Rockets' Dead Glare

by Lynn Cahoon

  “I’m sorry. Has something happened?” I had a feeling I knew just who was sitting in my coffee shop, wiping away tears, but I could be wrong.

  “He died. Recently.” She wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “You probably knew him. I’m Heidi Gleason. My ex was Barry.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I’m never good at these types of conversations. But luckily for me, Heidi didn’t seem to notice my hesitation.

  “It wasn’t like this was unexpected. He’d called last month with the news, told me I’d be losing my gravy train alimony check but that he’d taken care of the kids.” She laughed, a short bitter sound. “He hated paying me alimony, even though I’d supported him for years while he went to school. Sometimes men can be such jerks. The good news is I still had a life insurance policy on him that he didn’t know about. I’ll be able to finish school.”

  “What are you talking about?” This entire conversation had taken a turn I hadn’t expected. Small towns, you never knew who you’d run into. Then her words hit me. “Wait, he called last month? How did he know he’d die in a fire last month?”

  She sipped her mocha. “Barry never did have good luck. The fire was just the last straw. Barry had pancreatic cancer. The doctors told him he had only a few months left to live. Of course, I thought he was just being Barry and I didn’t believe him until he pulled out his pile of medical bills. I guess I’m going to have to handle all of that now too. Do you know anyone over at city hall? I’m heading there next to see what kind of benefits Barry had.”

  I gave her Amy’s name and number since South Cove didn’t really have a human resource department. Then as she looked around at books I texted Greg. Did you talk to Mrs. Gleason yet? She’s here in my shop.

  I didn’t have to wait long for a reply. How do you get involved in these things? I’m out of town right now. Get her cell and text it to me. She was supposed to come straight to the station when she got into town.

  That had to be the longest text I’d ever received from him. When Heidi came to the counter with a stack of books, I gave her Greg’s message and texted him her number. As she left the shop, she turned back. “You better take care of that man of yours, dear. You never know when something bad could happen, especially with his job.”

  Sasha came into the shop as Heidi was leaving. She walked behind the counter and stashed her purse. “Who was that?”

  I filled her in on Barry’s ex-wife’s visit, and then a weird idea came to mind. I’d read it in a book recently, but didn’t know if it was true or not. Only one way to find out. I grabbed my purse. “Sorry to run so fast, but I’m going to Bakerstown to talk to Doc Ames. If Greg comes in, tell him I’ll be back at the house by five.”

  “Do I tell him where you’ve gone?” Sasha sipped her coffee, watching me.

  I shook my head. “Errands. Tell him I went to run errands.”

  “You may want to stop at the store then before you come back just so you have real proof. Plausible deniability.” Sasha grinned. “You are so fun to work for. I never know what kind of trouble you’re going to get into next. I just don’t want you teaching your mad skills to my daughter. She’s crafty enough as it is.”

  “Nothing wrong with a curious mind,” I called back as I left the shop. I had to run home, get my car, and then get into Bakerstown before Doc Ames closed the funeral parlor for the day. He liked taking a short nap in the afternoon.

  Since I had to stop at the store afterward and didn’t think Doc Ames would appreciate me bringing Emma, I had to leave her at the house. I liked bringing my dog along on car trips. That way when I’m talking to myself, she looks like my intended target. Today, I’d just have to look crazy as I worked out the details of what happened to Barry and the questions I wanted to ask Doc Ames.

  His car was still parked behind the building when I reached Bakerstown. “Lucky girl,” I muttered as I made my way through the ornate waiting rooms and lobby, back to his office. The place always felt heavy to me. And a little bit creepy. But the funeral director and county coroner was just about the nicest guy you’d ever meet.

  I knocked on the door and peeked my head into the office. He was sitting at the desk, reading a file. “Hey, can I come in?”

  A wide smile covered his face and he waved me in, sitting the file on his desk. “Do you want some coffee? I made a pot just a little while ago and I told myself I’d stay here working until its gone.”

