BESTSELLERS & BEST FRIENDS
My book publishing blog, with murder mysteries woven through it.
If this is your first visit, be sure to start with “1. Let’s do it!”
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“Joey!”
He was as stunned to see me as I was to see him. He sat next to me, and we talked our way across Pennsylvania.
It turned out that Joey was on the train to New York to see me. His dad told him that if anything happened, “Go see Brallier. And be sure to get his jacket back to him. You got to do that.”
Wow, Freeman felt that bad about stealing my jacket?
Joey continued, “Something’s not right. I had to see you. Dad was nervous. He had a story. It was going to piss off people.”
“Your dad pissed off a lot of people over the years. Whatever it was, why didn’t he just run the story?”
“Where? There’s one newspaper left in Pittsburgh and it’s owned by a right-wing wacko my dad hated, and certainly didn’t trust.’”
“But Joey, your dad,” I choked up a bit, “It’s not like he got killed, it’s—”
“I think he was.”
What?
“Joey, I’m just a book publisher, but I watch a lot of TV mysteries and it’s clear that if you’re going to talk murder, you have to have an autopsy. And yesterday, I saw your dad’s ashes start off for New Orleans. Even if there was something funky going on, it’s too late.”
“That wasn’t dad. That was Spanky.”
“What? Who?”
“Spanky, our dog. He died last year, we kept his ashes. Dad’s body is actually at the coroner’s.”
“How the hell did—”
“Remember dad broke the big story about the corrupt Pittsburgh coroner? Dad’s key source for the story was this woman at the coroner’s office back then. She used to come over for dinner. And for drinks. I got to know her. She’s a good person and is now the coroner, a nice job she’d never have if it wasn’t for dad. So when I called her—”
“She grabbed your dad’s body,” I interrupted, “and you substituted Sparky’s—”
“Spanky.”
“Whoever’s ashes.” I paused. “Unbelievable.”
“Dad was feeling good. Sure, nervous like I said, but he was never happier than when working on a big story. Then suddenly, boom, he’s dead at his desk. And Mr. Gibson showed up right away. You know, that Matt guy…Matt Gibson. Meanwhile, dad said to ONLY trust you. Why not Matt, who lives in Pittsburgh? Or Mr. Wilson, uh, Rich Wilson, who’s got all sorts of money?
Dad told me to keep my ears and eyes open. If things aren’t adding up, just shut up, be careful, don’t pass GO, wear this stupid jacket—he insisted on returning the jacket—and go see you.”
What the hell?!
“But hold on, Joey. What happened in Ligonier? I saw you abducted—”
“You did? How?”
“There’s a Ligonier webcam, I was watching it.”
Joey looked at me like I was from Mars. “You sit around and watch a webcam? Of a town that has, like, two people?”
“It’s better than smoking. Long story,” my hand dismissed the webcam and smoking stuff. “So, Joey, what happened? Why?”
“I got nervous after, well, stashing dad’s body. He had been so excited yet that last week his nervousness sort of shifted into fear. Then the day after he died, I came home and somebody had been in our apartment. Dad’s papers were all over the place, shelves emptied. I was getting scared. And I had just lost dad who told me not to trust anybody. I was all alone,” Joey hesitated, rubbed his hands. “Hold on.”
He took several deep breaths. I did the same.
Then he continued, “So anyway, remember when dad was working on that coal miners union story years ago and people threatened to kill him? Well, he had to go into hiding. He remembered when you guys, back in college, popped out to Ligonier for a weekend. It seemed the perfect place to lay low. He rented a cottage that was back behind some big swimming pool called Ligonier Beach.” I nodded my head yes, I know it well. “So I grabbed a bus to Ligonier, thought I’d do what dad did. I then went to some place called Joe’s Bar.” I nodded my head yes, I know Joe’s very well. “Then Joe’s closed and I started walking to the place I rented when BLAM—I get jumped.”
Joe’s and Ligonier Beach
Joey paused again. More deep breathes. “I gotta take a break, sir. I gotta walk a couple of cars, you know?”
And I too needed to pause.
Tomorrow: Joey, Spanky the dog, and riding the rails (continued)