If Cooks Could Kill Part 19

He studied the mug shot taken three years ago when she was arrested. An attractive woman despite her hard, cynical smirk, with features surprisingly similar to Connie's, except that her hair was longer and darker, and her eyes gray. He quickly read through her record. She'd been sent to prison on a three-year term because of embezzling from her boss, one Max Squire. She'd recently been released, on parole, from the Women's Correctional Facility at Chowchilla.

On parole...he called over to Benson. "Where's Calderon? Your partner has been making himself scarce around here lately."

Benson grinned. "Last I heard, he was going to lunch with that tall, skinny blonde Angie brought over here. She calls every hour on the hour to talk to him. He's either fallen for her, or he's going to kill her."

Paavo cringed. Knowing Calderon, he had an idea which it was. Calderon was divorced. His wife had taken the kids and moved to New Mexico, saying she couldn't handle being married to a cop any longer. He was bitter about life and everything in it, but Paavo couldn't say that that bitterness had come about because of the divorce. He'd been bitter before the divorce; after, he'd turned completely toxic.

Paavo turned back to the reports on his desk and read Rebecca's findings. At times, handling a homicide investigation was like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This was one of them.

Maple's eyes were gray, but she wore blue contact lenses. Her natural hair color was a dark shade of blond, yet she'd dyed it light ash. Her resemblance to Connie Rogers, as far as he could tell, was no accident.

A woman who looked like Connie had robbed a jeweler. Was it this woman?

According to the jeweler, a man was also involved in the robbery-a man whose description fit Max Squire.

Connie had met Max Squire at Wings of an Angel. The victim was found with a Wings of an Angel matchbook in her hand when she died.

A parole officer had shown up in Homicide looking for a woman who'd skipped and allegedly killed a man in Fresno. The woman's name was Veronica Maple.

This puzzle was trickier than most.

Continuing with her file, he turned to her younger years. One of her cohorts back then was Sid Fernandez.

He knew about Fernandez from the Gang Task Force. They'd come to him a couple of years ago, hoping to find a way to pin a homicide on El Toro, since they'd so far failed to tie him to any drug dealings. Fernandez was smart, though. He covered his tracks well.

Two of his underlings were picked up, one for robbery, another for murder, but there was no solid evidence linking them to Fernandez, and the men wouldn't talk. Paavo figured they both had families to protect.

Paavo also noticed that back in those early days with Fernandez, Maple sometimes stated she was married but separated, and other times said she was single. Nowhere in the file did she give her husband's name, if there ever was a husband.

Maple was her maiden name.

Strange. No one had questioned her on it; no husband had ever shown up.

He had to wonder if Veronica Maple was the true victim, or if someone had wanted to get Connie Rogers out of the way. If word went out that Maple was dead and Connie was the real target, her life would be in danger.

Whoever had shot her had probably run, but might also have hidden and watched as the paramedics picked her up. They would have seen she wasn't dead.

A strange cat-and-mouse game was going on. If the cat knew the mouse was dead, it would go away, but if it didn't and kept hunting...

Paavo walked into Wings of an Angel.

"h.e.l.lo, Inspector," Earl said. "Can I get you somethin' to drink?"

"No thanks," Paavo said. "I'm here on business." He took out a photo, Veronica Maple's mug shot, and handed it to Earl. "Do you know this woman?"

Earl looked at it. "Who is she?" he asked, not meeting Paavo's eyes.

"I was hoping you could tell me something about her. We were given information that she had some connection with this restaurant."

"I see." Earl swallowed hard and studied the photo a little longer. "If you got da case, it don't mean she's dead, does it?"

"Not everyone I investigate is the victim." Paavo carefully chose his words.

Earl grew increasingly nervous and handed the photo back. "I don't know her."

"I'd like to go back and talk to Butch and Vinnie," Paavo said.

"Wait, Inspector. You don't hafta do dat. Dey'll come out an' see you."

"No need. It's just a couple of questions."

