Murder at the Art Gallery Read online

  Murder At The Art Gallery

  A Mandy and Roger Cozy Mystery - Book 1

  Eleanor Kittering

  Copyright © 2017 by Eleanor Kittering

  No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, downloaded, transmitted or shared without the express permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. All situations, characters and dialogues are part of the author's imagination. Although real locations may be referred to, they have no relation to any persons, living or dead and any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

  Thank you for buying this book

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Preview

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Prologue

  Roger Fahey's shift was coming to an end. It was nearing four o'clock and he was looking forward to having a drink and studying his prospects for the evening. As a New York City detective, he welcomed all the positives of life. The war had ended a year ago, and so far, 1947 was shaping up to be great, with endless possibilities. As he left the building, he spotted his coworker, and fellow detective- Joe Gaynor.

  “So Roger, are you finally going to ask that waitress out? If you keep eating at that place just to see her, you're going to get fat.” Joe laughed.

  “Listen Joe, she's a nice girl and I don't want to rush this. I want her to get to know me as a normal person, not a cop, and I’d like to find out more about her. I'm gonna ask her out tonight, so don't worry about me losing my boyish figure.”

  “Yeah, but she already knows you're a cop.”

  “Yes, and she's still interested in me. A lot of other women would have run away. I think things are going swell. I'll see you tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow Roger, good luck.”

  Roger relished his first whiff of fresh air as he stepped out of the station. He thought of going to the restaurant to ask Rosalie out; would she like to go to a movie? Or maybe go to a show? He was thinking about maybe getting a new apartment.

  He was so caught up in his thoughts as he crossed the street, that he didn't see the car that hurtled towards him. In no time at all Roger and the car made contact. The car sped away. Roger lied dead in the street- a crumpled heap of broken bones and internal organs.

  He stood at the side of the street. For a moment, he had the urge to chase the car. He stared at it until it became a distant dot on the horizon. He could also see his body. Just laying there on the street in a very awkward position. What he was staring at was his own corpse.

  There was a man who stood to Roger’s left. The man stared at Roger’s corpse and shook his head as if to say: ‘What a shame.’

  Upon seeing him, Roger asked “Who are you?”

  “Oh hi, sorry for not speaking up sooner, you were engaged in thinking that maybe you would chase the car. My name is Colin and I'm your guardian angel.”

  “What?”

  “Well Roger, as you may have surmised by now, this was a pre-meditated hit by the mob, since you have refused to go on the take for them. They decided to rub you out.”

  Roger looked at Colin a little confused.

  “You mean, I'm dead?”

  “I'm sorry to say, yes Roger. That's why you're looking at your dead body. And I'm here to take you to the next level.”

  By now a crowd had gathered and officers from the station had come to oversee the process. Joe was there, sad to learn that Roger was the victim of the “accident”. Joe had been one of the first to respond when somebody came in the station and said ‘somebody got run over, I think it's a cop’.

  “This is nuts. Look at all these people,” Roger said.

  “Roger, they're here to take your body to the morgue. See Joe over there? He doesn't look too happy cause he knows what happened to you.”

  Roger went over to Joe.

  “Joe, it's me Roger, I'm still here!”

  “I'm afraid he can't hear you Roger. You're now a spirit.”

  Roger watched the paramedics load his body into an ambulance.

  “But isn't there a way for me to get back? I feel fine.”

  “Yes Roger, your spirit feels fine, however, your body has ceased to be a vessel that you can utilize to live your earthly life.”

  “I can’t believe that this has happened to me. And here I was planning to ask Rosalie out and maybe get a new apartment. This really stinks.”

  “Sorry Roger, I'm afraid Rosalie is going to be heartbroken.”

  “Me too. You know, she was the first dame I've met after my first wife that I actually clicked with. I've grown up a lot since my first marriage, I really thought that this was going to be a go.”

  “Roger, your life had marvelous possibilities. Unfortunately, in your occupation, as an honest cop, you fell afoul of organized crime. You were a liability and they decided to eliminate you.”

  “That's those weasels for you, they'll never face you man to man, always behind your back or from a car.”

  “It's ok Roger, no need to get more upset than you already are. Come, there's nothing for us to here, it's your colleague's job now to clean up this mess. We have to go to the waiting station.”

  “The waiting station?”

  “I'll explain as we go along.”

  Before he could take his last look at the world as he knew it, Roger was transported to a strange, white corridor. White was everywhere, save the windows along the corridor, through which Roger could see beautiful gardens.

  “Welcome to the waiting station”

  “This is it?”

  “Well, this is the main reception area, Roger. There are grounds, as you can see from the windows, and places of occupation for the different inhabitants.”

  “Of which I am now one, I gather?”

  “For a while anyway. We have to plan the next stage of your spiritual evolution.”

  “My spiritual evolution?”

