by Gail Meath
Jax finished cleaning up the kitchen and grabbed another beer. He sat on the sofa with Ace, trying to fit all the pieces together with what he knew. One thing is for sure. Kitty Cooper’s and Sam Sanders’ deaths had more in common than just the lilies that were planted at the murder scenes. Laura had a connection to both victims. She had replaced Kitty in the current play, and Sam had written a new play for her. He wasn’t sure how it was all related, but again, he wondered who had tampered with his car brakes? And why?
At eight o’clock the next morning, Jax woke up abruptly. He’d fallen asleep on the sofa, and it took him a minute to gather his bearings. But someone was furiously pounding on his door. “I’m coming!” he yelled, and he finally swung the door open.
Tim charged inside, slapping a manila folder against his chest. “What are you cooking for breakfast? I’m hungry.”
Jax saw Kitty Cooper’s name written on the front of the folder and smiled. “I’ll make us eggs and bacon.”
“And lots of coffee.” Tim went into the kitchen with Jax following along. “Gus isn’t happy with me for waking him up so early this morning. He said he checked your car out yesterday and agreed that someone had cut the brake cables. You made somebody pretty mad besides me, Jax.”
He heated a pot of water and pulled out a carton of eggs and a slab of bacon. “Didn’t Kitty Cooper die after inhaling too much chloroform?”
“Some cornballs use it socially to replace alcohol, which is why we determined her death was a suicide at first.”
“Yeah, but after Doctor Norris performed the autopsy, he was sure it was murder, and chloroform had been used as the weapon, right?”
“That’s how she died, but we couldn’t prove who was responsible. Our best guess is a couple of hoodlums broke into her apartment, and it was a robbery that went too far. Now, tell me about your new girlfriend.”
Jax laughed. “You’ll meet her later. At least I hope you will. We’re taking Ace to the park this morning, and I thought I’d invite her to your place for dinner. It’s Sunday, and Carla usually makes spaghetti. Laura loves homecooked meals.”
“This is all fun and games to you, isn’t it, Jax? For crying out loud, it is not a joke. Gus said that you could have been killed if your car had smashed into the butcher shop at full speed.”
“Luckily, my new girlfriend knows more about cars than I do.” He poured them both a cup of coffee and sat down. “Remember my wild theory about Patricia Sanders and Robert Ashworth conspiring to murder her husband? Even though Laura knows a lot about cars, I’m sure Patricia Sanders is clueless. She or Ashworth could have hired someone to cut the brake cables on my car.”
“To stop you from looking deeper into it?”
“Of course, that just makes me want to dig deeper.”
Tim gulped down the rest of his coffee. “Cripes. Now, you’ve got me believing your dang theory. And you’re sure your girlfriend isn’t part of it?”
“Nope. You’ll see why later when you meet her.”
“Well, be careful, Jax. And I hope for your sake she’s not playing you.”
10
Coney Island
Sunday, June 3
Laura peeked out the window in her bedroom and saw Ace sitting in front of her building with Jax standing beside him. She smiled, quickly looked at herself in the mirror again, and made her way downstairs. Ace saw her come out the front door and ran over to greet her. Jax followed along, and she gladly wrapped her arm in his when he offered.
It was a beautiful day with cloudless skies, bright sunshine, and the perfect temperature. As they strolled along toward Fort Greene Park, less than a half-mile away, they talked about absolutely nothing of importance. Laura was glad since the latter part of yesterday had turned out to be a bit too intense. Although already it seemed that no matter what went on, Jax remained fairly calm, even saying something humorous to ease the tension.
“There’s a lot of history here,” he told her when they reached the park. “During the Revolutionary War, the military built several forts here and named the park after Nathaniel Greene, a heroic general in the Continental Army. The monument was built about the same time to honor the thousands of prisoners who died aboard British ships during the war.”
“I’ve noticed the tower when I pass by the park, but I never knew what it represented. I’m ashamed to say that haven’t had the opportunity to explore much of the city the past few months.”
