Murder at the Waterfront: A Northwest Cozy Mystery (Northwest Cozy Mystery Series Book 7)

by Dianne Harman

  He ignored the rattle coming from the back of the car until they were a little way down the street, when the rattling stopped, and something heavy fell off the car onto the road with a thump. He screeched to a halt, cursing under his breath. “Ima gonna’ tell Cassie to get rid of this heapa’ junk. Why she likes it is anyone’s guess. It’s fallin’ apart.”

  “It is now,” Luke said, smirking. He got out of the car to take a look, ignoring the honking of the car that had come to an emergency stop behind them. A few moments later, he appeared at Al’s window holding a sheared off piece of the rear fender.

  “Get out. I’ll drive, Al, or we might never get there.”

  Al huffed and puffed, but he did as Luke requested. When they started off again, Al spoke up.

  “Where’s that list of people from when you went to Leslie’s place? If she’s not at the bar, we might need Rob to get addresses for them and start tickin’ ‘em off. I don’t care if we have to go door to door, we ain’t stoppin’ till we find her.”

  “It’s in my notebook,” Luke said, “on the back seat.” He continued talking while Al reached back to get it. “I don’t see how it could be Leslie. She had no way in or out of the building. George, the doorman, was only letting people in who were on the guest list. Even if she was able to get in somehow, no one saw her leave. And if she had access to a car, she wouldn’t have been able to get it out of the parking garage without a swipe card.”

  Al was scanning down the list of names. “Samantha Rodriguez. Kinda looks familiar, but Ima not sure why. Ring any bells?”

  Luke shook his head. “I thought so too, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

  They had just rounded the next corner, when Luke slammed on the brakes and did a U-turn in the middle of the busy street.

  Al slapped the dash with his hand and let out a whoop. “That’s the spirit. Yer’ learnin’.” He grinned and waved at the pedestrians staring at the beat-up old station wagon that was causing traffic chaos. “Um, where are we goin’ by the way?”

  “Waterfront Palace,” Luke barked. “It just came to me.”

  “What did?”

  “Samantha Rodriguez. It’s Sam, the concierge. George introduced me to her when I arrived on Sunday, but he called her Sam Rodriguez, not Samantha.”

  Al’s eyes widened. “Yer’ right. Jeez, step on it, will ya’? We need to get back there an’ get to the bottom of this.” He punched Cassie’s number into his phone. “Cassie? Where are ya’? Stay in the condo and don’t move till I get there, got it?”

  “Al, stop worrying. We’re fine.” Cassie’s calmness set him at ease. “Red’s here, and I’ve got the gun you gave me. I promise to shoot anyone who comes in through the door.”

  “Good. Don’t shoot me, though, I’ll be back soon.”

  Cassie laughed softly. “I’ll try not to, but I can’t promise.”

  *****

  When they got back at the Waterfront Palace, Luke parked in the basement and they rode the elevator to the lobby where the concierge area was situated in the corner. A beautiful blond woman was sitting behind the desk talking to a couple who were asking her about the best restaurants in the area.

  “Ima gonna’ handle this,” Al said out of the corner of his mouth when the couple left holding a map, and he stepped towards the desk.

  The woman looked up, nodding at Al before seeing Luke, at which point her face broke into a smile.

  “Hello, gentlemen, how can I help you? My name is Samantha, but you can call me Sam. You two are friends of Mr. Carlucci, isn’t that right? I think we met when you arrived.” She picked up a couple of tourist maps.

  Al sat down and motioned for Luke to do the same. “That’s right, Sam.” His look was grave. “We won’t be needin’ no maps, thanks all the same. We’re not here for pleasure. This is strictly business.”

  Sam’s smile was still plastered on her face, but she tensed up and one of her eyes began to twitch. She set the maps down and clasped her hands together on top of the desk. “I see.”

  “We unnerstan’ yer’ friends with a lady by the name of Leslie Ramos, is that correct?”

  Sam nodded.

  “Ya’ talked to her lately?”

  “Um, no,” Sam said, glancing from Al to Luke, who was taking notes. “I’ve called her, but it’s gone to voicemail. Why do you want to know?”

  “It’s in connection with the murder of Maureen Knight.”

