A-List

by D P Lyle

  “I hate needles.”

  “They don’t do it that way. It’s simply a swab of the inside of your cheek.”

  “At least that’s some bit of good news.”

  Gloria returned to work, promising she’d call if she thought of anyone. I humped it across the Quarter to Vaughn Motor Works where I had an almost identical discussion with Owen Vaughn. After his shock at the DNA results, I asked if he knew any women who Kristi had issues with.

  “Not that I know,” he said. “Kristi didn’t have issues with anyone. Male or female.” He forked the fingers of both hands through his hair sweeping it back off his forehead. It stood up as if windblown. “Well, there was the one girl.”

  “Oh?”

  “Long time ago. We were sophomores. Sandy London. She somehow got a crush on me. Tried to get me to go out with her. Said some awful stuff about Kristi. It was a big deal for a couple of weeks, but me and Kristi were solid. Sandy and Kristi later made up. Sort of. It was always a sore subject between them though.”

  “Any idea where she is now?”

  “She got pregnant during our senior year. Got married. Moved to Little Rock. I heard she’s had another kid since then.”

  “She been back this way as far as you know?”

  He laughed. “If you’re thinking Sandy did this, you are barking up the wrong tree.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “She’s tiny. Five feet and ninety pounds tops. And mousey. No way.”

  I shrugged. “Still, anything’s possible.”

  “Not Sandy. Trust me on that.” He shook a cigarette up from the pack he pulled from his shirt pocket and lit it. “This is crazy, isn’t it? I mean, some psycho chick might’ve killed Kristi? That makes absolutely no sense.”

  It didn’t.

  Next stop—the Belly Up. Tony Guidry’s bar/restaurant off St. Anne’s. I hoped Tony wasn’t there, as I wanted to talk with Robert and Kevin. I got lucky and found the brothers at a corner table playing cards. They actually smiled when I walked up. That’s the Nicole effect. They obviously felt an affinity for her after the other night and that apparently spilled over to me.

  As if to prove the point, Kevin asked, “Where’s Nicole?”

  “She’s out on the movie set.”

  “Cool,” Robert added.

  Amazing how their attitudes had changed since our first encounter on the street. Nicole had definitely redirected their testosterone. Away from anger and toward something more lust-driven. Not that that made me happy, but it did make the brothers more manageable.

  “Mind if I join you for a sec?” I asked.

  “Sure,” Kevin said. He pushed back a chair with his foot. “Want a beer or something?”

  “Thanks, but I’m good. I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions.”

  They exchanged a look, then Robert glanced to the bar as if making sure no one was listening. “About what?”

  As I did with Gloria, I went through the need for this to remain private, for them only. They nodded and leaned forward creating a conspiratorial cone of silence.

  “They found DNA beneath Kristi’s nails and it didn’t belong to Kirk Ford.” Their eyes widened, but neither said anything. “In fact, it’s from a female.”

  “What?” they said almost in unison. Then Kevin said, “How’s that possible?”

  “Not sure. But it could mean that her killer was a woman and not Kirk.”

  “Or he had an accomplice,” Robert said.

  “Or that,” I said. “Either is possible. Or maybe this finding means nothing. But the police think it’s a game changer.” I shrugged. “Truth is, I do, too.”

  “So what?” Kevin said. “Some random chick broke in and killed Kristi?”

  “Not random. This wasn’t just someone stumbling in. Remember, someone gave them a loaded joint. Someone wanted them out. That’s the someone we need to find.”

  “We?”

  “Sure. I assume you guys want to know the truth. Tony, too.”

  Another glance toward the bar and Kevin said, “You know this sounds crazy? Right?”

  I nodded. “It does. But facts are facts. What I want to know is if you can think of any of Kristi’s female friends or coworkers or anyone who could be a viable suspect?”

  They looked at each other, neither speaking, faces blank. Finally, Robert shook his head. “No.”

