The Master Plan (2009)

by Carol Costa

  Bruno nodded. "Does that mean Lucas didn't have any life insurance?"

  "Oh, I didn't think of that. Yes, I think there is a policy. Do you want me to get it?"

  "Yes, please," Bruno said kindly.

  Judy got up and left the room. She came back a few minutes later with an insurance policy folded neatly into a plastic sleeve.

  "It was in the dresser," she said simply as she handed it to Bruno.

  Bruno took out the policy, unfolded it, and looked at it closely. He made a note on his pad and handed the policy back to the artist without comment.

  Dana couldn't keep herself from reading the declarations page over Judy's shoulder. The amount of insurance was $250,000.

  Judy gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. The policy fell to the floor. Dana bent over and picked it up to look through it more closely. She noted that the premium was due quarterly and she remembered seeing a canceled check written to the insurance company the month before.

  "A quarter of a million dollars should help you stabilize your finances," Bruno remarked in an emotionless voice.

  "Lucas took care of all this stuff. There's a policy in his drawer with my name on it too. Do you want to see that one?"

  "No," Bruno told her. "I have the report that Detective Harrison wrote up when you reported Lucas missing. It says he left the apartment that night, but it doesn't mention what you did after he left."

  "I put ice on my face and sat here waiting for Lucas to come home."

  "Can anyone verify that?"

  "What do you mean?" Judy asked.

  "I mean did your neighbor, Sally, see you here? Did anyone call you on the telephone? Did you order a pizza or any other food that was delivered to your door?"

  "You think I killed Lucas?" Judy yelled.

  Dana grabbed her arm to keep her from standing up to confront Bruno. "Judy, calm down," she said urgently. "These are just routine questions."

  Bruno glared at Dana, warning her to keep the silence she had promised him.

  Judy sat back and took a deep breath. "I didn't kill my husband," she told Bruno.

  Bruno ignored her statement and asked another question. "Were you and your husband faithful to each other?"

  "I want a lawyer," Judy Porter said. She turned to Dana. "Can you get me one?" she asked. The girl's fear and panic showed in her eyes.

  "I can," Dana replied.

  The artist turned back to Bruno. "This interview is over, Mr. Bruno. I refuse to answer any more questions without my lawyer present."

  Bruno was surprised at the abrupt change in her manner, but he sighed, closed his notebook, and stood up. "Very well. Tell your lawyer to call me and we'll make arrangements to continue this interview at the police station tomorrow morning at ten a.m."

  "They'll be there," Dana said, answering for the artist who had now slumped back onto the sofa like a rag doll.

  Dana got up and walked Bruno to the door and ushered him into the hallway. "I still want to go to the pool hall with you," she whispered.

  "Of course you do," Bruno whispered back. "I suppose you want to go with me to question the neighbor too?"

  "Yes, but I'm going to stay here with Judy and get her calmed down. You question the neighbor and come back for me when you're done."

  "I love it when you tell me how to conduct an investigation. I'll pick you up at seven for dinner."

  Dana grabbed his arm but he walked away and she had no choice but to be dragged along with him. He stopped at Sally Larson's door. "Fine," Dana said. "I'll get Judy settled and go to the pool hall myself."

  "No, you won't," Bruno warned. "That's not a place for a woman to enter on her own"

  "Either you take me in there or I'm going in by myself," she said stubbornly.

  "Then you can forget about me helping you run a trace on Casey's boyfriend."

  "Are you blackmailing me?" Dana asked.

  11 m trying to keep you safe and out of my homicide case"

  If it weren't for Casey, Dana would have told Bruno to take a take a long walk off a short pier. However, she had just thought of another way she could check out the pool hall.

  "I'm sorry," Dana said with as much sincerity as she could muster. "You're right. I'll be ready at seven and we can talk about some nice things to do with your mother when she visits. Maybe Casey or Tony will have some ideas." "

  Bruno's look softened, but still conveyed distrust. "No tricks? You promise you won't step foot in that pool hall?"

  "I promise."

