her whenthey found out Desiree was a reporter. What happened was Desiree triedinterviewing some of the other girls and one of them ratted on her. Pagethought that by firing Desiree she'd get rewarded. Instead, she and Elegancegot canceled. She ended up losing a hell of a lot of money. She seemed angryenough to talk about the men involved, but she also seemed really frightened ofthem. Apparently two of them paid her a visit and gave her the third degreeabout Desiree. I couldn't get her to tell me anything about them at first. So Ikept sweetening the pot until she did. . Harry, I'm … ah. . I'm afraidthe fifteen hundred's gone.'
'All of it?'
'It was kind of a do-or-die situation.She'd had a few drinks, and was just on the edge. I figured that if I didn'tnudge her over with a good offer, I might lose her for good.'
'Well, five hundred of that's yours,'Harry said.
'Harry!' Maura exclaimed.
'Sorry, sorry. Go on, Walter. I trust you.Really I do.'
'She didn't know any of the men's namesexcept someone named Lance. I guess that's his last name. He paid her in cashand let her know if a girl was unsatisfactory for whatever reason. The girls,seven of her very best, went to the Camelot Hotel twice a month and stayed thenight. She didn't know for certain what the men were doing there, but fromthings her girls told her from time to time, she thought some of them might havebeen in the insurance business.'
'Insurance?'
'That's all she said. It isn't that much,but it certainly got my attention. I was thinking I could approach some of thechambermaids at the Camelot. Chambermaids in hotels know everything, and inthis city half of them are Latino. Maybe I can learn who some of the guys are,and we can go from there.'
'I don't think that's going to benecessary,' Harry said, remembering one of the few lines of Desiree's writinghe had gotten the chance to read. 'I think Evie might have already named acouple of them for us.'
He had copied the two names he found inEvie's address book and kept the copy in his wallet. The original was wedgedinto the toe of an old pair of sneakers in the hall closet. Now, he smoothedthe names on the table, called information, and then dialed the New York PublicLibrary. He was looking for a reference-room librarian named Stephanie Barnes.Barnes had been one of his first medical assistants, and one of the few wholeft the office to go back to school rather than to have babies or to make moremoney than he could afford to pay. Harry had given her a nice bonus to helpwith her first year. Now, happily married, with a master's degree in library science,she had both the babies and more money than he could afford to pay.
Over the years of their continuingfriendship, she had taught Harry something that he had already long suspected — that a resourceful, imaginative reference-room librarian could find out almostanything.
'Stephanie, I have two names along withaddresses and even Social Security numbers,' he said, after accepting hercondolences about Evie and assuring her that he had nothing to do with herdeath. 'I think both men might be involved with the insurance business in someway. I want any information you can dig up on either of them, especially wherethey work and what they do. Tomorrow would be okay if you're too busy, but Iwas actually thinking more in the line of the next hour or so.'
Stephanie told him not to expect anything,but it was just thirty minutes later when she called back.
'Bingo!' Harry said after he took down theinformation. 'Walter, you've done it again. James Stallings, vice president ofInterstate Health Care. Kevin Loomis, first vice president of Crown Health andCasualty. They both seem to be stars on the rise, too. Loomis had two years ata community college in New Jersey, and was just a sales agent until a couple ofyears ago. Now he's big stuff. I'm not sure what he's doing living at Queenswith what he must be making. Stallings is private school all the way — St.Stephen's, Dartmouth, and Wharton business school. He's won a ton of awards forperformance in the company and the industry.'
'Do you want me to look up the companyphone numbers?' Maura asked.
Harry tapped his pages of notes.
'You obviously haven't had any experiencewith people like my friend Stephanie. Office and home phone numbers for both.'
'Which one are you going to try first?'
Harry looked over at Concepcion.
'Why, the award-winning executive, ofcourse,' Walter said. 'Is it worth talking through how you're going to approachhim?'
'I think I might be better improvising,'Harry said. He dialed the number for the Manhattan office of Interstate HealthCare and asked for James Stallings. In a few moments, Stallings's secretarycame on the line.
'Mr. Stallings's office.'
'Hi,' Harry said. 'I'm trying to reach JimStallings. My name's Collins, Harrison Collins. I was a classmate of Jim's atDartmouth. I'm with the selection committee for next year's graduation. Jim'sname has been submitted for a distinguished alumnus award, and I need to goover some details with him.'
Harry got two thumbs up from his smallaudience. There was an unnaturally long pause before his secretary responded.
'I'm sorry, Mr. Collins,' she said. 'Mr.Stallings isn't able to take your call.'
'Well, when should I call back?'
Again, there was an uncomfortable longpause.
'What was this about again?'
'An award. Dartmouth is giving Mr. Stallingsan award.'
'Mr. Collins, I'm afraid Mr. Stallings isill. Quite ill. He. . he's in the intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital.'
'Oh that's terrible. Will he, I mean, ishe going to be all right?'
'I can't tell you any more than thatwithout permission. I'm sorry.'
Harry reviewed the conversation for Mauraand Concepcion, and then used his title and knowledge of hospital procedure toget through to a nurse in the Memorial Hospital ICU. His conversation with thewoman lasted only a minute. He slowly set the receiver down.
'Stallings had a cardiac arrest on the subway this afternoon,' he said. 'He's on a ventilator, essentiallybrain- dead. She couldn't tell me any more than that.'
'How old was he?' Maura asked.
Harry glanced at his notes.
'Forty-two.'
'Not exactly cardiac arrest age,'Concepcion said.
'What do you think?'
'I don't like it. I don't like it at all.I think you should call that other one. What's his name?'
Harry was already dialing Crown Health andCasualty.
'Loomis,' he said. 'Kevin Loomis.'
Harry modified the tale he told toLoomis's secretary. Harrison Collins was with the Executive of the Yearcommittee of the American Insurance Association. Loomis was to be one ofthree nominees for this year's award. Harry knew the lie sounded good even ashe said it. In a few seconds, Loomis was on the line.
'What can I do for you, Mr. Collins?' hesaid.
'Are you the only one on this line?' Harryasked.
'What?'
'Can you talk safely?'
'Of course I can. What's this all about?'
'Mr. Loomis, my name isn't Collins, it'sCorbett. Dr. Harry Corbett. Do you know who I am?'
'I read the papers.'
'This is about my wife, Mr. Loomis. Mylate wife Evelyn.'
'Why are you calling me?'
'Mr. Loomis, in trying to clear myself ofcharges that I murdered my wife, I've been investigating her life. I've learnedthat she worked for the Elegance escort service. I know she saw you and JamesStallings as clients at the Camelot Hotel.'
'That's nonsense. I've never been to theCamelot Hotel, I don't know your wife, and I don't know anyone
