that coming at him, why wouldn’t he die of a heart attack?”
“Let Ben see that,” Nat said. “He’s already seen Billy Baker’s body.”
Ben took the picture and frowned. “There’s a lot more exposed flesh here.”
“Billy’s catching up. Each time Blades checks on him, more skin is gone.”
“Should that be happening if he’s dead?” Willow asked. “Wouldn’t it stop?”
“I think it should. But there’s nothing expected about this case.” He looked up at her. “Including you, and then one of your employees, being present at the sites of the murders.”
She felt Ben shift and gave him a short shake of the head. “When I last saw Billy, he was fine. Chris didn’t have anything to do with Surry Green’s death. He was out having dinner when all the hullabaloo started.”
“How do you know that?”
Her chest felt tight. She shouldn’t have to defend herself, but she knew that’s what she was here for. “I talked to Chris on the phone. He told me the police tapes were up around the dance hall when he got back from eating.”
Ben sat down beside her.
It took Willow an instant to close him out. He had taken her by surprise.
“Where were you last night?” Nat asked.
“Working,” she said, getting annoyed. “And being interviewed for a new job.”
“At Val and Chloe Brandt’s place?”
“You already know the answers, so why ask the questions?”
Nat took several Tootsie Rolls from a blue bowl on his desk and gave them to Willow. “Put those in your pocket for Marley. She loves them.”
On autopilot, Willow did as he asked.
“The questions are routine,” Nat said.
“You ask me, then you ask someone else to see if our answers match. Isn’t that the way it goes?”
“Uh-huh. It was Val Brandt who called in here about you last night. Evidently there was some sort of minitornado that hit his backyard while you were there. Afterward he couldn’t find you. He was really concerned.”
“I’d decided to go home,” she said, not looking at Ben. “The party had been winding down anyway—before the wind came. I didn’t think they needed any added distractions, so I left. I felt in the way. I’ll call Mr. Brandt and apologize for worrying him.”
“Reports were that what seemed like a tornado set down in those grounds,” Nat said. “People were tossed around. Even the water came out of the pool. But you didn’t have any difficulty walking away?”
She’d like to shake Ben for his juvenile trick. “No, I didn’t. It was a breeze.”
“Interesting choice of words,” Nat said. “When you talked to Chris, did he tell you his plans?”
Willow thought about it. Mario wriggled free and actually went to Ben to be picked up. Mission accomplished, he sat on Ben’s knees, staring into his face.
“Chris hadn’t finished watering all the plants in Surry’s apartment,” Willow said. “He planned to go home after he could get back in there and finish, I think. Chris has been with me a couple of years now. He’s good at what he does, conscientious, and I trust him.”
Nat didn’t comment.
“You know we look after Gray’s dad’s place—Gus Fisher? Gus thinks the world of Chris. They play cribbage when Gus can trick Chris into it. And Chris has taken Gus to buy coins for his collection. Chris would do anything for him.”
“I’m glad Gus thinks so highly of him. Does Chris live alone?”
“What are you getting at?” Ben said. “Why not get to the point?”
Nat narrowed his eyes. “I am getting to the point, Fortune. How are things at that club of yours? I thought you’d decided you didn’t want to be hands-on with it anymore.”
“The club’s great,” Ben said tonelessly. “All of our holdings are fine.”
“Nat?” Willow said.
Nat took his time looking away from Ben. “Does Chris share his apartment with anyone?”
“No.”
“And he lives—” Nat hit a couple of buttons on his keyboard and read the screen “—just around the corner from your business.”
“That’s right.” She wasn’t surprised he knew her work address. “He’s close to our office. It’s convenient for him and me.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
Willow’s mouth was completely dry. She cleared her throat. “I think he dates casually sometimes. There’s no one serious as far as I know.”
“Who does he pay his rent to?”
“The same agency that rents me my office,” Willow said. She felt sick. “Let me give him a call and ask him to come in here.”
“We already tried that,” Nat said. “And we’ve been to his apartment. He’s not there.”
Willow punched in Chris’s number and listened to silence then, “The number you dialed is no longer in service.” She frowned and tried again. “The number you dialed is—”
Willow hung up. “He always answers. Chris’s cell phone is attached to his body all the time.”
“What do you know about him? Where does he come from? Family? Former employers?”
“I can check his employment application, but I know there’s not much there. Nothing about his family. Look, let’s go over to his place and see him. He probably doesn’t even know his phone’s not working.”
“I told you he’s not there. Have you ever had him go missing before?”
“No.” A bubble of hysteria rose in Willow’s throat.
“Give us some time to follow this up,” Ben said. “You’ve blindsided Willow.”
“Give
“Shut up, Nat,” Willow said. She didn’t care how awful it sounded, she wasn’t going to let him talk to Ben like that. “You knew before I got here that I wouldn’t have the information you need, so why did you let me come like this?”
“To put you on the defensive,” Ben said. “So he could see how you reacted.”
Nat ignored him. “Chris Parker came out of Surry Green’s place and sat in a Mean ’n Green van to watch,” he said. “A passerby saw him and reported it to our people.
“What totally throws us is that we think he went back inside after everything was sealed off.”
“He broke in?” Willow asked, confused. “Who told you that? The same person who saw Chris in the van?”
“I don’t have to give you any more details,” Nat said. “I was hoping you’d want to cooperate. We went through some heavy stuff in this town, and a member of your family was involved. Could be there’s a connection to this case. If you decide you want to help, let me know. I’m not going anywhere.”
Willow stood up and so did Ben.
“Did Chris Parker know Billy Baker?” Nat asked. “Did he have any reason to go to his shop?”
“To pick up baked goods sometimes,” Willow said faintly. She looked at her watch. “Chris could be at the office already. The phones don’t get switched over from the service for another fifteen minutes or so.”
“You might want to look for a new hire,” Nat said. “If Chris is still in New Orleans, we can’t find him. But we’re pretty sure he isn’t here. We think he’s on the run.”
Chapter 11
Why didn’t she cry? Just break down and do what she felt like doing? Ben had grown up with a sister, and female tears didn’t bother him. You could comfort a woman in tears; Willow’s rigid face all but warned him to back off.
