Murder on the Rocks (14 page)

As soon as the call ended, Duncan made a sideways nod of his head toward the kitchen
and we rendezvoused there a few minutes later.

“I’m afraid I have some more bad news for you, Mack. We looked into Gary’s prison
records, and as a matter of routine inquiry, we also looked into his cellmate, a man
named Mike Levy.”

I ran the name through my memory banks and came up empty. “I don’t know him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. The name doesn’t ring any bells for me.”

Duncan smiled. “I’m curious. Are you saying that as a cliché, or do you mean it literally?”

I stared back at him, confused.

“You know, a bell ringing? I thought maybe that was one of your synthesizer things.”

“Synesthesia,” I said with an exasperated sigh. “And while some situations do trigger
the sound of ringing bells, this isn’t one of them.”

“So the name Mike Levy doesn’t mean anything to you?”

“How many more times do I have to say no before you’ll believe me?” I asked. “Should
it mean something?”

“Perhaps.”

“Why? Is he out of prison now? Has he been in my bar? I know a lot of my customers
by name but certainly not all of them and new people come in here all the time.”

“I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been in here anytime recently. He was killed a few months
ago by another inmate.”

I backed up a step, as if to distance myself from the news. “How horrible,” I said,
though I couldn’t summon up any serious emotion for the fact. “Why on earth would
you think I know him?”

“When my guys dug up the death certificate and talked to Levy’s parents, they discovered
he was adopted. Turns out his biological mother was involved in his life, too, though
that fact was kept on the down-low. Want to guess who his birth mother was?”

I didn’t, in part because I don’t like guessing games, but also because I was pretty
sure the answer would be one I didn’t like. I got a sudden, sickening feeling in my
gut that might have been real or synesthetic. I couldn’t tell.

“Mike Levy was Ginny Rifkin’s son,” Duncan said.

And with those words, it felt as if my world tipped upside down.

D
uncan explained that Ginny got pregnant as a teenager and gave the baby—a boy—up for
adoption. The Levys adopted and raised him, and Mike went looking for his birth mother
when he turned eighteen. He found Ginny fifteen years ago, right before he landed
in prison. Ginny visited Mike regularly with his adopted parents’ blessings, and over
time they built up something of a relationship. But it was a secret one, because Ginny
didn’t want her real estate clients knowing she had a convicted felon for a son. Apparently
she did a good job of it because the fact that she had a son at all was a complete
surprise to me. It did, however, explain what the Signoriello brothers had said about
their conversations with her. Had my father known?

This somewhat nefarious connection between Ginny and Gary got me to wondering if the
two of them might have been in cahoots together. Had Ginny’s relationship with my
father had an ulterior motive? But if so, what had it been? I know Ginny pestered
my father on a regular basis about selling the bar, supposedly so the two of them
could take the money and use it for travel and other niceties while in retirement.
But her efforts had continued after my father died, with me as the main focus. Since
any monies gained from the sale at that point would no longer benefit Ginny outside
of her usual commission, I had to wonder what her motive could have been. Had she
known something about the area that she didn’t share? Had she been privy to a planned
project that might have made the property worth more than we thought it was, kind
of like Tad’s investment fiasco? Maybe Ginny had wanted my father to sell the place
so she could buy it herself under some surreptitious corporate identity so she could
then turn around and resell it for a handsome profit.

Throughout the rest of the night, I kept looking over at Gary and pondering this new
information. I couldn’t understand how what Duncan told me could be true, in part
because I couldn’t believe my father would have hired someone with a criminal background.
But the other reason I found it hard to believe was Gary himself. Sure he was a bit
gruff at times, and his communication skills weren’t stellar, but he’d never given
me any reason to doubt him. Plus, he was a valuable employee who knew how to mix a
drink, break up a fight, and intimidate people when necessary. It was exactly what
a small bar like mine needed in a bouncer. Still, if what Duncan said was true, I
was going to have to let Gary go.

Because we were so busy, I convinced Duncan to put off questioning Gary until after
we closed. The time went by fast and I got caught up enough in the tasks at hand that
I was able to forget about all the death stuff for brief periods of time. But it never
lasted long. Conversations around the bar inevitably settled on Ginny’s murder, and
my little group of regulars were sharing notes and dissecting their “evidence” in
an effort to help clear themselves.

I watched Gary closely through the rest of the shift. He had to know the fingerprint
evidence would bring his past to light and, in my opinion, the fact that he stayed
on duty was a point in his favor. I mean, if he was guilty of killing Ginny, wouldn’t
he just run knowing that his criminal background was about to be revealed? Despite
that, there was no getting around the fact that he lied to me, and that filled me
with both anger and sadness, anger that my father and I might have been duped by a
talented con artist, and sadness over the thought that someone I knew and trusted
might be a cold-blooded, heartless killer.

