“I know what you mean,” Nikki said, as she began filing DeeDee’s nails. “I had a client in this morning who goes to parties all the time. She has her nails done several times a week. In fact,” Nikki chattered, “she was at the party the other night where Dana D was murdered.”
DeeDee couldn’t believe her luck that Nikki had brought up the subject. “Really?” she said casually. “I saw that on the news. It’s so sad, and Dana was such a character. I liked to watch the show, but I doubt it will be as good without her on it.”
“I know what you mean,” Nikki said, lifting DeeDee’s other hand out of the bowl. “I always think that, then they get someone else, and it’s just fine. Funny thing is, that client I mentioned is really having to make some tough decisions, because she worked for the same show as Dana. Now the station has offered her Dana’s job on a full-time basis. You’d think she’d be happy about that, wouldn’t you?”
“Is that Sonia McNulty?” DeeDee asked Nikki. “The woman who fills in for Dana when she’s off? I would have thought she’d snap up an offer like that in a heartbeat.”
“That’s right,” Nikki said. “I would have thought the same thing. When she was in here before New Year’s, she was concerned because New Day NW hadn’t renewed her contract. But then it turns out she got a surprise call from a television station in Portland offering her a job on a new show doing the exact same thing Dana did on her show in Seattle. The television station said it was the chance for her to put her mark on something unique. They offered her more money than she’d been getting, and she accepted the offer on the spot.”
“Wow,” DeeDee said. “I’ve seen her on TV, and she’s quite good. Has she decided what to do?”
“I think,” Nikki said, massaging DeeDee’s hand and up her arm, “ she’s torn. She feels an ethical commitment to the station in Portland because she’d accepted the job, but she’s known in Seattle, and it’s a much bigger market. She said she told New Day NW she needed to think about it, and she’d give them an answer tomorrow.”
“That’s a nice position to be in,” DeeDee said, stretching out her fingers. “What’s Sonia like?”
Nikki began to massage DeeDee’s other hand and forearm. “I don’t usually talk about my clients,” Nikki said, “but Sonia’s quite high profile, so a few people do ask. I think…mm, I’m not sure how to put this. She’s a lot better now than she used to be.”
“What do you mean?” DeeDee said, studying Nikki’s face. “Has she been ill?”
Nikki looked up and spoke quietly. “Depression,” she said, shaking her head. She put DeeDee’s arm down and reached for the nail polish. “The poor woman used to come in so depressed it was difficult for me to work on her. She hated everything about herself, and she had a lot of anxiety and panic attacks about appearing on television. She can still be a little jittery at times, but since she found a new doctor, the medication he’s given her has really helped.”
“I never would have guessed,” DeeDee said, surprised. “She comes across as so confident on the television screen.”
“I know,” Nikki said as she started to paint the deep-colored polish on DeeDee’s nails. DeeDee looked down and admired how Nikki had transformed her nails in such a short space of time. “Actually, she’s just the opposite. She needs help to put on a happy face for television, not to mention the amount of plastic surgery she’s had done. She told me that without it, she never would have had the confidence to appear on television.”
“That’s sad,” DeeDee observed. “I never would have guessed from watching her that she has self-image problems. How come you know about her surgery? ”
“I was thinking of having some work done,” Nikki said. “So I asked her if she could recommend anyone, seeing as how she moves in celebrity circles. I couldn’t believe it when she told me about all of the procedures she’s had done, and how much they cost.”
“From what I hear, it’s hard to stop once you get started,” DeeDee said. “I think you begin to lose all sense of reality. Sonia does look great, but I hope she doesn’t go too far with it.”
“Me, too,” Nikki grinned, finishing DeeDee’s nails with a flourish. “I decided against breast augmentation in the end, but it just goes to show everything you see on television isn’t real. Sonia showed me a picture of what she looked like before she’d had anything done, and I could barely recognize her as being the same person. What’s sad is that she was already very pretty and really didn’t need any improving.”
DeeDee smiled at Nikki. “I’m glad you recognize that about yourself, too. And thank you for the awesome job you’ve done on my scraggly nails, Nikki. I’ll definitely be back.”
