Death of an Italian Chef

by Lee Hollis

  Chapter 29

  Dr. Cormack sat staring at his computer screen, a perplexed look on his face. “Your numbers looks good, glucose in the normal range, cholesterol under control. Blood pressure was a little elevated when you came in this morning, but it’s nothing to worry about. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately, from what I understand.”

  “Yes, it’s been a challenging time with Randy’s gallbladder attack,” Hayley said, seated across the room, hands folded in her lap.

  “You didn’t have to come in today. We could have easily discussed all this on the phone,” Dr. Cormack said, swiveling away from his computer and turning toward Hayley.

  “I have been feeling a little run-down these past few days, so when your nurse mentioned you had a cancellation this morning, I thought it would be best to have an in-person appointment.”

  “What seems to be the problem?”

  Hayley shrugged. “I just feel tired all the time. I usually have a lot more energy. Maybe it’s chronic fatigue syndrome.”

  Dr. Cormack shot her a skeptical look. “Or perhaps you have just been taking too much on. In charge of your brother’s care post-surgery, running a restaurant on top of your nine-to-five job at the newspaper, chasing after clues to prove Chef Romeo’s death involved foul play?”

  “Yes, I have been unusually busy lately, but I’m normally quite adept at keeping a lot of balls in the air,” Hayley argued.

  Dr. Cormack grabbed his stethoscope and stood up. “Please, sit on the table.”

  Hayley got up and scooted up on top of the white paper covering the exam room table. She unbuttoned the front of her blouse and Dr. Cormack pressed his stethoscope lightly against her chest, then placed it against her back. “Lungs seem clear. Heart rate’s a little fast. Must be my aftershave,” he said with a wink.

  He took a step back, stuffing the stethoscope in the pocket of his white lab coat. “Could this general malaise you’ve been experiencing be a slight exaggeration?”

  Hayley sat up straight. “What do you mean?”

  “Was it an excuse to come here to my office and grill me about Chef Romeo’s cause of death?”

  “Dr. Cormack, I find that highly offensive!” Hayley huffed. “I would never fake a medical condition in order to take up your valuable time simply for some personal mission.”

  Of course, that was exactly what she was doing.

  And Dr. Cormack was not buying a word of what she was peddling. He folded his arms and looked at her with a knowing smirk. “I’m not mad, Hayley. I admire your moxie, your grit and determination, but I am afraid that does not change the fact that your friend Chef Romeo died of complications from his heart attack. Plain and simple.”

  “I don’t believe it,” Hayley insisted.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, but the facts are the facts,” Dr. Cormack said with a shrug.

  “Look, I know my brother Randy was jacked-up on morphine, but he is certain about what he witnessed. How hard would it be to order an autopsy on the body just to be sure there was no poison in Romeo’s system at the time of his death?”

  Dr. Cormack frowned, eyes downcast. “Unfortunately, that is no longer possible.”

  “Why not?”

  Dr. Cormack cleared his throat. Whatever news he was about to relate, he obviously dreaded delivering it. He crossed back to his desk and picked up a file folder. He opened it and skimmed the top piece of paper before glancing back up at Hayley. “Let me say, the county morgue is overburdened and understaffed, but that’s no excuse. They had a John Doe . . .” He glanced back down at the paper. “. . . tagged A1497. Chef Romeo was tagged A1447.” He looked up sheepishly. “I guess the second four looked like a nine. Anyway, according to the coroner, somehow the tags got switched.”

  Hayley gasped. “What are you saying?”

  “The A1497, the John Doe, was scheduled for cremation. I guess in the mix-up—”

  “Oh my God, they cremated Romeo?”

  “It was an honest mistake, but the county officials are going to conduct a full investigation.”

  “So now there is no way we will ever know for sure whether or not Chef Romeo was murdered!” Hayley cried.

  “I’m sorry,” Dr. Cormack said quietly. “But let me be clear: I stand by the cause of death. Chef Romeo had a faulty ticker, and I believe without a doubt that’s what killed him.”

  “That’s a pretty convenient conclusion now that all the evidence has been destroyed,” Hayley snapped.

