“But why didn’t you tell me about this?” One decibel louder and I would have shattered her eardrum. “It’s important information! It could have helped me in my investigation, given me a better grasp of the situation. Why the hell did you keep me in the dark?”
“It was necessary,” Sabrina said. “I had to protect O’Connor so he would continue protecting me.” She took a deep breath and went on. “When I first started the agency, he was in Vice, not Homicide. And he had informers all over his precinct- especially in the posh restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels where my wealthiest clients liked to meet with my girls. Within weeks of my going into business, O’Connor was tipped off that there was a ritzy new escort service in town.
“Next thing I knew he showed up at my door, flashed his badge in Charlotte ’s face, muscled his way into my apartment, and demanded to speak with me. Shaking in terror, Charlotte showed him to my study, where he proceeded to stomp around in all his ugly, pudgy, red-faced glory, threatening to have me, Charlotte, and all of my girls arrested, and to close down my agency for good. There would be a huge scandal, he promised, and we’d all be sent to prison… Unless, he was quick to add, I chose to play the game his way.”
“And what way was that?” I had a pretty good idea how the game was played, but I wanted to hear the rules.
“It was a simple trade agreement,” she said. “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. He said he would protect me and my girls and my agency from the authorities if I gave him free, unlimited access to the merchandise-all of the merchandise-whenever and wherever he wanted it. He was a very virile man, he said. He needed a lot of sex and a lot of variety, and if I would take care of his needs, he would take care of mine.”
“So you shook hands and became friends.”
“There was nothing friendly about it,” she grumbled. “I totally despise the man, and he thinks I’m a pompous bitch. We’ve each kept up our end of the bargain, though, and we’ve both benefited from it.”
“But what about Virginia?” I wailed, squirming in outrage. “O’Connor must have seen her murdered body! He had to know that she was Melody! And he couldn’t possibly conduct an honest and thorough investigation without disclosing his relations with the victim-and his deal with you.”
“Precisely,” Sabrina said. “O’Connor was in the hot seat. He couldn’t break the case without breaking himself. So he took- as you would expect-the corrupt way out. He kept everything he knew about Melody under wraps and launched a phony, totally superficial investigation into the death of Virginia Pratt. He even kept her picture out of the paper, so nobody would recognize her and put the two names together. On the one hand, this worked in my favor. It saved me and my girls from exposure and prosecution. On the other hand, it meant Melody’s murder would probably never be solved.”
“And this was acceptable to you?” I felt sick to my stomach again. So sad and angry that I wanted to scream.
“Of course not!” Sabrina said. “I called you, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but you didn’t give me the dirty details. You didn’t tell me you were in collusion with-”
“Whatever you may think of me,” Sabrina cut in, “I was- and still am-horrified and disgusted by the whole situation. I hate O’Connor for who he is, and I hate myself for collaborating with him. Believe me, Paige, if I could have found any other way to save my business and secure my girls, I would have taken that route. But there really was no other way. And now I’m stuck-in bed, so to speak-with O’Connor, and I have to keep our connection secret.”
“Meanwhile, Melody’s murderer goes free,” I said in my most cynical and disapproving tone.
“But it won’t be for long!” Sabrina protested. “With you on the case, who needs O’Connor? We’re getting really close now, Paige. With my leads and your legwork, we’re going to nail the bastard soon.”
“Not if Dan has anything to say about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Dan’s on the case now, too,” I said. “I’m not sure how it happened, or how much he knows, but I’m certain he’s participating in the investigation. He’s aware that I’ve been conducting a search for Virginia ’s killer, and he’s very upset about it. He thinks the murder is related to the mob war that’s going on in the city, and that I’m in danger because of it. He ordered me to stay home and keep my doors locked.”
Sabrina was quiet for a second or two, then asked, “Has Dan discovered that Virginia was a call girl?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say anything about that.”
“Did he mention me or my agency?”
“No, he didn’t. But if he hasn’t found out about you yet, he will soon.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the next time I see him, I’m going to tell him myself.”
Chapter 32
IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO CONVINCE SABRINA that telling Dan the whole truth was the right (actually, the only) way to go. Understandably, she didn’t want to cause harm to her girls, or lose her entire income, or be sent to jail, or be unable to continue her support of Charlotte and of Melody’s retarded twin brother. After I explained the seriousness of the situation more thoroughly, though, and promised to speak to Dan and the other authorities on her behalf, she started to come around. And then-when it finally sank in that the Mafia really could be involved in Melody’s murder and that my life, as well as Dan’s, might really be at risk-she gave in.
“I’ve been such a fool,” she said, choking back tears. “I thought I could see to it that Melody’s killer was brought to justice without sacrificing myself or anybody else. I should have known that would be impossible. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this, Paige.”
“You didn’t drag me anywhere,” I sadly admitted. “I jumped in with both feet and started running around like a beheaded chicken. I just wish we’d had enough sense to tell Dan the truth from the start. He probably would have caught the murderer by now… and I would still have a job.” Not to mention a boyfriend, I whimpered to myself.
“It’s all my fault,” Sabrina said. “I should have let you bring Dan into the case that very first day. He would have conducted an honest investigation. I should have given you permission to write the story, too. At least I would have known that the coverage would be fair.”
When I heard the word story, I perked up considerably. “It’s not too late, you know. I can still write the story, whether I’m working for Daring Detective or not. Once the scandal breaks, every newspaper and magazine in the city-maybe even the whole country-will fight for the rights to an exclusive inside report.”
“Then I want you to write it, Paige. I trust you, and I know you’ll treat me and my girls-especially Melody-with respect.”
“You can count on it,” I promised, feeling a heady resurgence of journalistic energy and purpose. “And you can bet I’ll treat O’Connor, Corona, Hogarth, and Harrington with respect as well-all the respect they deserve.” My voice was oozing with sarcasm.
“Don’t be too hard on Harrington, Paige. I’ve known him a long time, and he’s been very good to me and my girls. I don’t believe he’s the murderer. I put his name on the list only because he was a regular client of Melody’s and called for a date the night she was killed.”
“Reason enough, if you ask me. And you’d be amazed at how often the most innocent-looking suspects commit the most atrocious crimes. It would be a mistake for either one of us to jump to conclusions about Harrington.”
“I guess you’re right,” she said, sighing heavily. “Please be careful, Paige. These are very powerful men. And it’s possible they all have connections to organized crime. And since Hogarth and Harrington both know who you are, and what you do for a living, you could already be at the top of some savage Mafioso’s hit list.”