Swann Songs (The Boston Uncommon Mysteries Book 4) (20 page)

Sorrel finally asserted himself by loudly clearing his throat. “Pardon me, everyone. As friends of Sonia and Duff, I know we can put aside our differences and unite at least for an evening.”

Zarina went to his side and poured balm on troubled waters. “We have so many happy memories to share. Let`s focus on that.”

Despite some grumbling and sour looks, war was averted and an uneasy truce brokered. Gabriel comforted his wife while keeping a weather eye on both his lover and employer. He`d been there many times before. Teetering on the verge of extinction was familiar territory for a man with a wandering eye and a galloping ego.

Time was slipping away, so when I spied Nadia standing alone near the buffet table, I decided to act quickly. Stealth was an important component of my plan. If Nadia raised the alarm, Zarina would gallop to her side, and that simply would not do. Truthfully, the older woman cowed me. I giggled thinking of the play on words. Cowed by the high priestess of COWE. Go figure.

“What`s so funny, Ms. Kane?” Deming put his arm around me before I could escape.

“Nothing much. Hey, why not put those muscles to use for a change. While I confront Nadia, go distract Zarina. She`s been eyeing you all evening.”

He grunted and clutched his throat. “Great sales job. Remind me to keep you away from my clients.”

I dipped into my limited store of feminine wiles. “Please. You`ll get your reward tonight if you do. There`s a love scene in my book with your name on it, big boy.” I raised my eyebrows in an exaggerated leer.

Deming stroked his dimpled chin. “Hmm. Might be worth it after all. Okay. I`ll take you at your word. Just don`t blame me if she makes a pass.” He glided over to Zarina and immediately captured her full attention.

The field was finally clear for my tête-à-tête with Nadia. I slipped up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

“We have to talk.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

NADIA PINSKY CLUTCHED her throat and hunkered back against the wall like a cornered mouse. Her antics aroused my most primal instincts: instead of pity I felt naked aggression and a sense of euphoria.

“I didn`t mean any harm,” she whimpered. “Lieutenant Keegan knows that.”

“Oh, really? Sorry just doesn`t cut it this time. I`m not in a forgiving mood and neither is my husband.” I snapped my fingers. “One word from him, and Fess Paskert will end your scholarship at Concord forever. Felony convictions don`t enhance a person`s CV, I`m told.”

She scrunched her eyes together and produced two fat tears. “What more can I do? COWE agreed to pay for the damages.”

I kept a weather eye on Deming and Zarina as our conversation progressed. No sense in being trampled by a rampaging pachyderm defending her young.

“Be honest with me. Come clean. You know much more about these murders than you`re willing to admit.”

Nadia sensed an escape route and was smart enough to go for it. “What? I`ll tell you anything.”

I sighed. Frankly, I wasn`t equipped to sustain a bad guy persona much longer. Menace was a tedious charade for a timid writer with a sensitive side. Pamela Schwartz—she lived to intimidate, and Deming himself was no slouch. Maybe it was a lawyer thing.

“Why tell Paskert that Sonia was tipsy the day that she died? It wasn`t true. You told me that you never even saw her.”

Nadia blanched. “I didn`t tell him that. Honest.”

“So, Dr. Paskert is a liar?”

I recognized the trapped-rodent look in Nadia’s eyes. The girl told so many lies that she couldn`t separate truth from fiction.

She shook her head. “I was afraid—for Gabriel. I saw Sonia in the ladies` room, and she told me.”

I fought the urge to slap her silly. According to Deming, Swanns were prime targets for lawsuits by the under classes. Why encourage the trend?

“What did she tell you, Nadia?”

Instead of answering she hiccupped, a transparent diversion at best.

“I`m waiting.” I folded my arms and produced a stony stare.

“She planned to destroy him. She told me that!” Nadia’s voice edged up the screech scale. “Sonia had something on him and was going to use it.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

The room temperature was a perfect seventy-two degrees, but Nadia shivered violently. “I tried. I begged Sonia to reconsider, but she didn`t care. Even when I said I was carrying Gabriel’s son.”

“Pregnant!” The word hung in the air like a noxious cloud. I stared at her suspiciously slim body. “Are you certain?”

She nodded. “When Sonia heard that she exploded. Honest, Ms. Kane, her whole face changed. I ran right out of the restroom and back to my desk. I was too scared to move the rest of the day.”

Some things never change. Gabriel Mann already fathered two daughters with two different women. Had he never heard of the three strikes law, population control, or vasectomies?

“Does his wife know?” I recalled the murderous gleam in Melanie Hunt’s eyes when she mentioned Sonia. Her reaction to Nadia’s bombshell would be volcanic. I`d been there myself with the promiscuous Dr. Mann.

