“What the hell is wrong with your wife?”
“I don’t know,” answered Roger. He hoped to God that Kay didn’t accuse his father of murdering Mr. Sorenstein or Melanie.
“What’s going on?” Roger asked.
“She basically said I’m a bad father. Mister, it just isn’t true. I love Jay. Before you came into my life, he was all I had. I have more than proved my love for you by giving you this job. After all I’ve done for you and your wife; after all the money you have because of me, and this is her way of thanking me.”
“Dad, you still haven’t told me what she said?”
“She is telling some fibs about little Jay. She said his teacher from last year, Mrs. Baker, said he told her that I said no woman is allowed to touch him.”
“She told me that too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t see what useful purpose it would serve.”
“Well it just isn’t true. I don’t know why she would say something like that?”
“Kay only repeated what Mrs. Baker said. If you have a problem with anyone it should be with her, not Kay. Why don’t you ask Mrs. Baker why she said it?”
“I think I will ask her that, and more.”
Roger wasn’t sure what he meant. “This is just getting crazy. Dad, I think Kay is homesick and maybe that’s why she is acting this way. I really have to get her back to Virginia soon.”
Michael moved around in his seat as he pulled out a cigarette. His eyes squinted and Roger could see how he just hurt him. There was betrayal in them. “After all I’ve done for you, and you want to just walk away?”
“I don’t know. I’m caught in the middle of a tug of war between you and Kay. I personally don’t want to leave, but if I stay, I am going to lose my wife.”
“If you go, don’t ever ask for anything from me.”
“I won’t,” Roger swallowed, with his previous plans about his father opening up an office in Virginia shot down.
Mr. Massey was getting angry and restless as he stared at his son. “When are you going back?”
“I was thinking about a year from now.”
“A year? Why in the hell are you waiting so long?”
Just as he asked the question it dawned on Mr. Massey why he would wait a year. It was the money. He knew everyone around him only thought about what they could get from him. While wanting to fire him right then he decided he wouldn’t do anything rashly. In a year’s time a lot could change. It was even possible that he would change his mind and not move away. In case he did decided to leave, Mr. Massey would alter his son’s bonus structure. He wasn’t going to make a good living off his business and then go back to Virginia and live like a king. If they left, they would have to bust their buts just to get by like everyone else. That is just the way it had to be. He told Roger to get out of his office. Roger gladly walked out.
After he left, Roger sat in his office in the dark. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He was surrounded by two strong willed people who wanted to dominate him. How do you please two people who want opposing things? Kay was delusional to the point where she thought his father could be a murderer. He loved his wife and wanted to make her happy, but the scent of money was so appealing. He thought something he never thought before. He wished his dad would die so he could inherit his money now. “That would be perfect,” he thought. “Perfect!”
----------------------------------------
Detectives Chanello and Mangino were driving to the police station after eating lunch at pink’s hotdogs.
“I hear if a murder isn’t solved quickly in the first forty eight hours then the chance it will ever get solved goes way down.”
Detective Mangino said this to get a rise out of Chanello. She knew it would motivate him.
“That’s a statistic that applies to other cops. We are going to catch the killer regardless." We are going to solve Melanie’s murder, and Mr. Sorenstein’s murder will get solved as well!”
It was exactly the reaction she expected, and it put a smile on her face. She really admired detective Chanello. In some ways he reminded her of her father who she missed deeply, but Chanello was different. It’s not that her father thought women should do homely roles while men did important one’s, he just believed you needed to be a doctor or lawyer if you wanted respect.
The issue was that she wanted to be a police officer ever since she started reading novels. She always knew who the murderer was in Agatha Christie novels before it was revealed. She told her dad many times she would probably become a lawyer someday since being one was just an extension of becoming a police officer. But she wanted to get her hands dirty first.
They were driving along in silence when she finally admitted to herself that she had a huge crush on Chanello. Although he was the best cop on the force, he did seem a little wild. He lived a life that was fun. She was tired of being so disciplined, even on the weekends. She even thought she might have a couple of beers this weekend. She imagined herself and Chanello having dinner together and how her father would completely disown her for being involved with someone like him. Someone on the, “other side.” Her father would want her to defend the accused and not prosecute them.
They pulled into the parking lot of the twelfth precinct. As they got out of the car the sun started to shine through the clouds. “Maybe this is a sign our luck is about to change.”
“You know it is,” he responded back.
As they were walking into the office, they got a call from detective Henderson. “Mangino, there is a lady here to see you. She says she has information regarding the death of Melanie.”
“I’m in the parking lot. I’ll be right there.” She told Chanello what Henderson said.. He thought maybe this could be a girl moment and Halle might open up more if he stayed behind. Mangino agreed.
Kate hurried to the office door towards the police lobby. She saw a lady who looked instantly familiar. “You are Halle right?”
“Yes. Can we talk for a few minutes?"
Kate could tell she had been crying. “Please follow me.” They walked through a corridor that had various pictures of decorated police officers on the wall. Detective Kate Mangino led her into her office. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No thank you.”
