Chapter 28
Carlita jogged to the other end of the alley. “You’re free!”
“Free as a bird, at least for now.” Cool Bones beamed. “Tori Montgomery worked her magic.”
“She sure did.” Carlita took a step back, noting the dark circles under her friend’s eyes and worry lines creasing his forehead. “You look like you could use some rest.”
“Rest, a shower, clean clothes, a decent meal.”
Luigi caught up with them. He gave his friend and neighbor a congratulatory slap on the back. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to be home.”
“What happened?” Carlita asked.
“I was sitting on my cot, right after they finished serving lunch. A guard came to the cell and called me out. Next thing I know, he’s escorting me to the judge’s chambers. I figured this was it. He was gonna throw the book at me.” Cool Bones’ lower lip trembled as he struggled to maintain his composure. “He said the mayor had asked for my release. I paid the bond and here I am.”
“Tori and Mayor Puckett are friends. When she found out you were in jail, she started making some calls, trying to get you out.”
“I’m going upstairs right now to call and thank her.” Cool Bones reached for the doorknob.
Carlita stopped him. “Before you go, Elvira did some digging around. Luigi and I think we may have found Cray, also known as Doug McCoy.”
Cool Bones stared at Carlita. “The mystery man, Cray, is related to Rudy McCoy?”
“Elvira wasn’t able to confirm it. She tracked down an address for Cray. It’s not far from Gleason Street.”
Luigi picked up. “So Carlita and I went over there. I knocked on the door. A guy finally answered. I offered Elvira’s security services. He declined. I asked for his name and he told me it was Joe Blow.”
“Meaning none of your business,” Cool Bones said. “What did he look like?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Carlita tapped her pocket. “Why don’t you go ahead and give Tori a call? After you’re done, we’ll show you the video I recorded.”
“Sounds good. I need to get my name cleared as soon as possible.” Cool Bones told her the Thirsty Crow had removed him and his band from their entertainment schedule. “All our upcoming gigs have been cancelled. My guys need to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.”
“Including you,” Carlita said. “I’m sorry to hear this.”
“Hey.” Elvira emerged from her building and sprinted across the alley. “Tori got you out?”
“She sure did,” Cool Bones said. “I was getting ready to give her a call to thank her.”
Elvira tapped Carlita’s arm. “Have you had a chance to check out Cray McCoy’s place yet?”
“Yeah. Luigi knocked on the door. A man answered, but wouldn’t give Luigi his name. I recorded the whole thing,” Carlita said. “We’re going to have Cool Bones take a look at it to see if he recognizes the guy.”
“Channel 2 news released a special segment about McCoy’s death. They have photos, witnesses…the whole shebang. I was thinking Cool Bones might want to check it out.” Elvira tapped the side of her forehead. “Maybe it will jog his memory.”
“We should all check it out,” Carlita said. “Are they running it again?”
“It doesn’t matter. We can watch it online.”
“But first, I have a very important person I need to thank.” Cool Bones slipped inside the apartment. He returned a short time later, his favorite fedora perched atop his head, looking more relaxed than Carlita had seen him in days. “I’m ready to take a look at what you have.”
The group assembled upstairs in Mercedes’ apartment. Carlita forwarded the video recording to her daughter’s email. She promptly logged on and cast it to her living room television.
Luigi appeared, standing on the man’s porch. He knocked, looked around and knocked a second time. Finally, a man emerged. He slipped out of the brick bungalow and closed the door behind him.
“This is where I’m offering security services,” Luigi said. “He was telling me to leave, and I handed him a business card.”
Cool Bones stepped directly in front of the television. “I don’t believe it.”
“Believe what?” Carlita asked.
“What I’m seeing. It’s him.”
“Him who?”
“Rudy McCoy. The man right there is Rudy McCoy,” Cool Bones said.
The room grew quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Elvira was the first to speak. “It’s been years since you last saw the guy. How can you be certain it’s him?”
“Because of the scar on the back of his neck, right below his hairline.” Cool Bones motioned to Mercedes. “Can you rewind it and stop where he turns around?”
“You bet.” She did as he requested, pausing the recording when the man turned.
Cool Bones tapped the television screen. “Right there. He’s got the scar.”
Carlita made a timeout with her hands. “What you’re saying is the man who answered the door is the same guy you’re accused of murdering?”
“One hundred percent.”
“If this is Rudy McCoy, whose body is in his coffin?” Elvira asked.
Carlita’s mind whirled as she struggled to put the pieces together.
“We need to figure this out.” Mercedes paced. “Let’s start with the theory Rudy McCoy and Cray, aka Doug McCoy, are related.”
“Maybe a relative, a twin, or someone with a striking resemblance,” Elvira said.
“Correct. The dead man, found inside Rudy McCoy’s apartment, was mistaken for Rudy. Meanwhile, the real Rudy McCoy vanishes.”
“All the while he’s living right down the street from where his murder supposedly took place,” Cool Bones said. “How we gonna convince the cops this man is Rudy McCoy and figure out who is buried in Rudy’s grave?”
“Sam,” Mercedes said.
“Something tells me the key to solving this mystery is buried in the cemetery,” Carlita said.
“Sam should be home any minute now. I’ll ask him if he can reach out to someone at the department, someone willing to listen to us.”
While they waited, Cool Bones watched the video again. “This is the guy. I’ll bet my life this is Rudy McCoy.”
“Don’t forget about the Channel 2 news program,” Elvira said.
Mercedes tracked down the updated report and cast it to the television. The fifteen-minute segment gave the history of the case. The reporter played Eunice Culpepper’s interview. There were photos of Rudy McCoy and even a still photo of the apartment building.
Although the reporter didn’t give Cool Bones’ name, she told viewers the authorities had arrested a person believed to have been behind the murder.
“They must have missed the memo I’m out of jail,” Cool Bones said.
The special ended with the reporter standing next to Rudy’s headstone.
Carlita placed a light hand on the back of her neck, staring thoughtfully at the image. “We need help.”
“Sam should be here any second.” Mercedes ran into the hall, returning moments later with her boyfriend.
Taking turns, they brought him up to speed on what had transpired.
“The bottom line is, we need a more thorough investigation to figure out who is buried in Rudy McCoy’s grave,” Carlita summarized.
Sam left, but not before promising he would see what he could do.
“Elvira is pretty good at digging holes,” Luigi joked. “Give her a shovel and pickax and she’ll have the coffin out of the ground before you can say biscuits and graves.”
“I would have it up, out, and back in the ground by daybreak,” she boasted.
Carlita wagged her finger. “Don’t you dare. We need to do this lawfully and legally.”
“Unless you’re up for more community service,” Mercedes said.
“No thanks. Picking up trash is a one and done for this chick.”
Sam returned a short time later. “I was able to reach Detective Polivich. He knows the person who is handling the case. He agreed to swing by and hear what you have to say.”
“Thank you, Sam.” Mercedes bounced on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek.
“You’re welcome. Cool Bones is my friend, too.”
While they waited, they shared theories about how Rudy McCoy had managed to hide his identity for all these years, pretending to be dead.
Hopefully, Polivich would be willing to not only listen, but act. If not, a dead man would continue living his life while an innocent man spent the rest of his behind bars.