Suspicion (18 page)

  "Was LuAnn Chester helpful?"

  "Not particularly. She claims she hasn’t had any contact with Gina in a long time and has no idea who would want to kill her."

  "You don’t sound like you believe her."

  "I don’t. My gut feeling tells me she knows more than she lets on and is holding back, either out of some hooker’s code of ethics or out of fear. My bet is on the latter."

  Kate’s interest deepened. Fear. Of course. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? Everything about the woman’s demeanor suggested that-from the unnecessary dark glasses to the way she kept glancing over her shoulder as

  if she expected someone to suddenly jump out and say "boo."

  As the sun disappeared behind a cloud, Brad leaned toward LuAnn and whispered something in her ear. Although Kate couldn’t see the woman’s eyes, she felt them bore through her with unnerving intensity.

  "I guess she’s as curious about you as you are about her," Mitch whispered.

  "I noticed that." Kate made a mental note to approach her after the funeral. If Mitch was right and she knew something, she might be more open with a woman questioning her.

  As soon as the service ended, Kate walked over to Brad to offer her condolences. Then, turning to LuAnn Chester, she introduced herself and handed her a business card.

  "You’re wasting your time talking to me, Mrs. Logan," LuAnn said, reading the card. "I already told that cop over there-" she nodded toward Mitch who stood a few feet away "-that I don’t know anything." Her voice was low and raspy, like that of a heavy smoker.

  "I thought Gina was a friend of yours."

  "We weren’t what you’d call close."

  Kate kept her voice soft, unthreatening. "Yet you came to her funeral."

  LuAnn glanced over her shoulder, toward the road, and remained silent.

  Mitch was right. The woman was afraid. But of what? Or whom? Pulling her aside so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard, Kate spoke in a whisper. "I’m trying to find out who killed Gina, Miss Chester. If you could give me just a few minutes-"

  "Brad said your ex-husband killed her."

  Turning her head, Kate saw Brad looking at her, his expression neutral. So her attempts to convince him that

  Eric was innocent had been a waste of time after all. "He didn’t," she replied, bringing her gaze back to LuAnn. "But with a little cooperation from Gina’s friends, I might find out who did."

  LuAnn’s hand went to her glasses. "Talking to you could get me in a lot of trouble."

  "I can meet you anywhere you say." Kate paused, wondering which approach would work best. Taking a gamble that a prostitute her age might be in need of cash, she added, "I’ll make it worth your while."

  This time, there seemed to be a spark of interest. "I’ll let you know, okay?" Then, without bothering to say goodbye, LuAnn went to join Brad and walked with him toward a waiting taxi.

  Kate followed from a distance. The wind had picked up again, scattering dead leaves around her feet as she walked. Mitch was waiting by the Saab, one arm resting on the roof.

  "Any luck?" he asked.

  "I’m not sure." Kate unlocked her car door. "We’ll just have to wait and see. You were right, though. She’s a very frightened woman."

  Mitch watched the couple step into the cab. "Be careful, will you? We don’t know whom we’re dealing with here."

  Without being sure why, his concern pleased her. "I’m always careful, Detective."

  Mitch held the door open as she slid behind the wheel. "Don’t you think it’s about time you called me Mitch?"

  "Hmm." She threw him an amused glance. "I’ll give it some thought."

  As she drove away, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Mitch was still standing at the curb, hands in his pockets, watching her.

  It was half past two when Frankie buzzed Kate. Her voice was low and excited. "I think this is the call you’ve been expecting, Boss. It’s a woman and she wouldn’t give her name. Said you’d know who it was."

  "Put her through, Frankie." Kate waited until she was connected, then said, "This is Kate Logan."

  LuAnn Chester didn’t waste any time. "You said something about making it worth my while?"

  "I’m willing to offer you a thousand dollars for whatever information you may have on Gina Lamont."

  LuAnn hesitated, but not for long. "I can meet you in half an hour at the Museum of Natural History. Can you make it?"

  "Yes."

  "I’ll be in the dinosaur exhibit."

  "All right."

  About thirty children from a local elementary school were gathered around the skeleton of a huge Brontosaurus when Kate walked into the exhibit room at three o’clock.

