SONGBIRD (JAX DIAMOND MYSTERIES Book 1)

by Gail Meath

  Jax glared at the flowers now. “He was killed sometime last weekend. Joe told me when we stopped at his office. He said that his body was dragged through the woods surrounding the pond and dumped into the water shortly after his death. I wasn’t going to bring that up. You said you got one on Monday?”

  “It was on my vanity when I arrived for rehearsal. Jax, how did Mister Beacham die?”

  He hesitated. “An overdose of chloroform.” They both fell silent with their own ugly thoughts.

  “So, who sent these flowers to me?” she finally asked. “Robert Ashworth has been in custody since yesterday, and it was delivered an hour ago according to Mister Kratz.”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” And he disappeared out the door. But within minutes, he returned. “Mister Kratz has no idea who made the delivery, and Jimmy, whoever he is, already left the theater.”

  “He’s one of the stage crew.”

  “Mister Kratz doesn’t have a telephone number for him, but there can’t be many flower shops who make deliveries in Manhattan. I’ll start making phone calls when we get back to my place.”

  Quietly, Jax collected Laura’s clothes and headed out the door. Laura took one last look inside the room, but her vision was drawn to the bouquet, and she walked away. When they got back to the car, they budged Ace over in the backseat to fit Laura’s clothes.

  “Jax, we haven’t eaten all day, and I’m kind of hungry,” she said. “We spent a lot of time at the police station, and it’s going on four o’clock already. Can we stop at Roxy’s? It’s a little diner where the girls and I go for coffee in the morning. They have club sandwiches. My treat. We can bring them back to the apartment if you want.”

  “I’ve been there before, but I’ll buy,” he stated.

  She didn’t like the abrupt tone of his voice or seeing him so serious, even angry judging by the expression on his face and the way he was clutching the steering wheel. With all that’s gone on, she has never seen him this upset. “Are you all right?”

  “No, I’m not!” he snapped back, and Ace started barking at him. “I’m not mad at her, Ace. I thought once we had Ashworth and his patsies behind bars, it would all end. But something’s not right. There’s a piece missing.”

  She hung her head down, feeling guilty. “I should move back to my place now, Jax. I know you haven’t had a good night’s sleep the past two days. You’re tired and out of sorts, and it’s my fault. I’ll be fine by myself now that those men are locked up.”

  He took a deep breath and softened his voice. “You’re not going anywhere, Laura. Not yet. Those gardenias are bothering me. Not you or lack of sleep.” He looked over with that dimpled grin she’d grown to love, and he winked at her. “Is that better?”

  She smiled. “Yes, it is.”

  Jax picked up three club sandwiches and a couple of sodas. When they got to his apartment, Laura and Ace sat down at the table, but Jax took his sandwich over to the counter. He set it beside the telephone and started dialing and eating at the same time. After the eighth call, he slammed the receiver down.

  “Did you know that there are at least twenty floral shops that deliver in Manhattan alone?” he complained as he joined them at the table. “That’s what Sylvia just told me. And there are other shops outside the area that deliver to all five boroughs in the city. So that’s a brick wall.”

  “We may be wrong about the gardenias,” Laura said. “Maybe we’re just jittery and overthinking this because of everything else that’s happened. It could simply be an innocent fan sending them. Or they’re from Robert Ashworth, which sounds too far-fetched, and he had ordered the delivery before he was arrested. They may even be from my brother, and his timing is just a coincidence. I wouldn’t put it past him. He and I were always horsing around and giving each other a hard time. He was constantly teasing me because I wasn’t interested in having a relationship with anyone.”

  Jax’s ears perked up. “No sweetheart back home?”

  “That depends on who you talk to,” she replied flatly.

  “Huh. I wonder what that means.”

  She stood up and grabbed his empty plate. “It means, it’s a long story.”

  “Well, we’ve got nothing but time right now.” She clammed up, so he sat there quietly watching her put the dishes in the sink. “I keep thinking about something you said before.”

  “I know I’m going to regret asking what that would be.”

