Evil in the First House: A Starlight Detective Agency (Starlight Detective Agency Mysteries Book 3)

by Mitchell Scott Lewis

  “So,” said Lowell, “she came east to follow a lead.”

  Wally puffed again. “And you want to know if this lead is legitimate or if she’s just off the deep end.”

  “Something like that.”

  Wally cleared his throat. “I can’t tell you. Karen has a sixth sense about people. She can sometimes tell right off the bat if someone’s lying. But this is so personal I’m just not sure if she’s seeing things clearly or not. But I wouldn’t reject it out of hand.”

  “Okay. What do you know about Mickey Broad?”

  Samuels took a puff, and then coughed violently. “Damn.” He coughed again. “I met him a couple of times through the years, mostly at social functions. He came to a retirement party we had for one of our sergeants and, I think, a Christmas party. But I don’t know much about him personally at all. Why?”

  “It’ll help me understand the situation better if I know who the players are.”

  “Well, sorry I can’t help you there.”

  “That’s alright. I’ve got my methods.”

  “What do you think of Luigi?” asked the cop.

  “He’s redecorating my house for me. Thank God I have Julia or I would be losing my mind.”

  Samuels laughed. “Well, good luck with it all. And let me know how it works out.”

  They hung up.

  Lowell buzzed Mort. “Get me the birth information for an L.A. detective named Mickey Broad. He was born in New York, sometime in the fifties or early sixties, I would guess, possibly the Lower East Side.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Karen showed up at the office at about two that afternoon. Mort was just leaving Lowell’s office when she entered.

  “Karen Sweeney, this is my associate Mort Simpson. Karen’s with the LAPD. She’s here to investigate the death of her uncle, the detective from L.A. that I mentioned to you. Apparently Dr. Williamson was one of his last clients, and Karen’s trying to establish if he had a role in her uncle’s murder.”

  “Hey, Mort.” They shook hands.

  “Nice to meet you,” said Mort, as he exited.

  Karen plopped on the couch, a bottle of Poland Springs water in hand, and looked through her notebook.

  “I went out to Queens this morning.”

  “Did you uncover anything?”

  She sipped her water. “My uncle had been to Astoria, I guess that’s part of Queens, and I went to the address that I found in his notes. Thanks for having Andy drive me. That’s some car you’ve got.”

  “Did you find anything useful?”

  She shook her head. “A guy named Christo lives there above a deli. I spoke to him briefly. Swears he knows nothing about my uncle. I’d like to tail him later today.”

  “I hope you do a better job than you did with me.”

  “Yeah, and I don’t think following him in a limo would work too well. I guess I’ll take my car out there tomorrow.”

  “Do you have a GPS in your car?”

  “’fraid not.”

  Lowell tugged on his ponytail. “I have several cars garaged near my home. I think it would be better if you used one of them. They’ve all got GPS. I’m afraid you may get lost. Andy will drive you up there.”

  “Thanks.”

  She picked up the notebook and stood.

  “The sooner I get started the better.”

  Lowell picked up the phone and dialed. “Andy, I’m sending Karen down to you. Please take her to the garage on Ninety-second Street and get the Volvo for her.” He was about to hang up. “Oh, and Andy, maybe you should let her follow you back to Astoria. Then she’s on her own.”

  He hung up. “You’re all set.”

  “I’d also like to go to my uncle’s apartment later and check his mail again. It’s on East Seventh Street and Avenue B. I went there when I first got to New York, but I get lost in this city. I know it’s downtown, but where exactly?”

  “Alphabet City.”

  “You’re kidding, right? It’s really called that?”

  “Yep. Avenues A, B, and C in the East Village. I think I’ll accompany you when you go, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” She stood and looked at the time on her phone. “Let me see how this goes with the tailing. How about if I call you when I’m done?” She programmed Lowell’s cell number into her phone and left.

  A few moments later Mort returned.

  “What do you think of our guest? Any psychic feelings?”

  “Karen?” Mort furrowed his brow. “I think she’s just what she appears to be. A hard-nosed cop with an attitude. I think she’s a straight-shooter, don’t you?”

  Lowell nodded. “Yes, I agree. She seems down-to-earth, at least as far as her work goes. And Samuels in L.A. spoke highly of her.”

  Mort raised his eyebrows. “So you’re wondering if she might be onto something with Williamson.”

  “It’s hard to ignore the inconsistencies in his story.”

  “Let me see what else I can dig up about him.” Mort turned to leave.

  “Oh, and Mort, see what you can learn about her uncle Mickey Broad.”

  Mort turned back. “The PI from L.A.? Okay. I already gave you his birth info. Anything else in particular?”

  Lowell tugged on his ponytail. “Find out what kind of a detective he was. Was he any good? Did he solve most of his cases? That kind of thing.”

  Mort nodded. “I’ll do a workup on him. Have you looked at his chart?”

  “Not yet,” admitted the astrologer. “I’ve been too busy with the embezzlement case. Let me put in his birth information.” He turned to his computer screen.

  “Okay, Boss. I’ll do that workup on the uncle. I’ll check in with you later.” He left.

