“Listen to the lady, my friend.”
I turned to her date and shoved a finger in his chest. “I told you to shut up and stay the hell out of my business. You keep it up and I’ll wipe the floor with your scrawny ass.”
The valet kid rushed over. “Sir, can I help you with anything?”
“Yeah, run this guy over, will you?”
All eyes were on me as I walked over to California Pizza Kitchen. I sat at the bar and ordered a brew and watched Robin get into a Mercedes S-Class. When they pulled away I left, without taking a sip of beer.
***
Should I send her flowers? Why should I? I didn’t really do anything wrong; she was the one out on a date. Maybe I embarrassed her at the valet? It wouldn’t have gotten as heated if Mr. Office Man would’ve minded his own business. Why did people have to stick their noses into someone else’s business?
He’s lucky I didn’t flatten his ass. Me too, I guess, otherwise I’d be crawling out of a deeper hole with her.
Her ‘I’m busy at work’ line was pure bull. She had three million glorious dollars in the bank, on top of what she had already. That was pretty close to ‘I can tell you to go to hell’ money.
Robin was making things difficult and confusing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because she was playing hard to get. Maybe it was the grieving thing.
I had to think this through. Was giving it a couple of days a good idea? I hated being out of the picture. Should I call her or go to her house?
Should I play it cool? I couldn’t do the groveling thing, besides, what would I do? Nothing. She’s the one who was running around. Robin better not be sleeping with him. I should’ve gone to her house. Why the hell didn’t I do that? You’re in the dark now, Stewart. You screwed up, dummy! Okay, think it through, dig deep.
You gotta take action. Can’t just let this ebb away. You want something, you gotta go for it. All in or none in. No more bullshit. Got to deal with this head-on. Smooth things out without compromising too much. Yeah, that’s the solution. Besides, her birthday is in a couple of weeks, and that plan is rock solid.
I picked up the phone to place an order for two-dozen roses. She’ll be home in an hour. If I timed it right we could be eating dinner by seven.
Chapter 29
Stewart
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” - Henry David Thoreau
She’s going to go crazy when she opens this. Even the pink wrapping paper is her style. Should I put a bow on it? Maybe even some ribbon around it? I don’t know, it’s a pretty small box; it’ll look messy and crowded. Maybe I should put it in a larger box. That would really throw her off. Otherwise, she’d definitely know it was jewelry.
I could put it in a box and then in another box. That’d blow her mind. I’ll drag it out and show her how much effort I put into it. There was that box all that stuff from Amazon came in. It’s kinda big, though, and too bulky to open at a restaurant table.
What about using a shoe box? Yeah, that would work, and it wouldn’t be bad to take into the restaurant. I can see it now, her opening the first box up, but maybe she won’t like the theatrics. Robin’s kinda serious, especially these days. You know what, forget it.
The ring will fit in my pocket. Things don’t go the way I want, maybe I don’t give it to her then. I think she’ll like it, though, and a ring is real personal. It wasn’t like an engagement ring, but it was a damn good stepping stone.
***
Robin said she didn’t want to go to Marco Island, so I booked a special table at 1500 South by the marina. It was a cool-looking place, all white leather, and it definitely smelled high end. As I approached the restaurant, I was still miffed that she had insisted on meeting me there, making the money I spent on detailing my car a total waste.
I parked under the hotel and walked over to 1500 South. Where the hell was she? The booth I reserved was empty. I checked with the hostess, and she brought me to a table by the piano, where Robin was tapping away on her phone.
“Hello, birthday girl.”
She smiled a decent-sized smile. “Oh hi.”
“Let’s move tables.”
“Why? This is fine.”
“No way. I reserved a special table, a booth overlooking the marina.”
“This is okay, Dom, don’t make a big deal about it.”
“No, it’s not. It’s your birthday, and after all you’ve been through, it’s just not good enough.”
This was good. The screw up with the table turned into an opportunity to show her I had standards, especially when it came to her. The night was off to a great start.
We decamped to a curved, white leather booth with black piping. The booth was positioned facing the water. It was the primo spot in the restaurant, as long as there were no loudmouths at the bar.
I checked the wine menu and ordered a bottle of the mid-priced champagne.
“Pretty nice here, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “I always liked it down here, but I wonder why no restaurant ever seems to make it here.”
“It’s off the tourist map.”
We chatted about the prior restaurants that inhabited the space until the bubbly arrived. We clinked glasses and I went to give her a kiss, but she only offered me her cheek. Uh-oh. I wondered if I should give her the ring to warm her up.
A big-assed yacht was maneuvering its way into the marina and I pointed. “Check that one out. Man, that’s a beauty.”
“Wow. It’s huge.”
“Yeah, big but slick looking.”
“It must be expensive.”
“You can get one of those.”
“What are you talking about?”
“With the insurance money. You can afford that, or anything else you want.”
“Boats are nice, but everyone says they’re a headache.”
“You know the saying: ‘The best days to own a boat are the day you bought it and the day you sell it.’”
