Cut Down To Size: A Sebastian Cork Novel

by Neal Davies

  “Hi, Seb.”

  “Hello, my love. What do you have for me?”

  “Well, for a start, Steve and Mary Cohen were guarantors for a sports store that Mike owned and it recently went bust, leaving them in a whole lot of financial trouble.”

  Sebastian pauses and then responds, “Okay. You said for a start… what else have you found out?”

  “You are going to love this; Michael’s parents also deposited one hundred thousand dollars into his business account, which was withdrawn by Michael the day after the liquidators notified him they were foreclosing. Once it was official and the auditors went in they could see the anomaly, so they began an investigation immediately. This all happened just prior to Michael Cohen’s demise.”

  “Well, that is interesting. What would I do without you, my love?”

  As soon as he is off the phone to his wife, he notifies Paul of Cynthia’s findings and Paul looks at Sebastian curiously. “So what do you make of that, Seb?”

  Sebastian breathes deeply. “I’m not quite sure what to make of it, my friend. It may mean a lot of things but what I do know is I will have to choose the right moment to enquire of Mr Cohen’s knowledge of the fact.”

  Paul crosses his arms, eases gently back into his chair and his face fills with thought. “What if he does know, Seb? Is it possible that he killed his own son in that fashion?”

  “Anything is possible, Paul, but don’t forget we have two other unanswered murders that were executed in an almost identical fashion. Not one of these killings has been released to the press, so unless Michael Cohen’s father was involved in the previous two murders or had knowledge of them, then we can rule him out as a suspect. But it will be hard to know until we speak to him tomorrow, what sort of man he is.”

  Paul looks down at his crossed arms and gently nods. “I see what you’re saying, Seb. It’s only early in this case and we need to take it as it comes,” he paraphrases in an agreeing manner.

  Paul decides to setup a pinboard with photos and background information on it, while Sebastian makes notes to give to Jim at the end of the day. He feels it’s important to keep him updated in order to ease his mind with the knowledge that he and Paul are making good progress on the case. The afternoon flies by and they decide to call it a day; while Paul gets the car and coffees to have on the way home, Sebastian drops his update into Jim and lets him know they have arranged an interview with Michael Cohen’s parents for the following morning. Once Paul has dropped Sebastian off at home, Sebastian spends time in the study telling his wife about the day’s events and after dinner and a nightcap he decides to head upstairs to bed for an early night.

  4. MICHAEL COHEN’S PARENTS

  Sebastian is up early and finishing the last morsels of his breakfast when he hears the toot of Paul’s car. So he hastily grabs his coat and cane and dashes out the front door to greet him, “Good morning my friend, how are you this fine morning?”

  Paul’s eyebrows lift with curiosity, “Good?”

  Sebastian, with a big smile on his face, nestles back after putting on his seat belt, “Well off we go then,”

  Paul accelerates up the drive and quickly glances over to Sebastian, “What’s perked you up this morning, Seb?”

  Without time to blink an eyelid, Sebastian responds “We are about to begin the hunt in earnest my good man and this is when I really feel alive!” It isn’t long before Sebastian’s mood washes over Paul and the drive toward the Cohens is filled with contagious enthusiasm.

  The Cohen’s street is lined with neat timber homes, well-trimmed lawns and hedges and although the pavements are empty at this time of day, Sebastian and Paul can sense the sound of mowers and of children joyfully riding their bikes; as they inhale the distinctive smell of the weekend’s freshly cut grass.

  They pull up in front of the Cohens and make their way up the stained timber steps to the veranda where Paul knocks on the solid oak door. A short, stoic and exceptionally slim gentleman in his mid to late fifties opens the door and scans Sebastian – who stands there in a magnificently tailored Italian suit while leaning on his dragon-handled cane – up and down. “I’m sorry. I think you may have the wrong house and I wish I could help you but this isn’t a good time,” he says in a very soft voice and proceeds to close the door.

