High Profile

18

“I been going through that list of names you got from the bodyguard,” Suit said.

Jesse waited. Suit always admired Jesse’s silence. Suit thought he himself talked too much. He wished he were silent like Jesse.

“Couldn’t reach the manager,” Suit said. “He’s in New York. I left word to call me back.”

“And when he doesn’t?”

“I’ll call him again.”

Jesse nodded.

“The wives all got back to me.”

“Two ex- and one current,” Jesse said.

“Yeah.” Suit looked at his list. “Two of them in New York. They still use his name. Lorrie Weeks is the current wife, and Stephanie Weeks is wife number two. Ellen Migliore, wife one, is remarried and lives in Italy. I haven’t talked to her.”

Jesse nodded.

“The other two were mostly interested in the estate, you know, the will and stuff. Current wife, Lorrie, was also interested in Carey Longley and how come she got killed.”

“They have any idea what he was doing up here?”

“Nope. Current wife says he told her only that it was business, and he’d be gone a few days.”

“He was gone more than a few days,” Jesse said.

Suit nodded.

“Did that seem to bother her?” Jesse said.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Jesus, Jesse,” Suit said. “She just lost her husband, I didn’t want to press her hard right away.”

Jesse nodded.

“She may have killed him,” Jesse said.

“Jesus,” Suit said. “You think so?”

“I don’t know,” Jesse said. “Neither do you. And there’s nothing wrong with kind. But we need to know what we need to know.”

Suit nodded.

“Everybody I talked to said they had no idea who killed him. They said he was controversial but not, you know, crazy.”

“Threats?” Jesse said. “Hate mail?”

“They said they didn’t know, that his office handled that stuff.”

“Who’s the office?” Jesse said. “Carey?”

“No, according to them she was strictly his personal assistant. His manager handled the, you know, business stuff.”

“There’s probably a lawyer in there someplace,” Jesse said.

“No lawyer on your list,” Suit said. “Maybe the manager’s a lawyer, too.”

“Maybe,” Jesse said. “When you talk to them, see if there’s a lawyer.”

“Okay.”

“Any of the wives coming up here?”

“I don’t know,” Suit said. “None of them said they were.”

“Anybody been arranging for a funeral?” Jesse said.

“The wife,” Suit said. “Soon as the ME releases the body.”

“That would be Lorrie,” Jesse said.

“Yeah.”

Jesse nodded. They were quiet for a time.

Then Suit said, “There’s stuff bothering me.”

“Like not knowing who did it?” Jesse said.

“Yeah,” Suit said. “That. But this guy’s a big famous public figure, you know. And nobody knows why he’s up here.”

Jesse nodded.

“I mean, there’s nothing in the papers about him going to give a speech. Guy as famous as him, you always see stuff in the papers. His bodyguard don’t even know why he’s here.”

“Or says he doesn’t,” Jesse said.

“And another thing,” Suit said. “I can’t think of a way to attract more attention to this case. Kill them at the same time. Save the bodies. Then hang the famous one on a tree. And wait awhile, and put the other one in a Dumpster.”

Jesse smiled.

“Surprise,” he said. “The press is all over it.”

“For crissake,” Suit said. “It’s like the guy wants publicity.”

“That bothers me, too,” Jesse said.