Falafel Jones - The Kewpie Killer (11 page)

I displayed my Press credentials to one of the patrolwomen, and asked her, “Who’s in charge?”

“Detective Cavanaugh, Ma’am, he’s not here now. You can talk to Detective Carlyle.” She pointed to Robby. “Over there, interviewing a witness.”

Head bent in concentration, Robby wrote on his pad while he listened to what another man told him. I watched them interact. Even though he was in charge, you could still see Robby’s boyish demeanor.

A golfer standing by the police barricade called out. “Hey!”

When nobody responded, he said, “Hey, Officer.”

The patrolwoman turned to the golfer and put her hands on her hips. “What?”

“How soon can we play through? I got a chance at an eagle here.”

“You can’t finish this hole. Move on.”

The golfer turned to his friend, “Now what?”

The friend said, “Rule 25 Abnormal Ground Condition. Drop the ball somewhere you can play it.”

“But, I can’t get closer to the hole and if I sank this shot, I’d a been two under par. Besides, rule 25 doesn’t apply. The problem’s not the ground. It’s what’s on it”

“Then rule 23, Loose Impediments. You’re going to have to wait till they move the body.”

The first golfer looked down at his feet and shook his head. “Nah, no good.”

The patrolwoman said, “Boys. Enough. Rule 28. Ball Unplayable. Add a stroke to your score and move on to the next hole.”

The first golfer asked the second one, “Work for you?”

“Sure, I’m still ahead. Let’s get outta here and play while we still have time.”

As I watched them wander off, Eddie nudged me. “Robby’s finished talking.” Eddie and I walked over to speak with him.

“Hi, Raquel,” Robby said, pointed his pencil at Eddie and asked, “Who are you?”

“Detective Edward Franklin, Achalaca County, Florida.” Eddie showed Robby his shield.

Robby raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn’t respond. He knew I had a thing for a guy from out of town who stopped calling me but I never told him more than that. He asked Eddie. “You here on this case?”

“Yes and no. here on personal business now, but was here last month after that Kewpie Doll killing. We’ve got similar cases back home.”

“How did you know this was a Kewpie killing? I just found the doll a minute ago.”

“Don’t know, didn’t know. I was with Ms. Flanagan when she got the call so I came with her.”

Robby stared at Eddie. I didn’t think he believed him. “Robby, it’s true. Eddie and I were eating at the Inn when I got the call. He just came along.”

Robby said, “Lunch? So, he’s a friend of yours, Raquel?”

“Yes, we met when Eddie came to follow a lead on a Florida murder.”

Robby nodded as if satisfied he solved at least one mystery and said, “Stick around you two. I’m going to want to talk when I’m done here.” He walked away towards a group of patrol officers.

Eddie and I stood around until we got tired of it and went to sit in our cart. About twenty minutes passed when we noticed a commotion where the woods bordered the golf course. Someone must have found something. A patrol officer summoned the others. Eddie and I joined the group headed to the woods. We got there right behind Robby.

“Detective,” the officer said, “see that over there? Tire tracks. Like on a golf cart.”

Robby shook his head at the officer, “Golf carts on a golf course aren’t unusual.”

“Yes, sir, but these go all the way through the woods, off the course.”

Robby faced Eddie but asked the officer, “To the Inn?”

“No sir, the other direction, to the Fairgrounds.” Robby looked disappointed.

Eddie asked, “Is that where the Kelly carnival’s located?”

The officer looked at Eddie and then at Robby as if to see if he should answer.

Robby said, “Yes, it is. Come with me,” and started along the path.

The patrol officer, Eddie and I followed.

After a few minutes, we came out the other side of the woods and followed the trail to the carnival. When we got to the entrance area, foot traffic obliterated the tire tracks. Pops left the ticket booth and came our way. His eyes widened and he hurried over to the patrol officer.

“What’s up? Are you here about that farmer? I can’t take this publicity. Attendance is down.”

Robby showed Pops his badge and asked, “You have any golf carts?”

“Sure. Why?”

“Where are they?”

Pops pointed to two carts by the ticket booth. “Both here. What’s going on?”

“Did anyone use either one today?

“Leonardo did. He needed to chase a goat. He escaped from the petting zoo. The goat did.”

Eddie walked over to one of the carts, sniffed it, looked at me and shook his head.

Robby asked Pops, “When was this?”

