The decoy

Chapt 26

Grace was ready to leave for work.

"Maybe I'll have someone from the sheriff's office go over to her house and keep an eye on Jessie Vail," she said. "Then maybe we can both go see her this afternoon and see if she can confirm that she is selling the business to Tal Harbord and this Ashwood Company."

"We could also ask if she knows anything about the $140,000 that her husband was hiding in Mexico," Sebastian said.

Grace left and Sebastian showered and began to get dressed. He had planned to contact Kelly to report in and then drop by the All Starr Gym and see what Teddy or Cam had to say.

He was walking down the stairs from Grace's apartment when his phone rang.

"Mr. Tyrovitch?" The voice sounded distant.

"Who is this?" He asked.

"Mr. Tyrovitch." The voice was anxious. "My name is Corrine Lee I work for Cory Pezzo. Maybe you remember me."

She sounded terrified.

Sebastian stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"I know who you are Corrine. What's the matter?"

"Can you come to the office? I just got to work and there is something wrong."

Sebastian arrived at Pezzo's place ten minutes later and found Corrine waiting outside. She was leaning against a red convertible sports car and speaking into her cell phone. Before he climbed out of the truck Sebastian reached into his glove compartment and pulled out his gun. Corinne's voice certainly sounded terrified but she could be a good actress and this could be a trap of some sort.

She smiled a little when she saw Sebastian. It was a reassuring smile but he could see that she was scared.

"The door is locked," She said. "When I come to work at this time it is always open and Cory is inside working. I don't even have a key. Cory gets here at seven and I usually come around nine."

She was trembling a little.

"I looked in the back window and there is something wrong. Cory is lying on the floor in his office."

Sebastian had Corrine wait out front as he walked around the back. It was exactly like she described. He could see into Cory Pezzo's office and Pezzo was lying on the floor in front of his desk. Sebastian walked back to his truck and grabbed a tire iron. As he worked on forcing the door he questioned Corrine.

"What time did you leave last night?"

            "I left around six. That's when I always leave. Cory was here with his cousin Mr. Rappelo and a couple of other men."

            "Peter Rappelo is in town?" Sebastian asked.

"I guess so," she said. "I only met him once before. He came here when the office first opened and Cory had just hired me. I don't think Mr. Rappelo liked me."

            "What were they talking about?"

            "Mr. Rappelo was angry," she said. "They had been arguing about the business."

            The lock snapped and the door to Pezzo's office swung open.

"Wait here," Sebastian said and he held his gun in his hand as he slowly entered the office.

Pezzo lay motionless on the floor of the inner office.  A piece of his alligator belt was buckled around his neck. Another piece of the belt was still hanging from the ceiling. His office chair was in front of his desk. It appeared that Cory Pezzo had hung himself at some point last night. It seemed likely that he had been hanging there for hours until the expensive leather belt gave out and he fell to the ground.

Pezzo's face was a sort of gray color but his hair was still neat.  Even in death he was well groomed.

His body lay in that twisted unnatural state. There was an indignity to it. Sebastian felt that we seldom get the opportunity to prepare when death calls.

Sebastian knew enough not to touch anything. He was dialing Grace's cell number when he heard sobbing behind him.

Corrine was leaning against the door way and covering her face with her hands as she cried. Sebastian ignored her and finished the call to Grace and then helped her out the door.

Three local police cars arrived within fifteen minutes and found Sebastian leaning against Corrine's red sports car just as he had found her. His arm was around the young woman as he consoled her. She was still sobbing.

Sebastian recognized Grace's husband as he walked into the office with a young detective. Both detectives were tall and heavy. Grace's ex stood about six three and had dark hair. The other cop was about an inch shorter and about the same weight. He was Hispanic.

Grace interviewed Corinne and another detective spoke to Sebastian.

"Looks like he hung himself sometime this morning," the Hispanic cop said.

When she arrived, the cops led the county coroner into Pezzo's office while they gave her their opinion on Pezzo's death.

The coroner was a short heavy set, black woman. She was only in her early thirties.

Grace interviewed Corinne and another uniform policeman spoke to Sebastian.

"Appears to be suicide. The coroner says he definitely died from hanging. She already knows that. He has ugly marks on his neck from the belt. Looks like he hung there for a while until the belt snapped and dropped him to the floor at some point this morning."

            Sebastian walked over to Grace.

"Could be he killed himself," Sebastian told her. "The secretary tells me his Uncle, Peter Rappelo was here last night and they were arguing. He had to be in trouble over this deal. The whole thing has gone bad for Rappelo and it makes sense he would be mad at his nephew Pezzo.

If Harbord gets the business then this has been a big waste of time for Pezzo and Rappelo and I'm sure Rappelo doesn't like it. And then of course there is the question of how much money he sank into his nephews business venture here."

            "Maybe Pezzo killed himself after realizing he has screwed it all up," Grace suggested.

"Sure that's possible or else Rappelo and his friends have killed Pezzo and made it look like this," Sebastian said.

"The mob killed Pezzo's father maybe they killed the son.

Push the coroner for a full autopsy. I'm going to drive Corrine home and see if she knows anything else."