A MURDER ON WALL STREET: A Joey Mancuso, Father O'Brian Crime Mystery Read online

  “Happy to discuss, but what interest is it to you? Was Parker a member of your church?” Albert asked. “He was also a patron of the bar, but had no association with my church. Evans covered his mouth with his right hand and pressed his thumb on his cheek. He said, “I still don’t understand your involvement in Jonathan’s unfortunate suicide.”

  Father Dom noticed the gesture but remained quiet. “Do you follow up on every patron of your bar that has an accident?” asked Albert, as he adjusted his position in his chair.

  “Let me explain. Besides being the owner of a bar with my brother, we are both licensed private investigators and—” Dom began, but was interrupted.

  “Excuse me,” Evans said, cutting Dom short. “You are a priest, an owner of a bar, and a private investigator?” “Yes, that’s correct. When my brother retired from the NYPD, we both became PIs. It’s just something we enjoy doing,” Dominic replied.

  Albert sat back in his chair. “Do you also carry a gun, Father?” he said laughing, as Evans mirrored his movement and sat back.

  “No, no guns. We have no need for that in our work,” responded Dom, as he crossed his legs and adjusted the crease in his pants.

  Kathy walked in with Father Dom’s coffee, and the conversation halted momentarily. She looked at Dom as she placed the coffee on the conference table, but avoided the partners.

  “Why are you investigating a suicide?” asked Evans, as Kathy walked out.

  “I wouldn’t call it an investigation. We’re simply trying to clear up some questions.”

  Albert leaned forward, placing his open arms on the table, and asked, “And who is your client?”

  “They want to remain private at this point,” replied Dom.

  “Go ahead, then. Ask your questions,” said Albert, glancing at Evans.

  “Thank you. How long did Mr. Parker work here?” “He’s been with us, what? About four years,” replied Albert, as Evans nodded. “I understand that he was about to become a senior partner because of a new account he landed. Is that correct?”

  “Ah, we call those clients ‘whales.’ Yes, he did land a whale, and in fact, he was being considered for a senior partnership role,” Albert replied.

  “Why would someone about to reap huge rewards for his work and who was celebrating the night before, suddenly decide to jump to his death?”

  Evans sat up, placing his arms on the conference table. Clenching his fists, he replied, “We are both dumbfounded as you are, Father. He had a great future with us.”

  “Perhaps you should ask his wife and father-in-law. They were both here just before he jumped. I have a feeling there was something not quite right with their marriage,” added Albert.

  Evans quipped, turning to glance at Dominic. “And the gambling may have had something to do with it.” “Did he gamble a lot?” Dom asked.

  “Quite a bit from what we know: poker, horse races, and all the football and basketball games,” Albert said. “Enough to commit suicide?” Dom asked. Evans replied smiling, “You’re the investigator, Father.” “You mentioned Mrs. Parker and her father were here. They were both here just before he jumped?” asked Dom.

  “Yes, and there was a heated argument we heard. We didn’t see them when they left, but I heard Mrs. Parker left first. Her father remained behind for a few minutes,” Evans replied.

  “Was it immediately before he jumped?” Dom asked.

  Evans asked, “Oh, I see where you’re going with this. You’re asking if they pushed him out the window?” “We don’t know that. Maybe. His body wasn’t discovered immediately after he jumped,” began Albert. “He landed on a second-floor landing that goes the length of the building in the front. It extends a bit over the sidewalk, and no one noticed when he landed on it.”

  “Did any of you see him after Mrs. Parker and her father left?”

  Glancing at Evans, Albert moved forward on his seat and said, “No, we did not.” “Okay. Was there a suicide note found?” Evans replied, “None that we are aware of, no.”

  “I see. May I ask if you had an insurance policy on Mr. Parker?” Evans lowered his head, replying, “It’s standard procedure for firms like ours, where we rely on the work of an individual, to carry key-man insurance. We would be fools not to do so. We have key-man insurance on all our top executives. For instance, we don’t know if any of his clients will stay or even if the new client will stay a client, now that Parker is gone.”

