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“They want to expand the mall. Double its size, actually. But they’re having some trouble convincing people this is a good idea. And so they’ve been trying to bully council members and some of the farmers who own the land they want to buy into submission.”

“So not just a rebranding but also an expansion?”

“The rebranding would go hand in hand with the expansion.”

“And what are the chances that their plans will see the light of day?”

“I’d say their chances are pretty good, but they’re not going to get everything they want. There will have to be some modifications, and Joel was negotiating with Jeannie and the Hampton Keys council and frankly driving a hard bargain, which is why Jeannie thought it a good idea for the threemayors to get together and decide on a joint strategy.”

“Do you think Joel’s death is beneficial to the council’s position?” asked Chase.

“I don’t think it’s going to make a lot of difference either way. No, I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree here, Chase. We didn’t kill Joel Timperley. Though I have to admit we were all tempted, Jeannie most of all.”

“Got any more questions for my future wife, Chase?” asked Uncle Alec.

There was silence on the line, then suddenly Odelia cried,“Oh, my God!”

Charlene laughed.“Alec! I thought we said we’d wait until this weekend!”

“Oops,” Uncle Alec said, suddenly subdued. “Looks like the cat’s out of the bag now.”

Dooley gave me a curious look.“What cat are they talking about, Max? And why a bag?”

“It’s just an expression, Dooley,” I said. “There’s no cat and no bag.”

“Strange expression,” said my friend. “A little cruel, if you ask me.”

“Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” said Odelia.

“Thanks, hon,” said Charlene. “We’ll celebrate later, all right?”

“Of course.”

“Yeah, first catch this killer,” said Uncle Alec sternly. “Have you talked to Sergio Sorbet yet?”

“We’re going over there now,” said Chase.

“Better get a move on. Before he ends up dead, too!”

“Ooh, can you get me an autograph?” asked Charlene. “Tell him to make it ‘With love to Charlene!’”

Even mayors aren’t immune to the charms of Hollywood leading men, apparently, even small-town mayors that are about to get married to small-town chiefs of police!

Chapter 24

The house that Sergio Sorbet had built—or rather bought—was a grand mansion in true Hollywood style. I imagined that Steven Spielberg was a regular guest, and so was Tom Hanks and Harrison Ford. They probably landed their helicopter on the private helipad Sergio had installed between the house and his private beach. Or maybe they flew in their private plane and landed it at the private airstrip nearby. All in all, it all sounded very… private. Then again, when you’re as rich and famous as Mr. Sorbet, you don’t like mere mortals sticking their noses into your private affairs.

The movies that had made Sorbet famous were very much in evidence wherever we looked: a large Zeus statue dominated the courtyard, and a ginormous painting of Zeus covered the two floors of the atrium when we entered. There was even a mosaic floor depicting a scene from one of the Zeus movies—at least I thought it did. I’ve never personally been a big fan of the Zeus franchise. It all seems a little samey, to me, in the sense that when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. But I guess that’s the whole point.

“Come in, come in,” said Sergio Sorbet once we’d made it past two security guards, one butler and one helpful personal assistant or PA, who appeared to have a tablet glued to his hand and an earpiece to his ear.

Sergio himself was a large man, and seemed to have been constructed entirely of muscle. He had a thick neck, brawny arms that stretched a Zeus T-shirt and bulging pectoral muscles that reminded me of that oldIncredible Hulk TV series from the eighties, where Bill Bixby was always in danger of suddenly ripping his shirt to shreds and turning into Lou Ferrigno. They must have gone through an awful lot of shirts to film that particular series.

Sergio looked a little sweaty, but immediately explained this by stating that he’d been engaged in his second workout of the day, and a particularly grueling one at that.

“I shift tractor tires,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Tractor tires?” asked Odelia.

“Yeah. Best workout possible. Exercises chest, back, arm, leg muscles. Whole-body workout. But you’re not here to talk about my exercise regimen, are you?” He gave us the good-natured smile he was famous for, oozing charm from every sweaty pore.

“Have you heard about what happened to Joel Timperley, sir?” asked Chase.

The man’s face fell. “Yeah, Luke told me. My PA,” he clarified. “Terrible business. Simply terrible. Have you arrested the man yet?”

“What man?” asked Chase.

“Why, Dominic Careen, of course. He must be the one behind all this, right?”

“What makes you say that?”