When her nails were dry, DeeDee paid at the counter and left a generous tip for Nikki. She walked outside and across the street to where Balto and Al were sitting in front of Starbucks. She waved her arms at them in a jazz-hands routine to show off her nails. Al smiled, lifting a large bag from a men’s store, and then he and Balto joined her for the walk back to the car.
“Been shopping, Al?” DeeDee asked him in surprise. The only thing she’d ever seen him dressed in was black, from head to toe. The one exception she could think of was at Roz’s wedding, when he’d worn a white dress shirt under his suit.
“Jes’ got me some new threads,” Al grunted. DeeDee left it at that.
CHAPTER 14
When they returned to DeeDee’s house, she saw that the light on her answering machine in the hallway was flashing.
“I’d better take care of my messages,” DeeDee said to Al, who was checking behind the sofa. “Did you lose something?”
Al looked up. “Can’t be too careful. Jes’ makin’ sure’ there ain’t no unwanted visitors waitin’ fer us with any nasty surprises.” He got down on his hands and knees, and checked under the rug, before patting the underside of the sofa and armchairs. “Can ya’ hear that tickin’ noise?”
DeeDee nodded toward the mantle. “Maybe the clock?”
Al walked across the room and lifted the carriage clock to his ear, before wiping some dust off the mantel with his finger, and setting it down again. He winked at DeeDee. “Yer’ right. Ima gonna get out of yer’ way for a while. I need to make a few calls then see to Red before I head out fer my meetin’ with Dino.”
When Al mentioned Red, Balto started to whine. Al raised his finger and spoke sternly to Balto. “Don’t start no funny stuff with me,” he said, and Balto became quiet. “That’s better. Plenty of room around here for both of ya’.” Al patted Balto on the head and walked out into the hall. He picked up the plastic bag from the clothing store and went upstairs. When he got to his room, he closed the door, and pressed Jake’s number on his phone.
“Yo, it’s me,” he said, while lifting his new purchases out of the bag and onto the bed.
“Hey, Al, what did you find out?” Jake asked him.
Al told him what DeeDee had discovered about both Mickey and Sonia.
“That’s interesting,” Jake said, when Al was done. “Do you think that’s enough to rule both of them out?”
“As far as I’m concerned, it ain’t,” Al said, “but from what DeeDee was sayin’, Mickey was real tore up about Dana windin’ up dead. He was havin’ a real hard time keepin’ the waterworks from startin’. Then she told him to keep his check and donate it to Gamblers Anonymous. Hope he don’t put it on a horse, that’s all I gotta say ‘bout it.”
“Sounds like DeeDee, all right,” Jake said. “Generous to a fault. What about Sonia, though? If she already had another job offer with more money, it’s less likely she would have wanted Dana out of the way.”
“That’s true,” Al conceded. “But there’s no tellin’ what mighta been goin’ through her head if she has mental health issues, so let’s not jump to no conclusions there just yet.”
“What about Dino?” Jake said. “Have you spoken to him yet?”
“Ima comin’ to that bit now,” Al said. “Got an appointment with Dino in a little while, bu
t what I did find out already about him, is what Dom Langello tol’ me earlier today.”
“He was Vinny’s lawyer, right,” Jake said.
“Yeah,” Al said. “Now will ya’ lemme talk, and I’ll tell ya’ all about it.” Al thought Jake was a good guy, but he was too quick to interrupt.
“Sorry, Al.”
“Never mind. Yer’ learnin’.” Al smiled. He relayed what Dom had told him about Dino’s marriage. “Seems like Dana and Dino had a real thing fer each other, but Dino was a goner if he ever left his wife, Gia, since he woulda been kicked out of the business. Maybe that’s why Dana agreed to give Mickey another chance, because she knew her and Dino would never be able to make it together.”
“And you think Dino might have been mad enough about that to kill her?”
Al thought it over. “Crimes of passion kinda sound romantic, but they’re really a lot darker, particularly when someone jes’ gets plain ol’ whacked. From what I knowa Dino, I never woulda’ pegged him as the revengeful type, but I wanna see what he’s got to say fer himself when I talk with him later. I’ll call ya’ after my meetin’, and tell ya’ how it went.”
