Murder in Mystic Grove

by S F Bose

  I looked at her and smiled. What’s the point, indeed? We talked about jobs versus careers, the merits of herbal medicine, Madison versus Chicago, the University, and a dozen other things. It was a lively conversation.

  I had just served the ice cream when the doorbell rang. Chloe and I looked at each other and she shook her head.

  “Maybe it’s Olivia and she forgot her key,” I said. I walked across the dining room and through the open double doors into the entrance hall. I patted my hip and felt the Glock. It never hurt to be prepared.

  “Who is it?” I asked loudly. No answer. I looked through the peephole and drew back in surprise.

  “Who is it?” a voice behind me asked and I whirled around. Sam backed up a step.

  “Don’t sneak up on me!”

  Sam held his hands up and mouthed, “Who is it?”

  Without answering, I turned and opened the door guard, unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the door. Eddie Spaghetti Klein stood on the welcome mat, looking around nervously. His red mustache was as thick as ever, but he’d added a short, red beard. A hoodie covered his head along with the hood of his parka. He wore jeans and winter boots. His dog, Flip, the Golden Irish, danced at the end of a leash.

  “Let us in already,” Eddie muttered and I stepped aside. Once he and Flip were inside, I scanned the driveway and didn’t see any other vehicles. After shutting and locking the door, I turned to see Chloe and Neville standing in the doorway between the dining room and front hall. Both ate ice cream and scrutinized Eddie.

  “I’m glad to see you,” Sam said, shaking Eddie’s hand.

  “Me too. Can we talk someplace private?” Eddie asked, glancing at Chloe and Neville. “I’ve got information you need.”

  Chapter 64

  The three of us sat in the small office off the main hallway. An old writing desk and chair with spindle legs sat by the east wall. Built-in bookshelves crammed with a variety of books lined the north wall. In the center of the room, four gray, club chairs faced off across a large, reclaimed wooden coffee table. The chairs and coffee table rested on a floral area rug. Pleated, gold-colored curtains covered the two windows on the south wall.

  Sam and I sat next to each other eating ice cream. Across from us, Eddie hunched over a large plate heaped with pizza, chicken, rib tips, French fries and breaded mushrooms. He ate non-stop for ten minutes, pausing only to take a pull from a bottle of Wisconsin red pale ale. Meanwhile, Flip devoured the three cans of cat food I had emptied into a dish for him. Then he drank from the separate bowl of water.

  “When’s the last time he ate?” Sam asked, watching Flip.

  Eddie glanced over at the dog. “About two hours ago. He’s a puppy. It’s his job to eat.”

  “He’s good at his job,” I observed and Sam laughed. After scratching an itch, Flip trotted over to Eddie and plopped down on the rug. He eyed Eddie’s plate but Eddie shook his head at the dog.

  “Oh man that was delicious. Thank you. First decent meal I’ve had in a while,” Eddie finally said, wiping his mouth with a paper towel. He set the plate on the coffee table and stood up to take off his parka. Then he sat back down and took another swig of ale. When he saw Flip still eying the plate, he moved it to the other side of the table.

  “You can never be too careful with him.” He patted Flip on the head.

  “Where’ve you been, Eddie?” Sam asked.

  “Lying low. After Jimmy got shot, I figured it was only a matter of time before they caught up with me.”

  “They?” I asked, putting my empty ice cream bowl on the coffee table.

  “Mr. B and his crew,” Eddie replied, his gray eyes flat.

  “Start from the beginning, Eddie,” I said. He sat back and nodded.

  “Like I said before, when Jimmy came to my house after he shot the cop, he was all over the place. He didn’t know what he was going to do. But right before he left, he said he thought he owed it to Mr. B to tell him that the police knew about his gambling system.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us that when we were at your house?” I asked.

  Eddie sighed. “I already felt like I had a target on my back. If I gave you information that led you to Mr. B, I was afraid he’d find out and come after me.”

  “Okay, that makes sense,” Sam agreed. “You said you had information?”

  “I do. I’m going to tell you how Jimmy Dietz died and who did it.” Sam and I both sat up straighter.