When closing time finally arrived, several customers lingered over their last drink,
reluctant to leave. Eventually we shooed them all out and locked the door behind them,
leaving only me, Duncan, and the staff on hand. As Billy and the others went about
their closing and cleaning duties, I took Gary aside and asked him to step into my
office so I could talk to him.

Duncan came along and as soon as I shut the office door, I could tell from Gary’s
expression that he knew what was coming. He eyed us warily, suspicion and paranoia
stamped on his face. I directed him to take the seat across from me as I settled in
behind my desk. Duncan remained standing at the door.

“Gary, I learned some rather disturbing news from the police tonight,” I said.

Gary stared back at me and said nothing.

“They told me you were in prison, and that you did time for robbing a store. Is that
true?”

Gary clenched his teeth, his jaw muscles twitching as he shifted uncomfortably in
his seat. After a few seconds he said, “I figured you’d find out when they insisted
on printing me. I did the time, but I didn’t do the crime, at least not that one.
I messed up and did some time in juvey for some drug stuff when I was a kid, but this
last time they got the wrong man.”

So there it was. The rumor was now a fact. My heart sank.

Duncan scoffed. “Yeah, that’s what every con claims. The prisons are full of innocent
people.”

Gary clenched his teeth again and gripped the arms of his chair so tight his knuckles
turned white.

“Why did you hide it?” I asked him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in prison?”

“Your father didn’t want you to know. He said it might make you uncomfortable. Apparently
he was right.”

“Dad knew?”

“Of course he knew,” Gary said, sounding irritated.

“I don’t believe that,” I countered, shaking my head with disbelief.

“Believe what you want. Your father was a good man and he knew about my past, but
was willing to give me a chance. I thought about telling you after he was . . . after
he died. But I like this job. I like working here. I didn’t want to risk getting fired.
It’s hard enough for an ex-con like me to find a job of any sort.”

“The cops also said your cellmate was Ginny’s son.”

Gary looked surprised, then mad, though I wasn’t sure if it was over the news, or
the fact that I knew it. “You think I killed Ginny?” he said, his face tight with
anger.

“Did you?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

“Well, Ginny was always trying to convince my father to sell this place. When he died
she started working on me.”

Gary’s eyes narrowed at me and his complexion went red. “Are you suggesting that I
had something to do with your father’s death, too?”

“I don’t know what to think, Gary. All I know is that you have a criminal past and
you lied to me about it.”

Gary was clearly livid and he leaned forward, closing the distance between us and
making Duncan step closer to him. “Like I said before,” Gary said in a low, barely
controlled voice, “I didn’t do the crime they convicted me for. And I explained to
you why I didn’t tell you about it. Your father didn’t want you to know.”

Silence hung between us for a few seconds, encased in tension thick enough to slice.
“I’m not buying it, Gary,” I said finally. “There have been too many strange things
going on around here lately: watered-down booze, missing money, that cockroach thing
a couple of months ago. Were you behind any of that? Were you and Ginny working together,
trying to drive my father, and now me, out of business? Did you kill Ginny because
she knew too much?”

Gary glowered at me and then stood suddenly, shoving his chair back, and leaning over
the desk. The chair hit Duncan, who then shoved it aside and closed in on Gary. “I
didn’t do anything!” Gary seethed.

Duncan grabbed Gary’s arms and yanked them back; then he shoved him across the room
and up against the wall. It was an impressive move given that Gary outweighed him
by about fifty pounds and looked like a mad bull facing down a red cape. Duncan then
twisted one of Gary’s arms up tight against his back, making the bigger man wince.

“I think it’s time for you to go,” Duncan said in a voice that sounded calmer than
I knew he was.

Gary remained tense for a few seconds, then he sagged. “You’re a cop, aren’t you?”
he said. “That crap about being an old family friend was just a story, wasn’t it?”

Seeming to sense that Gary had calmed, Duncan released his hold on him, though he
stood nearby looking ready to pounce again if the need should arise. Gary turned around
slowly, massaging his twisted arm and eyeing Duncan with a menacing look.

“Yeah, I’m a cop,” Duncan said. “And you’re lucky I’m not arresting you right now.”

“Why aren’t you?” Though the words were a taunt, Gary’s tone sounded only curious.
“If you think I’m a killer, why aren’t you taking me in?”

