Linda Farstein AC 01 Final Jeopardy (v1.1)

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him and cost him most of his money as well as his short-lived marriage. She
dropped him instantly, accepting the advice that she would be poison in
Hollywood if anyone suspected that she was as deeply into the white powder as
Burrell was.
I d keep it under your hat, Alex, but it s a fact. They were both at the
Ritz-Carlton last weekend. Separate rooms, arrived and departed at different
times but it was a planned meeting. Her agent thinks he s been trying to
reconcile wanted to meet with her to show her he s off the coke, clean. He s
been living on one of those small islands off the coast of Maine for the past
year, trying to write.
You ought to talk to my friend Nina about Richard Burrell. I ll give you her
number. I think Isabella always had a soft spot for him, but reconciliation
was out of the question.
Did she ever tell you he was violent to her, or abusive?
You know, confide in you because of what you do, what your job is?
With a couple of drinks she d have confided in anyone, Luther.
Isabella was quite open about her personal life.
Much too open. No, she had a lot of complaints about Richard, and how much it
cost her to keep him out of trouble, but he never hurt or threatened her. He
was wild when he was coked up vulgar and coarse and unfaithful but he didn t
direct it at her.
How about guns? Did she ever mention he had guns?
No, not specifically. But when I listened to Isabella and Nina, I used to
think that everybody in L.A. had guns.
It always seemed so different than New York. Everyone in the Hollywood Hills,
in the Valley, in town they all seem to have guns. Not necessarily to carry,
but at home or to keep in their cars. Weird. The more upscale they are, the
more guns, the more automatics. You know, Luther, when the revolution comes&
they ll be ready. I don t think Luther followed me, but he was probably a gun
freak, too.
Do you have a gun? I mean, a handgun, for protection?
Luther, with my temper that would be a real mistake.
No, I hate guns.
Oh. Well, that s about all I can think of for now. We ll be able to pick up
some speed on this investigation next week.
A lot of the West Coast friends and business associates will be more available
to us once the funeral is over.
We got up from the table and I glanced at the clock on the wall to see that it
was almost two in the afternoon.
Mike and Wally were sitting in the sunshine on the deck off the kitchen, feet
up on the railing, keeping themselves out of our way.
Wally probably hadn t had a fresh, captive audience like Mike in years and was
undoubtedly telling him all the local news and island crime stories.
Luther and Wally thanked us for our help and we made arrangements to be in
contact during the week. I saw them to the front door and waved good-bye as
each car headed out the gate.
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Don t tell me you re leaving me for Luther, Mike said as I headed back out
onto the deck. That is one huge blast of hot air.
How come you didn t ask me if I did him? You left me alone in there with him
for almost two hours.
Nah. I figure Wally s more your type. You got a real thing for those sweet
old guys. I can see you living up here, married to Wally, running the local
jailhouse, or maybe a saloon like Miss Kitty while he rids the island of all
the vermin who sail in from the mainland.
You guessed it, Chapman. C mon, I ve got to call the office and check my
messages. I m sure you do, too.
Then you have to buy me some lunch I m starving.
I m dying to hear what you got from J. Edgar Waldron Wally was easy as pie.
Laura answered my phone on the first ring. She expressed her usual concern for
me and told me that it had been a relatively quiet Friday.
All calls from police officers and witnesses had been transferred to Sarah
Brenner. My mother had phoned to get Laura s opinion about how I was holding
up (just fine) and whether I was really in any danger (of course not). Nina
wanted me to call her when I got back to the city.
Dinner invitations from Joan Stafford and another friend, Ann Moore (Tell them
thanks but I ll be exhausted. Rain checks). And Jed called from Paris see you
tomorrow.
Mike checked in with his office and then turned back to me.
Okay, Coop, I m ready. Who s got the best fried clams on the island?
I ve got a craving.
That s simp lethe Bite. Grab a couple of cold beers and let s go. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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