  “Her best friends are Gloria and Betty,” Kevin said. “Gloria, she worked with over at Café du Monde. Betty, she went to school with.”

  “Betty Smithson left school? Right? Sick mother, something like that?”

  “That’s right. She ain’t been around for a while.”

  “I’ve talked to Gloria a few times,” I said. “I don’t see her as involved.”

  “No. I don’t either,” Robert said. “And sitting right here right now I can’t think of a single soul, male or female, who would want to hurt Kristi. Except for Kirk Ford.”

  I nodded. “As I said, he still might be the one. And this could be one of those classic red herrings. But if you would ask around. See if anyone has a name we should look at.”

  Kevin leaned forward even more. “Tony don’t want us doing nothing about this. He made that pretty clear.”

  Robert nodded his agreement.

  “Then don’t tell him.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  NICOLE RETURNED FROM the set around five. I was lying in bed reading my self-defense book. Now up to Chapter 14. I was learning some seriously aggressive stuff. Ways to break bones and damage internal organs. A long way beyond a simple flick to the eye.

  “Are you ever going to finish that thing?” she asked.

  “I’m a slow reader.”

  “No, you’re not. I’ve seen you read.”

  “That’s novels. This is a textbook.”

  “Textbook? Really?”

  “Sure. I’m learning lots of dangerous stuff.”

  “Don’t hurt yourself.”

  “Funny.” I closed the book. “Besides, I’ve been busy today.”

  “Doing what? Playing with your bat and balls?”

  “That’s funny, too.” I told her of my visits and how I had gotten Robert and Kevin to scratch around for women in Kristi’s life that might have a reason to do her harm.

  She sat on the edge of the bed and listened, and then said, “You’re becoming a real PI.”

  Good grief.

  Then she had a great idea. “Want to help me shower?”

  You bet.

  I was slipping on a pair of jeans when Ray called. He said he had a reservation at Mr. B’s at seven, adding that Pancake had a date with Sophie. We planned to meet them downstairs in the bar and then walk over.

  Dinner was fun, relaxed, and, as expected, outstanding. The wine flowed, the chatter mostly light. Pancake was on a roll, telling stories from our childhood, many embellished, of course, but funny nonetheless. Sophie laughed, red-faced, and seemed to constantly wipe tears from her eyes. She watched Pancake’s every move, infatuated with the big guy. And they were more than a little handsy, like a couple of high school kids. I loved seeing Pancake like this. For all the grief I gave him about using my bar as an office and mainly hanging out with the staff and chatting with customers, he actually did work hard. Day and night. And never complained when Ray dumped a bunch of crap on him.

  Soon the conversation turned to the Kirk Ford situation. And the DNA results.

  “So, the DNA basically came up empty?” Nicole asked.

  “No matches, if that’s what you’re asking. At least not with the materials found under Kristi’s nails. The twins of course matched each other, but that’s it.”

  “What does all that mean?” Nicole asked. “If the DNA didn’t match Kirk, and in fact came from a female, and it matched none of the women involved with the movie, then where are we?”

  “We’re swimming upstream,” Ray said.

  “But Kirk is off the hook? Right?”

  “Maybe. The DNA is just one pie
ce of evidence. The DA still has a dead girl in a locked room and a suspect who conveniently remembers nothing.”

  “Conveniently?” Nicole asked. “He was drugged.”

  Ray nodded. “And that’s good for him. At least it will be in the courtroom. The question is, who drugged them? Who had access to the room? Or at least the skills to get inside.”

  “The hotel staff?” I asked.

  “Nothing there, either, so far. I talked to Doucet just before we came down to the bar. DNA on the staff cleared them all.” He rubbed one eye with a knuckle. “And, of course, the room was accessed with Kirk’s key. Not one of the staff.”

  “That leaves us with Kristi’s world. Someone out there that wanted to bring some harm her way.”

  Ray tapped a finger on the table. “The question is who? And why?”