  “After he left my place in my vehicle, Jimmy called Mr. B. I don’t know exactly what he said, but Mr. B told him to meet him at an empty warehouse he owns on the near east side of Madison. When Jimmy got there, Mr. B, his son, Chuck, and a guy named Bear, were waiting for him. Bear worked as a bodyguard and muscle for Mr. B. They all went to a room in the warehouse that had a desk and some chairs. Jimmy kept repeating, ‘I’m sorry,’ over and over and Mr. B told him he had to calm down. He hugged Jimmy and said they could fix any problem. Then he gave Jimmy a drink from his flask.”

  “How do you know all this?” I asked. Eddie just held up his hand.

  “After Jimmy calmed down, he admitted he had been at the Emporium the day of the murder. He also confessed he had loaned Justin the thirty thousand dollars so he could pay back Mr. B. He knew it was a mistake but at the time thought it was the right thing to do, because Justin was his friend. At the Emporium, when Justin stalled on paying him back again, Jimmy roughed him up and gave him a deadline for repayment. He thought he had scared Justin enough to get paid back.”

  Eddie paused. “Jimmy said a week later two PIs came to talk to him. They told him Justin was dead and they were trying to clear someone who was a suspect in his murder. He told Mr. B that the PIs knew about his gambling system. Justin had written everything down about the system and the PIs had found the document on his computer. The police confiscated the computer later, but they didn’t know about the document. When Jimmy couldn’t name the PIs or even describe them, Mr. B got angry.”

  At least Mr. B didn’t know who we were, I thought, and was thankful. Eddie stopped to drain his bottle of ale. He sat forward, rolling the empty bottle between his hands, and continued. “Jimmy told Mr. B he planned to skip town, but realized he had to let him know about the evidence on the computer. That was why he called him.”

  “Mr. B wasn’t at all curious about the cop Jimmy shot?” asked Sam.

  “They did talk about that. Jimmy said he panicked when the cop stopped him. He didn’t want to go to jail again, so he shot him. He didn’t know if the cop was alive or dead. He just drove away as fast as he could and went to my place to get a different car.”

  “How did Mr. B react?” I asked.

  Eddie’s eyes darkened, “He was angry. He asked Jimmy who he’d talked to. When Jimmy said he’d been at my place, Mr. B wanted to know if I knew about everything that had gone down. Jimmy said I hadn’t known about Justin writing about the gambling system. But I did know about him shooting the cop.”

  Eddie made a face and rubbed his thin beard. “That’s when Mr. B really lost it. He said Jimmy had been stupid. If he hadn’t vouched for Justin and me, none of this would have happened. He ranted about Jimmy lending money to Justin and he yelled about the police having records of his gambling system. He said it was all a huge mess and he blamed Jimmy.”

  “Jimmy must have been devastated,” I said.

  Eddie swallowed hard. “Jimmy was crying and kept saying he was sorry. When Mr. B ordered Chuck and Bear to tie him to the chair, Jimmy didn’t even fight. Then Mr. B told Chuck to shoot Jimmy in the chest with Jimmy’s Sig Sauer. Chuck didn’t want to but he caved when Mr. B said if he didn’t, he’d have Bear kill both Jimmy and Chuck. So his son shot Jimmy three times. They cleaned the body and rolled it up in a rug. Then they hosed down the office.”

  “Would Mr. B have killed his own son?” Sam asked.

  Eddie nodded and dropped his head. “I have no doubt. He’s a crazy man.” Eddie’s voice tightened. “Mr. B was like a father figure to Ji
mmy. All Jimmy wanted to do was warn him. What did his loyalty get him? Tied to a chair and three rounds in his chest.” When Eddie raised his head, his eyes were wet with tears. He wiped them with his sleeve.

  “You want to take a break, Eddie?” I asked softly. He shook his head violently.

  “Gotta do this.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, Bear and Chuck took the body back to Jimmy’s house in a van. Mr. B followed in his car. They shaved Jimmy’s head and face so he looked neat, and dressed him in a clean suit and tie. To be safe, they put towels on his chest and back, under his shirt, but he had stopped bleeding. Then they laid him out on his bed and put his Tarot death card in his hands. Is that pathetic or what?”

  “Why the Tarot card?” Sam asked.

  “Jimmy carried it around with him for good luck. It was the only thing he had from his late mother,” Eddie said.

  I felt tears prickling in my eyes. I blinked fast and looked down.

