Saving the Truth: Jackson Stone, P.I., #1

By E. A. Calletti

PI Jackson Stone balked at responding to the flashing red light on the office phone.

If he doesn't answer the phone, he could completely immerse himself in his late-night rendezvous with one of the most sought-after women in town.

But, if he does answer. . .

There's a dead body at the Blue Moon Jazz Club. Not just any body, but Candy Lane, the headliner for the club and the subject of his late-night rendezvous.

Regardless of the personal connection, Salvatore "Sam" Sebastiano, the owner of the club leaves explicit orders for Stone: Clear the police from his establishment and find the killer.

Right from the start the deck is stacked against him. Stone's trained eyes bear witness to a sterile crime scene. Someone tampered with the body and the surrounding room, raising more questions than Stone can answer.

To make matters worse, Candy Lane was a woman without a past and Sam refuses to lift the shroud of mystery hanging over her life.

The investigation is blown wide open with the drama of a suicide in the park. Stone works to pull the fragmented clues together to solve the multi-layered case.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E. A. Calletti
• Release date: Jul 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516368907

Book preview

Prologue

PI Jackson Stone balked at responding to the flashing red light on the office phone. If he doesn’t answer the phone, he could completely immerse himself in his late-night rendezvous with one of the most sought-after women in town.

But, if he does answer. . .

There’s a dead body at the Blue Moon Jazz Club. Not just any dead body, but Candy Lane, the headliner for the club and the subject of his late-night rendezvous.

Regardless of the personal connection, the club’s owner, Salvatore Sam Sebastiano leaves explicit orders for Stone: clear the police from his establishment and find the killer.

Right from the start the deck is stacked against him. Stone’s trained eyes witness a sterile crime scene. Someone tampered with the body and the surrounding room, raising more questions than Stone can answer. To make matters worse, Candy Lane was a woman without a past. But Sam refuses to life the shroud of mystery hanging over her life.

The investigation blows wide open with the drama of a suicide in the park, pulling the fragmented clues together to solve the multi-layered case.

SAVING THE TRUTH is the Second Edition of a 16K+ word Thriller/Suspense novella originally entitled STONE COLD: A Jackson Stone Mystery.

This expanded version: a 28K+ word Thriller/Suspense novella contains new material including; new title, new content, additional characters, new venues, plus a stunning new ending.

Chapter I

It was a warm Saturday evening in mid-September when Jackson Stone sauntered into the Blue Moon Jazz Club on the west side of Buffalo.

It was no novelty for Stone to spend an evening at the Blue Moon. Located just around the corner from his office, Stone spent a few evenings every week at the Blue Moon. He frequently picked up new clients for his private detective business courtesy of the owner, Sam Sebastiano.

But lately he’d been remiss with his visits while closing a backlog of cases, threatening to lapse into obscurity. Some of those cases proved to be a lot more complicated than when originally presented.

When Stone considered a case closed, at least to his satisfaction, he left no stone unturned. In Stone’s opinion, Happy clients led to more customers and he liked it that way. So did his bank account.

This visit to the Blue Moon followed a tedious, mind-boggling day spent gathering paperwork for each case, placing it into its predetermined folder then into the filing cabinet.

By the time he finished his chore, his mind was a blur of legal terms. His head ached and his eyes felt dry and sore from reading, sorting and filing what felt like endless documents. Some of his clients wanted copies of the material gathered during their case. Other clients were content to have Stone hold the paperwork.

He needed a change of scenery from an office sadly in need of an interior decorator and just a bit of cleaning. Faded blue drapes, a couple of well-worn throw rugs of no discernible hue, an antique oak desk with matching chair, two wingback chairs and a thin layer of dust covering anything not routinely used.

It wasn’t for lack of money that his office was in disarray. It was a lack of time actually spent in the room. Except for the never-ending paperwork.

He didn’t want to think about his filing system. It would require an office manager to sort through the paperwork, reorganizing his system, which didn’t follow any alphabet known to man. His initial method of filing consisted of repeatedly placing paperwork into a cabinet drawer until it was full then closing it.

Occasionally, he’d splurge for an agency secretary to help straighten his cabinets. But they never wanted to come back. Go figure!