“Boats require a lot of maintenance. I say it’s better to have a friend with a boat.”
“If you’re thinking about getting one, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for you. I’ll be your skipper.”
She smiled. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
To getting a boat or me being her skipper?
Robin wasn’t her old self, but she seemed to have moved past the incident at Waterside. It was going pretty good, I thought, as I studied her. Her cheeks got rosier as the bottle disappeared, and the vibe got looser as it always does with booze. We both had the expensive snapper, and it was great. She didn’t want any dessert, so I ordered a glass of Malbec to extend the night out and went to the john.
I liked the sparkler they put in the lime pie, though it was leaving a bunch of dark specs on the skimpy piece of pie. We sang “Happy Birthday” to her, and the sparkler died out during the chorus. I really liked the sparkler; it reeked class.
As soon as the waiter left I dug out the ring and put it on her plate.
“Happy birthday, sunshine.”
She seemed surprised but didn’t touch the box.
“Go ahead and open it.”
She opened it as if she were defusing a bomb. I thought the red ruby showed great against the black velvet it sat on.
“It’s nice. You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
“I appreciate it, though it really wasn’t necessary.”
“You like it?”
“It’s stunning.”
“Well, put it on then!”
She put the ring on her pinky finger. What was that?
I said, “You mean a lot to me, you know.”
“I know, Dom.”
“We should spend more time together, like we used to.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready, Dom.”
“Ready? What’s that supposed to mean? You got to seize things when you can.
”
“I know, but it feels like Phil went missing only yesterday.”
“It’s been a year, and it didn’t stop you from going out with that patsy from the office.”
She glared at me. “What I do is none of your business.”
“Well, two can play that game.”
“What game?”
I was glad I saw the danger sign flashing ahead for a change. “Just forget it. I’m sorry I brought it up. I really understand how difficult this has been for you, Robin, and I just want to help.”
Atta boy! She softened immediately.
***
On a scale of ten, the birthday dinner was a fat five. Zero movement. Time’s a wasting, and time I ain’t got. Got to explore my options. That Melissa had three out of four of what I was looking for. She was no Robin, but her old man, who owned three Ford dealerships, was ‘off the hook’ loaded. Her body was an eight, eight and a half maybe, but her face was six and a half at best.
Melissa liked me for sure. I resisted her continual overtures, excepting a couple of recent ones. Come on, a guy’s a guy. Maybe it was time to ramp it up. After all, what’s the downside? I get to jump on Melissa’s bones while making Robin jealous. Time for her to eat the food she made. If it didn’t change things with Robin I’d move on. Melissa was a good, no, outstanding alternative. Either way, I’d be riding high soon.
I grabbed a beer, sat on the lanai and pulled out my cell. It was late, so I’d text Melissa and let her know I was coming in tomorrow to take her to lunch, and who knows, maybe go shopping for a new Mustang.
Chapter 30
Luca
To say the doctor’s office was jammed was putting it mildly. I signed in and grabbed two magazines before settling into the last seat, which was under the TV. I started to doze off when my cell rang. It was Vargas.
“Where are you?”
“Sitting in my doctor’s office.”
“Oh, are you feeling okay?”
“Fine, I had a scan, but it’s just routine. What’s up?”
“You sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure, Mommy. What’s up?”
“I’m down at Clam Pass. They found a body in Outer Clam Bay.”
“A boating accident?”
“Afraid not, the body was weighed down.”
I stood up. “I’m on my way.”
“Don’t you dare, Frank! You stay there.”
“Why not? You forget that I’m the leading homicide—”
“Hold on. You need to take care of yourself. This guy’s dead already. Come on down after you’re done.”
“But this place is packed. It’ll take another—”
“Listen to yourself. You’re a good detective, Frank, but nothing’s gonna change with or without you around.”
“You’re a real sweetheart, ain’t you?”
“I’ll see you later, after you’re done with the doctor.”
“Make sure the scene is secure.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo, Frank.”
“I know, I know.”
“I’ll see you later.”
I pleaded, “Call me if anything comes up. Okay, Vargas? Hey, Vargas, you there?”
***
I finally got to Clam Pass as the crime scene investigators were taking off their protective clothing. I’d missed a critical part of the investigation and was pissed. Seeing the scene before it was trampled on was a huge advantage. The best opportunity to try and recreate what could have happened was lost. Now I’d have to wait until the place cleared out to envision away.
The pee-pee alarm on my cell phone sounded as I got out of my car. I hit the snooze button and ducked under the yellow crime-scene tape. It was breezy and the palm trees were dancing a bossa nova.
Wearing a blue pantsuit, Vargas was talking with Darren Grumman, who led the forensic team. Grumman was a mousy guy who never gave you anything until it was fully processed. He never appreciated that we had to move quickly. As a result, half the time we figured things out without him.
Grumman was outfitted in his usual cheap, beige seersucker suit.
“What did I miss?”
