Murder on the Rocks

by Allyson K. Abbott

  Duncan looked apologetic. “Their names were on Ginny’s client base list, and they are regulars here at the bar, so they might have seen or know something helpful.”

  “Still, what possible reason could anyone have to suspect either of them?”

  “Like I said earlier, criminals often like to inject themselves into the investigation of their crime, to keep tabs on what the cops are doing. And if I recall correctly, the officer posted by the door this morning reported that the brothers appeared here shortly after we did, eager to see what was going on.”

  I dismissed this with a pfft and a wave of my hand. “You’re really reaching. They were worried about me, nothing more. Besides, that was the time of day when they normally come in.”

  “Do they usually show up here in the evenings?”

  “No.”

  “So why have they been here tonight all this time?”

  “Because they’re curious, like everyone else,” I said, punctuating my comment with an exasperated sigh. Then, realizing I wasn’t going to win this argument, I said, “Do what you have to do. But talking to Frank and Joe is a complete waste of time.”

  Duncan briefed me on what to ask them and then said, “Go ahead and invite them in. One at a time, please. I don’t care who goes first.”

  I didn’t want to. It made me feel like I was in cahoots with the cops, which I suppose I was in a way. But I didn’t want my customers to question my allegiance to them, especially Joe and Frank, who truly were like family. I reluctantly agreed but not without first giving Duncan a look that let him know how I felt about the whole idea.

  I walked over to where the brothers were seated and explained to them that I wanted to talk with them in private about Ginny’s murder and some information the cops had shared with me. I expected them to be hesitant or resistant, but apparently I didn’t know the brothers as well as I thought. They both jumped at the idea.

  “Hell, yeah!” Joe said, sitting back and puffing out his chest, his thumbs hooked into his suspenders. “We’d be happy to give you the benefit of our vast knowledge and experience.”

  “And I assume we’ll get a free drink out of the deal just like Tad and Kevin did,” Frank said.

  “Of course.” It was a small price to pay for customer loyalty, though I suspected the brothers would keep coming to my bar whether they got a freebie or not. Still, I was chagrined to learn that word of my little chats and their attached reward was spreading amongst my customers.

  “Just lead the way,” Joe said, pushing out of his chair. “Come on, Frank. This will be fun.”

  “Wait!” I said. “I’d prefer talking to you one at a time.”

  Frank and Joe looked at one another for a nanosecond and then they both shook their heads. “Nope,” Frank said. “We go together or we don’t go at all.”

  “That’s right,” Joe said. “We’ve been a team for seventy-two years and we ain’t about to break it up now.”

  “Yep, it’s both of us or nothing,” Frank said. He remained standing, staring at me expectantly and waiting for a decision . . . like I had the right to make one. Then I realized I did. It didn’t matter what Duncan wanted. These guys were my friends, my extended family, and I was going to support them.

  “Okay, you can be together,” I said.

  “Atta girl,” Frank said, stepping away from the table as Joe stood again. “Lead the way, Mack.”

  As I threaded our little caravan between the tables and toward my office, I saw that Billy and Gary were watching us intently. When we finally entered the office, I half expected Duncan to raise some objection, but he said nothing because he was on his cell phone, listening intently.

  The brothers stood side by side behind the chair on one side of the desk, while I went around and sat down in my chair on the other side. “So do the coppers have any ideas about who did it yet?” Joe asked.

  Duncan disconnected his call and stood behind the brothers with a thoughtful expression.

  “I think they are trying to narrow down their field of suspects,” I said. “That’s why I wanted to talk to the two of you. Your names popped up—”

  “As the local experts on insurance fraud and crime,” Frank finished for me. “We know. We’ve been consulted before. What kind of policies did Ginny end up getting? Did she go for the business insurance like we recommended?”

  I looked from Joe to Frank with an expression of confusion. “You talked to Ginny about insurance?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Frank said. “Who else would she go to? Joe and I got more than eighty years in the biz between us. We’ve seen it all and we know it all.”