  Dominic asked, “The whale?” “Exactly, the whale. He’d developed a personal relationship with Parker. So, we don’t know if he’ll remain a client. That’s why we carry insurance,” responded Evans.

  “May I inquire how much the policy was worth?” asked Dom. Albert said, “I’m not sure we know the amount at this point. We’d have to review the policy. Do you know?” asked Albert, pointing at Evans.

  “No clue,” replied Evans. “Let me just say, it’s usually a few million dollars. That helps, but losing an executive or a partner could cost our firm multiple millions in the long run. You can see that, I’m sure.”

  “I can, of course,” Dom said, and asked, “Do you have insurance on each other?” “We do,” replied Evans. “We have key-man insurance that pays the firm in the event of death, just like we had on Parker. But we also have life insurance to fund a buy-sell agreement between the partners.”

  “And how does that work?” Evans replied, “We estimate a value for the business. Suppose for the sake of argument the business is valued at, say, ten million dollars. Since we have two partners, each owns fifty percent. Thus, each partner’s share is worth five million dollars. Then in the event of one of the partners’ death, the insurance pays the firm the five million.”

  Father Dom was intently listening; he was learning something new. “But that’s just like the other insurance, the key- man insurance.”

  Albert added, “At first glance, yes, but in the buysell agreement, we stipulate that the funds received from the insurance company be used to buy out the widow or the estate of the deceased partner. Neither of us has any interest in being in business with our deceased partner’s wife—nothing personal, of course.”

  “Parker didn’t have this insurance, I take it,” asked Dominic.

  Evans responded, “Correct, he had not made partner yet.”

  “I see,” said Father Dom. Albert looked at his watch. “Father, is there anything else? Perhaps we can continue later. Maybe you can buy us a drink. But right now, we have a staff meeting scheduled.”

  “I understand. Thank you so much for your time. You’ve been extremely gracious,” replied Dom, as he stood to shake hands with the partners, both already standing.

  Exiting the conference room, Evans grabbed Dom’s upper arm and said softly, “You should also check on a young lady Parker was seeing. I think there was a lot of,” he paused, “sinning going on,” said he, as he chuckled.

  Father Dom turned to face Evans as both partners began laughing. “Do you know who she is?” Evans replied as he rubbed his nose, “No idea. He called her Marilyn, but we know that’s not her name. Parker would say she looked like Marilyn Monroe. We can only imagine.”

  Albert added, “The S.O.B. would leave us one man short on our racquetball days.” The partners both laughed. Evans added, “I’m not sure, but I think that young lady visited him after his wife’s father left.”

  “You mean before he jumped?” “I think so. This is a big office and we occupy the whole floor. We don’t necessarily know who comes in or when. Guests to the building have to sign a register when they come in. You might want to check with them downstairs.” Albert replied.

  “So, she may have been the last one to see him alive?” “Possibly, yes,” said Evans.

  “May I see his office?” asked Dominic.

  “By all means. Follow us,” said Albert, leading the way. Father Dom inspected the office, which was nicely appointed. Two plants seemed freshly watered. There was a nice leather couch facing a beautiful oak bookcase that acc
ommodated a television and a large ornate desk with two chairs in front. A credenza held family pictures and awards of some kind. On the corner, there was a small conference table with three chairs and a golf bag, bright red with a white NIKE logo on the side.

  “Mr. Parker was a golfer, I see.”

  “We all are. Do you play, Father?”

  “I’m afraid not. Chess is my passion.”

  “Ah, a thinker,” said Evans, smiling and looking at Albert.

  Father Dom walked towards the windows. “Which of these was the one Mr. Parker jumped from?” The partners followed Dominic and again glanced at each other. “This one,” replied Albert, pointing at a window.

  “This must have caused some stress in the office.” Evans said, “Definitely. It was horrible. We’ve offered counseling to anyone that feels they need it.” “That’s appropriate, yes,” Father Dom said. “Was anything in disarray in the office?”

