Chapter 6-1
994 Words
Chapter 6
“What was it like growing up without any brothers or sisters?”
Andy glanced at Sean after he’d asked the question out of the blue as they walked up to Tony Castro’s apartment building the next afternoon.
Tony lived in one of the older areas of Haydon Cliff, about two or three blocks from Haydon Cliff City Park. The apartments had been built in the fifties. Prior to that, the land had been citrus fields.
Andy shrugged. “Normal. For me, anyway. Having not had them, I didn’t miss them, you know? And my parents spoiled me.”
Sean grinned. “Obviously.”
He resisted the eye roll, but barely.
They stomped up the stairs to the third floor of Tony’s building. His apartment was number three-oh-two.
Since they were about to knock on the door of one of their victims’ relatives, Andy didn’t have a lot of time to analyze his new relationship with his partner.
There’d been a lot of s*x the night before and not much sleep, to be honest, and so he was just a touch out of it, which Andy didn’t like. He prided himself on being alert and ready for anything.
They’d stopped through a McDonald’s drive-thru for breakfast before reporting to duty. And then they’d been notified their vic’s son wanted to see them.
Sean stepped forward and rapped his fist on the door.
Andy put his hand on his holster. He didn’t expect any trouble, but he didn’t want to be caught off guard either. A couple of months ago, a uniformed officer got shot when appearing for a domestic call.
Footsteps approached the door from the other side, then the door opened, revealing Tony Castro.
“Come in.” He held the door wide. There was no one in the apartment—a studio—but Tony. He gestured to the kitchen area. “You want some coffee or a soda or something?”
“No, thanks,” Andy answered for both of them. They moved to the small dining room table Tony had set next to the kitchen. “What can we do for you, Tony? Did you remember something that’ll help with your mom’s case?”
During Tony’s first interview with them, they’d learned that he was in his forties and had been born fairly late in his mother’s life. One of three children, he had been her last. He’d told Andy and Sean that his oldest sister, Louise, had died of a drug overdose as a teen, and that his other sister, Maria’s middle child, Ellie, had died of breast cancer ten years ago. Prior to Maria’s murder, it had just been the two of them.
Tony lived in the studio apartment he’d rented after separating from his wife, he’d explained. They’d divorced a couple of years ago and his wife had left Haydon Cliff with their daughter.
When his mother passed away of natural causes—Tony had assumed that would be the case—it was his intention to sell her small bungalow located a few blocks from the docks and move out of the Cliff himself. Maria had been behind in the mortgage payments and had been thinking of doing one of those reverse mortgages to save the place. But then she’d been murdered.
“Actually, Detective, I wanted to know if you’ve made any progress locating the monster who killed my mother.”
Andy exchanged a look with Sean.
“Mr. Castro—” Sean began.
“I told you, Tony’s fine. Look, I’ll be honest with you. I’m really strapped for cash.”
“What?”
“Mama had a life insurance policy with her old employer. They kept it for her even after she retired. As her only living relative, I was her beneficiary. But with her case up in the air, they won’t release the proceeds.” Tony sighed and leaned back in his chair. He twisted his hands together. “I know how this sounds. But I’m in debt up to my eyeballs, paying for my kid, then putting down the money for Mama’s funeral. They finally released her house to me, but that’s all tied up with her estate, too, and even then, the real estate agent said it’s going to be a hard sale—people are already calling it the ‘murder house.’ if you can believe that.”
Andy nodded. “I sympathize with you, Tony. I do. I’ve been through all that with my own folks in the past.”
“But your mother wasn’t murdered, was she?”
“No.”
“I can’t even get a loan to hold me over. My credit’s no good. I can’t even pay the rent on this place when it comes due next week because I had to use the money for a down payment on her funeral. I’m really strapped. Haven’t you made any progress? Don’t you have some leads?”
“Not much,” Sean replied.
“Is Mama’s case related to that other old lady? The one who had more money than Mama.” He narrowed his eyes. He obviously had the attitude that they’d paid more attention to Rose O’Hearn’s case because she’d been wealthier than Maria Castro.
“All indications are that it’s the same killer, yes.”
“Can’t you do something?”
“We’re trying.”
He rolled his eyes and stood. “Sure. You’re trying. All right, I’ll see you out now so you can keep trying.”
A few minutes later, when they reached their car, Andy glanced up at the building, toward the third floor and Tony’s apartment.
“What?” Sean asked.
“Nothing, really. I do feel bad for the guy. This place is kind of a dump. I saw a rat running on the sidewalk when we first pulled up. There’s a lot of crime that happens here. I’d want to bail on this place if I could, too.”
Sean shrugged. “Maybe he could be staying in his mom’s place while everything’s sorted out.”
“Probably not with all that estate crap. And if she didn’t have a will or some other indication what she wanted done with the place…” Andy shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Don’t forget, I was the one who looked into Tony’s background after the murder,” Sean said, getting into the driver side of their police issued sedan. “As I told you weeks ago, he’s basically been a loser his whole life.”
Andy snorted. “You’re a real sympathetic guy, Callahan.”
“Remember? He did some time as a teen for petty burglary. In and out of menial jobs. Barely finished high school, so there’s no college. Has a couple of kids from a first marriage, but they’re all grown up now. Only the most recent daughter’s a minor. He’s been a deadbeat dad all this time, too.”
“Still.” Andy sighed. “Doesn’t mean he deserved any of this. And not his mom being murdered.”
“I know, Andy. And I never meant that he did. I just meant that some of his circumstances are his own doing.” He started the car and pulled away.
- Writer
