Thursday Morning
Stone parked his car at Fit-Right Gym, looking around at nearby vehicles. The gym had a large parking lot, having taken over the location from a grocery store. “It looks like they’re doing a good business of getting people to exercise.”
“Diet and exercise are an obsession for some people.” Roberts closed her car door.
“I prefer beer and bikes.” He opened the door to the gym and Roberts entered the brightly lit interior.
Stone approached the front counter. To the left side was a gate. A man approached the gate and used a plastic card on a card reader to unlock the door.
A smiling woman behind the counter greeted them. “Are you first-time visitors? We have a special discount for couples.” A name tag showed her name was Stephanie.
Stone showed his police badge. “We’re here on a different sort of exercise.” He showed a picture of Joseph McCarthy on his phone. “Do you recognize him? He said he was here last Friday.”
The woman studied the photo. “He looks familiar, but I can’t say for certain he was here on Friday. What’s his name? I can check the log entry.”
Stone told her his name and watched as she typed an entry on a keyboard.
“Yes, his card was used on Friday. The time was four-seventeen in the afternoon.”
“Could someone else have used his card?”
“Not likely. His photograph is on the card and Nicole watches the guests as they enter. We take turns covering the entrance.” She pointed at a petite brunette at the end of the counter. “I can ask her if she saw him on Friday.”
“Please do.”
Nicole walked over to where Stone and Roberts stood when Stephanie called her over.
“How can I help you?”
Stone showed the photo again. “Do you recall seeing him last Friday?”
“Yes, he was very friendly. Gave me a wave as he entered.”
“Okay. Mr. McCarthy also said he talked to a Tom Kassian, a trainer here.”
“Sure, he’s here right now. I’ll get him.” Stephanie disappeared into an office behind the counter. A few moments later, a tall, athletic man appeared.
“How can I help you?”
“Do you recall talking to this man?”
“Sure. He asked about the cost of a personal trainer. I think it was a few days ago.”
“Do you recall the time you spoke with him?”
He closed his eyes, then opened them. “Yes, it was shortly before I was going to get something to eat. It was a bit after five pm, or closer to half-past five.” He looked pleased at his memory recall.
Stone thanked him and noticed the exit doors were set away from the entrance area. He commented to Roberts. “They don’t check to see who’s leaving.”
“Are you thinking Joseph could have left immediately after checking in, drove to Morgan’s office, murdered him, and then returned here?”
“It is possible. Morgan’s office is a twenty to twenty-five minute drive. He could have murdered our victim and returned here in time to have a conversation with the personal trainer to establish his alibi that he was here at the time. And…” Stone pointed at the entrance, “some people are entering without a card. Nicole is buzzing them through.”
“Let’s ask if it’s possible Joseph was able to enter a second time that way.” Roberts walked to counter and beckoned Nicole to speak with her.
“We noticed some people were allowed to enter without a card. Can you tell us about those circumstances?”
“Sure. Some are here to see our massage therapist, and they wouldn’t necessarily have a membership for that. The other situation is if a member forgot his card, or if a person was on a trial membership or visitor’s pass.”
“Okay, thanks.” Roberts looked at Stone, who was staring at the entrance. “What do you see?”
“Two members entered. The first used his card to open the gate. The second member stopped the gate from closing. He did touch his card at the card reader, so it likely acknowledged he arrived as well. But what if Joseph, when he returned a second time, followed a member in without using his card?”
“You mean he pretended to use his card in case someone was watching, but never registered his second visit?”
“Exactly. That leads to the problem of proving that’s what he did. It also makes me wonder who used the second knife to slice Morgan’s throat. I’m thinking our mild-mannered Joseph had a cohort he met to deal with our victim.” Stone began to walk to the exit.
Roberts followed him. “His wife?”
“Perhaps. But I don’t get that vibe from her. Like, she is a petite woman who doesn’t strike me as someone that would wield a knife. I’m thinking more along the line of one of his buddies. For example, Michael or Rover.”
“Rover has a pretty good alibi.” She opened the car door.
“True. But we do know Michael was there. Perhaps he didn’t just discover the body but was the killer along with Joseph.”
“Okay, if we go with that, then Joseph’s wood carving knife was used to stab Ryan Morgan in the back. That may be appropriate, seeing he was having an affair with Rachael. Joseph would have felt betrayed by his golfing buddy. But where is the second knife? The large knife we found in the dumpster hadn’t been used.”
