The Master Plan (2009)

by Carol Costa

  "Here is fine," Dana said agreeably.

  Dana got two plates, napkins, and silverware, and was arranging them on the counter when the telephone rang again.

  Dana reached for the phone mounted on the wall next to the counter. "Sorry. People have been calling all morning wanting to know about Casey," she told Bruno. "Hello," she said into the phone.

  "The reason I couldn't reach Troy Kimball is because he's at the police station with Judy Porter and Teddy Larson," Sam said without a preamble. "They've both been arrested for the murder of Lucas Porter. Have you talked to Bruno this morning?"

  "He's right here in my kitchen."

  "Apparently he came to the gallery to arrest the pair last night, but left when you called him away. However, he called the station and sent two uniforms over there to do the honors while he was at the Hunter crime scene. Marianne and Emily had already left, but there were still plenty of other people there to witness the event. They just interviewed Del on the morning news and he is very upset."

  "Of course he is. I was afraid Bruno was going to disrupt the showing," Dana said, glaring at her boyfriend, who was busy grating two kinds of cheese for the omelets and pretending not to listen to Dana's end of the conversation.

  "I'm going to the office to make sure the story gets the proper coverage. See how much information you can wheedle out of Bruno and call me there."

  "I will. Thanks for letting me know," Dana said. She hung up the phone and spoke to Bruno's broad back. "That was Sam."

  "Really? How is he this morning?"

  "He's okay, but he told me that my dear friend, Del Pitman, is very upset"

  "That's not surprising," Bruno said as he turned on a burner and melted some butter in Dana's Teflon-lined frying pan. Then he deftly whipped cream into the eggs he had broken neatly into a bowl on the counter next to the stove.

  Dana got off the stool and walked over to stand next to Bruno. "Why didn't you tell me you had Judy and Teddy arrested last night?"

  "Sorry, sweets, I didn't know you wanted me to report to you every time I made an arrest"

  "Why did you have them arrested?" Dana asked.

  Bruno poured the egg mixture into the hot frying pan and stirred it gently. "I told you on the phone last night. I uncovered some new evidence."

  "What evidence?"

  "The trick to omelets is turning them at just the right time. My mom taught me that. She's really excited about seeing you again"

  "You can be such a jerk," Dana told him.

  "See, that's why I thought we should have breakfast here this morning. It's embarrassing when you call me names in a restaurant"

  Dana turned and walked out of the kitchen. She intended to leave the apartment and drive to the newspaper office, but the telephone rang before she got to the front closet where her coat was hanging.

  "Hello," Dana said, answering the Mickey Mouse phone her nieces and nephews had given her for Christmas.

  "Dana, I just remembered something," Casey said in a soft voice.

  "What's that?"

  "When we were in Las Vegas, Tony got a little freaked out and insisted that we change hotels. He said that he saw someone he knew from a few years ago and didn't want to talk to the guy. We were at the Excalibur where we got married and Tony moved us off the strip to a hotel in Henderson"

  "A few years ago might mean that he saw someone he was in prison with," Dana said.

  "Breakfast is ready," Bruno shouted from the kitchen.

  "I hear Bruno," Casey said. "Can you ask him if he can find out anything about the time Tony was in prison? Like the possibility that he got into fights with other inmates?"

  "I'll talk to him about that and about Tony's brother, who is still in prison."

  Dana hung up and hurried into the kitchen. The omelets were on plates on the counter. "Juice or coffee?" Bruno asked.

  "Juice," Dana replied, sliding onto one of the two barstools at the counter.

  Bruno poured her a glass of orange juice and then settled himself on the second stool next to her. "Who was on the phone?" he asked casually.

  "Casey. She remembered something that happened in Las Vegas that may have some bearing on Tony's murder."

  Bruno groaned. "Let's table the murder talk until after breakfast"

  "Okay," Dana replied, cutting into her omelet. The melted cheese oozed onto the plate. She reached for a crescent roll and dipped it into the cheese and took a bite. "This is wonderful. You are a much better cook than I am"

  "My mama insisted that all of us kids learn how to cook and clean."

