Vargas said, “But that’s what his was.”
I said, “What do you think, Dom?”
“He could’ve been doing a lot of coke and his heart gave out. The guys or girls he was with panicked and they got rid of his body.”
All suspects who turn out to be guilty have a couple of scenarios ready to roll off their tongues. Shows they had things all thought out, or so they thought.
Vargas said, “That’s good. What do you think, Frank?”
I pawed my chin. “I like it except for one thing.”
Vargas said, “What’s that?”
“It wasn’t coke that killed Gabelli, but terbutaline.”
Stewart said, “Turt, what?”
“Nice try, Dom. But you know exactly what terbutaline is. Right, Mary Ann?”
Vargas said, “We found the drug at your home during our search, and subsequent inquires confirm you have been prescribed it for over ten years.”
I said, “Ring a bell now?”
“You mean the little bottles? I only use that in emergencies when my inhaler doesn’t work, like during allergy season.”
“Or when you want to do away with a buddy.”
“That’s bullshit!”
Vargas said, “We find it interesting that you asked your doctor for more terbutaline a month before Philip Gabelli was murdered.”
“It was allergy season. That’s why I asked, if you want to know.”
Stewart took a hit on his inhaler as Vargas said, “Mr. Stewart, what we know is, you are in possession of ample amounts of the drug that caused Mr. Gabelli to suffer a massive cardiac arrest. And the interesting angle is, you were sleeping with the victim’s wife.”
I said, “Not really, she tossed him aside after a quickie. Maybe he’s not as good in the sack as he thinks he is.”
“Screw you.”
I said, “So, tell us, how’d you do it, Dom?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
I said, “Look, we can dance around as long as you want, but we know you did it, and you’re going down for it.”
Stewart panted as he stared at his hands.
Vargas said, “If you cooperate we’ll put in a good word with the DA for you. You may be able to work out a plea deal without going to court. You save the taxpayers the expense of a trial, and they will cut you some slack on the jail term.”
Stewart raised his head. “I’m through talking. I want my attorney.”
***
“I can’t believe they cut Stewart loose.”
“Come on, Frank. You knew we didn’t have enough to hold him.”
“Okay then, you tell me: One, how many people take terbutaline; two, who knew Gabelli; three, slept with his wife; four, sent us on wild-goose chases?”
“Circumstantial, all of it. Don’t forget, he had a valid script for the drug. I hate to admit it, but his attorney was right. It’s not a crime to be prescribed a drug that could be used in lethal quantities. And he’s never been in trouble before.”
“There’s a first time for everything, and this is it. We just need a piece of physical evidence and Stewart’s done.”
“Whatever happened with the cushion from the search?”
I said, “Nothing, no bodily fluids or traces of terbutaline.”
“I think it works to our advantage that Stewart thinks he’s in the clear.”
“I don’t like it. You look up the word smug in the dictionary and there’s a picture of Stewart.”
“Wasn’t it you who taught me not to get personal but to work harder?”
I nodded. “You’re right. Look, while he’s parading around like a free bird, we’ll redouble our efforts. Let’s start by canvassing Stewart’s neighborhood, see if anyone can remember seeing Gabelli there the night Stewart went to Clam Pass. See if anyone remembers Stewart leaving in the middle of the night, somebody out walking their dog or something. Anything we get, even circumstantial, will help dial up the heat on him.”
Vargas said, “Sounds like a plan. Still nothing on Stewart’s old car?”
“Nah. The dealer kept it on his lot for a couple of months and it didn’t move, so they sold it at an auction in Georgia. A wholesaler out of Pennsylvania picked it up and he had it for a month before he sold it to a dealer in Massachusetts. Anyway, they’re running it down, though. We should have something soon.”
“I’m not hopeful. Stewart seems careful, though he screwed up with the neighbor borrowing the car thing.”
“Maybe, but the neighbor had borrowed the Cube a couple of times. He could’ve gotten the dates mixed up.”