“Thanks, Al.” Jake paused. “And DeeDee, how’s she holding up? I’m sure she’s glad to have you there with her.”
“She’s doin’ okay,” Al said. “But I suspect she’d be a lot happier to have ya’ by her side through this, rather than me. From what I can tell, she’s sad about what happened between ya’ two, but she’s jes’ too proud to say much. Fer’ what it’s worth, I’d say if you want her back, you’re gonna have to be the one makin’ the moves, cuz’ she ain’t fer’ doin’ the crawlin’.”
“I’ll think it over,” Jake said. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do, Al. Talk to you later.”
Al put his phone down and eyed his new clothes. He wondered if Cassie would like the blue shirt, or the gray one. When he’d spoken to Rob that morning, Rob had given him the lowdown on Cassie being recently widowed and in the process of moving out of her home and leaving her job. Al had called her while DeeDee was meeting Mickey, and arranged to meet her for coffee later that evening. It was just a friendly call, and having coffee really didn’t mean much, he told himself. All the same, he was whistling when came down the stairs a while later, having showered and changed.
He noticed DeeDee do a double take when she saw him.
“Al! You look…different.”
Al’s face fell. ‘Ya’ don’t like it?” He’d never been much of a jeans man, but the store assistant assured him that the dark blue Armani jeans were age appropriate. His blue button-down shirt was from Ralph Lauren, and instead of his customary black Italian leather brogues, he wore a more casual style that weren’t lace-ups. “Ima gonna go change,” he muttered, turning back toward the stairs. “Don’t know what I was thinkin’ of.”
DeeDee ran after him. “No,” she pleaded. “That’s not what I meant, Al. You look great, really good. I love it. That cornflower blue really suits you. You look ten years younger.”
Al’s face lit up. “Ya’ think so? It’s jes’ I’m goin’ somewhere after I meet Dino, and I kinda’ wanted to look nice.”
DeeDee stared into his sunglasses. “Al, I never thought I’d see a gangster blush. Tell me more, over coffee. Is it anyone I know?”
Al shuffled from foot to foot. “I’m gonna plead the fifth,” he said, following DeeDee into the kitchen. He sat at the table and watched DeeDee fussing around with the coffeepot and some cake.
“The catering job I did for Dana is already paying off,” DeeDee said, as she poured the coffee into a cup for each of them. “I had four calls while we were gone from guests who were at the party who want me to cater events for them.” She carried the cups over to the table and set one down in front of Al. Going back over to the counter, she returned with a plate filled with an assortment of cakes. “I only have coffee cake, orange cake, or chocolate cake,” she said apologetically. “With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t had much time for baking lately.”
“I understand,” Al said with a solemn expression, wondering what the selection would be like on a good day. “Don’tcha worry about it.” He helped himself to a slice of coffee cake, and tuned his attention back to what DeeDee was saying.
“He said he knows it’s short notice, but wondered if I could meet with him tomorrow morning.” DeeDee took a sip of her coffee. “He’s going to be out late tonight meeting his agent. What do you think?”
“Who’s that?” Al said, confused.
“Jerry McGee,” DeeDee went on. “He’s planning a party for a few studio executives to try and get some work offers. He wants to impress them, and he thought my catering would do just that.”
Al choked on his cake, and several crumbs escaped from his mouth. Jerry McGee was one of the suspects he’d asked Rob to get more information on earlier.
DeeDee jumped up, and started patting his back. “Al, are you okay? That cake’s too dry, I knew it.”
“I’m all right, really,” Al insisted, draining his coffee in two loud gulps. “But I just remembered something. I haven’t walked the dogs, and I’m due at Dino’s soon. Will you lock the door behind me while I step out for a while? I’ll come back in before I go to Dino’s place.”
“Sure,” DeeDee said, looking at him strangely.
Al picked up his phone from the table and pulled on his coat. “I won’t be long,” he muttered, hurrying outside with Balto at his heels. Once he was outside, he opened the gate and Red joined them as they headed for the beach.