“Because I don’t have any concrete evidence to prove it right now, but I promise you
I am looking. And the second I find something, I’ll be knocking on your door.”

Gary looked over at me with a sad expression. “I didn’t do this, Mack. You’ve got
to believe me.”

I shook my head and sighed. “I don’t know what to believe, Gary. But I think it’s
best if we part ways for now. I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go.”

Gary deflated like an untied balloon. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say
something, but didn’t utter a word. Instead he just turned and headed for the door.

Duncan opened it for him and got the last word in as Gary walked out. “I suggest you
not leave town.”

Gary answered him with a bit of profane sign language.

I got up, walked over to the door, and watched as Duncan followed Gary to the front
door. Gary unlocked it and went out without another word. I looked over at Billy,
who was watching from behind the bar, and Missy and Debra, who both paused in wiping
down tables to watch as well. As Duncan locked the door behind Gary, my employees
all turned toward me with questioning looks.

“I had to let Gary go,” I told them.

“You mean for good?” Billy said. “You fired him?”

“I did, yes.”

Billy cast a wary glance at Duncan, then back at me. “He’s a cop, isn’t he?” he said.

“Yes, he is,” I admitted.

Missy frowned at me, then at Duncan, her eyebrows raised in question. “So you’re looking
to make a career change then?” she said, looking thoroughly confused. “Does being
a cop not pay enough, or are you just tired of all the shooting?”

I bit back a laugh. I could tell Duncan had no idea how to answer Missy’s questions
so I jumped in and saved him from having to try. “He isn’t really here for a job.
He wanted to be able to scope out the clientele here in an unthreatening way, so we
decided to pass him off as a new employee.”

“So you’re still a cop just pretending to be a bartender?” Missy said. She arched
her eyebrows and added, “Interesting.”

Debra said nothing; she merely shrugged and went back to cleaning off tables. The
woman didn’t impress or surprise easily.

“He’s not just looking into the clientele, is he?” Billy asked, shifting his gaze
to Duncan. “You’re checking us out, too, aren’t you?”

Duncan nodded. “It’s my job.”

Billy shot me an accusing look that felt like an arrow to my heart. “You duped us.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, Billy. It was the only way I could keep the bar open and guarantee
you guys your hours. And if it’s any consolation, I’m as much of a suspect as anyone
else at this point.”

“Why did you fire Gary?” Billy asked.

I started to answer but Duncan jumped in before I could. “We uncovered some irregularities
in his past that made it necessary.”

Talk about a bunch of gibberish, though I had to admire the way Duncan sounded so
official without actually stating anything pertinent.

“Do you think Gary killed Ginny?” Missy asked.

Again Duncan beat me to an answer. “At this point, we don’t have a clear suspect.
But given certain facts we have uncovered, Mack felt it would be best to distance
both herself and the bar from Gary for now.”

Debra, who had remained silent thus far, finally spoke, though she continued wiping
tables as she did so and never made eye contact with me or Duncan. “So are you two
going to continue this façade, acting like he’s some new employee here?”

“I’d like to, for another day or two, maybe a little longer,” Duncan said. “It depends
on how long Mack will have me.”

Though Duncan made it sound as if I had a choice in the matter, I suspected otherwise.
To be honest, I didn’t mind having him around. In fact, I kind of liked it. I looked
over at Billy, Debra, and Missy with a put-upon smile. “Can I count on you guys to
be discreet on the matter for another day or two?” I asked them.

“Are we still suspects?” Billy asked.

Duncan shrugged. “I haven’t been able to rule any of you out, but you’re all pretty
low on my list. And to be honest, I could use your eyes and ears to help me suss out
other potential suspects. All of you are good at getting people to talk and open up
to you. I could use any information you might be able to dig up.”

If I expected any of my staff to look flattered or relieved by Duncan’s comments,
I was disappointed. No one’s expression changed except Missy’s, who at the moment
looked thoroughly confused again.

Billy flipped the towel he was holding over his shoulder and leaned back against the
bar with a scowl and his arms folded across his chest. “I guess we’ll have to play
along. It doesn’t look like we have much choice.”

“Not if you want to keep earning a paycheck,” I said. “I can’t afford to pay you guys
if I get shut down.”

“I’m game,” Debra said, still cleaning and seeming the least affected by it all.

“So does this mean we’re all kind of like undercover agents?” Missy said, her eyes
wide, her tone excited. “I think it will be fun sneaking around and asking clever
questions like that lady detective Kyra Sedgwick plays. But won’t we have to learn
that Carmen Miranda thing first for when we interrogate people?”