Murder in Chicago

by Dianne Harman

  “Good evening, and welcome to Bella Rosa,” he said. “Table for two?”

  “Please,” Cassie said. Her voice sounded quite posh, like she was putting an accent on, and DeeDee made a mental note to tease her about it later.

  He led them to a table right in the middle of the restaurant, took their coats, and held chairs out for them. “I’ll bring you the wine list and our menus,” he said. “I hope you’ll enjoy your dinner with us.”

  As soon as he was gone, DeeDee said, “That was quite a posh accent you put on just then.”

  Cassie laughed and pushed her head into her hands. “Oh, gosh, really? Al says that sometimes, you know, that when we go to fancy places, my voice changes. How embarrassing.”

  “Well, his voice never changes wherever he goes,” said DeeDee. “Booming and confident as ever.”

  “That’s just it,” said Cassie. “He’s so confident. Wherever he goes, it’s like he owns the place. You know, it’s happened more than once when we’ve been in some high-end place. I think once we were in an art gallery, and once we were in an antique store. Customers came up to him thinking he was the owner!”

  “No way!” DeeDee said with a laugh. “That’s so funny. I guess he has a real presence about him.”

  Cassie nodded. “Wish I did. I feel like a little fish out of water in these kinds of places. I think I put on the accent without realizing it, trying to fit in, I guess.”

  “That’s very insightful,” DeeDee said. “Well, I say as long as you can pay the bill, you belong.”

  “Good point!”

  “Although I am surprised that you still feel that way after all the high-end restaurants you’ve reviewed for your column in the Seattle Times.”

  “You’d think so, but obviously I still do,” Cassie said.

  The waiter brought the wine list and the menus as promised, and the women looked them over.

  DeeDee looked up at Cassie, her mouth in a round O. “See the prices on this menu?” she whispered. “This Betty Traxel must be a multimillionaire if the amount she’s charging is any indication.”

  “I know!” Cassie said. “One of these main courses, look, the one with the lobster. It’s $175.00.”

  DeeDee chuckled. “We’re living large, Cassie.”

  “I’ll say.”

  They both ordered white wine and chicken salad. DeeDee had considered the prawn option instead, but she’d had so many at lunch she felt like having something different.

  When they were halfway through their meal, Cassie whispered, “Ooh, look! A large woman with a black velvet trouser suit and tons of gold jewelry came out of a side office and went up to the bar. “Do you think that’s her?”

  “Could be,” DeeDee said. “Benny said she looked formidable, and that woman certainly does.”

  “Doesn’t she just?” Cassie said. “I doubt even the toughest Mafia men would dare mess with her.”

  They watched her as the bartender poured her a large shot of vodka, a double, or perhaps even a triple, in a crystal glass. She knocked it back in one gulp.

  DeeDee raised her eyebrows at Cassie with a smile. “She looks like she can hold her booze, too.”

  Then the bartender poured her a glass full of creamy liqueur, which she picked up and took back to her office. Just before she went through the door, she turned and looked back at the room. Her eyes rested on Cassie, who had been looking at her, and Cassie quickly looked away.

  “Oh gosh,” Cassie whispered.

  The woman turned back and went into the office, closing the door behind her.

  “What?” DeeDee asked.

  “She looked at me, and it was like a bolt of lightning went through my body. That woman’s dangerous, I can just tell.”

  DeeDee felt a little nervous. “Let’s go talk to her. Right now. Before we chicken out.”

  Cassie gestured at their half-eaten meals. “But…”

  “Don’t worry, they’ll wait for us,” DeeDee said. “Come on.”

  Before Cassie could argue any further, DeeDee stood up and walked towards the office door. Cassie hurried after her, then hovered by the door, looking worried.

  “We can do this,” DeeDee said firmly, then knocked on the door three times and stuck her chin in the air. She turned to see Cassie looking straight forward, with much more confidence. That made her smile.

  “What?” a voice called out from inside.

  DeeDee took a deep breath and tried the door, but it was locked.

  A moment later the door opened. The woman standing here had her hand on the back of her waistband, as if she had a gun and was ready to blast away if necessary.