  “Roger you don't have to repeat everything I say, as a question.”

  “Oh, that's easy for you to say. Listen, just twenty minutes ago, I was planning on asking Rosalie out, thinking that life wasn't so bad after all. Now I'm with you, what was your name again?”

  “Colin”

  “Right. Colin. Sorry. Well, now I’m with you in some kind of station, waiting for who-knows-what, and you’re talking evolution like I’m a monkey or something?”

  “Roger, I perfectly understand being upset, it happens to everybody who experiences a sudden death like you did. There was no preparation, you didn't see it coming. And all of a sudden, you're with your guardian angel in a strange environment.”

  “Ok, tell me this, if you're my guardian angel, why didn't you protect me from getting run over?”

  “Because Roger, if this attempt failed, there would have been another attempt in the near future. And we would be in exactly the same place we are now. You see, you didn't want to be on the take from the mob. On the other hand, look at Joe. They made him an offer, either go on the take, stop being a cop or die. That's why he's going to work for his cousin Willy. You know how he told you that there's more money in the dry cleaning business? That was just a ruse.”

  “So, why didn't they make me an offer?”

  “Because they know you Roger, you would have gotten all high and mighty with them,
that you were anti-corruption, how you were going to take them down single-handedly, there would have been NO negotiating with you. Which is an admirable quality, I must say, but a death sentence in your case.”

  “Yeah, you're right, I just hate those guys.”

  “And they hate you. New York has always been a corrupt town. Thirteen years of prohibition and the war didn't help one bit. Organized crime just grew and grew. Now, it's a way of life for a lot of people.”

  “You're right, they would have bumped me off next week or over the weekend, at their earliest convenience.”

  “Well, don't dwell on that anymore Roger, I'll get you a drink.”

  “You can drink here?”

  “We're in the waiting station Roger. You are being transitioned and even though you really don't need to eat or drink, it's what you're used to. It's all relative.”

  “You know Colin, every time I think you're going to make things clearer, I just get more confused.”

  “Well, maybe a drink will help.” Colin smiled as he walked away. He returned within two seconds, a glass in hand. “Here, drink this.”

  Roger gripped the glass and took a long drink. “Hey this is good, what is it?”

  “I believe in your world, it's called a zombie.”

  Roger made a face “Very funny, I got a guardian angel who's a comedian.”

  “Just having a little joke. But now to more serious matters. Most people that wind up here, Roger don't have options. They go directly to what we call the netherworld. It is a place where those whose lives have been cut short can live out the rest of their allotted time. They, however, haven't led exemplary lives.”

  “Wait, I can see where this is going. I haven't led an exemplary life, so I'm going to the netherworld, right?”

  “Well, most people don't have the option for an alternative, however, in some cases, there can be. These usually happen when the there is an advocate pleading on behalf of the person. That would be me.”

  “So you tried to set up a deal for me?”

  “Correct. Killing innocents is always frowned upon. However, in your case, those that you have killed have suffered such a fate because they were, essentially, bad guys. It was your duty, as an officer, to remove them from society. Sure, you are a hothead. But, I showed the powers that-be that your actions were for the good of the common man. That you maintained peace in this way. They agreed with me, and because of this, they are offering you an alternative. You won’t have to spend the rest of your time-which would be fifty-eight years, in the netherworld.”

  “I still have fifty-eight years? That means I’d be around ninety.”

  “Yes, and that is the problem. You don't want to spend fifty eight years in the netherworld. It's not a very nice place, it's kind of like a purgatory.”

  “Well, yeah, that definitely doesn't sound so hot. What did you offer them instead?”

  “Well, you have to understand that this whole living on earth business is just a part of your whole life. One piece of the puzzle. The real deal happens in the beyond. Right now you're between earth and the beyond.”

  “Ok, so how do I avoid the netherworld? Can't I just stay here until my time is up? By the way, what do you guys do for fun here anyway?”

  “I think you're getting ahead of yourself. This place is designed for brief stays only. There are no “fun” activities. There is peace and contemplation so that you can think with clarity.”

  “Okay. So how do I make up my time, then?”

  “Roger, what I'm about to tell you may not seem like the best solution in the world, but it will shave off a lot of time from your actual stay. You won't even know the time has passed.

  “You see, if you stay in the netherworld, you'll have to wait fifty eight years to go to the next level. What I've suggested… is that you return to earth as a cat.”

  “A cat? This is your grandiose plan to save me from the netherworld? Are you kidding me? What kind of guardian angel are you?, You want me to go back as a friggin cat?”

  “Oh dear, I was afraid of this. Calm down Roger, and let me explain. First of all, you don't have to accept it. Second of all, we don't have any other options. If you go back as a cat, you'll probably live all of fifteen years on earth. Fifteen years as opposed to fifty eight. And you won't know you were a man, you will literally live your life as a cat, thinking cat thoughts doing cat things. You won’t suffer the agony of being a man trapped inside a cat.