“But the line about him having an affair with the sheriff’s wife, what’s up with that?”
I shook my head. “We need a little break, that’s all, and we’re way overdue for one.”
Chapter 54
Somerville Police Officers Crowley and Spear pulled up to 81 Gilead Street. They climbed out of their car and peered down the driveway to the home. The officers nodded to each other and climbed the rickety stairs of the early nineteenth-century home. They knocked on the door, and a woman in her late forties, wearing gym clothes and eating a banana, opened the door. The officers introduced themselves and asked, “Ma’am, do you own a white Nissan Cube, year 2010?”
The color drained out of the woman’s face. “Yes, it’s my son’s car. Why?”
Officer Crowley handed a slip of paper to the woman. “We have a seizure warrant. We’re here to collect the car.”
She leaned against the doorframe, dropping her banana. “What did he do?”
“We don’t believe he did anything. The car is wanted in connection with a case involving a previous owner.”
“It has nothing to do with us?”
“Don’t believe so, ma’am.”
“Oh, thank God.”
A tow truck rumbled to a stop in front of the house.
“We’re going to need to take the car.”
“When will we get it back? He needs the car for school. He’s in college, you know.”
“We’ll give you a receipt after we’ve loaded it on the truck, and there’s a contact number on it. You can call that number later today. They’ll provide you with all the details.”
Neighbors had gathered in the street to witness the loading of the Nissan onto the tow truck. As the truck ambled its way out of view, the mother went around to her neighbors, explaining the unusual circumstances.
Chapter 55
Luca
Stewart raised his handcuffed hands. “You going to take these off?”
I originally wanted to cuff his hands behind his back, but Vargas reminded me he needed access to his inhaler. Keeping a prisoner in cuffs was a controversial tactic I’d never used. With Stewart, I was betting it would help break him down. We’re in control, not you, Dom.
I said, “New security rules. Can’t take ’em off. But what I can do is cuff one arm to the table if you’d like.”
“Do it then.”
I told Vargas to get things going, and she stated the formalities for the record while I rearranged the shackles.
I sat down next to Vargas. “Mr. Stewart, were you at Clam Pass the night of Philip Gabelli’s disappearance?”
“I might have been. It was a long time ago.”
“We have video footage of your white Nissan Cube in the parking lot.”
“Like I said, it was a long time ago.”
“Previously you’ve stated that because it was the night Gabelli went missing, you had, how did he say it, Detective Vargas?”
Vargas said, “I believe it was crystal-clear recollection.”
I said, “That was it. If you’d like, we can play it back for you.”
Stewart said, “Things were stressful. I could’ve been there that night on a date.”
I said, “So, we’re back to the date excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse.”
Vargas said, “Did your date meet you there?”
Where was she going? I could tell by Stewart’s face he was just as confused as I was.
“What do you mean, meet me there? Is this some kinda police trick?”
Vargas said, “It’s not a trick question, Mr. Stewart. It’s a simple question. Did your date meet you at Clam Pass Park?”
“No, we left Campiello’s, I think it was, and went to the park together.”
“That’s interesting,” Vargas said.
“What’s so interesting?”
Vargas said, “The tape we have clearly indicates you were alone in the Nissan Cube when you entered the parking lot.”
What? Vargas was bluffing. I loved it, but if Stewart’s attorney got wind of it she’d have some explaining to do.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, Detective. So what if I went by myself?”
I said, “Then what were you doing at Clam Pass at that time of night?”
“Couldn’t sleep, went for a walk.”
I said, “You should try keeping your story straight. It doesn’t look good when you keep changing things.”
Vargas said, “I know, a walk helps me to sleep. So, you were at Clam Pass that night going for a walk?”
Stewart nodded and took a deep hit off his inhaler.
Vargas said, “Mr. Stewart, could you please speak your answer.”
“I was there, but big deal. You’re gonna need more than that to pin Phil’s murder on me.”
“Funny you should say that, isn’t it, Mary Ann?”