“Have a seat.” Halle sat down.
“What can I do for you?”
“After Melanie was killed, I just went into a trance. I couldn’t believe what had happened, so I went for a walk. I was out all night. I just had to think about it all. I started remembering all that we talked about the days before the murder, and I couldn’t believe it had slipped my mind when I saw you before.”
“It’s alright. Your emotions are shaken because of what has transpired. If you have thought of anything, you can tell me now.”
“The night of the party Melanie’s boyfriend proposed to her. She seemed a little happy but nothing like I would have expected. She actually seemed a little distant.”
“Go on.”
“Then she calls crying hysterically. She said she had an affair on Donny with some guy named Marco, and when she told him he went nuts. He broke her kitchen table. At first I told her they might be able to work things out until she said how violent he had been.”
“Did he hit her?”
“She didn’t say he did. I asked, but right now I’m not sure if I believe her. He was really mad though.”
“Can you think of anything else?”
“No.”
“I will say a boyfriend always becomes the lead suspect in a murder investigation. We have already talked to him, but he failed to mention this affair or a fight. Now, he has a strong motive, so we will question him again. Did she say anything else?
“No.”
“And you didn’t talk to her again?”
“No. I wish I had. I feel like if I would have invited her over, she might still be alive.”
“Halle let me tell you something. It is not your fault or anyone else’s that she has been murdered. It is no one’s fault except for the murderer. You did the right thing by telling me this, and you may have given us the lead we need to crack the case. I want you to take my card and call me if you can think of anything else."
After leading her out she was on her way to see detective Chanello. They saw each other from a distance, and he waved for her to come over to him. Detective Mangino couldn’t wait to tell him of the development, but he spoke first.
“I just got a couple of calls from two of Melanie’s neighbors, and they heard she and Donny fight on Saturday in which each distinctly heard Donny say he was going to kill her.”
Mangino spoke. “I guess we can’t trust Donny’s lie detector results. He said they weren’t having any problems.”
“Yeah,” said Chanello. I don’t really understand how though. Very few people can people can beat that machine.”
“I read once that serial killers sometimes can, and……”
“What,” asked Chanello?
“And people who have been trained.”
“Who? Like special forces personnel?”
“That’s what I read. But Donny couldn’t be former special forces.”
“I sure hope not,” said Chanello. “Let’s go talk to Melanie’s neighbors who heard the fight.”
Detective Chanello drove while detective Kate Mangino sat there shocked. They went to Melanie’s old apartment complex and got the stories from the neighbors who heard Donny say he would kill her.
Afterwards, they sat in the car and talked. Detective Mangino explained everything Halle had told her as well.
“I told you it was the boyfriend. It always is.”
“I think we need to pay our friend Donny another visit.” As detective Chanello said this, his cell phone rang. He talked for a couple of minutes and then hung up.”
“That was Dr. Jones. He’s got the autopsy report. After we pay Melanie’s other neighbors a visit, just to see if anyone else heard anything, we should take a look at it, and then plan on arresting Donny by this evening,” Detective Chanello said this with a smile and then reached out his hand to high five Kate.
“We seem to be on a roll. I think we should go door to door again and see if we could find out anything new?” They got out of the car.
“You are right. I’ll take this row of apartments and you take that one.”
Mangino walked across the way to the set of apartments on the other side of Melanie’s. Most people were not home or didn’t hear or see anything. Then she walked up to Marco’s apartment.
After a couple of knocks he answered. “Is this my lucky day?”
“Not unless you can help me solve the murder that happened across the street the other day.”
“I’ll say I did it if you will come in.”
“The only reason I’d come in is to arrest you.”
“I’ve told the other officer who came by before, and I’m telling you, I never met the lady. If I had I assure you I would have told you. I’ve never met Melanie Matheson.”
“I never told you her last name was Matheson.”
“Give me a break. This murder has been in the papers. Everyone knows her name.”
“Alright, what is your name?”
“I’m Marco.” As Mangino wrote down his name she couldn’t remember if Melanie’s whole name had been given to the media yet. She looked at the man. He didn’t look well. He had beady eyes, which a lot of people have but when he smiled at the same time, he looked … he looked evil, deranged.
As she was wrapping things up with Marco, her partner, Jim Chanello walked up and verified the address on the door. He looked at Mangino and asked, “Does this person know Melanie?”
“No. How many times do I have to answer that question?”
“You are going to have to answer it a bunch more times.”
“Why?”
“We just got Melanie’s phone records and she had two phone calls from this apartment on Saturday.”
“This is crazy. I don’t know her. How long were the calls for?”
Marino looked at the logs another officer had brought him.
“There were two calls within a minute and each lasted less than fifteen seconds.”
“I must have dialed her number by mistake. You know that is easy to do. What you are trying to pin against me is ridiculous.”
