“My shoulder really hurts you know.” She pouted at that.
“Sorry,” I said. “But you tried to bludgeon me to death with that pipe.”
“Yeah I suppose.”
She pulled on her smoke and blew smoke up at the ceiling again. Her lower jaw thrust out to do it. It wasn’t becoming of her. It made the ache in my lower belly soften. I was grateful for that. I could concentrate on business again.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m not really a detective. But my name’s really Anthony okay?”
She nodded. She was still looking at me out of an evil eye.
“I’m investigating the murder of Max,” I said.
She shrugged her shoulders and raised her palms to the ceiling.
“Max who? I don’t know a Max.”
“I think you do,” I said. “That’s what I’ve been told. You work at Angels from Heaven right?”
“What I do is none of your business okay. I make good money and I take care of this nice apartment. So what’s it to you what I do?”
That temper of hers was like a volcano that sputtered arbitrarily. I was glad to have the pipe by my chair.
“Listen hun, I don’t care how you make your living. I’m not your daddy or your lover, so it really doesn’t make a difference to me one way or the other. What I’m trying to do and what you can help me to do is solve a murder. Now, depending on how helpful you are is how helpful I can be with the cops. Because as sure as God made little green apples they’re gonna want to come and talk to you.”
My cigarette was growing a Pinocchio nose of ash. There’d been enough lying today so I tapped the ash off and took a suck on it. I blew smoke rings at her and managed to blow a stream of smoke through them. I’m practiced. Used to be a circus act. She looked at me and rolled her eyes. Not sure if it was my cigarette acrobatics that she was unimpressed with or my little dialogue.
“Whatever, you’re not a cop and you’re not gonna be able to help me with anything. I’m gonna call a lawyer.”
She didn’t get up, I think she just thought that’d shut me up. But she was right, I wasn’t a cop and lawyering up wasn’t going to impress me.
“You’re right. I’m such a schmuck, how could I not have offered you a telephone call to your lawyer. Listen hun, don’t play cute with me. We’ve already danced toe to toe and I don’t think you liked my moves. So if you want, what I can do is call my friend here Captain Roberts. The guy I told you about before and tell him how I’ve collared the murderer of Max Ernst if he wouldn’t mind coming by and picking you up.”
I pulled out my phone and flipped it open.
“Hang on now,” she said. “You never told me his name was Max Ernst. Just give me a minute.”
She huffed and puffed but she couldn’t blow her house of cards down. I closed my cell phone.
“Yeah, I had told you his name was Max. Twice I told you that.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t give me his last name.” Point taken.
She sighed and I took a drag on my cigarette. She wanted a minute and the generous guy that I am I’d give her a few. I had time like I had change in my pocket. Lots.
“Okay, but I know a lot of guys okay. I see a lot of guys.”
I nodded. I was looking at her. He hair was short and reminded me of a pixie. Her whole face was attractive, not just the half I’d seen in the open crack from the door. She was sitting with her legs up under her, her knees pointing at me. Her gown was open still and hanging carelessly. Looked like it wanted to fall off her shoulders. I was encouraging it. Her breasts were full and round and firm. Possibly from the other silicon valley. I was seeing a lot of that lately. But it wasn’t a hardship. I could see a lot of her pale thighs. Smooth as the babydoll she was wearing. She saw me looking. I wasn’t as discreet as I thought I was. She grabbed the right half of her lower gown and dragged it over her legs. They disappeared under a hill of Van Gogh blue. So I looked at her eyes. She couldn’t be older than her early twenties. I felt my age. I felt tired and worn out. But then I got a second wind. I was still in fighting shape for an older guy.
“I remember Max now. So what do you want to know about him?”
There you go. There was an older guy than me even, and he was still virile. Hope springs eternal. I smiled at myself.
“Well I want to know how you knew him. Like I said earlier. You work for Angels from Heaven right?”
She took a last drag of her cigarette and squashed it out like it was an annoying bug. She ground it into the ashtray with meaning. She picked up her coffee and sipped at it. I did the same.
“Yeah I work at Angels. So what?”
The coffee was really good.
“Listen, like I said before hun, I don’t care how you make your living so long as people aren’t getting hurt. You want to offer relief and pleasure to men, that’s not for me to judge, let’s just chit chat like we were old friends catching up.”
More coffee sipped. Me too. I was drinking a lot of coffee today but this cup was especially good.
“Alright. Yeah I knew Max, he came to see me regularly. But you said he’s dead?”
“Yeah he is. I’ve just gotta say this coffee is great.”
“Organic dark roast. Just ground yesterday. So how did Max die?”
“I can’t tell you that until I’ve figured out whether you killed him or not.”
“If I’d killed him, we wouldn’t be having this cordial conversation and I certainly wouldn’t have let you in here without a warrant whether you were a cop or just pretending.”
Another point taken. This young whippersnapper was gaining points on me. But we were getting along finally.
“Listen hun, how old are you?”
“Twenty three. You interested?” Always the business woman.
“If I was younger and you hadn’t gotten around so much then maybe.”
She didn’t like that. She glared at me, but I wasn’t a shrinking violet. I let her have her fill.
