The Other Path
Chapter 40
"Not a thing?" Rick presses.
"Just the payments Marion had been making all along and nothing big enough to hire a hitter," Kate confirms. "And going back five years, she never bought a spear or any weapon. Mostly she ordered books. Babe, I hate to think we've wasted all this time, but we've been looking in the wrong direction."
"Maybe not the wrong direction, but the wrong suspect," Rick proposes.
"What are you talking about? What other suspect do we have? Look, I'm done here. You can give me your theory when I get home. Do we have any more of that wine that…
Rick smiles into the phone. "I'll open a bottle to breathe."
"The troopers think they've tracked down the car that dumped Phizbin," Billings reports to Lynch. "They had one that passed between the cameras on either side of where he was found, more slowly than traffic, around 11 pm. The medical examiner said Phizbin died between nine and ten, so that would make sense."
"Whose car is it?" Lynch queries.
"A woman named Melanie Bombosa, aka Melba. She has a record. No convictions, but she was pulled in a couple of times for suspected prostitution. She lives in South Charleston. The police there are picking her up now."
"I want to question her," Lynch decides.
"Are you sure, Sir? The police have detectives trained to do that."
"So am I," Lynch reminds his chief. "I spent ten years as a prosecutor. If she can tie Phizbin to Paulson or Menkin's murder, I'll get it out of her."
Rick plunks down an additional chair behind his desk and gestures for Kate to join him. "As far as I can make out, the woman known as Petal Guillebeaux is Marion Menkin's daughter. I don't know if Joe is the father or not. Neither Marion's family nor the Menkin family had anything to do with Petal. What I've found so far points to her being set adrift when she became pregnant with a black man's baby. He died, and the infant Violette was cruelly injured in an accident. Violette's had to deal with physical and intellectual challenges since that accident. Petal's been taking care of Violette and herself with money she received from Marion. That was coming from the funds that Joe was draining away."
"Petal would have had the same motive as Marion," Kate considers. "But that doesn't tell us anything about means or opportunity. I need to talk to her."
"She lives in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Do you think Simmons would sign off on the trip?" Rick wonders.
"Only if I have something to justify it. I can start by seeing if Petal has a connection with any of the crew on Menkin's yacht."
"West Virginia's a landlocked state. There wouldn't be many people big on sailing."
Kate winks. "Which could give us fewer suspects."
Melba tries her best to look confident. She's had plenty of connected clients over the years: mining executives, judges, members of the state legislature. But dealing with a governor is a first. Lynch places a file on the table as he takes a seat across from her. "Ms. Bombasa, I'm Governor Boyd Lynch."
Melba nods with a small smile. "I know who you are, Governor. I voted for you."
"Always good to speak with a supporter," Lynch acknowledges. "Ms. Bombasa, do you know why you're here?"
"Littering?" Melba suggests. "The police said I threw something out of my car."
Lynch stifles a laugh. "That would have been some hunk of litter. The last time I saw Douglas Phizbin, he was pushing 300 pounds. Look, Melba, is it? Melba, no one thinks you or anyone else killed Phizbin. The medical examiner says he choked on what was probably an excellent cookie. Theoretically, the charge would be concealing a deceased person. That is a felony that could send you to prison for five years. But that would be a waste of state resources. It's my job to minimize waste. So, if Phizbin was with you when he tried to eat the blondie, I need to know what he was up to. And if you cooperate, you're out of here free as a bird. And no one will go after your friends either. The DA would be a fool to prosecute someone I would pardon with a stroke of my pen. So, what was Phizbin doing before he tried to take too big a bite?"
"Governor Lynch, do you ever watch Buck Paulson?" Melba inquires.
A soft groan escapes Lynch's lips. "Not if I can help it."
"Same here," Melba admits. "The man's a d**k. But Douggie loved him. And he thought Paulson was going to make him a senator."
Lynch grabs a pen from his pocket and opens his file. "All right. Step by step, tell me everything Phizbin told you about Paulson's plan for him."
Rick points at the screen. "Look, Kate. I found a funeral notice for the man who died in the accident that injured Violette. I think the pictures match. We might want to run them through some comparison software to be sure. But the timing and the story are right. His name was Grover Evans. According to this, he was 25 and had done a stint in the Navy. So he might have known people who worked on boats. He could have had buddies who knew how to use a spear. And according to this, he left a fiancée named Petal. It all fits. If Petal kept up with Grover's friends, she might have known someone who would have made the hit for her."
Kate stares at the photo of Grover Evans. "All right. Let's have Tech run this against the one in the story about the accident. If they match, I'll ask Simmons to send me to West Virginia."
"What about me?" Rick asks.
"I don't think he'll mind if you tag along – as long as the NYPD isn't paying for it."
"Good. Then we can go first class, my treat."
"Bad news," Leitch announces, closing the door to Loch's office behind him. "My sources report the autopsy report on Phizbin will say the manner of death was accidental."
Loch shrugs, reaching for his cigar scissors. "It won't matter. Paulson can claim Lynch had it phonied up. His audience will believe it. They believe any crap he tells them."
"That story may be a little harder to push. Phizbin was with his bitch on the side when it happened. Lynch has her and her statement. I think we should tell Paulson to drop anything about Phizbin before it bites us in the ass."
Loch snips his cigar – hard. "How about the conspiracy? Paulson can still point the finger at Lynch and Marion Menkin."
"Marion Menkin, maybe," Leitch allows. "She might actually have sent someone to kill Joe. But by itself, that wouldn't help us. And if we keep sending Paulson against Lynch, the fan could blow the sh*t back in our faces. We need a new strategy. Whoever Lynch appoints will only last until the next election anyway. We use our machine to push our own candidate and throw everything we have against whomever Lynch puts in."
"With Phizbin out, who's our candidate?" Loch asks. "I want someone who'll back my agenda, no questions asked."
"I haven't figured that out yet," Leitch admits.
"What about someone from FIX?" Loch suggests. "We need Paulson where he is. But Lana Graham always keeps to her talking points. She'd make a good pawn."
Leitch shakes his head. "Only if we hide the booze."
