by Kira Reese
I turned from the pimpled clerk behind the counter and bent over to take my flats off. The right one had a slight knick between the toe and sole of the shoe. I unfolded the napkin on the table and took out the knife. I twisted it to loosen the sole from the shoe. Other than a young couple and an older man, I was the only other customer in there. No one paid attention to me.
I picked up my purse and crossed the street with the sole of my shoe catching on the pavement. I readjusted my pace and entered Mike’s Shoe Repair shop. A wizened old man sat on a stool behind the rough counter. He bent over a shoe obviously meant for a large person. He glanced at me without a greeting.
“My shoe has come apart. I wonder if you have time to repair it for me. I have other errands to run, and I’m afraid I’ll trip on it.”
A slight smile spread through the wrinkles that did not quit on his face. He reached for my shoe and pushed aside the work he was doing.
“Did you slice it somehow?” asked the gravelly voice.
“I tripped on some rocks earlier. Maybe one of them sliced into it.”
He worked in silence. There was a curtain several feet behind him that separated his workspace from a back room. Someone brushed it accidentally, and for a split second, I saw the sunglasses man. Low voices could be heard, but the topic of conversation could not be discerned.
Being an astute private investigator, I knew the three men from the café were back there. Mike’s Shoe Repair was a front for something else. Since it was right next door to Barbary Hall, I felt sure the two buildings connected. The three men in back looked like gangsters to me, especially the two dark complexioned ones.
“I don’t see a name on the store next to you. What is that business?”
The repairman handed me my mended shoe. He looked hard at me for a split second then his face softened.
“There is no business going on in there. It closed down quite a while ago.” He eyed me again. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in this area before. Have you moved in recently?”
His voice sounded like gravel spinning slowly under a tire.
“I don’t live near here. I had lunch with a friend a couple of hours ago and she told me about the unique shops along here. I was just curious about the neighborhood.”
My answer seemed to satisfy him. I paid him the four dollars for his work and expressed my thanks. His eyes told me he knew I fabricated the tear in my shoe through means of my own, and purposefully. The bell tinkled melodiously on the door when I left. I crossed the street again and got into my car. It could have been my imagination, but I felt eyes on me from across the street.
Thinking about the bizarre events I witnessed, I wondered how Thornton Grey reached this level of society. The environment contrasted sharply to his estate and its location. I put the car in gear and drove off.
“I suppose gambling can place one in odd and unsavory situations,” I said aloud. “I wonder if Thornton goes through the shoe shop to get into Barbary Hall.”
I laughed out loud. If he was a high roller, he probably had the code to get in. Was he so high-up in the chosen field to just go in when he wanted, or did he have to be invited? I had no idea.
As I approached my office, I went over things uncovered to this point. James Butler appeared to tell me the truth. From his reactions during our conversation, I concluded he was baffled as to where his former partner could be. Angelina demonstrated genuine sadness and despair regarding her father’s disappearance. I had yet to talk with Victoria Hahn. There was the possibility she and Thornton still enjoyed a mutual relationship in spite of others’ observations.
In the long run, the ones who sprang to the forefront of my mind were the patrons of Barbary Hall. They certainly possessed reasons and the means to get rid of the tycoon. New York was filled with thugs like that if you looked in the right areas.
Natalie motioned me into her new office. Evelyn was on the phone talking with a prospective client, I hoped.
“Do you have anything new on your case?” I asked Natalie.
She brushed her hand away as if swatting a fly and smiled broadly. “I’ll catch you up on that later. I just want to tell you that Evelyn is a pro in here. She caught on easily, and you made a good choice.”
“I’m really glad to hear that. I felt she had enough experience in this kind of work.” I bent over her desk and placed my hands on it in a sprawled fashion. “You aren’t just telling me how good she is so I’ll keep giving you more cases, are you?” I laughed at her surprised look. When she realized I kidded her, she joined me in the joke.
“Now for the uppermost case you gave me,” she said, “I’ll give you the update. I have reason to think that Clarice Steckler’s best friend, Andrea Johnson, knows where she is.”
Natalie laid out her reasons, and I agreed with her. This case was several months old and it looked like she was getting somewhere with it. When I went back into the reception room I asked Evelyn how things were going. She replied in the affirmative and was happy to be working for me. I took the messages she handed me.
Back at my computer, I entered Barbary Hall. There was a short history on how it was once called The Barbary Coast Pub. After more searching, I learned more than how serving alcoholic beverages and bar food had been a part of the business. In the back, there had been gambling activities. In the early days, there were no regulations on this vice, and I gathered that only select members were allowed back there.
As for the present establishment, no owners’ names were listed. It simply stated the place was inhabited by private business owners who had individual offices there. I closed the laptop and glanced at my watch. It was closing time, and my two employees were closing their stations down. We all walked to the parking lot together. Evelyn mentioned she was headed to her son’s baseball game, and Natalie had plans to go to the theatre with her boyfriend. I was starved and hoped Nick beat me home to his grill.
