The Case of the Eccentric Elkhound Read online

  “Because we’re worried about Howard,” I said.

  “Try again,” Josie said.

  “Because I can’t help snooping?”

  “There you go.”

  We continued to push forward through the trees and, eventually, things did open up. We roamed around the rocks and patches of grass in a couple different directions but didn’t see anything other than a mother Mallard and her ducklings that were trailing behind her as she made her way toward the River. Captain and Chloe both saw the ducks and stared at them with their heads cocked as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

  Then Josie and I called out for Howard and Franny in loud voices. We waited, repeated our calls, then gave up.

  “This is really strange,” I said. “Where on earth could they be?”

  “I have no idea,” Josie said. “But I’m getting eaten alive so let’s get out of here.”

  The mosquitos were definitely on the prowl, and I wasn’t about to argue. We made our way back through the trees, removed our shoes, and waded back to the boat. We helped the dogs onboard, dried off, and I sat down to think.

  “If they’re not on the boat and they’re not on shore, where the heck are they?” I said.

  “I guess they could be in the water,” Josie said.

  “Drowned?” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t see that. Howard’s been a River Rat since he was a kid, and I can’t see him doing something stupid like falling in and drowning.”

  “Well, they sure wouldn’t have gone for a romantic swim,” Josie said. “That water is freezing cold.”

  “The only other place they could be is on another boat,” I said. “But that seems highly unlikely.”

  “Unless they were forced onto another boat,” I said.

  “You mean like they were kidnapped?” Josie said. “That’s even weirder than the idea about them going for a romantic swim.”

  “Yeah, it is strange,” I said. “But if somebody had Fatal Franny on their radar and wanted to take her out, it wouldn’t be that hard to follow Howard’s boat out here. Actually, this is a good spot to do something like that. It’s pretty remote, and the chances of being seen are very small.”

  “And since Howard just happened to be along for the ride,” Josie said. “I can see the possibility of whoever was looking for Franny would be forced to take him out, too.”

  “Yeah, wrong place at the wrong time,” I said. “Poor Howard.”

  I grabbed my phone and placed the call. I put it on speaker and waited. It was answered on the third ring.

  “This is Jackson.”

  “Hey, it’s me.”

  “Hi, Suzy. What’s shaking?”

  “Uh, I think we need your help,” I said.

  “Okay. Where are you?”

  “Josie and I are at Lover’s Cove,” I said.

  “And you want some male company,” Jackson said, laughing. “Give me twenty minutes.”

  “Funny,” I said.

  “Hey, Josie,” Jackson said.

  “Hi, Jackson. How are you doing?”

  “Probably better than I’m going to be after this call. What’s up?”

  “Howard’s boat is here, but there’s no sight of him or his date,” I said.

  “His date? Man, that guy never stops, does he?” Jackson said. “You’d think that between running his pharmacy and being mayor he’d have plenty of things to keep him busy.”

  “Yeah, one would think,” I said, waiting for the question.

  “Who was his date?” Jackson said.

  “Fatal Franny,” I said.

  “The shooter who worked for Calducci? What the heck is Howard doing with her?” Jackson said. “Never mind. Dumb question.”

  “Can you get out here?” I said.

  “Yeah, I was about to knock off for the rest of the day and take Sluggo out on the boat,” he said. “I’ll just bring the police boat instead.”

  “Bring Sluggo with you,” Josie said. “Captain and Chloe are here.”

  “Will do,” he said. “Are there any signs of trouble?”

  “No, nothing,” I said. “We even walked the shoreline.”

  “That does seem strange,” Jackson said. “Where exactly are you?”

  “We’re tucked inside the last outcrop on the right,” I said.

  “Okay, stay put for the next half hour,” Jackson said.

  I slid the phone back into my pocket and sat back down. Then I noticed Josie climbing into Howard’s boat.

  “Where are you going?” I said.

  “I thought I’d take a quick look at what’s inside that picnic basket,” Josie said.