  “Oh, hello,” she said, fixing her face into a fake smile. “How can I help you?” There was something very hostile about her tone, even though it was sickly sweet.

  “Hi there,” Cassie said. “I’m Al De Cuco’s wife.” That was what Al had told her to say. He and Betty knew each other, though somewhat distantly.

  “And I’m friends with both of them,” DeeDee added.

  “I see.” She gave them a genuine smile. “Come in, please, come in. I’m Betty Traxel.”

  They hesitated, remembering Al’s warning.

  “Um….” DeeDee looked at Cassie, the unspoken question about whether they should go in spoken clearly in their eyes.

  Betty roared with laughter. “What’s the problem? You think I’m gonna’ kill ya’?”

  “Of course not,” Cassie quickly said. “Okay, we’ll come in.”

  DeeDee wished she’d brought some kind of weapon with her. Even the knife from their dinner table would have been better than nothing. She mentally ran through the contents of her navy clutch, but lipstick, tissues, and a compact mirror weren’t suitable weapons, unless she was thinking of giving Betty a makeover.

  Betty sat behind the desk. “I heard Al was in town.”

  DeeDee and Cassie looked at each other.

  “That was quick,” Cassie said. “He only arrived a couple of days ago.”

  “Chicago news spreads like wildfire,” Betty said. “Heard he had quite a spectacular funeral, too.” She laughed a deep belly laugh.

  “Yes,” Cassie said, blushing a little from embarrassment. “I suppose you also know he’s been getting death threats?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Betty said. “I assumed he faked his death to start a new life somewhere else, Europe perhaps, free from the watchful eyes of the mob.”

  “That would have been a good plan,” Cassie said. “Anyway, he’s here in town trying to find out who murdered Shirley Morris, since it may well be the same person that wants to kill him.”

  “I don’t know much about that,” Betty said briskly. “I make a point of not involving myself in people’s business.”

  DeeDee frowned. “But you just said…”

  “I said news in Chicago travels fast. I didn’t say I was privy to people’s assassination plans. That’s none of my business. And I make sure it stays none of my business. Do you understand?”

  “So you’re telling us you don’t know anything at all about who killed Shirley?”

  “No, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  “Do you know something?” DeeDee probed.

  “What are you, a couple of skinny Inspector Poirots?” Betty asked. She leaned back in her chair with a cocky smile and sipped on her liqueur. “I hope you know you’re playing with fire. Dicing with death. Al’s a great guy, but he’s a fool sending you here doing this. Get him to get you on a flight to the Seychelles or something with a connecting flight to somewhere else, in case there’s any mob at the airport. This might look like fun and games at the movies, but in reality it’s more like life and death.”

  Cassie and DeeDee decided to walk back to the hotel, since it was only a few blocks away through a safe, upscale area that was bustling with nightlife. The wind was quite cold, but it was refreshing after the heat and darkness of the restaurant.

  “Well, she told us,” DeeDee said. “Maybe you were
right to be so worried.”

  Cassie held her head high and said, “I don’t know why, but what she said lit a fire in me. Like she thought we were small-town losers who couldn’t handle anything. I’ve made up my mind to be totally confident now. As confident as Al and Benny. Everything’s going to be absolutely fine. I have faith that we can bring the killer to justice and live a happy life, free from mob threats. I just know it.”

  “That’s the spirit!” DeeDee said, inspired by Cassie’s speech. “I can’t wait to get home and get these high heels off. We can chill for the night with the guys and really relax. Then it’s full speed investigation tomorrow.”

  “I need to call Briana and Liam and tell them what’s going on,” Cassie said. “All I told them was that I was going to leave Bainbridge for a while. They’re probably getting a little worried about me.”

  “Like telling them what’s really going on isn’t going to worry them,” DeeDee said.

  “I’m sure it will, but I’ll feel better doing it,” Cassie said as they entered the hotel.

  CHAPTER 14

  But that evening was not as relaxing as DeeDee and Cassie had hoped it would be.