When I walked into the house I heard him whistling. He rarely did that when I was around. He wasn’t all that good at it, and I regretted teasing him about it.
During our dinner, I discussed Barbary Hall with him. Concern spread across his face, and I knew an admonition was coming. He cautioned me about getting involved with the mob.
“That’s what Barbary Hall is about, Candy. They are well-equipped with ways to handle anything and anyone who infringes in their area. If they have anything to do with Thornton Grey’s disappearance, there is no way you will get to the bottom of it by entering their domain.”
This time he did not laugh and tease me. He meant it when he said how serious this new arena for me was. I knew he was right.
“Maybe I should tell Angelina about her father’s gambling habits. She doesn’t have a clue.”
Nick rested his chin on the palm of his hand. I couldn’t help but glue my eyes to his muscular arm that was propped on the table. I waited for him to speak.
“If she doesn’t know about that part, it may be better to wait for the right time,” he said.
My habit was to trust Nick’s input on cases I discussed with him. I knew I wasn’t ready to tell Angelina about that part of her father’s life. Nick’s statement proved to be the encouragement I needed not to divulge the information to her.
We enjoyed our evening together and veered our conversation away from Thornton Grey’s disappearance. Instead, we made weekend plans. Both of us knew there was work to do around the property before we spent the day on the water. Summer was setting in with full force. The lawn needed mowing and my favorite hobby of gardening waited for me; there were weeds to be pulled. Working flower beds was right up there with antique shopping for me.
“Why don’t you use weed killer in those beds,” Nick asked me once.
I stared at him at the time. I believed in no pesticides. He apologized with a grin after remembering that about me. I discussed possibilities of putting in a vegetable garden.
“No pesticides mean we eat pure organic foods,” I said. He agreed on that p
oint.
Chapter 9
Thornton Grey
Thornton Grey was born into privilege. His father trained him in how to grow business to reach extreme wealth for a lifetime and beyond. His parents were more than generous with their money when it came to particular charities. His older sister by eight years married a French patriot and now lived in Paris. He rarely saw her and had never met his two nephews.
It was one night when he was in college that he and his roommates decided to go out on the town. It was a week before graduation, and they hit the casinos on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. His friends tired of trying to persuade him to leave when they did. He stayed by himself until the early morning hours. Once the gambling bug took hold he continued to play the cards. He was astute and won more than he lost. One night a dark skinned Italian approached him and invited him to join them at a place called Barbary Hall in New York City. Several years later, he finally changed venues from Atlantic City to Barbary Hill located at 124 West 98th Street.
Things rolled along fine until he found himself in debt to the other players. He accused Mano Conti of trying to rip him off. After that, he played less at Barbary Hall. He paid his debt and decided to let them go their own way. He was finished with them all. They weren’t finished with him, though, and demanded more money from him. They were brutal in their threats and demands. He feared for his life and convinced his former partner to take the money to them and be done with it. When they continued to threaten him, he put his lawyers on the issue.
The money the men were hounding him about was not as big a problem as other matters. His multiple businesses were raking in an enormous amount of revenue on all sides. The stress of keeping things on track took their toll on him. He kept his lawyers busy looking for tax loopholes. At this point, the IRS was closing in on him. Certain his taxes were paid in full, he decided they wanted to close his loopholes. Thornton displayed one weakness: he trusted the few closest to him. Unknown to him, his taxes were not taken care of as he had believed.
His daughter’s constant meddling in his welfare became more than he could take, as well. He loved his daughter, but she clung to him like a leach. He knew his son-in-law spent more time at his job than at home, but that was not his problem. She was a grown woman and perfectly capable of occupying herself. He had nothing against Camden. In fact, they got along quite well when they saw each other.
Pressures built against him on a daily basis. He had to find a way out. His one option was to secure his future with funds hidden in Switzerland and vanish without leaving hints of where he was. He smiled when he thought of Mano and his cohorts being accused of his disappearance by his lawyers. They despised the idea of facing a judge for any reason. He rued the day he became involved with the thugs that were bent on taking everything he had.
He was glad Angelina had no idea of his gambling habits. He devised a meticulous plan, one that he alone would handle. One day he planned to contact his daughter again, but he had no idea when that would be. His purpose was to hide out indefinitely.
Just forming his plan provided a huge relief.
Chapter 10
Dead Body
Nothing could have prepared me for the news I received when I arrived back at my office Monday morning. I came in early, and since it was not our habit to spend time watching the news in the mornings, Nick and I missed the headlines. I worked a while before Natalie arrived. She carried a newspaper in her hands and walked briskly toward me.
“I guess you heard the news about Thornton Grey,” she said.
My head jerked up. I froze as I waited for her to open the paper. She spread it out in front of me. The headlines read Ship Building Magnate Found Dead on Holbox Island.
