“Chief, we’ve got an Abelando Pirro dead last night. Can I see the report?”
“Only have the prelim, happened late. He fell from a condo balcony over on Banyon. They found his body impaled on the iron fence surrounding the pool. Draped over a sharp metal picket like a dead fish on a hook. M.E. said he probably lived for hours and just bled to death. Hellava way to go. Another foot or so out and he’d just gotten wet in the pool and be sobering up this morning. Had been drinking, before he fell. Why, do you know something about it?”
“I can tell you right now, it was murder.”
“How do you know? You haven’t even seen the report.”
“He didn’t fall, he was pushed, it’s murder.” Goddard started flipping through his notes. “Who’s getting it?”
“Won’t be you, your hands are full.”
“It’s connected, Chief,” he pleaded, “part of my case. That’s the address for Norma Martin. He’s the bad guy who ran Sandy Reid off the road two nights ago. That’s attempted murder. I was searching for him.”
“This Pirro death happened on Sergeant Huress’ watch,” the chief said. “He investigated last night. Said it was a couple of drunken Cuban-Americans. Look at this, he got a nice statement from the girlfriend.”
“Of course it’s an absolutely perfect statement. She made it up.”
“Huress did okay. I’m keeping him on it.”
“He’s not a detective, not qualified. Don’t do this to me, Chief. This could be important. Damn. At least now I can stop looking for him.”
Goddard read the report, then stepped outside the chief’s office and called Sandy. “How do you feel this morning?”
“The doctor said my temporary leg numbness was stress and strain related. He had some big name for it. I’m being released this morning.”
“Great, I’m very happy for you. And you can relax, Pirro won’t bother you again.”
“You caught him already? That was fast. But I didn’t want him caught. I wanted him dead. Well, don’t put him in with my brother.”
“He is dead, Sandy. Found below Elena Duarte’s window. She claims it was an accident. Want to hear her statement?”
“I’m listening.”
Chip started reading, …we were such good friends. We had quite a few drinks and were making out on the couch, then we danced a little. We were waiting for my mother to come over after the restaurant closed. Then he said he wanted to make Mentiritas, he just had to have Mentiritas. I told him I thought I was out of rum. I said I’d look again. When I came back out of the kitchen, he was gone. I assumed he had gone out to get the rum. That upset me terribly because he was in no condition to drive. I was worried about him. I sat down and turned on the TV. Then I heard the sirens and saw all of the lights outside.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You’ll never know just how much trouble she saved me. Give her a medal. She made up that statement. She hated him. Apparently, the story she told me about Pirro was true.” Sandy laughed. “She danced him right off the balcony. She probably pretended he was getting her hot and then pushed the bastard over the railing straight down to hell. Applause please. I hope he died a slow death. I’ll bet she turned up the TV to not hear his moaning down there.”
“I don’t know about you. It’s a crime and if it were my case, I’d go after her for murder.”
“Wait a minute, when did this happen, last night? Geez Louise! Chip, it was in my dream. She did it for me. Elena heard about my accident and knew immediately who ran me off the road. Pirro might even have bragged about it. Twenty-four hours later, he’s dead. Chip, she killed him for me.”
“That’s a stretch. Maybe Pirro killed Towson, and to cover it up, Elena was told by the family to get rid of him.”
“I doubt that. He was a big danger to her and her mother. The calculating little accountant from Tampa figured out a slick way to write him off. I’ll just keep thinking she had me and some other women in mind.”
“I still want to see you again before you leave.”
“Chip, I’ve decided not to go—at least, not right away.”
“What? Oh, you’re not. You’re not leaving. Oh, that’s good.”
“We should meet for coffee.”
Sandy was discharged mid-morning. Sergeant Lewis picked her up at the emergency entrance in a blue and white and drove her to the police impound lot. He explained he should go along to be sure she had no trouble getting Ray’s car released.
“Now that you’re okay I can tell you how close you came. Chip radioed for an ambulance as soon as you told him you were being chased. He didn't wait to decide anything. That ambulance was screaming down that back road before you even hit the ditch. Those few extra minutes saved you. Your vehicle was upside down, the top half submerged in water. Your head was actually under mud. We don’t understand how it was possible for him to shift your car enough to get that seatbelt undone while he was sinking in mud like quicksand.”
“He told me he had some difficulty getting my seatbelt undone.”
“Yes, the difficulty was he had to lift the car. The tow truck driver didn’t see how it could be done.”
Sergeant Lewis stopped his police vehicle at the impound office and turned to her. “I wanted you to know, a lot of guys in the department are coming down hard on Huress for attacking you in his pickup. He blames you for bringing charges, the formal complaint now in his file, and putting it in the newspaper. His wife certainly believed you. She and the kids went to stay with her mother in Virginia. He’s the type to take revenge on you, Sandy.”
“Thanks, Sarge, that was in the back of my mind. I’ll be careful.”
“He never gives up on a grudge. He’ll try to get back at anyone who’s ever caused him a problem. He knows who he’s up against now. He’ll be ready for you next time and come at you unexpectedly.”
She signed for Ray's vehicle in the pound office and they walked together to find it. “Here it is.” Lewis compared the number on the windshield to the number on the key.
“This can’t be it,” she said, “this is a stupid Ford. Not just a stupid Ford, it’s green! I can’t drive around in a stupid green Ford?”
He laughed. “You could wear a disguise.”
“Yeah, a clown costume.” She got in and slammed the car door shut. The glove compartment flopped open. She reached over and banged it shut hard, and the compartment door broke completely off and fell. She crossed her fingers and turned the key. After three heart-stopping cranks, the car reluctantly groaned to life, more or less. She thanked the Sergeant and blew him a kiss.
Her phone buzzed. It was attorney Kagan. “Miss Reid, glad you’re okay. I know you’re close to that reporter, Linda Call. Did you know the police picked her up and brought her to the station? She was seen in the interrogation room with Goddard.”
“So what? She’s probably interviewing him.”
“Definitely the other way around. They brought her in for questioning. They tested her gun. She was at the murder scene.”
“I know she was there with CSI, she told me.”
“No, earlier that day, she was up there with Towson.”
“Oh great, she told me only that she talked to him that day. She didn’t say it like they were face to face.” Sandy thought about other possible lies. It gets worse. I haven’t had a chance to brief you, Jerry. Linda Call isn’t all she seems. She’s Cuban-American and from Tampa. Why bother to lie about that?”
“If she’s connected to the family, then they might have been working against us all along. They would want your brother convicted to cover up whatever is going on.”