Puzzled Indemnity
Page 18
“Well, trust me, he won’t be happy. That’s why I wasn’t thrilled about the crossword puzzle you got.”
“What do you mean?”
“What made you think it was for me?”
“I never said it was for you.”
“The police seemed to think so. You must have told them something.”
“No, I didn’t. I— See? This is what my lawyer said you’d do. You’re getting me to talk. And it’s not fair. I have nothing to do with this. I just want to be left alone.”
“If you have nothing to do with this, why do you need a lawyer?”
She smiled, shook her head. “No. You’re very good, but you’re not drawing me in. I talk to you and the next thing I know I’m in the New York Post. I don’t want my name in the paper. I just want to be left alone.”
“It’s not that bad,” Cora said.
Madeline stood blocking the door and stared Cora down.
“Okay,” Cora said. “If you change your mind, you can contact me through my Web site.”
“I thought you didn’t have a Web site.”
“I don’t.”
Cora went outside and stood in the street not far from where she had staked out the place to watch Hank Wells go in. Things had seemed so promising then. She’d tracked the guy to his love nest, found the other woman. Only she wasn’t the other woman. She was just another dead end.
Cora heaved a sigh.
Okay, that didn’t work.
Plan B.
Chapter
60
Stephanie was incredulous. “You want me to do it again?”
“Not again. This is entirely different.”
“How is it different?”
“You’re not going to seduce anyone.”
“I didn’t seduce what’s-his-face.”
“No, he stopped short of renting the room. But you got him interested. You don’t have to get this girl interested. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
A customer came in. Stephanie greeted him, listened to what he had in mind, set him up browsing samples on her Web site.
Stephanie returned to Cora, lowered her voice. “Just what is it you hope to accomplish?”
“Well, I don’t expect a signed confession. But anything pointing in the direction of the killer would be appreciated.”
“Specifically, what did you have in mind?”
“Specifically, what we were after before. Hank Wells’ girlfriend. Crowley thinks this girl isn’t it. He might be right. On the other hand, he wouldn’t be the first man ever deceived by a woman.”
“That’s an interesting choice of words,” Stephanie observed dryly.
“Let’s not get sidetracked. If Crowley’s wrong, I wanna know it. You would seem to be the authority on that subject.”
The customer nodded his thanks and left.
“Think you blew a sale,” Cora said.
“It’s worth it if I can solve your problems.”
“Was that sarcasm?”
“Perish the thought.” Stephanie cocked her head at Cora. “So, can I take this all at face value?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re still trying to ace me out with Crowley, aren’t you?”
Cora shook her head. “That ship has sailed.”
“You’d say that even if you were.”
“Probably. That’s not the case.”
“This isn’t some clever ploy to get me to do things behind his back and then expose me so he thinks I betrayed him?”
“Hadn’t thought of it, but that’s a great idea.”
“Cora.”
“Relax. You’re playing cop. What’s the worst that can happen?”
“I get arrested and Crowley picks me out of a lineup.”
“You’re full of good ideas. Trust me, that’s not gonna happen.”
“What is?”
“Nothing. You’re gonna interview a woman, ferret out her deepest, darkest secrets, and leave in a cloud of dust. Besides, it’s something you’re good at. Dealing with the other woman.”
“Wow. Talk about a left-handed compliment.”
“Okay, that was catty. But here’s the thing. I got a client on the hook for murder. You haven’t met her, but she’s just the type of megaslut with no redeeming features outside of being young, dumb, and clueless, which, I don’t have to tell you, appeals to more men than the law should allow. I’m so tempted to do nothing and let her fry that I’m bending over backward to save her.”
“Do you really mean that, or is that a clever ploy?”
“Wow. I like the way your mind works. Is that result of living with Crowley?”
“I don’t exactly ‘live’ with Crowley.”
“You’re just around.”
“Yeah.”
“Was he always this hard to get along with?”
“No. He’s mellowed.”
“That’s frightening.”
“Yeah.” Stephanie took a breath. “Suppose I agree to do this. Specifically, what do you want me to get out of this woman?”
“Is she the girlfriend? If not, does she know the girlfriend?”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“She didn’t want to talk to me.”
“Will she want to talk to me?”
“No.”
Stephanie considered. “Sounds like fun.”
Chapter
61
Madeline Greer came out the front door and headed for Broadway.
“That’s her,” Cora said.
Stephanie slipped out of the passenger seat, hurried across the street. She followed the woman to Broadway, caught up with her on the corner.
“Madeline Greer?”
“Yes.”
“May I speak to you? It’s rather important.”
“What about?”
“Publicity.”
Madeline put up her hand. “I don’t want any publicity.”
“Maybe not, but you’re going to get some. You’re about to be featured in an article about Hank Wells. I can stop it.”
“What’s this all about?”
