LITMIR.BIZ

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bird gets the worm, and all that,” Bud said. He grinned. The Affable Male Detective.

      Miki let down her guard enough to smile. “Doctor Black doesn’t seem to require as much sleep as other people do. I can’t imagine how he gets by on so little.”

      Curious as to why Black had so much trouble sleeping, I probed a bit. “He’s certainly well known for analyzing movie stars. Does he have other interests that take up his time?”

      Miki immediately warmed to the subject of her employer’s shining accomplishments. “He just finished his latest book. His publishers predict another best-seller.” She beamed, proud as a little poodly peacock.

      “Another best-seller?”

      “Nick’s written four self-help books that have hit #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.”

      I did remember reading something about him writing books, and Bud sat up straight and grinned. “Maybe he’ll put me and Claire in his next book.”

      Bud was so charming now that he ought to invest in a king cobra and a flute. But his remark wormed another smile out of somber Miki. “He just might. He likes to observe the people around him. He is a psychiatrist, after all.”

      “I’d like to meet him at the airport. Could you arrange that, Ms. Tudor?”

      “He’ll land at the hotel’s private airstrip outside Camdenton and then come out here on the helicopter. Nick built a helipad out at the point.”

      “Just like the prez heading home from Camp David, huh?” said Bud.

      A third smile was not in the cards. Put the cobra back in the basket. Stomp on the flute. In fact, Miki ignored him and concentrated on me. “Our VIP guests hate paparazzi. That’s the main reason they choose Cedar Bend for their R & R. We provide private flights and complete confidentiality about their stay here.”

      I replied, “That privacy isn’t going to last long when the press gets hold of this murder. It’s only a matter of time until they find out what happened to Ms. Border.”

      “We’re quite aware of that, Detective Morgan.” All huffy and stiff-necked. “I’m getting ready to put together some kind of statement, but I want Nick to approve it before I talk to the press.”

      “You can’t release information until we notify Ms. Border’s family. Do you have information on the next of kin?”

      “Oh, Nick’s already taken care of that. He felt he owed it to Sylvie’s family since it happened here.”

      That took me by surprise. “He’s already spoken to the family?”

      “Yes, I guess he has by now. He said he was going to call them.”

      “Then he’s a personal friend of her family?”

      “I don’t know the answer to that question.”

      “We’ll have to get their names and personal information. We’ll need to interview them.”

      “I don’t have access to information about Doctor Black’s patients. You’ll need to discuss that with Doctor Black himself.”

      I changed my tack. “As far as you know, Ms. Tudor, was Sylvie involved in any kind of trouble, here or elsewhere?”

      “If she was, she didn’t confide anything to me. But she wouldn’t. As I said, we weren’t that close. I very much enjoyed her company, however. I suppose I was a little in awe of her. She was very big at NBC.”

      “Was she dating anyone special?”

      “She mentioned Gil Serna a couple of times,” Miki admitted. Reluctant. Feeling like a traitor. “She did intimate once that they hadn’t been getting along lately. But she really liked him. I could tell by the way she acted when she talked about him.”

      “How do you mean?”

      “He called once when I was at her bungalow. We’d just gotten back from a run. She seemed really glad to hear from him. She was smiling, you know, real happy like, genuine pleasure, at least it seemed that way to me.”

      “Has he ever flown out here to see her?”

      “Oh, no. And we definitely would’ve known if he had. She’s only been here for a couple of weeks this time.”

      “This time?”

      Miki stiffened as if she’d let a secret slip but recovered quickly. “She visits us two or three times a year, usually. She absolutely thinks the world of Nick.”

      “As far as you know, Ms. Tudor, are they more than just friends?”

      Miki glanced away from me. Not good. Lying? “Not that I know of, but I certainly don’t presume to keep tabs on Nick’s private life.”

      “What about you?”

      Miki was bewildered. “What about me?”

      “Have you ever been romantically involved with Doctor Black?” Blunt inquiries sometimes shake people’s confidence.

      “Absolutely not. Never.” Unequivocal. Firm. Offended. I believed her.

      “That’s right,” Bud said. “You’re married, aren’t you?”

      “If you must know, I’m in the middle of a divorce. But I’m not involved with Nick, and he’s not the reason for my marital problems. I work for him. I respect and admire him more than anyone I’ve ever known, but that’s as far as it goes. Ask anyone on the staff here, if you don’t believe me. They can tell you our relationship is strictly professional and always has been.”

      “We have no reason to believe otherwise, Ms. Tudor. We’re just asking the questions we have to ask. We’re not trying to insult you or make you uncomfortable in any way.”

      “Of course,” said Miki, her words as frosty as Christmas in Stockholm. “Now if you want to review our surveillance tapes, I can arrange that. But I’ve really spared you all the time I can.”

      6

      “Whaddaya know. Look who visited our lady right before she ended up in the drink.” Bud punched a button, and the sleek black Porsche froze in the act of turning into Sylvie Border’s private drive. I stood with him in front of a wall of television screens in the security office of Cedar Bend Lodge. The tape clearly revealed Nicholas Black behind the wheel of the Porsche. Bud had paused the tape at the point when Black checked out the camera. The digital timer read 9:37 P.M.

      “Muggin’ for the camera. How considerate of the Doc. This places him at the scene the night of the murder,” said Bud, nodding. “Okay, he showed up there around 9:30, and I’ll bet a Double Whopper with cheese, Buckeye’ll tell us Black was with her within the window of opportunity. Question number two—how long before Black pulls out in his fancy car?”

      I said nothing as the motion-activated tape kicked on again. Black’s Porsche appeared driving up from the bungalow, but the driver didn’t face the camera this time. In fact, the face was averted when the car hit the main road and accelerated toward the lodge. Other cameras along the way picked up the car until it sped through the stone entrance gate and out of sight.

      “He left at 12:30 A.M. That’s a pretty long time to visit a patient at night, don’t you think, Claire? Especially when they’re not romantically involved.”

      I leaned against the desk, staring at the cameras and frowning. I thought about it. “Rewind it, Bud. Let’s see if anybody else’s in the car with him.”

      Bud walked around the console and worked a couple of buttons. The tape reversed, and the car rolled into view again, but it was too dark to see anyone in the passenger’s seat. “He’s got a cap on now.” Bud pointed to the screen. “He wasn’t wearin’ one when he drove in.”

      “If it’s him

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