“Yeah, there is that problem as well.” He started the car. “Maybe the second person was Paige Butler. Maybe she did jog over to help out Joseph from the coffee shop.”
“But where is the knife she would have used?”
“I don’t know. But let’s go to that coffee shop and see if the other employees saw her leave for a few minutes.”
“Louise said Andrews was attending tables at the time. Let’s check if he’s available now.”
* * *
Stone and Roberts stepped out of the parked car in front of Charmaine’s Coffee Emporium. They entered the coffee shop and went to the front counter and waited until the manager, Louise, finished with a pair of customers.
“Hi, you need more information?” Louise asked after she walked to where they waited.
“Yes,” Stone replied. “You mentioned Andrew worked the tables and may have noticed more about the customers.”
“Yes, and he’s here right now.” She pointed at a young man cleaning a table.
“Thanks.” Stone went over to the medium built, sandy-coloured hair man.
“Excuse me, can we ask you a couple of questions?” Stone showed him his identification.
Andrew suddenly looked nervous.
“It has nothing to do with you, just a couple of customers you may have served,” Stone explained.
“Oh, sure.” He looked relieved.
Roberts held up her mobile. “Do you recognize this woman from Friday afternoon?” She showed an image of Paige Butler.
“Oh, yeah, sure. I remember her. She was with another woman. A blonde.”
Roberts showed him another photo, this one of Brooke Morgan. “Was this the other woman?”
“Yes, that was her.”
“Do you recall if during their coffee together, did one of them leave the coffee shop for a few minutes?” Roberts looked through the windows, seeing the street and the building where Ryan Morgan had his office.
“No, I don’t think so. But the first lady did go to the washroom and afterward was just standing there and watching something through the windows. I looked to see what she was watching but didn’t see anything.”
“She just watched, didn’t go outside?”
Andrew shook his head. “No, she just went to her table afterward.”
Roberts showed him another photograph, this one of the servers identified as Jill by Rover. “Have you seen her here?”
“No, I don’t remember seeing her before.”
“Okay, how about her?” Roberts showed a photo of Melisa.
“Hmm, yes, she was here. She was here earlier on Friday. She had a table by the window.”
“Was she alone?”
“She was at first. Then some guy sat at her table.”
“What did he look like?” Roberts noticed Stone was scribbling notes as he listened to her questions. “Can you describe him?”
“No, not really. White guy, dark hair. That’s about all I remember.”
“How tall was he?” Roberts persisted with her questioning.
Andrew shrugged. “Average, I guess. Taller than she was.”
“What was he wearing?”
“I don’t know. Nothing special. Jeans and a t-shirt. Sorry, I wasn’t paying any attention to him.”
“But you can describe her?”
“Sure. Short blue skirt, high heels, nice hair.”
“How long did they stay?” Stone asked.
“Not long. He didn’t even have a coffee. She didn’t finish hers.”
“Did you see where they went afterward?”
“No, I just cleaned off their table.”
Stone sighed. “Okay, thanks for your help.”
After Andrew left, Roberts asked, “What do think of that interview?”
“I think Andrew has a real strong eye for the ladies. Men, not so much. I also would really like to ask our office-manager girl what she was doing here about the time of Ryan Morgan’s murder.”
“I’ll phone to see if she’s at home and not having her nails done.”
* * *
Stone stepped toward the apartment tower entrance and held the door open for Roberts. “I’m wondering who the man was she was meeting. Someone involved in the murder?”
“That would mean it also involved Melisa in the murder.”
“Yeah, maybe she isn’t all peaches and cream.”
They reached the elevator and rode it to the floor. Melisa quickly opened the door to their knock.
“Detective Stone, it’s nice to see you again. Please come in.”
Stone walked toward the kitchen, looking at the stainless-steel appliances. Next to the kitchen, glass shelves displayed a few bottles of spirits. A wine rack hung on the wall nearby, showing off a half-dozen bottles of wine.
“Nicely stocked bar.”
“Thank you. I only drink wine, but I keep other liquor for guests.”
Stone joined Roberts and sat on the couch, facing Melisa sitting across from them.
“Ms. Regan, according to a witness, you were at Charmain’s Coffee Emporium on the Friday Ryan Morgan died.” Stone looked at her, waiting for her to reply.
