Deadly Legacy (A Carmedy & Garrett Mystery)

by Bruce, Alison

  "No. I'm working. I just need to shower and change, but I don't have much time."

  "I'll take care of it."

  Soon, a sheepish Lizzie and unselfconsciously magnificent Asan emerged. Kate did her best to be that nonchalant as she passed them in her fuzzy terry robe. It occurred to her living in her father's flat would be more private, but less interesting. Maybe she'd stay where she was. Carmedy could have the apartment, and he could help her clean it out. It could be a kind of bonding exercise. Of course, if he didn't want the place… Well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

  Half an hour later, Kate was waiting in a cold wind for the downtown bus and wondering if maybe living over the office might not be a bad idea, after all. When she realized the bus had been early and there wouldn't be another by for a half hour, she started walking. As she walked, she rehearsed strategies to back out of her offer to Carmedy, which she immediately discarded when she saw him.

  Carmedy was better than his word. He not only had two cups of hot chocolate, he was carrying them in this year's commemorative thermal mug, an annual fund-raising item sold by the service clubs that ran the Santa Claus Parade, Festival of Lights and Winter Wonderland events. Her father had bought her one every year since they started the fund-raiser seven years ago. Did Carmedy know? If her father hadn't mentioned it, it wouldn't have taken a great detective to work it out. Joe's collection, gathered dust on the top shelf of a bookcase.

  "Thanks." It was wholly inadequate and the best she could do.

  "This one," said Carmedy, lifting his mug, "can round out Joe's collection. Don't worry, I'll wash it first."

  Tears lurked just behind her self-control, waiting for a break in her defences. Not here, not now, she told herself. She turned to her beat cop training and scanned the crowd for pickpockets, lost children and trouble waiting to happen.

  What happened was rain. Perhaps the weather fairy was being empathetic. In any case, no one seemed surprised or put-out. One of the upsides of constantly battling UV rays, hooded cloaks, sunbrellas and broad brimmed hats were equally useful in the rain, and every prudent parent checked the weather network before setting out.

  Kate spotted a familiar, wide-brimmed hat, distinctive for being oversized for its wearer.

  "Bloody hell." She sighed.

  "We can go in," said Carmedy, who had fished a cap out of his pocket and turned the collar of his coat up.

  "No, we can't. Eldridge is out on his own. He seems to have slipped his leash."

  She tipped her head in the direction she wanted him looking.

  "I see him. Seems to have dressed up for you."

  "Doubt it. He just has an overcoat fitting him properly now."

  "Looks like he has a less floppy hat, too. Shall we head him off?"

  Kate thought quickly. "I'll head him off. Maybe he'd like a window seat for the parade. You check out the alley he's headed for."

  "What alley?"

  She was just about to explain when he raised a hand to stop her. "Never mind, I've worked it out. Be careful. Call Thorsen."

  She nodded, already dialling the number.

  Twenty minutes later, Leon Eldridge tried looking comfortable as he perched on the edge of the couch in the office of Garrett Investigations. Kate had pulled it up close to the picture window looking down on the street. While the police cruisers and emergency vehicles paraded by, she made a fresh pot of coffee.

  As it brewed, she stood at the window and watched the first group of clowns straighten the lines on either side of the road, shooing children back toward their families. Then the banner bearers arrived just ahead of the first band playing Winter Wonderland.

  "You know," she said, musing aloud, "that was my father's least favourite Christmas song."

  "What was his favourite?" Eldridge asked, sounding more polite than interested.

  "I'll Be Home for Christmas, which, of course, he won't be." She noted Eldridge seemed restless. "Can you see all right from there? Shall I push the couch closer?"

  Pushed any closer, Eldridge's knees would be hitting the windowpane.

  "I'm fine. That's the Girl Guide float, isn't it?"

  Kate scanned the fake snow-strewn flatbed, the requisite snowman, snow fort and Plexiglas ice rink. Girls in pink, brown and blue posed with the props of winter activities and waved cheerfully, despite the cold rain. They were probably anticipating hot chocolate and donuts at the end of the route.

  "Guides, Brownies and Sparks," she said. "The older girls must have their own float later. Last year they did a joint display with the Venturers and Rovers on a winter camping theme."