  While this conversation bounced around the table, I noticed Sophie pulling back. At first she leaned back slightly in her seat. Head down. Looking at her hands, I sensed she was no longer tracking the conversation. When Pancake threw an arm around her, pulling her toward him, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. But unlike earlier, it was perfunctory. She saw me watching her and quickly looked away, gaze dropping again.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  She looked up at me again. “What do you mean?”

  “Something’s bothering you?”

  “No. Not really.” She looked at Pancake and smiled. Half-hearted.

  Now he jumped in. “You feeling okay?”

  “Just tired.” Another half-smile. “Maybe too much wine.”

  But that wasn’t it. I knew there was more.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “I get the sense that something about all this is bothering you.”

  She looked around the table. All eyes were on her. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Not put a spotlight on her. She looked uncomfortable.

  Finally, she sighed. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

  Ray leaned forward. “What is it?” He waved a hand. “Whatever it is, it won’t leave this table.”

  Tears collected in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of one hand.

  Pancake turned toward her, placing a gentle hand against her cheek. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. I’m here.”

  She smiled. At least she tried to. Came off as more of a grimace. She sniffed back tears. “The twins. Tara and Tegan. They aren’t identical.”

  “Sure, they are,” Nicole said.

  She shook her head. “No, they aren’t. They’re what’s called mirror twins.”

  “Those are still identical,” Pancake said. “Just a special type of identical.”

  “What do you mean?” Nicole asked.

  Pancake explained that with normal identical twins the fertilized egg made its first division and the two resulting cells drifted apart and each went on to develop into a fetus. Same DNA. Identical twins. With mirror twins, this separation occurs later, after a few divisions. Often the two twins will then be mirror images of each other.

  “One can be right handed and the other left,” Pancake said. “The usual facial asymmetry that we all have is often mirrored in these folks. Say one has a crooked mouth, the other will crook in the opposite direction. That sort of thing.”

  “Do they have identical DNA?” Nicole asked.

  “Mirrors? Yes.”

  “So that fits the results,” I said.

  Pancake nodded. “Sure does. Then there are twins that look identical but are really fraternal twins. There, the DNA is different. And to screw things up more, there are semi-identical twins. Here, the egg splits into two before fertilization and each is then fertilized with a different sperm. The resulting twins will have identical DNA from the mother but different DNA from the father. This means that about three-quarters of their DNA will match.”

  “How do you know all this?” I asked.

  He gave me a look like that was a stupid question. Which, since I knew Pancake knew a lot of trivial stuff, it was.

  “I’m a curious guy,” he said.

  I looked at Sophie. “Is that what they are? Maybe semi-identical twins. Did they ever say that?”

  “All I know is that they told me they were mirror twins.”

  “That term is tossed around,” Pancake said. “Even when it ain’t the case.”

  “How did you find out they weren’t actually identical?” I asked.

  “It’s their little secret. But one night, I don’t know, a few years ago, we were out drinking. Tegan let it slip. I was amazed. They swore me to secrecy.”

  I looked at Pancake, then Ray. “So, if they are fraternal twins who simply look alike, their DNA shouldn’t have matched?”

  “Exactly,” Pancake said. “Same if they are semi-identical.”

  “What does all this mean?” Nicole asked.

  “Maybe nothing,” Pancake said. “If they are really identical or are true mirrors, the DNA results are right on.”

  “And if not?”

  Pancake opened his hands, palms up. “Something’s fishy in Denmark.”

  “You mean like they scammed the DNA test?” Nicole asked. “How? Why?”

  “Maybe they have something to hide,” I said.

  “Whoa,” Nicole said. “Are you saying it was the twins that killed Kristi?”

  Was that where this was going? The twins? Really? That made no sense. They worshipped Kirk. Didn’t they?

  “That’s a big step,” Pancake said. “All this means is they might’ve tricked the lab guys. And it’s not like they don’t take pleasure in using their twin status to do just that.”

