The Original Alibi (Matt Kile)

by David Bishop

  “If Eddie did it, this wasn’t a sudden murder in a heated moment. It would have been cold and premeditated. And remember, this guy thinks he’s smarter than the average bear, than all of the other bears, so he couldn’t see himself getting caught.”

  “How’s that spaghetti, boss? Chewing okay?”

  “It works in small, easy bites, and tastes great, thanks for preparing it.”

  “In the morning, maybe we’ll move you up to some scrambled eggs. Now back to the case. What about an old beau? Some dude who had the hots for Ileana and killed her when she dumped him for Eddie.”

  “I’ve thought about that. Back at the time of the murder, Fidge spoke to neighbors who had seen a couple of luxury cars visit her place, but never saw the drivers. He also found that expensive jewelry she couldn’t afford on her own. That her folks couldn’t have bought for her. Eddie claimed he didn’t give it to her. If she had some well off fellas on the side that alone could have driven Eddie over the edge, or the lover she pushed aside to marry Eddie. That sugar daddy could be the person missing from my poker game.”

  “Huh, boss?”

  “I keep having this feeling there’s a player in this I haven’t found. That could be him. Or I could be guessing another person exists because I’m not convinced any of the others did it. Let’s get back to your idea of a jilted lover. That’s certainly possible. He could have killed Ileana and framed Eddie for taking her away from him. But why would he wish to arrange an alibi for Eddie? No. He’d want Eddie to go up for it. That’d get him revenge and also close the homicide file.”

  “I don’t know, boss. The shakedown makes the murder a paying proposition.”

  “Could be, with time to think and set it up. But a jilted lover is usually a sudden, angry murder. Not cold and calculated.”

  “Well, so which one did it?”

  “We’re not done yet. There’s also the general.”

  “Why would the general kill Eddie’s fiancée?”

  “The general could have had his fill of unreliable women. His ex-wife, Karen’s mother, Mary, was flaky. His son Ben’s wife, Eddie’s mother, had been no better, effectively selling Eddie to the general after Ben was killed in Desert Storm. Karen, his own daughter, is rather promiscuous, at least by the standards of the general’s generation. He could have been of the opinion that Ileana had set herself up to get pregnant to trap Eddie into marriage. That way she’d get her hooks into the general’s estate when Eddie inherits. That could have pushed him over the edge. And I can tell you, the general is more than capable of designing the entire strategy. He is a master tactician. He could have framed Eddie and arranged his alibi. Thereby protecting Eddie from what would undoubtedly be a failed marriage while also protecting his own estate which would go to Eddie.”

  “But, boss, the general got a phone call about the alibi demanding the two million clams. Then he got another call while he was driving home from the bank telling him to throw the money over the edge down to the beach.”

  “Only the general knew of those calls. They came in on his cell phone. He could have fabricated the whole bit about the calls. The general never reported the shakedown, so his cell phone was never examined. The general could have taken two million out of the bank and brought it home to put in his personal safe. Not thrown it over the edge at all.”

  “What about the general’s health?”

  “Ah. Today, sure, but this was done going on twelve years ago. The physical demands of the scheme were all activities he could handle then. And mentally, for him, the complex plan would have been a piece of cake.”

  “That’s quite a yarn, boss. I buy the part about the killer setting up an alibi rather than getting the case closed by having Eddie convicted and sent up the river. Without that business about the alibi, there’d have been no shakedown. The best fit for that theory would be the general. He’d want to save his grandson. I don’t see why the others would. They’d want him convicted so’s the general might give them a bigger slice of his millions.”

  “Well, that’s my dilemma.”

  “Have you been able to identify an old jealous boyfriend?”

  “Ileana’s parents don’t recall one. Cliff had been friends with Ileana, nothing romantic, and he doesn’t recall one. I think Cliff would have been more likely to know than her folks.”

  “I got a question for you, boss.”

  “Shoot.”

