by John Holt
“I don’t know,” replied Mollie.
“Because they didn’t believe her maybe,” suggested Kendall. “But you know something, I don’t believe she has been anywhere near the police. And that means she hasn’t been entirely straight with us, she’s holding something back.”
“Like what?” asked Mollie.
Kendall shook his head, and dunked a cookie into his coffee. “I’ve no idea,” he replied. “Not yet.” He took another bite of the cookie, brushing the crumbs from his shirt. “One thing we do know is he had plenty of enemies. So as dreadful as it may sound my suggestions of kidnap, murder, or blackmail are definite possibilities.” He heaved a sigh. “Funny thing about enemies though,” he continued. “They might dislike you, indeed maybe they even have good reason, but the chances are they still would not want to see you dead. So I think we can rule out murder.”
“Worth more to them alive you mean,” suggested Mollie.
“I think we can also eliminate kidnapping,” Kendall continued as he drew a line through that word.
“Why do you say that?” asked Mollie.
Kendall picked up another cookie and dunked it in his coffee. “These are pretty good aren’t they?” He started to chew. “She never said anything about a ransom note did she, Mrs. Fletcher I mean,” he explained. “In my experience there’s not much point kidnapping someone unless you demand money for their freedom. Anyway that still leaves blackmail as a possibility.” He underlined the words.
“Who would be blackmailing him?” asked Mollie.
Kendall shook his head. “I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s only a possibility, but is it a reason to be missing. I don’t know. We don’t know anything yet.”
“What if instead of him being blackmailed, he was doing the blackmailing,” suggested Mollie.
It was a good suggestion, thought Kendall. “Well it’s certainly another possibility,” he replied.
“We don’t seem to have got very far do we,” said Mollie sounding disappointed.
“Not far at all,” agreed Kendall. “Cases like this are just too unpredictable, that’s why I hate them. The guy could be missing for all kinds of reason. Maybe he wants to be missing for a while. Maybe he has some private business to attend to, something he doesn’t want anyone else to know about. Maybe he just wants a couple of days away, alone. Maybe he has a surprise planned for the little lady.”
“Maybe he’s actually spying on her,” suggested Mollie.
“Maybe so,” Kendall agreed. “You just never know. It could be perfectly innocent, or it could be something far more sinister.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well we’ve already mentioned some items,” said Kendall. “There are others. For example just suppose she has already murdered him, and she’s trying to cover her tracks.”
“Do you really think so?” said Mollie shocked at the suggestion.
Kendall shook his head. “No, I don’t really think so. I’m only supposing.”
“So what do we do?” asked Mollie.
Kendall smiled and heaved a sigh. “Well we’re stuck with the case because of you. I should just let you deal with it.”
“Seriously, what do we do?”
“First thing to do is to start asking questions with his associates, see who his enemies were, check his bank, check around his normal habitats, the bars, his club, then we’ll see.”
Kendall picked up the photograph of Fletcher, and looked at Mollie. “Now I want you to check up about her,” he said. “I want to know what she does, when she does it, and who she does it with. I want to know if their marriage is okay, or are there some cracks. Meanwhile I’ll check up on him.”
* * *
Chapter Eleven
The Sullivan Brothers
“This is David Webb, Station KK59,” announced a voice on the radio. “It was reported today that three journalists, two working for the Globe, and one for the Virginia Sentinel, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and unlawfully accessing voicemail messages. It is also understood that the Virginia Sentinel has admitted liability and apologizes unreservedly to a number of public figures, including the Hollywood actor Trevor Collins, and rising sports star Dale Price.
“In other news today it has been reported that certain payments for information were made by the Sentinel to a number of officers in the Police Department. This has been denied by both the newspaper and the police. Police spokesperson Randall Prentice has promised that a thorough investigation will …..”
* * *
Kendall shook his head, and switched off the radio. With all of the troubles going on in the world all that you heard about these days was phone hacking, and more phone hacking. Wars raged in the Middle East; people were starving in Africa; Global warming was threatening the earth’s very survival. Nonetheless, it was phone hacking that was number one priority. Nothing came close. As if it really mattered anyway. He had no sympathy for those so called celebrities, moaning about their rights, and infringement of their privacy. So their phones had been hacked, who cared? If you want to be in the public eye you have to accept the rough with the smooth, and just get on with it. When it suited them they clamored for publicity, they couldn’t get enough of it, but when things got a bit too hot they cried foul, and complained bitterly about their privacy being infringed.
As for Police corruption, well there was nothing new there. For as long as he could remember there had always been allegations of police wrongdoings, and not just allegations. There had always been a number of police officers who weren’t averse to receiving the odd payment or three for turning a blind eye on occasion. And as far as the thorough investigation was concerned Kendall knew precisely what that meant – a white-wash, a complete cover up.
So what else was new, Kendall wondered. Who really cares anyway? In some places corruption was a way of life. Besides there were far more important things to worry about, like how was he going to pay his bills?
* * *
The telephone rang. Kendall looked up and reached across the desk, but he was too slow. Mollie reached it first. “Hello, she said. Can I help you?”
