We got out of the car. The owner – his name was Leon Fisher, I remembered – jogged across the parking lot to join us.
"I was about to call you when I saw you, Detective," he said. "I just got a call from Citi Field."
"What was this call about, Mr. Fisher?" I asked.
"It's David Jonas," he began.
"The first baseman?" Henry inquired.
"Yes. He apparently stopped in the middle of practice and told his manager to take him to the police because he wanted to confess."
I blinked at him. "Confess to what?"
"He wouldn't say. He's on the way to your precinct now. I wanted to give you the heads-up." He shook his head. "If he had something to do with Tom's death... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't warn you he was on his way."
"Thank you, Mr. Fisher," I said, walking backwards towards the car.
"We appreciate it!" Henry added, opening the passenger side door from behind. Without another word, we jumped in. I had the car in reverse and was backing up before Henry had even closed his door.
"Honest and rich," I said as I drove, shaking my head. "I've hardly met anyone like that in my lifetime, and now I've met two in one day. Well, one, technically. I never met Thomas Bishop."
"I did, once," Henry told me.
I looked over at him. "You met Thomas Bishop, and you're just now caring to enlighten me?"
He laughed. "It was a long time ago, Detective. He was a child, maybe nine years old. He came into the antique shop and purchased a brooch for his mother. Polite and courteous even then."
"Cute." I pulled into my spot by the precinct and parked. "I think that's our man right over there," I said, nudging Henry.
"No, I changed my mind," David Jonas was saying, pulling at his manager's arm. "It's over, it's done, I don't want to confess anymore–" He froze when he saw me walking towards him. His eyes were still red, his voice scratchy.
"Have you committed a crime, Mr. Jonas?" I asked, showing the manager my badge.
"No, no, I haven't," he insisted.
"That's why you stopped practice and made your manager drive you down here? Because you have not committed a crime?"
"How did you know that?" the manager demanded.
"Ask Leon Fisher," I replied without looking away from Jonas. "Well? Do you have something to confess?"
He flinched. "Yes, I mean, no, I mean, no, definitely not, I haven't done anything wrong. Let's go, Ned."
"Wait, please." Henry's voice was quiet and commanding. The manager stayed put. Henry walked over to Jonas. "What has happened to your throat, Mr. Jonas?"
"I've been crying, okay? I'm torn up over Tom's death."
"And I suppose that's your explanation for your eyes, as well?"
"Yeah, duh."
Henry turned to me. "Did you see the crime scene photos from Bishop's bedroom?"
"Yes, why?"
"There had been some flowers on his dresser. Daisies, as I recall. The seeds spread all over the room when the plants fell to the floor." He turned back to Jonas. "And crying on its own would not have such a drastic effect on your eyes and throat, Mr. Jonas, although I commend it as a plausible excuse. You are allergic to daisies, aren't you?"
"No," Jonas said, but he didn't look at Henry when he said it.
"An allergy to daisies doesn't necessarily prove anything," I told Henry.
"No, but daisies aren't in season this time of year, Detective," he replied, still eyeing Jonas. "They're not even in stores yet. Mr. Bishop must have been growing them from seeds. When Mr. Jonas here was in Mr. Bishop's bedroom, his allergies kicked in, causing his eyes to redden and his throat to swell."
"I was in his bedroom, but I didn't kill him," Jonas burst out suddenly. "I swear, I didn't kill him!"
I smiled grimly. "Let's go talk about that, shall we?" I put a firm hand on his shoulder and steered him into the precinct. "Nice catch on the daisies," I said to Henry in an undertone.
"It was a bluff," he murmured. "Daisies have been in season for weeks."
I gaped at him, then grinned. "Well done, Detective Morgan."
He gave me a slight bow. "I learned from the best."
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. The daisies bluff is one of my favorite moments of the whole story. :) Thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed!
KenH - I'm glad you think the response to the waiter was in character for both parties!
Superlc529 - Goodness, I'm bitter about that too. It was such a good show, for so many reasons.
Passerby - I thought about that, but I decided that this didn't feel like a bribe, which is what I assume that regulation would be against. The manager wasn't trying to shift Jo's investigation into a different direction; Jo wasn't saying she wouldn't investigate unless she got what she wanted, and she didn't ask for it. I'm sure in legal terms it would still be wrong, but it seemed to fit the story, so I'm choosing to believe that Jo wouldn't get into trouble.
