CELEBRITY STATUS (The Kate Huntington mystery series #4) (5 page)

            “Unh, uh.” Rose shook her head. “Kate would kill me if I let you go without back-up.”

            “I’ll take Dolph then,” Skip conceded. “But run this guy through the system first. If his prints are on file, we might get a match with the partials from the knife.”

            “Wouldn’t that just make it all too easy,” Rose said as she left Skip’s office.

            No such luck. Two hours later, Dolph and Skip were knocking on Timothy Lansing’s apartment door in a ritzy rehabilitated building, overlooking the Inner Harbor in Baltimore City.

            The interview was not all that informative. After a half hour, they had learned only two things. Lansing did not have an alibi for the previous Saturday night or Sunday morning, claiming he had stayed in for a quiet night at home. And he thought Cherise Martin was an unadulterated bitch.

            He claimed, however, that he’d kept her secret regarding her true name and the farm. “I’m not about to give her any free publicity,” he said.

            “Not even if one of the rags offered you good money for such juicy tidbits?” Dolph asked.

            “Does it look like I’m hurting for money?” Lansing said, gesturing at his luxuriously furnished living room.

            They were no sooner out of the apartment than Skip was saying, “Run his finances.”

            “One step ahead of you there, son. What do you think I was doing on my laptop on the way over?”

            Skip laughed. Dolph was the oldest employee of the agency but by far the most computer-savvy.

            “Wait a minute. How could you do that without an internet connection?”

            “New set-up. Plug a card into your computer and it uses the nearest cell phone tower to connect to a wireless service,” Dolph answered.

            “So what about Lansing’s finances?” Skip asked as they walked to the lot on Light Street where they had parked.

            “Not as well off as he pretends to be, but he’s not in any major trouble either. Modest trust fund. He plays around on the stock market, usually ahead of the game by the end of the day. Nothing jumps out on his credit cards–”

            “Hey, wait,” Skip interrupted, “how’d you get into his credit card accounts?”

            “Do you really want me to answer that question?” When Skip didn’t say anything, Dolph continued, “Only thing interesting is a recent purchase from Tiffany’s in New York. Makes me wonder if he has a new honey, in which case he wouldn’t be chasing after our gal.”

            “Unless he just wants to pay her back for being a bitch,” Skip said.

            “There is that possibility,” Dolph agreed.

CHAPTER FOUR

            Skip called Rob to ask if they had enough to get a restraining order against Lansing. After Skip had given him the background on the case and what little he had on Lansing, Rob said, “Chances are really slim any judge would grant an order. All you’ve really got is he’s her ex and doesn’t like her, which is understandable since she dumped him. And he doesn’t have an alibi for the time frame in question.”

            Skip grimaced. “You want to give it a shot for me anyway?”

            “She doesn’t have her own lawyers already?” Rob asked.

            “Probably, but she’s given me carte blanche to handle security, so I’d rather have you do it. I know you’ll give it your best, not just go through the motions.”

            “Okay, I’ll see what I can do, but I’ll be shocked if I succeed,” Rob said.

            “Thanks.”

            A little after five, Rob called Skip back. He got voicemail because Skip was busy reassuring Cherise that he had things under control for the concert.

            Rob left a two-word message, “No go.” Then, without thinking it through, he called the house to see if maybe Skip was home by now.

            Skip wasn’t, but Kate was. “Hey, Rob,” she said. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

            “Uh, actually I was looking for Skip.”

            “He’s not here. What’s up?” Kate sounded downright cheerful.

            Rob hated to deflate her good mood by bringing up the case she was worried about, but he couldn’t think of a way out of it. She would think it odd if he just said to have Skip call him.

            “Uh, that case you two are sharing, well, it’s my case now, too. Skip asked me to try to get a restraining order against their prime suspect. Tell him we don’t have enough evidence at this point.”

            There was a long silence on the phone as Kate did a slow burn.

            “Kate, are you there?” Rob finally said.

