Money Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 2) (6 page)

“What's wrong?” Eddy asked. He looked over at her with some concern. “I'm not used to you being so quiet.”

“It just seems to me that Lily hired that man to kill Vince. I mean it's the only thing that makes sense, isn't it? The way she said that their business was finished. It made me sick to my stomach to think that she could have hired someone to slaughter Vince.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I really wanted her to be as nice as she seemed.”

“Wait a minute, pump the brakes.” Eddy shook his head. “You're making an awful lot of assumptions.”

“Am I? What else could it be about?” Samantha replied. “She was stealing from petty cash to pay for Vince's murder. It's disgusting. In a way our rent probably funded a murder for hire.”

“If that's what happened.” Eddy pulled back into Sage Gardens. “Things are not always as they seem, Samantha. I didn't peg Lily for a killer.”

“I didn't peg her for one either, but that doesn't mean that she isn't.” Samantha sighed. “It's much easier to pay someone to do your dirty work than to do it yourself.”

“But it's also possible that Lily was paying him for something else, like drugs.” Eddy frowned. “We still don't know what happened to that cocaine, or even where it came from. She might have bought it from the man in the parking lot, and needed to pay her debt for it.”

“That's true.” Samantha nodded slowly.

“The best way to find out what she was doing with him, is to find out who he is. We've got his picture, I'm going to take it to one of my guys in the lab at the police station. He can run it through facial recognition and we might get a hit. I find it very unlikely that he doesn't have a criminal history.” He parked the car.

“That's a good idea.” Samantha opened her car door to get out.

“Samantha, wait just a minute,” Eddy asked. He looked at her with a pleading expression.

“What is it?” She turned back to look at him.

“Listen, I know that sometimes I get a little forceful. Old habits die hard. No hard feelings?” He met her eyes with concern. Samantha was touched that he seemed worried about whether he had offended her.

“No hard feelings. Just remember, next time I'm putting you on your back.” She smiled saucily and closed the car door behind her. As she walked away she could hear him chuckling behind her. Her friendship with Eddy had its strained moments, but she was beginning to see that he really only had the best intentions.

Eddy was still troubled by the way he had spoken to Samantha as he drove to the local police station. He knew that a young lab tech, Chris, would be working, and he wanted to be there in person to make sure that he would evaluate the photograph that Samantha had taken. He parked in the public lot and walked up to the police station. He noticed a few looks from officers and staff that recognized him, but he didn't stop to talk. Instead he just kept walking towards the lab. He knew that at any moment someone might stop him as he was entering a private area, but he didn't care. If he was questioned then he would explain himself, otherwise he would just keep going. As he reached the lab Chris was just stepping inside. He paused when he saw Eddy.

“Eddy!” He smiled from ear to ear. “It's so good to see you.”

“And you.” Eddy smiled in return. “I'm sorry I haven't dropped in much lately.”

“Hey, that's all right. What can I help you with?” Chris lifted an eyebrow. “I know that you're not here just for a visit.”

“Actually, I have a picture of someone. I was hoping that you could run it through the facial recognition program, if it's not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” Chris glanced around as if he was looking for someone in particular, then he gestured to the door of the lab. “Go ahead. We'll upload the picture and get the program started.”

“Great.” Eddy stepped into the lab. He noticed that Chris looked around again before shutting the door. The door did not provide much privacy as the lab was mostly windows.

Not long after Eddy uploaded the photograph to Chris' computer there was a swift, sharp knock on the door of the lab. Chris looked up fearfully. Eddy followed his gaze to the face in the window of the door.

“Oops, looks like I've been spotted,” Eddy muttered as Detective Brunner opened the door to the lab.

“What's going on in here?” Detective Brunner asked. His annoyance was clearly depicted by the crease in his forehead and the curl of his upper lip.

“Nothing of interest.” Eddy met the detective's eyes without hesitation.

“You don't have clearance to be in the lab.” Detective Brunner gestured to the door. “Leave please!”

Eddy gritted his teeth, but he did not argue. He didn't want to do anything that would put Chris' job in jeopardy. Once he was out in the hallway, Detective Brunner followed after him.

“Look, Chris is a friend, I was just visiting.” Eddy frowned.

“I don't believe that at all.” Detective Brunner narrowed his eyes. “I think you're poking your nose into things.”

“Shouldn't I?” Eddy raised an eyebrow. “I don't see you doing the job properly.”

“Excuse me?” Detective Brunner shook his head. “We have a suspect in custody.”

