“Really? Exposing my sister, who’s practically my twin, to danger instead?”
Manelli looked down. “I forgot how much you look alike.”
“Forgot?”
“Yeah.” He looked up at Holly. “When I first met you two, I thought you looked identical. The more I got to know you, I didn’t see it anymore.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry your sister got hurt.”
Holly looked down at her keyboard. After a moment she looked up and asked, “How did you know Lucky killed the groundhog? I didn’t tell you that.”
“I’m a homicide detective. All the evidence pointed to her,” he replied straight-faced.
Holly couldn’t help laughing out loud. Manelli’s phone vibrated again. He looked at the screen, then back at Holly. “I have to go. Promise me, that you and your sister won’t leave this house today.”
“We can walk the dog, can’t we?”
“On a leash and not after dusk,” he replied.
“Okay.”
“And record all your calls.”
“All right.”
“If you get any calls, any hang ups, email the numbers to Officer Rivera. I’m serious. Dead serious.”
“I’m taking you seriously,” Holly said, no longer smiling.
Manelli gave her that searing look she hated. She knew he had good reason not to believe her. After a moment, he nodded and said, “Just stay put. Relax on the patio. Have a beer.”
He turned and took the steps two at a time before Holly could react.
51 PHILLIP HAGEL
“You’re gonna love this.” Officer Rivera followed Manelli into his office.
“You found Phillip Hagel?” he asked.
“Maybe.” She grinned waggling her eyebrows. “In addition to two million dollars, he inherits his grandmother’s house down the shore.”
“You got an address?”
“Do fajitas sizzle?”
Manelli turned without even sitting down. “Grab your gun and badge and let’s go.” He paused at her desk as she got her gear. “Can you use that Notebook thing in the car? Mrs. Stiles has a brother and I need you to find out his name and address. He was in the Stiles’ house yesterday, and he may be the one who mugged Ivy Donnelly last night.”
“I can search on my phone.” Rivera collected her phone, badge and gun and scrambled to catch up with Manelli who was already out the door.
*******************
“Three hours to go less than 70 miles! Ah, the NJ Parkway in June,” Rivera said as Manelli made a left onto Jefferson Avenue in Point Pleasant.
“Where do we go from here?” Manelli asked. “If we go much further, we’ll be in the Atlantic.”
Rivera looked down at her phone for directions. “Here. Make a left onto Ocean Avenue. It should be this block. Yep, it’s the one behind that next house, the one facing the ocean.”
Manelli pulled up and parked. They both sat a moment looking at the two-story, clapboard colonial. Much like Mrs. Hagel’s home in Pineland Park, this home was at least a hundred years old. It could have been a beach home for a movie set anywhere on the East Coast, anytime during the twentieth century. Located a comfortable enough distance from the boardwalk, the oceanfront property had its own private beach.
“What’s the value of something like this?” Manelli asked.
“About a million and a half, two million,” Rivera answered.
“Yeah, a bit above my pay grade.”
“Your pay grade? I think renting it for a week would be above mine.”
“Okay. Let’s go,” Manelli said. “I’ll knock on the front door. You go around the ocean side. When you get to the edge of the house, draw your weapon. Be ready for him to bolt out the back.”
They got out of the car and walked casually toward the house, splitting up at the front walk. Manelli waited for Rivera to reach the edge of the house, then walked up the three wooden steps and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, but before he could check it, he heard Rivera shout.
“Detective Manelli.”
Manelli tensed, pulled out his gun, and moved quickly around the side of the house opposite the side Rivera had taken. He stopped and lowered his weapon when he saw Rivera on the back deck, her weapon down, facing a hapless-looking Phillip Hagel, stretched out on a chaise lounge, clad in red swim trunks and white tee-shirt, an orange, iced-drink in his hand.
“Backup?” Phillip asked, looking from Manelli to Rivera. “Really unnecessary. I’m a lover, not a fighter. Now, my shister, I mean, my shisister…ssshe’s the fighter,” he slurred, taking another sip.