  When they got back to their suite at the Langham, they found Little Fingers, Joey, and Benny there, as well as Al and Jake, so there was certainly no chance of a cozy night in. There were empty pizza boxes and beer cans strewn across the dining room table, and a lively game of cards was in progress. It was so lively, in fact, that it barely registered on anyone that DeeDee and Cassie had returned.

  “Hey, babe!” Al said, only momentarily turning away from the card game. “Naw, Little Fingers, ya’ gotta’ be kiddin’ me. Think yer’ foolin’ me with that bluff?”

  Cassie seemed just as unimpressed as DeeDee felt when they looked at each other. But then her face softened. “Let’s leave them alone for a while,” she said. “Any kind of respite from the tension Al’s under is welcome.”

  DeeDee nodded. “I think you’re right. Anyway, I need to change out of these heels and this dress. Cozy slippers, here I come!”

  “I’m with you,” Cassie said.

  “See you in a while.”

  DeeDee decided to make the most of everyone being busy, and take a long soak in the luxurious bathtub in their private bathroom. It was huge, and marble tiling graced every surface. The enormous corner bath had jacuzzi jets inside it and was big enough for two or even three people, more like a hot tub. She ran hot water in it, and poured in plenty of the complementary bubble bath, Moroccan Incense & Honey flavor, which made the whole bathroom smell glorious.

  Her hands and feet were still a little cold from their walk, and stung somewhat as she slid into the hot foamy water.

  “This is the life,” she said out loud, and it echoed around the bathroom. She’d turned the lights down low on the dimmer switch, and it was so incredibly relaxing she hoped she wouldn’t fall asleep.

  As she lay back, luxuriating in the bubbles, she thought about their encounter with Betty. DeeDee thought it was likely Betty knew more than she let on. She was a strange character. It was interesting that she was deeply intertwined with the Mafia and knew everything that went on, yet she’d said she didn’t want to get involved in other people’s business. That just didn’t make sense, did it?

  She thought more about Tommaso, and wished she’d had the courage to bring his name up when they’d talked to Betty. She was such a formidable character, and DeeDee was sure she’d touched the back of her waist to reach for a gun, so DeeDee hadn’t felt comfortable mentioning his name.

  It was clearly a very personal subject for Betty, and DeeDee hadn’t wanted to venture into emotional territory. She’d seen enough movies to know that when gangsters and their ilk felt uncomfortable, they’d often rather shoot than cry. Still, she kind of regretted it. They really hadn’t found out much at all from their visit with Betty.

  DeeDee didn’t realize how much time she’d whiled away in the bathtub, thinking, until she heard a knock on the door. “Hi, love,” Jake said. “Can I come in?”

  “Of course,” DeeDee said.

  “I won the poker game,” Jake said, his eyes shining with excitement.

  “That’s great,” DeeDee said and smiled up at him. “And against Benny, too. How much did you win?”

  “Oh, just $5,” he said. “We played with dimes. Al and Benny told me a long story about how they used to play poker all the time with their friends, for real money, you know, thousands and thousands. But then one night it got sour, and somebody got shot. They didn’t die, but after that they’ve never played for an amount big enough that anyone might get emotional about.”

  “Whoa,” DeeDee said. “These guys are full of stories, huh?”

  Jake’s eyes widened. “You don’t know the half of it. With all that beer, Al’s tongue got a little loose, and they were regaling me with tales of their ‘prime’ days in the Mafia, when they were in their early 20s. It was some serious stuff. Anyway, how did it go at the restaurant?”

  “Honestly, it was a bust,” DeeDee said. “I’m pretty sure Betty had a gun in her waistband and she was very… well, intimidating. We didn’t get any information out of her. She said she really didn’t know anything about Shirley, which I’m not sure I believe. I mean, she already knew Al was in town. How could she not know about one of the most significant murders in the mob in years? That just doesn’t add up.”

  “Hmm,” said Jake. “Maybe she thought you guys were undercover cops or something.”

  “Nah,” DeeDee said. “She knew Cassie was Al’s wife. She knew all about the fake funeral, too.”

  “I have to agree with you. She does seem to be in the know.”