“You haven’t? Well, that settles it. We’re going exploring today. There are so many terrific things to see and do here. And I promise not to bore you with a lot of tour guide jargon. We’ll start with a few of my favorite pastimes.”
And that began a day of sightseeing for them. They played catch with Ace in the park for a while. Then, they strolled along the walkway around the pond that was encompassed by a dense forest of beautiful flowering shrubs and bushes. The water glistened in the sunlight, colorful dragon flies fluttered by them, and frogs merrily hopped around the lily pads. It was a heavenly paradise tucked within a vast and busy city.
Afterward, they walked to the bay to ride the ferry around the Statue of Liberty. Jax stopped at the ticket booth and reached into his pocket for a few coins. A penny dropped to the ground, and just as he bent down to pick it up, Laura kicked it out of his reach.
“Leave it be,” she told him. “It landed tails-up.”
“Huh?”
“Trust me, Jax. We don’t need any more bad luck. If it had landed heads-up, you’d be good to go.”
“Tails-up is bad luck, and heads-up is good luck?”
“Yes. I know it’s annoying, but everyone has some annoying traits. Even you.”
“Well, I can’t think of one offhand, but I’m sure you’re right.”
They boarded the ferry, and as it traveled across the waters, Jax explained the significance of both the statue and Ellis Island not far away. Laura listened intently while enjoying her first ferry ride. Yet, she kept her gaze fixed upon the magnificent lady of peace, as Jax referred to her. The enormous copper sculpture was as rich in history as it was breath-taking, and the mere sight of her was mesmerizing. Even Ace seemed to enjoy the ride as much as she did. He sat beside them with his head poked through the railing, reveling in the breeze.
From there, they snuck Ace on a trolley and headed for the amusement parks at Coney Island where they spent the rest of the afternoon. Jax told her that this was Ace’s favorite place of all. He loved the crowds, especially the children who always shared their snacks with him.
Laura was stunned by the swarms of people, the endless street hawkers selling an array of different foods, the wide variety of rides, and the deafening yet joyous sounds of laughter, singing, bells, and whistles.
“Back home, we had a few local festivals during the summer, and the traveling carnival passed through town once in a great while,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Jax grabbed her hand. “We’ll start you out slow and work our way up.”
They went on the carousel and Ferris wheel, and they took a ride on the miniature train. Next, they attempted to walk through the rolling barrel with both of them falling several times and laughing so hard. Ace smartly remained on the sidelines, watching them and barking every time they fell.
Next, they went on the Teaser, which were swings that circled high in the air, and the Tickler, where they sat in spinning wooden chairs. Then, Jax took her on the small bumping cars that dipped and rolled over waves of steel. But when they approached the Steeplechase Course, Laura stopped dead in her tracks and refused to go any further.
The ride was set up similar to a racetrack for horses that circled around a quarter-mile track. Eight mechanical horses were propped on steel poles, like those on the carousel, and when the bell rang, they moved forward around the hilly track to begin the race.
“You are not getting me on that!” she yelled over the laughter around them.
“C’mon, Miss Graystone,” Jax ri
bbed. “I was just starting to think you were an adventurous woman.”
“I’m sticking with Ace on this one. He’s smarter than both of us.”
“Suit yourself. I guess I’ll have to win the race all by myself.” He winked at her, paid for the ride, and he chose his horse.
Before the ride even began, Laura practically doubled over with laughter seeing him sitting atop one of the horses, smiling over at her. The bell finally rang, and the horses moved forward rather rapidly, surprising Jax, so he clung tighter.
Laura watched Jax’s horse go around the course, but Ace started growling, then barking, and he suddenly ran off. She twirled around to see where he went. She kept shouting to him, but her voice was lost within the commotion around her. She couldn’t see him anywhere within the crowd. She didn’t know what to do, whether to go after him or not. Yet, within a few minutes, he made his way back to her.
She bent down to pet him, and he licked her cheek. “Are you okay, Ace?”
The ride had ended, and Jax hurried over to them. “I saw Ace run off. Is everything okay? Was anyone bothering you, Laura?”
