The Pinera Bread Murders: A Charlie Chang (not Chan) Murder Mystery

by C. Meyer

  “Is Mr. Ortega here with us tonight?”

  “Ortega was my birth name.” returned Carl Dulop sharply. I’ve been Carl Dulop for years. Anything against the law about going to court to Change your name? Lot of discrimination against Latino’s here in South Florida. They think we are all best suited for dishwashers and servers.”

  “Years, Mr. Ortega? More like fourteen months according to court records.

  “Years... fourteen months... what does it matter? I got this job as Dulop and doubt I would have got it as Ortega.” retorted Dulop angrily.

  “Did you benefit from your time at the Franklin Correctional Institute, Mr. Dulop? You were still Ortega then.”

  “That was a bum rap. I was bartending at a biker bar then. Some guy comes at me with a broken beer bottle and I clubbed him with a baseball bat. What was I supposed to do? But he was white and I was Cuban so I went up the river.”

  “So you testified, Mr. Dulop. Problem was the police couldn’t find any broken beer bottles and the other man almost died from several blows to the head.”

  “Yea, white cops and black cops”, retorted Dulop angrily.

  Been straight since then? Any more fights?

  “Picture perfect.” Inspector Chang.

  “Not quite. It seems there was an attempted rape complaint filed against you about a year ago.”

  “That was withdrawn.”

  “Remember who accused you of it after a night together at Lips? Someone you denied knowing earlier tonight I believe. By the way are you gay?”

  What the hell is that supposed to mean? I’m as straight as you are. Maria wanted to see the transsexual show. A lot of straight couples do. And what if I were. That’s no crime.”

  Chang saw the man getting close to losing control. That was his objective.

  That would be Maria Rodrigues, the dead woman.

  Yea, I didn’t want to admit knowing her on a romantic basis earlier. I’m a married man you know.

  YOU BASTARD, shouted an enraged Isabel clearly out of control. “She was a friend of mine and you’re supposed to be mine. And you were screwing her! I hope they give you the needle.”

  “Ah yes, the needle.” said Chang as officers seated behind her hushed Isabel and pushed her down into her seat. “Please to allow me to continue uninterrupted. I am told by my Florida colleagues that the State takes the needle off the table in cases where there is an emotional involvement and a confession, Mr. Dulop. We have even more most incriminating evidence. Care to tell us exactly how you accomplished crime most fiendish?”

  “Why would I kill my former girlfriend? Sure she was pissed when I broke it off, but she took back that complaint when she calmed down.”

  Former girlfriend? In Washington State, the man usually pays for his girlfriend. Is it not the same in Florida? Credit cards show Maria paid separately. Maybe she didn’t think you the boyfriend you claim to be. Maybe she didn’t welcome your sexual advances. Maybe she just withdrew the complaint to avoid the notoriety.

  “Maybe you’re an asshole Chang.” roared Dulop. “We were close for a time and intimate and you can’t prove otherwise. All your maybes get you nowhere. Sure we weren’t on speaking terms after the break up. I’m not one for murder, and I didn’t poison her.”

  Perhaps Trey can shed some light on your relationship with Miss Rodrigues. Let’s say he is both a private investigator and former shall we say intimate of the deceased young lady.

  “She told me it was a one off date.” started Trey. “She had spoken here to him about her interest in seeing a transsexual show. They are funny and good and very popular with all persuasions of people of the younger generations. She told me she accepted his offer to take her strictly with the understanding it was as friends and she’d pay her own way. Like you said, she knew what can happen to rape victims in court so she took back the complaint a few days later to avoid that happening to her.”

  “Bullshit. Why would a hot dame like Maria be involved with his black ass?”

  “A couple of your employees witnessed you slapping another in anger. That your usual managerial style, Dulop? Another talked about being called a bitch by you for some error they made. Again, that your managerial style, Mr. Dulop?”

  “Them are lies. Plain bullshit lies. I’m tough but fair not violent nor abusive.”

  Then there is matter of very large thumb print near rim of dead woman’s coffee mug. You are a fairly big man Mr. Dulop. Big men usually have big hands. Care to show us your hands, Mr. Ortega-Dulop?

  I ain’t showing you nothing. My prints are likely on a lot of mugs, cups and such. A manager does a bit of everything including restocking the tableware when everyone else is busy with customers. That’s the last thing you’ll hear from me. I want a lawyer, and I want to go home NOW!

  Before Chang could respond he caught a glimpse of Detective Hornstein urgently beckoning him.

  “You’ll get your lawyer, Mr. Dulop, but you will remain here. Officers, please cuff him.” he answered forcefully. Now everyone please to hold your seats for a few more minutes. I see Detective Hornstein has returned and seems to have urgent need to speak with me.