  Sam was silent, and Al noticed that she was gripping her hands together so tightly that they were white. Al folded his arms. He was good with silences, never trying to fill them with useless conversation when waiting for a person to respond. The longer the silence, the better, as far as he was concerned. It put the other person under more pressure.

  “I was aware of it,” Sam said eventually, “in my capacity as concierge here. I’ve already spoken to the police and told them everything they wanted to know. Frankly, I’m not sure what concern it is of yours.”

  “Try tellin’ that to yer’ boss, Mr. Carlucci,” Al said. He took out his phone. “I’ll call him now, shall I? Seein’ as he hired us to investigate the murder, seems like he’d be interested in why yer’ not cooperatin’.”

  Sam chewed her lip. “You don’t need to call him. I’m happy to help your investigation in any way I can.”

  “Good. Let’s cut to the chase, ‘cuz I can see yer’ getting antsy. Has Leslie Ramos ever, recently or otherwise, asked ya’ to let her into this building?”

  Sam stared straight into Al’s eyes, her face stony. “How dare you suggest such a thing. I would never get involved in anything like that. It’s unethical, and I could lose my job.”

  Al shook his head. He knew by the way she made eye contact, not blinking, that she was lying. Liars always thought it was more convincing if they looked someone in the eye, but the opposite was true. It was a dead giveaway.

  He looked around. George was out in front, and there was no one else in the lobby. Leaning across the desk, he spoke through clenched teeth, so his voice came out like a hiss. “Gotta’ feelin’ yer’ holdin’ somethin’ back on us, Sam. Might be easier if ya’ tell me what it is.”

  He turned to Luke. “Hot in here, don’tcha think?”

  Luke nodded. “Sure is, Al.”

  “Maybe Ima gonna’ have to take my coat off.” Al pulled open one side of his coat so Sam could see the gun in the holster under his arm. “Whaddya’ think, Sam? Will that be necessary?”

  “No, I think you should keep your coat on.”

  “Good, ‘cuz I don’t wanna’ hurt ya’, but I might have to if ya’ don’t tell us what’s been goin’ on with Leslie. Maybe she’s got somethin’ on ya’, is that it?”

  The way Sam flinched, Al knew he’d hit a raw nerve. He looked down to where Luke was writing in the notebook. What is Samantha Rodriguez afraid of? Ask Rob. Luke had picked up on it too.

  Sam’s face crumpled, and she began to cry. Al had a clean handkerchief in his pocket, but he didn’t offer it to her.

  “Leslie’s been having a rough time lately,” she said, choking through her tears. “She was very upset when she called me last Friday and begged me to let her into the building. She said she’d left her job at the law office and wanted to get a job with Chef Chastain. She told me she’d been to the Canlis restaurant to talk to him about a position, and the manager suggested she could find him here, because he was doing a catered party in the penthouse.”

  “So ya’ let her in, jes’ like that?”

  “She’s my friend,” Sam said. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. I let her in the side entrance and gave her a swipe card to get out again, because I had a date and had to leave.”

  Al gave a low whistle. “Sam, what ya’ did was against the rules. Ya’ know that. If Mr. Carlucci finds out, he ain’t gonna be happy. I might be persuaded not to tell him if ya’ can think of anythin’ else I might need to know about Leslie, or what she did when she was here.”

  Sam bowed her head and said
nothing for several long moments. When she finally looked up her tears had stopped flowing and her expression was vacant. “Leslie had been drinking that night, heavily. She asked me what unit Maureen Knight was staying in, and I told her. Do you think she had something to do with the murder?”

  “Dunno’, but Ima gonna’ find out, like right now.”

  Al was already on his feet and heading for the elevator to the parking garage.

  “Luke,” he said as they were riding it down. “I think we know who the killer is, but now we gotta’ catch her. Here’s what we’re gonna do.”

  Luke listened intently as Al outlined his plan.

  CHAPTER 19

  Thirty minutes later they walked into Paulie’s Place located underneath a highway overpass and inside a dark, unmarked storefront. It was a bar Al knew well because Vinny, his friend and former boss, had owned it before he was murdered.

  “Yo, Rick,” Al said the young man Al had hired as manager several years earlier and who was still working behind the bar. He was instructing a new hire the correct way to polish wine glasses, by holding the stem with the glass cloth and not his hand.

