The Black Widow - Mark Kane Mysteries - Book Three: A Private Investigator Crime Series of Murder, Mystery, Suspense & Thriller Stories...with a dash of Romance

by John Hemmings

  “About the boat? Larry gave it to him.”

  “Why was that?”

  “Um, something to do with the business.”

  “Did Larry give it to Dale or sell it to him?”

  “Um, I’m not sure. But he didn’t steal it. He’s done nothing wrong.”

  “Dale said he gave Larry a receipt for the boat. He told us that Larry gave him the boat to satisfy a debt that Larry owed him.”

  “Did he? Yes, that’s right. I remember now.”

  “Do you have the receipt? It could be very helpful for Dale. He needs to satisfy the police that Larry transferred the boat to him voluntarily.”

  “Receipt?” Cary said slowly. She thought about it for a while. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “I’m sorry there are so many questions, but can you tell me exactly when Larry gave the boat to Dale?”

  Cary looked at me and then Lucy. Then she looked back at me again. “I don’t remember,” she said, furrowing her brow. She stood up, went over to the mantle and picked up a photograph. It was in a frame adorned with tiny seashells, like many I’d seen in the tourist shops.

  “That’s the boat,” she said. The picture showed Cary sitting on the deck of a boat between two men in T-shirts and shorts each holding a beer. One of them was Dale. “That’s me with Larry and Dale on one of our fishing trips. Actually we never caught many fish. My sister took the photo so she’s not in it.” She put her hand over her mouth and giggled, conscious of having stated the obvious.

  “If the police were to ask you, would you confirm that Larry gave the boat to Dale?” I said.

  “Yes, if it will help. I mean yes, of course,” she said. “Because it’s the truth,” she added.

  “Well, let’s talk about something else. You went to the medical examiner’s office and identified the body that was recovered from the sea as Larry, right?”

  “That’s right; because of the teeth.”

  “And you’re sure it was him?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “The police aren’t satisfied yet that there’s enough evidence to be sure, but I may be able to help you with that.”

  “Can you, how?”

  “Did your husband wear a watch, a wedding band or any other jewelry?”

  “Yes; he had a Rolex. A real one made of gold. And his wedding band has my name inside and the date of our wedding. Wait a minute, I’ll show you.”

  Cary got up and went over to a bureau on the other side of the room. She took out a manila envelope and pulled out a couple of sheets of paper. She came back across the room and handed them to me. “Larry had them insured,” she said.

  I looked at the two sheets of paper. The Rolex and the wedding band were among a few items included in the insurance document. There was also a jade bracelet and Cary’s wedding band. Each one was itemized and described with a photograph of the item next to its description. The total value of the items was declared at six hundred thousand pesos. The watch was valued at 450,000 pesos. The details of the Rolex watch included a serial number. The document was undated.

  “Do you have another copy of this?” I said. “As you know, your husband’s wedding band and wristwatch were missing when his body was found. I’d like to see if I can trace them. They may have been taken from the body by someone and either pawned or sold.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said. “You can take that one if you like and make a copy. I’ll need it back though.”

  “Have you made an insurance claim on any of these items?”

  “No − because I don’t know what happened to them,” she said.

  “Did Larry have a life insurance policy do you know?”

  Cary colored slightly and fidgeted in her seat before replying. “Yes, he did. But after he disappeared I think it stopped.”

  “Why was that?”

  “After Larry disappeared I had a letter from the insurance company saying that he hadn’t paid the…premiums. I explained that he’d disappeared and no-one knew where he was. They asked me to contact them when Larry made contact with me because if he didn’t pay the premiums the policy would…would…”

  “Lapse?”

  “Yes, that’s right. So when Larry’s body was found I called the insurance company and they sent one of their agents to see me. I told him that Larry was dead and so he couldn’t pay any more premiums and the agent asked me how he’d died and I said I didn’t know except his body had been found in the sea. I told him that I had been to the Medical Examiner’s office and identified the body. Then after about a week the agent called me by telephone and said they couldn’t pay out on the insurance until they had further proof that the body was Larry’s – that he was really dead. That’s all.”

  “Have you made a claim?”

  “No.”

  “Well, if I can find his watch and ring I may be able to find out who took them away. It may help to prove that the body was Larry’s.”

  “I know the body was Larry’s. I don’t care about the money.”

  “Well if Larry really is dead then you’re entitled to the insurance money. Were you the beneficiary?”

  “Sorry, the …”

  “The person that Larry nominated to collect the insurance in the event of his death.”

  “I think so, yes. Yes I am.”

  “Well we can try to help you with that. There’s just one more question about Larry’s body. The medical examiner found Larry’s driving license in one of the shoes he was wearing. Do you know why he would have put it there?”

  “No, I don’t. Maybe because he was wearing shorts and they didn’t have a pocket. Shall we have the dinner?” said Cary. “Would you like another drink?”

  The dinner was simple but surprisingly good. The rice was wrapped in banana leaves and the chicken was tender and well marinated; we had fresh pineapple for desert. Cary ate with her fingers. Lucy and I tried it too, much to Cary’s delight.

  “We always eat like that at home; that’s the Filipino way,” she said.

