“Good to hear, Mr. Bosworth. For all we know, Minette may be clean, too.”
“Then how did Davida- oh, sure. Our late state rep wasn’t a saint. Sure, why not, we’re all human. Ta ta, Detective, I’m going to go out and have a wonderfully cholesterol-laden dinner- ”
“Did Minette ever talk to you about problems between Davida and her?”
No response on the other end. “Hello?”
“Yes, Detective, I’m still here. Anything Minette says needs to be taken with an entire quarry of salt.”
“What did she tell you, Mr. Bosworth?”
“I should preface what I’m about to tell you. Our fling- Minette and me- what we said and what we did was often the product of overindulgence.”
“You drank together.”
“Minette was a huge drinker and not a pleasant drunk. When she got pickled, she’d go into a litany of complaints about everyone and everything. She told me- while drunk- that she was sure that Davida was fooling around on her.”
“Did she suspect anyone specific?”
“I’m sure she suspected a lot of people. With enough bourbon in her, she could be downright paranoid.”
“Did she mention any names?”
“Nothing I recall.”
“Can you remember if Minette specified Davida’s paramour as being male or female?”
Again, Bosworth went silent, causing Barnes to ask if he was still on the line. “Yes, yes…Davida with a man? Well, that would be interesting. I’ve never heard anything about her swinging both ways but I’m not terribly surprised. We all have a bit of both yin and yang in us whether we admit it or not.”
The best place to reinterview Minette was the station. They flipped a coin. Amanda lost the toss and made the call.
To get Minette in, Amanda decided to appeal to the woman’s vanity. Minette picked the phone up on the third ring, whispered a boozy hello.
“Ms. Padgett, I’m so sorry to bother you again, but this is Detective Isis. If I could just a have a moment of your time, I’d be very grateful.”
“Wha-at?”
“My partner and I…we were discussing things and we both decided that we really needed your help. Would it be possible for you to come to our office to chat with us for a bit?”
“What about?”
“We’re making some headway, but you knew Davida better than anyone else and we could use your insight.”
“I did know Davida better’n anyone, so you tell me why tha’ bitch won’t let me do anythin’ at the memorial.”
There was no way the woman was fit to interview tonight, but maybe Amanda could set something up for tomorrow. “How about this, Minette: come in and help us out and I’ll call Lucille Grayson and make a personal appeal for you to be part of the service. How does that sound?”
“You’ll never change the hag’s mind. She’s a real bitch.”
“Let me try, Minette.” Amanda took in a silent breath and let it out. “When can you come in?”
“Not tonight. Too late.”
It was quarter to six. Lord only knew how long she’d been hitting the bottle. “You’re right. How about tomorrow, say ten AM?”
“Mebbe eleven.”
“Eleven would be perfect. I’ll call you at ten thirty to see if you’re on schedule?”
“Sure. Bye.”
“Oh, by the way, did you get tested yet?”
A long pause. “Good news. The doctor thinks I’m clean.”
“That’s very good news.”
“I suppose. Bye.”
Amanda placed the phone back in the cradle.
Being clean meant Minette realized that her worst fear had been true. Davida had been cheating on her. The big question was with whom? Minette must be wondering the same thing. That could explain her drinking this early.
She looked around the squad room for Barnes- tucked into a corner, facing the wall, talking on the phone. She went over and tapped him on the shoulder. Barnes whispered a “gotta go” into the receiver and disconnected his cell.
“Who were you talking to?” Amanda asked casually.
“No one.”
“On the phone, talking to no one. They’ve put people away for far less, Will.”
“It wasn’t business-related.”
Amanda’s smile widened to a grin. “You were talking to that cop in LA- ”
“Amanda- ”
“What was her name?” Amanda snapped her fingers. “Marge. Tall drink of water, but nice-looking, I’ll grant you that.”
“She adopted an orphan in her teens. The kid goes to Caltech. We were just talking about kids.”
“You’ve never had any.”
“I was doing the listening.”
“Willie and Margie sitting in a tree- are you going down south or is she coming up north?”
“She’s got a couple of days off. Can we move on to business?”
“Sure, because I took care of some. Minette’s coming down to the stationhouse tomorrow at eleven.”
“You got her to come in?” Barnes nodded with approval.
Amanda punched his shoulder lightly. “Call it the old charm. I’m going home now to work my magic on my husband. Unless you want my advice on something.”
“Like what?”
“Like where to take Margie. They’re predicting high sixties with sunshine. You should rent a convertible and take her to wine country. Spring for some bucks and stay at the Sonoma Mission Inn.”
That actually wasn’t a bad idea, but damn if Barnes would give her any satisfaction. “You can go now, Mandy. I’ll be in around nine tomorrow.”
“Me too, God and traffic willing. I’ll call Minette at around ten thirty tomorrow to remind her about the appointment. She’s already a bit inebriated, so I’ll probably have to remind her of our conversation. No doubt she’ll be hung over and in a foul mood.”
Barnes said, “I’ll pick up some juice, donuts, whatever. Every little bit helps.”
“If only it were that simple,” Amanda said. “Get aspirin, too.”
18
At ten thirty in the morning, Minette was still in bed, having forgotten about the appointment. Amanda decided the most efficient thing to do was just pick her up and bring her in. It took a full hour for the woman to dress and another half hour of plying her with designer coffee until she seemed coherent enough to interview. Even with the star treatment, Minette was surly. Her makeup couldn’t hide the bags under her eyes, making them look more muddy than exotic. Her hair was in need of a good brushing as well as a root job. She was dressed in crumpled khakis, a white tee and sneakers. The woman was lanky and thin and from the back she could have passed for an adolescent boy.