  “Don’t go looking for a conspiracy where there isn’t one, Hayley.”

  The phone on Dr. Cormack’s desk buzzed. He picked it up. “Yes?” He grimaced. “What is she doing here?” He listened for a moment. “Well, tell her I’m with a patient.”

  Hayley buttoned her blouse back up and slid off the exam room table. “I won’t take up any more of your time, Doctor,” she said, furious.

  “Wait, before you go, I can prescribe something for you to bring down your stress levels.”

  “No, thank you. I think I would prefer staying high-strung. It will motivate me to find answers, even if no one else wants to!” Hayley snapped.

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Goodbye, Doctor!”

  Hayley slammed out of the office. She was not so much angry over the colossal mistake at the morgue, but more over the fact that she could not shake the nagging feeling that Dr. Cormack had not been completely leveling with her.

  Hayley had always prided herself on how good she was at sensing whenever someone was hiding something, or omitting the full truth. And her radar was currently off the charts when it came to Dr. Cormack. He may not have been the one in the medical mask injecting poison into Chef Romeo’s tube that fateful night. He was much too short to be the man Randy described. But there was something the good doctor was not sharing. She could easily tell from the hint of fear in his eyes. And she was not going to rest until she found out exactly what it was.

  On her way out of the office, Hayley bumped into Lorraine Cormack, the doctor’s wife, an attractive, brassy blonde with flawless makeup and a tight face, the product of aggressive plastic surgery to grasp onto the remaining vestiges of her youth. Although her facial expressions were hard to read since she had had so much work done, it was obvious Mrs. Cormack was visibly upset.

  Hayley stopped her in the hallway. “Lorraine, are you okay?”

  Lorraine brushed past her and whispered, “Yes, I’m fine.”

  Then she charged into her husband’s office and slammed the door behind her.

  Hayley casually lingered outside, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  “Lorraine, what is this? Have you gone mad, busting in here unannounced?” Dr. Cormack admonished.

  “Here, take a look!” Lorraine wailed.

  “What is this?” Dr. Cormack asked.

  “Your credit card statement, the one you always insist on paying yourself. I thought I would be a good, dutiful wife and handle it for you this month. Do you mind explaining the restaurant charges during the time I was visiting my sister in Boston? Two consecutive nights at Havana, another at Mache Bistro, one at Café This Way . . .”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Lorraine. Did you expect me to stay home the entire time you were away? I went to dinner with a couple of golfing buddies. Is that a crime? And I resent you snooping around, trying to catch me in some imagined act of infidelity.”

  “Imagined? Do you really think I’m that stupid?” Lorraine wailed from behind the closed door.

  “I think you’re being paranoid and completely overreacting! Frankly, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

  “Oh, is that your tactic now? Trying to make me feel like I am crazy? I have lived in this town my entire life. I know practically everyone. You didn’t think I would call Havana and find out who you were there with?”

  “Are you spying on me now? Seriously, Lorraine, you need help—”

  “Oh, put a sock in it, you disgraceful, lying cheat! I know who you have b
een stepping out with!”

  “Keep your voice down!” he hissed.

  There was a brief silence behind the door, followed by intense whispering. Hayley moved closer and pressed her ear up against it. Before she could make out what they were saying, someone tapped Hayley’s shoulder. She jumped and spun around to find Betsy Cantwell, Dr. Cormack’s loyal nurse, trained for years in the art of effortlessly moving patients in and out of the doctor’s office, and obviously keeping a tight lid on all of his personal secrets.

  “The exit is this way, Hayley,” Nurse Cantwell said sharply.

  Hayley looked around, lamely pretending to be lost, then spotting the big exit sign above the door just a few feet away from her. She smiled at the nurse and said brightly, “I always get so turned around in this place. Thanks, Betsy. I’m sure I will see you and Clarence at the music festival next month!”

  She made a mad dash for the door.

  Nurse Cantwell followed close behind, making certain Hayley left the doctor’s office and did not try to sneak back.