  "So did my mom, but I always preferred feeding the chickens. My brother Kevin is the cook in the family."

  "When we get married, I'll do all the cooking and buy you some pet chickens to feed"

  "What about the cleaning?"

  "I'll hire a maid."

  "Chickens and a maid. I think that's the best offer I've had to date." Dana took another bite of her omelet. "Your mama makes the best spaghetti sauce. Did she teach you how to make that?"

  "It's her secret recipe, locked in a vault to be opened only in the event of her death"

  "You're kidding."

  "Ask her when you see her. Did I tell you she said she's really looking forward to seeing you again?"

  "You told me that earlier when I asked what new evidence you uncovered in the Porter case."

  Bruno nodded. "Oh yes, that's when you called me a jerk."

  Dana finished the last of her omelet and turned on the stool to face Bruno. "I'll give you another chance," she said. "What new evidence?"

  "I need an apology first."

  "You broke their alibi, didn't you?"

  "Maybe"

  "Oh, give it up, Bruno," Dana said, sliding off the stool. She began stacking the dirty dishes. "You know you're dying to tell me. You just like to make me beg for details. Well, I'm not going to beg or apologize."

  Bruno got off the stool and stood silently while Dana put the plates into her dishwasher. Then he grabbed her and imprisoned her in his arms. "You are the most impossible woman I've ever known," he said. "And I'm too tired to fight with you this morning"

  Dana didn't say anything nor did she struggle to free herself from Bruno's embrace. She liked being in his arms for two reasons: it was warm and comforting there and it meant that he was going to tell her what she wanted to know. She leaned her head against his broad chest and waited.

  "Sally Larson lied to protect the kids. The guy in the pizza parlor downstairs saw Sally go out at three with her steady boyfriend the afternoon of the murder and she didn't come back until a little after midnight when he was closing up."

  "When did the coroner say that Lucas was killed?" Dana asked.

  "Between those very same hours," Bruno replied. "But the important thing is that Sally Larson lied about being with Judy and Teddy. And shortly after Sally left the building, Judy and Teddy came out and drove off in Sally's car."

  "That doesn't mean that they killed Lucas," Dana said stubbornly.

  "There's something else. The lab guys found a hammer in the weeds near the murder scene. It matches up with the injuries on Porter's head. Teddy Larson works at a hardware store where they sell that very same hammer."

  "Circumstantial," Dana said.

  Bruno laughed. "You never give up, do you?"

  Dana's telephone rang again and Bruno reluctantly let go of her so she could answer it. "Detective Bruno," she said after finding out who was on the phone, "it's for you."

  The caller was Bruno's sometime partner, Jack O'Brien. Crescent Hills was still small enough that there were only three homicide detectives on the force. Bruno had been on the force the longest, so he often worked cases on his own. When he needed someone to help with the workload, O'Brien or the youngest member of the force, Donald Blackwell, helped him.

  Bruno got on the phone. "I'm off duty and I left my cell and pager in the car," he said in response to Jack's first question. Then he listened for a few minutes and hung up. />
  "Well, that's interesting," he told Dana. "Tony Hunter's ex-cellmate got out last month and was arrested again early this morning right here in Crescent Hills."

  "For what?"

  "Got into a fight at a bar downtown."

  "How did they know he was Tony's cellmate?"

  "He told the arresting officer that he was here to see his old friend, Tony Hunter. Wanted to call Tony and get him to bail him out of jail."

  "Casey said there was a guy in Vegas that Tony wanted to avoid. She said he got kind of freaked out and insisted that they move to another hotel off the strip."

  "Could be the cellmate," Bruno said.

  "You see," Dana said sweetly, "what we have here is a give-and-take arrangement. When we stop fighting and share our information, things between us go much smoother."

  Bruno pulled her into his arms again and kissed her. "I love you, kid," he said as he released her. "How about dinner tonight?"

  "Where are you going now?" Dana asked.