  Chang and Marks went over to Hornstein. They all went outside to confer.

  “Think we got something for you guys. That pen was the murder weapon. It would have killed some of my technicians if it had still been loaded.”

  “Most interesting, Detective. How so you conclude innocent looking pen a murder weapon?” inquired Chang.

  “A lot more deadly than it looked, Inspector Chang. It wrote and all like a regular pen, but the first person who tried writing with it would have triggered a gas canister of some smelly banana-like gas. Fortunately for my people, it was a one shot weapon and only released a trace of stink that did nobody in my lab any harm.”

  Charlie closed his eyes to integrate this new information.

  “You sleeping, Charlie? This is a god damned important find.” scolded Marks.

  “Not sleeping. Trying to integrate several things. Please to give me a moment to recall something said.” Then after a minute, “Were there prints on the pen, Detective?”

  “Two sets. Both dead clear on the pen and one on the tape.” replied the detective.”

  “Assume set on tape not that of deceased woman.” suggested Chang.

  “You’re right on that. They are the other person’s whose prints which were on the pen.”

  -----------

  After finishing their conversation, the three went back inside and returned to the waiting group now protesting about the time.

  “Please to give old Chinese man a few more minutes to satisfy curiosity. I promise it will take but a few minutes. This case is all but closed.”

  There were grudging grunts of assent from several. Dulop tried to pull away from the police holding him even though cuffed.

  “Please, Patricia to tell me about your fight to overcome depression. I read most interesting piece you had for group tonight and am most interested in the subject.”

  “Patricia was shocked to be questioned but overcame her shock after a few moments and gave a quite learned discussion of depression and her fight to overcome it.”

  “Most grateful, Patricia. Am most impressed with your efforts to share this information. You are from Cuba am I right? Involved deeply in the fight for freeing Cuba from the Castros?”

  “Not really inspectors. I left Cuba as a young child. My parents were pointedly apolitical so I never experienced or heard about the atrocities. Mostly, we concentrated on working hard here to succeed and enjoy our new country. I leave the Cuba Libre work to my friends our two poetesses.”

  “Thank you, Patricia.” Responded Chang then turned to the other poetess, a small attractive woman that showed her emotions through her hands when she spoke. “So you are involved with Cuba Libre too, Gina?”

  “Si, I have attended some meetings but would not say I am overly involved. For me Cuba is in the past. My writing, my family, and my new country a
re my future and my interest in the life.”

  I see, thank you, Gina. I wish you well.” Then turning to Isabel. “So Isabel, you are the one with the passion for Cuba and Cuba Libre. Yes?”

  “Most certainly I have a passion for both and love my new country with a similar passion. If you had experienced life under Castro and heard the first

  person accounts that I’ve heard from friends, relatives, and others – some still living there. You would be passionate too. I expect you know I just published a book of poems and stories about the suffering in life under Castro. As a person who cares for people, I support whole heartedly the goals of Cuba Libre. I suppose you could say I have a passion for their goals.

  Thank you, Mari. Now for Charlie then we all can go home.” said Change kindly only to be interrupted before he started.

  I descend from the Hun, Inspector.” laughed Charlie. “I’ve little next to no interest in Cuba nor Cuba Libre. I interest myself in writing and painting not Cuba or Cubans.

  “Ah so. Please to be patient with old man. I want to ask you question about something you said to me when we chatted earlier not about your interest or not in Cuba.”

  “Sorry, sir”

  “You were sitting next to Maria I believe just as you now sit next to empty chair. And sitting next to you was the most attractive Debra. Am I right?

  “Yes, sir.”

  “There was the routine matter of signing in and indicating if you would likely return the next week at some point in meeting.

  “Yes, we do that every week then pay at the end I’m told.”

  “But Maria was not sitting next to you when sign in sheet circulated first time.”

  “Right. She had gone for coffee. When she returned Isabel passed the sheet and a pen to her.”

  “He’s right, Inspector”, interrupted Debbie. “Isabel handed me the sheet with a pen attached and asked me to pass it down to the woman I now know as Maria. I handed it to Charlie who passed it on.”

  Isabel tried to rise, but a nearby officer stopped her.

  “And shortly thereafter the woman you both now known as Maria screamed momentarily then died. Is that right?”

  Both nodded in agreement.

  Chang nodded to Inspector Marks already on his feet.

  “Isabel Lopez, I place you under arrest for the murder of Maria Gonzales. You have the right to remain silent…….”

  The nearby uniforms quickly stood Mari up and cuffed her.

  “SHE WAS A SPY AND A TRAITOR TO THE CAUSE”, shouted Isabel. She was gathering information on Libre members and sending it back to Cuba so they could take reprisals against family members and friends still there”, screamed Isabel not taking the proffered advice to stay silent.