  Bruno bent down and kissed her lightly. "I'll see you at seven. Get a good lawyer for the artist."

  He knocked on the door he was standing in front of, and Dana hurried back to Judy Porter's apartment.

  Judy was still on the sofa in the same position. Dana went directly to the phone and called Sam McGowan. "I need a good criminal attorney," she said when Sam answered.

  "For you?"

  "No. Judy Porter."

  "Is she Bruno's number one suspect?"

  "Yes. I'm at Judy's apartment now," Dana told him pointedly. "Have the attorney call me here and I'll give him the details."

  "Will she be able to pay a fee?"

  "Yes.

  "Okay. I'll see what I can do. Either I'll call you back or the lawyer will. What's the number there?"

  Dana gave Sam the number. "You can also call my cell phone," she added.

  Dana hung up and went over and sat down next to Judy. "It's going to be okay, Judy," she said firmly. "My editor knows some of the best attorneys in town. He'll get you someone really good."

  "I told you the police would want to arrest me," Judy replied. "They always suspect the wife"

  "The amount of that insurance policy didn't help matters," Dana told her.

  "I can't believe it's so much. Lucas never told me"

  "I believe you," Dana said. "Why don't I make us some coffee while we wait?"

  Judy nodded in agreement as she carefully refolded the insurance policy and slipped it back into its plastic sleeve. Dana went off to the kitchen to make coffee and use her cell phone to call her office.

  "Hi, Marianne," she said when the secretary answered. "Is Bob there?"

  Bob was in the office writing up a report on one of the cases he had investigated. Marianne connected him with Dana.

  "Bob, I need your help. There's a seedy pool hall I need to check out and Bruno has forbidden me to go in the place. It's three o'clock now. Can you meet me there at four thirty?"

  "You're going to send me in there instead?"

  "Right."

  "Sounds like fun. I'll be there."

  "Good. Here's the address."

  Dana gave Bob the address and then clicked off her phone. Bruno would question Sally Larson and then go to the pool hall to ask questions. He should be on his way back to the station by four at the latest.

  Marsella's was a delightful Italian restaurant with intimate tables and excellent food. Bruno's mother knew the owners, so Bruno was always treated royally when he came in for dinner.

  It was a little after 7 when Bruno escorted Dana through the door and they were greeted warmly by the hostess, who took their coats and gave them to another girl to hang up in the cloak room.

  "There'll be four of us tonight," Bruno told her. "And we want to be seated in Vince's section."

  "He'd throw a fit if I sat you anywhere else," the woman replied.

  They slid into a private booth toward the back and Vince hurried over to say hello and see if they wanted anything to drink. Bruno told him they would wait until the other couple arrived.

  "Very good. And don't worry, I will take care of every thing," Vince said with a knowing nod at Bruno. "And, Miss Dana, you look very beautiful tonight."

  "Thank you," Dana replied.

  Vince went off to check on one of his other tables.

  "You know, we'll probably have to come back here again when my mom visits," Bruno said.

  "Of course," Dana said sweetly.

  "So, did you get
a lawyer for Mrs. Porter?" Bruno asked. It was the first time since he picked Dana up at her apartment that there had been any mention of the Porter case.

  "Troy Kimball."

  "Don't know him."

  "He's new in town, but came highly recommended. You'll meet him tomorrow."

  Bruno nodded and reached for Dana's hand. "Look, sweets, I'm sorry if I bullied you this afternoon. I know you're just trying to help the artist."

  "I've already forgotten it," Dana assured him.

  "This is a surprise. I thought you'd want to know what I found out at the pool hall."

  "Would you tell me?"

  "No.

  "Then I won't ask," Dana said. "Oh, there's Casey now."

  The hostess led Casey and Tony Hunter to the table. Bruno stood up and shook hands with Hunter as Casey introduced him. Hunter reached across the table and took Dana's hand as well.

  "Hi, Dana," Tony said in a rich baritone voice. "I've heard a lot of wonderful things about you"

  "I'm happy to meet you," Dana replied, withdrawing her hand from his grasp.