“Wrong, you have an innocent man in custody.” Eddy tried to stay calm as he didn’t want to antagonize Detective Brunner unnecessarily. “When the truth comes out you're going to have a scandal on your hands.” Eddy eyed him grimly.

“And you know this, how?” Detective Brunner asked.

“I think you need to do a more thorough investigation.” He fixed Detective Brunner with a hard gaze. “I don’t think this murder is as simple as it seems. You need to stop rushing it and look into it further.”

“Or maybe you need to remember that you are retired.” He pointed to the exit. “Now leave, before you get arrested.”

Eddy stared at him with disbelief. He felt an extreme urge to get into a scuffle with the man, but he forced himself to resist. He would never sully the sanctity of a police station with violent behavior.

“I'll leave, just remember what I said.” Eddy sneered with disgust. As he walked out of the police station he felt a pang of regret. He missed belonging to the police force, he missed the detectives he had once known and worked with, who would have turned every rock to make sure the murder was adequately investigated and solved. He felt as if so much had changed since he wore the badge. Despite the fact that he was no longer a detective, the obligation he felt to seek justice still weighed on him just as heavily as it always had.

Samantha was waiting for Eddy in front of his villa when he returned.

“Where have you been?” She noticed the troubled look on his face.

“I took the photograph into the police lab to have it analyzed for facial recognition.” He unlocked his door and opened it for her.

“What happened?” Samantha followed him in. “Did you get a match?”

“No match yet. I don't think.” He frowned and tossed his keys into a small ceramic bowl on the table and placed his hat on the coat rack. “I should hear soon.”

“Are you doing okay, Eddy?” Samantha asked. He had barely looked at her.

“Yes, I just wish that we were a little closer to finding the actual killer. I mean we have theories, but none of them really hold water yet. We need the missing pieces.”

“I know you're frustrated. So am I,” Samantha said. “I hate to admit it, but I'm not comfortable in my own home. I keep thinking about what will happen if the killer is spooked.”

“Samantha, you shouldn't have to worry about that. I will do my best to make sure that you don't have to.” Eddy looked as if he was about to say more, but the ring of his cell phone interrupted him.

Eddy picked up his cell phone on the first ring.

“What do you have for me?”

“I have the identity of the man in the picture you gave me,” Chris said. “He's a well-known loan shark.”

“A loan shark?” Eddy asked.

“Doesn't that sound right to you?” Chris sounded troubled. He was always eager to please Eddy.

“No, I'm sure it's right, it's just not what I expected. Did he have any involvement with drugs in the past?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“What about working as a hitman? Or even hired muscle?” Eddy suggested.

“No, his only arrests have been non-violent,” Chris insisted. “I don't even see any known associates that were involved in violent crime or drugs. He seems to be purely a financial predator.”

“Thanks for your help, Chris.”

“I'm sorry if I didn't get you the answers that you're looking for.”

“You did great, Chris. Thanks a lot.”

“What did he say?” Samantha asked eagerly as Eddy hung up his phone. He looked puzzled as he thought about what Chris had told him.

“It seems that our drug dealing hitman is neither. He's just a loan shark.” He shrugged.

“A loan shark?” Samantha pursed her lips for a moment as she replayed in her mind the encounter they had witnessed. “So, the money she gave him was likely to pay off a loan.”

“Well, we don't know that for sure. It's possible that he branched off into more violent activity recently. It's unlikely given his lack of violent history, but it's always possible.”

“I suppose. It just seems like we're going around in circles with this.” She sighed.

“There's really only one way to find out exactly what he was up to. We can go to him and ask him.” Eddy smiled.

“As if it's that simple?” Samantha laughed at the idea. “I don't think that he's going to talk that easily.”

“Maybe not, but we won't know unless we ask, will we? I can have Chris text me some of the places he frequents. I don't think that it will take us long to find him, as outlandish as his style is.” He chuckled at the memory of it.

“That's true. I suppose that it couldn't hurt to try. Shall we go together?”

“I was hoping you'd agree.” He picked his keys up out the bowl. “I'll drive.”

“All right.” Samantha nodded. As they walked towards the parking lot, Walt waved to them from the office. The three met in the middle of the courtyard.

“Where are you two off to?” Walt asked.

“We're going to pay a visit to a loan shark.” Eddy looked towards the office. “Were you in the office?”

“Yes, I was just giving Lily my rent check,” he said as he ushered the two of them away from the office. “I just saw Lily on one of those online poker sites,” he whispered.