“Listen Leaf. You’re an attractive woman and you probably know it. No point in glaring at me like that. You’re not hurting my feelings. And besides, I never meant it as an insult. Thing is. I’ve never had to pay for it before and that’s the way I’d like it to stay.”
“Well, if you were nicer to me, and being a good looking strong man, I could give you the ride of your life on the house.”
“Tempting,” I said. But my interest had waned by now. “I came to talk business. The murder business.”
We took a timeout to drink our coffees. I was going to have to use her bathroom if she’d let me.
“Okay. Let me lob you an easy one for practice. Where were you on Saturday late afternoon early evening?”
“Well let’s see. I slept in till noon, because I’d had a late night as I’m sure you can imagine.”
I nodded. I imagined most of her weekend nights were busy.
“And then I got up and was probably at the gym for around two pm. I work out at Ladies Express on Santa Monica Boulevard. And if you had a warrant they could verify that. Seeing as you don’t you’ll just have to go on my word.”
“Or, I could get the LAPD to get a warrant and make your life hell if you want to play games with me.”
She sighed again. “Okay, listen, I’m telling you the truth. I was at the gym until around three thirty maybe four o’clock. I don’t remember for sure because I didn’t think it was gonna come up okay?”
“Okay I believe you. What about the rest of your day?”
I took the last drag on my cigarette and squashed it out on top of hers. Just for fun. She didn’t notice.
“After that I went shopping for an hour or two. I bought some stuff, though I don’t have the receipts but I’m sure my bank statement will have it when I get it. I also had dinner with a friend for six p.m. We ate at IHOP on West Sunset Boulevard. My friend Mandy paid and you can check with her if you want.”
“What did you have to eat?”
“I had the Vegetarian Black Bean Chil
i and Mandy had the Shrimp Caesar Salad. I was outta there by seven because I had an eight thirty at the Super 8 on Kings Road and I needed to get ready.”
Leaf shifted positions tucking her legs under her the other way. Now her knees were pointing away from me. But she’d given me a look at her smooth calves and her feet. I like feet, not that I have a fetish, but I figure the bone structure of a foot or a hand for that matter, tell a lot about overall bone structure finesse. She had slender feet, shapely with nicely formed toes. Her toenails were painted blood red with a white flourish of some sort on the big toenails. I liked the attention to detail. I bet she brought that kind of attention to detail to her work. Would make her good. Would make anyone good at what they did.
“This appointment you had at eight thirty. Is he a regular?”
“Yes. Most of my clients are regulars. Like I say to them. Once the Leaf makes you Shiver, you know I’ll always deliver. Corny, but they love it and they know exactly what I mean.”
“I bet they do.”
“So did you pay for the room?” I knew the answer to this but I needed to take the long way home. She rolled her eyes at me. It was getting cute.
“No. I may be easy Anthony but I’m not free. I’m expensive. That’s how I afford this nice place. My clients pay for all of that.”
“Sure, I understand. What I’m really trying to get at is what is the name of this fella that you were with so that we can verify your appointment.”
She smirked at me and then licked her lips. Because they were dry, not because she was still trying to give me the freebie.
“You’re funny Anthony. First of all, most of my clients are married men. Older. Older than you.” Thank God for that. At least someone thought I wasn’t that old. “And I’m pretty sure a lot of them use fake names. The only one who knows who their real names are is Miranda. My employer if you will. And the only reason for that is so that we can charge their accounts correctly, and for our safety. Angels from Heaven prides itself on discretion and the safety of both clients and employees.”
For a minute there I thought I was listening to a commercial.
“So I just can’t give you that information. It would ruin my reputation and I’d never work in the industry again.”
“So what’s wrong with finding honest work?”
“Nothing wrong with it Anthony, it’s just not my thing. And with my skills, I couldn’t find work that would pay the kind of money I make now. Not unless I went and became a lawyer or something. And then maybe you’re just whoring yourself out in a different way.”
“You’re wise beyond your years Leaf. You have a point there. So you’re saying that I’m gonna have to take your word that you were, um, working on Saturday night?”
She nodded and sipped on her coffee.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Would you like some more coffee?”
I wasn’t finished but I was polite, so I said yes please. She took my mug from me and went back to the kitchen. I looked around her living room. Some nice modern art on the wall. Prints, but still, it was well chosen. She had good taste. I recognized one as a Kandinsky ‘Watercolor (Number 13)’ I think it is. Good choice. The other next to it was by someone I didn’t know, though matching the Kandinsky in style. On the opposite wall was a large screen plasma TV. Maybe LCD, I don’t know. Next to it were a couple of watercolors. She had a small four-seat dining room table, a rack of CD’s and a larger coffee table at her end of the sofa. A lamp and a telephone and an eight by ten framed generic black and white photograph of a nicely muscled lean black man. Naked but tasteful. You couldn’t see the bits and pieces. Thankfully. There was also a pad of paper with some sort of designs on it and a holder of assorted pens. No photographs of family.
She came back in and handed me the mug. It was full and creamy. I tasted it. She’d gotten it right with the cream and sugar. Thanks, I said.
“How did you get this mug?” I asked.
“It’s my father’s engineering firm,” she said.