  “Sure. Black is fine.” I settled into the visitor’s chair and glanced around the room. It never changed. Piles of papers covered every surface, except the desk, and they were starting to encroach there as well. I worried that someday I might come in and the paper would have taken over and our Doc would be lost in the piles.

  “What brings you here, as if I didn’t know already?” He tapped a gnarled finger on the folder he’d been reading. “Such an interesting case, don’t you think? Kind of a locked-room mystery. Four men go in, three come out. It would make an excellent movie.”

  “You know Greg doesn’t like me ‘investigating.’” I made air quotes around the word. “But I have a couple of general questions for my own curiosity.”

  He leaned back in his chair, the white hair he wore too long and messy contrasting with the dark worn leather. “And I’m curious to know what you’ve come up with. I guess we’re both rebels. Ask your questions, and I’ll tell you what I can without violating my friend’s rights.”

  “This is a general question. If a person died of, let’s say, a heart attack, and then the body was burned in a fire, could you determine that?”

  “It would depend on how long the body was exposed to the heat. Sometimes the fire is so hot, there are just ashes to work with.” He steepled his fingers. “Are you considering a new line of work?”

  “Oh, no. Too gross for me. But I have another question.” I bit my bottom lip, wondering if I could phrase it correctly to get me the information I wanted. My “source” was very specific on what he’d talk about. “If a person overdosed, then was burned in a fire, is the answer the same?”

  He nodded. “Exactly. You have to have a body to be able to test. Sometimes the ashes mix in with the materials around the body and you can get all kinds of crazy readings.”

  “But Barry’s body wasn’t just ashes, was it?”

  This time he glanced at the folder on his desk. “I don’t see the harm in answering that question, so I will. No. Barry was badly burned but that wasn’t what killed him.”

  I leaned closer, sure I had the answer now. “Do cancer patients get high-dosage pain killers?”

  Before he could answer, there was a knock on the door. Greg came in to the room. He put a hand on my shoulder as he stood behind my chair. “Doc Ames, I was wondering if I could have a minute of your time.”

  “Uh-oh, we’ve been found out, Jill. Your man is on to our wicked secret romance.” The older man smiled. “Coffee, Greg?”

  “That would be great.” He slipped into the chair beside me. “What were you two talking about? Wait, can I guess?”

  “I didn’t ask specifically about Barry. I was asking hypotheticals.” Well, except for that last question. I sipped my coffee. No way was he going to make me feel guilty about this when I had it figured out. “To catch you up, here’s what I’ve found out so far.”

  Greg listened as I recited the questions and Doc’s answers. When I got to the last question, Doc piped in. “And that’s where we were. Which I think is a very interesting question. Yes, some patients in cancer treatments get pain killers. And I suspect a patient with a terminal diagnosis might have some pretty strong ones.”

  Turning toward me, Greg draped an arm around the back of his chair. “Okay, Nancy Drew, what’s the solution to the problem?”

  “You mean, who killed Barry?” I didn’t know if he wanted me to continue the hypothetical discussion or get to real facts.

  He shook his head. “Go ahead, let’s hear it.”

  “Ok
ay then, let’s put the clues together. Aunt Jackie saw him at the doctor’s offices building. I know that there are quite a few cancer doctors in that building because I had a friend who did her chemotherapy treatment there.”

  When neither one of them spoke, I kept going. “Then he pulls together an impromptu training for three of his volunteers. The three he wanted you to suspect of killing him. Bill, who has been trying to block him at the council meetings. Matt, who has a checkered past anyway. And Tiny, who, well, isn’t really Tiny and has a secret. He sets up the fire, makes sure only those three people are in the suspect pool, then goes in and lights the fire.”

  “Go on.” Greg watched me as I scooted to the edge of my seat while I talked.

  “Then he takes the meds. But it has to be enough to overdose on. Tiny said he was looking tired, like he could have used more sleep, but maybe he took the pills early, and then when Tiny didn’t show up on time, he almost blew the whole plan.” I looked from Doc to Greg. “He’d already told his ex-wife that she was losing her alimony. I bet when you look at his finances, he increased his life insurance.”

