Obsession

used to live on top of them. Mary knew Blaise did it, probably with some guy he used to run with, but she couldn’t prove it.”

“Yet another anonymous guy,” said Petra.

“Some tweaker,” said Fisk. “Sold smack for Blaise and Blaise gave him speed.”

“Why’d Mary figure the two of them were involved?”

“The guy showed up in a van one night, late, packed stuff with Blaise.”

“Stuff,” said Petra.

“Garbage bags. Mary thought maybe bodies, she was scared,” said Fisk.

“But she never told anyone except you.”

“Scared,” Fisk repeated.

“Where’s this pal of Blaise’s?”

“Dead, O.D.’d. Right on their street, Mary figured he came by to score from Blaise, shot up and dropped.”

Raul said, “Another anonymous addict bites the dust.”

Fisk squirmed in his chair. “Don’t you want to hear about those girls?”

Petra said, “Sure, why not.”

“Actresses,” said Fisk. “Adult genre.”

“Why did Blaise kill them?”

“Because he’s insane.”

Petra scrawled in her pad. “No-name dope guys, no-name porn actresses, no-name tweaker. Quite a list.” She looked up. “Anything else?”

“That’s all I know-heard about.”

“How many years ago did these girls supposedly get killed?”

“Way before I met Mary. Ten, fifteen years, I don’t know.”

“Mary never told anyone.”

“She’s scared of him,” said Fisk. “He used to look at those girls and yank himself. She caught him, out in the garage. Instead of apologizing, he tells her she doesn’t stop bugging his privacy, he’ll hurt her.”

“He threatens his mommy-your intimate friend,” said Petra. “You hang with him anyway?”

“With me, he’s respectful.”

Milo said, “This guy’s brain-dead.”

Petra said, “Must’ve been fun hanging with someone like that.”

“No, ma’am, it wasn’t.”

“Blaise ever talk to you directly about any of these alleged murders?”

“Never,” said Fisk, too quickly. “He bragged about other stuff. Being a big-time music producer.”

Petra said, “Mary knew he’d murdered two girls a long time ago, waits years later to hire you to watch over him? Why would she do that unless she knew about other murders he’d done in the interim?”

Fisk didn’t answer.

“Robert, what else has Blaise De Paine done?”

“Never seen or heard anything. I swear.”

“Okay, let’s talk about Moses Grant.”

“Can I have more juice?”

“First tell us about Grant.”

“The night Blaise killed Lester, Mosey drove, he was waiting on the street, in the car. Blaise had him park it around the corner.”

“The Hummer.”

Nod. “Blaise gets back in, brags to Mosey about what he just did. Mosey thinks Blaise is kidding. Blaise screams at him, I’m serious, asshole. Mosey looks at me like, No way, right? I don’t answer. Mosey’s hands start shaking, he starts driving, goes through a stop sign, we almost crash into another car. Blaise is screaming, Pay attention, asshole. Mosey makes himself calm down but he’s different after that.”

“How so?”

“Watching out the side of his eye, not eating so much, not sleeping great.”

“Despite that, he kept hanging with you and Blaise.”

“He thought Blaise was going to hook him up with Puffy, Dr. Dre, Russell Simmons.”

“Blaise has those kinds of connections?”

“Mosey believed he did.”

“Blaise was stringing Mosey along,” said Petra.

Nod. “So Mosey’d drive and do stuff for Blaise and Blaise didn’t have to pay him. Blaise liked having a big black guy being his slave, Get my shirts from the laundry, dude, buy me this, buy me that, dude. Everyone thought Moses was a bodyguard but he’s soft.”

“You were the muscle.”

“I was looking after Blaise for Mary.”

Milo said, “Did a great job, Bozo.”

Biro said, “Blaise wanted an entourage.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Who were the other members?”

“That’s it.”

“You and Moses.”

Nod.

“Why’d Blaise reduce his entourage by killing Mosey?”

“Mosey kept saying he was cool with it but you could tell he was lying.”

“Blaise figured he might talk about Lester,” said Petra.

“Guy was soft,” said Fisk.

“Why’d Blaise kill Lester?”

“Lester called Blaise, said you guys were looking into the girls, other old stuff Blaise did, Blaise should get out of town. Blaise said fuck that, there’s an easier way.”

I said, “He just admitted knowing Blaise intended to murder Lester.”

Milo’s grin lit up the observation room. “Thank you, Lord, for stupid criminals.”

Petra said, “So that’s Blaise’s pattern. He kills people to keep them quiet.”

“Yes.” Loud and definite.

“What about the girls?”

“That,” said Fisk, “he just hated them. I guess.”

“He never talked about it?”

“No, Mary told me.”

“Okay. Robert, this is good, we appreciate your cooperation. Let’s get back for a sec to Mosey Grant. How and where did he die?”

“Where was this building we were crashing in, used to be a car mechanics or something, then it was a club, then it got empty. How, I didn’t see. Blaise sent me out to buy food, I went to the Grand Central Market-that big place, where the Mexicans sell stuff cheap?” Quick glance at Biro.

Biro said, “You get any of those hand-folded tamales?”

“I bought junk and crap for the two of them, fresh vegetables for me,” said Fisk. “I like those edamame beans. I get back, Mosey’s lying there, Blaise is fooling with his ProTools, doing a mix like nothing happened. I say what’s up, Blaise says he slipped roofies in Moses’ milk. Moses drank a lot of milk, liked butter, cheese, anything dairy. All the high fat, that’s why he looked like that.”

Shaping a convex abdomen and frowning.

Petra said, “How’d Blaise kill Moses?”

“Shot him.”

“With what?”

“This.22 he carries around. He’s got other stuff, but he carries that.”

“What other stuff?”