by Nic Saint
“You have to tell Jasper,” said Max. “Otherwise those songs will be lost forever. They’re on Johnny’s computer, and Princess said only Jasper has the password.”
“Princess?”
Max hesitated. “One of Johnny’s cats. A Siamese.”
She smiled in the darkness. “Is she nice, this Princess?”
“She’s all right,” he said. “Dooley ate all of her food the other morning, but since she didn’t say anything about it, I guess she didn’t even notice.”
“People like Johnny have housekeepers, Max, and lots and lots of staff. I’m sure they don’t personally deal with minor details like feeding the cats.”
“That’s what I told Dooley!” He paused, then said, “I’m glad you take care of these minor details, Odelia.” His voice suddenly sounded husky.
“I like taking care of those details.”
There was a pause, then Max said, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, honey.”
She’d almost drifted off to sleep when he asked, in a small voice, “Odelia?”
“Mh?”
“What’s going to happen to me if something happens to you?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, Max. I promise.”
“That’s what I told Dooley,” he said, and he seemed satisfied, for a few minutes later she heard his typical light snore softly echoing through the room. The sound soothed her, and before long she was fast asleep herself.
Chapter 17
The next morning saw Odelia, bright and early, swing by the police station to see her uncle. When she breezed into the Chief’s office, not bothering to knock as usual, she found both her uncle and Chase looking downcast, as if they had something on their minds.
She dropped down into the seat next to Chase. “Why the long faces, guys? Bit in a bad donut?”
“If only that were true,” grunted her uncle.
She glanced over at Chase, but he refused to meet her gaze.
“So? Don’t keep me in suspense. What’s wrong?”
Uncle Alec leaned back, his chair creaking beneath his bulk. “We’ve been overruled by the powers that be, I’m afraid.”
She gave him a blank stare. “I have no idea what you just said. What powers that be? What did they overrule?”
“I just got a call from the mayor, demanding we release Donovan Rubb, aka Orville Haggis, at once.”
She sat bolt upright at this. “Release Donovan Rubb? But why?”
“Turns out the mayor got a call from Chase’s old boss, NYPD Commissioner Vernon Necker, conveying his displeasure with Mr. Rubb’s arrest. When he heard Chase was involved, he pretty much blew a gasket.”
“But he can’t force you to release Rubb, can he? That’s just nuts.”
“Well, technically the mayor can’t interfere in an ongoing investigation, but if he wanted to he could have my job, so…”
She stared at her uncle. “Fire you? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“He didn’t actually tell me he was going to fire me, but it was implied.”
“Is this still about that same nonsense with the Commissioner?”
“It is,” Chase confirmed.
Her uncle sighed deeply. “Rubb must have asked his lawyer to put in a good word for him with his old buddy Commissioner Necker—”
“Who decided to intervene in an ongoing murder investigation?”
“Looks like.”
“But you refused, right?” she asked. When her uncle didn’t respond, she repeated, a little more heatedly, “Tell me you refused, Uncle Alec.”
“Donovan Rubb walked half an hour ago,” said Chase.
“Are you crazy?! The man’s a drug dealer! You can’t let him walk.”
“Afraid I had no choice in the matter,” said the Chief. “Rubb claims police harassment.”
“He confessed! He told us he sold those drugs to John Paul George!”
“He retracted that statement. Said it was given under duress. Says you roughed him up and he’s got the scrapes and bruises to prove it.”
“He rode his bike into a ditch, which is how he got the scrapes and bruises.”
“He says you put him in that ditch. By forcing him off the road. He’s pressing charges for police brutality and he’s got the Commissioner in his corner.”
“Well, I’m not a cop, so he can’t sue me for police brutality.”
“He’s still pressing charges, against both you and Chase.” He shook his head. “And that’s not even the worst part.”
“It gets worse?”
