Chapter 5
Ronan
Ronan and Jude plowed through half a dozen tacos each and split a steak burrito. He’d made an attempt to steal some of Ten’s fajitas, but his husband was having none of it. While they’d eaten, Ronan mulled over Head Doe and what could have possibly led to his death.
Now, in the car and heading for North Shore Rehab, Maria Cullen’s temporary home, Ronan was ready to let his impressions fly. “I know we have to wait for the lab results on Head Doe’s tissue samples, but what the hell happened that this guy died and then had his head cut off?”
“He was obviously murdered,” Ten said. “Serial killers take trophies. Maybe the head was the trophy?”
Jude shook his head. “I hate to say this, Ten, but Max Headroom might have died from natural causes.”
Ronan snorted. “What Jude is trying to say is that this guy could have died in his sleep. He could have been dismembered for any number of reasons. He could have been a wanted man and his remains were hidden or buried to keep them out of sight. It’s possible he died and his family didn’t have the means to bury him. ”
“Or he was murdered and his head was kept as a trophy.” Ten rolled his eyes.
Ronan pulled into the rehab center’s parking lot. “Are you gonna be okay in here with all these spirits?”
Ten nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be good. My focus here is to see what info I can get from Maria. I’m hoping Head Doe will be here so I can find out his name, what happened to him and where the rest of him is.”
Ronan climbed out of the car and assisted Ten. He grabbed Jude’s arm before they walked into the building. “Listen, no calling this guy Chilly Willy, Jon Snow, or Captain Cold Cuts, got it?”
Jude gasped, his hand fluttering to his chest. “I would never say anything like that in front of grieving family members. If we meet people in there who hated Headless Harry, well that’s another story!”
Ronan rolled his eyes and hoped for the best. Walking into the rehab facility, Ronan stopped at the reception desk where a man sat flipping through a copy of Vogue.
The name “Lance” was on his name tag. “My name is Detective Ronan O’Mara from the Salem Police’s Cold Case Unit, and this is Detective Jude Byrne. ”
The man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, I’m well acquainted with Jude, and his hammer.”
“His what, now?” Ronan asked, knowing exactly what Lance was talking about. With the number of men Jude boned before settling down with Cope, Ronan was surprised this kind of thing didn’t happen more often.
Lance winked at Ronan and turned his attention to Jude. “Hey, honeybunch. Haven’t seen you at the club in what feels like forever.”
Jude flashed his wedding ring. “I got married and have two kids.” He tapped his phone and turned it around to show a picture of his family.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I never thought Jude Byrne, king of the sluts, would ever settle down. Maybe there’s hope for me yet.”
“Stop going to Spellbound and come by West Side Sweets. Members of the Salem Bears Club come in for lunch on Tuesdays around one. Schedule a meeting with Tennyson here and then go meet the bear of your dreams.”
Lance’s eyes widened. “I appreciate the help, Jude. What can I do for you guys today?”
“We’re here to see Maria Cullen.” Jude flashed his badge.
Lance nodded. “Homicide detectives tried to interview her last night, but we wouldn’t let them in.
Maria is in room twenty-three on the second floor.
Members of her family have been with her since last night when the news broke.
Be careful with all of them, finding human remains has thrown them all for a loop. Maria is especially fragile.”
“You got it.” Ronan took the visitor badges Lance gave him and handed them out.
“I don’t often say this, but Jude’s right. Show up on Tuesday in that purple shirt you love so much and play a little hard to get.” Ten laughed.
“Am I going to meet someone special?” Lance’s brilliant green eyes teared up.
Ten nodded. “Enjoy falling in love, Lance. This reading is on the house.”
“Holy shit,” Jude said, when they got into the elevator. “Imagine the money you’d rake in if you became a matchmaker.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Jude. When you mentioned Tuesdays at Cassie’s I got a vision and saw Lance with a regular. I also saw what happened between the two of you. Not exactly your best work.” Ten rolled his eyes.
“Everyone gets a little whiskey dick from time to time. It’s no big deal.” Jude offered a fake laugh.
“I wasn’t talking about your dick!” Ten half-whispered. “I meant how you treated Lance after you boned him.”
“I treated every guy that way. What makes him so special?” Jude elbowed Ten, revealing that he was obviously kidding.
The elevator pinged, putting an end to Jude and Ten’s chat. Ronan knew Jude had been a bit of a dog, but didn’t want to hear the details, which he had a feeling Ten had seen thanks to his gift. “Get it together. Maria’s room is down this way.”
Two men stood outside Maria’s door talking softly to each other. Both turned toward Ronan as he approached.
Expecting this sort of reaction, Ronan pulled out his badge. “I’m Detective Ronan O’Mara from the Cold Case Unit of the Salem Police. We’re here to see Maria Cullen.”
“What are you, some kind of jokers?” the taller of the two men asked. “A man’s head is found our Aunt Maria’s freezer and you’re showing up with jokes like you’re some kind of a half-assed comedian?”
Jude stepped forward. “The medical examiner determined that the remains found at your aunt’s house could possibly date back to the 1970s, which would make this a cold case.
We did not mean any disrespect by coming here.
We’ve been assigned to this investigation and need some preliminary information.
The two of you were the one who found the remains, right? ”
Both brothers shook their heads. “Sofia found it. Then she screamed for us. I got her out of the basement and my brother called 911.”
Jude nodded as he took notes. “Was there any blood in the freezer or anywhere in the basement?”
“Not that I saw,” the taller man said. His brother nodded along.
Jude handed each of them his card. “If there’s anything else you can tell us that might help identify this man, old family photos, sentimental gifts your aunt treasures, please let us know.” He paused and turned the door handle.