  Partially hidden behind a reptile display case, LuAnn tried to look inconspicuous as she flipped through a brochure. Up close she looked older than she had at the cemetery. The skin around her jaw was thick and slack, and without the protection of her sunglasses, the heavy bags under her eyes were clearly visible.

  "Thanks for meeting me," Kate said.

  LuAnn cast a quick glance around her. "Look casual," she instructed. "I don’t think anyone followed me here, but you can never be too careful. As far as anybody’s concerned, we’re just two old pals soaking up a little culture."

  "All right." Leaning toward the descriptive plaque, Kate pretended to read it. "I’m curious, though. Why here?"

  LuAnn shrugged. "It’s smaller and darker than other exhibits. And I know my way around it. My little grandson and I come here a lot when he’s in town. His name is Brian and he’s crazy about dinosaurs." She chuckled. "Ever since he saw Jurassic Park, he can’t get enough of them."

  "You have a grandson?" Kate looked at her with renewed interest.

  LuAnn’s ruby red lips curved into a small, ironic smile. "What’s the matter? You don’t think hookers have lives of their own? Families to care for?"

  "I guess I never thought about it."

  "Nobody ever does. But the truth is, we’re just like other folks. For many of us, turning tricks is just a job, a way to pay the bills, put food on the table, send the kids to college."

  Kate was beginning to like this woman. "How old is Brian?"

  "Seven. You want to see a picture?"

  "I’d love to." She was much too grateful to deny her this small pleasure. She watched the woman take a brown leather wallet out of her purse.

  "That’s him." LuAnn proudly held the wallet open. Tucked into a plastic insert was the picture of an attractive young woman with a young boy on her lap. He had brown hair, blue eyes and a mischievous smile.

  "He’s very handsome." Kate looked up. "He has your eyes."

  LuAnn flushed with pleasure. "You think so? A couple of people have told me that." She pointed at the young woman. "That’s my Holly. She’s a marine biologist at the Baltimore Aquarium."

  "She’s beautiful. You must be very proud of her."

  "I am." They moved to the next display, mingling with the crowd, chatting like two old friends.

  When they were out of earshot, Kate asked, "How long had you known Gina?"

  "I met her when she first came to D.C. She was just a kid then, an aspiring model who thought she was going to set the fashion world on fire." LuAnn’s smile was wistful. "Poor kid. Who would have thought she’d end up that way, huh?"

  "Tell me about that call-girl ring she worked for."

  LuAnn’s gaze shifted toward the entrance where a man in a trench coat stood. It wasn’t until he waved at a teenage boy that she relaxed. "You won’t tell anyone where the information came from, will you?"

  "Not a soul, LuAnn. You have my word on that."

  "All right." She took a deep breath as if she was trying to gather up courage. "A few years ago, a leak got out that a woman by the name of Maddy Mays ran the ring, but nothing was ever proven."

  "Maddy Mays?" Kate was stunned. "The owner of the Europa Hotel?"

  LuAnn nodded.

  Kate could hardly believe it. The woman was an icon, a champion of good causes, a shining example for fallen women everywhere. A former call girl herself, she had given up her line of work when she married millionaire toy manufacturer, Henry Mays. In 1978, after Henry died of a massive heart attack, Maddy found herself a widow-a very rich widow.

  Ignoring her accountant’s cautious advice to keep her money in Fortune 500 stocks, she invested a large part of her inheritance in a run-down, eight-story hotel on Massachusetts Avenue. By the end of the following day, she

  had hired the best decorators money could buy, a New York firm to do PR work and a hotel manager she had coaxed away from the Hay-Adams for an obscene amount of money.

  When the Italian-inspired Europa Hotel reopened its doors six months later, the press dubbed it the capital’s "newest jewel," a place where, for a price, one could be pampered and coddled like royalty.

  Rather than keep her past a secret, Maddy Mays told her life story to whoever wanted to listen to it. When a publisher approached her, suggesting she write an autobiography, Maddy had embraced the idea with great enthusiasm. "If I can bring hope to just one young woman," she told a reporter on the eve of the book’s much publicized release, "everything I went through will have been worth it."