Manelli holstered his gun. “Mr. Hagel, I’m Detective Manelli and this is Officer Rivera from the Pineland Park Police Department.”
“Yes, the lovely ossifer introduced hershelf already,” Hagel smiled, raising his glass in a toast to Rivera. “Nice to meet you, Detective…what was your name again?” he asked, taking another sip.
Rivera walked over and reached for the glass. “Mr. Hagel, we need to ask you some questions. Do you think you could finish your drink after we’re done?”
“Anything for you, darling,” he said, gulping down what was left of the drink, handing her the empty glass.
“Okay, Mr. Hagel, could we go inside, please?” Manelli asked, wondering how productive this interview was going to be.
“Ssshure,” Phillip said, struggling to get out of the chair.
“See if you can find some coffee and maybe some food for him,” Manelli said to Rivera, as he bent to help Phillip get up from the chaise.
“I like Irish coffee,” said Phillip, unsteady on his feet.
“Yeah, maybe later, pal,” Manelli said, guiding Phillip through the sliding doors inside. “Maybe you’d like to wash up before we talk.”
“No. No, I don’t do that anymore. I just swim in the ocean. I mean what difference does it make now anyway?”
Manelli looked at Rivera through the cut-out opening into the kitchen, rolled his eyes and shook his head as he continued to steer Phillip toward the staircase. “It does make a difference, Mr. Hagel, so let’s get you upstairs and into a shower.”
Half an hour and a pot of coffee later, Manelli reached in his pocket for his pad. He remembered his phone had signaled before. Checking it and saw a number he didn’t recognize. This’ll have to wait. He put the phone on the glass and chrome coffee table and began. “Okay, Mr. Hagel. We’d like to start with our questioning.”
“Mr. Hagel is my father,” Phillip said, no longer as genial as he’d been on the deck. “You can call me Phillip.”
“Okay, Phillip. Your mother, father and sister all say you were working at the store the day your grandmother’s body was found.”
Phillip laughed, rubbing his eye with his right hand, his left arm stretched along the back of the plush white couch. “Really? So they thought they had to cover for me?”
“Where were you, Phillip?” Manelli asked.
“At a birthday barbecue for a friend in Montclair.”
“Were you there all day?”
Again, Phillip laughed. “Your guess is as good as mine, Detective. I don’t know. I just know I woke up in my car about midnight and drove home. That’s when I found out--what happened.”
Phillip closed his eyes a moment, then jumped up. “Look. Would you like a drink? I really need one.”
“No, thank you,” Manelli said. “Please sit down.”
Phillip sank back onto the sofa.
“Could you give us the names and numbers of the people who were with you at the party?” Officer Rivera asked.
“Here,” he said, handing his I-phone to Rivera. “Just take all the numbers from the missed calls list.”
“You said your family thought they had to cover for you. Why would they think that?” Manelli asked next.
“I don’t know. I guess just because I wasn’t at the store.”
“Did they have reason to believe you might have murdered your grandmother
?” Manelli asked.
“God, no!” Phillip exclaimed. “Kill Gran? Me? I’m the only one who…” Phillip’s eyes teared up. He looked from Manelli to Rivera, covered his face with his hands and started sobbing.
Manelli and Rivera exchanged glances.
“Phillip, you’re the only one who what?” Rivera asked gently.
Phillip looked up, tears streaming down his face. “I loved my grandmother, and I know she loved me. If you think I could have killed her. . .” Again, he broke off and put his head in his hands.
“Your family doesn’t seem to know you’re here, Phillip. Why are you here?” Rivera continued.
Phillip sat up. “Without Gran around, there’s no reason for me to be in Pineland Park anymore. Gran left me this place. It’s the only place I was ever really happy. She’d bring me here and we’d spend the day on the beach and at night she’d take me to the boardwalk and…” Phillip drifted off, staring out at the ocean through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that faced the deck. Suddenly he stood up. “Let me fix us some drinks.”