  Trey caught Chang’s eye. “Expect she’s right, Inspector.”

  “Yes, it seems pen is as mighty as sword in this case.” said Chang, holding up the bagged pen. This is the murder weapon. It was found taped under a table. When one writes with it a canister is triggered releasing gas toward the face of the user. In this case, a poison gas. The pen has two most clear sets of prints. Those of the deceased and those of another. That other’s prints also are also clearly evident on the tape used to secure the pen to a table in this restaurant. The prints are those of Isabel Lopez.”

  “Officers, you may release Mr. Dulop with my apologies.” ordered Inspector Marks., “Dulop you may now go home. Just don’t leave Broward County till we’ve had a last talk. Good night everyone.”

  As people packed up their things and filed out in stunned silence, Chang felt a tug at his sleeve. “Told you ya had to find the murder weapon to close the case. Inspector George always does.”

  THE END

  Charlie and Dana were having a fun happy hour at Brio in Boca with their dear friends Kristian and another Charlie plus the other Charlie’s two adult children. The service was better than normal but still didn’t match the excellent food and drinks – particularly the capriccio and mango mimosas. Rather more unusual was the attention the couple’s party was getting from other diners. It was limited to discrete yet discernible glances and whispers only, of course. This was status conscious Boca Rotan where anything more overt would be totally unacceptable and lower the social quotient of the offender.

  The couple, even though quite attractive, had never experienced this kind of attention particularly here at one of their favorite watering holes. It wasn’t about Kristian either. Though exceptionally handsome with a dramatically well-polished shaved head and this posh town’s Police Chief, he was a common sight around town. They often drank here with Kristian. He was Dana’s son.

  ------------

  The object of the glances and whispers was someone in their party quite famous with his ethnic roots in The East and home in Honolulu. It was one of the world’s best known detectives, Charlie Chang. Charlie and two of his children were back in South Florida to visit dear friends like Dana’s Charlie (who he jokingly called Number Two Charlie) and the lovely blonde Dana well known as the inspiration for the back of Danna’s head in Number Two Charlie’s well known DOGGIE paintings and books. It had been a year since Chang and his children’s last visit and involvement in the much publicized Write Stuff Murder in nearby Coral Springs. Perpetually curious by nature, Dana craved detail and was always on the lookout to display her trademark wise-assed whit. Regularly accused of being a wise-ass, her standard retort was, “You bet and work damned hard at it.” Dana was a cop-mom. While her cop son knew much through police channels that hadn’t been in the papers, he was professionally closed mouth regarding police business even with family, and her Charlie, a Write Stuff group member by chance, had been sitting between the murder and the murdered woman. It was inevitable that Dana, in time, turned the conversation to the sad case of the murder of its member Maria Gonzalez at the Write Stuff writing group just a year ago this very day.

  “Inspector Chang, I read that diabolical murderer Isabella only got five years for her crime for reasons sealed by the court. How could that be? She killed a young woman who was supposed to be a good friend,” queried Dana.

  “For your pretty ears only, there was national security concern. The murdered woman, Maria, was a pro-Castro spy reporting back details of family still in Cuba of anti-Castro activists like most passionate Isabella. FBI was about to close in and arrest most treacherous Maria. As woman with Cuban roots herself and family still there, Isabella had understandable reasons to want Maria dead. She most clearly over-reacted when she learned of this, but court took into account her emotional state when she found out what now murdered woman was doing. Even Confucius say, bitch in heat not responsible for her actions.”

  “Not on your life, Charlie. You made that up,” roared Dana almost choking with laughter. Quickly recovering, I don’t know if I go along with that temporary insanity bullshit. A murder is a murder.

  “Please to forgive old man with failing memory. Sometimes liberal translation of essence only recourse,” smiled the wise old detective.

  Before Dana could frame a rejoinder, a siren sounded similar to the ones they had heard minutes earlier as police cars filed into the shopping center’s parking lot which Brio shared with numerous other restaurants and shops. Kristian may have been police chief, but he was still a bit of a kid at heart. It was the ring his cell phone gave out for calls from fellow police officers. Kristian rose and walked a few steps off the patio where the group had been dining and took the call with his back to them. Still they couldn’t help but overhear a bit of the conversation when Kristian raised his voice in amazement.

  “NO SHIT. YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING.”

  After some additional minutes of hushed conversation, Kristian returned to the table of expectant looks.

  “Well,” ventured Dana, “I know your rule, but we couldn’t help but hear that “no shit” part. Think everyone on the patio did. Can you share just a hint? ”I’ll be making an exception this time, mom. Everyone at this table has a legitimate interest except yo
u. Since I’ll be spiriting them all away from you in a minute, I’ll give you a little on the why as well.”