breakfast. I was showering when Corrigan called to find out what time to pick me up for my father’s celebration at Lucci’s. But I was able to call him back and we set it up.

  Getting hold of Gino wasn’t as successful. I tried again to no avail and finally chalked it up to him sleeping in. It was Saturday, after all.

  Before going to Cannoli’s to work, I decided to visit Sessions. It wasn’t my case and I wasn’t getting paid for it, but something told me Rose wasn’t just a missing person.

  Sessions had a crowd even though it was only ten in the morning. The piano that had been in the picture sat in the corner of the barroom and was unaccompanied. I headed toward the bar when it occurred to me since becoming a PI, I’d had more conversations with bartenders than I’d had in all my previous life. This particular one’s name was Al. At least that’s what his name tag said.

  I introduced myself and showed him the picture Ed had given me at Cannoli’s. Al frowned. “Yeah, she comes here once in a while. Wants to sing all the time. She’s not bad if she’s partway sober.” He handed me back the photo. “Don’t recognize the guy. Our regular player comes in at 6:00. You can ask him.”

  “Do you remember the last time she was here?”

  He let out a breath. “Sometime last week. Dragged a customer, John, to the piano to take her picture beside it. You know, this place gets rowdy at night, but she was over the top.”

  “Was the man in the photo already at the piano?”

  “Yeah. If I remember right, they were singing together. After John took the picture and showed it to her, she quieted down.”

  “Did she leave with the piano guy or the guy who took her picture?”

  “I didn’t see her or the guy at the piano leave, but John was still here with some friends. They stayed until closing.”

  I ended with my usual, “Have the police been by to talk to you about this?”

  He poured a beer for a customer before he answered me. “Nope. Nobody’s been here.”

  I pursed my lips in disgust. Cops probably figured she was a homeless drunk. Higher priorities.

  I thanked him and started toward my car, intent on talking to Gino. Even if I had to visit him in person. Before I could punch in his number, he finally called me back. His voice was unsteady, but not as if he’d been drinking. Nonetheless, I started telling him what I’d found out about Rose.

  His words stopped me cold. “Tell it to the cops. Specifically your boyfriend, Corrigan. They found Rose. Under a pile of leaves in the Metropark.”

  A wormy feeling crept into my belly. “Corrigan has the case? Are you sure?”

  “His partner broke the news to Betty about an hour ago. I’m here with her now.”

&n
bsp; I dropped the phone from my ear. If Corrigan got this case, Rose had been killed by the same person as Mrs. Amato and Eileen. It felt as if somebody dropped me in a bucket of ice. I shook my head to thaw my mind. Even if I hadn’t had a special relationship with Mrs. Amato, I couldn’t let this one go. How many more would die before he was caught?

  Holding the phone up to my ear again, I murmured, “Give Betty my condolences.” Before Gino could say anything more, I ended the call. My next destination was the police station.

  Corrigan beat me to the punch by contacting me. “Claire, I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it to Lucci’s tonight. Something came up.” He sounded beyond exhausted. No doubt the discovery of a third corpse meant more pressure on him.

  Without knowing if I was about to make things worse for him or not, I insisted on seeing him in person. This was the second case in which a piano showed up. Maybe it was a coincidence, but sometimes criminals are caught because of coincidences.

  He sighed, “Yeah, okay. I’ll be at the station in about an hour.”

  That would give me enough time to check on Charlie. I frowned. One more soul to worry about. I had to admit, though; the pup had taken up residence in my heart.

  All was well at my apartment and I departed for the police station with the belief that pet owning wasn’t as hard as I thought it to be.

  Corrigan was sitting at his desk. His tie was askew and his normally pressed shirt looked like Charlie had slept on it. He greeted me in a subdued tone, as if he was conserving his energy for the long days ahead.

  Not wanting to waste any time, I started right in, telling him about Betty’s appearance in Gino’s office. Unable to help myself, I said, “Maybe if the cops had spent more time looking for Rose Grisaldi, Mrs. Amato might still be alive.”

  That pesky vein in his temple throbbed. “If you’re here to tell me what a crap job the police are doing with this, stand in line.”

  I was instantly ashamed. Nothing like slamming a guy’s face into the wall to make him feel worse. “I’m sorry. Really, I am.”