Vargas said, “A kayaker spotted the body about ten thirty and called it in.” She raised her arm and pointed. “It was wrapped in plastic and weighed down under the mangroves about ten yards from the boardwalk. Forensics cut the plastic away and the body’s pretty much intact but covered in a waxy type thing no one’s seen before. It looks to be an important clue.”
Nodding, I asked, “Male?”
“Yeah, male, Caucasian, about six foot, one hundred seventy to two hundred.”
I looked at Grumman. “Any idea on age?”
“Difficult to say.”
“I know it’s difficult, that’s why you guys are here.”
Mr. Helpful shook his head and walked away. Vargas said, “You know, sometimes you can get more with candy than vinegar, Frank.”
“Hey, I’m at a disadvantage, not only am I late, thanks to you, but I don’t have your good looks.”
“What did the doctor have to say?”
No way I’d tell her he was ready to stick a needle in Little Luca to try and wake him up. “Good as new. Any idea on how old? Sounds like someone in decent shape.”
“Tough to say, but Simmonelli said he thought the victim was around forty.”
I flipped through the rolodex in my head as Vargas said, “They’re pretty much done.”
“I can see that.”
She frowned. “Look, I gotta run. I’m due in court in under an hour.”
Vargas handed me a drawing of the crime scene and I said, “Hustle along then. I need to do my thing.”
I took a couple of deep breaths and slowly surveyed the scene until my alarm went off again. A handful of people were still hanging around, so I walked over to the hotel, which bordered the parking lot, to use their pool bathroom.
By the time I emptied my bladder there was only one officer left, and his role was to guard the crime scene.
The parking lot for Clam Pass was at the end of Pine Ridge. At the end of the lot there was a long boardwalk that passed over the bay and led to a nice strip of beach. The boardwalk was so long that golf cart shuttles, run by the adjoining hotel, transported most of the beachgoers.
I walked the area, all pavement, so no tire tracks or footprints to look for if this was a new crime. I wondered how long it took the uniforms to get the sun worshippers off the beach to clear the parking lot. Not the best PR for a town known as paradise.
After picking out the sole CCTV camera, I checked its sight line. I looked up at the hotel, but as expected, at their room rates, none of the rooms had a view of the lot. Circling the perimeter of the lot I couldn’t find any other access points.
Drawing in hand, I headed to the boardwalk. The body had been weighed down in a secluded area only about twenty yards from the gazebo where the tram stopped. There were three plausible ways the poor sob ended up in the muck. He could’ve been walking on the boardwalk when he was attacked, maybe a robbery gone wrong, and then dumped.
Problem was he was weighed down and tied up. That suggested that if it was a robbery then the thief was ready to kill and dump the body, requiring a highly unusual robber. I didn’t buy it. So, the odds at this point were that whoever did this was planning to kill this guy the entire time. It had to be. I didn’t feel it was a morphing kind of situation.
He could have been lured there to be murdered, but unless there was a record of a car being left that remained unclaimed, my suspicion was that the body was transported here. Now the question was how. By car or a boat of some kind?
I started leaning toward a car being used. It just gave the killer more flexibility, that is, unless the killer had access to a remote place to launch a small boat and navigate to where he dumped the body. Nah, if he was in a remote place to begin with, why not hide the body there? Why risk it?
I tucked th
e boat theory in a pocket to explore later. Killing wasn’t rational, so you had to be on guard for other irrational behavior.
The autopsy should help narrow things down, giving us a reasonable time frame to work with. The wax thing was something the lab guys would figure out quickly, providing us with a lead. Hoping we’d get more than that from the autopsy and forensics, I pulled out my cell. We’d need to go through the camera footage of the parking lot and see if the hotel or anyone else had any cameras. But first I’d call the Collier County Parks department to be sure any CCTV footage was held intact and was made inaccessible to anyone but the police.
Chapter 31
Luca
We pulled up to the house and sat quietly for a minute before I said, “You ready?”
Vargas said, “As ready as I’ll ever be with these things.”
We walked up the driveway as the sun reappeared after a brief shower. The house looked even better then I remembered, making me wonder if she had done some new landscaping or something. I tried to recall the last time I was here and hit the bell.
Robin opened the door wearing a multi-colored dress. I normally didn’t like what I called ‘Florida’ dresses, but this gal would look great in a Whole Foods bag.
Her smile evaporated when she saw us. “Oh, hi. Is something going on?”
Vargas said, “May we come in?”
She hesitated. “Of course. But please, tell me what’s going on.”
Vargas commented on the furnishings as we took seats in the great room.
“I’m sure you’re not here for the decor, so why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
I quelled the willies in my belly and said, “I’m sorry to inform you that the body found in Clam Pass was your husband, Phillip Gabelli.”
Robin fell back and covered her mouth. “Oh no!”
Vargas got up and kneeled in front of her. “We’re sorry for your loss, Mrs. Gabelli.”
Robin’s eyes moistened. “I could feel it from the minute he disappeared.”
Vanished: A Luca Mystery - Book 2 Page 10