  Greg nodded. “Two weeks before the fire.”

  I fell back into my chair and stared at him. “You were already looking at this theory. You knew Barry tried to set his death up as a murder.”

  He grinned. “I’d asked Doc for the toxicology because his physical autopsy showed that Barry was dead before the fire happened. He didn’t have any smoke damage to his lungs. Which meant none of the three could have killed him. They were each other’s alibi’s. Tiny even said Bill timed the burn on his watch to follow Barry’s instructions to the letter. I think Barry didn’t realize he’d ruined his own plot twist.”

  “You just let me investigate even though you knew there wasn’t a murder?”

  Greg shrugged. “I figured it couldn’t hurt. There wasn’t a killer to get nervous about you asking questions. You were completely safe.”

  “Sometimes you are a real pill, Greg King.”

  Chapter 7

  We’d closed down the coffee shop at seven but Nick would keep the booth open until the fireworks started. He was selling more water and cookies than coffee. I sat at a table near the booth and fingered the red checked tablecloth. Real fabric. Darla had gone all out. Now that her man wasn’t under suspicion for murder, she’d dove into the setup and planning. Now, all there was left was the grand finale, fireworks. The band that was currently playing would step down and a DJ would handle the music for the production.

  “Nothing to do now but eat and enjoy.” Greg took a chicken leg out of the bucket that sat at our table. He still wore his uniform, but I could see he’d shut off the cop persona for the night.

  “You don’t have to be available for patrolling?” I finished off the watermelon I’d been snacking on all day and pulled the bucket closer to see what was left.

  “That’s why I’m the boss. Toby and Tim are taking a break too. We have the temps from Bakerstown if something goes south.” Greg pulled me close. “I am so glad last week is over. Hell, I’m glad last month is over. It’s been crazy.”

  “Did Mrs. Gleason decide on a funeral?” I hadn’t seen the woman in town since our first meeting.

  “Actually, there won’t be services. His kids and family are doing something next weekend but it’s private. I guess they figured with the way he went out, a small event would be better.” Greg set the chicken leg down. “I don’t know about Barry’s choices. It seemed like he wanted to make a wave leaving.”

  A shadow fell over the table. I looked up and saw Tiny standing there with a couple of baskets of food from Diamond Lille’s booth.

  “Thought you two might like some chicken wings and shrimp poppers.” He grinned as he set them down on the table. “My treat. I’m glad to see you are still talking to each other. I was a little worried from the looks you guys were giving each other the last time I saw you.”

  “Greg overreacts.” I grabbed a popper and dunked it into Lille’s special sauce. The crunchy bite was perfect. “These are tasty.”

  “I don’t overreact when you keep your nose out of my business and just deal with your bookstore and coffee shop.” Greg took a big whiff of the chicken wings. “I can smell the heat on these. Thanks, man.”

  “No problem. I’m just glad you all handled the nastiness that happened last week. I can’t believe that man would have tried to set any of us up that way.” Tiny shook his head. “Some people just don’t have a heart, you know?”

  I thought that was a perfect description of the Barry I’d met. Maybe he had been a nice guy at some point, but he turned out to be a royal pain. The only thing he’d done with this meanest act was bring the rest of us together. I guess that was going to have to be his legacy.

  Tiny held out his hand to shake Greg’s. “Anyway, I’m thankful that it’s taken care of now. I know Lille and Carrie know my past life, but I’d rather that it not be broadcast to everyone in town. I’m still trying to deal with the memories of that time. I wasn’t a very nice guy.”

  “You were acting.” I didn’t understand Tiny’s pain, but I could see it was real.

  He shook his head. “Actions have consequences. Even when they are just part of the job. I’ll get over it, someday. For now, I just want to lose myself in my cooking.”

  “And we love the food you create.” I squeezed his arm. “Thanks for coming to South Cove. You’re a big part of why I love the town.”