Stone wanted a drink, a comfortable seat, the opportunity to relax and clear his head while listening to some cool jazz. The Blue Moon was the place to be to fulfill his wishes. Hopefully, Johnny Dee’s band would be playing tonight so he could feast his weary eyes on the lead singer.

The Blue Moon was known as a hangout for a broad range of people including law enforcement, mobsters, lawyers, doctors and downtown professionals.

But regardless of what you did for a living, you better have plenty of money to spend before entering the front door. You wouldn’t last long if you didn’t have deep pockets. Money was how Sam controlled the clientele who patronized the Blue Moon.

It was Stone’s opportunity to chat with old friends and make some new ones. A PI was always looking for new business and Stone was rarely disappointed after a visit to the Blue Moon.

Similar to many cities, Saturday evening in Buffalo, New York was considered couple’s night and tonight the Blue Moon was packed. The tables, close to the dimly lit stage, were filled with the couples who had reservations.

The area around the bar was standing room only for singles, primarily men. In Stone’s opinion, it was a scam since a few of the men had forgotten to remove the tell-tale wedding bands.

His grandmother used to say: Every old sock can find an old shoe, Jack. Don’t be an old sock! Find yourself a nice girl and . . .

Apparently, these old socks had failed to find an old shoe to spend an evening with, Stone thought, looking up and down the length of the bar.

Stone spotted a couple of bar stools, unoccupied for the moment, at the far end of the bar. Like a racehorse out of the gate, he made a beeline to the closest one for himself.

As he settled into the stool, he realized his choice granted him an excellent unobstructed view of the stage.

Now all he needed was a drink, the music, the singer and his wish list would be complete.

Lou Sanders, the club manager, and the head bartender was working behind the bar tonight, as usual. Stone sighed with relief, knowing things had stayed the same since the last time he’d spent an evening at the Blue Moon.

The waitresses, filing to the bar at steady intervals, kept Lou busy filling orders. Many of the thirsty customers were stocking up a supply of drinks at their respective tables.

It always amazed Stone how the waitresses managed to weave their way through the crowded room, in and out of tight corners, with a tray full of drinks without spilling a drop. A balancing act he wouldn’t attempt on a dare. Unless the dare included a substantial amount of money, he thought with a smile.

Watching the waitresses buzzing in and out between tables, he suspected they were earning enough in tips to make it worthwhile.

Stone heard the background noise of the jazz band members warming up their instruments. He focused on the bandstand while he waited for Lou to come his way.

Trumpet, trombone, saxophone, drums and piano made their noises to tune up. Stone felt the deep thrum of the bass vibrating in his chest. Up and down the scales, brushes on cymbals, deeper tones from the bass echoing in the background warned the customers they were close to starting their set.

Meanwhile, the customers began to quiet down, prepared to listen to the house band, Johnny Dee’s Starlight Jazz.

The lights on the bandstand blinked once, signaling the start of the first set. The crowd grew quiet in anticipation of the entertainment.

Sam Sebastiano, the owner of the Blue Moon, slipped out of his office, stepping over to the bar. He took the bar stool next to Stone, nodding his head once in his direction. Stone smiled in return.

Sam Sebastiano, short, wiry, thinning salt and pepper hair, manicured nails, was always meticulously groomed. He maintained a commanding presence about himself while entering the seventh decade of his life. It made him appear bigger than he was despite his advancing years.

Sam might not be the best looking guy around, but he sure made up for it with his taste in clothing. When you’re rich, you don’t have to be great looking. Sam’s personal style more than made up for it.

Sam was always dressed to the nines from head-to-toe, wearing some of the most expensive suits Stone had ever seen. Hey, he can certainly afford it.

Lou smiled at Sam, serving him a drink from his private stock of red wine stored in a cabinet below the bar.

Stone ordered his usual drink, top-shelf scotch on the rocks. Lou waved off his money when he tried to pay, jerking his head toward Sam.

Thanks, Sam and Lou, I appreciate it, Stone said, raising his glass to each of the men. Sam glanced at Stone, Lou smiled.

"Quite a crowd here tonight, especially