            “I can’t believe he involved you in this case.”

            “Well, it’s not really a major involvement. I tried to get a restraining order and couldn’t.”

            “But now this guy who’s stalking her can get your name, because you’re on record as her attorney. I don’t like it, Rob. I just have such a bad feeling about all this. And I’m furious with Skip for dragging you into it.”

            Rob paused, weighing his words. “I don’t quite get what’s the problem here, Kate. We all refer cases back and forth all the time, when appropriate. Why’s this one different?”

            Kate thought for a moment. “This is the first time the client has refused to give me a waiver when I’m sharing a case with you or Skip. It’s kinda like participating in a conversation with a muzzle on your mouth. If it was a normal case, that would just be annoying, to not be able to talk freely with my husband and my friend. But... See, right now is an example. How much did Skip tell you about what’s happened with Cherise lately?”

            “You mean about the cat?”

            “Yeah. The dead cat is what has me so spooked. Somebody who kills animals is a real sicko, maybe even a full-blown psychopath. I need to get Cherise to give me that waiver.”

            “You might point out to her it’s in her best interest for everyone who’s trying to help her to be able to talk freely to each other.”

            “Yeah, well...” Kate caught herself. She had been about to say that Cherise was a bit of a control freak. Kate wasn’t sure she’d want them talking “freely.” But the in-her-best-interest part of Rob’s strategy might very well work.

            “I’ll try that,” she said out loud.

            “Take care, Kate.”

* * *

            Skip had spelled out the security plan for the concert. Now he was trying to politely extract himself from his client’s presence. He still had a couple tasks he needed to do related to other cases, before he could go home to his family. But Cherise was not willing to let him go.

            “You always seem to be in such a rush, Skip. What’s so pressing anyway? I am your biggest case right now, am I not?”

            “Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean I can ignore my other clients. And I like to show up at home now and again, so Kate and the kids don’t forget what I look like.”

            Cherise made a small moue of distaste with her mouth. “What do you do with your kids anyway? Children are such strange little creatures.”

            “Not really. They’re just uninhibited, and very exuberant.”

            “Well, I can understand, I guess, wanting to pass on your genes through your progeny,” she said.

            “I could care less about that.” Skip wasn’t about to tell her that one of his children wasn’t even his biological offspring. A quick glance at his watch. It was really getting late. He didn’t want to get caught in rush hour traffic going back to Towson or he’d never get home.

            He pushed himself up off Cherise’s white leather sofa. He hesitated, then decided not to mention his visit to Lansing and the failed attempt to get a restraining order. Reporting on what you hadn’t accomplished didn’t always get a positive response from clients.

            Cherise misread his hesitation as unwillingness to leave. She stood and moved closer to him. “I feel so much safer when you’re here, Skip,” she said in a husky voice.

            He took a small step back, bracing himself in case she tried to hug him. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, Cherise, but I’m no better equipped to protect you than Ben or these other guys are. They’re all top notch, or we wouldn’t have hired them. You can rest assured that you’re safe.”

            He was edging toward the door as he spoke. “Gotta go. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.”

            Skip might not have been so eager to get home if he had known what awaited him. The atmosphere in the house was a bit chilly. Even though Kate was trying to act normally during dinner, he knew his wife well enough to know something was wrong.

            When the kids were finally settled for the night and Maria had retreated to her third-floor apartment, Skip took Kate’s arm as she walked past him. “Come sit with me,” he said, tilting his head toward the sofa. She looked at him, an odd mixture of anger and fear in her eyes. Finally, she followed him to the sofa.

            “What’s the matter?” Skip asked, once they were settled on the sofa, his arm around her stiff shoulders.

            Kate turned her head to look up at him. “What’s the matter is that you’ve involved Rob with Cherise Martin and her crazy stalker.”

            “I just asked him to try for a restraining order,” Skip said. “Are you telling me I’m not supposed to refer clients to my friend anymore, when they need a lawyer?”

