from getting to you and your mom.”
“Maybe I’ll get a gun. Maybe he’ll have an accident.”
“Would you kill Towson if the family ordered you to?”
“I’d kill myself first. We were lovers.”
“Would you do anything to save your mom from Pirro?”
“Absolutely.”
Sandy decided to be blunt. “Would you carry out an order to kill Towson to keep Pirro from raping your mother?”
Elena hid her face in her hands. “I loved Albert.” She abruptly started her car and motioned vigorously for Sandy to get out.
As Elena drove away, Sandy clinched her fist and jabbed the air. “Score!” she said aloud. She had discovered Towson’s lover. Elena had given her an entire family of new suspects. And, if true, had also revealed a motive for murder and at least one plot to sabotage Towson’s election campaign.
Sandy was on her phone before the white Buick was out of sight. “Chip, can you break for coffee? We need to talk. This will knock your socks off.”
Chapter 23
Sandy was stopped at a cross-street traffic light when she saw Detective Goddard in his unmarked car pass across in front, headed for their Coffee Spot meeting. At first, he had begged off. It was Sunday afternoon, he had planned to take the day off. She had insisted, eager to get him moving on the new
The light changed and after two blocks, she caught up and pulled in behind him just as they joined the Sunday beach traffic going over the Intracoastal Bridge. She waved knowing he was watching his rearview mirror.
Just over the crest of the bridge all traffic stopped. Ahead they could see rows of cars backed up for over a mile all the way east to some jam at the A1A intersection near the beach.
She saw him position his portable flashing light on the top of his vehicle. He left the siren off, pulled over on the narrow shoulder, and slowly crept by the stalled traffic. As he passed the long line of stopped cars, the occupants could see that close behind the grey Impala with the flashing lights was a top-down red convertible driven by a serious-looking young woman. She had both hands stiffly on the steering wheel and her eyes frozen straight ahead.
Ten minutes later, they pulled in and parked behind the Coffee Spot. They got out, both laughing.
“Fun to be a cop for a minute. You get paid for playing this game? Where can I buy some flashing lights?”
“I was waiting for you to wave to the stalled drivers.”
They walked through the kitchen and headed for the usual back booth. The waitress was only a step behind with their coffee.
As they settled in Sandy said, “So, Sonny Barner is alive, huh? Well, glad for that. I don’t have time to solve two murders. Was he at the apartment before or after Raymond?”
“I’m busy, Sandy. Get on with it. This better be good.”
“You’ll love it. First, I should tell you Joanna at the office in Philadelphia traced the ownership of the Jardin Cafe. It’s a Deleware corporation owned by Tampa interests linked to crime, drugs she thinks. What’s going on out there?”
“Possibly drugs. What else is there?”
“If this were Philly, I’d guess a front for money laundering. Do you have that down here?”
“You’re talking to a small-town cop. What I know about money laundering wouldn’t fill that mug there. That’s your big news? Some shady corp owns the Jardin. Goodbye, got to go.”
“No, listen, you might get a call from Elena Duarte. You know, from the cafe.” Sandy related the conversation with Elena, but didn’t mention advising her to get a lawyer.
He was interested and impressed. “So, Norma Martin is tied into what may or may not be a crime family, and very likely a pro-casino force. Furthermore, she’s the mother of Elena Duarte. You say Elena claims to be the one who actually had the affair with Towson?”
“You don’t believe her?”
“I have my doubts. Without prints or DNA, we can’t even put her in his apartment.”
“Of course, you can put her in his apartment. She told me she left a white leather jacket and some other clothes up there.”
“Why doesn’t she just run? Why come to you?”
“For help, she’s afraid the police are looking for her. And I just told you Pirro is chasing her. She doesn’t know what to do about him.”
“Maybe this Pirro was flat out ordered to kill Towson and Elena’s weeping act is to cover it all up.”
“Well, she’s clever and obviously good at lying. Towson was no dummy and I bet she fooled him. Is she truly frightened or did they send her to me for some purpose?”
“I don’t care about all of the other family stuff she told you—the threats and who wants to screw who. My concern is did she, or one of her Tampa crowd, commit the murder. The election campaign gives her motive and sleeping with him positively provides opportunity.”
“But why assassinate him if they can knock him out of the election with their Norma Martin rumor scheme?”
“Either way this is good, Sandy. Elena would never have talked with me. And I would never have found out about that Tampa family angle without getting myself shot. But you did it for me. You’re good, thank you.”
How delicious was that! “Gee, if I wore glasses they would be steamy right now.”
“There’s something else on this Tampa angle. You’ll probably learn about it anyway. Your friend Linda is using an alias. Her real name is Lynda.” He spelled it out. “She’s Cuban-American from Tampa, not Georgia.
“Oh, God, why did she lie to me about that? What’s she hiding? And she’s been stalking me, or she did at least once. That’s how she was able to show up on cue when Huress came at me. What does she say about it?”
“I’ve told you too much already.”
“Will it foul you up if I confront her about using an alias?”
“I never told you a thing.”
“She lied to me about why she followed me, and she lied to me about her Georgia background. I don’t appreciate that stuff.”
“Time’s up, Sandy, got to run.”
“What’s the rush, you have something at home you’d like to get to? Just one more little thing. The M.E. report said Towson dropped right where he was shot. Was there much blood scattered around?” She tried to make the question sound innocent.
“Nice try. So, you read the M.E. report?”
“Sure, the defense has access to it.”
“You know I can’t discuss it, even if I did trust you, which I don’t. We are legal adversaries remember?”
“The prosecution must eventually disclose their evidence to the defense anyway.”
“Not all of it. There are always things we don’t disclose about evidence, alternative suspects and theories. Anyway, it’s not for the investigating detective to decide. Obviously, I must keep my mouth shut. Sorry, I can’t discuss the murder scene.”