  Evans gazed around. “You mean as if there’d been a fight or something?” “Exactly,” Dom replied.

  “No,” he responded. “Everything was as it is now.”

  “Anything else?” asked Albert, contemplating his gold Rolex watch. “No. Thank you again, gentlemen,” Father Dom said, walking out of the office and towards the elevators. “Thank you for your time.”

  As Father Dom walked alone toward the bank of elevators, Kathy came from around a hallway with her head down and waiting for the partners to return to the conference room.

  She said timidly, “Father, I’d like to stop by later. Will you be there after six in the evening?”

  “I’ll have your Stella ready, Kathy.”

  CHAPTER FIVE Mrs. Adelle Parker opened the front door, letting out a puff of cigarette smoke as she greeted me. “Good morning, Mr. Mancuso, please come in.”

  Adelle was an attractive lady, short black hair, and blue eyes, maybe forty years old. Impeccably dressed, she was wearing what seemed like an expensive black-pearl necklace. I could tell she’d been crying. She picked up a glass with her right hand from a table by the front door and held a cigarette with her left hand as she pointed to a small office off the foyer’s entrance.

  “Please have a seat. May I offer you a drink?” she asked.

  I glanced at my watch; it was ten-thirty in the morning. “No, thank you, Mrs. Parker.”

  “Please call me Adelle. Perhaps coffee?” “I’m quite fine, thank you again. You have a beautiful home; this entrance is spectacular. I can see all the way back to the pool and patio area.”

  “Thank you. What brings you out to North Bergen, New Jersey?”

  “Lovely community. In all my years in New York, I’ve never ventured out here. Lived here long?” “We bought this home when Jonathan joined Evans and Albert, about four years ago,” she said, as she began crying.

  “Perhaps I can come back at a better time.” “No, it’s okay. You said you were a private investigator. Are you representing the insurance company?” she asked, putting down her drink and wiping her eyes with a tissue.

  “We like to keep our clients’ names private. You understand that,” I replied. Putting out a cigarette in a large thick crystal ashtray and pulling another from the pack lying on a coffee table, she said, “Would you like a cigarette?”

  “No, thanks, I haven’t smoked cigarettes in years. That’s a beautiful ashtray, Mrs. Parker. Is it Waterford crystal?”

  “It is, yes. It was a gift to Jonathan from a client. He has two more in his office also.”

  “Did Mr. Parker smoke?”

  “Nasty habit. Jonathan and I always enjoyed a drink and a cigarette together, but now…” her voice trailed off. “Tell me about the insurance policy, if you don’t mind.”

  “Which one?” she asked, taking a sip from her drink. I could smell the single malt, “Start with one of them,” I said, not knowing how many there were. “We have two. An old one for half a million and a new one for two million.”

  “How new is the last one?” “I’ve already contacted them. They said they’d review the matter. That’s why I thought you’re working for them. You see, there’s a clause in the policy that if the insured commits suicide before the policy is in force one year, they don’t pay,” she said, her voice trailing off again.

  “I see. And has it been less than a year?” “That’s the thing. He bought the policy, but it took him a month to get a physical and get approved. I don’t know when the policy took effect. It’s a little bit after a year now.”

  “Why did he take out a new policy?”

  “I was worried that, if something happened to him, it’d have a devastating effect on me.”

  “Everything seemed to be going good for him, business- wise,” I said. “For him, maybe, but he invested my trust fund with his company, and last month we received a letter saying that our returns had gone down from twelve percent per year to four percent.”

  “You were getting twelve percent per year?” “Ever since we moved the account to them, four years ago. Yes, twelve percent per year was the steady return until...”

  “Mrs. Parker, may I ask you how much is in the trust account?” “Call me Adelle, please. I think the balance is a little under four million dollars. My father created the trust accounts for my sister and me.”

  “The trust is for both?”

  “No, we each have a trust of the same size.” “Both managed by Jonathan’s firm?”

  “Yes, unfortunately. My father was incredibly upset at the news.”

