Candy Canes & Corpses

by Abby L. Vandiver

  DeeDee ran after him. “No,” she pleaded. “That’s not what I meant, Al. You look great, really good. I love it. That cornflower blue really suits you. You look ten years younger.”

  Al’s face lit up. “Ya’ think so? It’s jes’ I’m goin’ somewhere after I meet Dino, and I kinda’ wanted to look nice.”

  DeeDee stared into his sunglasses. “Al, I never thought I’d see a gangster blush. Tell me more, over coffee. Is it anyone I know?”

  Al shuffled from foot to foot. “I’m gonna plead the fifth,” he said, following DeeDee into the kitchen. He sat at the table and watched DeeDee fussing around with the coffeepot and some cake.

  “The catering job I did for Dana is already paying off,” DeeDee said, as she poured the coffee into a cup for each of them. “I had four calls while we were gone from guests who were at the party who want me to cater events for them.” She carried the cups over to the table and set one down in front of Al. Going back over to the counter, she returned with a plate filled with an assortment of cakes. “I only have coffee cake, orange cake, or chocolate cake,” she said apologetically. “With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t had much time for baking lately.”

  “I understand,” Al said with a solemn expression, wondering what the selection would be like on a good day. “Don’tcha worry about it.” He helped himself to a slice of coffee cake, and tuned his attention back to what DeeDee was saying.

  “He said he knows it’s short notice, but wondered if I could meet with him tomorrow morning.” DeeDee took a sip of her coffee. “He’s going to be out late tonight meeting his agent. What do you think?”

  “Who’s that?” Al said, confused.

  “Jerry McGee,” DeeDee went on. “He’s planning a party for a few studio executives to try and get some work offers. He wants to impress them, and he thought my catering would do just that.”

  Al choked on his cake, and several crumbs escaped from his mouth. Jerry McGee was one of the suspects he’d asked Rob to get more information on earlier.

  DeeDee jumped up, and started patting his back. “Al, are you okay? That cake’s too dry, I knew it.”

  “I’m all right, really,” Al insisted, draining his coffee in two loud gulps. “But I just remembered something. I haven’t walked the dogs, and I’m due at Dino’s soon. Will you lock the door behind me while I step out for a while? I’ll come back in before I go to Dino’s place.”

  “Sure,” DeeDee said, looking at him strangely.

  Al picked up his phone from the table and pulled on his coat. “I won’t be long,” he muttered, hurrying outside with Balto at his heels. Once he was outside, he opened the gate and Red joined them as they headed for the beach.

  When he was out of earshot of the house, Al made a call. “Whatcha got on the McGee guy?” he asked Rob, who answered after the first ring.

  Rob sounded relieved to hear Al’s voice. “I’ve been waiting for you to get back to me, Al, because I think we’ve got a problem with him.”

  “Shoot,” Al said, quickening his pace. Red and Balto seemed to think he was playing a game, and they both began to run, racing each other to the beach.

  “Jerry was arrested for various violent crimes in the slum where he grew up when he was a minor, including an attempted murder.”

  “What?” Al stopped walking, and looked back towards DeeDee’s house. He wasn’t sure about letting her out of his sight. He wondered if he should just let the dogs go on ahead.

  “The case was dropped for lack of evidence,” Rob continued. “There were also several other arrests, but none of them went to trial for one reason or another. The one that’s the most interesting regards the theft of a vehicle that was involved in a fatal accident that caused Jerry’s brother’s death.”

  Al whistled to the dogs, who turned and ran back toward him. “Tell me more,” Al said loudly. “I’m likin’ this guy less and less by the second.”

  “That case was dropped as well, because Jerry said his brother Gordon stole the car and was driving it when they crashed.”

  “Yeah, course he was,” Al said. “Anythin’ else?”

  “Yes. I’ve been able to get information on several of the women Jerry’s been with over the years, and there were quite a few. Their take on him is quite different than his public persona. Apparently he has a violent temper, and one of the women says she feared for her life. She ended up moving to another state to get away from him and had to change her telephone number.”

  “What a charmer,” Al observed. “Ya’ better send me Jerry’s address, Rob, and everythin’ else ya’ got on him. Reckon Ima gonna have to pay this guy a visit before he gets up to any more trouble.”