  Chapter 30

  If Lorraine Cormack was right about her husband’s infidelity, then there was very little doubt in Hayley’s mind who the “other woman” might be.

  It had to be Nurse Tilly.

  As Hayley jumped in her car and raced over to Tilly’s tiny one-story house on Snow Street, just two blocks from the Bar Harbor Hospital where she worked, she recalled the odd encounter she had had with Dr. Cormack and Tilly in the parking lot just before someone had tried to mow her and Tilly down in that pickup truck. When Hayley had first happened upon them, they both appeared caught off guard, startled, almost frightened, as if they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t.

  It had immediately raised Hayley’s suspicions.

  Tilly had been acting so skittish, so secretive lately, Hayley knew there had to be some logical explanation for her strange behavior.

  An extramarital affair made perfect sense.

  When Tilly opened her front door to find Hayley standing there, dread was suddenly written all over her face. Tilly nervously closed the light Kelly-green sweater she was wearing over her white nurse’s uniform and frowned. “Hayley, what are you doing here?”

  “I have to talk to you. Can I come in?”

  “No, I’m sorry. My shift starts in ten minutes, I need to get to the hospital,” Tilly said abruptly, obviously worried about what Hayley might know.

  “Tilly, it’s very important. I have been thinking about what happened to us in the hospital parking lot—”

  “You mean with the truck almost running us down?”

  Hayley nodded. “Yes, at first I thought I was the target, but now I have reason to suspect—”

  “Me? Why on earth would anybody want to hurt me? I’m a nurse! All I have ever done in my entire life is help people feel better!”

  There was a tense silence.

  Even as the hollow words tumbled out of her mouth, Tilly’s whole face betrayed a distinct look of guilt.

  Treading delicately, Hayley said quietly, “What about Lorraine Cormack?”

  Hayley could see Tilly’s body stiffen, her mind frantically racing, wondering exactly what Hayley knew.

  “Lorraine? What does she have to do with anything? What exactly are you implying, Hayley?” Tilly asked, defiance in her voice, but unbridled fear written all over her face.

  Hayley folded her arms, eyes boring into Tilly, who was growing more jumpy and jittery by the second.

  Tilly checked her watch. “I’m going to be late.”

  “I know, Tilly,” Hayley said quietly.

  “Know about what?”

  “You and Dr. Cormack,” Hayley said.

  Tilly gasped, wrenching her head from side to side to make sure none of her neighbors were out mowing their lawn or checking their mailbox, and then she reached out and grabbed Hayley by the shirtsleeve and pulled her inside the house, slamming the door behind her.

  “I don’t know what you think you know, Hayley, but you’re wrong! Dr. Cormack and I are simply professional colleagues. There is nothing untoward between us, I can assure you.”

  “Lorraine knows too,” Hayley said matter-of-factly.

  Tilly looked as if the wind had just been knocked out of her. Her whole body sagged, like a wilting flower. “That—that can’t be true.”

  “I just came from his office. I overheard her yelling at him behind closed doors. She apparently came across some credit card receipts.”

  Tilly covered her mouth with her shaky hand. “Oh, dear Lord, no . . .”

  “There’s no point in continuing to deny it.”

  Hayley knew from her experiences with Tilly that she was basically an honest person, so she knew it was not going to take much longer for her to crack under pressure.

  “Two romantic dinners at Havana. Another at Mache Bistro, yet another at Café This Way . . .”

  Tilly’s mouth dropped open in shock. Her legs were wobbly and she had to sit down on her small leather sofa. She stared at the floor for some time, processing everything, then slowly raised her head to look at Hayley. “Does Lorraine know it was me?”

  Hayley nodded solemnly. “She called Havana and found out who her husband had been dining with.”

  Tilly gasped, this time covering her mouth with both hands. “I knew I was making a mistake! I kept telling myself, ‘Tilly, this is wrong, he’s a married man,’ but he was just so charming, and relentless. He pursued me, Hayley, not the other way around, although in the end, what difference does it really make? It’s wrong and I never should have put myself in such a compromising situation. I suppose everyone in town knows now.”