  Lowell worked for a while but about an hour later started to lose his concentration.

  It was eerily silent in the office.

  Lowell sat on the couch, lost for a moment in the calm. He knew that the Moon had gone Void of Course a few minutes before, a time of disconnection. Bad for worldly events, but very good for spiritual ones. Lowell wasn’t a particularly patient man and preferred action whenever possible. But sometimes you had to wait for the information to come to you.

  He got up, buzzed Sarah four times to let her know he wasn’t to be disturbed, took off his shoes, sat on the couch, and drew the forefinger to the thumb on each of his hands. Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate. Tranquility engulfed him and his heart rate and pulse slowed to a fraction of their usual speed. He rode the gentle sea of his consciousness atop his mantra, momentarily serene in the oneness of the universe. After about twenty minutes he slowly opened his eyes and allowed his breathing to increase, a little better prepared to deal with the realities of the conscious world.

  He got up and walked to the window. He always felt better after a TM session, more relaxed and hopeful. He fed Buster and Keaton and chatted with them for a while.

  ***

  About an hour later Melinda came in.

  “Hi, Dad.” She kissed him on his cheek. “I came by to see how things were going, since I’m officially your attorney.”

  “Good. There are a few things I need to go over with you.”

  He told her about Karen and Luigi.

  “You let a strange woman stay at your townhouse? Dad, that’s so unlike you. The dog I can understand, but a person?”

  “If you saw the state she was in when I met her you’d understand. They were sleeping in her car parked on the street.”

  Melinda frowned. “She’s lucky she wasn’t questioned by the police.”

  “She’s convinced that Williamson had something to do with her uncle’s murder and refuses to leave until she finds out the truth.”

  “So what are you going to do with her?”

  “I’m going to help her find her u
ncle’s killer as fast as possible and send her back to L.A.”

  “Do you think she’s right about Williamson?”

  “I don’t know. But I think you may earn your fee before this is all over.” He turned to the computer. “I was just about to look at the charts of Williamson and his wife again.”

  He printed out a handful of charts, and handed Melinda her own set to peruse.

  She looked at them for a few moments. “The comparison is interesting and shows a lot of interaction.”

  “Yes, but do you see anything unusual about those connections?”

  She scrunched her face up. “They’re mostly involving connections to the outer planets: Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Dr. Williamson’s Uranus and Pluto are conjunct Gloria’s Moon, Sun, and south node. While his Moon and Mercury oppose those planets in her chart. In their composite chart Venus opposes Neptune. These aspects have more to do with how they relate to the collective than the individual.”

  “Right. What else?”

  “The Sun opposes the Moon in the composite chart. That’s the only personal aspect I see, and a Full Moon is usually very difficult in a relationship.”

  Lowell smiled. “Exactly. Usually in a marriage chart it is the inner planets, especially the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars that are positively connected. That allows the couple to interact successfully on a day-to-day basis. Here the only connection between the personal planets is that Sun-Moon opposition, and it won’t help much.”

  “So wouldn’t the lack of constructive and affirmative personal aspects imply that they would have difficulties relating to each other?”

  “I would think so. And what Gloria has told me about their marriage certainly makes the point. With outer planet aspects, the marriage would have more of a “fated” sense about it, rather than an easy romantic bond or friendship. Most likely one would try to dominate the other and use the relationship for his or her own personal gain.”

  Melinda pointed to the charts. “And with Williamson’s chart so obviously one of power and manipulation, we can assume he was the one in control.”

  “That a girl.”

  Melinda felt like a little girl getting daddy’s approval, but smiled despite herself.

  “So,” said the student, “this wasn’t a very pleasant connection, especially for the wife. Perhaps there is a karmic connection through their children.”

  “Perhaps. Let’s see where this path leads.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Karen called at five. “I’m heading back into Manhattan.” She cursed loudly. “If I can get this damn stupid GPS to work right.”

  “Where are you?” asked Lowell.

  “On something called the Grand Central Parkway. I followed this bozo, Christo out to some town out in Long Island somewhere. Nothing. A neighbor I spoke to recognized him. He was visiting his sister.”

  “Are you heading east or west?”

  “West.”

  “It’s simple. Turn the GPS off.” He gave her directions. “When you get to the toll on the Tri-Borough Bridge go through the automatic lane. The car has an E-Z-Pass on the windshield that will allow you through. I’ll have Andy meet you at the garage and then pick me up and we’ll head downtown to your uncle’s place.”

  ***

  Andy drove Lowell and Karen to her late uncle’s apartment on Avenue B. Julia had to go food shopping and wouldn’t let Luigi stay in the house unsupervised, so they took him with them.

  Alphabet City is officially part of the East Village, but has its own flavor, and so far had been spared the modernization that most of Manhattan was going through. It’s very similar to what the Village had been like many years ago. It still had an old world look and feel about it. Dozens of small shops and restaurants dotted the area. Darkly lit bars offered cheap, by Manhattan standards, food and drinks, many with live music. The neighborhood surrounded Tompkins Square Park and had a bohemian feeling that reminded Lowell of the Sixties.