  Rick looked up and his face broke into a smile. He came out from behind the bar and greeted Al with a handshake and a pat on the back. “Hey, Al, good to see you. It’s been way too long. How are you doing?” Turning to Luke, he extended his hand.

  “This is Luke Robertson,” Al said. “Luke, this is Rick O’Shea. We just call him Rick the Mick.”

  Rick grinned. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Al? Or is it business?”

  Al stepped closer to Rick. “I’m lookin’ for a young woman by the name of Leslie Ramos. Ring a bell?”

  “Yes, I know who you mean. She’s been in here a lot recently. Matter of fact she was in here yesterday during the day. Left with one of the regulars, T Rex. He likes his liquid, if you know what I mean. If she’s still with him, they’ll probably be in again pretty soon.”

  “Fine.” Al nodded towards the back corner of the bar. “Luke and me’ll jes’ sit at that booth all the way in the back. We don’t know her, so there ain’t no chance she’ll recognize us. Gimme’ a heads up if she comes in, will ya’? And bring us both a beer. We’ll nurse ‘em while we wait.”

  Luke stretched his beer out longer than Al, who was sitting with an empty bottle for the better part of an hour before they got a nod from Rick. A young woman and a guy in an electric company uniform had just walked in and pulled up a couple of stools at the bar. They each ordered a double Bloody Mary and proceeded to knock them back.

  “Think we should go over there now, Al?” Luke asked him.

  “Nah, let her get a couple under her belt. I want her loose when I talk to her.”

  Luke glanced over his shoulder. “No wonder they call that guy T Rex. He looks like he could eat me for lunch. Look, he’s getting up.”

  “Rick, here’s some money for a couple more drinks for my lady,” T Rex said. “I’ve gotta go to work. She’s had a rough time of it, so keep ‘em comin’.” He slapped down some bills on the counter and got off his bar stool. “There’s enough there to make ‘em doubles. See ya’ later, sweetheart.” He planted a noisy kiss on Leslie’s lips and headed for the door.

  Al leaned across the table to Luke. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. Ya’ go over and sit down at the bar next to her. Yer’ good lookin’. All the ladies love ya’. Get her talkin’. I’ll join ya’ in a little while.”

  Al watched Luke as he walked over to the bar. He heard him ask Leslie if there was anyone sitting next to her.

  “No, be my guest,” Leslie said with a smile and a flick of her hair. “I could do with the company.” Luke started talking to her and she threw her head back in laughter, nodding when Luke called Rick over to order drinks.

  Rick set a Bloody Mary in front of Leslie and she raised her glass to Luke, who was holding a bottle of beer.

  Al texted Cassie, since he hadn’t had a chance to speak to her when they’d gone to the Waterfront Palace to talk to Sam Rodriguez.

  Sit tight. We’re on the verge of wrappin’ this up. Love ya’ Al

  Al watched and waited. When Luke ordered another drink for Leslie, who was a fast drinker, he got up and went to the men’s room. On his return, instead of going back to the booth, he sauntered up to the bar.

  “Gimme’ a pitcher of Bloody Marys, when yer’ ready, Rick,” he said in a loud voice. He smiled at a couple of people on this left, and casually turned around, faking a double-take at spotting Luke just to his right. He lifted his sunglasses and made a show of peering closer.

  “Hey, Luke, didn’t realize that was you sittin’ there. Good to see ya’, man.” He motioned towards the corner. “Got me a nice booth over there. How about you and this young lovely yer’ with joinin’ me?” Al handed some cash to Rick and picked up the pitcher of Bloody Marys. “Thanks, Rick, keep the change.” Cocking his head, he turned back to Luke and his companion. “Ya’ comin’ with me, or what?”

  Luke got off his bar stool and helped Leslie off hers. “Come on, babe. Al’s a nice guy, plus he’s got those Bloody Marys.” He reached out to steady Leslie when she stumbled and guided her across the floor to the booth by the elbow due to her unsteady swaying. Her knees seemed to buckle every few steps.