“When the Commissioner heard about Chase’s involvement he wasn’t pleased. So he gave the mayor to understand he was doing Hampton Cove a disservice by having a man of his reputation carry a badge in this town.”
She looked from her uncle to Chase. “He’s trying to get you fired?”
“Well, obviously the mayor can’t fire Chase, only I have that authority,” said Uncle Alec, “but he made it clear that he wasn’t happy with my decision to hire Chase in the first place, and he wants Chase gone. Right now.”
She sagged a little. This was terrible. She and Chase didn’t always see eye to eye—well, actually they never saw eye to eye on anything, and had locked horns several times. But he was a good cop and these charges were bogus.
“So what are you going to do?” she asked.
“In all good conscience I can’t fire Chase,” said the Chief. “I just can’t.”
“Which is why I’ve decided to step aside myself,” said Chase.
“You’re leaving?” she asked.
“Yes, I am. I think it’s extremely noble of you to try and protect me, Chief, but I can’t put you in this position. It’s not fair to you or the people of this town. If the mayor wants me gone, I’m going.” He shook his head. “No sense postponing the inevitable and dragging this out. We all knew this was coming sooner or later, and arresting that scumbag Rubb seems to have sped up the process.”
“But you can’t go,” she said. “You did nothing wrong.”
He fixed her with a curious look. “You believe that?”
“Of course I do. This whole thing is a setup. All you need to do is clear your name. If you can prove you were set up, this will all go away.”
“That’s a pretty big if.”
“Not if you’ve got Hampton Cove’s number one reporter on your side.”
He grimaced. “Look, this is not the first time I’ve gone through this. I’d hoped I could leave it all behind, but obviously that’s not the case, so…”
“You can’t give up now, Chase. This is just wrong.”
“This is politics.”
She frowned. “What if you talked to the mayor of New York? I’m sure he’ll believe you if you tell him his wife is having an affair. He’ll be furious.”
“The mayor of New York knows perfectly well his wife is having an affair, and he doesn’t give a hoot. Probably because he’s having an affair himself.”
“With the Commissioner’s wife? That would be funny.”
He looked at her from beneath lowered brows. “I’m not laughing.”
“If the mayor knows, why isn’t he divorcing her?”
“I told you, he doesn’t care. All he cares about is that his wife is funding his reelection campaign, so he’s not going to rock the boat. Or cause a scandal. They’re presenting a united front, all to further his political ambitions. So when some pesky cop comes along, they simply crush him.”
Things were becoming a lot clearer now. Inadvertently Chase had stuck his head into a hornet’s nest, and whatever he did, he wasn’t getting out without being stung. “So what are you going to do? Lay down and die?”
He smiled a thin-lipped smile. “I’m going to save your uncle the trouble of having to deal with my mess.” He placed his badge and his gun on the Chief’s desk and rose. “Thanks for the opportunity, Chief. It’s been a real honor.”
“But you can’t go,” she said. “This town needs a cop like you, Chase.”
She couldn’t believe she’d just said those words, and meant them, too.
“Thanks for allowing me to see you in action, Miss Poole. It’s been a real treat, and I’m not likely to forget those remarkable driving skills of yours.”
And then, before she could say something else, he simply walked out.
She sat there, staring at her uncle, who looked just as shocked as she did.
“This isn’t right,” she told him. “In fact this is all kinds of wrong.”
“Tell me about it,” he grumbled. “This is a hit job.”
“I’m going to clear Chase’s name,” she said decidedly.
“And how exactly are you going to do that?”
“I have no idea,” she said. She saw that Brutus and Harriet were seated on the windowsill, listening attentively. They looked equally stunned.
“You know you surprise me,” said her uncle. “I actually thought you’d be glad to be rid of Chase. Hell, I figured you’d be jumping for joy right now.”
“I’m not saying that Chase doesn’t have his faults,” she said. “But he’s a good cop, and this town needs men like him. Granted, the way he always wants to do things by the book is infuriating, but I’d hate to see him go.”
