Worst Fears Realized

18

STONE WATCHED AS ELAINE MADE HER way through the crowd to meet Martin and Dana Brougham. They were obviously asking for a table, but the place was jammed. Then Elaine was pointing at Stone’s table.

“Dino, I think Elaine is suggesting they join us,” Stone said.

“Be interesting to see their reaction,” Dino said.

Their reaction was to nod yes.

“What the hell,” Dino said. “Now is as good a time as any.”

“Why would they want to sit with us if Brougham thinks I murdered Susan?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Dino said, as the couple made their way to the table.

Sarah turned to Stone. “Later, I hope you’ll take the time to explain to me what the fuck is going on.”

“I will,” Stone said, as he got to his feet.

“Hi, Dino,” Martin Brougham said. “Hi, Stone. You remember Dana?”

“Of course,” Stone said. “This is Sarah Buckminster; won’t you join us?”

The Broughams sat down and ordered a drink. “Have you eaten yet?” Brougham asked.

“Not yet,” Stone said.

“Then dinner’s on me; we’re celebrating.”

“I heard; congratulations. Any truth to the rumor that the old man is going to retire and anoint you?”

Brougham laughed aloud. “Not while there’s a breath left in his body.”

They looked at menus and ordered dinner. Stone could not understand Brougham’s behavior, so he decided to charge in headfirst. “Your man Deacon came to see me this morning.”

“He did? What about?”

“Don’t you keep track of the guy?” Dino asked.

“Usually,” Brougham replied. He looked back and forth between Dino and Stone. “Something going on here that I don’t know about?”

“Deacon seems to think he’s taking over the investigation into Susan Bean’s murder,” Dino said.

“Oh, nothing like that, I assure you, Dino. He asked me if he could look into it, and, of course, I told him he could. After all, she was one of us, and we want to see this cleared up.”

Stone said, “Deacon seems to think that I murdered Susan.”

Brougham nearly choked on his drink. He looked at Dino. “Do you have any evidence to support such a notion?”

“None whatever,” Dino said.

“Because, if you do, I shouldn’t be sitting at this table.”

“Relax, Martin,” Dino said. “We cleared Stone of any involvement within half an hour of her death. He had gone out for Chinese when it happened.”

“I’ve heard the timeline,” Brougham said. “It made sense to me. Besides, what possible motive could Stone have had?”

“Exactly,” Dino replied.

“You can talk directly to me, Martin,” Stone said. “If you have any questions, I’d be glad to answer them.”

“You mean, off the record?”

“I answered all of Deacon’s question on the record, right up to the point he accused me of murder, then I told him to call my attorney, and I threw him out. But as a courtesy, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, right here, right now, in front of witnesses.”

Brougham thought about this for a moment. “Did you know Susan before our party?”

“Deacon says I did. He says she assisted Haverty in prosecuting a client of mine. I met Haverty’s second chair, but I don’t remember anything about her. Deacon also says she was a regular here, at the bar, and that I took her home one night and slept with her. I don’t remember that, either, and I think I would, if it had happened.”

“You don’t remember meeting her at the bar? Not at all?”

“No,” Stone replied. “For what it’s worth, Elaine doesn’t remember her, either, and she’s in here a lot more than I am.”

“I suppose so.”

“Elaine remembers Jean Martinelli, remembers throwing her out of here one night, drunk. Apparently, Martinelli is the source of Deacon’s conjecture.”

“Martinelli hasn’t worked for me for nearly a year,” Brougham said, “but it doesn’t surprise me that she talked to Tom; they were something of an item for a while. I expect she called him.”

“What else would you like to know?” Stone asked.

Brougham shrugged.

“Come on, Martin,” he said. “I want to lay this to rest now.”

“Who do you think did it?” Brougham asked.

Dino butted in. “We think it’s somebody Stone and I busted a long time ago, but we don’t know who, yet. There’ve been two other murders, one of them Stone’s secretary, Alma, the same night as Susan Bean, and the other a woman who lives behind Stone’s house in Turtle Bay, the following night.”

“I know about those,” Brougham said. “You think they’re connected to Susan’s death?”

“Only by the murderer,” Dino said. “The night Susan was killed, we think somebody followed Stone from his house here that night, then to your house, then followed Stone and Susan to her place. When he saw Stone leave to get the Chinese, he went in. We think he was still in the building when Stone got back. He was gone when the patrol car arrived. I got there five minutes later. It was Stone who called nine-one-one.”

“That, I knew,” Brougham said.

“Any other questions for me, Martin?” Stone said, trying not to sound too confrontational.

“None that I can think of at the moment.”

“I’ll be happy to come down to your office with my lawyer and answer any others you may think of,” Stone said.

“I appreciate the offer.”

“But,” Stone said, “if I start reading in the papers that I’m a suspect, I’ll know it came from Deacon, and I’ll go straight to the old man. I’ve known him a long time.” This was true, up to a point.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Brougham said. “But, you understand, if Deacon starts poking holes in your story, we’ll be talking again.”

“There aren’t any holes in my story,” Stone said, “because it’s the truth.”

Dinner arrived, saving everyone the embarrassment of continuing the conversation. Dana Brougham changed the subject.

“Aren’t you the painter who’s about to have a show at the Bergman Gallery?” she asked Sarah.

“Yes, that’s right,” Sarah replied. “The opening is next week; may I send you an invitation?”

Dana produced a card from her purse. “I’ve seen some of your early things, and I’d love to see your more recent work. Can you give me a hint?”

“It’s a Tuscan show,” Sarah replied. “I’ve lived there for the past six years, so it’s a combination of landscapes, still lifes, and portraits of people in the Chianti district.”

“Oh, I love that part of Italy.”

A waiter came and whispered something in Dino’s ear, and he left the table. Stone watched him take a phone call, but his face betrayed nothing. He came back and sat down.

Everyone looked at him.

“That was the precinct,” Dino said. “We had a suspect, but his alibi is holding.”

“I’m sorry to hear it,” Brougham said. “Who is it?”

“A guy named Mitteldorfer; Stone and I nailed him twelve years ago for the murder of his wife.”

“What made you suspect him?”

“Stone and I saw the murder of the woman who lived behind his house. The perp looked the way Mitteldorfer looked twelve years ago. But he doesn’t look that way anymore.”

“Peculiar,” Brougham said.

“We thought so, too. We’ve been looking for a relative who might have been involved, but there isn’t anybody – not so far, anyway. The precinct was just confirming the questioning of some peripheral people. Mitteldorfer appears to be clean.”

“Is he out of prison?”

“No, but he’s up for parole soon.”

“You want me to toss a grenade into his hearing?”

Dino shook his head. “I don’t like the guy, but I don’t have a thing on him. If he gets out and then we get some evidence, it’ll be simple enough to get his parole revoked.”

Brougham put down his fork. “You think he might get out, then start killing again?”

Dino shrugged. “No way to predict that. He adds up as a one-time perp – killed his wife in the heat of the moment when he found out she was running around on him. She seems to have been his only enemy.”

“Except you and Stone,” Brougham said.