  Paul puts his hand on the door to stop it shutting on them and draws his police badge from his jacket with his other hand. “No, Sir. We have the correct address. I’m Officer Paul Lyon and this is my associate, Mister Sebastian Cork and we have been sent here regarding your son’s death. Is there any chance we can come in?”

  Cohen sighs deeply. “Of course, you rang yesterday. What was I thinking? I guess I wasn’t expecting… oh, never mind. Come in!” He escorts them into a living room where Mrs Cohen sits feebly in an oversized floral armchair. Still clad in a pink velour dressing gown with matching slippers. She has a drawn face and wavy, shoulder-length greying hair, that has yet to be brushed. “Please take a seat on the sofa,” Mr Cohen instructs.

  Paul knows better than to begin the questioning and leaves it up to his mentor to lead the way. Sebastian believes a mother knows her son better than anyone and, although he can see she is trying to fight off her despair, he focuses his questioning on her. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs Cohen, and as much as I hate to ask personal questions regarding your son, the information you provide may help us find his killer.”

  At first she sits, staring absently, but then her hands tremble and tears flow down her face in torrents. “Why? Why would anybody want to hurt Mike? He was all we had, why would they do this?” she says in a choking voice.

  Sebastian loses his professional face and it shades with empathy, “Once we have found the person who did this intolerable act, we will also do our best to find the answers you are seeking.”

  Her husband sits in silent solace, his eyes moist as he works hard to fight back the tears. Sebastian can see his sufferance but knows he has to continue as time is of the essence. If pressure is put on Jim to hurry along with the task force, Sebastian believes statements from those who knew the victim may be inadvertently suppressed when officers begin to ask questions in the regimented way they are taught to take statements. “Tell me, Mrs Cohen, how did Mike get along with others?”

  Mrs Cohen wipes the tears with a handkerchief and rubs her index finger up and down the side of her nose as she answers, “Mike didn’t have a lot of friends but those that knew him loved him. Just ask Gail; she will tell you.”

  Paul chips in “Gail?”

  Mrs Cohen sniffles. “Yes. Gail Hartford is Mike’s fiancée… or should I say was.” Her voice quavers and breaks down again.

  Mike’s father, quickly moves to his wife’s chair, braces his arm around her and looks sullenly at Sebastian. “Gail will be here shortly and I don’t think my wife can handle much more today. Would you mind if I take her upstairs so she can have a lie-down? I’ll be right back.”

  Sebastian holds up the palms of both hands. “We fully understand. I wish this questioning weren’t necessary. If you wouldn’t mind giving us a few minutes of your time once you have taken your wife to her room? I’d like to clear up some issues regarding Mike’s financial status.” Mrs Cohen begins sobbing inconsolably and her husband’s brows meet with torment. “Of course but I really must get my wife upstairs and to bed,” he replies tersely. Mr Cohen hunches and half carries his wife up the stairs, as her legs are shaking so badly that she can barely stand.

  Paul turns to Sebastian. “Poor beggars; I can’t imagine what they’re going through. Certainly didn’t get much out of that chat.”

  Sebastian returns his look in a way that acknowledges Paul’s empathy. “Not all’s lost, Paul. We now know Mike wasn’t popular and that tells me he must have created enemies with his negative demeanour and perhaps with his business issues as well.”

  Paul rotates his head quickly. “Apart from his business problems, how could you possibly know that?”

  Sebas
tian turns up a grin. “She was telling the truth about Mike not having a lot of friends but when she began rubbing her finger up and down her nose, it told me she was either exaggerating or lying when she said those that knew Mike loved him.”

  As Sebastian finishes explaining, Mr Cohen works his way back into the room. He stares directly into Sebastian’s eyes as he reverses into his armchair and responds to Sebastian’s earlier statement. “I presume you know about my son’s bankruptcy and the financial burden we have now incurred. I’m more than prepared to discuss these issues with you, given the circumstances, but if you accuse me of murdering my own son, you will be asked to leave immediately. Now, what would you like to know?”