  “You made a strong point that the general had the knowhow to strategize it all out. And like I just said, the general had the best reason to alibi Eddie, but why in blazes does he hire you? I mean the killing was over eleven years ago. It’s cold. Eddie’s under no threat. Why does he want you raking through the coals?”

  “That’s the snag on the theory about the general. The only thing I can think of is the general wanted to find out if there were any loose ends. He figured if I worked the case and couldn’t find the killer then he was home free. Of course, he knew he would die before he could be convicted anyway so he had no fear from the cops. It would have been more about someone challenging his will on the grounds of him not being in his right mind. Or perhaps to feel confident there was no basis for a claim by Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan for the murder of their daughter. That could explain two other unusual elements: The general provided in his will for a million dollars to Ileana’s parents. Several months ago, the general gave the Corrigans a two-week all expenses paid cruise for their fiftieth anniversary. That could be guilt or compassion for the parents of a woman who had almost been his daughter-in-law. He could also have been creating a good relationship to discourage them from taking action against the estate on behalf of their dead daughter. I’m just guessing here, trying to stack it up every which way.”

  “The general would have had an accomplice. You said his health was good enough to pull this off back when it happened. But Cory Jackson was murdered a few days ago. The general couldn’t have done that, could he?”

  “No. He couldn’t. Charles? Cliff? Either of them could have taken out Cory for the general. Then again, the police think the murder of Cory Jackson was unrelated to his claim of having seen Eddie kill the Corrigan woman. That could be the simple truth.”

  “You mentioned Karen could have boffed Cliff into doing her bidding. You said Cliff didn’t have the brains to plan it. How about the doll, does she?”

  “Eddie is a grandchild; Karen is a daughter. Most people would likely think she had the stronger claim. And yes, to answer your question. She had the brainpower to devise the plan and the proven skill to manipulate Cliff who could have performed the actual murder, bribed the witnesses, and hired Podkin to work me over. As you said, Cliff knows Podkin and a lot of other bikers with criminal records. If she did it that way, with Cliff carrying the water with all the contacts, nobody could directly finger her. If Cliff got arrested somehow and tried to cut a deal to testify against her, it would be his word against hers. In the end, that thinking brings us back to where we were before. Why would she arrange an alibi for Eddie? She would want him convicted. Otherwise, he still gets the bulk of the estate.”

  We could take it no farther. Axel went down to his condo and I decided to get ready for bed. First, I ate the last of Clara’s apple pie. The soft, cool texture felt nice in my mouth and also tasted good.

  I had no shortage of suspects and theories and they were all moving around in my head like tumbling cats caught in a clothes dryer.

  Then something Axel had said replayed in my mind. “You gotta get one of them to rat on themselves. A man’s tongue can work like a shovel to dig his own grave.”

  Chapter 29

  Axel had set the coffee pot to come on in the morning before going downstairs to his condo. I had eased my way onto the couch to catch the late news before going to bed when the doorbell rang. I looked through the peephole to see Karen Whitaker.

  I doubted Charles had told her about being her father. I couldn’t figure what else would bring her here unless it was one of those I-don’t-want-t
o-sleep-alone nights and she had flipped a coin with heads for me and tails for Cliff. I opened the door.

  “Matt, I just learned about your having been beaten. Charles told me. Oh, golly, that looks really sore.” She came in and closed the door behind her.

  “It looks worse than it is. It only hurts when I move or breathe.” We laughed together. I winced alone.

  “Do you know who did it?”

  I thought about asking her the same question. After all, she had already manipulated Cliff into attacking me. She could easily have arranged for a more serious effort by Podkin. If she had, she wouldn’t tell me the truth, so I gave her the vanilla answer.

  “Some biker thug. I got free. He ran off before I found out who put him up to it.”

  “You think it had something to do with what you’re into for the general?”

  “Yes.”

  She moved over to the couch and sat down. “Couldn’t he have just done it on his own?”

