“But we don’t know how to go about it,” Claudia said.
Jesse nodded.
“Talk with Rita Fiore,” Jesse said.
He wrote the name and phone number on a piece of yellow paper and handed it to Claudia.
9 3
R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
“Criminal lawyer at a big Boston firm,” Jesse said. “Use my name. I’m sure she can put you in touch with someone.”
“We, ah, forgot your name,” Corliss said.
Jesse took a card from the middle drawer of his desk and handed it to Corliss.
“She’ll be, ah, you know, she won’t talk about us to anyone,” Corliss said.
“Soul of discretion,” Jesse said.
They nodded.
“Are you planning to stay awhile?”
“Until our sister’s killer is brought to justice,” Corliss said.
“Before you leave here this morning, give Molly your address.”
“Is that the policewoman out front?”
Jesse smiled. Molly would bite them if they called her that.
“At the desk,” he said.
“Okay. We got a nice suite at the Four Seasons. With a view.”
“In Boston,” Jesse said.
“Un-huh,” Corliss said.
“Did anything bad happen to Flo before she died?” Claudia said.
“Hard to say.”
“I mean did anybody hurt her?”
“Can’t tell,” Jesse said. “You think someone would?”
9 4
S E A C H A N G E
The twins looked at each other.
“Not really,” Corliss said. “But she ran with a weird crowd sometimes.”
“Names?” Jesse said.
Both twins shook their heads.
“Oh, we don’t know that,” Claudia said.
“We don’t know any of them really,” Corliss said.
Jesse took the sex video head shots from a drawer and put them out on the desk where the Plum twins could see them.
“Know either of these gentlemen?” Jesse said.
They did. Jesse could tell by the way their shoulders froze when they looked. They both shook their heads at the same time.
“No,” Claudia said.
“No, we don’t,” Corliss said.
Jesse took out three other pictures.
“One of these Florence?” Jesse said.
They looked.
“Course,” Corliss said.
“That one,” Claudia said.
“You didn’t even know which one she was?”
“I did,” Jesse said. “I wanted to be sure you did.”
They both stared at him silently for a moment.
Then Claudia said, “Jesus Christ.”
Corliss said,” Don’t you trust anybody?”
“Trust,” Jesse said, “but verify.”
“What’s that mean?”