  Sebastian leans forward, resting his hands on the top of his cane which was resting dormant between his legs and the shroud of empathy has now been removed from his face. “First of all, Mr Cohen, I would like to thank you for being so candid when it comes to discussing your private affairs. Now, down to the job at hand: what did you feel when your son told you he was in financial hot water?”

  Steve Cohen blinks, swallows and then allows his sad eyes to meet Sebastian’s. “We knew he was having financial difficulties; we just didn’t know the extent of it. It came as an absolute shock to find out he declared himself bankrupt a week before his death. I still haven’t told Mary, she’s way too fragile at the moment and any more bad news could tip her over the edge.”

  Sebastian slumps back into the seat. “Surely you must have seen it coming? After all, the writing was well and truly on the wall.”

  Mr Cohen’s bottom lip begins to quiver. “No, no definitely not! The writing wasn’t there for us! Yes he spoke to me about finances and that he needed a loan to get things back on track, so I lent him one hundred thousand dollars so he could buy stock and trade himself out of debt but when I received a phone call on Monday last week saying that my son had declared himself bankrupt and as guarantors his mother and I were now liable for his debt, I felt numb! I not only lost the nest egg we were saving for our retirement but I also knew we would have to take out an additional loan on our family home.”

  Sebastian interjects, “That must have also made you angry.” He says with sharp eyes.

  “Yes, I was angry but who wouldn’t be? But he was my son and if only I could do it again, I would. The one thing you must understand Mr Cork, is my son had some very major sponsorships and I knew he would come good on things sooner or later. I tried to ring and talk to him about the issues he was having but he didn’t return my calls, so I thought I would leave him alone to give him time to get his head together. Maybe if I’d kept trying, he’d still be alive.” He drops his head into his hands and begins to sob.

  Sebastian is quick to lean forward again, “Is there anything I can get you?”

  Mr Cohen rubs his eyes with the bottom of his hands and slumps back into his chair. “No. I’m fine. I guess I have spent so much of my time being strong for Mary that it finally caught up with me. I’m okay now. Go ahead.”

  Sebastian looks at him through concerned eyes and gently smiles. “This will be my last question, Mr Cohen, and it may be a difficult one given the circumstances. Did you have any idea your son withdrew one hundred thousand dollars out of the business just prior its liquidation and that he was being investigated for its whereabouts just before his murder?”

  Mr Cohen raises his head, he squints inquisitively and the sadness in his eyes turns tense. “What are you talking about? I gave him that money to help get everything back on track! He was going to use it to buy new stock to help him trade out. What the hell is going on? I always thought I knew my son; it seems I never knew him at all. He may not have been perfect but I was always able to trust him. Now I don’t know what to think.”

  Sebastian is quick to reconcile him. “Please, don’t jump to conclusions. There could be a number of reasons for the discrepancy and I will let you know when I have investigated the matter further.”

  Just then the doorbell chimes.

  Mike’s father leads in a solidly built brunette and introduces her. “This is Gail, Mike’s fiancée. Now, if you have no other questions for me, I’d like to go upstairs and be with my wife. Gail, would you mind showing these gentlemen where the tea and coffee is. They may feel like a hot brew.”

  Sebastian’s quick to respond, “No, no we’re fine thanks. But I would like to ask some questions, if that’s okay with you, Gail.”

  Gail looks ragged with her red-rimmed eyes and pale complexion. “Yes, of course. I will help in any way I can to make this bastard answerable for the misery he’s caused.” She takes a seat opposite them and Sebastian opens the questioning.

  “First of all Gail, I’m so sorry for your loss. Let us know if you need to stop during the interview.”

  Gail now seems steady and alert. “I’ve done my crying and now it’s time to do what I need to do to get on top of things. As you can see, Mike’s parents aren’t handling this too well at all and they need me to be strong for them. They’re all I’ve got now and I’m all they have.”

  Sebastian pauses briefly, “When you say they’re all you’ve got…?”

