Bernardo Holyoke is killed in suspicious circumstances. Detective Helena Frye leads the investigation. His estranged wife, Jessica, is nowhere to be found.
(Violet Kiteway has visited the Five of Cups in the past.)
By PIETRO SALK
Police say Five of Cups owner Bernardo Holyoke, 53, was found dead in his bar late yesterday morning, in what police officials suspect was a bungled robbery. The crime is an unexpected setback for the police, who have recently been making headway into reducing crime in the long-problematic Old Town district.
Police Detective Helena Frye says they were called into the bar by an employee at around 10:00am. The employee, who wished not to be identified, said that he was entering the bar to begin preparing for lunchtime business and found Holyoke's body in the back office. "There was evidence of a bit of a struggle, and it is clear that the intruder or intruders ransacked the establishment looking for ... cash or possibly drugs."
Frye declined to give detailed specifics regarding Holyoke's means of death, but did say it was "definitely a murder, no doubt at all." She added that the bar's till had been completely emptied, but that it was difficult to tell if anything else had been taken.
"At this point, we are trying to locate and question everyone who was at the bar late last night," Frye said. "We suspect that the murderer was a patron who simply did not leave, because the establishment's alarm system appears to have never been armed [last night]."
Anyone who believes they may have information relating to the crime is urged to contact the Perplex City Police Department.
Holyoke has been the owner of the Five of Cups for twelve years. Neighboring business owner Linda Bonham described him as a "real stand-up guy, you always knew he had your back." Holyoke is survived by his estranged wife, Jessica Holyoke, 57. The pair had no children.