Manelli sighed. “Sit down, Phillip. We still want to know why your family felt they needed to provide an alibi for you.”
Phillip’s shoulders sagged and he sank back down on the sofa. “Look, I’m the family screw-up. I never do anything right. I was lousy in school. I stunk at sports. I’m no good down at the print shop. And I’m just not good-looking enough to land myself the trophy wife my mother and father want me to marry to bring even more money into the family. That’s my sister, the golden girl. She’s smart, she’s got a head for business and now she’s engaged to Leonard Biggs, the third. They’re all about planning a wedding. They sure don’t want any scandal that might jeopardize that.”
Phillip bit his lower lip, looking from Manelli to Rivera. “Look, I don’t know why my dear family thought they had to cover for me. They’re all so freaking smart, they didn’t think to look for me here. You found me and you don’t know anything about me.” Phillip teared up again.
“Can you think of anyone who would want to kill your grandmother?” Manelli asked.
“Not Leonelle Gomez, that’s for sure.”
“Why do you say that?"
“If you saw Leonelle care for my Grandmother, you’d say the same thing. She didn’t do it. Period.”
“Okay. But somebody did kill her. Again, you have any ideas who?” Manelli pushed.
Phillip shook his head. “No. I don’t know anyone who would want my grandmother dead. If you think I did it, arrest me. Why not? I’ve got nothing now Gran’s gone.”
Manelli got out his card, placed it on the glass coffee-table top, and picked up his phone. “If you think of anyone who might have wanted to harm your grandmother, or remember anything suspicious leading up to her death, please call me.”
Manelli and Rivera left Phillip Hagel staring out at the ocean.
51 CONSCIOUSNESS
Holly came in from the patio and froze when she saw the light blinking on the answering machine. Who could that be? They’d talked to Elena Gomez this morning and caught up with Kate earlier this afternoon. She hit the “Play Messages” button.
“Hello. Ms. Donnelly. My name is Brad Nowicki.”
Holly caught her breath. Dear God, please don’t let this be bad news!
“My mother, Teresa, asked me to call you. She re-gained consciousness last night, and the doctors say she’s going to be all right. She said she needs to talk to you. Visiting hours at Hackensack Hospital are from 1:00 to 4:00. She’s in Room 555. Mom’s really anxious to talk to you, so I hope you can drop by. So long.”
Holly called out, “Ivy!” as she ran up the stairs.
“What is it?” Ivy asked coming out of the bathroom.
“There was a message from Brad Nowicki, Teresa’s son. She’s regained consciousness and wants to see me.”
“That’s great news, but don’t you think you need to call Manelli?”
“I’ll go downstairs and call him. His card is on my desk,” Holly said going into her room, switching from bedroom slippers to sandals.”
“If Manelli says it’s okay for you to go, I’m coming with you. You can’t go alone.”
“You need to rest.”
“If you go, I’m going with you.”
“All right.” Holly grabbed her sweater and bag. “I’ll be downstairs calling Manelli.”
In the office, Holly sat down at her desk, located Manelli’s card and tapped his number into her cellphone. The call went to voice mail.
“Detective, it’s Holly Donnelly. I know you told us not to leave the house, but I got a call from Teresa Nowicki’s son saying his mother is conscious and wants to talk to me. It’s almost three o’clock and if we don’t leave now, we’ll miss visiting hours. Please call me if you get this message.”
“I brought Lucky in,” Ivy said as she descended the steps. “Do you think it’s wise to leave without hearing back from him?”
“No, but you heard what I said. How can I say no to someone who nearly died because of me?”
Ivy sighed. “Okay then. Let’s go.”
***************
It was 3:35 when they arrived at the Hackensack Medical Center parking garage. At the front desk, Holly pulled out her phone. Manelli still hadn’t returned her call.
