Erica Spindler - Copy Cat

Her mouth trembled. “I’m sorry, Detective, must I go on?”

M.C. didn’t need her to paint a picture-she had seen the photos. “Can you tell me anything about the days leading up to Rose McGuire’s death? Was there anything special that you remember? Anything different?”

She thought a moment. “We’d had the birthday party for the center just a few days before. I remember so clearly because Miss Rose was dancing. Believe me, some of those oldsters, as I called them, could really cut a rug.”

A birthday party? The back of M.C.’s neck prickled. Julie Entzel and Marianne Vest had also attended birthday parties before they were killed.

“Not like people from your generation,” Wanda Watkins continued, “just standing there and swaying. No offense, of course.”

“No offense taken.” M.C. sneezed twice, then grabbed a tissue. “The party was held at the center?”

“That’s right. Other than Christmas, it was our biggest event of the year.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It was different every year, of course. But there was always some sort of show. Music and dancing. A special meal. Even a champagne fountain. Sparkling grape juice.” She leaned toward M.C. “Even though it was nonalcoholic, some of the residents still got tipsy.”

“That year, what was the entertainment? Do you remember?”

She screwed her face up in thought. “A clown. He was quite good.”

A clown.

Holy shit. Kitt had been right.

M.C. straightened. “Did you share this with the officers investigating at the time?”

“I’m sure I didn’t. It never came up.”

“What was the clown’s name?”

“I don’t recall. It’s been years.”

“Did you use a service?”

She shook her head. “We got a recommendation from someone.” She frowned in thought. “Who was that? The relative of one of the residents. But…I can’t remember who.”

“Has the center used him since?”

“We tried the next year, but the number was no longer in service and we couldn’t find a listing.”

“Could the name still be on file at the center? Or can you think of anyone who might recall his name? It could be important.”

Wanda would have had to be deaf to miss the urgency in M.C.’s voice. She looked stricken. “You don’t think…surely that nice clown-”

M.C. cut her off. “Is there a chance the man’s name is still on file at the center?”

“Probably not. When we couldn’t reach him the next year, I’m sure we took his name out of the Rolodex. Keeping up-to-date records was an obsession of mine.”

“What about a record of payment?” M.C. asked, knowing that most businesses kept their financial records a minimum of seven years, if not indefinitely

She nodded. “I bet there would be. We weren’t allowed to pay anyone cash.”

M.C. stood, excited. This could very well be nothing. But it didn’t feel that way. It felt like a big something.

She thanked Mrs. Watkins and handed her one of her cards. “If you even get a glimmer of a recollection as to this clown’s name, call. No matter the time. On my cell.”

The woman said she would and trailed her to the door. M.C. could tell she had questions, ones she knew better than to ask.

M.C. wouldn’t answer, of course.

She hurried out into the bright day. She had to call Kitt. They had checked the Fun Zone’s employees, but they hadn’t asked the victims’ parents if their children had been entertained by a performer from outside the Fun Zone. They also had to check with the Olsen and Lindz families to find out if they had also been entertained by a clown.

She dialed Kitt; got her message service. “Kitt, it’s M.C. I think we’ve got him. A clown performed at a party at Rose McGuire’s assisted-living community. I’m going to contact the other families, see if they remember a clown. I’ll keep in touch.”

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

1:00 p.m.

Kitt stared at the phone log, at the damning number. Brian had called Joe last night. Kitt checked the time. At 5:20. Just before he had called her.

Her vision blurred. Why? What possible reason could he have had?

He’d been looking for her. It made sense. He’d left her a message, had obviously needed to speak with her so-

She and Joe had been divorced for three years, why would Brian call there, looking for her?

What had Joe said this morning? That he’d discovered that the line between love and hate was thin, indeed.

Dear God, how thin?

She felt ill. All along, M.C. had thought Joe was a good suspect. She hadn’t believed it. She still didn’t. Not Joe. Not the man she had loved almost her whole life.

But if he had lied about the alibi…

What else had he lied about?

She reached her desk. On it sat two calendars. One from 1989, the other from 1990. Both were promotional, from the Society for the Deaf.

There was a note on top from M.C. From the storage facility. Could be something. Call me.

“Hey, Lundgren? You okay?”

She looked up. Detective Allen stood beside her desk, staring quizzically at her.

She worked to regain normalcy, her sense of balance. “Fine. What’s up?”

“Been looking at Brian’s computer. He spent a good bit of time yesterday searching old cases.”

He handed her a printout. “Some of them are cold cases, others were solved.”

Kitt quickly scanned the page. He had pulled up the files of Marguerite Lindz, Rose McGuire and Janet Olsen. In all of those, she knew, he had been one of the investigating officers. The other cases she didn’t recognize.

She handed the list back. “With the exception of these three, could you look up who the investigating officers were on the cases? I’m going to question some of the folks Brian called yesterday. I’ll have my cell phone if you need anything.”

A partial truth, she thought as she exited the VCB. She intended to speak with Joe-and see where that led her.

Her cell phone buzzed and from the display she saw it was M.C. She started to pick up, then hesitated. She couldn’t tell her about Valerie recanting Joe’s alibi. Not just yet.

She needed to speak with Joe first.

She reholstered the device and hurried down the elevator to the parking garage.

As she exited the elevator, the phone rang again. This time it was Danny.

She hadn’t spoken to her friend since the night she rebuffed his advances.

“Hi, Danny,” she said.

“I was hoping we could talk about the other night.”

“This isn’t a good time.”

He was quiet a moment. “When would be a good time?”

She frowned. “Truthfully, I don’t know. This investigation is really heating up.”

“How about after group?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be there, it depends on the-”

“Investigation.”

The word dripped sarcasm and irritation rippled over her. “It’s my job. And sometimes, me staying on the job is the difference between life and death.”

“Right, how could I have forgotten?”

“Look, I’m sorry about the other night. We’re friends and I value that too much to get romantically involved with you.”

She expected him to apologize. For getting pushy. For putting her in a position that jeopardized their friendship. Instead, when he spoke, he sounded angry. “I know you, Kitt. I know what drives you-and what drives you to drink. You need us. You need me.”

Something about the way he said it raised her hackles. “I’ve got to go. I’ll be back to group as soon as I can.”

She hung up and went in search of Joe.

Kitt tracked him down with Flo’s help, at one of his building sites.

“Hi,” he said, breaking into a smile. He moved to kiss her and she backed away.