The K Handshape (37 page)

“As I said we need to verify statements.”

“You not suspect Siggy?”

“It’s not a question of suspecting anybody. This is standard police procedure.”

I admit I was fudging. These days of tight budget, it’s standard procedure only if we do suspect somebody but I could sense Natasha had, shall we say, an aversion to police authority.

“What you want to know?”

“As I said, when you were last together?”

“Yesterday. He came here in the morning. I didn’t have to work until six so he stayed with me for the day.”

“When did he leave?”

She shrugged. “Not until after midnight. He came with me to see the show.”

She gulped back some more water. “Did that prick at the Arms tell you I was fired?”

“Yes, he did.”

“I went to pick up wages and, bam, he gave me the can. Said I didn’t get along with other girls, which is bullshit. They are jealous because I steal their customers. They so timid these Canadian girls.” She went into a falsetto. “Oh no, I’m a good girl. I can show you my pussy but I won’t, no I simply won’t let you touch.” She mimicked a hand slap. “No, no, naughty man. Lookie, no touchie.”

“But you do let them touch do you?” Susan asked. She looked tense.

Natasha shrugged. “What’s the difference? All of it is lies, one big fucking fake. I don’t care what they do as long as they pay for it.”

I figured she must be twenty-five years old if that. I’ve encountered many prostitutes before and I know what a hard bunch they can be and also what troubles they’ve often got to deal with. This girl bothered me. She was talking tough and perhaps she was. Perhaps I was being fooled by her athletic build and wholesome appearance. I probably wasn’t the first person to wonder what the hell she was doing on the game. She must have sensed some of what I was feeling because she said, “I’m getting out as soon as I have enough money. I want to be a manicurist, get a job in a rich ladies’ spa. Do French polish instead of… never mind. I’m going to school next year. In the meantime, I live in rat hole like this, give men whatever they ask for, and then … boom, I’m gone. New life, new place.”

I wondered where Sigmund fitted into her plans.

“My name not really Natasha. That is stage name. My name is Irina Petrova. I’m glad nobody knows it. When I start my new life, nobody will know.”

“Will Sigmund Forgach be part of your new life?”

“Of course. He is my fiancé. We will be married one of these days.” She grinned and was transformed from scrappy street kid to mischievous school girl. “His mother will have what you call a conniption, don’t you think? She expects he will be at her beck and
call until she dies but now he has met me, and boom, out goes the mother, in comes the wife.”

Susan met my eyes and I saw the cynicism in them, which was probably reflecting mine. Hollywood aside, a stripper who goes the limit for money and an uptight bank manager with a controlling mother had a slim chance at lasting happiness, although in this case I’d like to be proven wrong. Natasha/Irina was so unabashedly herself she was appealing.

I came back to the issue at hand.

“Miss Petrova, may I just go over what you have said? Sigmund Forgach was with you continually from ten o’clock yesterday morning until midnight.”

Another cheeky grin. “Well he did go take a leak once or twice so he wasn’t with me then but otherwise, yes, constantly. He sat in the front row at the Arms where I could see him and when I wasn’t dancing we were in the back room. That asshole, Clive, makes sure no customer sits too long without paying for a private dance or two.”

Now was the time to slip in the crucial time. “Other than yesterday, did you spend time together last week?”

“Yes. He came to the club on Tuesday night. I danced for him then as well. He likes it. It makes sure nobody else is getting me. I’m happy with that.”

“What time were you together?”

“It was a weeknight so he was there just after eleven o’clock and stayed until well after two, maybe later.”

“You’re sure about the times, are you?”

Again she flashed the impish grin. “You are wondering if I am simply, what you call it, corroborating his alibi. But it is truth. You can ask that prick, Clive. He will tell you the same and probably if you ask the other girls they will say so. They always have their eye open for customers so they would have tried to get him to buy a dance. You can ask them.”

“I will. What names do they go by?”

“There were only three of us on that night. Belle, the one with the ginormous tits, not real; the blonde, not real, is named Starr; and the other, the short stubby one with no ass, is Lulu. In the dressing room they’re Sharon and Louise but I don’t know their surnames. Mr. Asshole will know.”

