Dead luck, p.16
Dead Luck, page 16
I guessed Wendell couldn’t have been too busy, running the office by himself. Likely answering the phones himself too. I had yet to see any other attorney in the place, guessing it was just him. Solo.
Ray stuck his head out from Wendell’s office. “Thank you, Henry.” He shook my hand.
Alex and I continued down the hall to exit the building, but I stopped, turning back to Ray and Wendell still standing in the doorway. “Ray, did I tell you about Zack Mazer?”
Ray stared back at me. “Zack?”
“You know him, right?”
“Yeah, he’s on the football team at the school.”
I walked back toward Ray as Wendell watched me with a curious look on his face.
I told them how it all happened with Zack, starting with the locker room, even the part about me grabbing the kid’s arm. “Then the father wrote me a thousand-dollar check.”
Wendell pointed with his thumb over his shoulder and into his office. “Listen, I’ve got work to do. Does any of this have to do with Ray’s case?”
I looked at Wendell but didn’t answer. I said to Ray, “You ever have any run-ins with the kid?”
Ray took a moment before he answered. “He was always a bit of trouble. He wasn’t a player coaches would consider coachable. Showed no respect to me or anyone else on my staff at any time. Kid would skip practice, miss the bus, then wonder why he wasn’t playing. The thing was, he wasn’t good enough to have the attitude he did.”
“But you know the father?” I said.
“Zack came here from a private school. I’m not even sure what happened or why he transferred to the public school. But I remember how the parents wanted to be involved in sports right away. The mother jumped right on board with the booster club, took over as treasurer. And the father, well, like a lot of parents, he thought his kid was better than he was. He actually showed up at my door one night.”
Wendell seemed to stop paying attention until that point. “He showed up at your door? For what?”
Ray shrugged. “He wanted his kid to play.”
“Wait,” I said, glancing at Alex, her eyebrows raised looking back at me. “What happened?”
“Told Shondra he wanted to talk to me about his son. I don’t know if he’d been drinking, or what. But she was pretty upset, the way he was acting.”
“You weren’t there?” Alex said.
“No, I wasn’t. But according to Shondra, he didn’t believe her. He demanded she get me. The guy wouldn’t let up. She told me she threatened to call the sheriff’s office, and that’s when he finally left.”
“You have any other problems with him?” I said.
“It was late in the season. It’s not that out of the ordinary, a father wants to talk to the coach. I try to let ’em know it’ll do more harm than good. But they can’t help it. Guy like John Mazer, with his deep pockets, thinks money’ll make up for having a kid who’s a so-so athlete.”
“You think he had anything to do with you being fired?” I said.
Ray looked at me and shrugged. “It crossed my mind.”
Chapter 24
I was alone at the bar at Billy’s Place, waiting for Alex to come down from the office. She had spent the ride back from Fernandina Beach on her phone doing research and wanted to run up to the office and dig deeper on her computer.
I needed a drink.
Billy came over with my glass and two cubes of ice and poured a good shot of Jack over the top of it without asking. He knew enough to know when he didn’t have to. “What’s the latest?” he said.
I picked up the glass and held it up in front of me. “The latest is I have some weak leads.”
Billy looked surprised. “Weak leads?”
I looked around as the working crowd came in through the door, one after another, and headed straight for the bar. The dining room looked to be filling up, and within the few minutes I’d been there, most of the seats at the bar had been taken.
I said, “I was hoping it wasn’t this busy.”
Billy stepped to the beer tab, filled a couple of pints. “Well, someone’s gotta pay my bills.” He smiled as he turned and carried two beers to someone at the far end of the bar.
I hadn’t talked to Billy as much as I normally did. He was a good friend. The smart one. Sometimes, in a funny way, talking to him was like talking to my dad. There was always a good mix of logic, common sense, and careful consideration.
Characteristics missing in most people.
I felt someone come up behind me and turned to see Alex standing there, looking around the bar area. “You all right?” I said. I put my hand on the stool I’d been saving next to me.
“Why’s it so crowded?” she said.
I shrugged. “I have no idea. But did you find what you were looking for up there?”
She sat down. “I think there's too many people around to discuss it.”
I looked at her, curious and interested, wondering what it was she’d found. But she was right. It wasn’t the time or place to openly discuss a murder investigation.
The ride back from Wendell Richards’ office wasn’t much different from the ride back from Naples. There was something in the air around Alex and me. We both knew what it was, and in the car together, it was apparent neither of us wanted to approach it. Although we had plenty else on our minds other than our kiss down in Naples.
Sometimes drinking will push you in a direction you prefer not to go. But sometimes it’s not bad. I had wondered which one of us would bring it up. But neither did.
Billy gave Alex a nod from the other end of the bar, leaned into the cooler, and pulled out a bottle of Corona. He held it up for her and she gave him a thumbs-up. He walked toward us with the bottle, wiping his brow with the back of his forearm.
Alex nodded. “Busy tonight, huh?”
“You’re not kidding,” Billy said. “I’m getting too old for nights like this.”
