Odelia’s mind flashed back to the spreading man they’d dragged from the pool, and decided to skip this little bit of information too. No need to spoil Gran’s memory of the eighties heartthrob. “Yeah, he was, wasn’t he?”
“And you’re telling me he was murdered? That’s just awful! Who could have done such a horrible thing?”
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“And you think your dad knows who did it, huh?”
“I doubt it, but he might lead me in the right direction.” She didn’t want to put all of her cards on the table, as Gran was an inveterate gossip.
“Is that nice Detective Chase Kingsley on the case again?”
“Yes, he is.”
For some reason Gran had taken a shine to Chase.
“That man is so hot, I can’t believe no one has bagged him yet,” she said, shooting her a meaningful look.
“Why don’t you give it a shot?”
“I wouldn’t want to steal your thunder, honey,” said Gran. “I know that man has got the hots for you. So why haven’t you made a move on him yet?”
She rolled her eyes. She was so not having this conversation right now. “I’m sure that Detective Kingsley doesn’t even like me, Gran, much less wants to pursue me.”
“Pursue you? What is this? A Jane Austin novel? I may be old, honey, but I’m not that old. Nowadays girls can pursue boys, you know. Trust me, if I’d waited for your grandfather to ‘pursue me’ I’d still be waiting. No, you go and get that man before someone else snaps him up.” She gave her a wink. “Or before I snap him up, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know what you mean, Gran. It’s pretty obvious.” And distasteful. “Look, both Detective Kingsley and I are professionals, and we like to keep our relationship on a strictly professional level. We work together occasionally and getting… involved would only make things complicated.”
Even though Chase still resented a reporter butting in on his investigation, they’d actually cracked a case together a couple of weeks ago, and even this morning, when she’d saved him from that cockatoo, there had been a sense of kinship between them. Strictly professional kinship, that was.
Gran shook her head. “Youth is definitely wasted on the young, take it from me. If I were you—”
“Well, you’re not. Now if you could just tell Dad I’m here…”
“I’m giving you dibs on that hottie, but I’m not going to be able to hold back much longer, you hear?” asked Gran while she picked up the phone. “And I’m only giving you first shot because you’re family.”
“Thanks, Gran. That’s very generous of you.”
“And don’t you give me that professional relationship bull, either. I know you’ve got the hots for that guy. I’ve seen the way you look at him. I may be old but there’s nothing wrong with my eyesight.”
“Just… give me Dad,” she said through gritted teeth, and snatched the phone from her grandmother’s hands. “Yes, hi, Dad. I need to ask you something real quick. Can I come in?”
And as she went in, Gran gave her a wink. “When you see him, say hi to Chase from me, will you? Just to make sure he knows I’m still in the running, in case you drop out of the race.”
“Sure, Gran. I’ll tell him my grandmother is lusting after him.”
“And tell him to keep up the workouts. I like my buns nice and tight.”
She entered her dad’s office and nodded a greeting to Mrs. Baumgartner. The old lady was in all the time, more out of habit than because something was ailing her. Her father quickly took her into the next examination room. “Make it quick, honey,” he said, taking off his glasses and polishing them. “Mrs. Baumgartner was just about to show me her bunion.”
In a few words she told him what had happened to Johnny.
He shook his head. “I warned him about this. Overdose, huh?”
“No, it looks like he was poisoned. At least according to the coroner.”
Her dad’s eyes widened. “Murder? That’s terrible. He was such a great guy. Very down to earth and with a great sense of humor, too.”
“So you knew him?”
“Well, he had his regular physician, a concierge doctor working out of Southampton, but I sometimes covered for him when he was on vacation. I know his boyfriend a lot better, of course. Jasper used to be my patient for years, before he started to go to Johnny’s physician. Great kid, Jasper.”
“Uncle Alec actually thinks Jasper might have done it. His fingerprints were on the vial of GHB that Johnny took. The one containing the venom.”
“Impossible,” said her dad, shaking his head decidedly. “Jasper wouldn’t hurt a fly. Besides, he loved that man dearly. They were a lovely couple.”
It cemented her decision to look beyond Jasper and try to find who else might have had access to the vial and might have doctored it. “Dad, this is important. Do you have any idea who Johnny’s supplier of GHB was?”
Dad gave her a look of surprise. “How on earth would I know that? I’m a doctor, not a drug dealer, honey.”
“No, but you’re…” She hesitated, gesturing at the medicine cabinet in a corner of the room. “Plugged in.”
He laughed. “I see. You think we’re all in the same business, huh?”
“Well… I just thought you might have heard something.”
He thought for a moment. “There have been a lot of rumors swirling around about that health food store that opened at the mall a couple of months ago. People talk, you know, and I’ve been told by several of my patients that the owner of that store supplies his customers with more than just herbs and vitamins, if you catch my drift. In fact I think I saw his van pull up at Johnny’s place just when I was leaving last month. Coincidence?”
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.”
“So sad about Johnny,” he said as they walked back into his office. “He was a very sweet man. You find out who did this, all right?”
“I will, Dad,” she said.
“Oh, and be careful,” he said. “This drug thing is a nasty business.”
That was true enough. It had already claimed the life of one man and had landed another man in jail, possibly innocent. A very nasty business indeed.
Chapter 7
After sitting in on a few interviews, Dooley and I’d had enough, so we hopped down from the windowsill and made to leave. Brutus, who had been an attentive guest throughout, along with Harriet, seemed to find our retreat funny, for he scoffed, “Leaving already, boys? Talk about lack of stamina!”
“We know when we’ve seen it all,” I said.
“Well, I’m sticking around,” he announced. “It’s only starting to get good.” And he returned his attention to the room behind the window, where Chase was interviewing one of what seemed like hundreds of escorts Johnny had gone through in the weeks leading up to his death. You could say whatever you wanted about the guy, but not that he didn’t have the stamina Brutus was referring to. In spite of his age, he’d been up all night every night, partying like there was no tomorrow and entertaining up to a dozen men.
“I wonder how much of his behavior was Johnny and how much the drugs he took,” I said as we started toward the patch of lawn in front of the police station. An American flag waved over a small plaque reminding Hampton Cove that here resided the long arm of the law. Though Uncle Alec’s arms weren’t really all that long, he was doing a great job interviewing a long line of witnesses testifying to Johnny’s daily and nightly habits. It was obvious that the so-called recluse hadn’t been all that reclusive after all.
“I think it was the drugs,” said Dooley. “No man can be that voracious and that…” He struggled to find the right word.
“Enduring?” I supplied.
“Yeah. It’s almost a miracle how enduring the guy was.”
“I think the right word is addicted. The guy was simply addicted to sex.”