  “Bambi legs, huh?” Al chuckled, sliding into the far side of the booth. As he did so, he flipped a button on the tape recorder he’d left on the seat to activate it. “I’m the same when I’ve had a few. Weavin’ all over the place. That’ll be me later, Ima hopin’.” He roared with laughter, Luke joining in as he and Leslie sat down on the opposite side of the booth.

  “To friends,” Al said, when he’d poured three large Bloody Marys into the glasses Rick had brought over to the table. “And lazy days at Paulie’s Place. And Paulie, whoever the heck he is.” Al lifted his glass and tossed back the drink in several gulps. “That’s better,” he said wiping the traces of tomato juice off his mouth with the back of his hand. “Who’s yer’ friend, Luke? She lost her tongue?”

  “This is Leslie. She’s just been telling me she’s had a few problems lately.”

  “Leslie,” Al said. “Pretty name for a pretty lady. It sucks when the world’s against ya. Trust me, I know all about it. Keepin’ it in ain’t gonna help nothin’ ‘cept make ya’ feel worse. Why don’tcha tell me and Luke all about it, and maybe we can help ya’ drown yer’ sorrows.”

  “I doubt it. No job, no man and prolly’ no home pretty soon since I can’t pay my rent.” Leslie’s slurring meant that her words were hard to make out, but that didn’t stop her from proceeding to launch into a monologue about her woes.

  “Not sure I understand,” Al said, scratching his head. “Did ya’ say ya’ got fired, or what happened to yer’ job?”

  “Not fired exactly, but I coon’ go back. I was supposed to get married to my boss, but he left me for his ex-wife who he left for me.”

  “Ima tryin’ to work that one out,” Al chuckled. “Sonofagun sounds like a good for nuthin’ Grade A schmuck.”

  Leslie drooled into her drink. “Wasn’t his fault, not relly’. It was his flirty ex-wife, playing games with his head.”

  “Whaddya’ mean?”

  “He loves me, not her, and she knew it. But the little piece of you know what wouldn’t stop at nothing to get him back and get rid of me. She started asking him to meet up to talk about their children, even though they’re grown up. Next thing it was dinner, and a graduation party, and a broken-down car, and gooness’ knows what else. Before I know it, he’s broken up with me and he’s back with her again.”

  “Aw, Leslie. That sucks. What’d he say when he told ya’ they were gettin’ back together?”

  She turned to Luke, then Al, her eyes burning with rage. “He never had the guts to tell me,” she seethed. “I saw them together when I went to the law firm to speak to Human Resources about my job. They never paid me, you see, because I was off sick.”

  “Ima not surprised ya’ was sic
k.” Al shook his head. “What with the stress an’ all. Whaddya’ think about that, Luke?”

  Luke put his glass down on the table. “I think that kind of behavior calls for some kind of action. Any man treating Leslie like that shouldn’t expect to get away with it.”

  “I know, I had to do something after the love of my life broke up with me to go back with that old hag.” Leslie’s nose was running, and at this point Al gave in. He handed her his handkerchief.

  “Thanks.” She blew her nose and rubbed her eyes with it, before handing the handkerchief back to Al.

  “S’ok, you keep it,” he said patting her hand.

  A slow smile crossed Leslie’s face and she lowered her voice. “But I got back at him real good.” Attempting to pour herself another drink from the pitcher, the thick red juice sloshed all over the table and started dripping off the edge onto Luke’s lap. He inched over in the seat.

  “Whaddya’ mean?” Al asked.

  “Oh, nuthin’.”

  “Somethin’ happen to yer’ boss? Hope ya’ made his life miserable.”

  Leslie’s head rolled, and Luke propped her back up. Al realized she might collapse before she got to the end of her story and tried to move the conversation along.

  “C’mon, ya’ can tell us,” he urged her. “Did ya’ cut up his pants? Trash his car?”

  “Not exactly, but something sure happened to his ex.”

  Luke grinned. “Sounds like she deserved it, ruining your life like that. I can’t wait to find out what you did. But don’t tell us, if you want to keep it private. We understand. I’ve done a few things myself I wouldn’t want too many people to know about.”

  “Yeah, lucky for you I can keep a secret, ain’t that right, Lukey?” Al gave him an exaggerated wink.

  Leslie giggled. “If I tell you, you have to promise you won’t tell anyone. You have to cross your heart and hope to die.”