Murder in the River City(5)

Black looked from her to the baseball behind the bar. He then made a note in his notebook and asked, “What signature?”

“Babe Ruth,” she said.

“Was it widely known that it was a fake?”

“No,” she said when Dooley came behind her and said, “Yes.”

“Grandad,” she continued, “it’s not like you put a sign over the ball saying it was a forgery.”

“If someone asked I didn’t lie about it.”

She shook her head. “You played a game with them, guess which one was fake and you’d give them a pint on the house. Few people got it right.”

“’Tis true,” he conceded as he sat on a barstool.

Black said, “How much was the collection worth?”

“Last time I had them appraised, all together they’re worth about four thousand dollars.”

“That’s a nice collection,” Black said. “Did you notice anyone in the bar paying undue attention to the baseballs? Did you play this game of yours recently?”

He shook his head. “Not for weeks. Maybe months. Mack might’ve,” he added.

“Did Mack have regular hours?”

Dooley nodded. “Wednesday through Sundays, four to closing.”

“Other staff?”

“Three part-time bartenders, but they don’t have a regular schedule and never close. I always close early Monday and Tuesday. They’re slow nights.”

She squeezed her grandfather’s hand, again relieved that he was alive. She asked the detective, “You don’t think someone who works here is responsible for killing Mack?” Before he could answer her question, she continued. “I think you should call everyone in and ask them about last night. Maybe Minnie or whoever was serving the bar noticed someone eying the baseballs.”

Black stared at her, unblinking. He didn’t look happy, but his serious expression didn’t change much so she couldn’t be sure. If he thought he could intimidate her because he was an imposing figure, he was mistaken. She did get intimidated.

“I plan to, Ms. Murphy,” he said. “I’ll be talking to everyone who worked last night, and I’ll make my way through the rest of the staff. But the M.O. fits several other crime scenes—robberies on Sunday and Monday nights, near or after closing, a lot of destruction, only a little cash taken plus whatever they can carry away—liquor, usually, or in this case the baseballs.”

Black said to Dooley, “If you could please make a list of all your employees and their contact information, including anyone you let go or who quit in the last two months, that would help.”

“I will,” Dooley said.

An officer came over and whispered something in Black’s ear. Shauna eyed the exchange. “Is that about Mack? Do you have a lead?” she asked when the officer walked away.

“Generally,” Black said, slightly bemused, “I get to ask the questions. There’s an Austin Davis outside, saying he’s your fiancé?”

“He’s not my fiancé.” Three dates. And she knew after the second it wasn’t going anywhere, but he’d already gotten the tickets to the theater and she didn’t have the heart to cancel. He just hadn’t accepted she wasn’t interested. Just because he was rich, he thought any woman would love his attention. She certainly wasn’t any woman, and his attention had become creepy.

Black raised an eyebrow. “We shouldn’t let him in then?”

She sighed. “He’s a friend. That’s all.”

“An ex-boyfriend who can’t take the hint,” Dooley said. “He’s being deliberately obtuse.”

“Don’t start on me, Dooley,” she muttered.

“I don’t like him.”

“I know.” Shauna put both hands on the back of her neck and squeezed, working on controlling her temper. Considering the circumstances, it was easier than usual, but Austin Davis was a sore spot between her and her grandfather.

She blamed Sam Garcia. If he hadn’t treated her like a lovesick fool, she wouldn’t have been so set on finding someone else to fill the void. Before Austin there had been other guys, but no one who got past the third date. The problem? No one could replace Sam Garcia.

And she had never even had him to call hers. She really was blind when it came to men. Three strikes, you’re out.

“I should have become a nun,” she muttered.

“Excuse me?” Black said.

Dooley shook his head. “Isn’t stalking someone against the law?” he asked, clearly not ready to drop the subject.

“Grandfather!”

“Are you being stalked by Mr. Davis?” Black asked Shauna.