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The bartender, who was dressed in a tank top and studded jockstrap, gestured to the far corner of the dance floor. Chase nodded his thanks and gave the guy his order. Loaded up with two daiquiris, they proceeded along the dance floor, threading their way through the dancing frenzy and slowly but gradually bearing down on their intended target: the Animal.

The music was pumping, and the crowd was wild, as a DJ spurred them on. Couples stood kissing and Odelia couldn’t stop grinning as she followed Chase, who was like an icebreaker driving a wedge through the sea of gyrating and sweating bodies. His Superman outfit attracted a lot of attention, as did his fit physique, and several men seemed more than eager to have him fill their dance card. He stoically parried all attempts to be distracted from his mission, though, and, like a regular Superman, proceeded with laser focus.

Finally, they arrived at a booth on the other side, where a diminutive man who was dressed like Kermit the Frog sat with three burly bodyguards, overseeing the seething masses. One of the bodyguards was a man with a scar along his face, and the tattoo of a scorpion on his neck. Cicero. He did not look pleased to see either Chase or Odelia.

“Tino Krawczalis?” Chase asked, bending over to make himself heard.

Immediately, the bodyguards stirred, but Tino motioned for them to back off.

“Who wants to know?” he asked, blatantly checking Chase out.

“My name is Chase Kingsley, and this is Odelia Poole. Jeb Pott’s daughter asked us to investigate his ex-wife’s murder.”

The guy gave Chase a long look of appraisal, then nodded to his beefy sidekicks, who made themselves scarce. Cicero, as he walked off, gave Odelia a lascivious glance, and when he grinned, showcased more metal in his mouth than a steelworks. She blithely ignored him.

Instead of inviting Odelia and Chase to join him in his booth, Tino got up and gestured for them to follow him. He weaved his way along the other tables, then placed his palm against a mirror. Something flashed green, and the mirror swung open. A hidden door.

On the other side was a room decorated like a small salon, all red velvet and gilt furniture. Privacy was absolute, and yet they could still see what was happening on the dance floor through a one-way mirror.

So this was how the owner of the infamous Cocky Cauldron got his kicks, Odelia thought.

Tino’s nickname suited him: the man did look like an animal, though not the animal she’d anticipated. He looked like a frog, with outsized, heavy-lidded eyes and a squashed-up face. His Kermit the Frog suit sat snugly around a five-foot lithe frame. The guy was short.

If this man was the head of a crime syndicate, he certainly didn’t look it.

Tino sank down onto a Louis XIV couch, and invited them to join him.

For a moment, they sat watching the masses moving to the pulsating beats, which filtered into the room, then he smiled and said,“Detective Kingsley. What do you think of my very own police mirror?”

Chase looked surprised.“You know who I am?”

“Of course. And you, Odelia Poole, reporter and sometime sleuth. I’ve followed both your careers with interest. I never thought I’d see the day you showed up in my place of business dressed like Superman and Agnetha F?ltskog, though.”

Odelia took off the wig.“I hate this thing,” she admitted. “I don’t understand how people can wear wigs and not want to take them off all the time. They’re so itchy!”

“I agree with you there, Miss Poole,” said Tino. “Now, tell me all about this Jeb Pott business. As you will readily understand, I have a keen interest in everything that has to do with that man.”

Chapter 33

“It’s come to our attention that Jeb owed you a great deal of money,” said Chase, taking the lead.

“And you think I had something to do with the death of his ex-wife, implicating him in her murder as a way of putting the squeeze on him,” said Tino.

“The thought had occurred to us, yes,” Chase admitted.

Tino smiled a thin smile.“You know why I wear this uniform, Detective?”

“No, actually I don’t.”

“It doesn’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of my enemies. I know that. But a frog has one advantage over your better-known predators: it lashes out and snaps up a bug in a fraction of a second. The bug never sees the end coming, and therefore has no defense. Creatures that look as benign andharmless as a common frog don’t use fear to keep their enemies in line. They simply gobble them up when they’re not looking.”

“Do you gobble up your enemies when they’re not looking?” asked Odelia.

“It’s just a figure of speech, Miss Poole.” He pointed at her. “I read your pieces. They’re well-written and entertaining. You’re a skilled writer and I admire that. Detective Kingsley’s talents lie elsewhere, and I’d be lying if I said I admired him as much as I do you.”

“Okay, let’s cut to the chase here, Tino,” said Chase. “Did you have something to do with the murder of Camilla Kirby or not?”