Catch a Falling Knife

were trying to protect her?”
    “She changes stories as often as she changes clothes,” I said.
    “I got mad at him because he insinuated that I killed Elise. I…wanted to hurt him.”
    “But you didn’t kill Elise.”
    “I loved her like…a sister.”
    “But you also envied her because she was better looking than you and because she was a good singer who didn’t need your song lyrics to be successful and because…well, because you thought that I was attracted to her and not you.”
    “You can’t tell me you weren’t hot for her.”
    “Let me make one thing very clear. There is only one woman in my life and that’s Sandra. I liked you and Elise, but only as my students, nothing more.”
    I looked at Sandra. She listened intently.
    Mark spoke again. “I know more than you think I do. I know that Elise’s dad came into Club Cavalier the night she was killed. I know that he saw Elise dance. I know that he recognized her. He was with her boyfriend, Ted. He took Ted home and then he went somewhere. I bet he went to your apartment. I bet Elise was already there. I bet you were already there.” A pause, then, “I’m right, aren’t I?”
    Mark was doing a high-wire act without a net. During the ensuing silence we held our collective breath. What was going on up there? Did we need to break in on them?
    Finally, Donna said, “I might as well tell you the truth. I picked Elise up from Club Cavalier that night and drove her back to our apartment. On the way she smoked a joint in my car to help her wind down. It always took her a long time to wind down and get to sleep after she danced.”
    “The police didn’t find any pot in your apartment.”
    “I don’t indulge. Somebody gave her the joint—at the Club, I think. Anyway, when we got to the apartment she took off her costume and was kind of wandering around without any clothes on, feeling no pain. She told me about this guy who had put a fifty-dollar bill on the stage. Can you imagine? Fifty dollars to see her boobs? I mean, you’ve seen her boobs. Tell me, are they worth fifty dollars?”
    “Donna, I haven’t seen her boobs.”
    Mark had just dodged a bullet.
    After a beat Donna continued. “Anyway, I kind of dragged her into the bathroom and helped her take her off makeup. Then I got her into bed. She had a nightgown, but I didn’t try to put it on her. She kept talking about this guy and the fifty dollars.”
    During a pause that followed I said, “I had always meant to ask Donna whether Elise usually slept in the nude, but, somehow, I never got around to it.” I hoped to distract Sandra from associating Mark with Elise’s breasts.
    Donna said, “Soon after I got Elise into bed I heard a loud pounding on the door. It made me jump. I went to the door and asked who was there.”
    “Were you still dressed?” Mark asked.
    “Yes, because I had been dealing with Elise. Mr. Hoffman yelled to let him in. I recognized his voice. I told him just a minute and ran back to the bedroom and hid Elise’s dance stuff—her g-string, bra and wig—at the bottom of my underwear drawer and put a sheet over her. Then I let Mr. Hoffman in.
    “He started yelling for Elise and went into the bedroom. He was raving and waving his cane around. There was nothing I could do to stop him. He screamed at her about being the Shooting Star.”
    “What did Elise do?”
    “What could she do? She was helpless. She pulled the sheet up around her neck and stared up at him, not saying anything. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes. Or his eyes. He swung his cane above her. I thought he was going to hit her with that or start punching her. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I went into the kitchen and got the biggest knife we had, with the idea that if he starting hitting her I would protect her.”
    “You didn’t think that he might take the knife away from you?”
    “No, but that’s what he did. He saw me behind him and swung around and knocked it out of my hand with the cane so fast that I didn’t know what was happening. The knife fell between us. He warded me off with the cane and picked it up. Then he ripped the sheet off her. He stabbed her—over and over again. It was awful.”
    We heard what sounded like sobs coming from the speakers. Sandra, Lefty and I looked at each other. Lefty made a move as if to go for the door, but I raised my hand to stop him. I said, “Let’s hear the rest.”
    We heard Mark say, “Why didn’t he kill you?”
    Donna’s choked