  “I suppose he could have, but ask me if I believe that. He wasn’t demanding anything. He didn’t take my wallet or steal my car. No. Someone hired him to work me over.”

  She crossed her legs, her pullover jersey drawing tight high across her upper thigh. “I see,” she said. “I find it amazing how you can figure those angles.” She then patted the cushion beside her. “Sit down with me, Matt. Maybe I can make it feel better.”

  “Actually, right now I’m more comfortable standing. I’m in no condition for any physical activity. It’s difficult to even breathe without feeling it.”

  Unusual as it might seem, being impatient with a beautiful woman who had come to my room in the middle of the night, I didn’t want to drag out her visit. She could have come out of concern for me, which was nice, but I’d had enough of that from enough people. Then again, the fact that the general would soon die could be accelerating the moves that might be coming from the various players in this family drama.

  “Karen, is there some other reason you stopped by? I would love your company any other time, but I’m pretty whipped and I need to get started in the morning.”

  “Can I talk to you, Matt. I mean, really talk. My deepest concerns, my hopes, it won’t take long.” She turned toward me, the fabric’s embrace of her legs more intense.

  I needed to hear this, her reason for coming. “Go ahead,” I said, my eyes on her gams, as I might describe her legs in one of my novels. My condition eliminated me as a participant, but not as an enthusiastic observer.

  “Well, you know the general won’t be with us much longer. I so wish I could change that, but the doctors say there is nothing further they can do.” I nodded. “Well, you are aware that his will provides for all of us, with Eddie receiving the overwhelming majority.”

  Standing was now getting uncomfortable so I decided to try sitting with her on the couch. “You’re gonna end up with two point five million.” I slowly angled myself toward her the way we all do when talking to someone sitting beside us.

  “Yes. But Eddie will receive close to fifteen million.”

  “That’s the general’s decision. Have you talked to him about your feeling it’s not fair to you?”

  “Not directly. Not in so many words. Still, you’re right. He has made it clear that’s how he wants it to be.”

  “You told me a few days ago that you had no thoughts about deserving more. That, given the way you were raised, over two million seemed like all the money in the world. You’ve certainly changed your mind rather quickly.”

  “I guess I deserve that, Matt. I’ve always tried to be bigger than, I don’t know, being selfish. Truth is I’ve had these thoughts for some time. I’ve just kept them to myself.”

  I got up and went in the kitchen for a glass and two fingers of Irish. Karen said no to Irish, but asked if I had a Diet Coke. “No glass,” she said, “I like the feel of the can against my lips.” I brought our drinks in and sat down.

  “So, as the general’s death gets closer, your selfish thoughts have started demanding more consideration. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Well, yes.” She put the cold soda can against her lips, keeping it there a little longer than necessary to take her first drink.

  “His will is pretty clear. There doesn’t seem to be any way to change it without convincing the general to amend it.” I sat back slowly and took a small drink of my own. The burn on the inside of my mouth was less than earlier. I swished it around before medicinally swallowing.

  “There is a provision in the will—” She stopped speaking and looked at me, then looked down.

  There it was. The reason she came by. “You mean the part about if Eddie predeceases the general. That part?”

  “Yes, Matt.” She moved closer and put her hand on my thigh, her face near enough for my battered lips to sense the warmth of her breath. “That part. We could be very rich together. Live a wonderful life of love and travel. Enjoy the best of everything.”

  “I’ve got enough for the way I like to live. The answer is no.”

  “You’ve killed before. For less than I’m offering.”

  “I won’t do it. Even though everything inside me that beats and feels wants me to.”

  “But we could be together always.”

  “I won’t kill for you and spend the rest of my life wondering when my turn will come. You need me now, but afterwards you won’t.”

  “But I love you, Matt. I know it’s sudden. It can happen that way. It’s happened to me.”