  “Actually, you had made a good point. Sam Sanders’ death was more calculating and personal than Kitty Cooper’s. I don’t want to upset you again by bringing it up, but Horace Beacham was killed in the same manner as Kitty. Using chloroform. If Robert Ashworth was responsible for all three murders, then why did he choose a slower and more painful way to kill Sanders? Despite his relationship with Patricia Sanders, it seems getting his hands on the manuscript was far more important to him.”

  “And that’s a financial motive, not personal,” she finished for him. “They haven’t been able to find either copy of the manuscript yet, have they?”

  “No. So, between that and those gardenias, I’m wondering if there’s another player involved who is still out there.”

  22

  Lunch

  Saturday, June 9

  Jax didn’t get a wink of sleep, but not because of any physical discomfort from spending another night on the sofa. Surprisingly, he’d found a fairly comfortable position. But every time he closed his eyes, his mind reeled with a million different thoughts ricocheting from the past to the present and back again. He had been gifted with an extraordinary memory people have told him. Yet, it felt like a curse more often than not.

  At dawn, he stood by the window, gazing out at the sun rise. Within the piles upon piles of images and statements stuck in his head, he thought about Laura’s comments. How she had refused to become involved with anyone, and the long story behind it. There was no doubt that he was sweet on her. But every time he thought about kissing her or letting her know how he felt, either something disastrous happened, or Tim’s statement popped into his head, stopping him cold.

  She was definitely out of his league. He knew that for a fact. A week ago, he thought it didn’t matter. Yet, whenever these murders were finally solved and the cases were closed, she would go her merry way, and he would go his. It was inevitable for her to become a great star on stage and probably in films, too, with her talent. All the while, he would still be here, unofficially pounding the beat with Tim trying to solve more crimes and struggling to let go of his past. To make things worse, Ace would be heartbroken when they said goodbye and went their separate ways. He’d thought it was terrific that Ace had quickly grown so attached to her. But he wished now that Ace hadn’t.

  And that he hadn’t.

  He gazed out the window for another hour before finally heading into the kitchen to make some coffee. As he stood over the stove heating the kettle, he heard Laura come out of the bedroom with Ace beside her, as usual. She said good morning to him and sat down at the table.

  “What are you two doing up so early?” he asked.

  “Same as you, I think,” she replied. “Neither of us slept very well. I wondered if I could give Jeanie a call. I never gave her your telephone number, and she’s probably worried sick. Especially if she and Margie read about Mister Beacham in the newspaper. They knew how fond I was of him. I also wanted to give my mother a call, too, if you don’t mind. I’m sure she doesn’t know anything about all this, but I usually call her a few times a week, and I haven’t had a chance.”

  “Feel free to use the telephone,” he said without looking at her again since his previous thoughts were still weighing on his mind. “Coffee will be ready in a minute.”

  She smiled at him. “I had another thought, too. I don’t know what you have planned for the day, but I wondered if I could ask Jeanie and Margie if they’re free for lunch? Jeanie would be thrilled, and Margie wants to meet you. We could meet them at Roxy’s.”
>
  He forced a chuckle. “Lunch with three women? I’d be an idiot to refuse.”

  “Oh, good. I’m going to call Jeanie right now. She’s an early bird.”

  By noon, Jax and Laura sat together in a booth drinking a couple of sodas. When Jeanie showed up, she told them that Margie was excited and would join them any minute. Then, she mentioned reading about Mister Beacham in the newspaper. After she reached over and cupped Laura’s hand sympathetically, she started asking all kinds of questions about what had happened. She was shocked to learn that Robert Ashworth was in custody, and the theater had closed.

  “There are open auditions at the Imperial on Monday for a new Broadway play, Laura,” Jeanie told her. “I think it starts at one-thirty in the afternoon.”

  “Thank you, Jeanie. That’s encouraging.”

  “Margie and I are going to the oyster bar at Grand Central for dinner later tonight. Did you and Jax want to join us? We haven’t been there in ages, and I’m so looking forward to it.”