Eddie sniffed the other cart, made a face, nodded and came back to us.

“Dunno. Maybe an hour and half ago? Look, He’s over at the popcorn joint. Go ask him.”

We found the popcorn stand next to the public parking lot in the shade of a yellow and red camper van like the one I saw the other day. I tried to look in the van’s window but couldn’t see anyone. When we arrived at the stand, Leonardo gave us that grin and asked, “So how many will it be? Buttered or plain?”

Robby showed him his badge.

Leonardo said, “The Law, huh? OK. You got me. I’m guilty. It’s not real butter.”

Robby asked him, “You take out one of the golf carts today?”

“No popcorn, huh? Sure, a goat escaped. Too bad they didn’t teach goat herding in business school. What’s up?”

“Have you been to the golf course today?”

“No, don’t play. Why?”

“Where’d you find the goat?”

Leonardo pointed in the direction opposite from the golf course. “About two miles that way. Took about an hour or so to find the little guy.”

“When’d you get back?”

“Around noon, had to cover a shift at the stand.”

Robby wrote something in his pad and said, “You see any other carts?”

“No. Why? What’s going on?”

“Just looking for someone. Thanks for your help.” He nodded at Leonardo and left with the patrol officer. Eddie and I followed them back to the golf course.

When we got back to the murder scene, Robby conferred in private with a few of the officers. Then he walked over to Eddie and me and asked, “Coffee?”

We nodded, got into our cart and followed Robby up to the Pro shop.

Eddie returned our cart while Robby and I bought coffee at the snack bar. After Eddie joined us at a picnic table overlooking the course, Robby asked, “Raquel. Can I trust you not to release what you hear until I give you the go ahead?”

“Sure.”

“Detective Franklin, I’m telling what we know out of professional courtesy. Can I expect you’ll act in kind?”

“Sure.”

“OK. We examined the scene and we’re calling it a homicide. Looks like the victim suffered a fatal blow to his head from a Kewpie Doll we found near the body. The doll’s head’s broken off and the bloody bottom seems to match the victim’s wound. M.E. thinks we missed the killer by minutes… ” Robby looked side to side and then at Eddie, “Could even still be nearby.”

“Did you also find any carnival tickets on the victim?” I asked.

“No, why?”

“You told me that the dead farmer had a stub from a complimentary ticket.”

“Yeah, from a missing ticket book. His name wasn’t on the comp list.”

“If this guy had a ticket from the same book, it could mean something.”

Robby nodded approvingly and made a note in his pad. “Thanks, that may help. I’ll check on that.”

“Have you IDed the body?”

“He was carrying a wallet, full of credit cards and cash. I’m going to hold his name until we notify the family.”

Eddie said, “So, it wasn’t a robbery. It was personal. Was he a local?”

“Driver’s license says so.”

“Where else did he live?”

Robby narrowed his eyes at Eddie. “How do you know he also lives somewhere else?”

“I don’t but he’s a golfer, old enough to be retired, and has recent MYR luggage tags on his golf bag. Waalbroek winters bring a lot of snow and he has too good a tan for June. I’d guess he’s a snowbird from the Carolinas, Myrtle Beach area. Lotsa golf there. What kind of doll?”

“A Kewpie Doll bank.”

Eddie asked, “Was the man a banker?”

Robby held up two clear plastic evidence bags. One contained a gold dollar symbol, which might have come from a money clip or lapel pin. The other bag held a watch.

Eddie manipulated the watch through the plastic and read aloud, “40 years of service Northeast Savings and Loan.” Then he added, “The date on this engraving is ten years ago. If someone killed this man for being a banker, they killed him for something that happened in the past.”

Robby snatched the bag back from Eddie and said, “You seem to know a lot about this victim and you read that small print like you knew what it would say. I had to use a magnifier.”

“You trying to say something?”

“Maybe you just did.”

I never saw Robby like this and I didn’t like it. I wanted to ease the tension so I asked Robby, “Do you have anything else?”

There was silence for a moment as the two men watched each other’s faces. Then Robby turned to me and said, “We interviewed the folks in the Pro Shop. Their reservation book shows the victim had a solo tee time of 11:32. The foursome that found him on the green and called 911 teed off at 11:47. They started only 15 minutes behind him but a solo golfer plays a lot faster than a foursome so the more holes they played, the more he got ahead of them.”

I thought Eddie might be angry at Robby. I would have been, but Eddie said in a casual tone of voice, “Until he died. What’s the time of death?”