  “I don’t understand why they shaved him and dressed him up,” Sam said.

  Eddie took a deep breath and exhaled. “I think it was Mr. B’s way of showing respect. They brought Jimmy home, dressed him up, and laid him out. Better than dumping him in a lake, you know?”

  Sam frowned and shook his head. Then Eddie said in a quiet voice, “So after they killed Jimmy, Mr. B told Bear to find me and kill me too.” He shared this so calmly I felt a chill.

  “Eddie, why are you smiling?” I asked.

  “I’m smiling because Mr. B didn’t know that Bear was one of my oldest friends. My Cousin Drew and I met Bear when we were kids. We all lived on the near east side and played together. Then my family moved to Mystic Grove when I was little. They thought the schools and life would be better there. But Dad still drove in to work at Perkins-Mueller on the east side every day. And every other Saturday, my family would go to Drew’s house for dinner. Bear lived two doors down from them and was usually at dinner. Each summer I lived at Drew’s for weeks and the three of us hung out. We were best friends and we stayed friends when we grew up.”

  “Eddie, how did Bear end up working at the one pool hall in the city that you and Justin went to later?” I asked.

  Eddie grimaced. “It was about six years ago. One of Drew’s buddies was a bartender at Paulie’s Pub. Drew and Bear went there to talk to the bartender and have some beers. Mr. B was also there that night and noticed Bear. He asked one of his guys to invite him back to the office for a chat. Like I mentioned, Bear was an imposing guy. They chatted, hit it off, and Mr. B offered him a job at twice what he was making as a bouncer. Bear took the job.”

  “And Mr. B never knew the two of you were close friends?” Sam asked.

  Eddie shook his head. “No.”

  “So when Jimmy got the job at Paulie’s, you never mentioned that your friend, Bear, worked for Mr. B?” I asked.

  “No, never and I’ll tell you why. Drew and I were at dinner with Bear one night. It was around three months after he had started the job with Mr. B. While we were eating, Bear said Mr. B was a dangerous guy. He told us if we ever went to Paulie’s, we should never say we knew him. If we happened to see him there, we should ignore him and he’d do the same. When we asked him why, he said it would be safer for everyone if Mr. B didn’t know who his friends and relatives were. He didn’t want us to get hurt.”

  “What did you do?” asked Sam.

  Eddie shrugged. “After that, Drew never went back to Paulie’s Pub. And I never mentioned Bear to Jimmy or Justin.”

  “Bear gave you the information about Jimmy’s death?” Sam asked.

  Eddie nodded. “He called me on my cellphone the day after Jimmy’s murder and we met. He told me how Jimmy died and that Mr. B wanted me dead. He urged me to change my appearance and leave the area until he or Drew contacted me. I told him I had a friend with a cabin in the woods up north and I’d hide out there. Then Bear made me swear I wouldn’t tell anyone we talked.”

  “But you’re telling us,” I said.

  Eddie leaned forward. “I’m telling you this because the day after we talked, Bear Madden was shot and killed in front of his house in Madison. They made it look like a robbery. But I know Mr. B was behind the shooting. He’s getting rid of the witnesses to Jimmy’s murder. If I were Chuck, I’d be sweating like a pig. Mr. B will do anything to survive.”

  “How did you find out Bear was dead?” I asked.

  Eddie looked down. “Bear’s mom called my mom and she called me. I was at the cabin.”

  “I’m really sorry, Eddie,” Sam said.

  “I drove to Madison to be with Bear’s folks.” Eddie looked down at his hands. “At first, I hesitated to go to the wake and funeral Mass. I was worried Mr. B would be there. Then I thought, to hell with it, I’m going…and I did. Drew and I were both pallbearers. We gave Bear a good send-off. His entire family was there, including all of his grandparents from out east.”

  “Did Mr. B show up at the wake or funeral?” I asked.

  “No, he did not,” Eddie replied in a tight voice.

  “Is there anything we can do?” I asked.

  Eddie reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a flash drive.

  “There is. Bear gave this to me when we met. He said if anything happened to him, I should give it to the police. He was worried because about four months ago, Mr. B and another bodyguard beat up a gambler who was late with his loan payment. Things really got out of hand. The gambler died and a week later, the bodyguard disappeared. Bear thought then that Mr. B was behind the bodyguard’s disappearance. After that, he started recording his meetings with Mr. B.”