The body of a man lay on the beach at the edge of the water. He was clad in shorts and a tee shirt. A chain I presumed was silver hung around his neck. The story read that there had been an explosion of a boat out in the waters. It was thought the man escaped the fire and swam toward shore. He survived the distance, and it was thought he died from the exertion soon after on the sand. Two children playing around one of the secluded huts on the island discovered him.
“According to this article, he was found two days ago,” I said.
I reached for my phone and called Angelina. She tearfully told me she received the news very early this morning. She asked that I come to her house. I was glad for the invitation and arrived at her home twenty minutes later. A butler escorted me in, having received instructions from Angelina to do so. I held the slender body with compassion. Camden and her daughters were nowhere to be seen.
“Is your husband here?” I asked. I wondered why he wasn’t consoling his wife.
“He’s upstairs getting the children settled with the nanny. They do not know of their grandfather’s death. Camden is shaken.”
As if on cue, Camden Thomason entered the room. I stepped away when he went to his wife and held her close. Then he looked at me.
“We have been asked to identify my father-in-law. Angelina wants you to go with us.”
Her shoulders shook with grief, and she nodded at me through her tears. I followed them to the coroner’s office. Angelina headed first for the ladies’ room. I pulled Camden aside.
“Does she have to do this? Can’t you identify him?”
“I suggested that to her. She insists she wants to do it. I think she wants to know for sure it is him. Do you mind coming in with us?”
I told him I wouldn’t mind. Like Angelina, I wanted to see the man for myself. When we approached the table Angelina breathed deeply. It was audible enough for me to hear it. Camden had his arms across her shoulder, and I stood on the other side of her.
The sheet was pulled from his face. Angelina said, “That is my father.” The assistant handed her something. When Angelina opened her palm, she gasped again. “I gave him this chain for Christmas last year.” Breaking into heaving sobs, she turned and walked from the room.
I had my work cut out for me. This turn of events was something least expected. Until now, he had been a missing person. Now the boat explosion and his death confirmed it was much more than that. We returned to the Thomason home. The maid brought in cold drinks for all of us. I looked at Angelina, who seemed to have control of her emotions for now.
“I will do everything I can to find out how this happened,” I promised her.
“Did you know the boat exploded?” she asked. “Someone wanted him to die and set the explosive on the boat. At least he wasn’t burned to death.” Another gasp set her off in tears. I hugged her again and told her I would be in touch.
Camden followed me to the door. “Do everything you can. Of course, by now the authorities will be involved as well, but you may find a way to get to people they can’t.”
I have to say that by the time I left the Thomasons, I had a better attitude toward the stockbroker. He appeared more caring than expected. From their house I went to the precinct. Detective Ben Johnson had just returned to his office and told me to come in. News had reached him. This would prove to be one of his biggest cases even though the death of Thornton Grey occurred on a remote island in Cancun.
“I believe someone purposefully set the bomb in the boat somewhere,” I said. “It’s possible someone else was there with him.”
Ben looked at me. I noticed a few more grey highlights through the red hair on his head. He waited for an explanation.
“Maybe someone went out on the boat with him. It could have been someone who had something against him and took advantage of the isolated area to get rid of him.”
The detective continued to look at me as if wondering where my assumptions came from. I told him about Thornton’s gambling habits and information James Butler gave me regarding taking the money to the mob for Thornton. I added that in the widespread business dealings of Thornton, he surely cultivated a few enemies along the way.
“James also told me he could be ruthless in his business tactics when warranted,” I said. “Perhaps so
meone along those lines did it.”
At last, I got a response. “If someone was on the boat with him, how did that person escape?”
“Maybe he set the explosive and got off before it exploded. Or perhaps another boat waited to pick him up when he purposely dived into the waters before it all happened.”
“Those are all possibilities. You have done a lot of work on this, Candy. Your information will help solve this. I agree it is a case of murder. With Thornton Grey’s expertise in boats, his yacht did not just explode by accident.”
“I tried to figure a way to meet whoever the mob person at Barbary Hall is,” I said. “I want to know just how much debt he thinks Thornton is in and why he owed him more money.”
That was enough to cause the detective to bore his eyes deep into mine. “Candy, let us handle that part. Mano Conti and his gang have been on our radar for quite some time. Promise me you will not pursue that any further. It could jeopardize our progress regarding another matter.”
I agreed to back off from the Conti gang once Ben assured me they would look at them as participants in this case. I had a name at last, and after I asked for the description, I learned Mano wore dark sunglasses all the time.
The funeral for Thornton Grey was delayed. There was more to be discovered before burial. I called the main office of James Butler and asked to speak with Victoria Hahn. Her voice carried a slight accent I could not place at the moment. I identified myself and asked if she would agree to meet with me privately. She readily agreed to get together a few blocks from her office at a coffee house.
I waited for her outside the shop at a table in front of the window. I tilted my head back and let the sun cover my face. The air moved enough to cause a light wind to brush me. I felt her approach before I switched my focus on her. She looked from me to another woman a few tables away. I lifted my hand in greeting, hoping it was Victoria I waved at.