  “My mother’s first husband was infertile and they ended up separating. Then she met my father when she was forty-three and he was fifty-eight. The doctors told my mother that it was a risk having a child at her age but I guess some people have an overriding need; she died giving birth to me. So I never really knew her. Dad, on the other hand, was the greatest parent a child could ever have and he passed last year at the age of eighty-three. I’m so grateful that both Mike and his parents had the opportunity to meet him a year before he died. As for Mike and I, we met two years ago at a party after a triathlon we competed in. Both of us are socially inept and I guess that’s why we hit it off.”

  Sebastian leans back and interlocks his fingers on his belly. “Tell me, Gail, did Mike have many enemies? It seems from what you’re saying that he had trouble socially; do you feel this could have led in any way to his demise.”

  “I guess anything is possible. People didn’t see Mike the way I did. Yes, he could be blunt and outspoken. He could also be obnoxious when he was bragging about being better than everyone else. That’s why people avoided him. But I saw a different side of him. He was hard on the outside and a kitten on the inside. He worked his heart out to become the best at what he did and never once asked for help. He was generous to a flaw but when it came to competition he was in it to win it. I don’t know about enemies but he certainly didn’t have a lot of friends.”

  Sebastian leans forward and stares her in the eyes. “Can you think of anyone who he recently argued with?”

  Gail shrugs her shoulders and turns the corner of her mouth up. “There was always something. I mean, he said about some guy down at the gym asking him about his training routine and Mike told him where to get off and there was also a woman down there selling sports drinks; apparently she was keen on him before we became an item but he always said there was nothing between them. I think her name’s Kate. I told Mike he needed to tell her that he had a fiancée now but when he did, she started ranting and raving. He was dumbfounded by her reaction as he just saw them as friends and had never seen that side of her. It couldn’t have been anything though.”

  Sebastian, curious, asks, “Why so?”

  “Because she apologised the following morning saying she had had an off day. Mike said everything had been fine since that blow-up.”

  “Just two more questions and we’ll wrap it up. Did your fiancée mention anything she’d said during her rant?”

  “Only one, and the only reason I remember was he found it amusing when she called him Mister High and Mighty and said he needed cutting down to size. As I said, though, she apologised to him and said she was over it. Mike said there were no hard or uncomfortable feelings between them again.”

  Sebastian gives her a gentle grin. “Last question… I can see you’re an athlete yourself; why didn’t you attend the same gym as you
r fiancée?”

  Gail scratches the side of her face and tightens her lips. “We used to but we come to an agreement some time back that we needed to grow as individuals and pursue our own goals. I was a fairly average at triathlons and decided to get into bodybuilding and have done very well for myself since swapping. Mike never cared too much for women with muscles but adjusted once I moved to another gym.”

  “Okay, that’s us for now.”

  Sebastian and Paul rise off the sofa and Gail rises with them. “Please, let me know if you find out something, won’t you?”

  Sebastian nods and smiles. “You’ll be one of the first to know. Say goodbye to Mike’s parents for us.”

  Back in the car, on their way to the station, Sebastian, who has been staring out of the window in what seems like an hypnotic trance, suddenly swings his head around. “Tell me, Paul, did you notice anything out of the ordinary during our conversation with Gail?”

  Paul quickly glances sideways to Sebastian and then back to the traffic ahead. “Like what?”

  Sebastian sighs deeply, “If I gave you the answer, there would be no point to my question, now, would there?”

  Paul frowns. “Can I be honest with you, Seb?”

  “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Please go ahead.”

  Paul tightens his lips. “This is hard, Seb, but I guess it’s better to throw all the cards on the table. When I first met you I had no idea of who you really were.”

  Sebastian looks at him with questioning eyes. “I’m sorry Paul I’m not sure what you mean by who I really was?’

  Paul exhales nervously. “Well, I thought you were like one of these profilers or just some sort of basic psychologist, you know, not the real deal; not someone who is internationally noted.”

  Nothing, from his passenger.

  “So, anyway, once I began researching your accomplishments, I started to feel overwhelmed and to say the least, a bit insecure. So I have been trying to hold back when it comes to giving an opinion until I feel I’ve learnt enough from you to give one that has some substance.”