I nodded, didn’t sound like she wanted to explore that further.
“I like your Kandinsky up there.”
“Thanks, he’s one of my favs. I wanted to go to art school, but my father wouldn’t allow that, so I decided not to go at all and so now we’re not speaking. Not that we spoke much before. Basically he’s cut me off. But I don’t want to talk about that and that’s not why you came here.”
But it explains a lot.
“I went to art school way back. About twenty five years ago actually.”
“Where?”
“California College of Arts. But back in my day it was called CCAC. It had the word Crafts on the end.”
“Yeah that was one of my top schools I wanted to apply for.”
“Well, you’re making good money. Save up and pay your own way. Listen, I’m having a show of some of my recent work at the Triangle Gallery on the thirtieth. Try and come by. Sometimes the Chair of painting is able to make it and I can introduce you if she does.”
She looked down and a shadow of sadness, fear or something passed over her face.
“Thanks,” is all she said. I lit another cigarette. She must’ve thought I was onto something. She did the same.
“Tell me about Max. When was the last time you had an appointment with him?”
She looked up again. Inhaled and then exhaled. The smoke came my way but didn’t quite reach me.
“Geez, I dunno. Probably about two maybe three months ago. The thing with Max is that he’d get bored with people I think. Well, women anyway, especially if he just saw you as a sex object. He started seeing this other girl who worked with Angels. Her name is Ruby. I know her quite well. Thing is, I had a good long run with Max. Longer than most. He must have seen me regularly for about a year or so.”
“Did he have any peculiar or unusual issues or tastes? Did he like having two for instance?”
“Maybe, but not with me. I’m not into that kind of stuff. But it’s pretty common. Most guys will ask for it after awhile once they get to know you. I just turn them down. But Max never asked about that. And I don’t think he was seeing other girls from Angels. I think he had enough on his plate with the other women he was dating that he didn’t have to pay for directly. But he did like me to get rough with him. S and M stuff. He liked me to dress up in leather and whip him and bite him and claw him. He liked me to bite him, you know, on his penis and stuff. It was quite weird but he always paid well and tipped good too.”
“Did you ever draw blood?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. You don’t understand. It was more the threat, the power reversal that got him off. Often men like him are into being dominated because in real life they’re the ones who hold all the power. For some reason he wanted to give that up during our sessions. So I’d spank him and bite him and claw at him and call him useless and other things like that. There’d be a little bit of pain but nothing that would interfere with the pleasure part if you can understand. It was like acting. At the end of it all we’d go back to normal.”
“Nope, can’t say I understand. Just sounds pretty weird to me. I guess it’s like a fetish or something. Maybe the way some men like big boobs or stuff like that.”
“Kinda like that but a little different.”
Yeah, well maybe I was square. That was all right with me. Some things I liked to stay a little traditional.
“So you said at the end things would go back to normal. Did he ever discuss personal things with you? Anything about his home life or his other women? Anything at all that might help me understand who could’ve killed him.”
“Of course. We were together for about a year. He told me lots of things. He felt safe with me. In many ways I think he saw me as a secret confidant. Many of my clients do. You’d be amazed at the amount of dirt they’re willing to share with us.”
Somehow I didn’t think I’d be all that amazed. I think I was beginning to get it. A soft place to land. Where you could unload after a day
or week without repercussion, without judgment maybe. Still seemed offside to me. Especially these married men screwing around on their wives. Mind you, this whole family was messed up. Get off that high horse Anthony.
“Did he ever speak to you about Maria?’
She nodded, sipped coffee and smoked her cigarette.
“Yeah, the maid right?” I bobbed my head up and down. “Yeah, last I heard he was going to stop screwing her. He was tired of her temper and emotional volatility all the time. She didn’t seem to understand that she was just one of a few. She kept wanting to make it more serious. From what he told me, he was quite frank to her about it. To all of them really. Well except for one.”
“Who’s that?”
“His secretary Sue Lynn or something I think her name is.”
“Sulan,” I interjected.
“Yeah I think that sounds right. Seemed to me that his heart was warming to her. There was something about the things he said and the tone in which he said them that he cared for her. On a deeper level.”
“So you said Maria was pretty hot tempered and he was going to break it up with her? That sounds like some good motive to me?”
She shook her head and blew smoke out of the side of her mouth.
“I wouldn’t be too quick to jump on that right away.”
“Well why not?”
I was blowing smoke rings at her. Trying to dazzle her with my skills. One after the other. Just trying to find that perfect one. I was tallying up a score in my head. Maria seemed to be earning points quicker than the rest.
“Well, Maria might have been hot tempered and all but there’s more here than meets the eye. See the thing with hired help, is that they don’t often have the power or resources to make good on threats. Like children I suppose. They’ll stomp their feet and rant and rave, but I think you have to have a sense of confidence or something to kill someone in a higher class than you. At least that’s just my musings, from what I’ve gathered about what Max told me about her.”
I tapped ash into the ashtray. It was becoming a gray sea with two capsized boats.
“You’re not telling me everything are you?”
Anthony Carrick Hardboiled Murder Mysteries: Box Set (Books 1 - 3) Page 24