  “But the cops?” Nicole asked. “That’s a little more than playing tricks on friends and family. It’s illegal.”

  Ray nodded.

  I flashed on something. “Remember when they took the samples? Out on the set?”

  “Yeah,” Nicole said.

  “Tegan was in the trailer while Tara was examined?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And Tara went to get her?”

  “So?”

  “What if they swapped shirts and it was actually Tara that was tested twice?”

  Nicole shook her head. “You’d make a great screenwriter.”

  “Thanks. But what if that happened?”

  “Sounds far-fetched,” Ray said. “But since we are simply treading water on this case anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to get their DNA and retest it. Just to be sure what, if anything, we’re dealing with here.”

  “Maybe get Doucet to call them in?” I asked.

  Ray shook his head. “I’d rather not spook them. And I suspect Doucet would agree.”

  “I need to see the photos the police took,” Nicole said.

  “Why?” Ray asked.

  “They took photos and prints as well as DNA of all the women out there. Show me the pictures. If they did pull a switch, I can tell them apart.”

  “You can?”

  “She can,” I said. “She won’t tell me how, but she can.”

  “Let’s go see the photos, and I’ll show you,” she said.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  THE NEXT MORNING, we met Detective Troy Doucet in the parking lot of the NOPD Crime Lab and Evidence Division. It was located along Lakehore Drive in the modern and high-tech Uno Research and Technology Park.

  Doucet wasn’t happy that Ray wouldn’t tell him what this was about over the phone. “This better be good. I got a stacked plate today.”

  “It is,” Ray said and we walked inside.

  “Okay, let’s have it.”

  Ray told him what we needed to see. Doucet led us into one of the labs where one of the techs, a young black kid named Alton Mack, sat before a large-screen computer.

  “You have the photos from the DNA sampling out at the movie shoot?” Doucet asked.

  Mack nodded. “Sure do. Who do you want to see?”

  “Tara and Tegan James.”

  Mack worked the keyboard and a couple of seconds later the twins’
images appeared, side by side. Nicole sat down and examined the images.

  “Both of these photos are Tara,” she said.

  “Are you sure?” Doucet asked.

  “Absolutely.” She turned to Mack. “Can you zoom in on the left eye?”

  He did.

  “Now the other pic.”

  He did that, too.

  She pointed. “See that brown fleck? About eleven o’clock?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “That’s Tara. Tegan doesn’t have that same spot.” She leaned back. “Both of these photos are of Tara.”

  “That’s how you knew?” I asked. “The eye spot?”

  She nodded. She pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and scrolled through her photos. “Here’s a picture I took of them both in the bar the other night.” She looked at Mack. “Can you get these off my phone and on your screen?”

  “Sure.”

  He hooked up her phone and downloaded the picture.

  “Now zoom in on each girl’s left eye.”

  He did, first one, and then the other. And there it was. Clear as day. Tara had the fleck, Tegan didn’t.

  “Well I’ll be damned,” Doucet said.

  “What about the fingerprints?” Pancake said. “Even identical twins have different prints.”

  Mack worked the keyboard and displayed the twins prints side by side. We all looked at them, no one saying anything for a minute.

  “They look the same to me,” I said.

  “Me, too,” Mack said. “But to be sure I’ll grab one of our print guys.”

  He left but returned a minute later with a young woman. Her name tag indicated she was Rebecca Bousset. Took her about a minute to confirm what we already knew. Mack thanked her and she left.

  “I take it you guys hadn’t looked at the fingerprints before?” Ray asked Doucet.

  “No reason to. I mean, we pulled a hundred prints from that room. We’ve identified where about half of them came from. Mostly staff. Kirk and Kristi, Ebersole, the twins. All had been in and out of that room many times.” He shrugged. “And each had innocent reasons to be there.” He shook his head. “Until now.”

  “What’s the plan?” Ray asked.

  Doucet forked his fingers through his hair. “I guess I could haul them in here and resample them.”