Murder One

50

IT WAS TAKING HER an inordinate amount of time to answer the door, Ben thought, as he paced back and forth in the narrow hallway. He knew she was home; he could hear noises inside. So why wasn’t she answering? The delay was only increasing his tension level. Because, of course, deep down, he didn’t really want that door to open. He dreaded the conversation he knew would follow. But there was no avoiding it.

At last the apartment door opened, and a patch of disheveled platinum blond hair became visible through the opening. “Ben?”

Ben peered through the chained gap, not sure what to say first. “I need to talk with you, Keri.”

Keri licked her lips, then forced a smile. “Sure, honey. I want to see you, too. It’s just—I told you to call first. I want to look my best for you. Could you come back—”

“We need to talk now.”

“Couldn’t it wait until I’ve had a chance—”

“No. Now.”

With obvious reluctance, Keri slid the chain out of the lock and opened the door. Ben stepped inside. She was barely dressed, wearing only a T-shirt and panties, and the shirt was on backwards. Her near perfect figure was on display and impossible not to notice, but Ben tried to put it out of his mind.

Ben glanced around the apartment, which was a mess. Books were off shelves, tables were cleared. Large cardboard boxes cluttered the room. “You’re moving.”

The rise and fall of her chest did magnificent things to her near-transparent white T-shirt. “Yes, Ben, I am. You know this place is a dump. Now that the trial is over, I wanted someplace a little nicer—”

“You’re leaving town, aren’t you?”

She sighed. “Yes, Ben. For a while, anyway. I need to make a fresh start. Someplace where everyone doesn’t think of me as a former murder defendant.”

“Were you planning to tell me?”

“How can you say that? Of course I was. You know how … how I feel about you.” She reached out and twined her fingers around his. “Actually, I was hoping you might come with me.”

Ben slapped her hand away. “Stop that.”

Keri recoiled, staring deep into his eyes. “Ben, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“You could say that.”

“Something about the case?” Deep creases crossed her brow. “They’re not going to try me again, are they?”

“No, you’re off once and for all this time. Never in a million years could the D.A. get the appeals court to set aside an acquittal twice. Especially not after the case has gone to the jury.”

“Then what?”

Ben turned away. This was hard enough to do without having to stare at that magnificent figure, beautiful hair, deep blue eyes. “The police found the place where your brother was holed up. After he left here.”

“I know.” She paused. “And?”

“And I’ve been there.”

“Ben … is there more to this? ’Cause I’m not really getting it …”

“I had a lovely opportunity to sort through all his personal belongings. Everything he left behind.” He stopped and, unable to resist, he turned to face her. “Including his exercise equipment.”

Keri’s eyebrows rose. “His …?”

“You heard me. What is that, a Stairmaster or something? Whatever. The point is, Kirk had it. But you know what I think? I think it used to be in your apartment. You said in court you didn’t own anything like that and it was probably true—because it was Kirk’s. And he took it with him when he left. But it used to be in your apartment. It was there when you had the knock-down-drag-out with Andrea McNaughton. She fell back and hurt herself on it. Just like she said in court. Right?”

Keri did not immediately answer.

Ben’s teeth clenched tighter together. “Am I right?”

She still did not reply.

“I thought so. But what I don’t get is, why did Andrea ‘confess’ that she had invented that detail when I called her back to the stand? That was a critical moment in her testimony. After I showed she had lied once, it was all a downward spiral. The jury never believed her again. But it was true! You really did have exercise equipment in your apartment.”

Keri’s eyes slowly rose to meet his. “It’s true, Ben. My parents bought that thing for Kirk, back when they were still in our hair. I think they saw it on some infomercial and thought it would be good for him.”

“So why did Andrea lie about it?”

Keri hesitated.

Another voice shattered the silence. “I can explain that.”

Ben whirled around. His lips parted, stunned.

Andrea McNaughton was standing in the rear of the apartment.

“So,” Andrea said, “Encyclopedia Brown finally figured a thing or two out, huh?” She crossed the room, passing Ben nonchalantly, and positioned herself on the lumpy couch. “Very impressive.”

