by B R Snow
“And since they knew who you were, they probably thought they’d just track you down and finish things up at another time,” I said.
“Darling!” my mother said.
“Now there’s a cheery thought,” Josie said, shaking her head at me.
“What?” I said. “I’m just pointing out a simple fact. I’m sure Howard has already considered that possibility. Right, Howard?”
“Well, actually, Suzy,” he said, frowning. “Up until now, I really haven’t had the chance to think about that. But I’m sure I will be now.”
“Sorry, Howard,” I mumbled.
“Did you get a good look at the two guys?” Jackson said.
“Not their faces,” Howard said. “They never took their masks off. But one of them was huge.”
“Pee Wee huge?” I said, trying to recover.
“Yeah,” Howard said, staring off into space and nodding. “Definitely. The other guy who beat me up was smaller but really strong.”
“Lean and well-muscled?” I said.
“Now that you mention it, yeah,” Howard said. “He was definitely athletic. He was sort of built like a running back.”
“Or a boxer?” I said, glancing at Josie.
“Yeah, maybe,” Howard said. “That makes sense. Especially given the way he beat the crap out of me. He seemed to know what he was doing.”
Howard yawned and pointed at the glass of water sitting on a nearby table. My mother held the glass for him while he drank from a straw.
“Thanks,” Howard said, smiling at my mother. “Are you almost done, Jackson? I’m starting to fade a bit here.”
“Sure. Just a couple more questions for now,” Jackson said, glancing at me.
“Howard,” I said. “We were in Lover’s Cove just after all this happened.”
“You were?” he said, frowning.
“Yes, Josie and I took the dogs for a swim, and we saw your boat there,” I said. “And we went looking for you and Franny.”
“You did?” Howard said, squinting up at me. “On shore?”
“Yes. And we spent about twenty minutes trying to find you,” I said. “Didn’t you hear us calling your name?”
“I think I remember hearing voices,” Howard said. “But I was in pretty much out of it, and I just assumed it was the people who attacked us.” He shook his head. “Boy, if you guys had managed to find me, that would have changed things, huh?”
“How did you end up on the side of the road?” I said.
“After it got dark, I started to work my way through the woods until I found the trail that leads up to the road. You know the one that runs through the back of Wellesley Island?”
“I do. And you managed to make it all that way?” I said, impressed. “That must have been three or four miles.”
“It certainly seemed like it,” Howard said. “I don’t know how I kept going. But I knew that if I didn’t, it could be weeks before somebody found my body. I eventually made it to the road, and then I must have just passed out. The next thing I remember is waking up in this bed.”
“Well, you’re safe and sound now,” my mother said, glaring at me.
“Let it go, Mom,” I whispered, still chagrined by my earlier faux pas.
“I sure hope so,” Howard said, yawning. “Say, have you had any luck yet figuring out who might have killed Calducci?”
“No, nothing yet,” Jackson said. “But I think I have a couple people I need to talk to.”
“You mean the two who attacked Franny and me?”
“Yeah,” Jackson said. “I’ve already talked with Pee Wee, but it couldn’t hurt to have another chat with him and see where he was yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure who the other guy is, but maybe Pee Wee can shed some light on that.”
“Uh, we might be able to help you out with that one, Jackson,” I said.
“What? You know who he is?”
“Maybe,” I said, glancing at Josie.
“It sounds like one of the guys who’s been working on our renovation at the Inn,” Josie said.
“That’s interesting. And would you happen to know where this guy is at the moment?” Jackson said.
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s in our first-floor bathroom.”
Chapter 19
If Rocco was surprised to see a cop standing behind him through the bathroom mirror, he didn’t let on. Instead, he simply set the crowbar down, brushed as much plaster and dust off himself as he could, then washed his hands and face and followed Jackson into the kitchen where Josie and I were already waiting.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Rocco,” Jackson said, sitting down next to me at the island. “It is Rocco, right?”