Kendall shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. “Kendall Detective Agency,” he mouthed silently. “How can I help you?” He looked at Mollie. “It’s quite simple, a child could do it.”
Mollie smiled and waved to him. She raised her finger to her mouth. “Shhh.”
“Is Kendall there came the reply?”
“Yes he is,” said Mollie. “I’ll get him for you.”
She passed the phone to Kendall. Placing his hand over the mouthpiece he asked who it was. Mollie shook her head. She didn’t know who it was.
“What do they want?” Kendall asked.
Once again Mollie shook her head.
“Is it a case?” Kendall asked hopefully.
She shook her head for a third time. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “It could be.”
Now it was Kendall’s turn to shake his head. “It could be,” he repeated. “Pigs might fly.” He took his hand away from the mouthpiece. “This is Kendall,” he said. “How can I help?”
“Hi Tom, this is Alan,” said a voice. It was Alan Mills from the Department. “How’s it going?”
Kendall looked at the empty desk in front of him. “Oh you know, busy-busy. No time, you know how it is, one thing after another. It’s just piling up.” He paused for a few moments, wondering whether now was a good time to ask for his old job back or not. “How are you managing without me?” he asked. “I guess it must be difficult no doubt. I suppose if it were necessary I’d consider coming ba ….”
“Oh we are getting by,” Mills replied. There was a pause. “Well we have to don’t we? It’s tough but there you are, what choice do we have? Though I have to say your replacement has settled in pretty well. Its early days but I think he’ll be fine. Probably as good as you were. Or perhaps he’ll be even better.”
“That’s good to
hear,” replied Kendall, trying not to sound too resentful. He decided that perhaps now was not such a good time after all.
“Did you say something, Tom?” asked Mills. “I didn’t quite catch it.”
Kendall started to smile. Maybe it was worth a gamble after all. They could only say no couldn’t they? As unlikely as that seemed. What had he got to lose anyway? “Oh I was only wondering whether or not ….”
“This really is a bad line,” Mills interrupted. “I can barely hear you.” He paused for a moment. “Anyway the Captain asked me to give you a call. You know the Sullivan brothers don’t you?”
Oh yes, Kendall certainly knew the Sullivan brothers, Ray, and his younger brother Billy. They both had criminal records as long as your arm. Petty stuff mainly, but a lot of it. Ray’s first entry had been when he was just fourteen years old. He and two others had broken into a drugstore. They got away with fifty dollars. He received a twelve-month suspended sentence. A year or two later his brother Billy started his career in crime. Then there followed a whole string of offences. Car thefts, break-ins, minor assaults and so on. You name it, they did it.
“I know them,” replied Kendall. “What about them?”
“Well it seems that they’ve left New York, and have moved into your area,” Mills started to explain. “We’re not sure why, but knowing them it won’t be for anything good. The Captain thinks they might be planning on moving up a notch or two. He thought that if you weren’t too busy you might like to keep an eye on them for us, as a favor.”
Kendall sighed. A surveillance job, just what he wanted. He shook his head. He had vowed never to take on a surveillance job. Standing around in the cold and the rain for hours on end was not his idea of having a good time.
“Well really I don’t …”
“We’d really appreciate it, Tom, knowing that you must be swamped out,” said Mills interrupting. “It’s really very good of you, and if ever we can return the favor you just have to say.”
Kendall sighed. “Well actually I was thinking of asking for my old ….”
“Yeah sure you were, always thinking, that’s good,” said Mills. “You were always a good thinker. The Captain was just saying the other day, what a good thinker you were.”
“But I ….”
“Absolutely, no problem,” said Mills.
“But I ….” Kendall tried once again.
“Apparently they frequent a place called Mike’s Bar on Collingwood, do you know it?”
Kendall knew it. “Is the pope Catholic?” he replied. “Yeah I know it, slightly.”
“Liaise with Officer Purcell. He’s our contact at Cedar Springs.”
“Well you know, Alan, I was ….” Kendall tried once again.
“We’ll send over all the information we have,” Mills continued. It’s really very good of you. Keep in touch. The captain says hi.”
“But I really don’t ….” Kendall started to say. The line was dead.
* * *
“Just what I need,” Kendall muttered as he replaced the receiver. He glared at the telephone and shook his fist at it. “You know what, just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, they just did.”
Mollie looked up.
“First we have the missing husband case, and now the dreaded surveillance job,” Kendall continued. “What next?”
“What’s the trouble?” asked Mollie.
“Of all people, the Sullivan brothers,” Kendall shook his head. “Had to be them didn’t it?”
“Who?” asked Mollie.
Kendall looked at her and shook his head once again. “The Sullivans, that’s who.”
“Who or what are the Sullivans?” asked Mollie beginning to get slightly annoyed. “They sound like a dance act to me.”
Kendall started to laugh. He tried to visualize Billy and Ray doing a tap routine, but somehow he couldn’t. “I wish they were,” he replied. “I really wish they were.”
* * *
Kendall had first known the Sullivans five years previously. Billy, the younger of the two brothers, had been caught trying to steal a car from one of his neighbors. The police were called, and Kendall went along. The car owner decided not to press charges. “No one was hurt, no harm done,” he said. “Besides Billy’s a good kid really, he’s just a bit wild that’s all.”