Keri glared at her. “Shut up, Andrea.”

“Don’t talk to me that way.”

“I said, shut up!”

“Keri—”

“Listen to me!” Veins became visible on Keri’s porcelain white neck. “I’m still his client. Anything I say to him is protected by that privilege deal. He can’t repeat it, and even if he did, the cops couldn’t use it. But you’re not his client. Anything you say he can repeat all over town. So keep your lip zipped.”

Ben stared at them both, his face transfixed by the dawning horror. “You did it together.” He backed away from them. “You were both in on it together.”

Keri rolled her eyes. “Took you long enough, didn’t it?”

“I—I should’ve seen—”

“Yeah, you should’ve. But you didn’t. Like most men, your mind was somewhere else whenever I was around.” Keri laughed shrill and brittle. “You probably said a million times, one petite nineteen-year-old girl wouldn’t have enough strength to pull off this crime. And you were right. But two women working together—that’s another thing altogether.”

“But you two hate each other.”

“Do we?” Keri smiled and then, touching her fingers to her lips, blew Andrea a kiss. “Men are so easily deceived.”

“But, all those fights—I saw them—”

“Staged. That time Andrea came to your office because she supposedly wanted to tell Christina something? Wrong. She came to stage a fight. For your benefit.”

“That can’t be.” Ben struggled to make sense of it all. “I saw the way you two went at each other. That was real.”

“Sure it was, Ben. Just like professional wrestling.” She laughed, then leaned toward Andrea. “The truth of the matter is, we’re very close, aren’t we, dear?” Andrea pressed close to her, and the two women locked lips for a deep and passionate kiss.

Ben braced himself against the wall. The room seemed to be moving, revolving around him. “But—why?”

Keri broke off the kiss and started to answer, but Andrea threw a sofa pillow at her. “Keep those pert little lips closed.”

“He can’t do anything about it, Andrea. He’s sworn to secrecy. Besides the case is over. I can’t be retried, and the cops will never admit they made a mistake and go after someone else. Right, Ben?” She grinned. “It’s over.”

“I asked you a question,” Ben said, his voice hollow. “Why?”

“I’m afraid the answer to that question is all too pedestrian. Money. Joe had a lot of it, remember?”

“But Andrea was already married to him.”

“He wasn’t sharing.”

“She could divorce him. By law, the money would be half hers.”

“Actually, no. The money was in a trust fund from his grandparents, remember? And Joe was the beneficiary. So the money went to him and him alone. In the event of a divorce, she would get nothing. There was a time when Joe shared the loot with his beloved, but after things got frosty between them, he stopped. So what could she do? Divorce wouldn’t help her get her hands on the goodies. But if Joe died, and Andrea was the beneficiary of his will, which she was, the proceeds of the trust fund would go to her. So he had to die.”

“And you helped?”

“Strange world, isn’t it? Who would’ve ever thought the two of us would get together? When Andrea came to my apartment that night, she was ready to tear my eyes out, just like she said. We had a bit of a tussle. Not quite as violent as she described it, but it was still a major league turn-on. Rolling around on the floor, our bodies pressed together. I thought she was hot, and I guess she felt the same way about me. Ten minutes after she arrived, we were making out like nobody’s business. And when that was finished, we talked. To make a long story short, we realized we had a lot in common. Like for instance, that we’d both be better off if Joe McNaughton was dead.”

“But—you weren’t a beneficiary.”

“No. But since Joe was going to break it off with me, I was out in the cold. Until Andrea offered me a slice of the pie for my assistance. Which I gladly gave.”

“You helped her murder her husband?”

“Hey, I was the mastermind. I came up with the ideas. When Joe returned to my apartment on that fateful night, we were both waiting for him. I did most of the knife work. But Andrea was a big help with the chains and moving the body and such, weren’t you, dear?” She quickly pointed a finger. “Don’t answer that.”

“Joe was a strong man—”

“Yes, a strong man with a strong taste for sadomasochistic sex. You may have noticed in those photos, he’s always the one on his knees in the dog collar, and I’m always the one wielding the whip. That was the way he liked it. Actually, that was the way I liked it, too. And on that fateful night, when he came home, stripped off his clothes, got down on his knees, and asked Mommy to punish him—I did, with Andrea’s assistance. Big time.”