“She will. She doesn`t appreciate him, and they don`t even have sex.” Nadia thrust out her chin. “Gabriel’s waiting for the right moment to tell her. After he gets tenure and all.”

Suddenly my anger dissipated, replaced with pity and a touch of sorrow. Despite her worldly pose, Nadia was hopelessly naïve. She had fallen hook, line, and sinker for the oldest trick in the male playbook. Even now her eyes were aglow with hope for a situation fraught with heartbreak.

“You intend to go through with it then?” I couldn`t say the word even as I thought it to myself.

“Of course. Sonia Reyes was a bitter old hag who couldn`t give him a son. I can.”

As a hag of the same age as Sonia, I bristled at that. Still, Nadia’s words were poisoned darts piercing my own sense of well-being. Was some younger woman saying the same thing about me and Deming? Would my husband seek greener pastures if it were true?

“Who knows about this?”

Nadia tossed her head. “Nobody.”

I didn`t believe her. Pregnancy was too big a secret to keep, especially for a young woman in love.

“Really?”

She moistened her lips, a sure sign of duplicity. “Just Zarina, but she wouldn`t tell anyone.”

That old saying popped into my mind: Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. Had Sonia paid the price for learning Gabriel’s secret?

“How far along are you?” Nadia’s garb was loose, but that was the current style even for hags of a certain age like me.

She splayed her legs in a defiant pose. “Far enough along for a sonogram. I showed it to Sonia, and she almost puked.”

Her tale of maternal bliss didn`t ring true. Nadia the charming sprite had morphed into a fire-breathing Chimera right before my eyes. The window of opportunity was closing fast, and it might not open again. I noticed Zarina casting worried glances our way despite the distractions offered by my charming spouse.

“You actually carry a sonogram with you at all times, even to the bathroom? That`s implausible, Nadia.” I folded my arms and scowled. “Come on. What really happened?”

“I told you.”

Straight away she hunched forward and started bawling. Lusty, full-throated sobs, nothing ladylike about them. We soon became the center of attention and the focus of a very determined savior named Zarina. She stalked our way, arms swinging, with Deming trailing in her wake. Meanwhile Melanie Hunt swiveled `round, following every minute of the drama. The smug expression on her face convinced me that she knew all about it.

Zarina held out her arms and scooped Nadia up. “Leave her be, Ms. Kane. Can`t you see how upset she is?”

Deming stepped to my side, glowering. “My wife and I are the aggrieved parties here. Spare me your platitudes.”

Zarina recalibrated and whispered something in Nadia’s ear. “Can we discuss this privately? Please.” She pointed to a seating area near the fireplace.

We followed her to the sofa. Nadia scooted toward the other side of the room where Fess Paskert soon arrived to keep her company. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him patting her arm and clucking like a denuded rooster.

A pall of silence surrounded us as we took our seats. It was a familiar tactic for Deming, but for a chatterbox like me it was agony. I bit my lip and counted to ten as a distraction. Zarina pasted a bland smile on her face and waited us out. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke.

“Nadia was wrong to deface your property, Mr. Swann. Believe me when I tell you that she meant no harm.”

Deming spoke through gritted teeth. “She terrified my wife, especially since two people have been murdered. Every action has consequences. This one has legal penalties.”

“I didn`t know she was pregnant,” I said. “Maybe that distorted her judgment.”

“Pregnant! Whatever do you mean?” Zarina shed her professional detachment and gaped. “Nadia is not pregnant. Believe me, I would know.”

Deming gave me a confused sideways glance but stayed silent.

“Nadia is carrying Gabriel’s child. A boy. She just told me so.”

Zarina steepled her fingers and sighed. “As you know, I am a therapist. Not Nadia’s therapist, just her friend. She`s a wonderful young woman but troubled.”

“I`ll say,” Deming grunted.

“Why would she make that up?” I asked. “She was so convincing.”

“That`s part of her sickness,” Zarina said. “Nadia has a lively imagination and abandonment issues. She`s fixated on Dr. Mann. Wants him at any cost. The pregnancy is very real to her, and I`m sure she was only trying to protect him.”

I could tell by the tension in Deming’s body that he was close to the boiling point. He leaned forward and spoke with the deceptive mildness that presaged an attack.

“Delusional people can be dangerous, as I`m sure you know.”

“Not Nadia,” Zarina said.

“Perhaps, but I`m not willing to gamble with my wife`s safety. Think about it. Nadia was on the scene when Sonia died and apparently confronted her. You yourself admitted that she`s troubled. She may well have followed Sonia into her office and whacked her with that bust. Lieutenant Keegan needs to know that.”

“I saw Nadia that evening,” Zarina said. “She was fine. Happy.”