Six months later Billy was in trouble once again. This time it was over a card game with a local hard man, Paul Baxter. Billy was winning big time. Baxter accused him of cheating, an argument broke out and there was a fight. Billy got hurt badly, and ended up in hospital, with two broken ribs, a broken nose, and the loss of two teeth. Plus the loss of a large roll of bank notes.
Two days later his brother, Ray, went looking for revenge. He ended up on a charge of grievous bodily harm, and a two year stretch in prison. Billy got his money back. As for Baxter he never said a word. He couldn’t, his jaw was broken.
From then on it was downhill all the way for the Sullivans.
* * *
“The Sullivans, what can I tell you?” said Kendall. “Raymond Steven Sullivan, and his younger brother Billy James Sullivan.” He paused for a moment as he thought back. “Petty crooks, and plenty of trouble with a capital T.” Kendall paused once again. He heaved a sigh. “Ray, he’s the brains of the organization, if you can call it brains. He was always thinking up some scheme or other, and Billy would just go along with it. He wouldn’t say a word, and was happy enough just to be lead.” He started to smile. “They have been into everything you can think of from stealing cars to breaking and entering.”
“Drugs?” asked Mollie.
Kendall looked at her and smiled. He shook his head. “No, I have to admit it, they were never into drugs,” he replied. “Their one saving grace I guess.”
“Murder?” queried Mollie.
Kendall shook his head once again. “Oh no, there’s never been anything like that either.”
“So what’s the problem?” Mollie continued.
“What’s the problem?” Kendall repeated. “Well it seems that they have moved over to our neighborhood, and the department would like me to sort of keep an eye on them, to see what they are up to. In other words to spy on them.”
Mollie nodded. “Oh I see a surveillance job.”
“Spying,” Kendall repeated. “And to make matters even worse, I’m not even getting paid for it.”
Mollie looked at him. “What do you mean, not getting paid?”
Kendall shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “As a favor, that’s what he said,” he replied, looking back at the telephone. “My so called friend at the department, a favor, I mean come on give me a break.”
* * *
Much against his better judgment, Kendall had made an appointment to see Officer Purcell later that day. “Four thirty at Rosie’s Diner,” Purcell had suggested. “Do you know it?”
Apart from Mikes Bar, Rosie’s Diner was probably Kendall’s all time favorite haunt. It wasn’t just about the food, although Rosie did the best burger for miles around, and her steaks were legendary. But no it wasn’t the food, well not just the food. It was far more personal than that. There was no great mystery, it was simple enough. At least it was as far as Kendall was concerned. Rosie had a soft spot for him simple as that, not that she would ever admit it of course. Mollie considered that if there had been anything in the story then the only soft spot Rosie would have had would have been in her head.
Kendall admitted that he did know Rosie’s Diner, slightly, and that he had been there maybe once or twice.
* * *
Chapter Twelve
Rosie’s Diner
Rosie’s Diner had been opened by Rosie O’Grady on March 20th 1946. It should be said that Rosie O’Grady wasn’t actually her real name. Esther Caitlin Mulvey, her parents, and five siblings, had come from a small town just outside of Dublin, Ireland a few years earlier, arriving at Ellis Island on November 4th 1938. Her mother had died six months later. Then just when everyone was c
elebrating the end of the war in Europe, Joseph Patrick Mulvey, her father, had a heart attack. He was rushed to the Calvary hospital in the Bronx, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Rosie’s Diner
Rosie’s very soon became something of a local landmark, known for its service and quality, and people came from miles around. It was famous for its quarter pounder burger, its club sandwich, and its 1092 calories BLT, with cheese. This was a great favorite of Kendall’s, one of many. In fact he was becoming a bit of an addict visiting three or four times a week. He was fast becoming something of a fast food connoisseur and it was beginning to show. In the last few months he had added a pound or two … well eight to be exact, but who was counting.
* * *
Rosie’s Diner
It was just after four thirty when Kendall arrived at Rosie’s diner. As usual it was busy, with the regular crowd of truck drivers, office workers, and off duty police officers looking for their complimentary cup of coffee and donut. Over in the far corner the Rock-ola juke box was playing “All I have to do is dream” by the Everly Brothers, as Kendall passed by.
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you
All I have to do is dream
Dream, dream, dream
Rosie was a great believer in tradition, and the Diner was largely unchanged since the day that it had opened. The juke box was one of the items that had been kept, and it was still playing the old rock ‘n’ roll music from the nineteen fifties, obviously to the great delight of the clientele. The only difference was that instead of playing the old shellac records, or the vinyl discs, the jukebox had been adapted to accept CD’s.
The music that was playing was a little before Kendall’s time, although he did vaguely recall his grandparents talking about it. Even so he had to admit that it really wasn’t that bad. It certainly had something going for it, although in truth Simon and Garfunkel was probably more to his liking. For the briefest of moments Kendall wondered if “The Boxer” was on the juke box, or perhaps “The Sound of Silence.” Probably not, he decided, as Buddy Holly started to sing “Oh Boy.”