  “That sounds like fun, doesn’t Jax?” Laura asked.

  “Sure. Will you ladies excuse me for a moment? I want to give Murph a call to see if there are any new developments in the case. I see a pay phone over there. I’ll be right back.”

  Jeanie called out, “Don’t be long, Jax! Margie will be here in a flash.”

  He snickered as he walked away, hearing Jeanie tell Laura what a dreamboat he was. He picked up the telephone receiver, slid the nickel into the slot, and asked the switchboard operator to connect him to Sergeant Murphy at the thirteenth precinct. When Tim answered, he told Jax that both Robert Ashworth and Orin Marino were released on bail, but they had a few flatfoots trailing them. And Missus Ashworth was threatening to sue the city for a wrongful arrest, but that didn’t surprise either of them.

  While Jax explained to him about the gardenias that Laura had received, he turned around and noticed another woman was standing beside their table talking with Laura and Jeanie. She was a tall, beautiful, blonde woman. But as he studied her, he stopped speaking. His entire body stiffened and a shiver of alarm swept through him. On the other end of the phone, Tim kept asking what was wrong, but Jax wasn’t listening.

  The woman suddenly glanced over at him, but she immediately turned away.

  “I’ve got to go, Murph.” And he hung up the receiver. By the time he made his way back to the table, the woman was walking out the door. He watched her for a moment before he sat down.

  “Well, that was strange,” Jeanie huffed. “Half an hour ago Margie was free as a bird the entire day. She better not stiff us tonight.”

  Laura laughed. “She’s probably worried I’ll try to drag her to the baseball game this afternoon. Oh, Jax, you just missed meeting Margie. She had an appointment she forgot about. She didn’t know you were going to be here and felt bad about having to run off.”

  “That was Margie?” he asked quietly, still staring at the door.

  “Well, no matter,” Laura said. “Lunch is on me. You, too, Jeanie. But I’ll be honest. Nothing compares to Jax’s cooking.” Her eyes grew wide. “I mean, his sister’s cooking.” She discreetly nudged Jax with her elbow, but he was deep in thought.

  When they finished eating, Laura paid the bill, grabbed the sandwich bag for Ace, and they left the diner. Jeanie told them that she would see them later, and they parted ways.

  “I’m such an idiot,” Laura spouted as they walked to his car parked around the block. “Did you hear my blunder? Jeanie didn’t miss it, that’s for sure. She knows I’m staying at your apartment now. That’s why she didn’t bug me for a phone number or an address. Well, what’s done is done.” She looked over at Jax. “You’ve been awful quiet. What did Tim say when you called him?”

  “Laura, what’s Margie’s last name?”

  “Parker. Why?”

  “She looked familiar,” Jax stated. “How well do you know her?”

  “Pretty well, I guess. She and Jeanie are tight. They moved in together when they were both in the Follies last fall. I know Margie grew up in the city. Our apartment building isn’t far from yours, so you’ve probably seen her around.”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  Jax didn’t want Laura to know what was on his mind. He wished he didn’t. So, he tried his best to push it aside for now. He made a few wisecracks about Jeanie’s incessant talking, then he told Laura that she seemed like a very nice person. He didn’t bring up Margie again, deliberately, and he was glad that Laura had dismissed his questions about her.

  As soon as they arrived back at his apartment, Laura gave Ace his sandwich and disappeared into the bedroom. She was excited about going to dinner at the oyster bar tonight and wanted to decide what to wear. Jax, on the other hand, began pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor. His stomach was churning from the gutting thoughts in his head. Sweat dripped down his face, and even his hands were trembling. Then, he stopped dead center in the room.

  He knew what he had to do. Yet, it would be like facing the devil and walking through hell again to get to heaven. For a second, he thought about taking the cowardly way out by asking Tim to take care of it, but he didn’t want his good friend to come anywhere near his past.

  “What do you think, Jax?” Laura asked cheerfully. She stood in the doorway wearing a sleeveless, deep blue velvet dress that was pinned higher on one side with a velvet rose. She spun around so he could see the low-cut back. “Is this too extravagant? I’ve never been to the oyster bar, but I heard it’s incredible.”