  “I hear you met Dale in Thailand,” Cary said to Lucy.

  “Yes, that’s right. I was the gooseberry.”

  “The what?”

  “It’s an expression we use sometimes. It means three’s a crowd.”

  “Were you there as well Mr. Kane?”

  “No. Lucy’s referring to Dale’s vacation romance,” I said.

  “Romance?” said Cary. She looked over at Lucy.

  “More like a fling, I think,” Lucy said.

  As we finished the meal I asked Cary again about the insurance policy. “I may be able to help you with the insurers if you have a copy of the policy. I can try to talk to them on your behalf if you authorize me to do it.”

  “Oh,” she hesitated. “Um, thank you. I’ll see if I can get you a copy. I really need to keep the original one.”

  “Yes, of course. You tell me when it’s convenient and we’ll come and pick it up.”

  I looked at my watch. “We really have to be going,” I said. “How can we get home from here?”

  “I’ll call you a taxi. It probably won’t take more than a few minutes.”

  She was right. We thanked Cary for the meal and said we’d be in touch. Lucy made a point of licking her fingers. “Thanks for showing us the Filipino way,” she said. Five minutes later we were on the road home.

  “What did you think?” said Lucy.

  “She’s obviously lying about the boat,” I said.

  “Did you notice anything else,” Lucy said.

  “Like what?”

  “You didn’t notice?” Lucy said, turning to face me.

  “Notice what?”

  “Her eyes; when you mentioned Dale’s vacation romance?”

  “What about them?”

  “She was as mad as hell,” Lucy said.

  Chapter Twelve

  Paul

  “So you think there’s something between Dale and Cary?” I said.r />
  We were sitting in the Café next to the hotel. I was having a nightcap; so was Lucy.

  “I wouldn’t go that far; but she was jealous, or maybe shocked, when you mentioned Dale’s romance, I’m sure of that.”

  “It would fit in with my suspicions about the boat story.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Well it’s clear that she’s talked to Dale since he’s been arrested. Otherwise how would she know that you met Dale in Thailand? We never mentioned that. He obviously called her from the jail. I think he’s told her what to say, except she hasn’t grasped the detail. Maybe there was a limited amount of time on the phone. She did her best, but it wouldn’t fool a jury.”

  “Do you think maybe they’re in it together in some way?”

  “I don’t know. She’s covering for him, but that may be the extent of it. Maybe Larry did give the boat to Dale but he didn’t tell Cary about it. Maybe he thought she’d be upset. Maybe he was waiting for the right time to tell her. Dale talks to her from the jail and tells her his story, says he needs her to back him up. Let’s say she believes him. In your opinion she’s carrying a torch for Dale, so she wouldn’t want him to be in trouble – especially if she knows he’s innocent because she’s the one responsible for her husband’s death; she’d only be interested in getting the insurance money. And if your intuition is right maybe she sees a chance of snaring another Western husband as well.”

  “You don’t really mean to talk to the insurers do you?”

  “No, of course not; the insurers wouldn’t discuss a client’s policy with me even if I asked them to. I want a copy of the policy because I want to see how much money is involved. And I want to see when the policy was taken out and when Cary was made the beneficiary.”

  “Nice meal,” Lucy said. “I feel a bit guilty though, eating her food when we were really there to find out if she killed her husband.”

  “I want you to start on the pawn shops tomorrow. You’ll need to make a list, but I’ve a feeling you’re going to come up trumps without too much trouble.”

  “Do you, why?”

  “Cary wants the watch and the wedding band found I imagine. I’m inclined to think that Westlake’s theory is the most likely one. Remember this afternoon you said that she wanted the body to be found so that she could claim the insurance? If she did kill her husband I’d be willing to bet that she left those items on the body when she disposed of it, or had someone dispose of it for her. That’s why she went to so much trouble to have the items photographed and record the serial number of the watch − so that when the body was found there’d be no doubt about his identity. If the fisherman or fishermen who found the body have sold them or pawned them then they won’t be far away.”

  “You think I’m right then? She killed him.”

  “It’s beginning to look like a possibility. But there are a few things troubling me. Our current theory seems too simple, and there are problems with it.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  “It’s always tempting to ignore inconvenient pieces of evidence if they don’t fit your theory; even Einstein was guilty of that. We’re working on the basis that Cary wanted the body found and wanted it identified so that she could collect the insurance money, but there was no guarantee that the body would ever be found. It was at the bottom of the sea and it was only chance that led to its discovery. Secondly there’s still the driving license in the shoe. I’ve a feeling that this case isn’t as simple as it seems. We may be looking in the wrong place altogether.”

  We walked back to the hotel. Lucy was keen to make a start on the pawn shops but reminded me that she had to pick up her business cards first, and they wouldn’t be ready until lunchtime.

  “You won’t need those for the pawn shops,” I said. “You just need to pose as someone who wants to buy a Rolex or a gold band. If you find them, you can tell me and I’ll deal with it. I’ll probably have to go to the local police armed with Santos’ letter and get them to seize the items. Take your camera; if you find either of the items just say you want to photograph them to show your boyfriend or something.”