  “You were receiving an income of about five hundred thousand a year from the trust?” “We were getting forty thousand a month, yes. And now, with Jonathan gone, his income lost, and the return on the trust at about a third of what we were getting, I’m afraid I may have to sell the house. My sister is devastated. She has two children in private school and no husband. The meager twelve thousand a month won’t suffice for her, either.”

  “What if you closed the account, retrieved the money, and did something else with it?” “My father asked them to do just that. The thing is, they claimed the money is in non-liquid investments: something called alternative investments, offshore certificates of deposits and real estate. I don’t know anything about that.”

  “When did your father ask for the money?” “He’s been asking for a month, as soon as we received the letter. He was there yesterday, at Jonathan’s office, before he jumped. He feels horrible, thinking he may have been the catalyst for Jonathan taking his life.”

  “He was there before Mr. Parker jumped?” “Yes, before he jumped. Oh, my God, what am I going to do?” she said, as she started crying again. She got up from the settee. “Can I get you a drink?”

  Right now, I could use one, but I replied, “No, thank you, you go right ahead.” I wanted to ask about Ms. Melody, but I didn’t have the heart to do so. “Was everything good between you and Mr. Parker?”

  “What couple doesn’t fight? We loved each other. We were even thinking of adopting a child. We couldn’t have one ourselves. He was such a romantic person.”

  Of course, he was, I said to myself. “Does your father live in New Jersey?” “Manhattan, East Side. He’s retired.”

  “And I assume he’s wealthy?”

  “He was lucky in life. He sold his company a few years ago for forty million and gave his daughters ten percent each in a trust.”

  “Where is his money invested?” “Guess where? He was one of Jonathan’s first clients at the new firm when he started there. Jonathan asked him to move everything over when he joined Evans and Albert.”

  “That’s what’s called all the eggs in one basket.” “I’m afraid so. Dad didn’t want to do it, but he did it for me. I feel terrible now,” she said, as she lit another cigarette.

  “I may want to talk to your dad. Could you arrange that?” “As soon as he comes back, I’ll be happy to do it.” “Where did he go?”

  “Some island in the Caribbean where part of the money is invested in certificates of deposits. He’s trying to retr
ieve that part.”

  Good luck with that , I thought. “One last question, Adelle. Is there another reason, besides the issue with the investments, that you think Mr. Parker may have wanted to take his own life?”

  “None whatsoever. He was excited about a business trip to Portugal and Spain. He said he had excellent potential new clients to meet there.”

  “Were you going with him on these trips?” “He never wanted me to go. And I understand. He said they’re boring meetings, lunches, and dinners, with small talk all the time.”

  “I can imagine, yes. I understand that he was about to make partner at the firm?”

  “Indeed, he was. The new account he just got is so big, he was offered a partnership.”

  “He must have been happy about that, right?” Taking a long drag from her cigarette, she replied, “Yes and no. On the one hand, a partnership is what he strived for. It meant a considerable increase in pay, bonuses and participation in all profits, plus other perks. But on the other hand, something bothered him about accepting it.”

  “Did he share his concerns with you about that?” “No, he was very reserved about his work. He always said he never wanted to burden me with his work.” “I see. May I call you if I have other questions?” “By all means Mr. Mancuso, please feel free.”

  “Mrs. Parker, thank you so much for your time, and again, I’m sorry for your loss,” I said, getting up and heading to the front door.

  “Thank you, good luck with your investigation, and please call me if you find anything else,” Mrs. Parker said, as she closed the door.

  CHAPTER SIX

  My next destination was to pay a visit to Doctor Death. Taking an Uber ride back to New York, I went straight to the coroner’s office.

  I began writing my notes from my meeting with Mrs. Parker as we continued to Manhattan. She had given me no indication that there was a problem with their marriage. So far, I had two conflicting stories between Mrs. Parker and Melody. It seemed that the mistress knew more about the deceased than the wife.

  Arriving at the OCME, or the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, I was greeted by some old friends as I headed to where the body of Jonathan Parker was to be examined. After securing my visitors’ badge, I walked in to see more old friends.