  The thought that a woman who had donated millions to charity ran a call-girl ring was beyond the imagination. "Did Gina tell you she worked for Maddy?" Kate asked.

  "Are you kidding? In this business, you talk, you’re dead."

  "Then how do you know?"

  "Six or seven years ago, Gina tried to recruit me. I turned her down, but not without a heavy heart, let me tell you, especially since I knew she was making five thousand dollars a week. I was lucky if I made half that in a month."

  "Why did you turn her down?"

  "I didn’t like the idea of having some high-class madam telling me what to do. I like to pick my own Johns. And I don’t go for all that kinky stuff-whips and handcuffs." She made a face. "That’s not for me."

  "If you turned Gina down, how can you be sure that Maddy was the one who ran that ring?"

  "Shortly after that, the word on the street was that the police were investigating Maddy, but nothing ever came of it. After a few days, the investigation sort of fizzled out."

  Kate waited until the group of schoolchildren surrounded them again before pulling out the sketch of the man Tony had seen outside Lilly’s apartment building the night she was killed. "Have you ever seen this man?" She handed LuAnn the drawing. "He’s about six foot four and weighs approximately two hundred and fifty pounds."

  LuAnn studied the sketch. "Can’t say I do." She looked up. "Who is he?"

  "Maybe the killer."

  LuAnn shivered. "I wouldn’t want to meet him in some dark alley." As they reached the last display, she glanced at her watch. "I’ve got a four o’clock appointment, so if you’re finished, I should go." She gave Kate a sheepish smile. "Time is money as they say."

  The envelope with the one thousand dollars in it was already out of Kate’s purse. Discreetly, she slipped it into LuAnn’s hand. "Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it."

  "Just don’t make me regret it, okay?" LuAnn tucked the envelope into a black tote bag. "I wouldn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night with some big ugly goon’s hands wrapped around my neck."

  Kate waited until LuAnn was out of sight before heading for the exit herself. By the time she reached her car, she had already decided how to approach Maddy Mays.

  If Kate had had any preconceived ideas of what a former hooker looked like, they would have disappeared the moment she laid eyes on Maddy Mays.

  Although the woman was about fifty pounds overweight and in her early sixties, she was still stunning. She had expressive blue eyes, full lips colored a rich shade of rust and thick brown hair that framed her face in a fluff of natural curls. The black-trimmed pink suit was unmistakably Chanel, the white blouse pure silk and the cream alligator pumps worth at least a week’s salary. Except for diamond studs and a gold watch, she wore no jewelry. Her scent was subtle. And expensive.

  "Please sit down, Mrs. Logan." Smiling warmly, Maddy pointed at one of the twin gold brocade chairs that faced her desk. "Your name is vaguely familiar. Have we met?"

  "No." Kate returned the woman’s smile and sat down. "But you may have heard my name in conjunction with a case I’m working on."

  A perfectly shaped eyebrow went up a fraction. "Case?"

  "A murder case. I’m a criminal attorney, Mrs. Mays."

  "I see." Looking mildly interested, Maddy leaned back in her chair, both hands on the armrests. "How can I help you?"

  Kate took Gina’s picture from her briefcase and laid it on Maddy’s desk. She didn’t expect the woman to come right out and admit that the call girl had worked for her, but it would be interesting to watch her reaction. "I understand you knew this woman."

  Picking up a pair of glasses that lay on her desk, Maddy slipped them on and leaned forward to inspect the photograph. "Stunning young woman."

  "Yes, she was."

  Maddy looked up. "Was?"

  "Gina Lamont is dead, Mrs. Mays. She was murdered."

  "Oh, dear." Maddy shook her head as she glanced at the photo again. "What a terrible waste."

  "You weren’t aware she had died?"

  Surprise flickered through the blue eyes. "Should I be?"

  "I was told Gina worked for you at one time."

  "Who told you that?"

  Kate smiled. "I never reveal my sources." She paused, expecting Maddy to make some additional comment. She didn’t. "Did she?" Kate asked. "Work for you, I mean."

  Maddy shook her head. "I’ve never seen this woman in my life." Calmly, she removed her glasses and set them down. "May I ask in what area of the hotel she was supposed to have worked? Secretarial? Reception desk? Housekeeping?"