  Or at least his food was, since I ate way too many meals at Diamond Lille’s as part of my normal routine. As he walked away, I noticed Greg scanning the crowd, his attention stopping at the bandstand. I turned my head to see what had caught his attention.

  Darla and Matt stood over near the bandstand, watching the crowd. I caught his eye and he waved. They made their way over to the table. “Jill, Greg, isn’t the festival great? Darla’s outdone herself again.”

  Darla blushed and swatted his arm. “South Cove festivals are a result of everyone working together. That’s why they’re always so successful. There’s no way I could have pulled this off by myself.”

  “Whatever you say, goofball.” Matt leaned down and kissed the top of her head. An action that made me misty eyed. “The band’s almost ready to take a break, so I’m playing DJ, but I wanted to thank you for putting this Barry thing to bed so quickly. I know I might have been an easy target in that whole situation.”

  “No one would suspect you of doing something like that.” Darla looked up into Matt’s face.

  “Well, it all worked out in the end.” Greg jumped into the conversation before it got sidelined.

  I’d never heard Matt talk so much. Darla, yes, I was used to not getting a word in edgewise. Maybe that’s why they got along so well together. “I’m glad nothing crazy happened in this whole thing.”

  “Thanks to you.” Matt nodded, not breaking eye contact with me. “You were like a dog with a bone. I’m so glad you found the evidence to clear me.”

  “Hey, what am I? Chopped liver? You realize you were never charged in the case, right?” Greg’s voice held a tint of amusement.

  “Not for lack of circumstantial evidence. You all could have just seen what I was and not looked at what I’ve become. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.” Matt shook Greg’s hand and then squeezed mine. “If I can do anything for either of you, let me know.”

  “Maybe you could play a slow song so I could dance with my favorite girl before the fireworks.”

  “I don’t think the police department approved a street dance.” I grinned at him. “We might be violating a law or something.”

  “I’ll take the risk.”

  Darla kissed both of us on the cheek. “You two are so cute. We’ve got to go. The band is getting restless.”

  I watched them walk away, hand in hand. “Darla says he’s happy his past is out and not a secret anymore. He feels like he’s home.”

  “Well, Barry tried to make the California State Pen Matt’s new home.
I can’t believe he tried to frame him.” Greg sipped his lemonade. “He had to be out of his mind to plan something like this.”

  My response was delayed as Bill and Mary stopped by our table.

  “We’re sitting across the way with your aunt and Josh. Why don’t you join us?” Mary gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I loved the woman, mostly because she kept my aunt happy and occupied as a friend. That meant I didn’t have to go on the escapades my aunt enjoyed, like visiting wineries or art galleries.

  “We’re actually having some couple time.” Greg stood and shook Bill’s hand. “You know how hard it is to get any private time in jobs like ours.”

  “And we’re here interrupting.” Bill smiled down at me. “I do apologize, but I wanted to thank you for dealing with the Gleason thing. If the investigation had gone on through the festival, it would have put a mark on quite a few people’s enjoyment of the holiday. Now that it’s over, we can all relax.”

  “Bill, that was insensitive of you. I’m sure Barry’s family isn’t enjoying the festival this weekend.” Mary narrowed her eyes at her husband.

  “All I meant was there are a lot of people who might have been considered suspects if these two hadn’t solved the case so quickly.” He rolled his eyes. “It was a compliment, dear.”

  “Men.” Mary snorted, then turned back to me. “Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and let you know where we are, just in case.”

  “I think we’re good.”

  As they walked away, I glanced at Greg. “Time to ourselves?”

  “I’m getting a little annoyed at being interrupted every few minutes. Maybe we should go hang out in your shop or on the roof. We could see the fireworks there.” Greg looked hopeful. “And we have plenty of food to get through.”

  I was considering the idea when I realized I hadn’t answered him about Barry’s intentions. Besides, I needed to be close, just in case Nick needed me. I decided to change the subject.