  "To the station to question the cellmate. Then I have to have Casey come in so I can get her to tell me all the details she was withholding last night."

  "I know some of those details," Dana said quickly. "In fact she wants me to tell you some of those details. Why don't I ride downtown with you?"

  "I'm not letting you near the cellmate and you can't talk to Judy Porter, Teddy Larson, or Casey."

  "I'm going to the newspaper office. Sam asked me to come in"

  Bruno shrugged. "Okay, let's go."

  Dana got her purse, put on her heavy coat, and wrapped a scarf around her head.

  On the way to the station, Dana told Bruno about the master plan.

  "Write down the names of Casey's crazy girlfriends. They all have to be questioned," he said with a huge grin softening his otherwise stern features.

  "Why?"

  "Just for laughs," Bruno said. "Just for laughs."

  instead of going into the newspaper building, when she left the police station Dana braved the cold wind and walked to the art gallery. As she suspected the gallery was closed, but Del's car was in the parking lot.

  Dana tapped on the glass window of Del's office. He moved the drape aside, saw her standing there, and rushed to let her inside.

  "You look half-frozen," Del said with concern. "Hot tea or coffee?"

  "Tea sounds good," Dana told him.

  Del settled her into his office and brewed some hot water for tea in the electric kettle he kept behind a fancy screen in his office.

  Dana took a few sips of the hot orange spiced tea before she spoke to Del again. "I'm sorry about the scene Bruno caused last night."

  "Don't be, darling." Del said with a sly smile. "After the police took Judy and Teddy away, the remaining patrons couldn't wait to buy what was left of Judy's artwork. I sold every painting."

  "I see," Dana said slowly. "Sam said they interviewed you on television this morning and you were very upset."

  "Well, of course, I'm upset," Del said, trying to suppress a grin. "But apparently, Bruno uncovered some pretty damning evidence or Judy and Teddy would not be in jail right now. Do you know when their hearing is?"

  "Tomorrow morning at ten a.m.," Dana replied. "Are you going to be there?"

  "I think it's the least I can do. I understand that they have a very competent attorney"

  "Yes. Troy Kimball is a good man. Sam has also arranged for him to represent Casey. He's at the station waiting for her now. I wanted to stick around, but Bruno told me I couldn't talk to anyone, so I decided to come over here and see how you were doing. Obviously, I was worried about you for nothing. You're fine"

  "Wait a minute," Del said urgently. "What happened to Casey?"

  "Her husband was murdered last night."

  "I didn't know Casey had a husband."

  "She got married in Las Vegas at the beginning of last week. They got back to town on Friday evening and he was murdered last night."

  "Is that why you and Sam went rushing out of here?"

  "Yes. I thought Marianne or Emily might have told you what happened"

  "No, but then I was so busy I hardly spoke to them. My stars," Del said. "This used to be such a nice quiet town."

  "Listen, Del," Dana said, finishing the tea in her cup. "That's the other reason I'm here. I promised to help Judy Porter, but I don't know what I can do now. Teddy's mother lied about being with them the night of the murder and there's some other incriminating evidence that will come out at the hearing tomorrow."

  "So you think that Judy and Teddy really killed her husband?"

  "I don't know. I just know that I have no leads to follow and now with Casey in trouble..

  Del interrupted her. "Don't tell me Bruno thinks Casey murdered her bridegroom." "

  "I don't think so. We're supposed to have dinner later and I'm hoping he'll share his views on the case with me, but sometimes Bruno can be very stubborn"

  I understand, darling," Del said calmly. "And I appreciate everything you've already done to help Judy and Teddy. I think it's out of our hands now."

  "Yes, I think it is," Dana agreed.

  The morning was almost gone and Del was going to leave the gallery, so he gave Dana a ride back to the Globe building. She went directly to Sam's office.

  "Come in here and read the copy on Hunter's murder," Sam said as soon as he saw her.

