Greg Herren - Murder in the Rue Ursulines

Interesting, I thought. I didn’t recall being anything more than polite to her. “I’m finishing a meeting right now, but I’m in the Quarter. I could meet you in, say, about half an hour?”

She let out her breath in a rush. “Oh, thank you, that would be wonderful! How about Café Envie? Do you know where that is?”

“Yes. I’ll see you there in half an hour.” I clicked my phone shut. “Apparently, I’ve made a friend.”

“Was that the assistant?”

“Uh huh.” I scratched my head. “She wants me to meet her. She doesn’t have any friends in town and needs someone to talk to.”

“See? I told you it always pays to be nice to people. Maybe now you’ll listen to me.” Paige signaled our waiter for the check. “You get what you can out of her-and see if you can track down the other people on Glynis’s staff. I’ll handle the stuff I’ve already arranged. I should be back at my place around six. You want to meet up and compare notes?” She handed the waiter her credit card. She smiled at me. “This is my treat. Well, actually the paper’s.” She shoved her notebook back into her bag. “I’ll type up your interview before then-I’ll let you read it before I turn it in, make sure I’ve got it right.” She took the slip from the waiter and signed it. “You’re lucky you’re my friend, you know? No other reporter is going to be so accommodating.”

“Thanks.” She was right. Now that my name was out there, the thought of what was being said about me on the news and on-line was a bit unnerving. “I do appreciate it.”

“Well, I have my own selfish reasons. You’re going to be a great source, and I’m the only one with access-so make sure it stays that way. Any other reporter asks you anything, you’d better say ‘no comment’ or I’ll make you sorry you were born.” She stood up. “And no need for that bitch Coralie to know who my source is. Everyone else covering this story is just going to be recording gossip and trying to get leaks from the police department-which is already happening. I still can’t believe your name was leaked before you even left the building. Venus must be ready to kill someone.” She ran a hand through her already messy hair. “But unlike those other incompetent boobs, I still know how to be an investigative journalist.” She picked up her bag, and gave me a grin. “Talk to you later, okay? And remember-NO COMMENT.”

I walked out with her and gave her a hug before she headed for her car. I took a deep breath and walked around the corner. Café Envie was only about a block from El Gato Negro, on the uptown corner of Barracks and Decatur. It was my favorite place in the Quarter to get coffee. They also served liquor-and somehow managed to evade the city’s new non-smoking ban. As a result, all the caffeine addicts who smoked crowded in there all day long. Café Envie also allowed pets-something unique among the city’s coffee shops. As a result, it was always hard to find a table, as everyone out walking their dogs would stop in for a snack or a cup. The outdoor tables were full as I walked across Decatur, and there were about three people waiting in line when I walked in, one with a dog I knew. I reached down to pet Rambla, the friendly tri-color spaniel who was pretty much the neighborhood mascot, barely remembering to say hi to her owner. I stood back up as the young guy being served took his big mug of coffee and walked over to the condiment bar at the far side of the shop. Nice ass, I thought, shaking my head and feeling like a pedophile. He looked like he was a teenager. He was wearing baggy gray fleece sweatpants, black Converse high tops and a white ribbed tank T-shirt. His hair was trimmed down in a buzz cut, his waist very narrow, and his exposed shoulders bony. He was wiry and lean-one of those kids who had high metabolisms and couldn’t gain weight. He took an empty table in the far corner of the shop. He had a pleasant enough face, with a pierced eyebrow and tattoos on his upper arms. He caught me looking at him, and flashed me a friendly smile.

I smiled back and turned my attention back to the line. He looks familiar, I thought, and then dismissed the thought. Everyone in the Quarter looks familiar. New Orleans is a very small town, no matter what anyone thinks, and you see the same people all the time. I ordered a large regular coffee and walked over to the condiment bar. I added sweetener, half-and-half, and some vanilla powder. I walked outside and grabbed a table that a couple of kids who looked like gutter punks had just vacated. I sat down and sipped my coffee.

I was about halfway through the coffee when Rosemary Shannon came walking up Decatur Street from the direction of Esplanade. She waved at me and smiled. She was wearing a cloth jacket over a University of Kansas sweatshirt and jeans, and a baseball cap that she’d tucked her hair into. She darted across Barracks Street. “Hi,” she said, sitting down breathlessly. “Thanks for meeting me.” She wasn’t wearing make-up, and there were dark smudges under her eyes. She looked an if she hadn’t slept.

“Not a problem. Do you want some coffee?”

She shook her head. “No, I’ve had plenty today. Any more and I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a week.” She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. I was with the police till really late last night, and then I was too upset to sleep. Every time I started to drift off, I had nightmares.” Her eyes got watery again, and she closed them, biting both lips. “I’m still in shock, I guess.”

“It had to be a terrible experience for you.” I said, injecting sympathy into my voice.

“Oh, it was so awful!” Her voice trembled, her eyes widening. “She was just lying there, in a puddle of blood…”her voice trailed off, and a tear slid out of her right eye. She wiped at it. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right.” I reached over and placed a hand on top of one of hers.

“If I’d only known I wouldn’t have left her alone in the house!” she cried out, and her entire body trembled. “I would have never left her, you have to believe me, Chanse!”

“So, do you mind telling me exactly what happened yesterday afternoon?”

She got control of herself again. “Well, she was in quite a state after you left-I mean, she was already in a bad mood-I think you could tell that, couldn’t you?” She sighed. “After I let you out, I went back and insisted again that I hadn’t been on her computer. But she didn’t seem to care. I asked her if she wanted me to call everyone and ask them about it-you know, Darlene and Brett and Charity”-I recognized the names from the list she’d given me- “and she said to forget about it, she didn’t care. She was in a really bad mood-it was more than just a migraine. She told me to fire Darlene and Charity-and replace them.”

“She didn’t want to fire Brett?”

“Oh, no.” She gave me a sly smile. “She’d never fire Brett. Then, she got a call on her cell phone. She sent me out of the room…and then she called me back in about half an hour… She was in a much better mood then. She told me she was expecting someone to come by around five, and she gave me the rest of the day off, told me to go on home, she wouldn’t need me again until morning.” She blew out her breath. “I hadn’t been back to my own place in days, so I was pretty happy about it. I decided to treat myself to dinner at Angeli, and so just before five I left the house.”

“She didn’t tell you who was coming over?” I asked. “Was it the guy she was seeing?”

Rosemary rolled her eyes. “Oh, she told you about that? No, it wasn’t Brett-she wouldn’t have made me leave if it was just him.”

“She was dating her trainer?”

“I wouldn’t call it dating.” Rosemary made a face. “They never went anywhere-he just came over to the house. It wasn’t anything serious, you know. Brett was just for fun.” She leaned across the table and lowered her voice. “I got the impression it was Freddy Bliss who was coming over.” She looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. “I mean, she didn’t say it in so many words, but she kind of hinted at it. It wasn’t the first time she’d sent me out of the house because she wanted privacy.” She gave me a knowing look. “She never did that when Brett was coming by. She didn’t care that I knew about him. I pretty much knew everything that was going on in her life, but these secret visits…there weren’t a lot of them, you know. Just every once in a while-and she always sent me home.”