  “Yes. There’s something about Shirley’s murder she doesn’t want us to know.”

  “Maybe because she did it,” Jake said. “That would be an easy explanation, wouldn’t it?”

  “If only it were that simple, and we could all get out of here and go back to our normal lives. No more sniffing around the mob.” She paused. “You know, sometimes I have to pinch myself. Can you believe what we’re doing?”

  Jake grinned down at her. “Think of it as the spice of life.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she said, chuckling. “Our lives are in danger, aren’t they? I can’t work it out. One minute I feel fine and totally confident, like we’re going to solve this case any moment now. Then the next minute I’m totally paranoid and watching over my shoulder all the time. I think Cassie’s going through the same thing.”

  Jake nodded. “I’d say Al is, too.”

  “And what about you?”

  “Hmm… I’m fine. As a private investigator, you get used to all this life and death stuff. It’s exciting. We’re living in a movie, babe.”

  DeeDee playfully splashed him with water from the bath. “This is not a movie!”

  It was a fun argument. Sometimes DeeDee and Jake loved to banter back and forth like that when the occasion was right.

  But then they heard yelling in the other room, and then someone else shouting. It definitely did not sound like a fun argument. Jake’s eyes went wide.

  “What’s going on?” DeeDee asked.

  “Let me go check,” Jake said, frowning.

  “I’m coming, too.” DeeDee scrambled out of the bath, foam still clinging to her body, threw on a robe, and ran out behind Jake as they rushed through the bedroom and into the main room where the voices were coming from.

  It was Cassie and Al, shouting at each other. DeeDee was shocked. She’d never even seen them raise their voice towards one another.

  “What’s going on?” Jake said in a loud voice to them.

  DeeDee noticed Little Fingers and Benny slipping out of the door of the hotel suite, trying not to be noticed.

  Cassie was wild-eyed and clearly furious. “Al thinks it’s a wonderful idea to arm himself with a bulletproof vest and a gun!” She gestured at the items he was clutching, her arm shaking.

  “I got to,” Al said pass
ionately. “Ima thinkin’ this is startin’ to get more dangerous. Whad’ya want me to do, turn up at the murderer’s house completely vulnerable like I got a bull’s eye painted on my back? Fer me to get myself killed?”

  “No, of course not!” Cassie yelled. “But neither do I want a Mafia man for a husband, who walks around wearing a bulletproof vest. This isn’t some gangster movie, Al. This is your life, my life, our lives. Haven’t you left all of this behind? Weren’t we going to go to the police?”

  DeeDee didn’t know what to say. She could see both points of view, Cassie was being dragged into a Mafia life she’d never wanted and knew nothing about, while Al was trying to protect his life, find the killer, and move on. It felt like one great big mess.

  “I’m sorry,” Al said in a loud voice. “What else do ya’ want me to do? I’m tryin’ to put this to bed, Cassie! I’m trying to do this so as we can move on with our life. Whad’ya think I am, some kinda’ wizard? That I can jes’ go back in time and change my past? Whad’ya want from me?”

  “Nothing!” Cassie yelled. “Nothing at all!” She took her wedding ring off and placed it on the kitchen counter. Then she turned to Al with pure resentment in her eyes. “Nothing at all,” she repeated, but this time very quietly, and it was like a knife cutting through the air. Then she went into their bedroom and slammed the door.

  “Ugh!” Al raged. “There is no pleasin’ that woman!” He sank down on the couch, his head in his hands. It looked like he was about to cry tears of pure frustration. Red walked over to Al and put his head in his lap, sensing something was wrong.

  Jake sat beside him, while DeeDee went to see Cassie. She opened the door slowly, and found Cassie curled up against the headboard of the luxurious bed, crying her eyes out.

  “Sorry,” Cassie said, trying to hold the sobs back.

  “It’s okay,” DeeDee said. “Cry if you need to.” She drew her close in a hug which made Cassie start crying in full force again.

  “You must think I’m horrible,” Cassie said, drawing away from the hug and leaning back. She wiped her eyes, her fingers blackening from her mascara. “I just didn’t sign up for any of this.”