PI On A Hot Tin Roof

car is the person who killed Buddy—and maybe Suzanne. Any chance your father—”
    “
Suzanne?
I never thought of that.”
    “You never thought the two murders might be connected?”
    “No. Of course
that
occurred to me. I never thought…my dad…”
    Figuring she was trying to work something out in her head, Talba gave her a minute. Finally, Kristin said, “Suzanne and Dad were always flirting. I wonder if they could have been having an affair.”
    “You tell me.”
    “Buddy and I used to talk about it. We always kind of suspected it.”
    “So what’s the part you never thought of?”
    “Well—is that a reason for killing her?” Kristin lowered her head so that her hair hung upside down, ran her fingers through it, and raised her head again, brushing it back as she did.
    “Did that clear your head?” Talba asked, thinking she sounded like Eddie, talking to her.
    “Nervous gesture.” She offered a weak smile. “Look. Forget that idea. My dad wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
    Talba doubted it, but she kept her mouth shut.
    “What the hell am I supposed to do about this?” Kristin wailed.
    “Have you touched the gun?”
    “A little. I felt it when I opened the glove compartment.”
    “I suppose you couldn’t tell whether it’s been fired or not?”
    “Are you kidding? I don’t know anything about guns. I just closed up the glove compartment and called you.”
    “So the gun’s still there.”
    “I locked the car.”
    “Look, if this is a setup, it’s not going to end here.” Someone, she thought, had to tip the cops to complete it. “The only advice I can give you is to take the gun immediately to Langdon—the cop who’s handling Buddy’s case.”
    Kristin reared back, sucked in air. “A setup? I thought…”
    “What? What did you think?”
    “I thought…someone wanted me to kill myself.”
    Talba was shocked. “Who, Kristin? Why the hell would you think that?”
    “I don’t know who.” Her voice was barely audible. “I just…couldn’t think of another reason for it.”
    “All right. Let’s phone Langdon.”
Before someone else does.
    Kristin nodded assent.
    Talba called the cop’s pager, thinking that might be the most direct way, and then got Kristin more water while they waited for a call back. When it came, Langdon was impatient. “What’s up, Baroness?”
    “I’ve got something for you.”
    “Well, what?”
    Talba wasn’t too sure how to say it. “A gun.”
    “Oh, shit! I might have known.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Forget it. Just tell me how you got it, and where you are.”
    “Look, I know you’re in a hurry, but let me guess—right now, you’re acting on a tip, aren’t you? About a gun in the Champagne case.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    “I’ve got a hysterical client who just found a gun in her car.”
    “And who might your client be?”
    “Kristin LaGarde. We’re in my office.”
    “Well, I’m in hers. Stay there. I’m on my way.”

Chapter 22
    Langdon was by herself, but she more or less made two of Kristin. She wore two-inch boots, which made her two inches taller than her six feet, and her nubby tweed blazer added pounds she didn’t need. Her black slacks didn’t match the blazer, and looked as if she’d slept in them. Talba was amused, watching the petite, perfectly groomed blonde give her a mental makeover. Kristin’s expression was a virtual sneer. Clearly, she thought herself a superior race. Her composure returned almost immediately.
    “Hello, Detective,” she said, with a confidence she hadn’t displayed before.
    “Hello, Miss LaGarde.”
    “You two know each other?” Talba asked.
    “Oh, yes.” Langdon’s voice indicated she regretted it.
    They must have met on Buddy’s case. And hated each other. “May I sit down, Your Grace?” Langdon didn’t wait for an answer, and didn’t waste time on pleasantries. She said to Kristin, “I understand you found a gun in your car.”
    Kristin told the same story she’d told Talba, and then the three of them went to Kristin’s car to see if the gun was still there, and Langdon took it and Kristin back to Headquarters to give a statement. That alarmed Talba. It seemed a bit much for the situation, but there wasn’t exactly a way to horn in. All she could do was wait awhile and then pay Langdon a call.
    She waited till Kristin phoned to say she’d been set free.
    “I’ve been expecting you,” Langdon said. “Why didn’t you tell me you were working