  “What, specifically, did you talk to her about?” I asked.

  “She wanted to know what the best option would be to make sure her kid would be taken care of and could inherit her money with the least amount of hassle.”

  It took me a second to register what Frank had just said and when I did, I shot Duncan a look. He shook his head. I looked back at the brothers and said, “I wasn’t aware Ginny had a child.”

  Frank and Joe looked at one another, then back at me, and then they shrugged in perfect time with one another. Frank said, “She must have a kid somewhere because she was very specific about her needs. Apparently she had a business partner at one time but went out on her own eight years ago. She wanted to make sure her ex-partner couldn’t claim anything and that her kid could sell off the business and inherit her earnings without any hassle.”

  I shook my head, partly out of confusion, partly out of denial. “Ginny never talked about any kids and I never met any. My father never mentioned any either, and I’m sure he would have if he’d known.”

  “Did the cops say whether or not they found any insurance policies?” Joe asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said, shooting Duncan another look.

  “Check with Harry Winters over at Fidelity Mutual. That’s who we told her to go to,” Frank said.

  I saw Duncan scribble down the name and said, “Did you two have any other business dealings with Ginny? The cops said they found your names in her database.”

  Joe answered. “We talked to her six years ago about selling our condo but we decided to stay put.” Then Frank added, “Nothing since then except for the insurance advice.”

  “And when did you have this insurance discussion with her?”

  The brothers looked at one another, squinting in thought. It was eerie the way they seemed to be communicating without speaking because a few seconds later they both looked back at me, and then Joe said, “It was about a year ago, give or take a month or two. Look into the insurance angle because I’m betting it has something to do with her murder.”

  “Anything else you need from us, Mack?” Frank asked.

  I shook my head and smiled. “Not right now, but thanks. You’ve been very helpful.”

  “Helpful enough to get a couple of free drinks?” Joe asked.

  “Absolutely.” I walked the two of them out and on a whim I asked, “Did my father ever mention Al Capone to you guys?”

  “Al Capone, the gangster?” Frank said, and I nodded. “Why? Do you think the mob killed your dad? Did Ginny have mob connections?” Frank went on, his eyes growing big.

  “No, no,” I said emphatically, fearing I’d started a whole new rumor for the mill. “Just something I was curious about.”

  We were at the bar and I told Billy to give the brothers whatever they wanted on the house. When I went back into my office, Duncan was writing something down in his little notepad—the same one he’d been using to write down notes about bartending. I imagined it would make for an entertaining report if he ever had to type any of it up.

  I shut the door to the office and said, “Well, that was certainly more informative than I expected it to be. But I don’t know if I buy it. I can’t believe Ginny had a kid that I knew nothing about.”

  Duncan said, “I’ll have someone track down this insurance guy, Harry Winters, first thing tomorrow. If there was some big
insurance payout for Ginny’s death, finding out who the beneficiary is might clarify things and go a long way toward solving this case.”

  “What about this ex-business partner they mentioned?” I asked.

  Duncan shook his head. “We already looked into that and we’ll take a closer look if need be, but the guy lives out in California now and is worth several million on his own, so I don’t see that panning out.”

  I wanted to talk more about the idea of Ginny having a child but Duncan was all business. “Would you go out front and work your magic on Cora by asking her to come back next? I need to make a quick phone call.”

  I left the office, looked around for Cora, and found her sitting at a table near the far end of the bar among a group of other regulars, including Tad, Kevin, and the just returned Signoriello brothers. The brothers were at a table with Cora, while Kevin and Tad were seated at the bar, turned around so they were facing the table. They were all talking together while Cora made notes on a notepad.

  I figured there was no need to rush, so I walked over and stood nearby, trying to look busy by wiping an already clean area of the bar, curious about their conversation. I could tell Billy was trying to eavesdrop, too, letting Gary wait on everyone at the other end of the bar. My efforts to remain invisible didn’t last long. Cora saw me hovering and called me to the table.