“He is a great cop,” said the chief. “And I hate to see him go, too.”
“I’m going to fix this mess,” she said. “I don’t know how, but I will.”
Chapter 18
Before Odelia could devote her attention to getting Chase’s name cleared, she had a murder to solve, though. So half an hour later, she and her uncle were seated across from Bryony Pistol, John Paul George’s widow. She was the same age as the singer, but looked at least a decade younger, so either she had killer genes, or had taken a leaf from Jennifer Aniston’s page and copied the actress’s anti-aging secrets.
“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, Mrs. George,” the Chief said.
“Pistol. I rarely use my husband’s name these days.”
“Mrs. Pistol. And my condolences for your loss.”
“Thank you, Chief,” said the woman, dabbing a small handkerchief to her eyes. She was sitting ramrod straight, the picture of regal grace and poise.
The house where she lived wasn’t as big or luxurious as Johnny’s, but it was still very nice, and it was obvious that the woman was well-off.
“I’d actually hoped to talk to your daughter, too,” said the Chief.
“Yes, I’m sorry about that. Veronica had an urgent meeting in town. She should be back soon.” She eyed Odelia a little uncertainly. “Are you also a police officer, dear?”
“Miss Poole is a, um, consultant,” said the Chief. “She’s also my niece.”
“What about that other policeman? What’s his name, um…”
“Detective Kingsley is no longer on the case, ma’am. In fact he doesn’t work for us anymore as of this morning.”
Bryony nodded. “My daughter will be pleased to hear that.”
“About your daughter… is it true she used to be involved with Donovan Rubb?”
“I’m sorry to say that she was, even though I always told her not to be. Perhaps you already know this, but Mr. Rubb used to deal drugs, you see.”
“We know,” the Chief confirmed. “He was Johnny’s supplier.”
“Oh, dear,” said the woman, shaking her head in obvious dismay. “Good thing Veronica broke up with him. That man would have been her downfall.”
“When exactly did they break up, ma’am?”
“Well, let me see.” She thought for a moment. “I’m pretty sure it was soon after that incident with Detective Kingsley. She finally came to her senses.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Odelia said. “But what exactly happened between Detective Kingsley and your daughter?”
The woman raised her hands and dropped them in her lap. “Well, he made a pass at her, didn’t he? He interviewed her when Donovan got arrested and must have taken a fancy to her, because he tried to kiss her.”
Chief Alec cleared his throat and gave his niece a warning look. “After your daughter and Mr. Rubb broke up, did they keep in touch?”
“Not to my knowledge. I actually took this house after this whole affair ended, just to make sure Veronica would be away from her old circle. Away from the temptations of the big city and that toxic group of so-called friends of hers.” She waved a hand. “And also to be closer to her father, of course, though God knows Johnny was never much of a father to Veronica, or a husband to me, for that matter. Still, it was better than staying in New York.”
“You do know that Mr. Rubb also moved out here, don’t you?” asked Odelia. “He was operating a health food store under an assumed name.”
“Orville Haggis,” the Chief muttered.
“No, I did not know that,” said Bryony. “But I’m not surprised. That man always had an unhealthy obsession with my daughter. At least she was over him. Said she’d learned her lesson. Besides, she could see what drugs were doing to her father, and I like to think that’s the wake-up call she needed.”
“Did you and Johnny remain close?” asked Odelia.
“Yes, we did. In fact we never even bothered to get divorced. Though these past few months we’d discussed it. Johnny had big plans, you see.”
Odelia frowned. “What plans?”
“Well, he was going to divorce me and marry Jasper, of course.”
“You were going to divorce?” asked Odelia, surprised.
She nodded. “Johnny and I never went through the hassle of a divorce because we went from being lovers to being husband and wife to being best friends. I never blamed him for leaving me, and he always remained grateful for the support I gave to him in the early stages of his career.” She smiled. “But when Johnny confessed he’d found a soulmate in Jasper and wanted to place their relationship on a more formal footing, I naturally agreed. We’d gone to see a lawyer together and were going to finalize the divorce so Johnny could have the big, fancy wedding he dreamed of.”
