Stroke of Death

by Dale Mayer

  “A shared lover?” Andy just stared at him. “We never considered that concept.”

  “And I don’t want to consider it now either,” he said. “We need to get this stuff to forensics and especially get this letter looked at.”

  They quickly packed everything back up, moved it all down to the forensics team, and Andy told them, “I don’t know if any of this has what we want, but this note that we found is the most interesting.”

  The forensic team looked at it, nodded, and one said, “Just leave it all here. We’ll go through it.”

  “Good enough,” he said.

  As Richard turned and walked out, he asked, “Did you find anything on any of the crime scenes?”

  “Not much. Nothing on the bodies either,” he said. “The one was definitely frozen. The others were fresh.”

  “That’s always disconcerting,” Andy said.

  “Do we know how long she was frozen?” Richard asked.

  “A few months,” he said. “Hard to say any closer than that.”

  “So possibly as soon as she went missing.”

  “Do you have any idea who she was with?” the female tech asked.

  “No. Somebody new, who would make her life perfect.”

  The forensic tech just rolled her eyes, nodded, and said, “That’s what they all say.” She waved him away.

  Andy asked Richard, “Do you want to talk to the coroner?”

  “I’ve checked the autopsies that we have so far, and, of course, we’re still waiting on the drug tests.”

  “We also need to confirm that the others were drugged as well.”

  They made their way to the coroner’s office. When they knocked on the door, the coroner called out, “Come in.” He looked up and frowned at them both. “I don’t like this much work,” he said, snapping at them. “So would you find this asshole before I get a fourth body?”

  “We’d love to,” he said. “Do you have anything for us?”

  “They were all drugged. The lab tests are out until we get it back, but I’m suspecting it was something like ketamine, like the first one.”

  “Right. And it was served in alcohol?”

  “Yes, and their stomachs were full. They all ate their last meals, but nothing was tremendously different about any of them. Mostly burgers.”

  “Burgers for all three of them?”

  “Elena had a salad.”

  “Which makes sense. She was a model,” Richard said.

  “The other two had burgers,” he said.

  “I wonder if a burger joint is close in the area where these bodies were found.”

  “That’s your job,” the coroner said. “Go.” He shooed them out of the room.

  They headed back upstairs to their desks in the communal bullpen and looked up any restaurants in the area around where the three dead bodies were found. Armed with the photos of the victims, they both hopped up and headed out to walk the streets. As soon as they got into the general five-block radius that they had picked to search, they went from restaurant to restaurant, asking if any of these people had been seen.

  Almost immediately they got a hit. “Hey, that’s Liana,” one guy said. “She was in here all the time, and then I never saw her anymore.”

  “When was this?”

  The guy shrugged. “Must have been a couple months ago at least. No clue.” He looked at the photo, frowned, and asked, “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

  “Sorry,” Richard said. “Yeah. Did you recognize who she was with?”

  “She had one guy toward the end,” he said. “Up until that, she was almost always with a group. But then it became just one guy.”

  “Any idea who it was?”

  The waiter shook his head. “No,” he said. “I got so many people who come and go from here, it’s almost impossible to tell you who was who.”

  “But it was a guy?”

  The waiter looked at him in surprise. “Well, I mean, from the surface, I’d say it was, yes.”

  He nodded. “Okay,” Richard said. “And no chance of a description? Have you seen him since? Have you seen that other guy with anybody else?”

  “No,” he said frowning. “I only recognized Liana.”

  “We need something to go on,” Andy said. “It might have been our killer.”

  The waiter looked at him in horror. “Jesus, if that would ever make me remember, you just shocked it out of me.”

  “Well, think a minute. Think about the two of them together. Was he taller than her? Was he skinnier than her?” Richard asked.

  “Nobody is skinnier than Liana. The drugs took their toll on her. Another year or two, she probably couldn’t model anymore.”

  “So, physical description?”

  “A little heavier, a little taller, a little darker.” He frowned.

  They waited, hopeful that something would trigger in his memory.

  And then he shrugged and said, “I really don’t have any more. I got to get back to work. I need my job.”

  They thanked him, got his name and phone number, and then left.

  “Well, if he was seen at one, chances are, he was seen at multiple places.”

  Andy said in agreement, “Let’s go.”

  After going to several more restaurants, they found another one, a little corner marketplace that served subs. Several workers looked at the photos and recognized the victim immediately. One said, “Yeah. She used to come in here for a sub.”

  “Did you recognize who she was with?”

  The Italian-looking woman and another one frowned at him. “Why are you asking?”

  Richard gave her a bit of a smile, pulled out his detective badge, and said, “We’re investigating her murder.”

  Immediately she clasped one hand over her mouth, the other over her heart. “Oh my,” she said. “That’s terrible. But I don’t know anything about it.”

  “Which is why we’re asking,” he said. “Somebody knows something.”

  She nodded. “Yes, yes, yes. Somebody knows. But I don’t know anything.”

