Part 5 (2/2)
”Well, I've done the separating for you. I took myself off the story, as soon as I realized you were involved.”
”Really?” I said, abashed.
”Really. Paul a.s.signed it to someone else. We hashed it all out in the newsroom this morning.”
”Oh.” I thought about Zack's reaction to the news. ”How's everyone at the Sentinel feeling about Mercedes?”
”They're shocked, of course. But they're news junkies, they're fascinated. And, of course, some of them weren't crazy about Mercedes in the first place, including me. But n.o.body wanted her dead.”
”Well, somebody did.” It occurred to me, for the first time, to wonder if Mercedes' secret fiance was as blissful about their engagement as she was. Suspicion is a poisonous thing. ”How did Roger Talbot react?”
”He wasn't there, just left a message asking everyone to cooperate with the police, and tapping Paul to do the obituary. To tell you the truth, I think everybody's mostly concerned about Tommy. More wine?”
”I'd better not.”
We ordered cappuccino for three, and when the waiter was out of earshot I asked, ”So, who do you think killed Mercedes?”
”Soper,” said Aaron promptly. ”Gotta be. Look how he came at me with that sickle thing.”
”But he wasn't trying to kill you.”
”Of course not, but it shows how short his fuse is. I think Mercedes let on that she knew about the bribery, and he went ballistic. I think Death killed her.”
Lily overheard him as she slid back into the booth. ”That's what kills everybody. But you're talking about that guy with the scythe, aren't you? Why would he kill Mercedes Montoya?”
”She was working on an expose about his company,” Aaron said quickly, with a significant look at me. I got the message: the bribery story was still under wraps. ”So it's a scythe? I thought it was a sickle.”
”A sickle's got a small handle,” Lily told him. ”Death carries a scythe.”
”You librarians, you just know everything, don't you?”
”Never mind that,” I said impatiently. I probably shouldn't be doing this, but I just had to talk about Corinne, and these were two of the smartest people I knew. ”Why would Syd Soper have attacked Corinne?”
They stared at me and spoke at once.
”Corinne was attacked?”
”That woman who almost drowned?”
I held up a hand. ”Wait, I'm coming at this backward. I went to see Tommy Barry this afternoon-”
”Who's Tommy Barry?” Lily set her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. ”If you're going to tell me about this, tell it from the beginning.”
So I did. I began with Mercedes' startling announcement about marrying Roger Talbot, and the equally startling amount of cash she was carrying. The former seemed to overshadow the latter, at least for Aaron.
”Engaged?” he said. ”With the guy's wife barely cold in her grave? Or maybe even before then. Man, Talbot can forget the mayor's office if people find out he was cheating on a dying wife.”
”I a.s.sume that's why the engagement was secret. And it's got to stay secret, OK? I'm only telling you two because I'm trying to figure out what was going on at the party.”
”Sure, we won't go spreading rumors,” said Lily. ”But what about all that money? Maybe someone killed her for that.”
”Maybe,” I said, ”or maybe for something else.”
I described the disappearing diamond, Tommy's disappearing act from the murder scene, and Corinne's little bombsh.e.l.l about being attacked. And, of course, Father Richard's skepticism about Corinne. The only thing I left out was exactly how Mercedes was killed; I meant to keep to the letter of my deal with Lieutenant Graham, even if I was violating the spirit. After all, what harm could it do to puzzle it over a little with Lily and Aaron? So we drank cappuccino and ate tiramisu, and contemplated the trustworthiness of Corinne Campbell.
”Because what it boils down to,” I said, ”is that either Corinne's lying, and somebody killed Mercedes specifically, or else she's telling the truth, and somebody was sneaking around the party in a black cloak trying to murder people in general.”
”A serial killer dressed in black?” said Lily. ”That's pretty far-fetched.”
”And what do Corinne and Mercedes have in common,” Aaron chimed in, ”that would make them targets of the same murderer?”
I shrugged.
”Listen,” he continued, ”I know Corinne. She's a professional victim. Everything's a crisis, and nothing's ever her fault. She craves attention in a major way. I felt sorry for her after she got dumped this time, because she seemed so happy for a while and then she crashed and burned. But that doesn't mean I'd take her word for anything. You know, when I was first hired at the paper, I heard that she accused some poor SOB of rape, and then went back on it.”
”I heard that, too,” I admitted. ”Apparently her name is mud with the police. But even if you believe that she'd tell such a serious lie, do you really believe she'd try to kill herself over Boris Nevsky?”
Lily frowned into her coffee cup. ”I'm no fan of the Mad Russian, but it's not his character we're looking at, it's hers. This woman sounds kind of unstable. And people do crazy things for love. Carnegie, you went out with Boris. Would he be really nasty about breaking up with her? He is such a megalomaniac. Maybe that's what pushed her over the edge. Sorry, bad pun.”
”Whoa!” said Aaron, setting down his cup with a clatter. ”You dated the guy that Corinne's been moping around about? The flower seller?”
”Briefly! Very briefly, quite a while ago. And Boris is a floral designer, a very good one.”
”My, my,” said Aaron. I could see him trying to cover his first reaction with flippancy. ”I must meet him one day.”
”You will, smart-a.s.s,” I said. ”Elizabeth invited all the princ.i.p.al vendors. I think she wants to be able to yell at them in person if anything goes wrong. Meanwhile, I'm going to talk with Boris about Corinne.”
”Why?”
”Well, to see if he thinks she's lying.”
”No, I mean why are you getting involved?” Aaron looked over at Lily. ”Back me up here, Ms. Know-It-All Librarian. The three of us speculating is one thing, but with a murderer running around, shouldn't Carnegie mind her own business?”
”Of course she should!” said Lily. ”Doesn't mean she will.”
We were quiet on the drive back to the houseboat, lost in our own thoughts. Mine were still focused on Corinne, and the fear in her eyes there at the parking garage. Aaron knew her better than I did, and his argument made sense, but surely this was a woman in serious trouble.
Lily dropped us both near the head of my dock and drove off.
”Thanks for the company,” I said. ”Sorry about the chap-erone.”
Aaron smiled, his teeth gleaming white in the half-light of the parking lot. ”Lily's great. In fact, she's brilliant, because she agrees with me. Mercedes is not your problem.”
”But she was almost my bride. And if Corinne's telling the truth, there was someone stalking people at my party! I can't just forget about it.”
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