Vargas said, “I don’t know how funny Mr. Stewart will find it, but you want to tell him, or shall I?”
I hated to give up a kill shot, but she’d done a masterful job setting him up. I said, “Be my guest.”
Vargas steepled her hands and drummed them for a full twenty seconds. Stewart’s shoulders sunk with each repetition. I had to clear my throat to get her moving.
Vargas said, “What we do have, Mr. Stewart, is solid forensic evidence that Philip Gabelli was in your Nissan Cube.”
Stewart bolted upright. “You guys are geniuses, you know that?” He smiled. “Of course, there’s some of Phil’s DNA, or whatever, in my car. You forget, we were best friends. He’s been in my car dozens of times, and hey, for the record, I’ve been in his car a lot too.”
I said, “Detective Vargas is smarter than me, but it doesn’t take a genius to catch a killer. Just old-fashioned police work and a dash of the sciences.”
Stewart’s eyes blinked rapidly as he wet his lips.
Vargas said, “Can you explain how Philip Gabelli’s urine and blood were found in your car?”
“The guy pissed in my car?”
I said, “Upon his death, Mr. Gabelli released a small amount of urine that was found on your passenger seat.”
“That’s crazy. Phil could’ve leaked some anytime, like when we stopped on the way to the casino.”
“And the blood found in the passenger foot well?”
“I don’t know, a bloody nose?”
“Very good. Terbutaline dramatically raises the blood pressure, resulting in nosebleeds. The capillary hemorrhages found in Mr. Gabelli’s nasal cavity are consistent with a nosebleed.”
“You’re grasping at straws.”
Vargas said, “I afraid you’re wrong, Mr. Stewart. Did you know that the discharge of fluids from a dead person is chemically different from that of a living person?”
Stewart stiffened.
What did she just say? I had to replay it. I was impressed by the crafty way Vargas put it. I said, “You’re done, Stewart.” I turned to my partner. “You know what, Vargas? I still can’t figure out why Robin would even take one roll in the sack with this guy. What do you think?”
Stewart shook his head. “You don’t know her like I do. You don’t know nothing about her, or me.”
I said, “I know Robin’s a pretty highbrow girl. An uptowner, we used to call them, up in Jersey. You two have nothing in common.”
“We’re more alike than you think. She deserved more than Phil gave her. Man, he treated her like dirt. How could he do that to her? She has it all.”
I said, “Robin’s a smart, accomplished woman. A professional, earning the big wood. If you two even had something at one time, and I doubt it, it would never have lasted. You’re Single-A, Stewart, Double-A at best. She’s in the majors.”
Stewart smiled. “You’re clueless. Robin told me we were soul mates, that nobody understood her like I did. We had a special connection.”
I said, “Only when she needed you. Don’t you get it? Robin used you. She was feeling lonely. You were her teddy bear for one night. That was the extent of it.”
Stewart sucked greedily on his inhaler and I continued.
“You know what she told us, Dom? Robin said she immediately regretted having a one-time thing with you.”
“No way she said that.”
Vargas said, “It’s true. I was there when she said it.”
“That’s not what she told me after we were together. She said it was special.”
“She was lying to you, Dom. She despised you, hated the way you shadowed her every move. Right, Mary Ann?”
Vargas said, “The way Robin put it was that you were suffocating her.”
“Suffocating her? That’s bullshit. I don’t know why she turned on me. Robin and me were perfect together. Phil was nothing but a drain on her. He sucked the life out of her and pissed away her money to boot. I’d never do that to her. I’d take care of her, protect her. We wouldn’t need anything from anybody. We’d have it all. Look at her house, man, what a place to live, and you know what? I almost made it. My plan was good.”
I said, “Tell us about the plan, Dom.”
Vargas said, “You know, we did a lot of investigating, and there’s no doubt Phil Gabelli was a terrible husband.”
Stewart said, “Tell me about it. First, I tried to get Phil to leave. I tried reasoning with him, but he was stubborn. And Robin, I don’t know why the hell she didn’t walk away. She was being made a fool of. Over and over again.”