“She thinks Gabriel plans to marry her,” I said. “What will happen when she learns the truth?” I pictured Nadia brandishing the fake sonogram in Melanie Hunt’s face. “There`s more. Nadia expects to inherit Duff’s royalties from
Worm
,
but that won`t happen. Contractual problems, you see.”

“Let me speak with her,” Zarina said. “She listens to me.”

Deming rose and straightened his jacket. His manner was imperious, very much the privileged Swann heir. “Suit yourself. Either way, I`ll contact Keegan tomorrow. Come along, Eja.”

Under ordinary circumstances, I would have balked at being summoned like a show dog, or at least barked to show obedience. Not tonight. There was too much weirdness floating in the atmosphere for that. Sonia and the space she inhabited thrived on conflict, and conflict can often be lethal. I clutched Deming’s hand, thankful for the shield his brain and body provided.

The rest of the guests were oblivious to our little drama. Fess Paskert had cornered Bolin, regaling him with some knee-slapping anecdote while Gabriel edged gamely into their circle, vying for a chance to assert himself. Bolin was too courteous to break away, but his eyes begged for rescue. Deming assessed the situation and loped over to save his dad.

Meanwhile on the damask settee adjoining the window seat, Sorrel chatted companionably with Anika and Melanie, just three old friends sharing memories. I knew better, but the charade was still convincing. No wonder he was such a successful literary agent. The man projected a subtle brand of charisma that sneaked up on you.

I suddenly realized that I was famished. A heaping platter of butterflied shrimp called to me, and I yielded to their siren song. Come to think of it, I didn`t even try to resist. Nadia’s taunt about barren hags still swirled around my brain, lowering my resistance to sin. After ensuring that the coast was clear, I heaped a plate with shrimp, grabbed a fork, and sidled over to a needlepoint fauteuil to feast.

“Still have a healthy appetite, I see.”

Gabriel’s mocking tone caught me in mid-crunch. I forced myself to slowly chew each morsel before responding. Long ago I cringed at his taunts, knowing that I could never meet his expectations. Long ago, I had felt unworthy. Now I knew better.

“From what I hear, your appetite is hearty too, but I wouldn`t call it healthy.” I gifted him with my sweetest smile. “Nadia shared her news with me. Congratulations again, Daddy.”

He blanched. Gabriel is light-skinned anyway, but he now looked positively ghostly. He clutched the arm of my chair for support.

“Are you crazy? What are you talking about?”

Defiance comes in handy sometimes. I forked a shrimp into my mouth and savored every luscious bite. Gabriel’s cheeks reddened as he awaited my answer.

“Damn it, Eja. Answer me, or you`ll regret it.” He balled his hand into a fist and shook it in my face.

“Threaten her again, and
you`ll
regret it.” Deming Swann, my suave superhero hubby, appeared at my side wearing anger like a sidearm. “Are you okay, darling?” He plucked a shrimp from my plate and popped it into his mouth. “Mmm. Delicious.”

Gabriel jerked back a few paces and flashed a sickly grin. “Sorry. I got carried away by this pregnancy nonsense. You must understand—my reputation is at stake.”

I couldn`t help myself. When it came to women, Gabriel’s reputation couldn`t sink any lower. I laughed out loud and didn`t stop until Deming intervened.

“You`re saying it isn`t true, but I presume Nadia told Lieutenant Keegan the same tale. Messy. Very messy.”

Gabriel bowed his head. He missed the devilish gleam in Deming’s eyes as he pronounced sentence.

“It`s hero worship, Swann. You must be used to it too. Young chicks are so susceptible. They misinterpret everything.”

Deming’s smile was sinister. “Actually, my dad warned me about that kind of stuff long ago. Messing with the hired help—not cool.”

I recovered my senses in time. “Which oaf?”

He twisted his lips into a sneer to pop the question. “Sonia knew about you and Nadia, and she threatened to ruin you. I heard it myself at lunch the day she died.”

Gabriel glanced around the room. “Look, I had nothing to do with Nadia. I was her counselor. Period. Let me tell you, that is one crazy chick with serious daddy issues. Everyone knows that. She even made a play for Paskert. I already told that big oaf the same thing.”

Deming and I spoke as one.

“Duff Ryder, the dearly departed. She accused me of all kinds of things. Even threatened to tell Melanie, if you can believe it. Women! You gotta love them.”

A blast of déjà vu consumed me. Gabriel Mann was, and always had been, a confirmed misogynist. I realized that now, but years ago his brilliant blue eyes and thick blond curls had deceived me. He knew my insecurities and capitalized upon them. My Phi Beta Kappa key was no weapon against his constant stream of complaints. As the saying goes, I was blind, but now I could see what Deming had always known.