"You wait right dere!" Earl dashed away. Paavo frowned and sat down to wait for Vinnie and Butch. When he two men arrived, they didn't look pleased to talk to him.

"I'm here about a case," he began. Although no customers were in the restaurant at the moment, he added "If you'd rather go into the kitchen, or someplace more private, that would be fine."

Vinnie glanced balefully at the other two. "Right here is okay." The three eyed each other, then each took a seat. Earl wiped a drop of perspiration from his temple.

"Do you recognize this woman?" Paavo asked, showing them the mug shot. "Her hair may be lighter and shorter."

Butch was the first to back away, followed by Vinnie, then Earl. "Is she dead?" Vinnie broke the team silence.

"We're investigating her," was as far as Paavo would go.

"I already tol' him I never seen her," Earl said quickly.

Vinnie scowled at him, then at Butch. "I've never seen her neither," he responded.

"Ditto," Butch added. "Why you askin' us, Inspector?"

"Something was found at a crime scene that might link her to this restaurant. We're trying to find out why."

"Sounds like a coincidence to me," Butch said, standing. "We don't serve no criminals here. An' if a dame what looks like her came in here, Earl would remember-right, Earl?"

"Sure," Earl said, also getting to his feet. "Sounds like one of dem coincidences, don't you t'ink, Vinnie?"

"Sure. It's a big coincidence. Nothin' else." Finally, Vinnie also stood. "If that's all you want, Inspector..."

He stopped talking as he watched Dennis stride into the restaurant.

"Hey, looks like the gang's all here!" Dennis chuckled and patted his uncle as he traded h.e.l.los.

"We ain't got nothin' for you today," Butch frowned. "You may as well go home. Now!"

"Go? I just got here. I'm hungry." Dennis said, then paid closer attention to the expressions of the three owners and Paavo. "What's wrong? You guys look like you lost your last friend."

"I'm trying to find out about a woman."

Dennis froze.

"Here's her picture," Paavo said.

He looked at it, his face drained of color. "Did...did something happen to her?"

"I'm just asking about her. Do you know her?"

Dennis's smile was sympathetic, but without any warmth or brightness now. "Can't help you, I'm afraid. Well, I, uh...I better be going," he said, backing up. "I didn't mean to intrude. I was just going to say hi to my uncle. In the neighborhood and all. Later. You'll be around, Butch?"

"Sure, kid. I'll be here for you."

Paavo didn't answer. He watched the vanished Dennis with cold speculation, then said good-bye to the three owners huddling nearby.

Dennis stood alongside his Jag, lighting a cigarette as Paavo left the restaurant. He walked with Paavo to the old Austin Healey Paavo drove when no city-issue car was available.

"What brought you to Wings looking for information about that woman?" Dennis asked. "My uncle and his friends aren't connected with anything, are they?"

"Just following up," Paavo said. "You had an interesting expression when you looked at the photo."

"Not every day I look at a mug shot. She a felon or something?" Dennis asked.

Paavo stared Pagozzi straight in the eye. "If you know anything about her, you should tell me."

Dennis toyed with his car keys, then grabbed them, as if making a decision. He faced Paavo. "Some years back, a guy I know had a girlfriend. She ended up doing time. Some kind of money scam. Embezzling, I think. I didn't really understand it."

"And?"

"And...I'm not sure." He studied Paavo a long moment. "It might be her. But that doesn't mean Max is involved. He's not that kind of guy."

"Max who?" Paavo asked innocently.

"Max Squire." Dennis looked at him curiously. "I thought you knew him. Angie and Connie both do."

"Is that so?" Paavo said, trying not to grit his teeth. "Tell me about this Squire."

"He's a good guy. Down on his luck right now, so I helped him out, got him some bookkeeping work with my uncle, a few free meals, that kind of thing. In fact, the woman in the picture-I think she was the one who ruined his career. Heck, ruined his whole life. If it's her, she's bad news. Real bad. I don't know why a guy like Max got involved with her."

"What does he look like?"