  “Sure thing, Al. I’m sending the email now.”

  No sooner had Rob hung up than his email arrived on Al’s phone with the full dossier of information on Jerry McGee.

  Al began walking back to DeeDee’s house. Scrolling through the list of recent calls on his phone, he pressed the redial button on Jake’s number.

  “I gotta tell ya’ again, yer’ guy Rob’s the eighth wonder of the world,” Al said when Jake answered. “Vinny woulda’ loved him. Now, I need ya’ to keep calm while I tell ya’ what he jes’ told me about Jerry McGee, cuz’ my guess is, yer’ probably gonna go nuts.”

  Sure enough, Al had to hold the phone away from his ear when he told Jake what Rob had found out, and that DeeDee had arranged to meet with Jerry the following morning.

  “You can’t let her go,” Jake yelled at him. “She’s a sitting duck. We should be calling the police right now.”

  “Uh-huh,” Al said a few times, while Jake ranted on and on. “Yeah. Uh-huh.”

  When Jake finally paused for a breath, Al spoke. “Are ya’ done? The way I see it, this could be a blessin’ all wrapped up in some kinda disguise. Here’s what we’re gonna do if Jerry turns nasty.” Al began barking instructions at Jake. “Ima gonna need a microphone for DeeDee to wear that we can listen in on while she’s there. Also need a voice activator to record the conversation. Oh, and handcuffs. Ya’ got that? Good. Okay then, listen up.”

  By the time Al and the dogs arrived back at DeeDee’s house, he and Jake had agreed on a plan.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Al wasn’t easily impressed when it came to expensive properties, but his eyes widened when he pulled up in front of Dino Argyros’ house on Crystal Springs Drive on Bainbridge Island. The two-story, timber clad home had both a porch and a patio out in front, which led onto landscaped wooded gardens dotted with paved areas, pathways, and steps. The other three sides of the house were surrounded by colonial wood decking with fancy railings. The deck was framed with outdoor seating around the sides, its backdrop the solid blue of Puget Sound.

  Al left DeeDee’s SUV on the street and walked up the driveway. He noticed a beautiful garden adjacent to a wooden dock that led out over the water, where a long thin cigarette boat was tied up. Al smiled to himself as he walked up to the red front door. He knew that the origin of a fast boat like he was looking at was so they could be used for smuggling. In this case, he thought it was more likely that Dino just liked a faster alternative to the mainland than the ferry.

  He rang the doorbell, and the sound of a traditional bell chime was clearly audible. Moments later, a beautiful young woman who appeared to be Greek and was dressed in a classic maid’s outfit of a black dress with a frilly white apron, opened the door and greeted him with a silent nod.

  “Hello,” Al said, with a polite smile. The girl looked like she was a teenager, and he could tell his appearance unsettled her. The deep purple ragged scar on his temple and the glint of his gold teeth sometimes had that effect on people. “I got an appointment with Mr. Argyros,” Al explained, but she continued to look at him with a blank expression. “Dino?” Al said, wondering if he had the right house. He’d be surprised if Rob had gotten it wrong.

  “Ah yes, Mr. Dino,” the girl said, motioning for him to come inside. Al realized her English wasn’
t very good, and decided against trying to make small talk with her. He followed the maid down the hall and into a study with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the deck, Puget Sound, and Dino’s boat.

  “Al De Duco, it’s good to see you,” Dino said, standing up from behind a desk and walking around it to greet Al with a firm handshake. The maid hurried out of the room. “Heard from Dom Langello you’d retired after Vinny’s death and gone to the Cayman Islands. You must miss Vinny a lot. He and I met for lunch occasionally, and he always spoke highly of you.”

  Al swallowed. “Guess I miss the Boss more than I woulda thought. Tough old boot like me, and I’m still workin’ on puttin’ the past to bed. Some people, they stay with ya’ all the time.”

  “I know what you mean,” Dino said, with a faraway look in his eyes. A moment or two later, his attention snapped back to Al. “Sorry, I guess I was miles away.” He motioned to some armchairs by the window. “It’s late in the day, and I could do with a beer. Would you care to join me?”

