Barnes nodded, thinking about ten calls a day to Dr. Kurtag’s office.
“I mean, occasionally, I’d surprise her,” Minette said. “Couple of times I did find her asleep at her desk. And here, too. At her home office. She’d fall asleep. She was very tired. You can imagine.”
Barnes nodded, and glanced at Amanda who was ignoring his pleading eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind, Ms. Padgett, we do have a couple of questions for you.”
“Call me Minette.” She sipped coffee and nodded. “Go ahead. I’m more awake now.”
Barnes decided to forestall the bombshell. “Would you like to know about our progress on the ransacking of your apartment?”
Minette looked momentarily confused. “Oh…yes, of course. Did you find the bastard?”
“No, but we’re getting close,” Barnes lied.
“What do you mean?” Minette asked. “What have you found out?”
“We’re not at liberty to discuss everything, but we found some interesting forensic evidence.” Barnes was pleased with his glib tone of voice.
“Like what kind of forensic evidence?”
“For starters,” Amanda said, “it doesn’t appear that the vandals were out for anything specific. We think they just wanted to make a mess.”
“Were? There were two of them?”
“Or maybe just one,” Barnes said. “The point we’re trying to make is that the mess appeared to be superficial- ”
“Not when you’re the one cleaning it up,” Minette said.
“I’m sure that’s true, but we think someone is trying to throw the police off track.”
“How do you know that?”
“We can tell these things, Minette. There’s just something about it that looks funny. As soon as we know more, we’ll pass on that information to you. In the meantime, can you think of anyone who has access to your condo?”
“My housekeeper and the condo manager.”
“We’d like to talk to them,” Amanda said. “Could you get me their numbers?”
“Sure.” She got up and came back a few minutes later with the information. “Emilia has worked for us for two years. I don’t see her doing anything like that, but the manager is kinda creepy.”
“Creepy in what way?”
“You know…” She lowered her eyes. “Lewd looks.”
“We’ll check him out.”
Minette’s eyes drifted to the wall clock. She stood and wandered around the room. “Anything else?”
Amanda said nothing, deferring to Barnes. He was senior anyway. Let him handle it.
He said, “Could you sit back down for just a moment, Minette?”
“Why?”
“Please…” After Minette sat, Barnes said, “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m going to be blunt. Did you know that Davida Grayson was infected with gonorrhea?”
“Gonorrhea?” Minette appeared truly stunned. “Like in STD gonorrhea?”
Amanda nodded. “The coroner found evidence at the autopsy.”
“Holy moly shit!” In a few ticks of time, the woman’s features had turned from baffled to enraged. She flung her coffee cup across the room. “That motherfucker bastard!” She got up and started to pace. “I’ll kill him. I swear to God I’ll kill the fucking bast- ” She stopped talking and turned to the police. “I don’t mean that literally. I’m just so fucking furious! How could he do this to me?”
“Who is he?” Amanda asked.
“Kyle of course! Kyle Bosworth.” She spat out the name. “Son of a bitch!”
“Are you sure you got it from him?” Barnes asked.
She turned her wrath on him. “Look, Detective, I don’t know what you think about me and frankly right now, I don’t give a shit. I only began seeing Kyle because I was so goddamn lonely. I loved Davida but it gets real old drinking by yourself. If she would have been a tiny bit more available, I wouldn’t have had to look elsewhere!”
Amanda said, “I don’t think he meant it that way, Minette- ”
“It sure as hell sounded accusatory.”
“I think he meant to ask if it were possible that someone gave the disease to Davida other than you.”
That suggestion did little to mollify Minette’s fury. Her face turned bright red. “If Davida didn’t have time for me, she certainly didn’t have time for another woman!”
“Or man?” said Barnes.
“You two have a lot of nerve! And for your information, Davida wasn’t into men!” She burst into tears. “I’d like you both to go now.”
Amanda said, “We don’t mean to be intrusive, Minette- ”
“But you’re going to be anyway. I really need you both to leave.”
Barnes said, “You need to get tested.”
“What do you think? Of course I’ll get tested!”
“When you get the results, could you give us a call, please?”
“No, I won’t give you a call please. I don’t give a shit about you or her or anything else!” A new batch of tears. “Why is everyone always fucking me up?”
“I’m sorry,” Amanda said.
“No, you’re not!” Minette wiped her eyes. “I’m going to call up that bastard and give him a piece of my mind!”
Barnes said, “I don’t blame you for being angry, but maybe you should wait until you’re tested. If you come back negative, you may be angry at the wrong person.”
Minette shook her head. “It’s impossible for me to be angry at the wrong person because I’m so fucking angry at everyone!”
Barnes kept his eyes on the picture window, the one that framed a magnificent view of the bay. A lot more interesting than watching Kyle Bosworth pace back and forth. The man was raking his hair with long, slender fingers. The parallel rows cut into the shafts reminded Barnes of a field during planting season. Summers working the ranches.
Notepad in hand, Amanda kept refocusing in on the moving target. “I’m sorry that you had to find out from us. You should know that Minette accused you of giving it to her.”
“The bitch!” Bosworth exclaimed. “The absolute bitch!”
“I take it you don’t agree?”
“No I don’t agree! I don’t know what that wicked witch was talking about! I was clean when I met her and if anybody gave anything to anyone, it was she who gave it to me!” He muttered as he paced. “This is great! This is just fucking great!”
“So you had no idea you might be infected,” Amanda stated.