"Tall, medium build, I'd say. Dark blond hair, long-needs a cut bad, brown eyes." The description was getting too familiar.

"How did you know Max Squire?"

Dennis sighed heavily and gave Paavo a you-aren't-going-to-believe-this look. "He was my financial advisor."

Angie spent the day hovering near her telephone waiting for Paavo to tell her Connie was being released. When she heard a knock at her door, even though it was lighter than Paavo's usual hard rapping, she hoped it was him with good news.

Instead, she found Nona standing there with a gla.s.s bowl filled with chocolate-orange trifle. Nona was blinking back tears.

"What's wrong?" Angie asked.

Nona shoved the trifle at her. "You and your big ideas!"

They went into the living room, where Angie tried to calm her sometime friend down.

"It's bad enough that I once went to meet Luis for lunch-"

"Inspector Calderon?" Angie asked, stunned.

"That's right, and he showed up reeking of disinfectant and G.o.d-only-knows what from an autopsy room; then, when I thought we were going out on a hot date, we ended up at the morgue because he had to witness someone identifying a body, but today, when I worked so hard to make that dessert, he came by just long enough to say he couldn't stay because he had to go to question some people about an old woman found dead in her bathroom. She'd obviously died of natural causes. I mean, she was old!"

"That's the life of a homicide inspector," Angie said.

"His questions could have waited until after he ate dessert. I told him so-me or a meaningless investigation. And"-she sniffled-"he said, 'Hasta la vista, Toots'? Can you imagine?"

Angie just shook her head.

"How could I have wasted my time with a man old enough to be my father-almost-with creaky knees, overly pomaded hair, a cranky personality...and who uses a word like 'Toots'? This is just too mortifying."

Angie got out a couple of bowls and spoons. They drowned Nona's sorrows with layers of chocolate custard, whipped cream, orange slices, and chocolate genoise.

For Angie, though, not even Nona's trifle could take away her constant worry about Connie and the heaviness in her heart.

Chapter 22.

"I need to ask you a few questions about the day of the robbery, Mr. Zakarian," Paavo said as he stood in the doorway of the jeweler's home.

"Of course. Please come in."

Paavo walked into a beautiful Presidio Terrace home, in one of the most exclusive parts of the city-the area where U.S. Senators, a chain of former mayors, and other top politicians lived. It was a part of the city that Angie had her eye on.

He couldn't see living in a place like this. He'd probably feel he should wear a powdered wig and brocade jacket just to go to breakfast.

The opulent living room was a riot of gaudy French furniture and oversized gilt-framed paintings and mirrors. Angie's parents also liked this very ornate furniture that cried "money." Paavo, on the other hand, preferred rustic and comfortable. Right now he liked Angie's taste: refined and not overblown. He could only hope it stayed that way.

Zakarian showed Paavo to a sofa framed in cream-painted wood and upholstered in beige with gold thread embroidered in the pattern of leaves. He was unsure if he should sit on it, until Zakarian plopped himself into a matching armchair. Between them was a delicately carved coffee table that looked like it might fall over if heavy cups were placed on it. "I want to know if this man is familiar to you," Paavo asked, placing a mug shot of Max Squire on the table.

After talking with Pagozzi, he'd pulled up Max Squire's arrest records. Around the time Veronica Maple was put in prison, Max had gone on more than one rampage of bad temper. He'd even once threatened to kill her when being questioned by the police. Later, he'd been arrested a couple of times for a.s.sault, but both times the charges were dropped.

What had he been doing these three years? Pagozzi's own story had checked out-he'd lost money when Max was caught up in Veronica's scheme, but had recouped most of it. Squire's finances, though, were a different story.

From all Paavo had learned about the situation, he couldn't say that he blamed Squire for being furious. Nonetheless, the arrests had left a trail of violence that had to be accounted for. Coming face-to-face with the woman who had caused him all this trouble might have driven him over the edge.

Zakarian crossed the room to a cream-and-gold-edged sideboard and pulled a pair of reading gla.s.ses from the drawer. "I need these, I'm afraid."