Identical Misfortune by Richard Zappa

Identical Misfortune by Richard Zappa

Author:Richard Zappa [Zappa, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime thriller
Publisher: AIA Publishing
Published: 2020-07-29T22:00:00+00:00


Chapter 30

The sound of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” was the best his cellphone could offer as a ringtone. He liked the singer and the song, and sang it often with the band, always trying his best to imitate Stewart’s gravelly, throaty singing voice. Jenny had the night shift. He was lying diagonally across the bed in his briefs, mostly on Jenny’s side, smelling her scent on the sheet and pillow. The early morning call interrupted the dream he was having of her and softened his erection. He reached for his cellphone.

It was Crowder.

“Hey! I just nodded off. You know we have a six o’clock stakeout tomorrow morning … I mean today.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he spoke. “You woke me up in the middle of a dream.”

“I know. I saved you from splashing around in it and having to change the sheet when it’s over.”

“What! Are you outside, looking at me?” He shot a quick glance at the bedroom windows.

“I’ve got way better things to do, partner.”

“What’s up?”

“You won’t believe this,” she said. “A couple of hours ago, there was an explosion in the garage at the Livingston home. It was an inferno when the fire department responded. The blaze is under control and mostly out, but not much is left of the garage.”

“And Ann Livingston?”

“Apparently not much is left of her, either.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one was in the house when Fire responded. But the remains of a body were found burnt to a crisp in the front seat of Ann Livingston’s Lexus. Wasn’t enough left to do a visual identification, but it’s looking like it was her. Her wedding band was on what was once a finger. Cap wants us to handle the investigation. He’s reassigned the stakeout. I’ll meet you at the house.”

“Damn lucky the rest of the family was away when it happened.”

“I know. It could have been worse, a lot worse. She must have waited for them to leave. Must have been planning it around their trip.”

“Looks like the third time’s a charm,” Steele said. “Ann Livingston finally got it right.”

~

Captain O’Malley waited for his detectives in the living room of the Livingston home, making small talk with a tall, good-looking man in his early forties. Crowder and Steele arrived shortly after one in the morning. O’Malley waved them over.

“Dr. Moore, this is Lieutenant Crowder. She and her partner, Sergeant Steele, are the detectives heading the investigation.” The detectives acknowledged Moore with head nods. O’Malley looked at Crowder. “Dr. Moore is a clinical psychologist and personal friend of the family. He was also Ann Livingston’s therapist for many years. I’ll let you take over from here.”

O’Malley retreated to the privacy of the study for the task of breaking the news to Ben Livingston. Being the bearer of bad news came with the territory of a homicide detective. One thing he’d learned early was that bad news was best delivered the right way, which was right away. He called from the house phone.



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