When he was out of earshot of the house, Al made a call. “ Whatcha got on the McGee guy?” he asked Rob, who answered after the first ring.
Rob sounded relieved to hear Al’s voice. “I’ve been waiting for you to get back to me, Al, because I think we’ve got a problem with him.”
“Shoot,” Al said, quickening his pace. Red and Balto seemed to think he was playing a game, and they both began to run, racing each other to the beach.
“Jerry was arrested for various violent crimes in the slum where he grew up when he was a minor, including an attempted murder.”
“What?” Al stopped walking, and looked back towards DeeDee’s house. He wasn’t sure about letting her out of his sight. He wondered if he should just let the dogs go on ahead.
“The case was dropped for lack of evidence,” Rob continued. “There were also several other arrests, but none of them went to trial for one reason or another. The one that’s the most interesting regards the theft of a vehicle that was involved in a fatal accident that caused Jerry’s brother’s death.”
Al whistled to the dogs, who turned and ran back toward him. “Tell me more,” Al said loudly. “I’m likin’ this guy less and less by the second.”
“That case was dropped as well, because Jerry said his brother Gordon stole the car and was driving it when they crashed.”
“Yeah, course he was,” Al said. “Anythin’ else?”
“Yes. I’ve been able to get information on several of the women Jerry’s been with over the years, and there were quite a few. Their take on him is quite different than his public persona. Apparently he has a violent temper, and one of the women says she feared for her life. She ended up moving to another state to get away from him and had to change her telephone number. ”
“What a charmer,” Al observed. “Ya’ better send me Jerry’s address, Rob, and everythin’ else ya’ got on him. Reckon Ima gonna have to pay this guy a visit before he gets up to any more trouble.”
“Sure thing, Al. I’m sending the email now.”
No sooner had Rob hung up than his email arrived on Al’s phone with the full dossier of information on Jerry McGee.
Al began walking back to DeeDee’s house. Scrolling through the list of recent calls on his phone, he pressed the redial button on Jake’s number.
“I gotta tell ya’ again, yer’ guy Rob’s the eighth wonder of the world,” Al said when Jake answered. “Vinny woulda’ l
oved him. Now, I need ya’ to keep calm while I tell ya’ what he jes’ told me about Jerry McGee, cuz’ my guess is, yer’ probably gonna go nuts.”
Sure enough, Al had to hold the phone away from his ear when he told Jake what Rob had found out, and that DeeDee had arranged to meet with Jerry the following morning.
“You can’t let her go,” Jake yelled at him. “She’s a sitting duck. We should be calling the police right now.”
“Uh-huh,” Al said a few times, while Jake ranted on and on. “Yeah. Uh-huh.”
When Jake finally paused for a breath, Al spoke. “Are ya’ done? The way I see it, this could be a blessin’ all wrapped up in some kinda disguise. Here’s what we’re gonna do if Jerry turns nasty.” Al began barking instructions at Jake. “Ima gonna need a microphone for DeeDee to wear that we can listen in on while she’s there. Also need a voice activator to record the conversation. Oh, and handcuffs. Ya’ got that? Good. Okay then, listen up.”
By the time Al and the dogs arrived back at DeeDee’s house, he and Jake had agreed on a plan.
CHAPTER 15
Al wasn’t easily impressed when it came to expensive properties, but his eyes widened when he pulled up in front of Dino Argyros’ house on Crystal Springs Drive on Bainbridge Island. The two-story, timber clad home had both a porch and a patio out in front, which led onto landscaped wooded gardens dotted with paved areas, pathways, and steps. The other three sides of the house were surrounded by colonial wood decking with fancy railings. The deck was framed with outdoor seating around the sides, its backdrop the solid blue of Puget Sound.
Al left DeeDee’s SUV on the street and walked up the driveway. He noticed a beautiful garden adjacent to a wooden dock that led out over the water, where a long thin cigarette boat was tied up. Al smiled to himself as he walked up to the red front door. He knew that the origin of a fast boat like he was looking at was so they could be used for smuggling. In this case, he thought it was more likely that Dino just liked a faster alternative to the mainland than the ferry.
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