  “Hey, Mack, you’re one of the potential suspects, right?”

  “I am.”

  “Well, help us out here. It seems a bunch of us are on that list and we’re trying to narrow it down by wading through all the evidence, and looking at who had motive, means, and opportunity. If we can come up with some reliable investigative information, we might be able to clear some names and eliminate some of us from that list.”

  Missy had walked up to the bar to fill some drink orders and she overheard Cora’s explanation. “That’s just silly thinking any of you guys could have killed Ginny,” she said. “She wasn’t even here last night, and once the bar closed, none of you were either, so how could any of you have killed her out in the alley?”

  Everyone seemed to sense that Missy’s grasp of the timing and circumstances wasn’t spot on and since most of us also know that Missy’s grasp of anything isn’t always the tightest, there was an awkward moment of silence while we all tried to figure out how to respond. Before anyone could, Missy shot me a horrified look and said, “Oh, I guess that’s not true. You were here all night, Mack.”

  “Yes, I was. But I didn’t kill her.”

  “The cops were here this morning and they questioned you,” Frank said to me. “What did they come up with for a motive?”

  “They thought I might have been upset with Ginny for taking my father away from me.”

  “This Ginny woman kidnapped your father?” Missy said, looking confused and incredulous.

  I laughed. “No, she didn’t kidnap him. She was dating him.”

  My explanation just made Missy look even more confused. “So you supposedly killed her so she wouldn’t date your dead father anymore?”

  I sighed and saw the others shake their heads. Fortunately Billy had finished filling Missy’s drink orders so she took her tray and her skewed view of the world off into the crowd.

  “Anyway,” Cora went on, “we just learned from the brothers here the stunning news about Ginny having a kid, so that puts a whole new spin on things. And since the cops have shared some of their information with you, and you’ve been having these talks in your office, we were thinking you might have some insider information we could use.”

  “I’m happy to try to help,” I said, knowing I did have insider info but unsure how much of it I was at liberty to share. “But first I’d like to have a private chat with you, Cora.”

  “I wouldn’t do it, Cora,” Kevin warned in a joking tone. “It doesn’t seem so bad until you get in there, but then she starts twisting things around and before you know it, you find yourself wondering if maybe you did do it and just don’t remember.”

  “I’m not afraid of Mack,” Cora said. “And I’m kind of looking forward to spending a little more up-close time with that new friend of hers. He’ll be in there too, right?” she said, looking over at me.

  “Yes, he will. He’s providing me with a more objective perspective on things.”

  “Oh, good,” Cora said with a little shivery shake of her shoulders. “I do love spending time with a good-looking man.” Then she leaned toward me and in a hushed aside she added, “Though to be honest, I’m not too picky about the looks these days. As long as they have two legs and can walk upright without scraping their knuckles, I’m good.”

  I laughed and led the way into my office. Cora entered with her usual flirtatious flair: a slight flip of her red hair, an added sway in her step, and a sultry smile on her lips. After giving Duncan a brief wink, she settled into the closest chair while I went around the desk to my usual spot.

  “What can I tell you, Mack?” Cora said as soon as I was settled. She uttered this in a flirty, noirish whisper that I knew wasn’t meant for me, but it made my mouth burst with the taste of a sweet peach nonetheless.

  “The cops know you had a romantic interest in my father when he was alive,” I said, getting straight to the point.

  “So? You know me, Mack. I have a romantic interest in just about every man I meet,” she said with a shrug. Then she looked over at Duncan. “I love men. All men.”

  Duncan quickly quashed the mood she was trying to create. “They also know that your romantic notions toward Mack Dalton went unrequited, and that Ginny Rifkin became his girlfriend instead.”

  “True,” Cora said with a flirty little pout. “Mack had a thing for Ginny from the moment he first met her. I could tell he was a goner early on. And she was good for him, got him smiling more and had him going out on occasion.” She shrugged and smiled. “I tried, I failed, I moved on.”

