and Ms. Crease got along quite well.'
'Most?'
'Yes, sir.'
'When did they stop getting along?'
'Recently.'
'What made you think there were problems?'
'They quarreled. Not all of the time, you understand. But there were arguments.'
'About what?'
'I really can't say.'
'Do you think Senator Crease was in love with her husband?'
Allen thought about the question for a moment before answering.
'Yes. When he died she took it very badly. I know that she has not made a public display of her grief, but in the privacy of this house ... in my opinion she is still grief-stricken.'
'Was Mr. Hoyt in love with Senator Crease?'
'I believe so.'
'Believe?'
'Well, there were the arguments.'
'Was she cheating on him?'
'Not that I knew, but she wouldn't have brought men back here, would she?'
'What about Mr. Hoyt? Was he cheating on her?'
The houseman's eyes dropped briefly.
'Not that I knew,' Allen replied.
'What does that mean?'
'If you're aware of Mr. Hoyt's marital history, you know that he has always had a problem with fidelity.'
'Did you ever hear Senator Crease accuse her husband of cheating on her?'
'No.'
'Did the senator ever threaten her husband?'
'I never heard any threats,' Allen answered evasively.
'Let me put this another way. Did you ever get concerned for Mr. Hoyt because of anything Ellen Crease did?'
Allen considered the question.
'The arguments . . . some of them were very loud. I couldn't hear what was said, but the tone . . . I'm afraid that's all I can say.'
Anthony stood up. 'Thank you for talking to me. I know it wasn't easy.'
'No, sir, it wasn't.'
Anthony was grateful that Yoshida did not say much during the short ride back to the Justice Center. The detective liked Ellen Crease. He respected her. But there was no way of avoiding the implications of the blood spatter patterns in the master bedroom.
The discovery that Jablonski may have been paid to break into the Hoyt mansion had complicated the investigation by turning a simple burglary into a possible murder conspiracy. Now the discovery of the blood spatter evidence forced Anthony to add Crease to the list of people who might have paid Jablonski to murder Lamar Hoyt. If it turned out that Ellen Crease was behind her husband's murder, he would arrest her. He did not want to do that, either, but he would if his duty demanded it.
Chapter 6.
Cedric Riker looked around the interior of the Lumberjack Tavern with jerky head movements that betrayed his nervousness. The Multnomah County district attorney was not used to meeting people after midnight in workingmen's bars. He liked to conduct business over power breakfasts at upscale hotels or pricey dinners at trendy restaurants.
Riker was a slender man of medium height who wore wire-rimmed glasses and styled blond hair. He usually dressed elegantly, but he was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and a navy-blue ski jacket for this clandestine meeting with Benjamin Gage's hatchet man, Ryan Clark. Riker's attempt to blend in with the customers in the Lumberjack was doomed to failure. None of the construction workers or bikers who drank there wore polished wing-tip shoes.
As soon as Riker's eyes adjusted to the dark interior, he spotted Clark waiting for him in a booth in the bar's darkest corner. Riker slid onto the bench across from Clark until he was pressed against the wall. There was an empty glass and a pitcher of beer between the two men, but Riker ignored them.
'Ben appreciates your meeting with me.'
'He won't be so happy if some reporter sees us here,' Riker snapped. 'Let's get this over with.'
Cedric Riker was an arrogant and insecure man who liked to throw his weight around. He could not afford to antagonize Benjamin Gage, a powerful political ally and a source of campaign funds, but Clark was only an employee. Riker detested Clark with his mysterious ways and intimidating scar, and he was never civil to him. Riker's bullying tactics had no effect on Clark. He despised Riker, but he kept his contempt well hidden because Riker was useful to his boss on occasion.
'We're very worried about the impact of Lamar Hoyt's murder on Ben's campaign,' Clark said.
'You should be. Crease is playing this for all she can get. The press is making her sound like a cross between Joan of Arc and Annie Oakley.'
'Ben understands that there are new developments in the case. He'd like to know what they are.'
'What kind of developments?' Riker asked warily.
'Something to do with Jablonski and some money. Our source wasn't clear.'
Riker was angry. Someone was leaking the details of the Hoyt investigation. Still, if Gage wanted to know, Riker was not going to keep the information from him.
'Jablonski s an ex-con with a history of violence. He just got out of the Oregon State Penitentiary eight months ago. He was serving time for a series of home burglaries in wealthy neighborhoods. In a few cases, he pistol-whipped the victims. He hurt one of them pretty badly. Killing Hoyt would be consistent with his modus operandi. But Lou Anthony's found a few things that don't look right.'
'Such as?'
Riker took a quick and nervous look around the tavern. When he was satisfied that no one was listening, he said, 'The search of Jablonski's apartment turned up ten thousand dollars in cash in a shoe box. It was hidden in the bedroom closet. Jablonski may have been paid to make a hit.'
'On Hoyt?'
'Or Crease. Then again, the money and the Hoyt break-in might be unconnected. Except ...'
'Yes?' Clark prodded.
Riker leaned across the table and lowered his voice.
'Lou went back to the crime scene with a forensic expert. There's something wrong with the blood.'
'The blood?'
Riker explained what Anthony had told him. When he finished, Clark looked thoughtful.
'What are you planning to do?' he asked.
'I know Ben's losing votes, but I've got to move very slowly. Ben should understand that. Everyone knows that he's one of my supporters. If I go after Crease without the goods, it will hurt both of us.'
Clark nodded. Riker waited for him to say something else. Instead, Clark stood up.
'It would be better if we left separately. I'll let Ben know how helpful you've been.'
Riker watched Clark walk out of the tavern. When the door closed, Riker shuddered involuntarily. He just did not feel right around Gage's A. A. The guy was spooky. A few minutes later, Riker left the Lumberjack. Outside, the rain had let up, but the wind was blowing. Riker hunched his shoulders and walked quickly to his car.
Chapter 7.
[1]
Hoyt Industries corporate headquarters was housed in a three-story, no-frills concrete box a few minutes