“Yes, Rocco’s fine,” he said, taking a seat and giving Jackson a blank stare. “How can I help you?”
“I’m just following up on a lead,” Jackson said.
“I see,” Rocco said, glancing at me.
Even though his glance was gentle and didn’t linger, it still made the hairs on the back of my neck tingle.
“Yesterday afternoon our mayor was attacked by two men when he was out on the River,” Jackson said. “One of the men fits your description.”
“Does he now?” Rocco said, reaching for one of the cookies we’d set on the table. He took a bite and nodded. “These are good. Hazelnuts? No, almond.”
“Macadamia,” Josie said, reaching for her third.
“Really? I’m picking up a hint of almond,” Rocco said, examining his cookie.
“Chef Claire uses just a touch of Amaretto,” Josie said.
“Smart,” Rocco said, nodding and completely ignoring the stare Jackson was giving him.
“Now that we have the mystery of the cookie solved, I was wondering if you’d mind telling me where you were yesterday afternoon,” Jackson said.
“I was out of town,” Rocco said, casually reaching for the last cookie.
“Were you by yourself?” Jackson said.
“No, I was with Pee Wee,” Rocco said. “You know Pee Wee? Big guy, no neck. He works for Mrs. Calducci.”
Rocco’s response caught me by surprise, and I paused mid-bite. It was almost enough to make me put my cookie down, but Josie, already on the prowl for more, was sitting too close for comfort.
“Yes, I’m familiar with him,” Jackson said.
“Pee Wee is hard to miss,” Rocco said.
“Can I ask what the two of you were doing?” Jackson said.
“We were doing some shopping across the River in Kingston,” Rocco said.
“In the afternoon?” Jackson said.
“Yes.”
“And you went by boat,” Jackson said.
“Yes.”
“Whose boat was it?”
“Pee Wee said it was one of Calducci’s,” Rocco said.
“What kind of boat was it?” Jackson said.
“I don’t know,” Rocco said, shrugging. “I’m not much of a boat guy. As long as the thing floats and moves in the right direction, I’m happy. But if you have a description of the guys who attacked your mayor, then you must also have a description of the boat.”
“So?” Jackson said.
“So, if you already have it, why are bothering me about it?” Rocco said.
I watched their exchange closely. As much experience Jackson had at asking questions, Rocco appeared even better at answering them. Rocco sat quietly waiting for Jackson’s response, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that Rocco was definitely telling the truth.
“I’m merely trying to establish your whereabouts yesterday afternoon, Rocco,” Jackson said.
“I just told you. I was shopping in Kingston with Pee Wee,” Rocco said.
“And I’m sure that Canadian Immigration will confirm that?” Jackson said.
“What?” Rocco said, confused.
“Did you check in with Canadian Immigration when you landed?” Jackson said.
“Why on earth would we do that?” Rocco said.
“Because it’s the law,�
�� Jackson said.
“Really? Huh. I did not know that,” Rocco said, then smiled at Jackson. “Well done, Chief. You caught me. Do I pay a fine, or do you just want the rest of my cookie?”
Josie and I smiled at each other. Jackson did his best to ignore Rocco’s comment.
“How about credit card receipts?” Jackson said. “If you went shopping, there must be a record of what you bought.”
“I always pay cash,” Rocco said. “Over the years, I’ve found that the more electronic trails I leave, the more people like you want to talk to me.”
“Yeah, it’s funny how that works, Rocco,” Jackson said, flipping through his notepad. “Do you know where Pee Wee is at the moment?”
“No,” Rocco said. “I haven’t seen him since he dropped me off at the town dock yesterday.”
“What time was that?” Jackson said.
“Around seven. Then I headed straight to the Water’s Edge for a burger and a couple of beers.”
“Good call,” Josie said, then paused when she caught the look Jackson was giving her. She shrugged and gave him a small smile. “They have great burgers.”
Rocco laughed and gave Josie the last half of his cookie.