  She was incredible, he wanted to tell her. Just the sight of her instantly shoved all those ill thoughts from his mind, at least for the moment. She was absolutely ravishing. Her short chestnut curls were tousled from trying on different outfits. Her blue-green eyes sparkled, her fair skin looked as soft as the velvet dress, and her sweet smile weakened his senses.

  Yet, he just grinned and simply said, “That’s a lovely dress. You’ll fit right in.”

  “Don’t rat on me,” she laughed. “The dress belongs to the theater, and I fell in love with it. I thought I’d borrow it just for a little while and return it later.”

  “My lips are sealed,” he chuckled. But his previous thoughts crashed through. “I never told you what Murph and I talked about on the telephone. He asked me for a favor, something that has to do with another case of his. Would you mind staying here with Ace for an hour or so?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  By her tone, he could tell that she wasn’t happy about it, and he approached her. “I won’t be long. I promise. Keep an eye on Ace for me.”

  She feigned a pout. “I’m starting to feel like a prisoner.”

  “You’re not a prisoner, Laura. I’m sorry if you feel that way. You’ll be back in your own apartment soon enough.”

  She lost her playfulness and stared at him. Then, she reached up to touch his cheek. “Jax, what’s wrong? There’s a look in your eyes that I haven’t seen before.”

  For all the world, he wanted to kiss her. But he couldn’t now. Not with the ugly task that awaited him. “Can I wear my rumpled brown suit tonight?”

  She shook her head, laughing.

  He took her hand in his. “Then, why don’t you rummage through my closet and find something for me to wear while I’m gone.”

  “Okay. Go take care of your detective work. I feel bad making Ace stay here with me.”

  “Believe me, Ace would rather be with you.” So would he, but he forced a laugh and headed out the door.

  23

  The Orphanage

  Jax drove through Manhattan, crossed over the bridge, and headed north along the Hudson River. He slowed the car down a little more every mile he traveled. It was reflex rather than any conscious effort on his part. Yet, as he grew closer to his destination, with every second that ticked by, he was sucked deeper and deeper into his memories. For nine years, he had managed to avoid traveling anywhere north of the city. He swore he never would.

  The road veered to the ri
ght up ahead. It was only a matter of minutes now. Again, he felt sick to his stomach, and he tightened his grip around the steering wheel to stop his hands from shaking. He turned down the narrow, winding drive which was thickly lined on both sides with mammoth trees stretching overhead, depleting any sunlight. He was entering hell now, and it felt to him as though this time, he would never leave.

  When the old building came into view, he desperately wanted to turn the car around. The orphanage was tucked in seclusion along the Hudson River and appeared just as menacing as he remembered from his childhood. He drove up to the main gate and stopped the car. He sat there for a moment to study the mammoth wrought-iron fence surrounding the property.

  He couldn’t count the number of times that he’d climbed over it, making his escape. Even after they attempted to thwart his efforts by entwining a set of barbed wires around the sharp tips of each iron spindle, he viewed that as a double dare, and his success rate increased. But he noticed the barbed wire had been removed.

  He looked at the gate again and was surprised to see that it wasn’t closed securely. He got out of the car and wandered over. The large, heavy padlock that he remembered was gone, and he easily pushed the gate open. Finally, he drove up the hill. He parked along the curb in front of the building. He didn’t waste any time now. He was anxious to get this over with, so he avoided looking around and headed directly for the main entrance.

  After taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. Then, he waited with his arms rigidly at his side, squeezing his fists open and shut, nervously. A young nun opened the door, and before she said a word, he spouted, “Is Sister Rosemary here?”

  “Yes, sir, but she is teaching a class right now. May I help you?”

  His vision wandered beyond her, and he fell lost his thoughts.

  “Sir? Can I help you with something?”

  “Sorry. My name is Jax Diamond. I...I had a few questions that I wanted to ask Sister Rosemary.” And preferably right here on the front step, he wanted to tell her.