  Lucy was a bit disappointed. “What are the cards for then?”

  “We’ll think of something,” I promised. “It’s just that if the pawnbrokers know you’re a private investigator they may clam up. You know what pawnbrokers are like – they handle a lot of hot stuff, especially here I should imagine.”

  Back in the room we made plans for the next day. It occurred to me that if the body was found by fishermen in Olongapo then that’s where Lucy should start looking for the pawn shops. But when I looked up Olongapo on the internet I was surprised to find it was a much bigger place than I’d anticipated. It was a city of about a quarter of a million people and there were thirty-two pawnshops advertising on the internet alone. There’d no doubt be a lot of others too, the kind of shops for locals who regularly pawned small items with the hope of redeeming them when they could afford it. It would be better for us to go there together tomorrow and get the lie of the land. Lucy was going to have her work cut out for her; we’d probably need to relocate there for a day or two. My assistant was soon going to experience the more mundane side of a private investigator’s life. It might well be a fruitless search too. Even if the items we were looking for had been sold, or pledged, to a pawnbroker they could have been purchased or redeemed by someone else before Lucy got there. Right now I wanted to find out when Dale leased the mooring at Lower Mau and I hoped the police would check that for me, if they hadn’t already done it. In any case I wanted to introduce myself to the person in charge so that I could get police cooperation if I needed it.

  Just before we turned in for the night I got a call from Paul Evans. He said that his schedule would enable him to meet us at lunchtime tomorrow. It would take him about fifteen minutes each way for the journey to our hotel which would give him an hour for a chat and some lunch. I suggested the Café for the rendezvous.

  “Lunch appointment tomorrow,” I said to Lucy. “Then we’ll pick up your cards and head up to Olongapo. You can make a start with the pawn shops.”

  “I thought you said I didn’t need the cards?”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to give you a formal introduction to Olongapo’s finest.”

  “Who are we meeting for lunch?”

  “Paul Evans. He called while you were in the bathroom. He’ll meet us at the Café.”

  Lucy climbed into bed and was dead to the world in seconds. I lay there for a while thinking back over the meeting with Cary. I wasn’t sure what to make of her; maybe Evans could help.

  *

  It turned out that Paul was a man after my own heart. We were sitting under the canopy outside the bar when he arrived, and after a handshake from me and a brief introduction to my assistant investigator, to whom he gave a look of undisguised approval, he declared himself dying for a beer. Even more to his credit, when the waitress approached our table with the menus he waived his away and declared he was going to have a liquid lunch. By way of explanation to Lucy and me he patted his belly and said, “I have a constant problem with my weight so I’m on a diet. I knew I’d have to give something up, so I decided to cut down on the food.” He must have picked up on Lucy’s unspoken disapproval because he added, “Beer’s very nourishing, you know? When my mum was in hospital back in Oz they used to give her a bottle of Guinness every day. I don’t know whether you have that in the States but they say it’s good for you.”

  Paul was Australian; he came from Sydney. His family had a share in a leather goods manufacturing business and they’d moved the operation to Subic several years ago to take advantage of the low tax and inexpensive labor. He was about the same age as Dale, I guessed, and had a round, rosy face and a thick-set body.

  Lucy ordered a pizza, and a beer to keep us company. I didn’t have long with Paul so I got straight to the point.

  “I expect Peter filled you in on the backgr
ound. I’m here on Dale Porter’s behalf to investigate the death of Larry Sands. I understand you knew Larry quite well and that you also know Dale.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know Dale that well but I knew Larry almost from the time I arrived. He’s an easy going kind of guy and we became good friends. We often went out fishing together. He bought his own boat which was his baby as he called it. I went to his wedding too. It was in the north of Zimbales where Cary’s family live. It was a big wedding. Cary was a great find. She and Larry adored each other.”

  “So they were happy together?”

  “I’ll say. You know there are a lot of local girls who marry foreigners because they want a better life – maybe to emigrate or have nice things; and love is relatively unimportant. But Cary’s not like that. It’s true Larry was good to her but from the moment they met that was it. I never saw Cary look at another guy and she never asked for anything. And she’s very intelligent; well educated too. Her parents speak only a little English, but Cary speaks perfect English. Got a funny accent, mind you, but haven’t we all?”

  “So you don’t think that Cary would do anything to harm Larry? Look, we haven’t got a lot of time so I better put my cards on the table. I’d ask you to keep what I’m about to say confidential. I don’t know Cary and I never met Larry. I’ve only seen Dale twice briefly, so you’ll need to bear with me. I’m looking into all aspects of this case and I have to say that I don’t think that Larry’s death was an accident and neither do the police. Dale’s been arrested for his murder. There may be nothing in that but at the moment, as far as I’m concerned, both he and Cary are under some suspicion in relation to his death.”

  While I was speaking Paul started to shake his head. I could tell that he was itching to interrupt me.

  “Look I don’t know Dale well enough to comment on that but you’re barking up the wrong tree with Cary. No way,” he said, shaking his head, “no way.”

  “Larry was a close friend, right?”

  “We were good mates,” he said. “I wouldn’t say close exactly, but good friends, yeah.”

  “So you want to do what’s right for him?”