“You’re too much,” Rocco said to Josie as he got up from his stool. “You got anything else for me, Chief? I promised these ladies that I’d finish up this week, and I’m falling behind schedule.”
“Just one more thing,” Jackson said.
“Yes?”
“Howard said that the man who fits your description beat him up pretty badly,” Jackson said.
Rocco didn’t wait for Jackson to ask the question. He placed both his hands down on the kitchen island and spread his fingers wide.
“You must have some experience with fights, Chief,” Rocco said, staring down at his hands.
“Sure. I’ve been around my share,” Jackson said.
“Then I’m sure you know the damage that a fight does to someone’s hands whether they win or lose. Do these hands look like they’ve recently been in a fight?”
I glanced down at Rocco’s hands. They didn’t. In fact, they looked they’d been recently manicured. And they looked a lot better than my nails did at the moment.
“No, they don’t,” Jackson said. “But you could have been wearing gloves.”
“Yeah, I could,” Rocco said. “Did your mayor happen to mention that the guy was wearing gloves?”
“Actually, no, he didn’t,” Jackson said.
“That’s kind of a hard detail to miss wouldn’t you say, Chief?” Rocco said. “As I’m sure you know, if I hit you with a fist, you’d know if I was wearing a glove straight away. Not only does it look different, it feels different.”
“Yes,” Jackson said, conceding the point. “It does.”
“I’m going to get back to work,” Rocco said. “Thanks for the cookies, ladies. Please pass along my compliments to Chef Claire.”
“The guy has to be involved,” Jackson said after Rocco had left the kitchen.
“Maybe,” I said.
“C’mon, Suzy,” Jackson said. “What are the odds that it was two different guys who match Howard’s description?”
“They’re pretty low,” I said. “But maybe it was another guy instead of Rocco who was with Pee Wee.”
“I guess it’s possible,” Jackson said. “The lack of bruises on his hands is a problem.”
“For you,” Josie said. “Not for Rocco. I’d say that might just clear him.”
“What now?” I said.
“I need to track Pee Wee down and have another chat with him,” Jackson said.
“Have the state police had any luck?” I said.
“No, I spoke with Detective Abrams this morning. And they aren’t getting anywhere with Calducci’s murder. But they are leaning toward Pee Wee for the attack on Howard.”
“Howard’s word against the word of two known criminals might be enough, right?” Josie said.
“It might,” Jackson said. “But the fact they were wearing masks complicates things. And the description of the clothing Howard gave me doesn’t match what Rocco was wearing at the Water’s Edge last night.”
“It’s not that hard to pull off a change of clothes,” Josie said.
“No,” Jackson said. “But the lack of bruises is potentially a show-stopper. At least as far as Rocco is concerned. You heard Howard’s description of the beating he got. It was brutal.”
“Well, if Rocco wasn’t involved, who was the other guy?” I said.
“I’m sure Pee Wee has dozens of people he could have used,” Jackson said.
“Maybe we should try to talk with the four guys who came in for lunch the day of the funeral,” I said. “Since they’ve been identified as four of Calducci’s lieutenants, then… why are you staring at me?”
“We?” Jackson said, raising an eyebrow.
“I was referring to the collective we, Jackson,” I said.
Josie snorted. I ignored the looks I was getting from both of them.
“Let’s change the subject, shall we?” Josie said, rummaging through the fridge. “Have you decided what you’re getting Chef Claire for her birthday?”
“I have,” Jackson said, his mood brightening. “I decided to go all out.”
“And just roll the dice to see if you can force her hand?” Josie said, grinning at me.
“Actually, yes,” Jackson said. “How did you know that?”
“Just a lucky guess,” Josie said.
“And would your gift just happen to go well with the diamond tennis bracelet you got her for Christmas?” I said.
Jackson thought about it for a few seconds then nodded.
“As a matter of fact, they’d look great together,” Jackson said.