“Even if you had to kill him, why hang his body out in such a hideously public way?”

“To confuse and distract, of course. That was the plan, anyway. If he just turned up dead, Andrea knew she’d be the top suspect. But if he turned up chained in Bartlett Square, well, a whole new world of possibilities opened up.”

“But why the mutilation?”

“Are you really surprised? Hell, Ben, you heard my shrink rattle on for more than an hour about my violent tendencies. How I fantasized about killing Joe. When the time finally came, I made the most of it.”

Ben felt a choking in his throat.

“Andrea wasn’t very happy about that part. Then she got this brilliant idea. She knew about Joe’s investigation of Antonio Catrona. She thought that if we made it look like a mob rubout, that would confuse matters even further. And she was right. You used that red herring like a pro at trial, Ben.”

“You—you planned out the whole thing!”

A light shone behind Keri’s eyes, transforming those vivid blue eyes into something fiery and sinister. “What can I say, Ben? You take what the gene pool gives you. My mom was cruel and crazy, as I told you, and Kirk was seriously whacked, which you also knew. Is it a big surprise that my blood runs the same way? We Dalcantons, we’re nothing if not consistent. Sexual flexibility and a serious taste for violence, that’s like the family motto. Hell, even Matthews tried to tell you how violent I was when he came to my apartment. But would you listen? No—you were too busy sneaking peeks at my Wonderbra.” She laughed. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I enjoyed it, Ben. I snuck up behind Joe and clubbed him on the head so he couldn’t resist—I guess that’s when he got the concussion. I ripped his clothes off. Must’ve scattered his wallet and badge in the process. And then I took my little knife and tore his guts out.” She licked her lips hungrily. “I savored each and every stroke of the knife. And I especially liked labeling the creep for what he was. Faithless.”

Andrea couldn’t contain herself. “You shouldn’t have done that!”

“I told you to be quiet!” Keri shouted. The harshness of her voice sent chills down Ben’s spine. “Andrea didn’t like that touch,” she explained, her voice suddenly eerily calm. “Didn’t really fit with the mob-hit motif. And true enough, after that touch, it was inevitable that the cops would come sniffing around my panties. But I couldn’t resist. He was faithless. He deserved it.”

“My God—Matthews was right. He was right all along. He really was working to find some semblance of justice. And I—I—”

“Truth sucks, don’t it?” Keri giggled. “The truly amazing thing is, we put it all together that one night. Granted, we made some mistakes. We shouldn’t have used my knife, and we shouldn’t have used my chains. But time was short; Joe was here before we had a chance to run out for supplies. We had to use what we had at hand.” She paused reflectively. “Those two errors in judgment came back to haunt me, though. Although we successfully distracted the police from Andrea, we attracted them to me. But Andrea is nothing if not loyal. When the police came after me, she promised she’d find a way to get me off. And she did, too.”

“How?”

“Well, first of all, by sending me to you. She knew you were a whiz in the courtroom, that you had a soft heart that would naturally go out to me when I told you about my boo-hoo childhood and hard-knock life. She also suggested that if there was a little romance in the air, you would become particularly attached and unlikely to be suspicious. And boy was she right about that.”

Ben’s face twisted, a mixture of shock and humiliation. “Then … all we did—you were just pretending. Just putting on another show.”

“Sad to say, I was. I’m not proud of it. But it was necessary. Not that I minded or anything,” she added hastily. “You’re a regular guy, Ben. But a little too straight for me.” A large belly laugh erupted from the base of her throat. “Way too straight for me, actually.”

“You incriminated your brother. You made him your fall guy.”

“Well, he deserved it, wouldn’t you say, dear?”

Andrea nodded mutely.

“He’s the one who screwed up our plan in the first place,” Keri explained, and for the first time, a trace of bitterness crept into her voice. “He came in just after we polished off Joe. And he freaked. Totally out-of-his-head freaked. See, everything I said in court about Kirk was basically true. He had serious emotional problems. He had low self-esteem, sexual confusion, a violent temper. Religious obsessions. And he was fond of his sister. Quite fond of his sister.” She paused, running her fingers slowly through the strands of her silky hair. “We were very close. If you know what I mean.”