“No, he just started barking and took off through the crowd.”
“He saw something he didn’t like,” Jax said as he scanned the area. “Let’s get something to eat. Maybe he’s hungry.”
Later, after they’d had their fill of hot dogs and treats, and a few more rides, they wandered towards the section of games to play for a nickel. Jax caught Laura’s arm and held her back. “You like watching baseball. Can you throw one?”
She glanced over at the milk bottle pyramid and shrugged her shoulders. So, he led her over to the game and set two nickels down. The man behind the counter took the coins and handed each of them three baseballs.
“As always, ladies first,” Jax said.
She picked up one of the balls. Then, she glanced up at Jax and winked at him. The gesture confused him until she threw the ball overhand and hit the pyramid dead center, knocking all the bottles over. She held in a chuckle. “Must have been beginners’ luck.” But her next two balls were thrown just as accurately, and the man handed her a cute little rubber duck for a prize.
“I’m not even going to try and top that,” Jax told her, and he pushed his three baseballs over to her. After she knocked over each one of those bottles, she traded her duck for a small stuffed rabbit. Jax took her hand and led her away. “I guess we need to find a more challenging game for you.”
They played the Ring Toss game, Balloon Darts, and the Fishbowl game. Laura won each of them, beating Jax, and he trailed behind her, carrying one of two small stuffed rabbits, a two-foot lion, and a goldfish swimming in a mason jar filled with water. As they continued walking, Jax saw the Kissing Booth was next. He flashed Laura a hopeful grin, but she laughed and shook her head.
Then, his eyes lit up. “Well, we’re coming up to the shooting gallery. I know I can give you a run for your money on this game.”
The man set them up with their own pellet rifles. He told them that to win a prize, they had five shots, and they needed to hit all five plastic, yellow ducks moving in a line across the backboard. Smugly, Jax insisted upon going first this time, so Laura stood back and watched him.
He picked up the rifle and skillfully nestled it against his shoulder. Ever so carefully, he kept his eyes on the ducks and pulled the trigger. One by one, he hit five ducks and won a little pink rubber lamb. And he stood there proudly holding his prize.
Laura burst out laughing. She picked up the rifle, still giggling, and without really trying, she quickly took her shots. And she hit a duck every time.
Jax couldn’t believe it. “Are you pulling my leg? I thought you said there weren’t many carnivals where you come from.”
She laughed even harder. “There aren’t! But I had an older brother. He taught me how to play baseball, and we used to go skeet shooting all the time.”
“Yeah, well I grew up with seven brothers, and this is embarrassing.” But Jax caught sight of the next game, and his irritation fled. “Now there’s a game I know I can win.” He picked up her stuffed animals and the goldfish, called to Ace who seemed glued to Laura’s side, and marched over to the Strongman game.
Jax handed the man a coin and picked up the mallet. He tipped his head up to look at the bell, his target which was seventeen feet high. Then, he easily slammed the mallet down on the platform, and the bell rang. Determined to win Laura the largest stuffed animal they had, he played the game six more times and hit the bell each time. Proudly, he handed her the three-foot teddy bear.
“Well done, Detective Diamond,” she smirked.
“Yeah, it’s about time, too.” But he checked his wristwatch and noticed it was going on seven o’clock. “Murph is going to be plenty mad at me now. I told him that we’d be at his place for dinner by five.”
“That was a little presumptuous of you, wasn’t it?”
“I figured we’d have such a fun time, you couldn’t refuse. Besides, Carla makes the best spaghetti and meatballs around, although we missed dinner by now.”
“I couldn’t possibly eat anything else, anyway,” she said, squeezing her big stuffed bear. “I think we went through four or five Coney dogs, not to mention the cotton candy, funnel cakes, and root beer floats.”
“So, is it okay if we stop by on our way home? We can go on a few more rides first if you want.”
“I’ve had my fill of those, too, and I’d like to meet your friends.”
