CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

FORTY FIVE

Detective Swiecki sends me an email asking
me to give him a call. It takes a bit of playing phone
tag but we manage to connect when he calls back the
second time.
“Mr. Windham, Detective Swiecki here.”
We briefly exchange politeness and he thanks
me again for the evening at the theater. I protest.

“But you paid for your own tickets, Detective.”
“That may be, but you took time to talk to my
wife. She’s still talking about the show and you and
the ghost. She says she wants you to have a hit so the
ghost comes back.”
I could hear in his voice a note of disconcert at
what he perceived as his wife’s gullibility.
“She’s probably sold a hundred tickets for you.”
A hundred tickets is less than ten per cent of
a full house for one night in the Belasco but I did not
say so. If all those people Mrs. Swiecki tells come
to see the show and like it, and then tell someone
else who sees the show, and those people like it and
tell someone else, and so on – that is classic word of
mouth, which is the best advertising there is.
It would be wonderful if native New Yorkers
started coming back to the theater in droves as
a result of my new show, but I am not expecting
anything of that sort to take place. Aside from all that, however, the man is a homicide detective and my position in society requires a modicum of respect for such individuals -- that is my unknown position as a vampire, not my public persona.
“So tell me, please, Detective, how goes the investigation into Danny’s murder?”
“I wish there was better news. That’s why I’m calling, actually. To ask if by chance you’ve thought of anything else, any little thing at all, that we might have overlooked.”
“I wish I could be more helpful but the answer to that question, unfortunately, is no. The reward hasn’t helped at all? What if I up the amount?”
“If you up the amount it will just bring out more kooks and maggots. I hate to be negative but money’s not the answer. I wish it was. But if the reward was going to produce any useful information, it would have come to light already.”
“Do you mean the killer is going to get away with it?”
“The killer is probably already locked up on some unrelated charge. That happens more often than people know. Once he’s off the streets, the trail dries up unless our man is a braggart. Sometimes we get info weeks or even months after the fact, usually from a cell mate or like that.”
So my initial take on the detective was correct – he will not catch Danny’s murderer. On the one hand that is disappointing. On the other hand, it is clear that I will have to start feeding more often in Queens.
“I was hoping you or someone else with the show would have thought of something. Otherwise, we’ve run into the proverbial brick wall at the end of an alley. We’re at a dead end.”
“You’re going to continue to investigate, right Detective? I mean, you’re not telling me you’re giving up on catching the killer?”
“Not giving up – no. The case is still open, and if any leads come in, we’ll follow up. It may be that we catch this guy while we’re on another case. More and more, it looks like this was some junkie who thought your director was an easy mark, then panicked when he killed him and fled without grabbing his wallet. It happens.”
There is resignation in Swiecki’s voice as he imparts this theory to me. I wonder if he believes it. I wonder if I do.
“I’ll have my company manager make an announcement to the cast at tonight’s preview. Maybe somebody will think of something.”
“An announcement might help. It sure can’t hurt. Things just pop into people’s minds sometimes.”
“I hate to think that Danny’s killer is getting away with it,” I say.
“I don’t think he’s getting away, Mr. Windham. Like I said, he’s probably already in the system. The case is open. We’ll get him eventually.”
“I’m sure you will, Detective, and I’ll be glad when you do. Right now, though, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to make sure that announcement gets made to the cast and crew as soon as possible.”
Upon hanging up I fire off an email to the company manager, with instructions that everyone on the show is to examine their memories for anything that might be relevant to Danny’s murder. I include Detective Swiecki’s name and cell phone number as the contact.
As soon as I tap the ‘send’ button I know that it is a fruitless endeavor, and could create a sense of unease among the company, something we definitely do NOT need this close to opening night. I send an immediate follow up email to Jack asking him to distribute the announcement in writing, after the opening night performance.
This appears to be the path least likely to stir up the pot. Detective Swiecki is on to other cases, that much is clear. Joe Eason will not take the case. That leaves me to catch Danny’s killer. I may not be a detective, but I share something with the murderer that might help me in my task – I am a killer, too, and it just might take one to catch one.