  Dana sat down with her coat still on and read the copy Sam handed her. Tony Hunter's murder had already been reported in the early-morning edition, but the details had been sparse and there had been no mention that he was recently married to one of the Globe's investigative reporters. In this story it said Hunter was survived by his wife, Cassandra Hunter, and a brother, John.

  Dana lowered the page she was reading and looked at Sam. "Do you think the brother has been notified of Tony's death?"

  "I don't know. I got his name from the archives of the Chicago Sun-Times. They covered the trial. John was sequestered at the Illinois Correctional Facility."

  "Was?"

  "He was released last week after serving twenty-three years of a twenty-five year sentence"

  "Sam," Dana said urgently. "Do you think it's possible that he came here, found out that Tony had spent all the money from the robbery, and killed him?"

  "It's possible."

  "This morning Casey called me and said she remembered that when they were in Las Vegas, Tony got upset because he saw someone from his past that he didn't want to deal with and insisted that they move to another hotel in a neighboring town"

  "Casey didn't see the guy?"

  "What guy?" Casey asked.

  Dana and Sam looked up, surprised to see Casey and Troy Kimball standing in the doorway to Sam's office.

  "Come on in," Sam said quickly. He went out into the newsroom to get another chair and brought it into his office. Then he closed the door so they wouldn't be disturbed.

  Casey looked better than she had last night, but her face was pale. "We've just come from talking to Bruno," she said flatly as she settled herself in the chair next to Dana.

  Dana reached out and squeezed her hand. "How did it go?"

  Troy Kimball answered for her. "Bruno was okay, but then Jack O'Brien came in and he wasn't so nice. He's one of the cops that always operates on the premise that the spouse is the guilty party."

  "Jack called my apartment looking for Bruno this morning," Dana told them. "He had just arrested Tony Hunter's ex-cellmate so I guess that got him involved in the case"

  "Bruno had me take a look at the guy to see if I recognized him. I didn't, but I guess the guy admitted that he saw Tony and me in Las Vegas, but we disappeared before he got a chance to talk to us," Casey said.

  "Is he a suspect?" Sam asked.

  "No," Troy replied. "He spent the entire afternoon and evening at a bar downtown. Lots of witnesses, including the guy he got in a fight with, said he didn't leave until the cops came and arrested him."

  Sam looked at Troy Kimball. "Since Casey is here
, I'm assuming O'Brien couldn't come up with a reason to hold her."

  "Right, but I think he's going to keep trying to find one. However, it may all disappear when the results of the autopsy come back. If they determine that Hunter was killed later in the afternoon after Casey left the apartment, we've got witnesses that can testify to her whereabouts"

  Casey's eyes filled with tears. "Why would I kill Tony and then go back there again that night?" Sam offered Casey a tissue from the box on his desk. She wiped her eyes as her cell phone began to ring. "It's my mother," Casey said when she read the caller ID display. "Excuse me" She got up and walked away from the group to answer her mother's call.

  "I'm going to try and track down Tony Hunter's brother," Dana announced softly. "Sam found out that he was released from prison last week."

  "I don't want you going to talk to that guy alone," Sam warned.

  "I won't."

  "How are you going to find him?" Troy wanted to know.

  "My secretary's boyfriend works with the parole boards here and in Chicago. I'm going to ask him to get an address for me "

  "Bruno probably has that information already," Sam said.

  "I'm sure he does, but I don't think he'll let me come along to interview him."

  "Bruno will be tied up most of the day with the Porter case," Kimball said. "He has to testify at the hearing tomorrow and needs to meet with the prosecutor."

  Casey came rushing back to the group. "My mom said the police were at her house looking for me"

  "When?"

  "About twenty minutes ago"

  "They'll be here next," Kimball said resignedly.

  As if on cue, the door to Sam's office opened and Bruno walked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, looking directly at Casey. "But I need you to come back to the station for more questioning."

  "Are you arresting her?" Troy Kimball asked.

  "He'd better not be," Dana said, stepping between Casey and Bruno.

  "I'm not arresting her," Bruno said, turning his attention to Dana. "We just have more questions"