  “Did she ever come in alone? Did he ever come in with others?”

  “She came in with people, and then once she came in with a boyfriend.”

  “Did you know her boyfriend?”

  “Yes. He comes here too.”

  “What’s his name?”

  She frowned. “I don’t know his name. He wasn’t friendly like she was.”

  “So, you have no clue who he is?”

  “No,” she said. “It’s not my business.”

  “I get that,” he said, “but we’re trying to find out who killed Liana.”

  “Are you thinking this man did it?” She looked horrified and enthralled at the idea.

  “No, not necessarily,” he said. “Remember? We don’t know anything yet.”

  “You should know something,” she scolded him. “She was a nice young woman.”

  “Which is why we’re trying to do something for her.”

  “No,” she said, raising her voice. “You should have done something for her before.”

  “Why is that?”

  “She had a rough childhood,” she said. “With a better start, she’d have done well in life. Been more normal.”

  “In what way was she not normal?”

  “She was just different. She was too shy, too quiet. People took advantage of her. It was easy to tell her that the sky was falling, and she would believe it.”

  “And you still don’t remember what the guy looked like who was with her?”

  “No, no,” she said. “He was tall and better dressed. He was classy looking. Always well-manicured.”

  “And he comes in here for subs?”

  “No, he comes in here to get a few of my specialty sauces,” she said. “He’s a connoisseur.”

  “But you don’t know his name?”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

  “Okay,” Richard said. “If you think of anything”—he pulled out his card—“any
thing at all, or if you see him come into the store, please contact me right away.”

  She frowned at him.

  “I don’t want you to be in any danger either,” Richard said.

  Her eyes widened. “You really think it’s him?”

  “No, I don’t,” Richard said, “but, until we talk to him, we can’t take him off the suspect list, so we’re wasting time.”

  She nodded. “Okay,” she said. She immediately put the card down, off to the side, then she added, “You better leave. You’re not good for business.”

  And, just like that, they were sent to the street.

  “Too bad,” Richard said. “Their sandwiches look decent.”

  “Right,” Andy said. “It should have been an easy thing to do. Just buy a sandwich, ask a few questions, and get out. But we’re not exactly getting a good reputation doing this.”

  “No, we sure aren’t.”

  “That’s okay too. Locations, like this, they stick together. Rather than call us, I suspect she’ll tell him that we were asking about him.”

  Richard looked at him, looked back at the store, and nodded. “My feelings exactly.”

  *

  Naomi walked into her apartment, frustrated and angry. “It’s that bitch’s fault,” she said, talking to herself. “I shouldn’t have to work for a living like this as it is. But now I can’t seem to get any jobs.” And that bothered her. She stormed inside her apartment and slammed the door closed.

  A voice, calm and controlled, asked, “What’s your problem now?”

  She spun on him. “Why are you always here? Even when I don’t know it?”

  “You told me to come and go at will,” he said, in a mild tone. “Plus I do own this apartment, as you know.”

  “I know that,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean that you just get to come and go.”

  “Interesting,” he said. “Because, up until now, I’ve paid an awful lot of the rent on this one.”

  She groaned at that reminder. “I know that,” she said. “I’m just really having a shitty day. I can’t get any work. I’ve just been turned down on two other art jobs.”

  “Normal,” he said. “Just stay calm.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she said, glaring at him. “You don’t have to work for a living.”

  “No, I don’t,” he said cheerfully. “And that hasn’t changed in all the time we’ve known each other.”

  She threw herself down on her couch. “I was heading to the top. What happened?”

  “You probably pissed off the artist,” he said.

  “It’s that bitch Cayce,” she said. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t like me.”

  He gave a chuckle that she had heard often.

  “I know. You keep telling me to be nicer. It’s not part of my DNA.”

  “It might need to be something that you cultivate,” he said mildly.

  She wondered at the silkiness of his tone. Just something about having a friend who had more money than you all the time, that dressed better than you all the time, that made friends better than you all the time, that just seemed to get everything handed to him all the time. He had been very generous over the decades. “Why do you even like me?” she groaned.

  “You amuse me,” he said.

  She sat up and glared at him. “That’s not funny.”

  “I thought it was,” he said. “You’re obviously in a bad mood. I did bring you some Chinese food. It’s over on the counter. But I really don’t want to hang around while you’re like this.” And he sauntered toward the front door.

  She should call him back, but he was right. She wasn’t in a good mood.

  As soon as he was gone, she raced over to the Chinese food and crowed in delight. It was her favorite noodle dish. She immediately put it on a plate and stuck it into the microwave.

  It might be the only meal she got for the next twenty-four hours. She was no good with money. It was always a case of what she could buy instead of planning or saving. She wanted what she wanted, and she was no good at denying herself.

  When the Chinese food was warmed up, she sat down at the table and shoveled the food in her mouth. When she was done, she could feel a warmth taking over her.

