“Well, thank God he’s out of town, eh? You say stuff like that to the cops, they start asking questions.”
“There were many men in Cristal’s life,” I said. “Some of them might have felt that way about Jason too.”
“Especially if he was trying to shake them down. Jo, there were names on that list that surprised even me. The one thing they share is they’re all guys who aren’t used to being fucked over.”
We drove past fields tender with the green of new growth. “So what’s next?”
“First thing I have to do is tell the seven dwarfs to find legal representation. I also have to tell my partner that. Ginny is my client, and looking out for Blake would be a conflict of interest.”
“You’re ready to cut Blake loose for Ginny?”
“I have to, but I’ve known Blake for almost thirty years. He didn’t kill anybody.”
“You think Ginny might have?”
Zack didn’t answer, and when he didn’t answer, I knew better than to ask. I changed the subject. “Do you think I’m spinning my wheels trying to find out about Cristal’s life?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. By this time, the cops will have done their job. I’ve had my run-ins with the force over the years, but they’re competent and they’re honest.”
“They could have overlooked something,” I said. “Cristal had a private life. She and
Zack was silent. “I wonder,” he said finally.
“You wonder what?”
“I wonder if Cristal paid my bill because Francesca saw something. They live in the same neighbourhood – in fact, Francesca’s favourite haunt is that warehouse next to Cristal’s condo. But Francesca’s terrified of cops – she’d never let one get close enough to ask questions.”
“She’d let you get close enough,” I said. “And she trusts you.”
“That’s because I like her,” Zack said. “I’ll see if I can carve out some time this morning and take a spin through the warehouse district.” He grinned. “I love it when the pieces start to come together.”
Zack’s BlackBerry rang. He checked the number. “Margot,” he said. “Probably anxious to hit the road and wondering what I’ve done with you.” He picked up. “Falconer Shreve Wainberg Hynd and Wright.” He grinned. “I thought you’d like that, and, no, your name can’t be first on the list. So what’s up?” He listened for a moment. “Joanne’s at the wheel. We should be home in ten minutes, but she obeys speed limits, so make it fifteen. Why don’t you meet us at the house?”
Zack punched in another number.
“Now who?” I said.
“Norine,” he said. “I might as well get caught up on what’s happening at the office. Hey, it’s handy having a driver.”
“Then let’s hire one,” I said. “Then we can both be boors.”
“Sorry, Ms. Shreve. Sometimes I forget your socialist roots. Hey, Norine, what’s going on there?” He listened. “It’s eight forty-five. How can the day be this fucked up already? Don’t try to answer, that was just rhetoric. Get Sean to call his investigators. I want them to find out everything they can about the men in Cristal Avilia’s life. I’m sending a list of the names. And, Norine, can you clear an hour for me sometime today? I’ve got to find Francesca Pope. Good. And no calls forwarded except from Blake.”
Margot’s black BMW was already in our driveway. When we pulled up, she leapt out.
“Ready to hit the road?” she said.
“Don’t rush off,” Zack said. “Come in and I’ll make us coffee.”
Margot raised an eyebrow. “You make coffee?”
“It’s not exactly verifying the string theory,” Zack said. “Just grind the beans, put the filter in the cone, measure the coffee into the filter, and pour the boiling water.”
“I’m impressed,” Margot said. “And you passed your bar exams too.”
We took our coffee outside. When I let out Taylor’s cats, they streaked to the one patch of sun on the back deck and took possession.
“We’re in for a warm day,” I said. “Those cats have an uncanny ability to predict weather.”
Margot moved her chair so she could pat Pantera while we talked. “I had a phone call last night,” she said. “Mandy Avilia has something very important she wants to talk to me about. Probably a new shade of nail polish they just got in at Cut ‘n’ Curl, but she’s a sweet girl, and she is Cristal’s sister. Sisters tell each other things.”
“If Cristal told her sister that Jason was her boyfriend, would you tell me?” Zack asked.
“Sure. I play by the rules, but it ain’t gonna happen.” Margot touched the lovely flame-coloured scarf she was wearing. “I’ll bet you this scarf against that tie you’re wearing that Jason wasn’t
“What would you do with my tie?”
“Wear it.”
“You’re on.” Zack said. “Full disclosure – we’re hiring a firm of investigators to find out everything they can about the men in Cristal Avilia’s life.”
“Joanne and I will find out more in an afternoon than they will in a month.”
Zack cocked his head. “The people of Wadena don’t like strangers?”
“Wadenans are the friendliest people on the prairie,” Margot said. She went over and fingered Zack’s tie. “You just have to know the right questions to ask.”
Wadena is two hours northeast of Regina. The drive is a pleasant one through gently rolling farmland and poetically quivering aspens, and Margot and I were both determined to enjoy our time together. Our topics of conversation were inconsequential: a new restaurant that had opened in town, some delicious gossip about a mutual acquaintance, summer plans. It wasn’t until we came to the sign welcoming us to Wadena that we talked about Cristal Avilia.
“I still can’t believe she’s dead, you know,” Margot said.
“Were you close?”
“No. She was six years younger than me and that’s a lot when you’re in school. But Cristal was in my sister Laurie’s class, so she was around the house.”
“What was she like?”
“Pretty, smart, quiet, not the girl you would have expected to end up living the life she did. There were girls who were more likely candidates, the ones they called the town bicycles because every boy had a ride on them, but Cristal wasn’t like that. She seemed focused, and – this is going to sound so high school – she was
“Do you have any idea why her life got off track?”
“No. I’m sure if you walked up and down Main Street – which, incidentally in Wadena is called Main Street – you would get fifteen hundred theories, but I’ve been a lawyer too long to waste time on root causes. Something happened, and Cristal gets a shitty life and an early death. That’s really all that matters.”
“Not to Zack. He’s convinced he needs to know what happened, at least in the time between the beginning of the shitty life and the end.”
“If anybody will know that, it’ll be my sister. That’s why we should see her before we see Mandy. I left Wadena twenty-two years ago. When I came home, I heard things about Cristal, but I didn’t pay much attention. I was busy, going to school, building a practice, having fun.” Margot slowed and pointed to a small brick building covered in painted daisies. “That’s the Cut ‘n’ Curl, where Mandy works. Anyway, my focus was not Wadena. My sister’s was. She’ll remember.”
Laurie and her husband and kids lived in a pale blue split-level house opposite the high school. There was a station wagon in the carport and an impressive number of sturdy plastic vehicles for kids on the asphalt driveway. Two boys about ten were throwing a football on the front lawn. When they spotted Margot’s car, they came running. She jumped out and opened her arms. When she put them both in a hammerlock, the boys didn’t protest. With the boys trapped under her arms, she introduced them. “The squinty-eyed one who looks like Roadrunner is Roger,” she said. “The one who looks like the bad guy in a Quentin Tarantino movie is Sam. Men, this is Joanne Kilbourn. You may have seen her on television.”
The boys smiled politely; it was clear that whatever kind of television I was a part of wasn’t appointment TV for them. “Nice to meet you,” Sam said, and Roger nodded agreement.
“Nice to meet you too.” I said.
“Did we miss lunch?” Margot asked.