  "Ah."

  Kate continued providing colour commentary, despite Eldridge's obvious lack of interest. When serving coffee took her away from the window, she treated him to descriptions of floats from past years. It passed the time and had the added benefit of revenge for the boring conversations she had endured around him.

  Midway through the parade, between the Star Trek Club's Alien Holiday float and the Dixieland Marching Band playing yet another rendition of Winter Wonderland, she captured his attention.

  "That looks like Valerio. I wonder what he's up to."

  "Where?" Eldridge stood and joined her at the window.

  "Across the road, there, where the crowd has lost interest in the parade. He's going up that alley with a forensics team and a couple of uniformed cops."

  "Maybe you should go check it out."

  Kate chuckled. "Valerio would call me if I was needed and wouldn't appreciate me just showing up. Chances are, I'd be in the way. Besides, it looks like we're going to have visitors."

  Eldridge looked around, confused.

  Kate pointed to the live monitor on the desk behind him. "I know you aren't fond of Carmedy, but he's a whiz at electronic security. No one enters the lobby on this floor without us knowing."

  The door opened. Carmedy ushered Jane Osgoode into the room. Eldridge nodded a greeting, before turning his attention back to the events outside the window.

  Kate left him to greet Jane. She was pale. "You okay?"

  Jane replied with a weak smile and a nod.

  "Vince asked me to keep an eye on Jane," Carmedy said. "We thought we'd watch the parade up here."

  "You're in time for coffee. I just made a fresh pot."

  Carmedy led Jane to the couch. She sat as far as possible away from Eldridge, who was still staring across the road. Kate took a peek. The forensics team were removing black garbage bags with enough yellow evidence tape to make them stand out from across the road.

  Eldridge turned to Carmedy. "Do you know what is going on over there?"

  Carmedy nodded. "They're retrieving a blood-soaked raincoat. It's only a couple of alleys away from where they found Rossini. It might be related. Or not. Regardless, it has to be investigated. Vince was called in, which is how I got the pleasure of Jane's company."

  Jane managed a brief smile. She looked like she was going to throw up. Kate hoped they had more liners.

  "How nice." Eldridge turned away from the window. "I think, however, I shall deny myself that pleasure and go home. I'm feeling rather tired."

  "Stay until the parade is over," Kate urged. "I'll escort you home."

  "I can make my own way home. I can pick up a taxi around the corner. I promise I'll go straight home. I really am quite tired."

  Kate nodded sympathetically. "You've been overdoing it. Still, I insist you wait until I can escort you. You won't get a taxi while the parade is going. Besides, it looks like we have some more guests."

  Jane jumped up like a startled pigeon.

  "Can't leave the party now," Carmedy said, opening the door to Chief Thorsen and Glynis Gage-Proctor. Immediately behind them, Felicity Gage was leaning heavily on the arm of her man, Zeigler. Bringing up the rear was Sabrina Yao. In the background, faint strains of I'll be Home for Christmas wafted up from the street.

  38

  Jake hoped somewhere Joe Garrett was looking down on this sce
nario and enjoying the show. Theatrics definitely ran in the family. Kate had set the scene with most of the key players. She even had them acting as stage hands, rearranging the office furniture so they sat in a semi-circle, facing the window, as if the city was their audience. Then she surprised him. Unlike Joe, who enjoyed the limelight, Kate was content to be the stage manager. Once the scene was set, she receded into the background and let Thorsen take the centre stage.

  "I imagine you are wondering why you were all gathered here," Thorsen started. The heroic Nordic features slipped into a boyish grin. "Sorry, I couldn't resist the line. This is certainly not normal police procedure, but I think Joe Garrett would approve and he, in a way, started this investigation."

  Jake was in position, back against the window frame, keeping an eye on the door, and also witnessing everyone's reactions. So far, expressions were guarded. Everyone seemed puzzled, except for Felicity Gage. She appeared to have dozed off.