“Really?” Eddy asked with wide eyes.

“Yep.” Walt nodded. “When she saw I was there she quickly closed down the page.”

“Maybe she is involved in gambling,” Samantha said thoughtfully.

“Maybe that’s why she needed the money,” Eddy suggested.

“Yeah, maybe she has a gambling problem,” Walt agreed.

“So, Lily was gambling?” Samantha said thoughtfully. “Maybe she got in too deep and that’s why she borrowed money from the loan shark.”

“That still doesn't explain why she killed Vince, or if she did. I think we still need to talk to the loan shark.” Eddy glanced at Walt. “Want to come along?”

“No, thank you. I don't do seedy well.” He shook his head sharply.

Samantha tried not to laugh at his reaction.

“Okay, we'll let you know what we find out,” Eddy promised.

***

Eddy and Samantha stopped at several clubs and hangouts throughout the city. It was getting to be very late by the time they stopped at the last potential location for the loan shark. The parking lot was half-filled with cars. It was just getting to be happy hour, and Samantha was sure that more people would be arriving soon.

“Might be crowded.” Eddy frowned as he stepped out of the car.

“I don't think that he'll be very hard to spot.” Samantha smiled at Eddy and climbed out the passenger side.

“Let's hope that you're right,” Eddy replied. He slid his arm through Samantha's as they walked up to the building. On the outside it just looked like an abandoned strip mall. But when Eddy opened the door flashing lights and throbbing music poured out of the luxurious interior. Everything was carpeted. The floors, the seats, and the walls. To Samantha, it felt like being swallowed up by carpet. The music was loud and pounding.

Samantha had been in places like this in the past, but had no good memories of them. It was easy to get into trouble when the lights were too dim to see who was lurking, and the music was too loud for anyone to hear a scream. She was relieved to feel Eddy's arm hooked snugly in her own. As if he was thinking the same thing he tightened his grasp. Samantha did not resist. She searched the crowd for any sign of the man they were looking for.

“There he is.” Samantha tilted her head towards the multi-colored hat that stuck out in a group of dark hats and bare heads. They walked a bit closer as Eddy removed his arm from hers so they could fit through the crowd. “Looks like he has quite a few friends,” Samantha said as he was surrounded by several other men. They were laughing and joking loudly.

Samantha felt her muscles tense. Confronting a loan shark was one thing, but doing so while he was surrounded by potentially unsavoury people was quite another. “Should we wait it out?” she said as she turned towards Eddy only to find that he was no longer beside her. When she looked back at the loan shark she realized that Eddy had already inserted himself in the group of men, and was laughing right along with them. Samantha might have been annoyed if she wasn't so impressed.

Samantha made her way casually towards the group, but remained on the edge of the gathering. She knew that it would be quite strange for a lone woman to walk up to that many men when she knew none of them. She was close enough to hear their conversation, but far enough away to be just another patron of the club.

“So, what brings you here?” The loan shark slung an arm around Eddy's neck. “I don't think we've had an old legend in these parts in a long time.”

Samantha raised an eyebrow. She had no idea what he meant by that.

“You know, I've been busy, Maury.” Eddy shrugged.

“Well, it's good to see you, old man. I've heard so many stories about you. I'm just glad that I've never been across the table from you.” He chuckled at that.

“Oh, but you are right now, Maury.” Eddy locked eyes with the man. “There may not be a table, but we need to talk.”

Maury's smile faded. He slowly drew his arm away from Eddy's shoulders. “What's this about?” he asked in a gruff tone.

“I want to know why you were meeting with Lily Cabressi.” Eddy straightened his shoulders and stood his ground.

Maury looked over at his gaggle of friends. “Give us a minute.”

His friends all began to scatter throughout the club. Samantha took the opportunity to move closer to Eddy.

“Just some friendly questions, Maury.” Eddy smiled.

“With you, Eddy, nothing is friendly.” Maury shook his head. “I knew that woman would get me in trouble eventually.”

“Hey, I don't want to cause any trouble. I'm just looking for some information.” Eddy met his eyes again. “Nothing but a conversation.”

“I don't believe you,” Maury scowled. “But what is it that you want to know?”

“Lily, what was your business with her?” Eddy braced himself for Maury's response.

“My business, is my business, Eddy, and it has nothing to do with you. I thought you hung up the badge?” He glared at Eddy.

“We're not here as police.” Samantha stepped up to the two men. “We're here because we're trying to free an innocent man.”