  “You think you’re going to find some clues in there?” I said, laughing.

  “The heck with clues, I’m starving.”

  Chapter 14

  While we waited for Jackson, we dug into Howard’s picnic basket and discovered a bag of brownies from Paterson’s bakery. Since they were one of our personal favorites, we made short work of them as the dogs jumped back into the water for another swim. Both dogs spotted the police boat approaching and started barking excitedly when they saw Sluggo in the seat next to Jackson.

  Despite our concerns about what might have happened to Howard and Franny, we laughed at the sight of the bulldog standing on his back legs with his front paws pressing against the windshield. We helped Captain and Chloe back into the boat, got drenched again from their shakes, then accepted Sluggo from Jackson and put him down next to Captain and Chloe. Soon, they were rolling around on the floor of the boat oblivious to our presence. Jackson tied his boat to ours, then climbed onto Howard’s boat and began a quick review.

  “Nothing’s out of place, no sign of a struggle, no blood,” Jackson said, eventually. “I got nothing. Where the heck did they go?”

  “They either had to get on another boat,” Josie said. “Or they went in the water, right?”

  Jackson frowned and scanned the shoreline in both directions.

  “I guess,” he said. “Are you sure they aren’t on shore?”

  “I can’t be positive,” I said. “But we gave it a good look. And we called their names several times. I doubt if they heard us they would have decided to hide.”

  “Why not? I’ve used that strategy before with you,” Jackson said, laughing. “It’s actually one of my go-to moves.”

  “Funny,” I said.

  “Okay, I guess I need to get some search and rescue folks out here. If they’re in the water, we’ll know soon enough. The current only runs one way, and it would keep their bodies here in the cove.”

  Jackson placed a call, and we waited quietly until he finished.

  “They’re on their way,” he said. “We’ve only got a couple of hours of daylight left, so I’m not sure how much we’ll be able to get done today. You know, I just don’t see Howard drowning. He’s too good on the River to do some stupid like that.”

  “Then that leaves another boat, right?” Josie said.

  “Probably,” Jackson said. “But why would Howard leave his here? You know how protective of that boat he is.”

  “He must have been forced to leave it here,” I said.

  “By people looking for Fatal Franny?” Jackson said.

  “I doubt if it was anybody wanting to hurt Howard,” I said. “He’s a total hound dog, but he’s a good guy and pretty harmless.”

  “Unless he slept with the wrong woman,” Josie said.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Jackson said, nodding. “I guess that’s a possibility.”

  “And Fatal Franny just stood by and let it happen?” I said. “Nah, I’m not buying that. It has to be connected to Calducci.”

  “If that’s the case, then I’m leaning toward Morrie the Meat Guy,” Jackson said.

  “No way,” Josie said, shaking her head. “He’s such a sweet old man.”

  “Josie, the guy has a criminal background and spent years working for Calducci,” Jackson said. “And if you would have seen the look in his eyes at t
he restaurant when he was arguing with Fatal Franny, you might have a different opinion.”

  I’d completely forgotten to ask Jackson about the details of Morrie’s argument with Franny at the restaurant.

  I must be slipping.

  “What were they fighting about?” I said.

  “Well, given their attitude about cooperating with cops, they were pretty short on the specifics. But it sounded like they got into it over percentages of something and about who got what.”

  “Morrie’s business,” I said. “Calducci was skimming thirty percent off the top.”

  “You think Fatal Franny is trying to take over?” Josie said.

  “It’s possible,” I said. “Maybe Morrie was pushing back and trying to negotiate a lower percentage.”

  “Or trying to get out from underneath the whole thing,” Josie said. “I know I would.”

  “And Calducci’s death would be the perfect time to try,” I said.

  “Yeah, it would,” Jackson said. “But it’s not easy to get away from those people’s clutches. Once they’ve got their hooks into somebody, they tend to hold on pretty tight.”