  "Joe was hired to find out who was stalking and sending threatening letters to Leon Eldridge." Thorsen directed himself to Eldridge. "Believe me, sir, I am sorry we didn't take your report as seriously as you wished. A very good case has been made by Detectives Garrett, Valerio and Carmedy that the threats against your life are connected to the deaths of Delano Gage, Felix Proctor and Francis Rossini."

  Eldridge wore a smug expression right up to the last name.

  Thorsen continued. "Rossini is key. He is the source of the drugs that killed Gage and Proctor."

  "You can prove that?" Eldridge's scepticism was patent.

  Thorsen nodded toward Glynis Gage-Proctor.

  "Precise drug compositions are proprietary," she said. "In the case of narcotics, we, by that I mean pharmaceutical companies in general, are required to register drug composition profiles with an international database for use by justice agencies. Forensics could, and apparently did, trace the drugs used in the killing of my husband and my father to Gage Pharmaceuticals, to the plant, in fact, where Rossini was employed until he was caught stealing."

  Thorsen continued. "Whoever killed Rossini probably killed Gage and Proctor and is responsible for your threats, Mr. Eldridge. Once we know who that is, and we should know soon, we will have sufficient evidence to make an arrest. A bloody raincoat was found in a nearby alley. The blood is Rossini's type. As we speak, the coat is being taken to the Centre for Forensic Sciences where the shift supervisor will personally oversee the collection and analysis of trace evidence which will tie the raincoat to its owner. If we're lucky, we might get the preliminary results within the hour. Conclusive DNA testing should be completed by the end of the day."

  Sabrina Yao snorted. "Well, we could sit around singing Christmas carols, or maybe someone could tell me how everything relates to Frank. And where do I fit in? Frank was a thorn in my side, but I didn't kill him and I had no reason to kill anyone else."

  Thorsen looked over at Jake. This was his chance to take centre stage if he wanted to. He declined. Jake dipped his head toward Kate, instead. She acknowledged the passing of the buck with a slight nod.

  "Frank Rossini was a thief." She let the words sink in as she strolled over to stand beside Thorsen. "He stole drugs from his employers, and not just a bit here and there, either. He was part of a ring responsible for a steady stream of pharmaceutical drugs hitting the streets. In addition, he tried stealing your company away from you, Ms. Yao."

  Sabrina acknowledged this with a nod.

  "He wasn't a murderer..." Kate's mouth hardened into a grim line and Jake knew that expression wasn't feigned. "...but he had no compunction against selling drugs to gangs so they could kidnap and rape young girls, nor to making a deal to provide drugs for murder, in exchange for help getting Moonlight Games."

  Jake could hear Santa Claus is Coming to Town. It was an odd counterpoint to the proceedings. Kate turned away to look out the window. From his vantage point, Jake knew she was struggling to keep her composure.

  He decided to take the heat off her. "Rossini wasn't a deep thinker. He was clever enough to know he couldn't get away with destroying company files. He needed an accomplice. He needed someone with access."

  Kate cut her eyes to him. Her expression said thanks. He continued.

  "Moonlight Games' employees were out. Not only were they loyal, they stood to gain from a smooth sale of the company. We know from Sabrina Yao attempts were made and duly reported. Then an accomplice found him. Someone who knew about the drug thefts and Rossini's situation made him a deal that seemed perfect. A lethal cocktail of drugs in exchange for a well-placed office fire."

  "How do you know who found who?" Sabrina asked.

  Jake gave a half shrug. "Educated guess. Rossini wasn't that smart, so he would have had to be extremely lucky picking the right person to approach. Besides, the person involved was in the position to know Rossini was being investigated by the police."

  "The killer was lucky and smart," said Kate, turning back to the room. "Luck brought Rossini along at the right time. Everything else was due to intelligent planning."

  Joe would be proud, Jake thought as he moved in to stand beside Kate.

  "The fire was set using a delayed action firebomb," Jake said. "First, the security cameras were tampered with so placing the device wouldn't be recorded. Rossini had a perfect alibi for the window of time when the bomb could have been set. Then, the killer waited and slowly set the stage for the first murder. Unfortunately, Rossini got greedy. He continued to sell drugs locally."

  "Those drugs led to the death of a young girl, Fania Michaels." said Kate. "Fania's overdose, Delano Gage's heart attack, and the poisoning of Felix Proctor and you, Mr. Eldridge, were all caused by drugs linked to Rossini."