“Cell phones not allowed in the hospital. You’ll have to turn it off,” the woman at the desk said as she handed them the guest passes. Holly turned the phone off and she and Ivy walked to the elevator. She was practically vibrating by the time they reached the fifth floor.
When they reached Room 555, Holly squeezed Ivy’s hand, took a deep breath and walked in the room.
“Holl-eee,” Teresa said, but in a much weaker voice than the last time Holly heard her on the answering machine.
A lump rose in Holly’s throat as she looked at Teresa. Her face was badly bruised, her head bandaged, and her left arm was in a cast.
“Teresa, I’m so sorry this happened to you. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Just prepare yourself. The payback on this favor is going to be fierce,” Teresa said, trying to smile, but only managing a slight pull of her lips.
“I don’t know how you can joke at a time like this.” Holly gently clasped Teresa’s free hand.
“Drugs,” she smiled, squeezing Holly’s hand. “I’m really doped up, so I got to tell you this before I drift out again. The morning of the accident, I had to go back in my boss’s phone log to locate the phone number of a banker for him. That’s when I saw a phone message from a D. Hagel. I googled the Hagel murder and saw the message was left the same morning they found the body. Now, ain’t that a coincidence, I thought. So I called the number and asked for D. Hagel. They put me through to Dina Hagel. I made up a story that the boss was out of town, and I was doing some back checking to see if her call was returned or if there was anything I could do for her. Get this. She denied ever calling and leaving a message. I thought that was some facocta story, so that’s when I called you.”
“That call to Dina is what put you here,” Holly said.
“Duh? I kinda figured that. You better be careful. You’re dealin’ with some dangerous cookie there.”
“Tell me about it. My sister spent last night in St. Francis Hospital with a concussion. Somebody mugged her in my driveway.” Holly turned and motioned to Ivy, who’d remained in the doorway, to come over. “Teresa, this is my sister, Ivy.”
Teresa squinted. “Wow, you two look identical.”
“That’s what put me in the hospital. The mugger thought I was Holly.” Ivy said.
“Damn, Holly,” Teresa said. “You better go tell the police what I just told you.”
“That’s exactly what I plan to do,” Holly agreed. “I’m so sorry, Teresa. I…”
“Get outta here.” Teresa waved her good arm towards the door. “Let me sleep. I want to dream up some ways for you to make this all up to me.”
Holly gave Teresa’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Whatever yo
u want. Name it.”
Teresa just closed her eyes, a trace of a smile on her battered face.
53 DISCONNECT
How could a young woman kill her own grandmother?” Ivy asked, once they were back in the car.
“I don’t know, but it sure looks like she did,” Holly said putting the key in the ignition.
“You should call Manelli, right now.”
“Okay, get out my cellphone.”
Ivy dug through Holly’s enormous pocketbook and finally found the phone, handing it to Holly. She turned the phone back on and it rang almost immediately.
“Hello.”
“This is Detective Manelli.”
“I was just getting ready to call you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Ivy and I are just leaving the hospital. I spoke with Teresa. She said that the morning of her accident, she found a phone message from D. Hagel. She called Dina Hagel and said she was following up to make sure all old messages had been replied to. Dina denied ever having made the call. That’s what made Teresa call me. On the drive home that night she was forced off the side of the road by the box truck.”
Manelli didn’t respond. Holly thought maybe the call got dropped.
“Detective?”
“So, what you’re telling me is that all your friends are as crazy as you,” Manelli finally replied.
“Look, I know you told us not to leave the house…”
“So you drove to Hackensack Hospital? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“No, of course, not. Look. Teresa asked to see me. She almost died because of me. What was I supposed to do?”
“You were supposed to do what I told you to do. Stay home.”
“I called you, but you didn’t pick up or return the call. Visiting hours were only until four o’clock. We had to leave when we did.”
“If you’d waited for me to call you back, I would have arranged a police escort. Police don’t need visiting hours to talk to witnesses.”
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