  I frowned, not liking Cora’s description of the changes Ginny triggered in my father, although what she said was true. Still, it made me feel as if I hadn’t been enough for him, or that I had somehow held him back from having a satisfying social and romantic life.

  “I imagine Mack’s rejection left you feeling resentful and jealous of Ginny,” Duncan said.

  I expected indignation or shock from Cora, but all she did was laugh. “If I went around killing every woman who got chosen over me, the cops would have a long series of murders to solve. And to be honest, I’m not looking for a long-term relationship. In fact, it’s the very threat of one that I use to get guys to move on when they start getting too close. You see, for me it’s the chase, the thrill of luring them in that I like. But I’m strictly catch and release. I like my life the way it is and I’m not looking to share it with anyone on a permanent basis.”

  This surprised me because I’d always thought Cora was husband hunting. I wondered if it was true. If the peach taste in my mouth was any indication, she was being honest.

  “I’m a woman with certain . . .” Cora paused here and gave Duncan another ogle and a wiggle of her eyebrows. “I’m a woman with certain needs and I seek out male companionship from time to time, but I bore easily.” Then, with a sly smile, she threw down a gauntlet. “I have yet to meet a man who can keep me satisfied on any long-term basis. Think you’re up for the challenge?”

  Duncan blushed and stammered for a few seconds while Cora sat there looking smug, waiting for him to answer. Finally she said, “Too bad.”

  “Have the cops questioned you officially yet?” I asked her. She shook her head. “When they do, based on what I’ve seen and heard so far, they’ll want to know where you were between the hours of two A.M. and nine A.M. this morning.”

  “That’s easy. I was home. And while I don’t have anyone who can verify that for the entire time, I was online from eleven last night until about five this morning in several private chat rooms.”

  “Private chat rooms?” I said, a little confused. “You were up all night talking to people on a comp
uter?”

  Cora tsked at my naiveté. “There wasn’t much talking going on, honey,” she said. “However, there are at least three gentlemen who can verify that I was in my bedroom in various states of arousal and undress during the hours in question. As for the hours after that . . .” She sighed and her smile broadened. “Well, let’s just say my sessions were very satisfying and I was too tired to be out and about trying to kill anyone.”

  Duncan blushed, and I’m pretty sure my own face was varying shades of red. Prior to now, I’d had no idea that Cora led such an erotic lifestyle. The discovery had me looking at her in a whole different light, one that left me both shocked and intrigued.

  Duncan said, “Do you have the names of the sites you were on and the gentlemen who you . . . who were . . . who can provide an alibi?”

  Cora laughed. “In a way, but I’m not sure it will help much. The site is called Safe Cyber Sex and let’s see.”—she paused in thought a moment—“I believe the gentlemen I was with were Harry Pocket Rocket, BoobTube, and Yourgasm.”

  Duncan snorted a laugh while Cora ran a hand through her hair and primped a bit, watching him with an enigmatic smile. There followed an awkward moment of silence that Cora finally broke, though she maintained eye contact with Duncan. “I’m sure the cops have people who are adept at analyzing computers and pulling out deleted files and e-mails. No doubt they can ID the men I was with, but if they can’t, I’ll do it for them. I’m quite good at that sort of thing. In addition to my official computer-troubleshooting business I run a little side operation that involves digging up information online for certain customers. I’m a bit of a cyber-private detective. For instance, my chat room buddies may not be too eager to admit to their online peccadilloes, and the site administrator will most likely start yelling about privacy issues if the cops ask them to provide real names. But I can get their real names if I have to.”

  She switched her attention back to me and Duncan sagged a little, almost as if she’d had him pinned upright with the sheer force of her stare. “Mack, I can only guess how upsetting this is for you and if I can be of any help in any way, just ask. If the cops are as incompetent with this investigation as they were with your dad’s, well . . .”