I said, “Even the people she worked with knew he was running after every skirt. It was embarrassing for her.”
Stewart said, “It was sickening. She should have begged me to get him out of the way.”
Vargas said, “Maybe if she knew it was you who got her cheating husband out of the way, she would’ve seen things differently.”
“You think so?”
Vargas said, “Absolutely. I’m a woman, and I know how Robin thinks.”
Stewart shoulders slumped. “I never thought about telling her, but it was still a good plan.”
I said, “It was a brilliant plan. We just about gave up on catching you.”
Vargas said, “Why don’t you tell us about it?”
Stewart revealed that he began crafting his plan after Phil embarrassed him in front of a woman he was making headway with. Plan finalized, Stewart decided to implement it after a night in a pool hall when Phil disappeared with a floozy into a bathroom. After the sexual encounter, Phil further infuriated Stewart by bad-mouthing Robin to a bunch of guys in a billiards tournament. The combo compelled Stewart to hatch the plan.
The deadly plot wasn’t exactly like we thought, but we were close. Stewart invited Gabelli over to watch a hockey playoff game, and in preparation had crushed a handful of pills that morning. He then dissolved some of the powder into each of the two vodka and cranberry drinks Gabelli had. His heart racing, Gabelli panicked, and Stewart said he’d take him to the hospital.
They got in Stewart’s Cube, which was in the garage. Stewart had two hypodermic needles loaded with terbutaline in the car and sank both of them into Gabelli’s thigh at the same time. Gabelli never knew what hit him and quickly succumbed to cardiac arrest.
Gabelli dead, Stewart reclined the seat and slipped plastic around the body. Then he dumped Gabelli’s car in Lehigh Acres and waited a co
uple of hours before dumping the body into Outer Clam Bay.
We clarified a couple of points to be sure we had him cold before wrapping things up.
***
After Stewart was shown to his cell, Vargas and I met with the district attorney, handing over the confession and evidence we’d collected. It was supposed to feel good getting a psycho like Stewart off the street, but it left me unsettled. If you weren’t safe with a lifelong friend, where could you be safe?
There’s a Gulf of Mexico difference between remorse and regret. Stewart showed zero signs of remorse, just regret that his scheme was rejected by Robin. I knew this nut would shift into a bargaining position to plea his way to a shorter sentence, but he’d get no help from this detective.
I looked forward to a walk on the beach. It always helped to process things after a case like this but before hitting the sand, there were two things I had to do. One, I looked forward to, the other had me rattled. Kayla had said she was free next weekend, which was perfect, as it was Vargas's turn to be on call. I'd love to take a day off and make it a Thursday to Sunday trip but would that be pushing things too fast? We hadn't seen each other since the night at Baleen's when I passed out. And that was our first date.
Realizing my mind had moved things further than they really were, I limited the search for flights and a hotel to the weekend. After checking, it took me longer than expected to compose a text to Kayla before booking anything.
Nervous she'd disappoint me, I headed up the stairs to see Sheriff Liberi, who'd been diagnosed with lymphoma. Liberi and I respected each other and had developed a good relationship. He handled the responsibilities of the office flawlessly and had gone out of his way to help me adjust when I joined the department. It was disappointing to learn he was thinking of retiring to confront his illness.
The Sheriff was shaken by the diagnosis and who could blame him? If anyone could emphasize, it was me. I felt a duty to try and settle him down but the idea of talking about things I hadn't yet put to bed, made me skittish. As I exited the stairwell, the fear I wouldn't be up to the task began to creep into my head.
Ducking into the men's room, I began rehearsing a couple of lines I'd tell Liberi when my phone chimed. It was a text from Kayla. I opened the text and exhaled, the weekend was on. The news heartened me, providing the courage to comfort and support a friend. I sent a smiley to Kayla and went to see the Sheriff.
Vanished: A Luca Mystery - Book 2 Page 18