Chapter 33: A Salute

Explicit content warning

05/02/21 • 6 min

Chapter 33 starts Ray and Margie arriving at the Fine Time with a hero's welcome.
Many Cones is a podcast novel based on true crime. The murders inspiring this crime fiction took place 30 miles from Chicago in Northwest Indiana, and captivated the area from the initial brutal crime scene all the way through and beyond discovery of a shockingly bizarre motive.
The “Fine Time” was relatively uncrowded for a Saturday night. Word of the late morning and afternoon arrests had spread. As Ray and Margie entered the establishment, all discussion ceased. Half the patrons nodded or waved. Then everyone went back to their own problems and celebrations.

Ramon raised his cocktail glass in salute as Ray passed, heading for a back table. By the time he sat, a waitress was serving his scotch. Margie was asked her preference. She requested a vodka, rocks.

They settled comfortably into their chairs. Margie was served. They toasted each other, touched glasses, and took a long sip. Ray set his glass on his white napkin, and lit a Pall Mall. Margie pulled a cigarette from her pack, which Ray also lit. He pocketed his old zippo and stared warmly at his companion. She took a deep hit, and asked, “So where’s the girl without the E?”

Ray thought for a second, realized what she was talking about, and said, “Carol Lombard!”

Margie smiled at Ray’s discomfort. “Yeah. Carol Lombard. Is she working tonight?”

Ray’s discomfort slowly disappeared. “No. We were together last night. I told her I would probably be busy all night. I didn’t know how lucky we were going to get or how long everything would take.”

Ray was leery of sending the wrong message. He decided he was being juvenile and finished his thought. “She took the day off, and her and her mother and daughter went out of town to visit relatives.”

Margie noticed the contradiction. Ray staring at her with big moony eyes, and yet telling her he was with his girlfriend last night. He was a piece of work. No wonder his relationships didn’t last long.

She continued the flirtation. “Do you and her have a serious thing going?”

“Yes we do. As serious as I am capable of. I seem to surround myself with experienced, understanding women. Like Carol. And like you.”

Before Margie had a chance to respond, Regis Cahan walked in. Ramon pointed to Ray’s table and Regis approached the two. Ray introduced Regis to Margie, and he joined them. As he sat, the waitress served his Black Jack.

Cahan held his glass high. “You guys saved her life. I can’t thank you enough. She means more to me than any person I have ever met.” He took a sip.

Ray said, “We got lucky. Actually, she saved herself. How is she doing?”

“She took sixteen stitches in her breast. Everything else was bumps and bruises. Nothing broken. She wanted to go home after they cleaned her up, but they’re making her spend the night. To be on the safe side.”

Grandisha continued, “How’s her family handling it?”

“They’re petrified. Worse off than she is. But that’s to be expected. They’re all very close. Very loving...” Regis paused, smiled, and asked, “Did she really elbow the guy?”

Ray thought for a second, realized what she was talking about, and said, “Carol Lombard!”

Margie smiled at Ray’s discomfort. “Yeah. Carol Lombard. Is she working tonight?”

She continued the flirtation. “Do you and her have a serious thing going?”

“Yes we do. As serious as I am capable of. I seem to surround myself with experienced, understanding women. Like Carol. And like you.”

Cahan held his glass high. “You guys saved her life. I can’t thank you enough. She means more to me than any person I have ever met.” He took a sip.

Ray said, “We got lucky. Actually, she saved herself. How is she doing?”

Grandisha continued, “How’s her family handling it?”

“They’re petrified. Worse off than she is. But that’s to be expected. They’re all very close. Very loving...” Regis paused, smiled, and asked, “Did she really elbow the guy?”

Previous Episode

Chapter 32: A Convoy

Chapter 32 starts with a convoy to Albert Moffit's house.
Many Cones is a podcast novel based on true crime. The murders inspiring this crime fiction took place 30 miles from Chicago in Northwest Indiana, and captivated the area from the initial brutal crime scene all the way through and beyond discovery of a shockingly bizarre motive.
It was almost noon under a pleasant Saturday sun, as the convoy proceeded to Albert Moffit’s house. No sirens or lights for this venture. Grandisha was driving the lead vehicle. Margie was navigating. She also wanted to make sure she had a correct understanding of what really had occurred. “My tailing job, yesterday, when I followed the Sparne Kid to Moffit’s, never occurred, right?”

Ray nodded his head. “That’s correct. Nothing you did yesterday occurred. You were home, recovering.”

“That’s two things I was involved in recently that never occurred.

Grandisha shot a questioning glance at her, then understood. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Margie shook her head. “No. I thought about it because of Gina Drozler, and what those two fuckers did to her... They basically did the same thing to me. We were both naked in front of you... You saved both of us... You’re a regular knight in shining armor.”

“So how come I can’t maintain a relationship?”