  “Sure,” Al said. “A beer sounds good, thanks Dino.”

  Al settled back in one of the armchairs, while Dino pressed a button on his desk, and told someone he’d like two beers brought to his office. Then he joined Al in one of the chairs by the window.

  “I appreciate the conversation we had after Vinny’s murder ‘bout Theresa Larkin,” Al said, stretching out his legs. He marveled how comfortable the blue jeans were and decided to buy a couple more pairs. They were interrupted by the arrival of the maid, carrying a tray with two glasses of beer on it.

  “Thank you, Berenika,” Dino said to the maid when she served them the beer. “That will be all. Please, make sure my wife and children know I am not to be disturbed.”

  The maid nodded and left the room.

  “I’m pleased they got the person who killed Vinny,” Dino said, taking a sip of his beer. “So, what brings you back to town?”

  “Some friends of mine needed my help,” Al said. “Asked me to come back to Seattle fer a few days. Truth is, Dino, it’s a delicate matter.” His eyes rested on Dino’s face, ready to gauge his reaction. “I’ve been unofficially hired to help solve the murder of Dana Donnelly.”

  Dino set his beer on the table and stood up, walking past Al to the windows. He stood there, hands jammed in his pockets, with his back to Al for a long time. At one point, he bowed his head and rested it against the cool glass of the window pane. When he turned back to Al, his face was strained. “I’m assuming Vinny told you Dana and I were lovers.”

  “Yeah,” Al said, his eyes never leaving Dino’s. “Think it came up once in a conversation when we was watchin’ her show on television. That’s why I’m here. Since ya’ were close with her, I wanted to get yer’ read on what happened to her.”

  Still standing, Dino reached for his beer on the table. His voice cracked when he spoke. “Al, I have no idea what happened. The day Dana told me she was ending our relationship was the worst day of my life. I hate to use the word affair, because it makes it sound so…seedy. What Dana and I had was so much more.”

  Al hated to see a grown man in as much pain as Dino was obviously in at the moment. He noticed his beer wobbling in his hand, and it occurred to Al that it may not have been Dino’s first drink of the day. “Were the two of ya’ together fer very long?”

  Dino’s eyes were shining. “Four years, give or take. I thought Dana was my soul mate. We had an understanding, and we spent as much time together as we could. Then, last week…suddenly, everything changed. I was blindsided when she ended it.”

  “What happened?” Al asked him. “Didja argue ‘bout something?”

  Dino shook his head, and emptied the rest of his beer. “Nothing like that. She said she and Mickey had done some soul searching and agreed that if she would give up our relationship, he would give up gambling. I know it sounds naïve, but I had really thought we could continue on forever.”

  Al raised an eyebrow. As far as he was concerned, Vinny sure had been right about saying that for a smart guy, Dino was acting real dumb over a broad. “Jes’ how was that supposed to work, Dino? Ya’ were both married with young families. Strikes me as kinda’ selfish on both yer’ parts, if ya’ don’t mind me sayin’ so.”

  Dino sat back down, swirling the last drops of beer around in his almost empty glass. “I mean, she was in a marriage where her husband’s gambling took precedence over her marriage, and I was, and still am, in a marriage that’s more of a financial convenience for me than anything else.”

  “Hmph,” Al said. “Must be terrible, all that sneakin’ around and lyin’ all the time. Can’t see the point. If ya’ love someone, really love em’, don’tcha just wanna be with ‘em all the time?” He found himself thinking of Cassie, and his heart quickened.

  Dino nodded. “You’re right. It was a no-win situation, but even so, I really hoped we would get back together. Dana wouldn’t take my calls. When my wife, Gia, told me we’d received an invitation to Dana and Mickey’s New Year’s Eve party, she said she had no desire to go, because she wanted to keep me away from Dana at all costs. But I insisted we attend, so I could see Dana again.”

  “So, Gia knew what was goin’ on? All this carryin’ on under her nose?” Al gave Dino a look that indicated he was not impressed.

  Dino gave a sad shrug. “Yes. I’m not proud of what I put her through. Gia confronted me about Dana several times. She saw the Page Six piece, and there were various other times she had good reason to suspect that Dana and I were more than just good friends. I always denied it until now. I finally came clean to Gia after Dana’s death.”