Ben felt the gorge rising in his stomach. It took all his strength to suppress his urge to be ill.

“So anyway, he comes in at just the wrong moment and sees me and Andrea on top of Joe, both of us drenched in blood. It sent his already fragile mind into a frenzy. He didn’t know what to do. Talked about calling the police.”

“But you stopped him.”

Keri grinned. “He’d been lusting after me all his life, since we were kids. Remember when I told you my daddy and I were close? It was true.” She winked. “Another clue you missed, Sherlock. Anyway, I think Kirk had always been jealous of what Daddy and I had. So when the time came that I needed his help, needed him to do some horrible things he otherwise would never think about doing, I gave him what he’d wanted all those years. His dream come true.”

Ben was unable to speak.

“Mind you, I made it worth Kirk’s while. I gave him a good piece of action, I really did. I mean I could’ve just done it quick and dirty, but I knew he’d been waiting for this a long time, so I tried to make it memorable. And I think I succeeded. I hadn’t been a stripper all that time without learning a few things. After all the bumping and grinding was done, I told him to stop crying and help. And it worked. Kirk kept his mouth shut—even helped us move the body around. It was great. Sent poor Kirk over the edge, though. Kirk had me on some kind of exalted plateau, in his twisted little mind. Some kind of madonna-whore thing, I guess. I don’t know.” She saw Ben’s reaction and smiled. “You’re surprised I know about things like that. You might be amazed at what I know. I’m a bright young babe. Well read. Matthews tried to tell you I was smart, remember? But of course, you didn’t listen to him. I may be from Stroud, Ben, but I’m nobody’s fool. Anyway, after we were done, Kirk bailed. Took all his stuff and ran out of the room. He was totally out of his mind.” She paused. “He’s the one who slashed that woman in your office, you know.”

“What!”

“Oh, yeah. I kept an eye on him, even after he flew the coop. I had to—he was a security risk, right? That’s why I was out so often, late at night. He was doing all kinds of bizarre stuff—mutilating his body, sleeping with prostitutes. He was trying to expiate his guilt, trying to come to terms with what he’d done, to Joe and to me. When he went to your office, sadly enough, I think he was looking for me. The super at my apartment told me he’d been by asking after me; they suggested he try your office, which he did. He’d finally decided to strike back. He thought by killing me, by venting his anger on the source of his pain, he could rid himself of all that guilt. But alas, I wasn’t there and your librarian buddy was. So she took the fall. Later, he realized he’d made a terrible mistake. Which only intensified his despair.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Use some brains, Kincaid. If you’d gotten your hands on Kirk, he would’ve spilled everything. No, after that business with the librarian, I realized he was too dangerous to live.”

“But—but he killed himself. I saw it!”

“Yeah, he killed himself. With my help. I made a late night visit to his hellhole of an apartment. Happily, he’d just been with a prostitute, so he was feeling particularly guilt-ridden. I said exactly the words I knew would push him over the brink. And sure enough, he went down. Fifty stories down.”

“But I saw you! You were torn apart with grief!”

“Quite the little actress, aren’t I?” She laughed. “ ‘Oh, Ben, I love you so. Please hold me.’ ” She laughed again, loud and bitter. “Do you remember exactly when Kirk jumped? It was when Matthews told him I was coming to get him. I was the guilt he could never escape.” She shook her head. “What a fool Kirk was.”

“Your brother loved you!”

“My brother was a headcase ever since my parents died. Before, actually. He was such a simp. He was much better off after they were out of the picture; he just couldn’t see it. Mother’s perverted pranks weren’t even the worst of it. They were always riding us, trying to control us. Butting into my private life. Telling me I was dirty and sinful. So I remedied the situation.”

“You—you said they were killed in a traffic accident.”

“They were. It’s bad news when a truck comes at you in an intersection. Particularly if someone has drained most of your brake fluid.”