“We are not trying to pin anything against you. We are trying to solve a murder,” Chanello shouted! “If what you say is true, you must have been calling someone with a number close to hers. Can you please tell me who you were calling and what that number was?”
"What are you accusing me of? Why are you hassling me? I didn’t kill the girl.”
“What was the number you were calling sir?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Then we need a copy of your phone records to check it out.”
“I’m not going to give you my phone records. My life is none of your business.”
Jim looked at Kate, “I think a court will give it to us.”
“I agree.”
“Wait. It’s slowly coming back to me. I was going to call someone but then I got this other person. I guess it was Melanie. After I tried a second time I gave up. There won’t be anyone’s number like hers because the person who gave me that number obviously gave me the wrong number. I didn’t have any other number to try. So there.”
“Who was the other person?”
"That is none of your damn business.”
“You are wrong. It is my damn business.”
Chanello called another detective over and had Marco arrested for lying to a police officer and interfering with a government investigation. They searched his apartment but all they found were pornographic magazines. After hours at Melanie’s apartment complex Chanello should have been tired but was energized. “I think we’re close,” he said to Kate. “I just don’t know to whom?”
“Look at this,” Mangino said.
“What is it?”
“The name of Marco’s driver’s license isn’t Marco. It’s Richie.”
“Let me see.” Kate handed him the license.
“The picture looks just like him. Richie Rashbaum is his real name.”
“Wait a minute,” Mangino said. “Marco was the name Halle said Melanie had the affair with when she was at school.”
“Now he lives, or someone with his name lives across the way from her and has called her house a few times.”
“And she ends up dying.”
“We better take him down to the station and have a little talk.”
Once Chanello and Mangino got to the station they wasted no time. “What is your real name?”
“I’m Marco Hernandez.”
“Why does your license say Richie?”
“I just found that. It’s no big deal.”
Chanello asked Mangino to run a quick background check. After five minutes she came back in. Both the pictures on Marco Hernandez and Richie Rashbaum drivers’ licenses looked similar.
“Something is fishy here" said Chanello.
“Are you “Marco or Richie?"
“Marco.”
“Who is Richie?”
“Don’t know.”
Mangino gave him the benefit of the doubt for now and spoke up spoke up. “I noticed you used to live in Ocean City,” she said after reading the addresses on both licenses.
“That’s right. It really is a great place. You should go there. If you want, you can stay with me.”
“I don’t think so. I will say the girl whose number you accidentally called several times, and then was found dead, used to live in Ocean City.”
“Really! It’s a small world. How about that.” He moved around in his seat.
“You did not used to go to Ocean City College did you?”
“You might as well tell us the truth. We are going down there to verify with the administrator,” said Chanello.
“Yes, I did go there.”
“Did you know Melanie?”
“I didn’t know any Melanie. I didn’t know the Melanie who was murdered, and I didn’t know any Melanies’ in school.”
Chanello was getting pissed. “I don’t like being jerked around. You know what I think? You had an affair with Melanie in school, and then she never came back after her boyfriend was injured in the war and came home.” Chanello got real close to his face and spoke quietly. “You have been looking for her for years and plotting your revenge.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Murder!” Chanello yelled. “I’m talking about killing someone!”
“Did you kill Melanie?” asked Mangino.
“No way! I don’t know any Melanie.”
“My partner and I are going to go do some snooping around there in Ocean City. We better not catch you in any lie. You are already up shit creek.”
They let Marco, or Richie, whoever he is, go for now.
After walking out of the police department, they got in their car.
“What are you thinking?” asked Chanello.
“Something doesn’t fit. That is not the kind of guy Melanie would be with.”
“I don’t know. She may have gone through a stage down at college, or maybe this turkey used to be normal until Melanie broke his heart and he began plotting his revenge. We’ll figure out more once we do some investigative work.”
“I hope we figure something out real soon.”
While they were driving, Jim’s crush was deepening on Detective Mangino. She had her arms up on the back of the seat as well as her left leg on the cushion. He looked towards her. “God, this was against the rules,” he thought. Just asking her if she was interested could ruin their friendship and partnership, but he couldn’t take it any longer. It was too damn obvious that she liked him too. She was practically in his lap, so at the next stop light he put the car in park.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he said as he reached out and kissed her. Her tongue was wet and soft as he put his hand on her face and loved her. He put her bottom lip in his mouth for a second and kissed her again. After a short time, they just looked at each other. Chanello heard a honking noise behind them, so he quickly yanked the car back into drive and took off. He wanted to reach the next red light as fast as he could so they could kiss again.
After they arrived at the police station Mangino stared into Chanello's rearview mirror and freshened up.
"You have a good weekend, we'll deal with these murders on Monday," Chanello said.
Chanello and Mangino said a final goodbye. Mangino got out of Chanello's car and went to her own car.
She picked up Wesley from the hospital. On the drive home, he showed her the stinger the Dr. had given him and also mentioned the story about bees and their stingers. She was concerned about Wesley actually believing he may have some supernatural power now.