Obsession

“How about some names of her benefactors?”

Wanamaker said, “How about not.”

Petra said, “We don’t care about any of the creeps he’s going to spill on, unless they’ve been involved in murder.”

“Same answer,” said Wanamaker.

“Whose murder?” said Fortuno.

“A man named Lester Jordan.”

Fortuno didn’t react, but holding still seemed to take effort. “Don’t know him.”

“You’re sure about that.”

“Couldn’t be surer.”

“Boy,” said Petra, “here we were thinking you were the Human Rolodex and look at all these holes in the data bank.”

Fortuno reached for his nose again. Picked with gusto.

“Life,” he said, “can be disillusioning.”

“Who else did De Paine hang out with?”

“I don’t pay attention to who punks hang out with.”

“You don’t like him.”

“He’s got no-”

“Moral core, I know,” said Petra. “As opposed to all your other vendors and clients.”

“Knowledge is power, Detective. I provide a legitimate service.”

“The federal government seems to feel otherwise.”

Wanamaker cleared his throat.

Petra said, “De Paine trashed the place he rented from Mr. Benezra and he cut out on several months’ rent.”

“That does not surprise me.”

“You knew he was a mope but you gave him references?”

“Mr. Benezra asked me to help find a short-term tenant at a rundown property he planned to demolish imminently. I happened to be speaking to Mary and she happened to mention that her son was looking for lodgings.”

“Thought you hadn’t seen her in a while?”

“She called me.”

“Why?”

“To help find lodgings for her son.”

“Where was he living at the time?”

“That she didn’t say.”

“Mary Whitbread owns properties,” said Petra. “Why would her son need to look for lodgings?”

“You’d have to ask her that.”

“She didn’t want him close by?”

Fortuno said, “That’s certainly possible.”

“He’s caused trouble for her.”

“I’m not aware of any specifics, but once again, it wouldn’t-”

“The notion of his being involved in murder doesn’t shock you.”

“I am unshockable, Detective.”

“Where did De Paine live after he left the house on Oriole Drive?”

Long, slow head shake. White strands came loose and Fortuno tamped them back in place. “I’ve told you all I know.”

Petra waited.

Fortuno drank orange juice.

Wanamaker reached for his pocket watch.

Petra said, “I know, the big hand’s on bureaucracy and the little hand’s on bureaucracy.” To Fortuno: “Give us something else about Blaise De Paine.”

Fortuno finished his juice, wiped his lips with the back of his sleeve. Wiped the sleeve on the couch and flicked pulp off a cushion.

“If you were us, Mario, where would you look for him?”

“Hmm,” said Fortuno. “I’d say Cherchez la femme. That’s French for ‘women are slicker than men.’ In this case, la mamacita.”

“Multilingual,” said Milo.

“Women love adroitness with language, Lieutenant. Not that such matters would concern you. Wesley, I do believe it’s time for my supper. Dr. Delaware, when you see Philip, tell him Daddy loves him.”

CHAPTER 29

We sat in the hotel bar and drank Cokes.

Milo said, “A quiet boy. Fortuno’s worried his kid’s gay.”

Petra said, “That’s what he meant?”

His reply was half a smile.

She said, “Thanks for agreeing to see the kid, Alex.”

“Santa Barbara’s nice this time of year.”

“Mr. Insider didn’t end up telling us much other than De Paine’s mommy was a wild girl who loves real estate. Which ain’t exactly a rare L.A. bird. What’s Ms. Whitbread like?”

Milo said, “Friendly, flirtatious, well put together.”

I said, “Her son sells dirty pictures. She made them.”

“So we’re in Freud-World.”

“De Paine came by to visit when we were there, so there’s still some kind of relationship. Fortuno’s right: Keep an eye on her and she might lead you to him.”

“Day we met her, De Paine was right in front of us,” said Milo, rubbing his face.

Petra put her glass down. “Everything we hear about this guy turns up nasty. But he’s not a formal suspect on Jordan so no way I can get a tap on Mommy’s line-where’s Fortuno when we need him. In terms of surveillance, Fourth Street’s quiet and respectable and relatively low-rise. Not the ideal situation for a stakeout. Any ideas?”

Milo said, “After dark it would be easier.”

“True…okay, I’ll talk to Raul.”

I said, “Fortuno confirmed that Mary got into real estate with help from rich boyfriends. We know Myron Bedard sold her four buildings, including the two duplexes on Fourth. That confirms our guess about her being his mistress. It also strengthens our theory about De Paine meeting Lester Jordan through the Bedards. I’m convinced that whatever haunted Patty took place during the months she lived on Fourth.”

Milo said, “Myron takes Mary and her kid along when he checks out his tenants on Cherokee. The kid just happens to run into Jordan and sees an opportunity?”

“Whatever the case,” said Petra, “I’ve had no luck finding Myron Bedard. Or anyone else, for that matter. Why do I have this naggy little feeling that Fortuno played us?”

I said, “He played me to get therapy for his son. Maybe he really cares about the boy but mostly he needed to feel in control. What I find interesting is that he danced around every topic you brought up except Mary Whitbread.”

“You’re right, no problem laying out the details, there. Including how he did her. What was that, another power play?”

“He resents her. Or at the very least, he doesn’t care what happens to her, or her son. If he knew more, he’d have told us.”