  Casey slid into the booth and Tony slid in next to her. He was average-looking with close-cropped brown hair and brown eyes. He was just a little taller than Casey, and like her, had a slim, athletic build. Looking at the two of them sitting across the table Dana couldn't help thinking they could pass for brother and sister rather than boyfriend and girlfriend.

  "You two match," Bruno said, referring to the fact they both wore olive green sweaters with white collars.

  Casey laughed. "We went to the mall last night and couldn't resist that new his-and-her shop. We got these sweaters in green and blue."

  A busboy came over and filled their water glasses. Vince appeared right behind him and everyone agreed to share a bottle of red wine.

  They sipped wine and ordered dinner, chatting about nonessentials like the cold weather and the odds that the Chicago Bears would make the playoffs that year.

  "I'm not a football fan," Tony admitted. "Basketball is my game of choice"

  "Dana and I are Bulls fans," Bruno said. "But since the dream team broke up, we haven't had a lot to cheer about"

  "I prefer college ball," Tony told him.

  During dinner Casey and Tony talked about how they had met on the golf course at the country club right before Thanksgiving. "It was too cold for most golfers to be out on the greens. The grass was already turning brown, but it wasn't frozen yet, so I thought it would be a good time to practice," Casey said. "Tony thought the same thing, and we ended up playing eighteen holes together."

  "And that was the start of a beautiful friendship," Tony added.

  Vince came over and picked up Tony's wineglass. "Oh, I forgot something," he said. "I'll be right back." He hurried off with only Tony's glass, holding it carefully by the stem.

  The waiter returned in a few moments with a cart containing coffee and a dish of assorted Italian pastries.

  "Those look scrumptious," Dana said.

  "Compliments of the house for my favorite customers," Vince said cheerfully. "Enjoy!" He poured coffee for everyone and then deftly gathered the rest of the wineglasses, placed them on his cart, and went away.

  Tony didn't seem to notice the special treatment his wineglass had received and the conversation turned to wedding plans.

  "Tony wants to get married in Las Vegas," Casey said.

  "It's a lot warmer there," Tony added.

  "I thought you'd want a church wedding," Dana said, directing her comment to Casey. "Won't your mother be disappointed?"

  "No. My cousin, Lisa, got married there at the Excalibur Hotel and it was fabulous. That's where we're thinking of going."

  "It sounds good to me," Bruno said. "I'd love to escape the cold for a few days. I will be invited, won't I?"

  Everyone laughed. "It's going to be a small wedding, just family and close friends, but you and Dana are definitely invited," Casey assured them.

  Dana had to admit that on the surface Tony Hunter seemed like a perfectly nice guy and a good match for Casey. She tried asking him a few routine questions about where he was from and how he ended up in Crescent Hills. He was very smooth and succeeded in changing the subject without appearing rude.

  Tony offered to pay the check when it came, but Bruno insisted that it was his treat. Bruno took out his wallet to extract a credit card. His badge was attached to the front of it. Tony stared at it.

  "You're a cop?" Tony asked.

  "Homicide detective," Bruno answered. "That's how I met these two lovely women sleuths"

  "I thought I told you," Casey said.

  Tony laughed. "You probably did, darling," he said, putting his arm around her. "But I'm often distracted by your beauty."

  Casey blushed. Dana smiled. Bruno grunted.

  They stopped at the cloakroom to get bundled into their coats. Casey, Tony, and Dana walked out the door, but the owner of the restaurant came out of the kitchen and engaged Bruno in a conversation so he stayed behind.

  "I meant to ask you, Dana," Casey asked while they were standing outside waiting for Bruno. "Did Bob find out anything useful for you at that sleazy pool hall this afternoon?"

  "What pool hall?" Bruno's voice boomed from behind them and the girls jumped at the sound of it. It seemed that Bruno's conversation with the owner had ended quickly.

  "We'll talk about it on the way home," Dana told him quickly. Then she turned to Tony and held out her hand. "It's been a pleasure, Tony. I hope to see you again before the wedding."