  As they headed for the apartment they passed a number of residents on stoops and in outdoor cafes. Many of the men had long hair, a rarity uptown. Lowell was suddenly very aware of his ponytail.

  They walked up the three steps to the entrance of the building, a small but relatively new structure for this area, probably built in the sixties. The front door was propped open and two men were carrying a dresser out. Lowell and Karen let them pass and then entered.

  Karen walked over to the mailbox. “I came here when I first got to town hoping the package he sent had arrived. Boy, talk about snail mail.”

  She took out the smaller key her uncle had given her and opened the mailbox. Inside was a tiny package, about the size of a cassette tape.

  “Well,” she said, “it’s about time.”

  She took it out and put it in her pocket. Then they climbed the stairs to the third floor where she took out the other key and opened the door. It was a one room flat about three hundred square feet. Against one wall were a small dresser and a single bed. There was a kitchen table, with two small metal chairs in the middle of the room next to the wall-unit kitchen, and a small loveseat against the opposite wall, all well-worn furniture. In the corner was a small desk with a single drawer. An old lamp sat on top. There wasn’t much, but still the room felt cluttered.

  Luigi was busy sniffing around the place. Lowell sat on the loveseat. “Let’s see what’s in that package.”

  Karen sat next to him, opened the small parcel and tipped it. A tiny plastic envelope surrounded by bubble wrap tumbled out and landed on the table. She picked it up and took the bubble wrap off. Inside the envelope was a computer thumb drive.

  Karen handed Lowell the tiny device, about two inches in length.

  Lowell turned it over a few times. “Let’s get this back to my office and see what’s on it.”

  He got up from the couch and glanced out the window. He saw the same two men who had accosted him and Sarah exiting a car. He watched as they entered the building.

  “Karen, do you have your gun with you?”

  “No, I left it at your house. Why?”

  “We’re about to have visitors.” He picked up his cell phone and quickly sent a short text. Then he looked around the tiny apartment. “We have to hide this. But where?” The room was so tiny and sparsely furnished it wouldn’t take long to search it. There was little time. He walked over to the miniscule kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Inside was an open yogurt, a bottle of water, and a new, sealed package of Swiss cheese. He thought about putting the device in the ice tray, but they would find it.

  There was a roll of scotch tape on the kitchen counter. He took the thumb drive and taped it to underside of Luigi’s collar. Then he pointed across the room to the airshaft at the back of the building. “Throw the packaging out that window.”

  Karen hurried across the room, opened the window, and threw out the box.

  Moments later the door burst open and the two men barged their way in. The one with the long scar on the side of his face, McFarley, according to Lieutenant Roland, held a gun and aimed it at Luigi.

  “Alright, get over there and sit down or I’ll shoot the dog.”

  Lowell and Karen sat on the couch.

  “What do you want?” asked Lowell.

  McFarley walked over toward the couch. Luigi nudged him with his head. The man unconsciously started scratching the dog’s ear. His hand nearly brushed against the thumb drive several times as Lowell watched, unable to act.

  McFarley pointed at Lowell. “Someone wants you out of the way.”

  “Who?” asked the detective.

  The man shrugged. “It’s just a job. Someone wants you gone and I got paid. That’s all I care about. Hey, don’t take it personally.” Then he laughed a boisterous guffaw and waved the gun. “Get up. We’re going for a ride.”

  “Listen, McFarley,” said
Lowell. “I can pay you much more than they are.”

  The gunman looked puzzled. “So, you know who I am?”

  Lowell nodded.

  “Well, that’s just too bad for you.”

  “We can make a deal,” said Lowell.

  “Shut up,” said McFarley. “Stand up. Now.”

  Lowell tried to reason with him. “You’re making a big mistake.”

  “Yeah, probably ain’t the first time.” He turned to his partner. “Don’t you love how they beg and bargain when they know it’s their time? Don’t ya just love it?” He laughed again. “Now get up.”

  There was a pounding on the door.

  “Open the door, it’s the super.”

  “McFarley aimed the gun at Lowell. “Get rid of him.”

  “Okay, just don’t do anything stupid.” Lowell went to the door and opened it a crack. “What’s the problem?”

  “I need to get in there. There’s been a report of a gas leak and I’ve called Con Edison. There should be someone here in a few minutes.”

  The gunman had his weapon in Lowell’s back. “Just give me a minute. My wife’s dressing.”

  “Okay, but make it quick. This is serious business.”

  Lowell went to close the door, but suddenly moved aside. The door was slammed open and hit McFarley in the face, knocking him backwards. Andy rushed in, his own gun drawn.

  The other man was standing next to the loveseat. He took a gun out of his pocket and aimed it at Andy. Karen jumped up from the sofa and shoved herself against the man just as the gun went off. The shot missed Andy by inches. The gunman was getting ready to fire again. Andy turned and with a calm look in his eye, aimed his gun and fired, hitting the man in the chest, killing him instantly.

  McFarley ran past Andy knocking the gun out of his hand. He ran out the door and down the stairs before anyone could react.