in.”
“Really? Like where?”
“Well, for starters, you never mentioned anything about getting the shit beat out of you. You happen to moonlight as a cage fighter?”
I shook my head. “Two guys roughed me up last night. I still don’t know why.”
“You report this to the police?”
I shook my head. “Didn’t see any reason to. I was able to handle it.”
“Where’d this happen?”
“I think it was in Pinellas County, outside your jurisdiction.”
“You think?”
“I’m pretty sure. We were off Gandy.”
He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and looked heavenward for a moment. It was a good look for him. C-Rod had a few inches on him in the height department, but Shields was the stockier of the two. I’d put my money on him in a fight, too.
He looked at me like he’d had an afterthought. “By the way, I saw you talking to that lawyer back there at the courthouse. You sure you don’t want a lawyer present?”
“You advising me of my rights?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, unless you do. But sure, let’s say I’m advising you of your right to counsel.”
“Well, in that case, I think we’re fine.”
He took out a notebook and hunched over a few inches. “So let’s start from square one, then.”
“I served Scalzo with a subpoena last night, as he was finishing dinner. That’s really about all I know.” I was going to answer his questions as directly, and curtly as possible. I was hoping his follow-ups would tell me more about what I didn’t know. Like where Scalzo was killed.
“What time was that, when you served him?”
“About eight o’clock.”
“And where was that?”
“Armani’s.”
“Out by Rocky Pointe?”
I nodded.
“Very nice. I take my wife there sometimes for special occasions.”
I smiled, checked my watch and let out a little sigh to remind him I had things to do.
“I can see you’re a busy man. I’ll try to hurry. So, Armani’s. Was that the only time you saw Scalzo? What went down at his condo yesterday?”
“I was there in the morning, but Scalzo wasn’t.”
“What time was that?”
“Probably around ten-thirty.”
“Was anyone home?”
“There was a girl staying there.”
He looked up. “What kind of girl?”
“The working kind.”
He told me to describe her. I did the best I could, and felt a flutter as I did.
“Sounds like some girl. She have a name?”
I told him I thought it was Angie, and he wrote that down.
“Big tits?” he asked.
“I guess you could say that.”
“Kind of look like a porn star?”
“Sounds like you already know who I’m talking about.”
He nodded again. “So you were there to serve the subpoena?”
“That’s right.”
“She tipped you off where Scalzo was going for dinner?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t know. Just said they were going to dinner last night, somewhere special.”
He grinned. “And then you did your detective work.”
I nodded. “And found him at Armani’s.”
“Well done. I’m sure you’re being well-paid. Who was the attorney who hired you?”
I told him about Wilcox and the little I knew about the lawsuit. I figured most of this was stuff that he knew or should have known, and this was mainly an exercise to test my truth-telling.
“You didn’t return to Scalzo’s place after Armani’s last night?”
That piqued my interest. “I did not. But why do you ask? Is that where he was killed?”
He shrugged. “I suppose it’s public record now, but yeah, that’s where his body was found this morning.”
I took some relief that his body wasn’t found at the garage. I wasn’t going to bring that up and hoped the good detective didn’t go there, either. I shook my head in disbelief. I knew I was pushing it, but I decided to give it a try anyway. “So how’d he die?”
He smirked and said, “That’s not public record yet, I don’t think.” It was time for him to resume control. “So when you saw Scalzo at Armani’s, it
“Really? Like where?”
“Well, for starters, you never mentioned anything about getting the shit beat out of you. You happen to moonlight as a cage fighter?”
I shook my head. “Two guys roughed me up last night. I still don’t know why.”
“You report this to the police?”
I shook my head. “Didn’t see any reason to. I was able to handle it.”
“Where’d this happen?”
“I think it was in Pinellas County, outside your jurisdiction.”
“You think?”
“I’m pretty sure. We were off Gandy.”
He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and looked heavenward for a moment. It was a good look for him. C-Rod had a few inches on him in the height department, but Shields was the stockier of the two. I’d put my money on him in a fight, too.
He looked at me like he’d had an afterthought. “By the way, I saw you talking to that lawyer back there at the courthouse. You sure you don’t want a lawyer present?”
“You advising me of my rights?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, unless you do. But sure, let’s say I’m advising you of your right to counsel.”
“Well, in that case, I think we’re fine.”
He took out a notebook and hunched over a few inches. “So let’s start from square one, then.”
“I served Scalzo with a subpoena last night, as he was finishing dinner. That’s really about all I know.” I was going to answer his questions as directly, and curtly as possible. I was hoping his follow-ups would tell me more about what I didn’t know. Like where Scalzo was killed.
“What time was that, when you served him?”
“About eight o’clock.”
“And where was that?”
“Armani’s.”
“Out by Rocky Pointe?”
I nodded.
“Very nice. I take my wife there sometimes for special occasions.”
I smiled, checked my watch and let out a little sigh to remind him I had things to do.
“I can see you’re a busy man. I’ll try to hurry. So, Armani’s. Was that the only time you saw Scalzo? What went down at his condo yesterday?”
“I was there in the morning, but Scalzo wasn’t.”
“What time was that?”
“Probably around ten-thirty.”
“Was anyone home?”
“There was a girl staying there.”
He looked up. “What kind of girl?”
“The working kind.”
He told me to describe her. I did the best I could, and felt a flutter as I did.
“Sounds like some girl. She have a name?”
I told him I thought it was Angie, and he wrote that down.
“Big tits?” he asked.
“I guess you could say that.”
“Kind of look like a porn star?”
“Sounds like you already know who I’m talking about.”
He nodded again. “So you were there to serve the subpoena?”
“That’s right.”
“She tipped you off where Scalzo was going for dinner?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t know. Just said they were going to dinner last night, somewhere special.”
He grinned. “And then you did your detective work.”
I nodded. “And found him at Armani’s.”
“Well done. I’m sure you’re being well-paid. Who was the attorney who hired you?”
I told him about Wilcox and the little I knew about the lawsuit. I figured most of this was stuff that he knew or should have known, and this was mainly an exercise to test my truth-telling.
“You didn’t return to Scalzo’s place after Armani’s last night?”
That piqued my interest. “I did not. But why do you ask? Is that where he was killed?”
He shrugged. “I suppose it’s public record now, but yeah, that’s where his body was found this morning.”
I took some relief that his body wasn’t found at the garage. I wasn’t going to bring that up and hoped the good detective didn’t go there, either. I shook my head in disbelief. I knew I was pushing it, but I decided to give it a try anyway. “So how’d he die?”
He smirked and said, “That’s not public record yet, I don’t think.” It was time for him to resume control. “So when you saw Scalzo at Armani’s, it
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