Mayor Beaton was seated behind a large desk that dwarfed her, and I had the impression she’d had to get an extra-high chair so she wouldn’t disappear from view.
“Poppycock,” she now said with an indulgent smile. “We’re still in negotiations with the Timperleys about the new name for the mall.”
“So there will be a new name?” asked Chase.
“Well, obviously, since they own the mall, they can name it whatever they want. But we as the town council also have a say in this. This is our town, after all, and we do have some leverage we can bring to bear on the business owners who want to operate a store on our territory.”
“In other words: if the Timperleys don’t want to play ball, you can cause trouble for them.”
“Not trouble, per se,” said the Mayor, weighing her words carefully. “But we do have some instruments in our arsenal that might convince them not to be rash when taking such a drastic decision.”
“So what was your suggestion?” asked Odelia. “That they keep the same name?”
“I actually talked to Joel last week, and I suggested that they name the mall Timpermall Hampton Keys. Or even Hampton Keys Timpermall. With or without a hyphen.”
“And was he amenable to your suggestion?” asked Odelia with a smile.
The Mayor returned the smile and added some wattage of her own.“I think he was starting to come round to our way of thinking. After all, the Keystone Mall has been an integral part of this town for the past fifty years, and I conveyed the message to Joel that we were hoping to keep hosting the mall on our territory for many years to come.”
“And what did he say?”
Her smile faltered a little.“That Hampton Cove was also interested in operating a mall on their territory, and so was Happy Bays. Then again,” she added, the smile fully in evidence again, “you don’t simply relocate an entire mall. It would have cost them a small fortune. So chances are that we’re going to win this battle, and soon we’ll be able to host the Timpermall Hampton Keys—the most likely compromise and one we can fully endorse.” She shrugged. “Between you and me, I never liked the name Keystone Mall. We aren’t the Keystone Cops, after all, and Keystone sounds so… Stone Age, don’t you think?”
Chase didn’t let on what he thought of the name, if he had an opinion about it at all. “I have to ask you this, Madam Mayor, but where were you last night between ten and midnight?”
“Goodness me,” said Mayor Beaton, bringing a hand to her chest. “Am I a suspect now?”
“Just routine,” Chase clarified. “This way we can eliminate you from our inquiries.”
“Eliminate me! I don’t know if I like that term,” the Mayor quipped, then turned serious. “Actually I was dining with a friend last night.”
“Do you have a name and phone number for me?” asked Chase, taking out his notebook.
“Of course. Charlene Butterwick,” she said, and gave a surprised-looking Chase a look of triumph. “Us small-town mayors like to stay in touch. United we stand and all that.”
“Were you by any chance discussing the rebranding?” asked Chase dryly.
“The topic might have come up,” said the Mayor. “And for your information, Charlene isn’t interested in a new mall on her territory any more than I am of losing one. So there goes your motive flying right out of the window!” And she laughed a hearty laugh.
Once outside, Chase placed a call to his boss, who placed a call to his girlfriend, and moments later we were in a conference call with Charlene Butterwick.
“Yes, I had Jeannie over for dinner last night,” Charlene confirmed. “And also Ted MacDonald, the mayor of Happy Bays. We thought it would be a good idea to join forces now that the Timperleys are trying to drive a wedge between us and use brute force to push through their ideas.”
“I see,” said Chase. “What ideas?”
“They want to expand the mall. Double its size, actually. But they’re having some trouble convincing people this is a good idea. And so they’ve been trying to bully council members and some of the farmers who own the land they want to buy into submission.”
“So not just a rebranding but also an expansion?”
“The rebranding would go hand in hand with the expansion.”
“And what are the chances that their plans will see the light of day?”
“I’d say their chances are pretty good, but they’re not going to get everything they want. There will have to be some modifications, and Joel was negotiating with Jeannie and the Hampton Keys council and frankly driving a hard bargain, which is why Jeannie thought it a good idea for the threemayors to get together and decide on a joint strategy.”
“Do you think Joel’s death is beneficial to the council’s position?” asked Chase.
“I don’t think it’s going to make a lot of difference either way. No, I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree here, Chase. We didn’t kill Joel Timperley. Though I have to admit we were all tempted, Jeannie most of all.”
“Got any more questions for my future wife, Chase?” asked Uncle Alec.
There was silence on the line, then suddenly Odelia cried,“Oh, my God!”
Charlene laughed.“Alec! I thought we said we’d wait until this weekend!”
“Oops,” Uncle Alec said, suddenly subdued. “Looks like the cat’s out of the bag now.”
Dooley gave me a curious look.“What cat are they talking about, Max? And why a bag?”
“It’s just an expression, Dooley,” I said. “There’s no cat and no bag.”
“Strange expression,” said my friend. “A little cruel, if you ask me.”
“Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” said Odelia.
“Thanks, hon,” said Charlene. “We’ll celebrate later, all right?”
“Of course.”
“Yeah, first catch this killer,” said Uncle Alec sternly. “Have you talked to Sergio Sorbet yet?”
“We’re going over there now,” said Chase.
“Better get a move on. Before he ends up dead, too!”
“Ooh, can you get me an autograph?” asked Charlene. “Tell him to make it ‘With love to Charlene!’”
Even mayors aren’t immune to the charms of Hollywood leading men, apparently, even small-town mayors that are about to get married to small-town chiefs of police!
Chapter 24
The house that Sergio Sorbet had built—or rather bought—was a grand mansion in true Hollywood style. I imagined that Steven Spielberg was a regular guest, and so was Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford. They probably landed their helicopter on the private helipad Sergio had installed between the house and his private beach. Or maybe they flew in their private plane and landed it at the private airstrip nearby. All in all, it all sounded very… private. Then again, when you’re as rich and famous as Mr. Sorbet, you don’t like mere mortals sticking their noses into your private affairs.
The movies that had made Sorbet famous were very much in evidence wherever we looked: a large Zeus statue dominated the courtyard, and a ginormous painting of Zeus covered the two floors of the atrium when we entered. There was even a mosaic floor depicting a scene from one of the Zeus movies—at least I thought it did. I’ve never personally been a big fan of the Zeus franchise. It all seems a little samey, to me, in the sense that when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. But I guess that’s the whole point.
“Come in, come in,” said Sergio Sorbet once we’d made it past two security guards, one butler and one helpful personal assistant or PA, who appeared to have a tablet glued to his hand and an earpiece to his ear.
Sergio himself was a large man, and seemed to have been constructed entirely of muscle. He had a thick neck, brawny arms that stretched a Zeus T-shirt and bulging pectoral muscles that reminded me of that oldIncredible Hulk TV series from the eighties, where Bill Bixby was always in danger of suddenly ripping his shirt to shreds and turning into Lou Ferrigno. They must have gone through an awful lot of shirts to film that particular series.