  “No!” I slapped her in the face. Hard. I put my hand flat on the cushion beside me and squeezed, drawing it into a fist of fabric. I held my breath until the rat running around the pain wheel in my chest slowed to a canter.

  She put her open hand on her cheek, then ran her index finger across her bottom lip, her mouth open slightly as her finger moved across it. “I guess I deserved that.”

  “No guess about it.”

  I looked at her hard. She looked down to the floor. Guilt made her do that. My bare feet weren’t that attractive.

  “You’re an educated, beautiful woman who will soon inherit well over two million dollars. Get control of yourself.”

  Karen got up and walked to the glass slider and looked out toward the ocean.

  “Why don’t you get Cliff to do it? You’ve had him wrapped around your finger for years.”

  “I don’t love Cliff. I’m in love with you. I want us to be together.”

  What that probably meant is she knew that Cliff couldn’t figure out how to do it with a solid chance of getting away with it. And that Fidge would tie Cliff in knots during interrogation until he gave her up, whether or not he meant to.

  “You’re right, Matt. But I’m afraid. Without more money I just don’t know. I put on a good front about being self-reliant, but at night I just get scared about being alone. The general has always been the strong man protecting me. I need you for that now. Aren’t you ever afraid of being alone, of the dark?”

  “The darkness is not frightening. Only the imagination of what might be there if the darkness was not. If I do as you ask, you’ll be there, every night in the darkness. And I’ll be wondering when I’ll become excess baggage.”

  I got up and walked to the other side of the room. She followed.

  “I know we haven’t spent a lot of time together yet, but I love you. You love me don’t you, Matt?”

  “I’m in love with the idea of being in love with you.”

  “Go along with me on this, Matt. You’ll never be sorry. We can be happy.”

  “No. I won’t be your patsy.”

  I opened the door and glared at her until she walked out into the hallway.

  I shut the door.

  Chapter 30

  I hadn’t slept well last night, the pain in my cracked rib being the biggest hunk of the reason. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that Karen Whittaker’s offer had lingered, chewing on the edge of my resolve. I had pegged her wrong and started wondering what else I had wrong.


  I didn’t like Eddie Whittaker, and frankly I didn’t think anyone did. Not Charles, not Karen, not even his grandfather who loved him, but I don’t think liked him. Not even the chauffeur Cliff cared much for him. Cliff had tried to be his friend, but Eddie had been born to eat filet while Cliff dined on canned ham. Eddie had hung out with Cliff only while he wanted to learn something Cliff could teach him. Then he tossed Cliff aside like a terminated tutor.

  I remember having looked at the clock after two in the morning. That was the last time I had looked. I woke at nine-thirty to find hot coffee waiting with a note beside the pot: You didn’t mention having an early appointment so I let you sleep. Axel.

  I did a few easy twists and deep knee bends. Well they were more like shallow knee bends, but it did take out some of the stiffness. I buttered a muffin and poured a mug of coffee then went out on the patio. I had to get going, but first I had to figure out where my going would take me.

  *

  Axel called at eleven to say Eddie had just teed off to play a round of golf with three other guys. Axel had checked with the pro shop to learn they paid to play eighteen holes. That would keep Eddie in one place for at least four hours. We decided to meet at Mackie’s for lunch. I wanted to hear more specifics about Eddie’s movements.

  The lunch gave me the opportunity to meet Axel’s driver’s ed teacher, Buddha Grunsky. I immediately knew the appropriateness of his name. Buddha stood about six feet, but had a matching width, a bald head and stern face with a soft, almost feminine voice. We took the table for six at the back, one that let Buddha move the table to give him more room. Mackie waved off his waitress and came over to take our order. I chose a beef dip. Axel had his usual, a bacon, lettuce and tomato with chunky peanut butter. Buddha said that both sandwiches sounded good so he ordered one of each. I motioned to Mackie to bring me the check. He nodded.

  They asked me about being abducted and how I was feeling. I raised my head in case they had never before seen an author with a purple and yellow face.