“This is bad,” Josie whispered.
“Yeah, this can’t end well,” I whispered back.
“What are you two babbling about?” Jackson said.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just a little girl talk.”
Chapter 20
We walked the perimeter of our property marveling at the job the work crew had done with our renovation. Inside, the workers were finishing the painting, and several boxes of new dog beds, toys, and snacks had been delivered and were ready to go. We’d been working with various shelters in the area that didn’t have the no-kill policy we did, and we were about to add thirty-two new dogs to our rescue population. The dogs would start arriving over the next few weeks, and we could finally stop worrying about being ready to have room for them.
“We’re about to become Dog Rescue Central,” Josie said, laughing.
“That was our plan all along, right?” I said. “And we need to get rolling on hiring some new staff.”
“Yeah, we do,” Josie said. “I’m just excited that it’s actually happening. We’re kind of like a sanctuary city for dogs.”
“I like that,” I said, nodding. “Oh, there’s Sammy. Are you ready?”
“Let’s do it,” Josie said, walking across the lawn. “Okay, Sammy. Go ahead and put him down. Let’s see how he does.”
Sammy gently placed Oslo on the ground and removed the leash attached to the dog’s collar. Josie sat down on the grass and clapped her hands together.
“Come here, Oslo. Good boy.”
I watched Oslo take his first few tentative steps. It was the first time he’d been outside without a leash since Josie had performed the brain surgery. Oslo found his footing, got some confidence, then trotted toward Josie. When he reached her, he rolled over on his back and waited for a tummy rub. Then Josie rolled a tennis ball about ten feet away and watched Oslo retrieve it and drop it at her feet.
“Look at him,” I said, tearing up. “He’s going to make it, isn’t he?”
“I think so. The biopsy came back clean,” Josie said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Sammy, could you go get Tripod? I’d like to see how Oslo handles being around another dog off the leash.”
Sammy headed inside the Inn a
nd soon returned with Tripod, his three-legged cocker spaniel we’d rescued from an illegal puppy mill operating in the area several months ago. The dog had lost its leg due to frostbite, but was fully recovered and had adapted to the point where it was easy to forget he only had three legs. I watched the dogs, both saved by Josie’s magic hands, gently roughhouse with each other and roll around on the grass.
“You did great,” I said.
“Thanks,” Josie said.
“Do you ever think what your life would be like if you weren’t doing this?” I said, leaning back in the grass and letting the warm sun wash over me.
“I do my best not to,” Josie said, laughing. “That would be a nightmare. Sammy, I think that’s enough for today. Take Oslo back inside and get him settled in. Then start checking his vitals on the hour the rest of the day. I want to make sure he doesn’t have any setbacks.”
“You got it,” Sammy said, picking Oslo up and heading back inside with Tripod following close behind.
“I suppose we’re going to need to start looking for a good home for Oslo,” I said.
“Well, Morrie the Meat Guy did offer to take him,” Josie said.
“That was before we found out he was sleeping with Jackson’s mom,” I said. “We can’t reward that sort of behavior.”
“Am I hearing a touch of sanctimony?” Josie said, climbing to her feet and brushing herself off.
“Yeah, maybe a bit,” I said. “I’m sure it wouldn’t have any impact on how Morrie would treat Oslo, but the idea bothers me.”
“What Morrie and Mrs. Frank do isn’t any of our business, Suzy,” Josie said.
“I know. But what if Morrie is somehow involved in Calducci’s murder?”
“Highly unlikely,” Josie said, walking toward the Inn. “And you know it.”
“You’re not being very helpful,” I said.
“Disagree.”
I gently punched her arm as we strolled back inside.
“Freddie called earlier about meeting after work for a drink,” I said.
“That sounds great,” Josie said. “You can grill him about Calducci why I focus on what he got Chef Claire for her birthday.”
“You don’t think it’s possible that they both decided to spring an engagement ring on her, do you?” I said.