  “Thank God for a hot meal,” she said. She yawned and whispered, “But now it’s really nap time. Then I’ll go out and party!”

  She got up, stumbled into her room, and threw herself across the bed. She was asleep almost immediately.

  Chapter 19

  “Having a day to myself at home really means catching up on paperwork,” Cayce whispered to herself. But then that was okay too. She didn’t know if Richard was coming back tonight, but she couldn’t get the idea out of her mind that maybe she should cook a meal for him.

  She had two steaks in the freezer, which she took out to thaw, and she sliced some potatoes, thinking to make scalloped potatoes. She put the slices in a bowl of cold water, added salt, and let them soak. As soon as that was done, she went back to the paperwork with a cup of tea in her hand.

  Just about the time she sat down, Frankie called her.

  “You were supposed to see my girlfriend,” he said, and his voice held a little bit of panic.

  “I know. I took a look,” she said. “I also told you that she wouldn’t be a good match for the first job, so there should be nothing to panic about.”

  “I know. I know.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just afraid that she’ll break up with me if I don’t get her this spot.”

  “And you know perfectly well that, if that’s the case, you don’t need to have anything to do with her.”

  “Easy for you to say,” he said, reining back in the emotions. “But it’s much harder for those of us who don’t attract people all that easily.”

  “Maybe,” she said. “I’m having a day at home. It’s just been a little bit too rough lately.”

  “Right,” he said. “I’m sorry. I should have thought of that.”

  “Actually, I’ve been ordered to stay home,” she said, “whether I like it or not. But I’m finding that I do like it.”

  “Interesting. The detective again?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Something is going on between the two of you, isn’t there?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “It’s okay. I’m just catching up on paperwork and taking a bit of a breather.”

  “You definitely need it,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. I’m being selfish. I promised. I did say I’d see her, and I will keep my promise,” she said. “I will look at your model. But you have to understand that if it’s a no, it’s a no. And I can’t keep her just because your relationship might depend on it.”

  “I know,” he said. “It sucks.”

  “Then why is your relationship on the rocks over it? She didn’t know who you were before, did she?”

  He sighed. “We’ve been off and on for a while, and then, you know, after my accident, I didn’t know what to do, and I took the wrong path to get back.”

  “I know it’s been tough for you, Frankie,” she said, “but you’re doing so much better.”

  “I know.” His voice held a slightly forced strength. “I just thought, you know, if there was one thing I could do to help her for having been at my side all this time …”

  “I get it,” she said, “but that can’t be based on the decision that I make.”

  “I know,” he said. “I promise. I’ll back off.”

  She chuckled. “And I already made a promise I would look at her, so don’t worry about it.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.” And he hung up.

  She brought out the pictures of his lover, going through them. Frankie had been in a car accident a few months ago, maybe eight months ago. He’d struggled with some of his recovery from it.

  “I am at loose ends,” she whispered to herself. It was a stolen day and a gift in itself, but it felt odd. Like she was playing hooky.

  Just then Anita called. “Hey,” she
said. “I’ve got a couple signatures I need from you.”

  “You want to send them over?” Cayce asked.

  “Or I could run them up,” Anita said. “It’s probably faster if I just bring them to you.”

  “Maybe, if you’re up for a walk,” she said.

  “I am,” she said. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  When a knock came at Cayce’s door ten minutes later, she looked up, having finally gotten into some of her invoices. She hopped from her chair, walked to the front door, checking the peephole. There was the guard, and there was Anita, flirting with him. Cayce opened her door with a smile.

  Anita stepped inside. “Wow,” she said. “If you have to have a gilded cage, that’s one hell of a guard to have around you.”

  “Well, you’re single and looking for somebody new, so maybe he is too,” she said, to her longtime assistant and friend.

  “I doubt it,” she said, “I’m still reeling from the rebuff from Frankie.”

  “That was a long time ago,” she said. “You need to move on.”

  “I know,” she said, “but I just—” And she stopped talking. After a moment, she shrugged. “I know you’ve heard it all before.”

  “So, what are we looking at?” Cayce asked.

  Anita held out the folder in her hand. “This.” It was a stack of papers.

  She walked over, placed them on her desk, and threw herself down onto the seat.

  “Why don’t you just work from here all the time?” Anita asked. “It’s beautiful.”

  “If I thought I could, I would,” she said, “but I’ve got to keep a gallery to exhibit my work, which takes up a ton of space, and I may as well have my little office tucked in a corner there anyway.”

  “I wonder if you really need two offices,” Anita said. “I could come here and work.”

  “But I think it is smart to have some separation between home and work,” she said, “so I don’t know that I want to do that.”

  “Makes sense,” Anita said.

  “I agree.” And she grinned. As she picked up the invoices, she looked at them. “Man, some of this stuff is just getting so much more expensive.”

  “The paint came in a lot higher. We had to use a new supplier because the last one had that weird overlook to the paint you didn’t like.”