            “Not this client, no.”

            “Why not?”

            Kate looked at him, gritting her teeth. Then she realized how unfair she was being. Her anger melted away, replaced by the underlying fear that had been fueling it.

            “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on you,” she said. “I just have a really bad feeling about this whole thing. And now Rob’s involved in the case. My God, Skip, I can’t imagine losing either one of you, but if something happened to both of you...” She dropped her eyes to her lap.

            Skip gathered her up in a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. “That’s not gonna happen, darlin’. You’re not going to lose either of us.”

            “You can’t say that, Skip.” Kate pulled back in his arms. “I know you’re careful and good at taking care of yourself, but anything can happen.” She dropped her eyes again, swallowing hard. “Nobody ever imagined what would happen to Eddie, least of all him,” she continued in a soft voice.

            Skip pulled her against him again, trying to figure out how to comfort her. But there are no guarantees in life and one of them was going to die from something someday. His prayer was that they would go together, like Mac’s parents had, when their car was struck by a drowsy truck driver on I-95.

            He put a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes. They were the washed-out gray they became when she was worried or stressed.

            “Please believe me, Kate. I will never put anything above my safety. I plan to see my kids graduate from college, get married, and have children of their own. You’re not gonna get shuck of me til we’re old and gray, darlin’.”

* * *

            The session with Cherise on the following Monday went much better than the previous two had. The young woman’s appearance, as usual, was meticulous, but no amount of make-up could hide the dark circles and strained look.

            Kate decided to try again to get more of a history out of her client. The woman was now frightened enough she was letting down her guard. Soon Kate had her talking about her parents.

            “Daddy was a big handsome devil,” Cherise said, a touch of the south creeping into her voice. “He was so full of life. The farm was really just a hobby. He was a real estate tycoon, based in Atlanta, but he traveled all over the country, making deals. Mama used to say he had the Midas touch.”

            “You talk about them in the past tense,” Kate observed in a soft voice.

            “Mama’s been gone now for over a decade.”

            After a pause, Kate asked, “And your father?”

            “He’s still alive, but I don’t see him much.”

            Another pause. “Is he retired?”

            “Oh, no. He’ll die with his boots on. He’s still flyin’ all over, doin’ his wheelin’ and dealin’.”

            After a bit more gentle probing, the story finally came out. Life was only idyllic on the surface on that farm in Georgia. Cherise’s father was a womanizer, and a heavy drinker.

            “Mama was a typical Southern belle, soft and gentle,” Cherise said.

            Kate refrained from commenting that a lot of the Southern belles she had known had a core of steel under the soft veneer.

            “She did what she’d been raised to do. She ignored Daddy’s behavior, until it got to the point where he was flaunting it in her face. They had a huge fight one night and he left.”

            Kate waited a beat, then asked, “How old were you?”

            “Twelve. I only saw Daddy off and on after that. He refused to come to the farm, even to pick me up. Sometimes he’d send a car, from Atlanta, to take me into the city to have dinner with him.”

            This time, Kate let the silence draw out. After a moment, Cherise continued, “Mama was weak. She couldn’t handle it, the rejection. She started taking all kinds of pills to help her sleep, and then to help her wake up, and then to help her not be too awake, if you know what I mean.”

            All of Kate’s mixed emotions about this woman melted away as she listened to her story. In a soft voice, she asked, “How did your mother die?”

            Kate watched the misty look on Cherise’s face turn hard. “There was a fire, one night, when I was sixteen. I couldn’t get through the smoke and flames to Mama’s room. She was so passed out from the dope she never woke up, which was a blessing, I suppose. She died of smoke inhalation.”

            Kate murmured sympathetic noises.

            “I thought Daddy would come home after that, but he didn’t. He stayed in Atlanta and left the staff to take care of me. I was already singing by then, had started to get a name for myself. My agent at the time suggested I apply for emancipation. You know what that is?”