“Yes, I suppose I was. I sometimes go there after work.”
“Can you tell us the reason you were there?”
“It’s a coffee shop. I went there for a coffee.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“So, you went for a coffee and sat by yourself? Did you do anything while sitting there?”
“I drank my coffee.” She sighed.
“Did you talk to anyone?”
Melisa eyed Stone suspiciously. “Why do you ask? I’m not opposed to be talking to people. Often men come up to me and ask for my name and number.”
“You’re being evasive.” Stone raised his voice at her. “You met someone at Charmaine’s. Who was it and why?”
“I don’t like your tone, Detective Stone.” Melisa glared at him. “Yes, I met someone at the coffee shop. He contacted me and wanted a date. I met him there and turned him down. Do I have to explain to you what a date means?”
“You’re an escort. A date in your business is pretty self-explanatory. What was his name? Why did you turn him down?”
“I can’t remember his name. I turned him down because I didn’t have a good feeling about him. That’s one of the reasons I met him in the coffee shop. I didn’t want him to know where I lived. I usually have a few dates first before I let someone to my apartment.”
“Alright. You just turned him down, and he left. He wasn’t upset?” Stone scribbled in his notebook.
“No. I told him the price of my company. It was too high for him. I was glad he just walked away.”
“Okay. Can you tell me what he looked like and what he was wearing?”
“I don’t remember. He didn’t leave an impression on me. I guess average looking. That’s all.”
“Was he white, coloured? Dark hair? What kind of shirt was he wearing?”
“White. I don’t know what shirt he was wearing or the colour of his hair. Like I said, he didn’t leave an impression on me. I forgot him as soon as he left.”
Stone checked his notes. “Do you have anything to add to your coffee meeting?”
“No. Quite frankly, you’re wasting my time with these questions.”
Stone glanced at Roberts, who looked toward the ceiling. “Very well, that’s all the questions for now. You may regret not being more forthcoming.”
“I’m telling you all I know.”
Stone closed his notebook. “I don’t believe you.” He stood. “We’ll be in contact with you again.”
Stone and Roberts left the apartment, with Melisa slamming the door behind them.
“I don’t believe she wants to be your friend anymore,” Roberts commented.
“The feeling is mutual.”
“You told her you thought she was lying.”
“She is.” He entered the elevator. “There’s no way she didn’t remember what a potential client looked like if she rejected him from his appearance or lack of funds. Second, our witness, Andrew, said she left with him. The guy, whoever he was, wore jeans and a t-shirt. Tell me, if he was a client who could be wanting to make use of her services, why would he be wearing jeans? A suit would be closer to the attire for a man able to make use of her company.”
“Good points.” She looked at him as the car came to a halt. “Is this mystery man her accomplice in Ryan’s murder?”
“He could be. Who do we know that wears casual clothes and would conspire with her to murder Ryan Morgan?”
“Rover?”
“Yes and no.” Stone walked from the elevator to the front doors of the apartment. “He wears casual clothes, but he has a good alibi. Besides, I think Andrew would remember a big guy like that.”
They walked toward his car. “Where to next?” Roberts asked.
“The Hi-Lite Bar. I want to talk to that server, Jill Campbell.”
* * *
Roberts followed Stone into the bar. Her eyes adjusted to the lower lights, and she glanced around the interior. The pub was clean, with the tables and chairs organized in a pattern. The best light was where the bar was set up, with the beer taps at the front and bottles of spirits displayed on a glass shelf at the back. While there wasn’t one thing that bothered her, the overall impression was that it was a place she would avoid going to on a night out with her friends. She saw Stone was approaching a tall man, who appeared to be the manager.
Stone held up his police identification. “Are you in charge here?”
“Yup, at least until the new owners take over.”
“What’s your name?” Stone flipped open his notebook.
“Mitch Harold.” He crossed his arms. “Can you tell me what the hell is going on? I heard the owner was murdered, and I’m not sure that I’m supposed to even have the bar open, let alone if I continue to order supplies.”
“Sorry, I can’t help you there. Did you know the owner?”
“We met a few times.”
“What did you think of him?”
Mitch frowned. “I didn’t like him. Acted like a big shot.”
“Were you surprised he was killed?”
