Gordon went on to tell them about Lindsey Farland, a student about two and a half years ago, a soprano with incredible range he met when she sang the role of Cio-Cio-San, the betrayed young wife in Madama Butterfly. She hardly looked the part, since she was black, but when he heard her sing and she hit the high C in “Un bel dì,” he fell in love.
“That is one of my favorite arias,” Ruth said, and everyone at the table knew she meant it. She paused, then asked, “Where is Lindsey now?”
“I don’t know. She graduated two years ago. She hasn’t kept in touch.”
“It won’t take us long to find her.”
Ruth got six names out of him but he remembered few facts about the women. His recollection of the dates was also sketchy. “I can’t remember anymore, Agent Warnecki. Wait, wait, there was one more. Her name was Kirkland. Her first name was unusual, something like Anoka. And then, there was…No, that isn’t at all relevant. Look, I’ll need to look through some school records, find out what her first name is exactly.”
It was Sherlock who nailed him. “Tell us who you’re leaving out, Dr. Holcombe. Why don’t you want to tell us about her? Who is she?”
Dix shook his head. “I know why he doesn’t want to tell us. She’s local, isn’t she, Gordon? She’s from Maestro.”
“No, there isn’t anyone else. Now, Dix, I assume you’ll be calling these ladies to verify what I’ve told you. May I contact them first to make it less alarming for them?”
“Not yet, Gordon. I’ll be with you when I decide it’s the right time to make any calls.
“Now, I want you to stay here and think about the woman whose name you’re not telling us. Of course she’s local. Is she married? Did she swear you to secrecy? I want her name, Gordon. You’ve got until tomorrow morning or I’m coming after you.”
“There isn’t another damned woman!”
Dix said flatly, “You give me her name or I’ll arrest you.”
“How can you say that, Dix, for pity’s sake, I’m Christie’s uncle!”
Dix slowly straightened. “Maybe that’s why I’m making the mistake of not arresting you right now, Gordon, and taking your Italian-suited self to my nice warm jail. As for now, B.B. will keep an eye on you. I hope you don’t disappoint me.”
CHAPTER 25
BUD BAILEY’S BED & BREAKFAST MAESTRO, VIRGINIA LATE THURSDAY
AFTERNOON
“I NEED A shower and a shave before we head over to Dix’s house.” But Savich didn’t move to get up. He nuzzled Sherlock’s neck, loving the feel of her hair against his face.
“Since I don’t have any bones, you can go first.” She bit him lightly on his shoulder, kissed him, then breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of him. “I’m thinking maybe I’m not through with you yet.”
“You think?”
Fifteen minutes later, Sherlock was doing stretches, her mind automatically working the angles, thinking about the people they’d interviewed, wondering if Gordon Holcombe had told them everything. She smiled when she heard Dillon singing “Baby, the Rain Must Fall” in the shower in his beautiful baritone. She was about to join him, to see if he was interested in some more quality time, when his cell phone played “Georgia on My Mind.” She picked it up.
“Hello?”
No answer, only the sharp sound of breathing.
“Who is this?”
“My oh my, what an unexpected surprise this is. My lucky day.”
A woman—no, a girl, a bouncy young voice. “Claudia? Is this Claudia Grace?”
“You win the prize, girlfriend. I was actually calling to speak to your man—you know, get him all hot and bothered with some of my great phone sex, but hey, I can do him later. It’ll be fun talking to you. Cool name, Claudia Grace, don’t you think? Maybe I should go ahead and marry Moses and make it legal. He’s a cutie, no doubt about that, but the thing is, he has a tough time getting it up, even when I walk around in the buff for him. I fed him some of that Viagra, but even that didn’t stiffen him up. So he got bored and went out and got this phone to call you guys with. I figured why should he have all the fun?”
Sherlock heard voices in the background. So they weren’t driving around this time. Her fingers tightened on the phone. “Where are you, Claudia?”
Sherlock heard the shower turn off. She walked to the bathroom door, opened it to see Dillon stepping out of the shower stall. He frowned at the phone at her ear.
She mouthed, Claudia.
He nearly dove at her, his hand out to take the phone, but she shook her head and mouthed, Not yet. Dripping, he walked past her to MAX, pressed several keys, and plugged a wireless earphone into his ear.
“Where am I? Question is, where are you guys? Moses says you’re hiding from us. Are you?”
“No, Claudia, not in this lifetime.”
“Come on now, sweet cakes, how is Moses going to give you the business if you disappear, and we can’
t find you? Hey, is your man there? We could get together if you’re close by.”
“Sure, my man’s right here.”
“Well now, that’s good because Moses wants him close. Did Moses tell you what he’s planning for you?
”
“I really don’t care, Claudia. Where are you and Moses, by the way? Under an extra-big rock so you can hide together?”
“We don’t do no rocks, you little bitch. We’re in a nice big Hilton, in a suite. I can hardly throw a football across the living room it’s so big. I’m going to make you scream through that smart mouth of yours. I told your gorgeous husband that I’d have you watch while I screw his brains out. Then he can watch what I do to you, that brain of his all mushy. Every man I do ends up grinning like his brains have melted.”
“I’ve got to tell you, Claudia, I’m surprised you’re that experienced with men at your tender age. Shouldn’t you be in school learning how to read? How old are you, fifteen?”
“I can read, bitch, and I’m eighteen.”
“Yeah, right. From what I’m hearing you sound barely fifteen. I’ll bet your mama had you when she was real young, and you ended up on the street, and that’s where Moses found you. And here you are, a little girl acting all grown up, hooked up with that creepy old man.”
“Shut up! You won’t think you’re so smart when Moses gets to you.”
“Okay, if he didn’t find you shooting up on the street, then how’d you meet him, Claudia? He follow you home, maybe butcher your mama?”
“I’m not fifteen and my mama was over forty when she died, you hear me? She was smart, a schoolteacher, but some tattoo-tongued gangbangers raped and beat her because she wouldn’t screw their leader. She died.”
“I’m really sorry about your mother, Claudia. You said she was a schoolteacher?”
“Yeah, a math teacher, and she was real smart. I was sorry when she died, I really was. I mean, she could have flushed me down the john, right? But she didn’t. You hear me, bitch?”
“You’re screaming so of course I hear you. You’re out of control, like a little kid throwing a tantrum. Why would she have flushed you? Where was your daddy?”
“My mama slept with this jerk who left her. There wasn’t any daddy.”
“Where’d you learn to talk so dirty, Claudia? From your mama or from that saliva-dripping old man you’
re with now?”
“My mama didn’t cuss!”
“After she died, what did you do?”
“I took off. I wasn’t going to let those freak social service people take me. And I picked up Moses, not the other way around. He was standing over this filthy old tramp, blood all over his hands and his old army fatigues, and those black boots he wears, and he was laughing his head off. I asked him why he beat the bum like that, and he told me the guy wouldn’t share his Ripple. I figured someone like that could protect me, so I offered him some of my bourbon. All I remember is waking up in a motel room in the morning.”