Jack Mackerel and the Case of the Perished Pianist
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Conclusion
©2018 by S. Seifritz
Suzanne Dare had given me enough money to buy a new pair of shoes and a nice dinner, so I picked up a fresh pair of wingtips, and in the evening, I went over to Kelly’s Tavern and had a few drinks. Later, I strolled over to the Dare mansion. It was quite a piece of work, complete with marble lions by the front gate and a beautifully maintained garden. I’d heard Dare had won it in a poker game in Versailles during a concert tour and blown most of his fortune having it shipped to America. Tonight it was crawling with cops the way an anthill crawls with ants. You would’ve thought a donut truck had overturned in the driveway. I spotted the Chief of Police and made my way over to him. He didn’t particularly like me, and I didn’t particularly like him, but we had a sort of professional respect for one another.
“Hey, Mackerel, you piece of rat dung. What brings you out here? The smell of death?”
“Nice to see you too, Chief. Just thought I’d drop by to chat. How’s your wife doing? She still mention my name in her sleep?”
“Look, Mackerel, I’m kinda busy, OK? I’ve got a murder investigation on my hands and to complicate matters, five minutes ago, some outta control delivery truck comes careening up the driveway and dumps its load all over the front lawn. There’re crullers everywhere.”
“Sorry to bother you on your lucky day, but I was wondering what your boys have come up with regarding the Dare murder.”
“Why? What’s your interest in this case?”
“It’s strictly personal. I was a big fan of Philip Dare.”
“You, a piano aficionado? I never woulda guessed.”
“Oh, yeah. When he played chopsticks, it brought tears to my eyes.”
“Yeah, right. Listen, Mackerel, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you better stay outta my hair.”
“That should be easy, considering.”
“Considering wha… Hey! I do not wear a rug! This is my natural hair! Now get outta here before I take you down to the station and test out a new piece of rubber hose.”
Can Jack solve the case on his own? Why such a short segment today? Mmmmm, crullers! To be continued tomorrow!