  “After your time is up, you return to being a man with no memory of being a cat. Either way, you're not suffering and you're not aware of what's happening. When you come back as a man, you won't know that the time has passed. You'll probably ask me when you would start living as a cat. That's how disconnected one life is from the other. But here's the important thing. It will be fifteen years and then you'll get your wings. You'll go to the next level. That's the real life, not life on earth.”

  “Hmm. Great.” Roger rolled his eyes. “Do you need an answer immediately?”

  “No, no, this is the waiting station. You can take your time to think about this. There’s a bungalow where you can spend your time here, everything is set up for you. You can rest a little, take in the sights and think of the alternatives. Just don't take too long.”

  “I have a bungalow?”

  “Come on, I'll show you around.”

  Colin lead Roger outside the white corridor. All around were beautiful gardens, fountains, and ponds. The skies were blue and Roger, who had always lived in New York City, had never seen anything so beautiful.

  “Wow, this place is really nice. Are you sure I can't stay here for fifteen years as a man?”

  “If I could do it Roger, you know I would. Now here's another thing. You notice that there's no one else around. Everyone here lives on their own frequency. That means you won't see anybody and nobody will see you. It's not a social place, it's a place of change and of direction. All around you, there are others who have similar or dissimilar situations as you.”

  “You mean, they're all going back as cats??”

  “No Roger, that is unique to you. I know it sounds insane, but you'll be living the life of a house cat, a pampered animal. Living quietly in a house. No work. And you won't know you're there.”

  “Great.” Roger said sarcastically. “So, I'm surrounded by people I can't see.”

  “You're surrounded by spirits in your day to day life on earth, but you're unaware of them. You would find it quite disconcerting if you could see the spirit of someone you had shot in a crime scene. Humans are just not ready for that. You never want to be in a situation where you'll say the phrase, “I see dead people.”

  In the midst of this conversation, they had stopped in front of a small structure.

  “We have arrived at your bungalow.”

  Before him was a very nice cottage with honeysuckle vines growing up the side of the house, and a little garden in front and a path that led to the door.

  “Hey, this is very nice. Looks like something out of a story book.”

  “I'm glad you like it Roger. Take some time to think about what you want to do, but don't take too long. Think about the life you've led, the kind of life you'll like to lead, what makes you happy, all the positive things you can think of. You'll have time to pursue them and more after you finish your time. Anyway, I'll let you explore your space, if you need anything just call my name, and I'll return.”

  “Listen Colin, I'm sure you're trying to help me, but it's going to take me a while to warm up to the idea of spending the rest of my life as a cat.”

  “It's not the rest of your life Roger, it's just finishing up your former life.”

  “Whatever, but still, it's not like I'm jumping up and down saying “Hooray, I'm going to be a cat, I'm going to be a cat””

  “Well, Roger, you have the time, take all the time that you want to think about this. Just don't take too long.”

  “Okay, let me look at the place. Can I go anywhere I want to?”
/>   “You're on your own frequency Roger, you can go anywhere you like. Explore the place, you may be surprised at what you find.”

  Roger began his exploration of the grounds a skeptic, but as he discovered the individual and vacation-like atmosphere of his surroundings, he grew more and more fond of it. It was very much like the place he had always dreamed of for himself, back in the living world.

  Roger thought of his father, who had been a cop- how young Roger was when he decided he would be one himself. But that was the other world. The world in which he had plans for himself, but had never slowed his career down enough to do so. He never stopped to smell the daises. He ran. Always ran. He worked hours that would kill most men. His obsession with work ended his first marriage. His first wife had been a good woman, and Roger had been an idiot. And he had continued to be an idiot for a long time after that, never realizing that he’d been such an idiot.

  Roger spent about a week in this state. He pondered the life he’d lived before- the errors he had made in that life. He should have known that there was more to life then, before he’d lost it. He even thought about memories that should have stayed locked away in his brain. He’d done terrible things to others, and terrible things had been done to him.

  Every day his walks became longer. There was a bench he liked to sit on by a lake. He could look up at the sky and be calmed by it. But always, in the back of his mind was that he had a time-stamp on this paradise, and the expiration date drew nearer day by day. Colin had warned him not to take too long. But Roger didn’t know how long ‘too long’ was.

  After a week had passed, he’d concluded that going back would not be a boon for him. He was, after all, a marked man. Or would be, once the mob found him alive. And they would. It could take years, but they’d find him.

  In his line of work, Roger had tried to be a good man. He’d never taken bribes and always brought the bad guys to justice. And justice, in the 1940’s was not a goal reached by accepting bribes.

  There’s gotta be something more than this, he thought. He remembered the potential of fifty-eight years in the netherworld. That would be purgatory. Literally.