The volume of the voices around the bar was beyond my comfort zone and why I normally avoided coming to the bar—any bar—during the busiest of times.
“Where’s Chloe?” I said.
Billy wiped his hands with the towel he kept draped over his shoulder. “She and Jake took the night off together. So here I am, busier than expected, and I don’t have my head chef or my only other bartender.”
Alex lifted her beer, holding it up in front of her mouth. “Why don’t you hire someone else?”
“Nobody wants to work anymore,” he said. “And when I do hire someone, they don’t last. Or they steal.” He put two menus in front of us. “If you two want to order food, better do it soon. The kid in back’s not the fastest.” He looked out into the dining room. “Gets any busier…” He pushed out a smile. “I should be happy, right? All this business?” He laughed and walked away, through the swinging door into the kitchen.
I opened the menu.
Alex sipped her beer. “Maybe we should go upstairs after we finish these.” She looked around and leaned closer to me. Her voice quiet, but loud enough so I could hear her, she said, “Just confirmed John Mazer has a criminal record. Was arrested for embezzlement about eight years ago as the CFO for a paper plant in Georgia.”
“No kidding,” I said. “Did he do time?”
She nodded. “Six months. Fined an undisclosed amount.”
I closed the menu. “How long’s he had the accounting business here in Jax?”
“Moved to Florida six years ago, started his firm. Looks like it’s just him.” She had her phone up on the bar and turned it to me. “Here’s a picture of his wife, Catherine.”
I looked at the glamor shots of Catherine Mazer. She was a good-looking, middle-aged woman. In the photo, she wore a sleek red dress and high heels.
Alex turned the phone back and looked at the screen. “This was a photo of her at a fundraising event up in Georgia.” She tapped the phone and turned it my way once again. “This is their house. She shares plenty of photos of the inside: the new eighty-inch TV they bought, new furniture…”
“Big house for three people,” I said. “You know where the house is?”
She nodded. “It’s about a mile away from the high school.” She swiped her finger across the screen. “Here’s one of their recent vacations in Aruba. She’s one of those people, not afraid to share every little detail of her life with anyone who’s got nothing better to do.” She tapped and swiped and turned the screen so I could see it. “Here’s what she had for dinner last night. She posts just about everything she does, including every meal. Other vacations. They travel quite a bit, according to her Instagram.”
“I’m not sure I understand that,” I said. “I never liked looking at someone else’s vacation photos before the internet. Now, it’s all you see. Who cares? And who cares what you made for dinner?” I faced forward, holding my glass up in front of me with my elbows on the bar. “Good for you, you know how to cook.” I laughed, threw back what was in my glass, and slid it toward the far edge of the bar in front of me.
“Are you all right?” Alex said. “You seem a little, uh, on edge?”
I could feel her staring at me, but I kept my eyes straight ahead. “I guess I am,” I said. “Nothing feels right about this case.” I nodded at her phone. “I appreciate you digging into John Mazer. But there’s likely nothing there. Nothing where Shondra used to work, nothing with Mindy Hawkins.”
Alex faced me. “You said it yourself. We’re just getting started.”
“And we’re already running out of time.” I tried to get Billy’s attention, turning to Alex. “You know, Ray seems like a decent guy. But there’s something, something I… I’m not sure I believe a lot of what comes out of his mouth.”
Alex kept her eyes on me for a moment. “This is what we’ve been hired to do. This is what we agreed to. Something else has to add up.” She picked up her beer. “Aren’t you the one who had to talk me into taking this case? And made me promise I was all in? Now, what… you’re having doubts already?”
I said, “I don’t know if I’d call them doubts. But let’s just say I’m concerned this isn’t going to turn out well.”
She leaned forward, her arms folded in front of her on the bar. “You always worry when we have a tough case. And every single time, you start to doubt your own abilities. But we always pull it off.”
“What if, this time, the odds are against us?” I held up my empty glass for Billy and finally caught his eye. “I’m going to get one more.”
Alex sipped her beer, still facing me. Her eyes were still on me.
I looked around as more people came in from outside. “Look at this place. It’s a gold mine. I should’ve opened a restaurant.”
Alex laughed. “What? Where did that come from? You don’t even like to cook, do you?”
I continued staring straight ahead, watching Billy at the other end laughing with his customers, a couple of regulars I recognized. “Look at all the fun he’s having.”
Alex rolled her eyes, straightening out in her seat.
We both sat still. Quiet, looking straight ahead.
I looked at her. “Who said I didn’t like to cook?”
Alex shrugged, giving me a funny look. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cook anything.”
“Where am I supposed to cook? The galley? There’s barely enough room to make a sandwich.”
Alex had a pleasant look on her face. “Are you telling me you’re a good cook? After all these years?”
“Just because I’ve never put a meal on Instagram doesn’t mean I don’t know how to cook.”
She laughed.
“I’m serious. When I had a kitchen… a real house. I used to cook.”
Billy walked over, dropped two ice cubes in my glass and poured me a good shot of Jack.
“I wish I had time to chat,” he said. “You want to order anything?”