He quickly collected all of her winnings, and they headed down the boardwalk. The beach was swarming with people, and the bay glistened in the sunlight just beyond them. The scene and being near the water again reminded her of her parents’ home by the river, and she inhaled a deep breath of air.
“It was a fabulous day, Jax. I had so much fun.”
“I’m glad. I did, too.”
After they took the trolley back to Fulton Street, they headed down the sidewalk. Jax told her that Tim only lived about four blocks down, and as they passed several shops, Laura wondered what in the world she was going to do with goldfish and all the stuffed animals. Jax suggested that she give them to Tim’s children, and she thought it was a great idea.
But she suddenly stopped walking. She grabbed Jax’s shirt sleeve and dragged him closer to the brick building beside them.
“What is it?” he asked worriedly.
“There’s an outdoor cafe up ahead,” she whispered.
He glanced over. “What about it?”
“Robert Ashworth is at one of the tables. I think he’s there with Missus Sanders.”
Jax leaned over to get a better look and saw the two of them together. “Yeah, it’s them all right. Let’s not interrupt their little tête-à-tête. We’ll backtrack and take the long way around.” He motioned for them to head down the street behind them.
She led the way, but once they turned the corner, she stood there glaring at him. “I’m shocked to see those two together, and at a cheap little cafe on Fulton Street of all places. But you didn’t act surprised at all.”
“When I mentioned Robert Ashworth to you the other day, you got mad at me and ended our conversation. So, I figured you wouldn’t want to hear what I know about him.”
“Well, I do now!”
He laughed. “Okay, I’ll tell you about it on our way to Murph’s’ place.”
They started walking again, but she kept glaring at him. “Can you speak French?”
“A little. My mother was born in France.”
“And yet, you had such a difficult time saying ‘L’Aiglon’s Restaurant’ when you questioned me at the theater.”
“I just wanted to see if you could say it,” he chuckled.
“You can be so childish sometimes.”
“Yeah, but that’s what makes me so much fun.”
11
Broadway Butterfly
Tim swung the door open and scowled at Jax. “You’re late.”
“I know, Murph. We lost track
of time. I’d like you to meet Laura Graystone. Laura, this is my best friend and partner, Tim Murphy.”
“Ex-partner,” Tim corrected.
“Nice to meet you,” Laura greeted.
Tim nodded to her yet kept his glower on Jax while Ace raced past him into the apartment.
“Laura has never been to Coney Island, so we spent the day there,” Jax explained, and they both brushed by him. “Sorry we missed dinner.”
“You didn’t miss it,” Tim snapped. “Carla refused to let us eat until you got here.”
Laura’s eyes grew horrified, and Jax burst out laughing. “I think we’ve had our fill of food for one day.”
“Well, I think you’re both going to get your fill of Carla’s spaghetti. Ace, too.”
“Okay, okay,” Jax chuckled. “Help us with these toys, will you?” He shoved them in Tim’s arms, and yelled, “Lizzie! Petey! We have surprises for you!” And the kids came running.
Jax introduced Laura to Carla and the kids, and they all sat at the dinner table together. Laura watched Jax clean his plate while she struggled to eat as much as she could just to be polite. And on the floor beside her, even Ace had a tough time finishing his meal. But the conversation flowed, with Carla carrying the bulk of it. She mentioned that she and her friends had heard about the new starlet on Broadway, and she was thrilled to meet Laura. She asked her a thousand questions about her career, and the different performers she knew.
Laura helped clear off the table afterward and followed Carla into the kitchen. When they had finished washing the dishes, they joined the others in the living room. Jax was sitting in the wing-back chair with both Lizzy and Petey on his lap and seeing them together warmed her heart.
“Time for bed, little ones!” Carla announced. Lizzy and Petey hugged and kissed Jax goodnight, then they did the same with Laura, and thanked her for all the new toys. Carla carried all the stuffed animals while Ace led the way down the hall to their bedroom.
Laura sat on the couch. “Your children are adorable, Tim. And Carla is very nice. Thank you for dinner. It’s been an exciting day all around.”