  “And you think Morrie followed Howard out here and somehow managed to get the drop on Fatal Franny?” I said, frowning.

  “Managed to get the drop?” Josie said, laughing. “Keep it up, and I’m going to have to hide the remote.”

  “You know what I mean,” I said, making a face at her. “But how would Morrie do that all by himself?”

  “Element of surprise?” Jackson said.

  “Or maybe he had help,” Josie said.

  “Yes, he might have had help,” I said, my mind racing. “Dot and Pee Wee?”

  “If Franny was trying to take over Calducci’s operation, that makes some sense,” Jackson said.

  “Assuming that Dot is interested in running it,” Josie said. “All she seems interested in these days is her next cocktail.”

  “And Pee Wee,” I said.

  “Yeah, we can’t forget about him,” Josie said.

  “Dot and Pee Wee are an item?” Jackson said.

  “So it appears,” Josie said.

  “They’re an odd combination for a couple,” Jackson said.

  “If it’s not Dot and Pee Wee,” I said. “I wonder if it could be one or more of those four guys we saw Franny talking to at the restaurant?”

  “I did some digging into who those guys are,” Jackson said. “They’re the four guys who reported directly to Calducci.”

  “And one of them could be moved up to run things?” I said.

  “Apparently, that’s the word on the street,” Jackson said. “But nobody seems to know how it’s going to play out. Everything seems to be in limbo at the moment.”

  “Again, that’s the perfect time for everybody to make their move,” I said. “I just can’t believe that Morrie is involved. But if he is, who else could he be working with?”

  “Maybe a longtime friend,” Josie said, staring at me.

  “You mean like a certain construction guy?” I said.

  “Exactly,” Josie said.

  “Who are you talking about?” Jackson said.

  “A guy who’s been working on our expansion project at the Inn,” I said. “His name is Rocco.”

  “Short guy with tons of muscle whose face looks like it went ten rounds with an immersion blender?”

  “Yeah, that’s him,” I said. “Do you know him?”

  “Only by reputation,” Jackson said. “He’s a scary dude. I’m glad you’re almost finished with the expansion. From what I’ve heard, he’s a guy you don’t want hanging around.”

  I glanced at Josie who seemed to have a grimace frozen on her face. Then she pointed a finger in the direction of home.

  “If you don’t need us to stick around,” I said. “I think we’ll get going, Jackson.”

  “No, that’s fine. I’ll let you know if we find anything,” he said. “And if Howard or Franny do happen to surface, give me a call.”

  “Will do,” I said, starting the engine.

  “Hey, before I forget,” Jackson said. “Chef Claire’s birthday is coming up. Are you guys planning a party?”

  “Yes, we’re going to close the restaurant on that Monday and have it there,” I said. “The invitations are going out in a couple of days.”

  “What a great idea,” Jackson said. “What are you guys getting her?”

  “We’re still debating,” Josie said. “How about you?”

  “I can’t make up my mind,” Jackson said. “But it has to be something special. I think I might be running out of time when it comes to Chef Claire.”

  He stared at us and tried to read our expressions. We both did our best to give him a blank stare in return. Apparently, they weren’t quite blank enough.

  “What is it? You guys know something, don’t you?” Jackson said, glancing back and forth at us. “What did Chef Claire tell you?”

  “Nothing, really,” I said.

  “Just the usual,” Josie said. “You know, she’s having trouble making up her mind. Stuff like that.”

  “Gee, why don’t I believe you?” Jackson said, maintaining his stare.

  “Because you’re a cop, Jackson,” I said. “You’re trained not to believe what people tell you.”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, giving us the evil eye. “Then it sounds like my birthday present needs to be extra special. The diamond tennis bracelet I gave her for Christmas was a total homerun.”

  “More diamonds? Just give her something from the heart, Jackson,” Josie said. “That’s all Chef Claire would want you to do.”

  “And try not to overthink it,” I said.

