Louisiana Lament

them.”
    “She was estranged from them?”
    “I guess so. Partially, anyway.”
    “Okay. What’s their name—Babalu’s maiden name?” Jason was easy to read—or else he was such a practiced actor he made you believe what he wanted you to. He looked utterly amazed. “Patterson.” He set down his coffee cup on her desk. “I swear to God, I didn’t even know till after her death. I had to get her best friend to tell me.”
    She raised her eyebrows. This was getting ridiculous.
    “Where were you planning to get married? The bride’s home town?”
    “She wouldn’t discuss it.” His voice was clipped, his eyes vacant.
    Talba put down her pen. “Okay, she was mysterious. But when you get right down to it, who’d want to kill her? Any ideas?”
    He shook his head.
    “Well, I’ve got one,” she said. “How about your girlfriend?”
    “Valerie? Are you kidding? She was just having a fling.”
    “Is that what you were doing?”
    “Sure.”
    Talba pursed her lips. How like a man to assume that, because he had no investment in a relationship, the woman didn’t either. “Well, how well do you know
her
? Maybe she’s nuts.”
    He leaned back in his chair, putting his right foot on his left knee. “Okay, maybe I deserved that. I don’t know, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to know Babalu, it was just that…”
    That mostly you wanted to have sex with her.
She said, “Mind if I ask what you two talked about? It doesn’t seem to have been family history.”
    “Music,” he said. “Poetry. Acting.” He paused. “Religion. Babalu was a very spiritual person.”
    “What kind of religion?”
    “All kinds. She had her own beliefs.”
    “Were they the same as yours?”
    “No, I… I guess I’m not religious at all. And she liked everything—Hinduism, Buddhism; Santeria, even. She taught me what it was.”
    “Was she a devotee?”
    “Oh, no. She wasn’t part of any group—she went to a Catholic retreat last weekend and she wasn’t even Catholic.”
    “What did you two have in common? It seems as if you hardly knew her. What did you see in her?”
    He looked Talba in the eye and spoke with dignity. “She was a healer,” he said. “I admired her so much. She was gentle and wise. And fine. And she seemed so alone—I wanted to take care of her.”
    For the first time, Talba understood what Babalu saw in Jason, other than a pretty face. When he spoke like that, he exhibited a gentleness and a fineness himself. Despite what she knew about Valerie, Talba thought this was a man who was capable of seeing Babalu for who she was and loving her for it.
    He’s an actor,
she reminded herself. Still, her instincts said he was on the up-and-up.
    “If I take the case,” she said, “I’ll need a retainer.”
    He nodded. “Of course. That’s not a problem.”
    She recalled that he did have a decent credit rating.
    “Look, is there any way we can get into her house? You must have a key.” It was probably illegal to use it, but she figured now was no time to research the law.
    “I do and I left some things there—you know, clothes and stuff. I’m supposed to meet Mary Pat tonight to get them.”
    “Mary Pat?”
    “Babalu’s best friend. The family left her in charge until they can clear the place out.”
    “Think Mary Pat would mind if I came along with you?”
    “I think she’d be delighted. She’s destroyed about this.” When he had gone, Talba called the coroner to confirm Babalu’s death. And then she went out and walked for awhile, trying to get the thing to sink in.
    Babalu dead.
    Babalu and heroin.
    That didn’t compute at all—Jason was right about that. On the other hand, it was an absurdly cumbersome way to kill someone. For one thing, it would probably take two people. For another, it would take heroin. If Babalu was murdered, why choose such an offbeat method?
    Well, anyway, now she had a good enough name for a background check. But about all she learned was that Clayton Robineau had lived at Babalu’s address and owned Babalu’s car.

Chapter Six
    When she arrived at Babalu’s house that night, Jason was alone. “Mary Pat couldn’t face it,” he said.
    So is this breaking and entering?
she wondered. Had he really had an appointment with Mary Pat?
    But, in truth, she didn’t care that much as long as Jason wasn’t dangerous, and since he’d hired her, she figured that at least she was in his good graces.
    He opened the door to the stairway that had seemed such a