Stephanie pointed to a diner on the corner. “Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
They sat at a booth and ordered coffee. Stephanie shrugged off her coat. Her hippie garb was accentuated with beads and bracelets. All she lacked was flowers in her hair.
“The Village Voice is doing an article on the death of Hank Wells. Part of it’s about you.”
“How do you know what’s in the article?”
“Because I’m writing it.”
Madeline sprang to her feet. “Get away from me!”
“Relax. I’m here to help you. I don’t want to use you in the story. I will try very hard to leave you out. But I’m short of material and I’m getting pressure from the editor. If you will talk to me, off the record, and give me a few leads, I will leave you out of the article entirely and not even mention your name.”
“Can you do that?”
“I’m writing it. If I don’t put you in it, you’re not there.”
Madeline thought that over. “Can I trust you?”
Stephanie smiled. “Are you assuming if you couldn’t I’d immediately confess?”
“I guess that was stupid. I really hate all this.”
“Try a few questions. If you don’t like ’em, don’t answer.”
“Okay.”
Stephanie sipped her coffee, waited until Madeline sat back down.
“Did you know Hank Wells?”
“Not really. I barely knew his name.”
“But he came to your apartment?”
“I’m not sure I should answer that.”
“How did you meet him?”
“I needed insurance.”
“You went to his office?”
“No. I called him on the phone.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he was very busy, but he’d fit me in. He said he was out all day seeing clients and he’d drop by.”
“That didn’t make you suspicious? Like he had some ulterior motive for seeing you at home?”
“Why? I called an insurance agency. I should be worried about the agent?”
“I guess not. And he sold you a policy?”
“We discussed the policy. He said he’d have to fine-tune it. Which was awfully nice of him. It wasn’t very big.”
“And that’s the only time you saw him?”
“No. He came back to show me the revised policy. It wasn’t really very different. I felt sorry he was going to so much trouble for something so small.”
“So you bought the insurance?”
“No. I was about to sign. He found a typo that actually altered the meaning. He said he’d have to come back.”
“Did he?”
She hesitated. “I don’t think I should say any more.”
Stephanie didn’t push it. “Fine. You’ve been very helpful. I’ll leave you out of it.” She picked up the check, dropped money on the table. “Oh. Just one question. How did you get in touch with Hank in the first place? Did you just call the insurance company and that’s who you got?”
“No. A woman in my Pilates class recommended him.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I was talking about insurance, she said she knew just the guy.”
“A good friend of yours?”
“No. Just a woman in the class.”
“Does she work for the insurance company, too?”
“No.”
“What does she do?”
“I don’t really know her well.” She frowned. “Her name’s Wendy something. I don’t think she ever said what she did. Oh, wait. Someone else said something. What was it now? Oh! That’s right.”
“What?”
“She’s an oral hygienist.”
Chapter
62
Cora put up her hand to block the high-speed drill. “Touch me with that I’ll break your arm.”
The hygienist looked shocked. At least Cora assumed she looked shocked. Wendy Ross was wearing the surgical mask worn by all dentists, periodontists, and oral hygienists since the dawn of AIDS.
“You don’t want your teeth cleaned?”
“Quick learner. Put down the drill.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Okay, maybe I was too hasty with the ‘quick learner.’ Let’s you and me have a little talk.”
“But you made an appointment to have your teeth cleaned.”
“Because you don’t make appointments to have little talks.”
“I’m going to get the dentist.”
“It’s a waste of time. He won’t know.”
“Know what?”
“How long have you been sleeping with Hank Wells?”
The face behind the mask froze. “Who are you?”
Cora smiled. “Thanks. I needed that. I was just getting frustrated with the price of fame and not being about to do anything myself. I almost sent Stephanie to see you. I figured it didn’t matter if you recognized me.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m not a star. I just get recognized. My name’s Cora Felton. On TV I’m known as the Puzzle Lady.” She frowned. “Would you mind taking off that mask? I can’t tell if you’re impressed.”
“I’m going to get the dentist.” She turned to the door.
Cora reached out, grabbed her by the arm. “That would be a very bad idea. If you don’t talk to me, you’ll have to talk to the cops. They won’t make an appointment, and they won’t sit here in your nice little dental chair. They’ll drag you down to headquarters and question you there. What do you suppose the dentist will have to say about that?”
She turned back. “What do you want to know?”
“Take off the mask.”
The hygienist reached up and pulled off the mask. Wendy Ross was an attractive young woman, not quite thirty. Despite the unpleasant uncertainty of her current situation, she had a spunky sexuality about her, sort of an intelligent version of Brittany.
“Hmm. Not bad. I can see why Hank would be interested.”
“Well, you’re way off base. Hank was just a patient.”
“Got his teeth cleaned a lot, did he?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Really? You know how often your name appears in his appointment book last month?”