  "So who killed Rossini?" Sabrina asked, sounding impatient.

  "His partner in crime," Jake said. "Maybe Rossini tried blackmail. Or perhaps the killer knew the police were closing in on Rossini and if he went down, he'd be looking for a bargaining chip to a reduced sentence. He had to go. The killer didn't have time for finesse, however. Rossini was bludgeoned to death and that's a very messy way to kill."

  "Messy is hard to cover up," Valerio said, chiming in. "Although there's nothing obvious on the raincoat, like a name tag or transit pass, somewhere there will be a hair, or a flake of skin, or even drop of the killer's blood."

  Eldridge gave a short bark of laughter.

  "You'll have more than a trace to go by, I hope. Overcoats can be stolen—mine was a few days ago. If it was worn during the commission of a crime, would I be accused? I hope not."

  Thorsen fielded the question. "If a crime is committed with stolen property, we have to investigate the owner, if only to eliminate them as a suspect. Circumstances of the crime and theft are considered, but if someone else wore the coat, we'd find the evidence."

  Jake glanced down at Kate. Despite her excellent performance so far, she was pale and tense. He shifted so he was a half-step behind her, his chest a few centimetres from her shoulder. It was the best way he could think of showing he had her back.

  Felicity Gage opened her eyes and proved she had been listening all along. "I suppose we have been gathered here because any of us could have beg, borrowed or stolen a raincoat and killed this scum-bag."

  "Almost," Kate said. "Unless all the wives of Delano Gage conspired, you couldn't have personally killed Rossini. You were all having dinner when he died. The restaurant was nearby, but Constance Gage-Imada, Jennifer Leigh and a very well-tipped waiter say you didn't leave the restaurant. Daniel Zeigler could have killed for you, of course."

  The last Mrs. Gage started to object. Kate held up a hand.

  "He picked you up at the restaurant. He has no alibi for the time when Rossini was bludgeoned. You," Kate continued, turning to Glynis, "were not at the dinner and left your meeting at the funeral home in time to kill Rossini. You couldn't have killed your husband. You left before the fatal drink was poured."

  "She could have poisoned the wine ahead of time," Eldridge poi
nted out.

  Thorsen held up a hand. "She could have doped the wine, but she couldn't have dosed the glass. Both had to be done to make the cocktail a killer. That could only have been done shortly before the toast."

  "I suppose I could have killed Frank," Sabrina said, "but I had no reason killing either Gage or Proctor."

  "I suppose you think I could have killed Felix," said Jane, speaking for the first time since she arrived. "Since we're throwing around buts, I didn't even know Rossini."

  Eldridge jumped on this. "You knew of him. Felix invested in Moonlight Games. Rossini was a fly in the ointment. He would have told you. Gage had Moonlight investigated and he stood in the way of Felix ever leaving his wife for you. You also had motive to kill Felix, or perhaps you were trying to kill me."

  "How would she know about Rossini's illicit drug store?" Kate asked.

  "The Gage family knew about the investigation," Eldridge said with a shrug. "Mr. Gage told Mr. Proctor and me about the case over lunch shortly after Rossini had been fired. It was in the strictest confidence, of course. I doubt Proctor could have resisted sharing such an interesting story with his lover."

  Glynis winced.

  Jane spoke with cold fury. "Felix was a professional and so am I. We shared many things, but we kept confidential information to ourselves."

  "So you say," Eldridge said, waving a hand dismissively.

  "Yes, I do say, you sanctimonious..."

  Jake felt a gentle rumble in his pocket and started to back away. He had a message. Thorsen caught his eye. With everyone else's attention fixed on Eldridge and Osgoode's spitting match, Thorsen mouthed the word, "Wait."

  Kate allowed the spat to continue for a minute before interrupting with a theatrically cleared throat. "Perhaps Jane knew about Rossini. Now we know how you knew, Mr. Eldridge."

  Eldridge sat back, hands in lap, lips shut tight.

  39

  One day Kate might tell Jake Carmedy how much she appreciated his silent support. Probably not today.