  Eddie paused and then held up the flash drive. “You’ll find a recording of the meeting at the warehouse on this drive. Bear calls him “Mr. Benedetto” several times on the recording. He wanted it clear that Mr. B was running the show. You can hear him order Chuck to shoot Jimmy. He congratulated him afterwards and said he did a good job.”

  Eddie handed Sam the flash drive. Then he reached for his parka and pulled out a legal sized envelope, folded. “Bear also wrote everything down about that night. He included another statement about the gambler they killed, including his name.” He handed the envelope to Sam. “Bear also gave the flash drive and statement to another person as insurance. That person was to follow the same instructions.”

  “Who was that person?” I asked.

  Eddie shook his head. “I have no idea.”

  “Eddie, why’d you wait a week to turn in this evidence?” Sam asked.

  Eddie blinked in surprise. “Like I said, I was tied up with the family and the funeral. The wake was Monday and the funeral Tuesday. Then I had some other things to deal with.”

  “Were Bear and Jimmy friends?” I asked.

  “No. They knew each other and worked together, but they weren’t friends,” Eddie replied.

  “Okay, would you consider going to the police with us? It would help in case they have any questions,” said Sam.

  “No, I need to stay out of this. That’s my only request. Don’t ever mention me as the source of this evidence. If Mr. B thinks I’ve disappeared, he won’t bother my family. But if he thinks I gave you this …” Eddie’s voice trailed off. “I promised Bear, so I need someone I trust to follow through with the police. I can’t do it myself.”

  “Okay, we’ll give the statement and the flash drive to the police. And we won’t mention your name,” Sam agreed.

  “Thanks. Appreciate it,” Eddie replied and he looked relieved.

  “Can I have a number or some way to get in touch with you?” Sam asked.

  “Why?” Eddie replied, his eyebrows cutting down into a frown.

  “So I can let you when it’s done. Also, the police may questions I can’t answer,” Sam replied slowly, giving Eddie a long look.

  “Nothing personal but I’ll call you.” When Sam just stared at him, Eddie said, “Sorry, Sam. That’s the way it has to be.”

  “Okay,” Sam replied, still staring at Eddie.

  “
Eddie, somebody tipped the police off to the fact that Jimmy’s body was at his house. Do you know who did that?” I asked.

  “Probably someone on Mr. B’s payroll. I don’t know who exactly. It could have been Bear, but he never mentioned it.” Eddie shrugged and scratched his beard.

  “What are you going to do now?” I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

  “I’m going somewhere safe. My girlfriend and I are leaving town. I’ve arranged monthly support payments for my kids. My ex-wife has a good job, so she’ll be okay.”

  “Will you do electrical work somewhere?” I asked.

  Eddie laughed. “Nah. The silver lining in this entire mess is that I’m a really good online gambler. The ex-wife doesn’t know about that, so keep it under your hat. I’ll gamble for a living. I have a lot of money stashed offshore, so we’ll be okay. Which leads me to a favor I have to ask. I can’t take Flip where we’re going. Sam, he really likes you. Would you consider adopting him? It would be for good. I don’t want to see him passed along to any more people.”

  Sam’s eyebrows shot up and he looked at Flip who had dozed off.

  “I don’t know Eddie. I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid.”

  “He likes you. I can tell. And I think you like him too,” Eddie replied.

  “I’ll help you,” I said to Sam. “We had dogs growing up too.

  Sam’s eyes met mine. “You know how much I work,” he said doubtfully and looked back at Flip.

  “Bring him to the office. It would be great,” I urged him. Flip woke up, yawned, and then stood up. He looked around and then walked over to Sam. He went by me without a glance. But when he got to Sam, he rested his head on his leg. Sam laughed and started petting Flip.

  “You made him do that,” he accused Eddie.

  Eddie just raised his hands and smiled. “Trust me, he likes you. He’s a great dog. You’d be good together and it would give me peace of mind.”

  There was a pause while Sam scratched Flip’s ear. “Okay, I’ll do it,” he said finally and I clapped. I realized I had been holding my breath. Eddie thanked him and picked up the leash from the table. He handed it over to Sam, who took it with a smile. He clipped it on Flip’s collar.