“I know he was having some work done.”
“One usually makes the appointments with the dentist, not the hygienist. Why is your name in the book?”
“I’m not responsible for what someone writes in their appointment book.”
“I agree. And I think it’s totally unfair of Hank to have put you in that position. Too bad we can’t call him on it.”
“Why are you being so awful? The man is dead.”
“Sorry about that. I was trying to judge from your reaction how much he meant to you. Was he just a casual fling?”
“I was not involved with Hank Wells!” Wendy said. She realized she’d raised her voice. “What is this all about?”
“What do you think it’s all about? The man’s dead. We’re trying to find out who killed him.”
“I thought some guy confessed.”
“Heard about that, did you? I wondered if you had.”
“It was on the news.”
“It was on the news in Bakerhaven. You get Connecticut Channel Eight?”
“It was on the news here.”
“Right. And then Hank didn’t show up for his ‘appointment.’ Tell me, when’s your day off?”
“Why?”
“Hank may be kinky, but I can’t imagine him doing it in this chair. I wonder how many of his appointments were actually on your day off. On second thought, get the dentist in here. Let’s see how many of Hank’s appointments were actually with him.”
Cora started to get out of the chair.
Wendy put up her hands. “All right, look. I was seeing Hank. I’m really upset that he’s dead. He did come to see me instead of the dentist. It wasn’t always on my day off. Sometimes it was on my lunch hour. I don’t want to be dragged into all this, and I certainly don’t want to meet his wife. He’s dead. None of this matters. Why can’t you let it go?”
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it? I can’t do that. I got a job to do. I owe it to someone. Not his wife, she’s an idiot. But this other woman.”
“What other woman?”
“You wouldn’t understand. But the good news is, I’m not the cops. And I’m not after you. I don’t need to tell anyone about your tawdry little fling. Not unless I have to.”
“I can’t believe he wrote my name in his appointment book.”
“He didn’t. That was a bluff.” Cora got up, pulled off the dental bib. “Nice job. My teeth have never felt so clean.”
Chapter
63
“Ever see the movie Double Indemnity?”
Brittany glared at Cora, looked over at Becky Baldwin. “Do I have to talk to her?”
“Yeah, you do.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your lawyer and you follow my advice.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“You’re free to hire another lawyer. You don’t have any money to hire another lawyer, but you’re free to do so. You may not like Cora, but she happens to be on your side.”
“Why do I need anyone on my side? The case is over. The police know who did it. I don’t see why you can’t get them to release me.”
“They can’t release you,” Cora said. “You’re not in jail. They can drop the charges and she’s working on it, but it involves legal procedures you need a third-grade education to understand.”
“Are you going to let her talk to me like that?”
“Cora, behave. Brittany, shut up and listen. My God, it’s like dealing with a kindergarten class. I’m your lawyer. There’s some things I need to know. I need you to answer some questions. Cora’s going to ask them. Try not to think about who’s asking; just try to think o
f the answers.”
“Why?”
“You want your money?” Cora said. “Then listen to your lawyer.”
Brittany set her jaw.
“Excellent,” Becky said. “Cora?”
“You ever see the movie Double Indemnity?”
“Why?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake!” Cora said.
Becky put up her hand. “Let us worry about what it means. You just worry about answering.”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
“When?”
“What difference—” Brittany stopped herself. “Sometime last month. It was on TV.”
“Turner Classic Movies?”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Why did you watch it?”
“What do mean, why did I watch it? It was on TV. I watched it.”
“Did you watch it with Hank?”
“Yeah.”
“It was Hank’s idea?”
“Yeah. Hank wanted to watch it. Said it was a classic. But he didn’t like it much.”
“He didn’t like it?”
“No. He said the guy in the movie was stupid. He should have known his wife was up to something when she and the insurance agent tricked him into signing that big policy.”
“Oh, really? What would he have done any different?”
“He should have figured his wife was cheating on him. He should have hired a private detective to catch her at it.”
“That’s what he would have done?”
“Sure. He said if the guy had done that he’d be alive today.” Brittany shrugged. “Well, not today. It’s a pretty old movie, right?”
“Yeah,” Cora said. “Pretty damn old.”
Chapter
64
Sergeant Crowley walked in the door to find Cora and Stephanie sitting together on the couch.
“Is this the threesome I’ve always dreamed of, or am I about to be whacked?”
“No reason we couldn’t do both,” Cora said.
“I’m off duty,” Crowley said. “If I pour myself a jolt of whiskey, will you guys let me know what’s going on?” He grabbed a bottle off the sideboard. “Anybody want one?”
“I’d kill for one,” Cora said. “But no.”
Crowley poured a tumbler of Irish whiskey, flopped in a chair. “What’s going on?”
“How’d you like to do a little police work?” Cora said.
“I just poured a drink.”