  Al would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. “How’d she take it?”

  “Evidently Gia had already heard from her hairdresser, the same one Dana went to, that Dana and Mickey were going to try and make a go of their marriage, including breaking off relationships with anyone either of them might have been seeing. As it happens, Mickey was no saint either. Gia said, when she heard that, all she wanted was for Dana and Mickey’s house to be sold as soon as possible, so they would move away and get out of our lives for good. I think she was hoping that with Dana gone, we could put it all behind us.”

  Al leaned forward. “Is Gia the type who coulda hated Dana enough to do somethin’?”

  Dino shook his head. “Gia has a hot temper, but it blows over in a flash. It’s usually directed at me. With our children and the staff, she’s a very gentle person. There’s no way she could ever put a knife in someone, although she may well have wanted to put one in me once or twice over the years,” Dino said, laughing bitterly. “She’s the type that takes spiders outside and lets them loose rather than kill them. She even instructed our maid to do the same thing.”

  Al squirmed in his seat, and looked down at the floor. The sight of a spider would have him running out of there in five seconds flat, if that. He faced Dino squarely. “Dino, hate to do this, but gotta ask ya’. Were ya’ mad enough at Dana to make sure if ya’ couldn’t have her, Mickey wouldn’t get her either?”

  Dino’s gaze met Al’s without wavering. “Al, I understand why you have to ask that, but don’t ever even insinuate that again. I loved Dana. Pure and simple. She was the reason I got up in the morning. The last few days have been the worst in my life. No, I had nothing to do with her murder. Why would I? Hope springs eternal. I really thought there was a chance we could get back together. With her dead, so is that hope. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to live the rest of my life without her.” With that, he buried his face in his hands, and started to rock back and forth in his chair, loud sobs escaping through the fingers that covered his face.

  Al sat in an uncomfortable silence while Dino sobbed. He didn’t approve of Dino’s behavior with Dana, but the guy was suffering plenty over it now. When Dino’s sobs subsided, Al spoke up. “Dino, I’m sorry. I’ve never been in love like that, and I can’t imagine what ya’ must be goin’ through, but I’d be willin’ to
bet yer’ wife would like to have a little of that love showered on her. If Dana and Mickey were goin’ to start fresh, maybe that’s an omen that you and Gia oughta try too.”

  Dino was quiet for a few moments before responding. He looked up at Al, his eyes red. “Yeah, you may be right, Al. Is that what Vinny would tell me if he were here?”

  Al stood and reached over to shake Dino’s hand. “Jes’ might be a little bit of good advice from the grave. Good luck, my friend. I’ll let myself out.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Al hummed to himself as he drove to the address Rob had given him for Jerry’s house. It was a couple of hours since he’d left Cassie at the Starbucks in Pioneer Square, and the memory of it made him smile. One coffee had turned into two, and he’d reluctantly left to head back to Bainbridge Island. Jake had texted him to say that the recording equipment he’d requested was waiting for him in Jake’s mailbox.

  Cassie had captivated Al even more than the first time he saw her, if that was possible. The tinkle of her laughter, the way she tipped her head to the side and closed one eye when she was thinking about something, and even the way she stirred her coffee. Al found all of it adorable. He’d never met anyone who made his heart pound through his chest the way she did, nor his face ache from smiling so much. The feel of her soft skin against his lips when he kissed her goodbye on the cheek had stayed with him through the ferry ride back to Bainbridge Island. That, and the promise of seeing her again in a day or two, was enough to sustain him through the boat trip in a state of bliss instead of his usual apprehension at being surrounded by water.

  Reaching his destination, Al did a slow drive-by past Jerry McGee’s house, checking to make sure no one was home. The lights were off, and DeeDee had mentioned earlier that Jerry was expecting to be out all evening, but Al wasn’t leaving anything to chance. For that reason, he kept on driving and parked around the corner. That way, if Jerry did come back unexpectedly, he wouldn’t see a car in front of his house, nor would the neighbors. Al made sure the street was empty before getting out of the car and walking back in the direction of Jerry’s house.