“I can’t help you with that... I just wanted to thank you, again.”

Ray smiled at her and said, “For what?”

Margie laughed. “That’s right. Nothing occurred.” She sat quietly for a few minutes, then continued, “What’s gonna happen here?”

“I don’t know. After you called, during your non-existent tailing job, I ran the computer on this guy. Nothing. No arrests. No problems. Just him and his wife. No kids. He’s some kind of salesman. He’s a non-entity.”

“Do we rush the house, or knock and get invited in.” Margie asked.

“Oh, we’ll go in gangbusters. If that’s a mistake, we can apologize, and they can sue the department. But, I don’t think it’s a mistake. This guy’s connected in a major way to those two. I just don’t know how, or why.”

Margie came to attention and alerted Ray. “There it is. On the corner. That red brick house.”

Grandisha parked in front of the residence. Two vehicles parked behind him, the others on the side street. It was a quiet, older neighborhood. No one was working on lawns. Moffit’s was overgrown, the others had been tended recently.

They gathered at the street corner. Ray explained what he wanted done. Everyone understood. One group approached the front door, and another group the side.

Albert Moffitt hadn’t moved from the divan since hurrying Sparne and Morales out the night before. Modern technology provided him with twenty four hour access to a wide range of gifted bible thumpers. He no longer understood the spoken English drawl that was spewing from the set ninety five percent of the time. But that was okay. That part wasn’t important.

At some point during the night, Albert used the remote to increase the volume. It had remained blaring. Every half hour or so, a few lines of the special language, the tongues, came through clearly. He understood the sing song banter perfectly. It mostly praised him. Even when it didn’t, it still mentioned his name.

Next Episode

Chapter 34: A Tentacle

Chapter 34 summarizes the future and past for significant characters in Many Cones
Many Cones is a podcast novel based on true crime. The murders inspiring this crime fiction took place 30 miles from Chicago in Northwest Indiana, and captivated the area from the initial brutal crime scene all the way through and beyond discovery of a shockingly bizarre motive.
There were eight other teens arrested. Four of them were not part of the murders. They flipped like golden brown pancakes. The other four also turned state’s witnesses, but were looking at substantial jail time.

All of the high schoolers told the same story. Albert Moffit was the head of a criminal organization with far reaching tentacles. The victims picked were criminals double crossing a bigger, more powerful criminal.

The aunt and uncle Ricardo Morales complained about, gave up their immediate dream of moving from the cul-de-sac to a safer place to raise children. Instead, they hired a top-notch criminal attorney to defend their nephew. Ricardo thought they were stupid for spending the money. He expected Mr. Moffit to fix everything, after the furor passed.

The block parties continued. Ricardo became a legend at the gatherings. As a result of his status, his family was spared from the growing violence that prompted weekly police raids.

Ricardo’s mother, debilitated by his arrest and prosecution, quickly returned to her previous occupation. Two months after his conviction, she was found dead in a dark alley. Her neck was broken, and dried semen spotted her chin and lips.

Joe Crownder, drunk one night, was involved in a fender bender with some black teenagers. He pulled a missing, Police issue revolver, and shot two of them. Luckily they lived. He disappeared, and was rumored to be living somewhere in Montana. A 24x20 framed photograph of him was hung behind the bar in the “Rebel Yell.” He was toasted nightly.

Margie Grenk was promoted to Lieutenant. Multiple men and women within the detective bureau had threatened to quit unless she was elevated in rank.

Delores and Richard Sparne sold their house and cashed in their life savings to hire the best criminal lawyer in the state. Richard, the Kid, treated his lawyer with disdain, upset that his mouthpiece didn’t understand the power exercised by highly organized criminal enterprises. The Kid and Ricardo remained close, and defended each other during continuous jailhouse attacks.

Mr. and Mrs. Sparne leased an apartment in Ray Grandisha’s building. They became friends. Ray considered them some of the finest people he had ever met.

Albert Moffit was appointed the most experienced public defender in the area. Since the state was paying for everything, his attorney was able to hire expensive consultants and psychiatrists. It didn’t help. No one was able to communicate with Albert or decipher the odd language he spoke.

Finally, an egghead psychiatrist with a double doctorate in Archaeology and Historical Linguistics, determined he was speaking an obscure form of Druidish Gaelic, used primarily during the ritual of human sacrifice. No one could be found to translate.

Many Cones, Based On True Crime - Chapter 33: A Salute

Transcript

Chapter 33
The “Fine Time” was relatively uncrowded for a Saturday night. Word of the late morning and afternoon arrests had spread. As Ray and Margie entered the establishment, all discussion ceased. Half the patrons nodded or waved. Then everyone went back to their own problems and celebrations.

Ramon raised his cocktail glass in salute as Ray passed, heading for a back table. By the time he sat, a waitress was serving his scotch. Margie was asked her preference. She requested