Strategic Moves

TWENTY

At Elaine’s their first drink was delivered.

“It has to be a pro job,” Dino said. “It’s too clean for anything else—no rifling of her drawers or jewelry box, just in, slug the cook, shoot the woman, and out.”

“He must have cased the rear entrance earlier,” Stone said, “or the outside door wouldn’t have been taped. He came through the lobby to get in.”

“He could have stood around outside and waited for somebody to open the rear door, then grabbed it before it closed,” Dino pointed out.

“I guess. I think your detectives ought to get all the visitors’ names for the day, though, everybody who isn’t a resident.”

“Good idea,” Dino said. “I’ll send them back for that. Any other thoughts?”

“I can’t help think that this had something to do with the blowup at the Gunn company,” Stone said. “That seems to be the only irregular event in the family.”

“Another thing,” Dino said. “She offed her husband; that must have offended somebody—his family, a friend.”

“Revenge served cold,” Stone said. “Maybe; I guess it’s worth checking out.”

“Had to be a pro.”

“Or somebody who’s watched enough TV to figure out how a pro works. If I’d been on time for dinner, maybe things would have been different.”

“Yeah,” Dino said, “maybe he’d have shot you, too.”

Herbie Fisher and his new wife walked into the restaurant and approached Stone and Dino’s table. “We just heard,” Herbie said, and they sat down without being asked.

“Hello, Stephanie,” Stone said. “I’m sorry for your loss. This is Lieutenant Dino Bacchetti. He’s in charge of the investigation.”

“Tell us what happened, Lieutenant,” Stephanie said.

“Somebody came into the building’s service entrance, having taped the lock back earlier, took the elevator upstairs, opened the service door to the apartment, which wasn’t locked. The chef was at the stove, cooking. He hit her with something substantial, like a gun barrel. She fell to the floor, unconscious. He walked into the dining room, where your aunt was standing near the table, shot her in the head. She fell, he shot her again in the head, then he left the way he came. We got a video of him at the back entrance, coming and going, but he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and his face isn’t visible. We found the sweatshirt and a pair of latex gloves in a dumpster across the street. They’ll be checked for trace evidence. That’s about it, so far.”

Stephanie teared up and shook her head. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Who would want to hurt Aunt Adele?”

“Give that some thought,” Stone said. “Anybody angry with her? Even a family member?”

Stephanie shook her head. “Everybody loved her.”

“Not everybody,” Dino said.

“Do you know anything about her will?” Stone asked. “Who would inherit?”

“She didn’t have any children,” Stephanie said.

“And her husband is dead,” Dino pointed out. “Did he have any close family members?”

“His parents are dead,” Stephanie replied, “but he had a brother. He’s a diplomat of some sort, stationed in London.”

Dino made a note of the man’s name. “Anybody else?”

“A younger sister. She lives in Hong Kong. Her husband works for an American bank there.”

Dino noted that, too. “Either of them in town?”

“Not that I know of,” Stephanie said. “I hardly knew them. I do know that they both liked Aunt Adele better than they liked their brother. He was a bad drunk, and everybody thought he was a real shit.”

“Was Mrs. Lansdown married before?”

“Once, in her early twenties. It lasted only a few months.”

“His name?”

“Karl Stein,” she replied. “Last I heard he was in LA, working in the movie business.”

“As what?”

“He started as a writer, but he produces and directs, too.”

“Any hard feelings there?”

“I don’t think so. They were young and stupid. I don’t think Adele ever heard from him.”

“You know who he works for?”

“Various studios. He has his own production company, Stein-ware Films. I read a magazine piece about him once.”

“Can you think of anyone else that Mrs. Lansdown had problems with? Former employees, that sort of thing?”

“No, she was a very likable person. Her chef had worked for her for years, and they’re quite good friends.”

“Tell me about David’s relationship with his aunt,” Dino said.

“They got along fine,” she replied. “I think between the two of us, he was her favorite.”

“How long has he been seeing Mia Meadow?”

“The better part of a year, I think. She was on the sailing trip with him. The family thinks they might end up married.”

“She and Adele have any problems?”

“No, Adele liked her.”

They were all silent for a moment.

“Would you like a drink?” Stone asked.

“No,” Stephanie replied. “We have to get back to Mother; she’s distraught. We just wanted to know what happened.” She thanked Dino and Stone, and she and Herbie left.

“This is going to be a tough one,” Dino said.

Stone couldn’t bring himself to disagree.