  “You should be able to handle that,” Josie deadpanned.

  “Not funny,” Jackson said.

  “Disagree.”

  Josie gently woke Sluggo, picked him up, and handed him to Jackson. Chloe and Captain continued to snore their way through a deep sleep. We waved to Jackson and slowly made our way out of the cove.

  “Strange days,” Josie said.

  “Indeed.”

  “You worried about letting Rocco inside the house?” she said.

  “Actually, I’m not,” I said. “Are you?”

  “Maybe a little,” Josie said. “What if Rocco hasn’t gone quite as straight as he told us?”

  “He wouldn’t be the first criminal we’ve come in contact with, right?”

  “No,” Josie said. “But that doesn’t necessarily make me feel any better.”

  We reached deep water, and I opened the throttle. The bow rose, then the boat planed, and we headed for home at a brisk thirty miles an hour.

  “Besides, what reason could Rocco possibly have to hurt us?” I said over the roar of the engine.

  “Probably the same reason somebody would have to hurt Howard,” Josie said.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning we swung by the restaurant to have an early breakfast with Chef Claire. We’d barely seen her in days, and it still seemed strange not having her around the house in the evening. She seemed tired but happy as she refilled our coffee.

  “How are the pancakes?” she said, cutting into her stack.

  “Amazing,” I said, munching on a slice of bacon.

  Josie tried to speak through a mouthful of food, then gave up and settled for a vigorous nod.

  “Are you guys really sure you want to close the restaurant just for my birthday party?”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “And it’s a Monday. You said it’s our slowest night.”

  “Yes, it’s our slowest, but it’s not really slow. And I’ve already had to turn down several people who wanted reservations for that night,” Chef Claire said.

  “Invite them to the party,” Josie said.

  “Now, there’s a thought,” Chef Claire said, turning around in her chair. “Hey, Morrie. You’re here early today.”

  Morrie smiled and waved as he walked across the kitchen. He accepted Chef Claire’s invitation to have cof
fee and sat down at the chef’s table next to Josie.

  “Good morning, ladies,” he said. “And congratulations on the restaurant. Everybody is buzzing about it.”

  “Thanks, Morrie. But it’s all Chef Claire,” I said. “Why the early start? It’s still dark out.”

  “I have a couple of things to take care of this afternoon, so it’s going to be a short day of work,” Morrie said, taking a sip of coffee. “And I thought I’d swing by as soon as I hit town. Chef Claire said she’s making something that needs to get in the oven this morning. So you’re my first stop.”

  “What time did you leave Rochester this morning?” Josie said, pushing her empty plate away.

  “Just before three,” he said. “And even then I was late getting on the road. I didn’t even get a chance to take check the truck to make sure my guys got all the orders right.”

  “Hey, Morrie,” Josie said. “Would you happen to have an extra Bresaola we could buy from you? I’d love to have some at the house.”

  “Why don’t you just move your bed into the walk-in?” Chef Claire said, laughing as she reached for the plate of bacon.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “She’s been thinking about it. Which one is the Bresaola?”

  “That’s the deep red cured meat that comes on the antipasto. But I’m thinking about adding as its own appetizer,” Chef Claire said. “It’s an air-dried beef. I like to slice it razor-thin and serve it with olive oil, drizzled with lemon juice and capers. It’s yummy.”

  “This girl sure does know her food,” Morrie said, nodding at Chef Claire before glancing down at his IPad. “I’m not sure if I have an extra one, Josie. Let’s see. I have orders for two of them today. So why don’t you go have a look in the back of the truck? If there’s more than two in there, feel free to grab one.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Josie said, hopping to her feet and jogging toward the door.

  “You’d think she was going to Disneyland,” Morrie said, laughing as he watched Josie cross the kitchen.

  “For her, the back of your truck is Disneyland,” Chef Claire said.

  We made small talk for the next few minutes, then we stopped when we saw Josie standing in the doorway with a stunned look on her face.