“Who knew about this?” asked the Chief, as surprised as Odelia.
“Why, only Johnny and myself, of course. And the lawyer.”
“Did Jasper know?” asked Odelia.
Bryony smiled. “Johnny wanted to keep it a secret. He was going to surprise Jasper with a romantic wedding proposal on their anniversary. Johnny had even recorded an entire album, as a wedding present.”
“So you knew about the recordings?” asked Odelia.
“Of course.” She sighed. “I’m sure they’ll be posthumously released now.”
“But what about all the… the escorts?” asked the Chief.
She made a throwaway gesture. “Oh, that. That was nothing, Chief. Johnny was a vigorous and very physical man who had certain needs, but those boys didn’t mean anything to him. That was just sex, nothing more.”
“But didn’t Jasper find it strange that the man who told him he loved him was… inviting all these other men into his bedroom to, um, do stuff?”
“Do stuff? Oh, you mean sex. You could ask me the same thing. He started this habit when we were still married. Jasper wasn’t the first.”
“And did you? Mind, I mean?” asked Odelia.
The woman thought for a moment. “It didn’t take me long to figure out that Johnny was a very complicated man, and that he was never going to be fully mine. Like the cliché goes, a star belongs to the whole world, and Johnny took that quite literally. I can’t deny that when I first became aware of his infidelities I was disappointed, even heartbroken, but he promised me it didn’t lessen how he felt about me, and I believed him. Johnny compared his nocturnal acrobatics to going to the gym. For him those boys were simply exercise, and he never formed an emotional attachment to them. Until…”
“Until Jasper,” Odelia supplied softly.
She nodded, and smiled a little wistfully. “Until Jasper. I lost Johnny, then. Before, he was simply experimenting, but with Jasper it was decided that I wasn’t going to be his life p
artner after all. It stung, I won’t deny that.”
“But why did he keep having these fleeting affairs?” asked the Chief.
“Like I said, Johnny was a star, Chief. I don’t expect you to understand. Being in a relationship with a genuine rock star is a very unsettling experience, while at the same time very exciting.” She paused. “I’ll miss him.”
“Do you have any idea who might have done this?” asked Odelia.
She shook her head. “I have absolutely no idea, Miss Poole. He was a very sweet man, and as far as I know he had no enemies. All I can think is that one of the boys he slept with had hoped to replace Jasper, and when he saw he didn’t stand a chance, took revenge in the worst possible way.”
The chief nodded. “My theory is that Jasper is the one who killed your husband, Mrs. Pistol. He didn’t like Johnny’s, um, appetite and snapped.”
“Oh, no,” said the woman adamantly. “Like I said, Johnny planned to marry Jasper. So there was absolutely no reason for Jasper to kill him.”
“But Jasper didn’t know that,” said the Chief. “You said so yourself.”
“Jasper didn’t know what?” suddenly a voice sounded behind them.
Chapter 19
“Oh, darling, there you are,” said Bryony. A dark-haired young woman had walked in and took a seat on the arm of her mother’s Chesterfield. “These people are from the police. I was just telling them that Jasper didn’t know Johnny wanted to marry him.”
“You knew about this?” asked the Chief.
“Of course she did,” said Bryony. “I have no secrets from my little girl.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner,” said Veronica. “I had a small errand to run in town. I came back as soon as I could.”
“Just a few quick questions if you don’t mind, Miss George,” said the Chief.
“Of course,” she said as she gave her mother a kiss on the top of her head.
Outside, the birds were chirping, and Odelia could see through the open French windows that Bryony’s garden was a regular floral delight. The woman noticed she was looking and said, “I just love flowers, don’t you, Miss Poole?”