I stood up. “Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you find your murderer. He should be hung, the bastard.”

Much more friendly now, she opened the door for us. I followed Susan up the steps and out into the wonderful fresh air.

“Well, I guess that puts our prime suspect in the clear, doesn’t it?” said Susan.

“I’d say so. The coroner was pretty sure Deidre died around two o’clock. We should follow up with the dancing girls just to make sure.”

“I’ll give that relationship six months, max,” said Susan.

Before I could put in my own two cents, my cellphone rang. It was Leo.

“Chris, get over here as fast as you can. Joy’s vanished.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

For one crazy second I thought he was being poetic, then I realized he was referring to his granddaughter. He was speaking in a monotone, and you’d have to know him to detect the immense pressure underneath the words.

“I would appreciate it if you would come here immediately, Chris. I’m at Deedee’s house. There is no doubt Joy has been abducted. I have telephoned the police and they are on their way. Where are you now?”

“In Atherley.”

“Did you find the girl?”

“Yes.”

“Does she confirm his alibi?”

“Yes.”

“Thank God for that. Do you believe her?”

“I do.”

“Sigmund and I are here together so there are no worries on that score, but I’d better not tie up my phone, Chris. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

We clicked off and I saw that both Susan and Irina were eyeing me curiously. My shock must have shown on my face.

“I have an emergency to deal with but I think we’ve pretty much finished here. Thank you, Irina.”

“No problem.” She gave me a worried look. “Your emergency doesn’t have to do with Siggie, does it?”

“No.”

“Good. He’s my one-way ticket out of here.”

Nothing hidden about this young woman.

Susan and I left on the double. I doubted Leo would have used the word
abducted
unless he was sure but I had an irrational hope that he was wrong. That Joy had wandered off or Nora had taken her somewhere.

I filled Susan in and she drove fast to the house.

There were two police cars in front of the house, lights flashing, and a couple of people were standing on the street watching to see what was going on. A constable was manning the door and he let us in.

Ed Chaffey, a uniformed constable, Leo, Sigmund, and Loretta were all jammed together in the living room. Nora was sitting alone on the couch, nobody beside her. Nobody seemed to be talking. Ed got up as soon as he saw me and came out into the narrow hallway. He spoke quietly.

“Glad you’re here, Chris. The nanny has given us her story and we are treating this as an abduction. I’ve had a cursory look at the child’s bedroom but I’d like you to see it yourself. I’ve sent constables to speak to the neighbours and we’re ready to put out an Amber Alert.” He rubbed his hands over his face. He looked exhausted. “Child abduction is one of my nightmares. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the murder of the kid’s mother but I guess we’ll have to assume there is a connection until proven otherwise.”

I felt sick. There were indications that Deidre’s death was a hate crime and it wasn’t too big a step to encompass the child. Ed was virtually whispering.

“We need to rein in Dr. Forgach. He’s not helping the situation any. He and the nanny are at total loggerheads. It’s ridiculous. Can you cool him out, Chris?”

“I don’t know. I’ll try.”

He ushered me into the room. Nobody had moved, as if they were actors waiting for the director to start the rehearsal. Nora was slouched over, hugging her knees. Loretta was perched on the edge of her chair. Sigmund was sitting next to her. He looked as if he would like to have become invisible. He also had a guilty hangdog expression on his face but I decided that was his habitual
state of mind. Leo was standing by the window.

“We were waiting until you arrived, Sergeant Morris. Allow me to apprise you of the situation as we understand it.”

He spoke as if he were addressing a rather dim-witted jury. His formality was incongruous after what we’d been through but perhaps it gave him something to hold onto.

“Ms. Larsen had gone out to do some shopping at about one forty-five this afternoon. Nora, Ms. Cochrane, decided she needed some cigarettes … or so she has told us. She had put Joy down for a nap at approximately two o’clock. Is that correct, Nora?”

She nodded sullenly. “Give or take a minute.”