Robby looked at Eddie for a moment without answering, then he said, “They found him here at the fifth hole at 12:50. Based on his tee time and how long a solo golfer takes to play four holes, we figure he died maybe 11:45, noon the latest. Where were you between 11:30 and 1:00?”

I couldn’t believe Robby suspected Eddie. “Robby. Eddie was with me at lunch. What’s wrong with you?”

“That’s a convenient place for the killer to eat. Do I have to check the time with the restaurant?”

Eddie answered and I could hear the change in his voice, “No. Raquel arrived at 12:15 and we ate until 1:00. From 11:30 to 12:15, I waited in the lobby and then in the bar.”

“Will anyone remember you?”

“How the hell should I know? What’s going on here, Carlyle? What’s this all about?”

“We’ve got carny deaths with Kewpie Dolls in two states and the only thing the cases have in common is you. Did you really come to town after that farmer died? You sure you weren’t here before?”

“Robby. I know he wasn’t. I phoned Eddie in Florida and spoke to him the day after it happened.”

Robby smirked, “Right, the day after. It’s only a few hours flight to Florida.”

Eddie stood up, slammed both of his hands down on the table and Robby jumped. “All right. That’s enough, Detective Carlyle. Somebody left us six dead bodies. Weren’t you at both New York murder scenes? Have you ever been to Florida? This is amateurish nonsense. If you want my help, fine. If you want me out of here. That’s fine too. You know where to reach me.”

Eddie threw his coffee cup in the trash and headed for his car. I hurried to follow.

He drove the short distance back to the Waalbroek Inn and parked next to my car in the lot. He sounded furious when he spoke to Robby but seemed calmer now.

We sat there quietly for a moment and I asked, “Eddie?”

“Hmm?”

“When you were talking to Robby, you used the phrase, ‘Six dead bodies.’ How do you count six?”

“The Bride and Groom, the Clown, the bookie-loan shark, the Farmer and now, the Banker. Six”

“Besides the dolls, what do you think connects them?”

“I don’t know.”

We sat in silence for a moment and then I said, “Well, I’ve got to get back to the office if I want this story in the next edition.” I reached into my bag for Mom’s car keys and came up empty. Then, I looked around in Eddies car. Still no keys.

After watching me rummage for a few moments, Eddie asked, “What’s up?”

“Can’t find my car keys.”

“Got a spare?”

“Yeah, one of those magnetic things under the wheel well, but I’d like to find my key ring. I’ve got other stuff on there.”

“How can I help?”

“Oh, I’ll be ok. I may have dropped them when I put on my sunglasses at the popcorn stand. I’ll retrace my steps.”

“Drive you over?”

“Sure, thanks.”

Eddie drove me to the carnival. He parked and we entered the fairgrounds. When we passed a hotdog cart, Eddie couldn’t resist, stopped and ordered two with the works.

“You sure you don’t want one? These are almost as good as Nathan’s in New York.”

“No, thanks. Eat. I’ll be right back.”

I went on ahead to the now closed stand where we spoke with Leonardo. It only took me a minute or two to see my keys on the ground near the cart. I bent over to pick them up, heard a loud boom and went flying.

I opened my eyes to a cloudless sky and wondered why my view changed from down to up. I heard nothing, but the silence hurt my ears. When I bent my neck to sit up, the world spun.

Faces loomed over me, a man with a metal bolt sticking out of his forehead, an old woman the size of a toddler and a boy who looked like a monkey. I began to panic, and then remembered the sideshow.

They all pulled back as Eddie pushed through to reach me. He leaned in close and looked in each of my eyes. His lips moved but nothing came out. As he talked, I realized I couldn’t hear. He ran his hands over my arms, legs and nose to check for injuries. I was sore but it felt so good when he touched me.

More people appeared next to Eddie, first Leonardo and Pops, then Brenda. She leaned over and touched my cheek.

Behind Eddie, uniformed police pushed back a crowd. Then Robby showed up and he and Eddie argued in silence.

Thing had just stopped spinning when Mom arrived with Uncle Bill. Her eyes were wet, tears dripped down her cheek and her mouth moved without interruption while she bent over, touched my hair, face and shoulders. I was glad I couldn’t hear her crying. She must have realized I was deaf because she grabbed Robby’s pad and pen from his hands and wrote, “R U OK?”