“No, can’t say I was. Look, he had a shady side to him. He allowed a drug gang to use this bar to make transactions in return for a cut of the pie. It’s scared off a few customers and I don’t ask the girls to serve their tables. That I handle myself. No point at putting them at risk. But I’m telling you, I was looking for a new place to work before he was killed.”
“Was there a lot of money involved in these drug dealings?”
“It was more than what the bar made legitimately. Look, I have work to do. My cook didn’t show up for his shift, so I gotta cover that.”
“The cook didn’t show up? What’s his name?”
“Tyler.” He stopped and thought a moment. “Tyler Harris. He’s been a no show before. He has a drug problem and gets too wasted to make it in some days. I’d can him, but it’s hard to find help these days. He’s actually a pretty smart dude, good cook. He just has an addiction problem.”
“Was he here last Friday?”
“He worked the weekend shifts. From about six to closing. He had Monday and Tuesday off.”
“Was he here yesterday?”
“He was. Look, it’s not unusual for Tyler to go on a bender. He’s missed a few days now and then.”
“Okay. We’re looking for a Jill Campbell. Is she on shift today?”
“Yup.” He pointed to where a blonde was cleaning up around the VLT machines. “That be her.”
“Thanks. Could you get me Tyler’s phone and address? We may want to talk to him.”
“Sure, give me a minute.” Mitch turned and walked to the back of the bar.
“Anya, why don’t you have a conversation with the server? I’ll wait for Mitch.”
“Sure.” Roberts walked to the back of the bar, approaching the waitress. “Hi, can I ask you a few questions?” She held up her identification.
Jill nodded and stopped wiping down the VLT machines. “Is this about Ryan Morgan?”
“Yes. How well did you know him?”
“Not too well. He came in here a couple of times. It was mostly to talk to Mitch.”
“We found photos of you on his computer.” Roberts watched her reaction.
“Oh, shit. Can you delete those? I shouldn’t have posed for them. I went to his office with a girlfriend, you know, as protection, and he gave me a couple of hundred bucks to let him take photos. I’m glad my girlfriend was with me, ’cause I was feeling really uncomfortable later. He was leering at me as he took the pictures.”
“What did Mitch and Ryan talk about?”
“I don’t know, but he told off Mitch one time. I don’t think they liked each other.”
“What do you know about Tyler Harris?”
“He’s okay. Takes drugs. This isn’t a place he should be working. Too much drugs in this place.”
“Anything else you know about Ryan Morgan?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But can you get rid of those pictures? I don’t want anyone else to see them.”
“I’ll do what I can.” Roberts walked back to where Stone was standing.
“Find anything useful, Anya?”
“No, other than more confirmation, our victim was one sleezy character. According to Jill, he didn’t have a good relationship with Mitch. I guess that is to be expected.”
“I showed a photo of Melisa Regan to him, but he didn’t recognize her.” Stone walked toward the exit. “I think there’s a lot of illegal stuff happening here, but possibly not related to our murder.”
“I agree, but is it just a coincidence Tyler Harris is missing from work so soon after Morgan was murdered?”
“Good question. I have his phone number and address. Let’s see if we can dig out more information on him.”
They walked to his car while Roberts made the phone call. After listening a few moments, she announced there wasn’t an answer. “It just went to voice mail. I didn’t leave a message.”
“Damn. This case is frustrating. Everyone has an alibi or isn’t available for questioning.”
“Well, you can’t expect criminals to want to make it easy to be caught.”
“I suppose. But most criminals aren’t that smart.” He started his car. “But if you look at the people Ryan Morgan associated with, most of them are university educated. So I guess we may be dealing with smart criminals.”
Roberts did up her seat belt. “That may make it more interesting. Do you have a primary suspect?”
“No, just the knowledge suspects have been lying to us. Joseph McCarthy is lying about his missing wood carving knife. I believe Rachael McCarthy told him who she was having the affair with. But if Joseph did stab Morgan in the back, then who finished him with another knife? Melisa is also lying to us, but is she a person who would attack our victim with a knife? I have trouble picturing her wielding a knife.”
“Don’t underestimate her. Long nails or not, I’ll bet she can use a knife to get what she wants.”
“I learned a long time ago not to underestimate women.”
“Because we’re smarter?”
“No, more devious. I think it’s time to pay a visit to Joseph McCarthy. I want to see if we can shake him up a bit. He’s hiding information from us.”