“She says that she latched Joy’s bedroom door before she left. When she returned…”

Nora burst out. “I keep telling you. I was only gone for ten fucking minutes.”

Leo ignored her. “When she returned she did not go directly to check on the child but remained in the living room…”

“Why shouldn’t I? How was I to know something had happened? I thought she was still asleep.”

“At which point, Ms. Larsen returned. Nora did not tell her she had left the house and at Ms. Larsen’s enquiry simply said that Joy was taking a nap.”

Unable to contain herself, Loretta jumped in. “It didn’t occur to me to check on her. I was unloading the groceries.”

“Did you notice the time when you got back to the house?” I asked.

“I think it was about a quarter to three.”

“When did you realize Joy was missing?”

I’d addressed both of them but it was Loretta who answered.

“I made myself a cup of herbal tea and Nora was in the living room watching television. I realized it was almost three-thirty and Joy should be waking up by now. I said that to Nora, who said, quote, unquote, ‘Why don’t you go get her if you’re that concerned? It’ll make a nice change.’” Loretta bit her lip. “I went upstairs. The door was slightly ajar which I thought was odd…”

“You mean you thought I’d been sloppy,” burst out Nora. “Say it, woman. You’re just like him over there, you think I’m a total fuck-up. Admit it!”

Leo turned red and I could see he was just about to boil over. I managed to catch his eye, warning him not to lose it. I went and sat beside Nora.

“Look, everybody is upset but I’m going to ask you to have some self-control. We need to establish a timeline. It is most important. I’d appreciate it if you would let me do that.”

She scowled and held on tight to her knees but subsided. Loretta drew in her breath sharply, ready to kill but having the self-discipline to keep to the facts.

“As I was saying, I went upstairs. Joy’s door was open and the bed was empty. I thought she might have woken up and gone to the bathroom, which she can do by herself, or gone down the hall to her mother’s room. I started to call…”

Nora had to put in her two cents’ worth and I could have smacked her. “She keeps forgetting she’s deaf as a post. You have to stamp on the floor or flick the lights if you want her attention.”

Loretta refused to rise to the bait. “It’s true, I did forget for a moment. It was so instinctive to call for her. Nora heard me and asked what the problem was. She was focused on her show and didn’t want to be interrupted. I presume it was worth it.”

Loretta had a scalpel and Nora’s hammer was no match for it.

“She did not at this point tell me that she had left the child unattended…”

Nora suddenly screamed at her. “I was only gone for ten minutes and I locked her in. How many times have I got to repeat myself?”

“As many as is necessary,” said Leo, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a voice as icy. I could understand but it wasn’t helping the situation. Nora was escalating by the minute, fear driving her over the edge.

“What did you do next?” I addressed the question to Loretta.

“We searched the house. Then Nora admitted she had left the house earlier. We went outside but of course there was no sign of her. Nora went to the neighbours on one side and I went on the other.”

“How long did that take you?”

“Perhaps another half an hour. Nobody had seen her, and given what Nora had said, I thought we had better contact the police.”

“In other words, Joy has not been seen for about two and a half hours?”

Nora burst into sobs, her tough exterior melting like the wicked witch of the west.

“I swear I locked her in. I would never allow any harm to come to her, I swear it. I loved that kid.”

I put my arm around her shoulders. “I believe you, Nora. That’s why we’re treating this as an abduction.”

“You mean she’s been kidnapped?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“By who?”

“I wish I had an answer to that, but I don’t.”

I met Ed’s eyes. I knew what I saw there was reflected in my own. The percentage of child abductions that ended happily was very small. Leo knew that too. Back to Nora.

“Are you positive you latched Joy’s door when you left?”

She hesitated. “Yes, well, at least I think I did. I wasn’t paying much attention really so it’s easy to think you’ve done something when you haven’t. But yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what I did. Then I ran up to the corner store for some cigarettes. It’s just a block up and round the corner. It must have taken me ten or twelve minutes at the most.”

“Did you lock the front door?”

“It locks automatically.”

“Nora, you said that the variety store is around the corner. Does that mean you were out of sight of the house for most of your ten-minute period?”