I looked at Alex, and we both shook our heads. “We’ve got work to do,” I said. “I think we’re going to head out after this drink.”
Billy nodded. “All right. I know how much you like crowds. I hear you. But stop back later, if you want, before you go home.”
I nodded, and Billy walked away, disappearing into the kitchen.
Alex put her hand on my arm. “So when are you going to cook for me?”
I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was going on. Did she want me to cook her a meal? Maybe even post a photo of it on Instagram?
“Where am I going to cook? The galley isn’t going to cut it.”
“What about at my house?” she said, looking quite pleased she seemed to have persuaded me to do something.
I looked her in the eye. “You really want me to?”
“Why not?” she said, holding her bottle up under her lip. “It’s a date.”
I stood at the window looking out from our office toward the darkness hanging over the parking lot and the St. Johns River behind it. Most of the crowd downstairs at Billy’s Place had left. I let Alex drive the Mustang home, and I was deciding if I’d spend the night on the couch, or walk home to the marina.
There was a knock at the door from the back stairs from the kitchen below. Billy walked in, looking around my office. “Where’s Alex?”
“She went home. She didn’t want to leave Raz alone.”
Billy looked at his watch. “I just came up to say good night. I saw the light on.”
“Already?” I said.
“I’m beat. Long night,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t keep doing this, working behind the bar like that. It’s a kid’s game. I should be thinking about retirement, heading down to South Beach.”
“South Beach, huh?” I said. “You ever think about living on the other side?”
“The other side of what? Florida?”
I nodded. “Over there on the Paradise Coast, where my parents are.”
“Naples?” He shrugged. “I guess it never crossed my mind. I don’t know, aren’t there a lot of old, rich people around there now?”
“Can’t you say that about most of Florida?” I said.
Billy shrugged. “I don’t know. But why’d you ask me about Naples?”
“I guess I’ve been thinking about it.”
“Moving to Naples?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Because of your parents?”
I nodded but had trouble getting the words out for a moment. I had a lot on my mind and needed sleep. I hadn’t even called my parents since I’d been back and felt guilty about it.
“Someone’s going to have to take care of them,” I said. “And, well, that someone’s probably going to be me.”
“Your dad’s doing all right, isn’t he?”
I looked out through the window, into the darkness hanging over the river. “It’s hard on him.”
Other than the air from the A/C blowing through the vents, my office was quiet.
“Are you heading home soon?” Billy said, reaching for the door.
I looked at the couch. It was new, and comfortable, but I wasn’t sure I needed another night on a couch. “I’ll probably walk home.”
“You want a ride?”
“Nah. I could use a walk. It’s a nice night.”
“You sure?” he said, pulling open the door.
I gave him a nod. “Thanks. I’ll be all right.”
“Okay. See you later.” Billy walked out and closed the door behind him.
It was almost one in the morning when I left the office, walking along Trout River Drive. The night was quiet, and I felt more awake than I had just a few hours before.
There was a chill in the air. But I didn’t mind. I’d worn my jeans, although short sleeves weren’t made for what felt like cooler weather coming through.
I could see the wooden sign at the entrance for the Trout River Marina on the right, still a good distance from where I was. Headlights came up from somewhere behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. A car seemed to be coming toward me, but it was back at least a hundred yards. And it was moving slowly.
I continued my walk and didn’t think much about the headlights, although they continued getting brighter the closer the car got to me. I didn’t look back. But I knew something wasn’t right.
I picked up my pace and thought about turning into the parking lot to the building on the right, the entrance before the marina. But a ten-foot high chain-link fence separated the building’s parking lot from the parking lot at Trout River Marina. I couldn’t see myself making the climb.
And I was also curious about the car driving behind me.
Looking over my shoulder again, the car seemed closer. I could see my breath in the glow of the headlights, the car starting to pick up speed. I tried to get as far off the road as I could, but the area to the side was damp and muddy from a hard rain earlier in the day.
I looked back one more time, but the car was so close I had to stop and use my arms to block the bright lights. The engine roared, like the driver was giving me a warning. And by the time I realized what was about to happen, it was too late.
The car sped up and came directly at me. I tried to dive out of the way, but the car’s right front quarter clipped me, taking out my legs and sending me head over heels into the fence before the marina’s entrance.
I swear my body felt like the blade of a fan, spinning in the air. I tried to catch my fall but the first thing to hit was my head, clunking off the steel fence post.
I was awake. At least at first. I was on my back, staring at the dark night sky. I tried to get a look at the car, but nothing moved. I couldn’t feel my hands or feet. My ears were ringing so loud, I thought my head was going to explode.
I closed my eyes, hoping it was a bad dream. Was I paralyzed? Was I dead? The ringing and everything around me quieted. But my eyes wouldn’t open.
Chapter 25
An old man I didn’t recognize crouched over me, his hand on my shoulder, shaking me. “Buddy, you all right? Hey, Buddy.”
I sprang up from the cold, damp ground squinting my eyes from the sun coming up over the horizon. I looked at him staring back at me, turning my eyes toward the road and back to the sign for the Trout River Marina. For a moment, I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there or why I was there.