  Tony took her hand and then he and Casey said their goodbyes to Bruno and thanked him again for dinner. Casey and Dana hugged long enough for Casey to whisper an apology for asking about the pool hall.

  Bruno's car was directly in front of the restaurant while Tony's was around the side in the parking lot. The two couples went their respective ways. Bruno's face was dark and grim as he opened the door to his car and helped Dana inside.

  The truce that Bruno and Dana had been honoring had come to an abrupt end. He started the engine of the big black SUV he drove for pleasure and pulled away from the curb. Dana sat silently, waiting for him to voice his anger.

  Bruno waited until he had to stop for a traffic signal before he turned to her. "You broke your promise," he said.

  "No I didn't," Dana replied. "I promised not to go into the pool hall and I didn't go into the pool hall. I called Bob and had him do it for me"

  "It's the same thing, Dana. Bob works for you"

  "It's not the same thing," she insisted. "And no matter how angry it makes you, I can't stay out of this case. It was assigned to me by my editor and I have to see it through."

  The light changed and Bruno stepped on the gas gently, instead of stomping on it like he usually did, strangely enough, Bruno drove more slowly and carefully when he was angry about something.

  "It wasn't a murder investigation then"

  "I can't help that it turned into one," she said defensively. "You always act like I can just abandon the people I'm trying to help when the police get involved in one of my cases. And you have to admit that my investigators and I have provided valuable information to the police on a number of cases"

  "And that scares the hell out of me," Bruno said. "You were almost killed because of the last case you got involved in."

  "I don't need to be reminded," Dana told him. She remembered all too well being trapped in an alley with a crazed serial killer. She had been wearing long-sleeved sweaters and shirts ever since to cover the scar across her upper arm that was fading slowly.

  Bruno pulled into the parking lot next to Dana's building and shut off the engine. He got out of the car and came around to open the door for her.

  "I don't think you should come up for coffee tonight," Dana said.

  "No, you're right, but I'm coming up anyway."

  Bruno took her arm and walked her to the front hallway of the building and up the stairs to her apartment. She opened the door and walked into the living room, tak
ing off her coat and scarf and throwing them across the back of the sofa. Bruno did the same.

  "So, do you want some coffee?" Dana asked.

  "Yes"

  The two of them went into the dark kitchen. Dana switched on the light and headed for the coffeepot. Bruno settled himself on one of the stools at the counter. They waited silently while the coffee brewed, both of them giving the other a chance to calm down.

  When the coffee mugs were filled, Dana sat down next to him at the counter and waited for him to speak first.

  "What did Bob find out at the pool hall?" Bruno asked.

  "What did you find out at the pool hall?" Dana asked, directing his question back at him.

  "I'm going to tell you what I found out," Bruno said. "Because I know you probably found out the same thing, and it should have convinced you that Judy Porter is not the innocent, naive girl you thought she was"

  Dana took a deep breath and sipped her coffee. Apparently Bruno did get the same information from Lucas Porter's friends at the pool hall. Lucas complained to everyone that Judy wanted to dump him because she was having an affair with Teddy Larson who lived across the hall from them. Lucas also said he had supported Judy for years and that now that she was going to be a rich and famous artist, he wasn't going to let her dump him for another guy. He was going to stick to Judy like glue.

  "Bob said most of the guys in there wouldn't make reliable witnesses," Dana finally said. "And besides, it's just hearsay."

  "I've already talked to the boyfriend, who also yelled for a lawyer. The two suspects and their lawyer are all coming in first thing in the morning."

  "I still think Judy is innocent," Dana said stubbornly.

  "She may not have done the actual deed, but she's an accessory."

  Dana stood up. "Go home, Bruno. I'm too tired to continue this argument tonight."

  Bruno stood up and put his arms around her. "Sorry, babe. You can't be right all the time."

  "Did you get the wineglass?" Dana asked, suddenly remembering Casey and Tony Hunter.

  "One of my officers stopped there and picked it up from the kitchen before we even left the restaurant"