‘I am not sure you understand what I am trying to tell you.,
‘What the hell are you driving at?’
‘Donald, Domino is dead.’
Hotchins stared at him intently. He shook his head very slightly.
‘She’s what?
‘A police friend of mine told me as I was leaving the office. I don’t have the detail —‘
Hotchins cut him off. He was wild-eyed. ‘What do you mean she’s dead? How did it happen?’
‘She was shot.’
‘Shot?’
‘Yes. It happened in her apartment last night....’ He stopped. Gooseflesh rose along his arm. Hotchins’s reaction chilled him for a moment. He was laughing. Laughing.
‘I knew there was a mistake,’ he said. ‘You better get a more reliable police friend.’
‘Believe me,’ DeLaroza said. ‘What I am telling you is true.’
Hotchins leaned across the seat towards DeLaroza. ‘It’s bullshit, Vic.’
‘My source is unimpeachable,’ DeLaroza said sternly.
‘No, my friend,’ Hotchins said, ‘my source is unimpeachable. My source is me. Domino was with me last night. All night.’
Now it was DeLaroza who looked stunned. The lines in his forehead deepened. He seemed almost angry.
‘Look, she flew to Savannah yesterday and we spent the night on the boat. It was all very safe. And I told her we bad to stop seeing each other. I think she was as relieved about it as I was. So relax. It was a mistake, that’s all.’
A mistake, DeLaroza thought. That maniac Burns had made a mistake. Or had he lied?
‘Was someone else staying in her apartment?’ DeLaroza asked.
‘I have no idea. Why?’
‘Because someone was shot in her apartment last night. A terrible mistake has been made.’
‘Mistake? What kind of mistake?’
‘It was Domino who was supposed to die.’
‘Supposed to . . .‘ Hotchins stopped. A frightening thought swept past his mind, but he immediately dismissed it. ‘What do you mean “supposed to”?’
DeLaroza’s mind was churning. He had to move fast, get to Domino before the police. But first it was time to deal with Hotchins. Now was the time of reckoning. It could wait no longer.
‘Did you hear me?’ Hotchins said. ‘What did you mean by that?’
‘Donald, maybe it is time we had that talk I referred to a few minutes ago. The one I said would bore you. You may find some of the details a bit unsettling, so prepare yourself.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I am talking about Domino. I am talking about the minute planning that went into your career. I am talking about where the money comes from to finance this gamble. And I am talking about why, suddenly, I have decided to go public, as they say. Do you want to hear the story, Donald?’
‘Of course,’ Hotchins said, but there was a nervousness in his tone.
‘Just listen to me,’ DeLaroza said. ‘Please do not interrupt until I am finished.’
Hotchins was somewhat mystified by the coldness in DeLaroza’s tone. He shifted in his seat so that he was facing him. ‘All right, I’m listening.’
‘When I introduced you to Domino, you were aware that I had known her for several months. When I first met her, she was a charming woman and of course her natural attributes were undeniable. She was like a bud and I nurtured the bud into a blossom of paradise. She was the perfect answer to my problem and my problem was you. You were teetering on the edge of disaster, my friend, consumed by loneliness. Depression hovered over you like a cloud. Domino was the perfect answer. It took several months, of course, to develop her latent treasures, but it was a task that was not without its rewards.’
‘Damn it, Victor —
‘Listen to me,’ DeLaroza snapped, his eyes afire. ‘When you met her she was the ultimate seductress because of me. I am the one who saw the incredible potential. And you know why? Because she understands that in order to satisfy others she must satisfy herself And she loves power as much as you or I. There was no question from the beginning. The infatuation would be total. She provided you with fire when you needed it most. And of course you took it, took it all. It was a dangerous game because it bad to end. Sooner or later she would become a liability. And the liabilities must be destroyed. The danger during the campaign would have been unbearable and — after you became president — impossible. So you see, dear Donald, her death was inevitable.’
Hotchins withdrew to his corner of the seat, his expression reflecting the terrifying truth in DeLaroza’s words. He could hardly speak and when he did his words came in a hoarse whisper.
‘Stop talking about her in the past tense.’
‘Why not? DeLaroza said, unwrapping his cigar. ‘She is past tense to me. I ordered her death.’
Hotchins was hollow-eyed. ‘You . . . arranged her murder?’