“I can’t believe it. I—can’t believe it.” Ben knew he was babbling, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. It was as if his brain was frozen and nonfunctional.

“Oh hell, honey, you haven’t heard the worst of it.” She turned toward Andrea. “Should I tell him?”

Andrea shook her head.

“Aw, come on. I want to.”

Andrea continued shaking.

“Spoilsport.”

“Tell me what?” Ben bellowed.

“I’m sorry, Andrea, but I just can’t hold this back any longer.” She leaned forward eagerly on the sofa, providing an ample display of cleavage. “I’m the one who planted the knife in your office.”

“What!”

“You heard me.”

Ben grabbed the edge of the kitchen counter, trying to steady himself. It was all too much, too impossible. “I could’ve been convicted of murder! I could’ve been disbarred! Why in God’s name would you do that?”

“To throw the dogs off my scent, dearie. I knew you’d never be convicted of anything. And I also knew that if they found the murder weapon in your office, you—and maybe others as well—would be convinced someone was trying to frame me. See, I knew about the Blue Squeeze. Contrary to what you proved in court”—she giggled a bit at that one—“Andrea wasn’t behind the police harassment. Why should she want to hassle me? It was all that bozo Matthews’s idea, trying to prove his manhood by deifying his former partner. But once we knew about it, Andrea figured we could use it to muddy the waters. To create more reasonable doubt. And to make you more certain than ever that I was innocent.”

“So you put the knife in my file cabinet?”

“Of course. And I phoned the anonymous tip to Matthews. Think about it, Ben. Who else would have that thing? It was my knife, after all. Happily, I didn’t leave it in my apartment, so the cops didn’t find it. I had that much sense. But I knew where it was. I retrieved it and planted it on you. Brilliant, huh?”

Ben found himself barely able to speak. “And—and you don’t have any … regret?”

“I’m proud to say that I do not. Now, Andrea, here, is another story.”

Andrea gave her a silent, cold glare.

“Andrea has a bit of a whiny streak. She says she wanted to punish Joe, not to kill him. She didn’t approve of mutilating his body. Wah, wah, wah. She says I seduced her husband, then I seduced her. Made them both do horrible things they should never have done. She says I ruined her life.” She scooted closer to Andrea on the couch. “But you still love me, don’t you, Andrea? That’s what you hate most. You despise yourself for it afterward, but you just can’t resist me.” She pressed her body against her collaborator. Andrea hesitated, but soon her lips were locked with Keri’s for a protracted kiss.

Ben pushed himself away like a man recoiling from a monster. Which he was. “You lied to me. You lied to everyone.”

“I’m afraid that is correct.”

He moved toward the door. “If you think I’m going to keep quiet about this, you’re wrong.”

“You have no choice. You can’t say anything.”

“Watch me.”

“Settle down and think for a minute, Mr. Crusader. What are you going to accomplish here? No one can touch me. As you said yourself, I cannot be retried for the same crime. Never again.”

“They could go after your accomplice, then.”

“Andrea? Based on what? The hearsay ravings of a defense attorney? Which they can’t use in court? I don’t think so. Besides, you know as well as I do that after the D.A. loses a case, they never bring charges against a different defendant. Because to do so would be to admit they were wrong the first time. That they were trying to convict an innocent person. No D.A. is going to do that—certainly not Mr. Politico LaBelle.” She leaned back into the soft sofa. “Face it, Ben—it’s over. If you go flapping your mouth, the only thing you’ll accomplish is getting yourself disbarred.”

Ben’s jaw was clenched so tightly he could barely speak. “I can’t let you get away with this.”

“Uh-huh,” Keri said, bored to tears. “Honey, you don’t have any choice. Tell you what. When you figure out how to get back at me, be sure to give me a ringy-dingy. I’ll be somewhere in the Bahamas, improving my tan.” She laughed, then waved her hand in the air. “Oh, stop quivering in your boots like some outraged moron. You screwed up and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. So pack up your moral outrage and leave already.” She turned back toward Andrea, her lips parted, her eyes wide and hungry, running her fingers through Andrea’s lustrous black hair. “And close the door behind you.”