“We’re not going to let you interrogate our aunt.” the second man jerked the door shut
“No one is being interrogated,” Jude said, in a calm voice. “Like I said, we just need to get a few facts straight so that we can begin our investigation.”
The door opened and a woman stepped into the hall. “Let them in, Little Sal. You too, Tony. I’m Sofia Deluca, Maria’s great-niece. Please come in.”
Ronan followed Sofia, with Jude and Tennyson behind him. Ten shut the door.
Getting his first look at Maria, Ronan could see how beautiful she must have been in her youth. Her grey hair was wound into an intricate French braid, obviously Sofia’s work. She was dressed in floral pajamas and seemed to be resting comfortably in bed.
“Auntie, these are detectives from the Salem Police Department. They want to talk to you about your freezer.”
“I’m Detective Ronan O’Mara.” Ronan was about to introduce Ten and Jude when Sofia interrupted.
“Irish?” Maria looked Ronan up and down. “I always was partial to kissing the blarney, if you catch my drift.”
Ronan caught it alright. He pulled a chair up to Maria’s bedside. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but we’re investigating the death of a man whose remains were found in your house. Is there anything you can tell us about that?”
Maria shook her head. “I’ve been out of my house for almost two weeks now. Someone could have snuck Jimmy Hoffa into my freezer for all I know. Janis Joplin could be singing in my shower. Elvis could be waiting for me in bed.”
Ronan paused, unsure where to go with Maria’s answer. “You think human remains were placed in your freezer after you broke your hip and you were in the hospital recovering from surgery?” In all his years in law enforcement, Ronan had never heard a more ridiculous, yet plausible answer.
“Have you ever been married, Maria?” Jude asked, sitting on the corner of her bed, reaching for her fingers. The back of her hand was one giant black and blue.
“Once, honey. Why are you looking to become my next mistake?” Maria laughed.
As Jude flirted with Maria, Ronan watched her reactions to him. She had no interest in Jude, that much was easy to see. The look in her dark eyes never changed and her mouth was slack when she wasn’t speaking. Ronan turned to Sofia. “What kind of pain meds is your aunt taking?”
“All the good ones!” Maria laughed before pressing a button on her IV pole.
Ronan knew the button added more pain medication into her IV. It was obvious Maria was higher than a kite. He motioned Sofia to join him in the hallway.
“Her doctors have had her on morphine for the last two weeks,” Sofia said. “I know this is the worst possible time for you and your investigation.”
“How often do you see your aunt?” Someone in the family had to know something about how the head ended up in the freezer.
“When I was a kid, I was at Auntie Maria’s house all the time.
She never had kids of her own and loved to have me for sleepovers.
We’d bake cookies and watch Disney movies.
She taught me to roller skate. We went to the beach in the summer and read books by the fire in the winter. It was a great way to grow up.”
“I sense a but coming,” Ronan prodded.
“When I graduated from high school, I went to UCLA and fell in love with California. I got my Bachelor’s degree and then stayed on to get my Master’s.
I graduated last year and found a job in marketing for a major cosmetics firm.
I have only been back to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving and Christmas over the last few years.
When I heard that Auntie had broken her hip, I put in for all my vacation time and came home.
I’ve got to fly back to California in a few days. ”
“In all the time you spent at Maria’s house, do you ever remember seeing anything strange in the freezer?”
Sofia fisted her hands on her hips. “Are you serious? I haven’t spent time at my aunt’s house in years. I had no idea what was inside. I have no idea what’s in my freezer now. Do you?”
“I know exactly what’s in my freezer. Chicken nuggets, frozen ground beef, pork chops, and popsicles.
” Ronan knew what was in his house at all times.
Maybe he couldn’t catalog the exact contents of his freezer, but he knew damn well there wasn’t a human head covered over with piles of frozen veggies and ice cream bars.
“Good for you. I hate to break it to you, Detective O’Mara, but not every Italian family has mob roots.”
“You’re absolutely right, Sofia. First of all, I had no idea your family was Italian, secondly, you didn’t answer my question.
” Ronan paused, trying to size her up. Sofia seemed like good people, but he would take her down in a heartbeat if she knew something about Head Doe and stayed silent.
“I understand how vulnerable your aunt is at the moment, but there’s a family out there who has waited now for nearly fifty years for word of their father, son, husband, or brother. This family deserves answers.”
“I don’t know anything about the head. I’ve never seen it before. The first I ever heard of it was when I found it the other day. I left it where it was and started to scream. My brothers called the cops.” Sofia sighed. “That was the first and last time I was ever in the basement.”
“Why?” Ronan asked.
“Because the cement slab was cracked and it let in spiders and all kinds of other creepy crawlies.” Sofia shuddered. “I can assure you my aunt didn’t keep me away because there were human remains hidden in the freezer. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my aunt.”
“One more question before you go, Sofia?” Ronan asked, knowing he was pushing his luck.
She turned to Ronan looking as if he was dancing on her last nerve. “What is it?”
“What’s your aunt’s maiden name? You said your family was Italian.” Ronan asked, sounding as if the answer to the question was inconsequential.
“Marino. May I go now?” Sofia moved toward the door, not bothering to wait for Ronan’s response.
When Sofia opened the door, Ronan followed along behind her.
Jude was in the middle of telling Maria a funny story about Wolf’s first karate class.
He noticed Ten was sitting stone still staring off to space.
On his lap was an open notebook. A pen was loosely clasped in his hand.
What the hell was happening? He was about to grab Ten, but Jude shook his head.
“I was telling Maria about Everly and how much she loves to garden.” Jude shot Ronan a look that said to sit down and tell the story.
Ronan trusted Jude enough to see where things were going. He’d follow along for a bit, all the while keeping his eyes on Tennyson. Something strange was happening in this room. Ronan couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of it.