  “No, just me, and maybe Nurse Cantwell at his office, but you know how loyal she is, she probably won’t say a word to anyone. Lorraine, on the other hand . . .”

  “He was so scared his wife was going to find out. He used a credit card he thought she didn’t know about. Joke’s on him, I guess. He made me promise over and over not to tell anyone about us. I felt so guilty, sneaking around all the time, it made me feel so dirty, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s been a while since any man has paid even a little attention to me, not since I broke up with my boyfriend almost four years ago. When Dr. Cormack started showing interest in me, I was flattered; it made me feel good. I thought it was just a harmless flirtation, but then one thing led to another . . . Oh, God, Hayley, I’m such a pathetic cliché! How did I get myself into such a mess?”

  “When did the affair start, Tilly?”

  “It hasn’t even been two months. Dr. Cormack was so paranoid people might find out. Whenever we’d go out to a restaurant, he’d make a big deal about telling everybody how he was treating me to an expensive dinner for my birthday. He loved to show everyone how well he took care of the nursing staff at the hospital, always loudly making the point that our meals together were strictly platonic, nothing to raise any eyebrows over. No one seemed to question it, although if anyone paid close attention, they would probably wonder why I was the only nurse who reaped the benefits of his abundance of generosity. One of the waiters at Havana, who was one of Dr. Cormack’s patients, asked why we were there two nights in a row, and without missing a beat, he told him that the previous night had been my birthday and the second night was my five-year anniversary at the hospital. He had no problem lying. He was quite good at it. I, on the other hand, am a terrible liar. And I have been struggling every day with hiding what we have been doing. But he was adamant we keep the affair a secret. That’s why he didn’t want to tell anyone what we saw the night Chef—” Tilly stopped herself.

  Hayley perked up. “The night Chef Romeo what? The night he was murdered?”

  “Nothing, just pretend I never said anything.”

  Hayley wagged an admonishing finger at her. “Tilly . . .”

  “I can’t. I promised him I would never tell.”

  “Tilly, if you saw something . . .”

  “Dr. Cormack told me there was no murder, Chef Romeo di
ed from a heart attack, so there would be no point in coming forward, if there was no crime.”

  “But if it does turn out to be murder and you hid key information, then that’s obstruction of justice and you could go to jail!”

  Tilly’s whole body was quivering now.

  Hayley felt bad for browbeating poor Tilly so hard, but she knew Tilly was close to breaking and so she had to keep up the pressure. “It’s all going to come out eventually anyway. You might as well come clean now before it’s too late.”

  Tilly buried her head in her hands and sobbed.

  Hayley sat down beside her and gently patted her back.

  Tilly took a deep breath and then sat up straight, eyes turning to Hayley, resigned, and finally ready to talk. “That night at the hospital, we both took our break at the same time and met up in the medical supply closet. I know, how silly, right? Acting like irresponsible teenagers! It was pretty quiet on the floor so no one saw us sneak in there. But when we came out, we practically bumped into two men leaving the room.”

  “What room? The room Chef Romeo was sharing with Randy?”

  Tilly nodded grimly.

  “Was one of those men Fredy?”

  Tilly nodded again.

  Andrea Cho’s husband Leonard had been right about what he had seen while he had been sedated.

  “What about the other man? What did he look like?”

  Tilly nervously began wringing her hands.

  “You didn’t get a good look at his face?”

  Tilly’s eyes started filling with tears, her bottom lip quivering, her hands trembling.

  Hayley pressed harder. “Who was it, Tilly?”

  Tilly sighed. “He had a mask on, but it slipped down at one point and I caught a glimpse of his face, and—and I recognized him. It was—it was Chuckie . . . he works as a construction foreman for Vic Spencer.”

  Vic Spencer.

  The contractor who had threatened Chef Romeo after he refused to pay the remainder of his bill for the shoddy kitchen remodeling job.

  “Tilly, do you know if Chuckie and Nurse Fredy were friends?” Hayley asked.

  Tilly shrugged. “I don’t know. But they both looked very agitated and nervous, and I did happen to notice Chuckie had Fredy by the arm, like he was taking him somewhere.”