Rebecca Schwartz 05 - Other People's Skeletons

Rosalie.”
    “Rosalie?”
    “That’s what I thought. I’ll get rid of him.”
    And then I remembered: Rosalie from Raiders of the Lost Art. One of Chris’s psychic friends.
    I sighed. “Never mind. I’ll talk to him.”
    “He said you would.”
    “He ought to know. I’m pretty sure he’s psychic.”
    And then a beautiful voice came on the line, a male voice, slightly accented, mellifluous, I thought. Although I was unsure of the meaning; it just sounded right. “Rebecca, it’s Maurizio.”
    With a great effort, I managed not to sigh again. “Rosalie’s friend.”
    “Well, not just that. We do readings for each other.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Mmm. Well. Your partner Chris— she got a vibe about me.”
    “Okay.” I had no idea where he was going with this. “How does she even know about you?”
    “Psychics share readings. I’m sure she shared about me in the group. Once when they did that racetrack thing… you know, when they were trying to predict winners? Well, it can’t be done. We found that out. But I sat in with them sometimes when they were trying. I mean not literally— I’d always just be on the phone. I live in Atlanta.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Well, Chris kept thinking there was something I had, some piece of information, that she needed and she asked Rosalie to ask me if her name meant anything, or yours. Well, yours did.”
    “Which you determined how?”
    “Oh, I saw green when she said your name. How’s that for a metaphor? I always see green if it’s important.”
    “As in green for…”I wracked my brain “…uh…growth?”
    He laughed. “No, dope.
Go
. Like a traffic light.”
    It was weird, but I liked the way he felt free to call me a dope—like we were friends. Damn, he had a great voice.
    “Well, anyway, she told me about Chris’s case, how you’re her partner and her lawyer and everything. If she’d done that first, we could have dispensed with the psychic part. Just on that alone I’d have been damn sure I’ve got something you need.”
    “Could I…um…ask what you’re talking about?”
    “Does the name Michael McKendrick mean anything to you?”
    “McKendrick? As in Jason McKendrick?”
    “Michael’s his brother. And my ex-boyfriend.”
    “Oh. Was he here when Jason died? I don’t remember meeting him.”
    “No, and he was horribly broken up about it. You see, Michael’s a hugely talented but wildly unlucky musician— well, actually I’ve done his chart (I’m an astrologer too), and there’s nothing surprising about that. But anyway he’s just passed his Saturn return. Things should improve for him soon. Anyway, for once Michael had a gig. I mean a whole week of pretty good gigs— a little tour arranged six months before— and if things had been going better, I know he’d have been the first one there.” He sighed again. “Poor, poor baby. He just didn’t think he could do it. And he’s destroyed . He’s been absolutely wrecked ever since.”
    “He and Jason were close?”
    “I wouldn’t put it that way, exactly. You have to let Michael tell you. He needs this. I’m telling you; he needs it desperately.”
    “He needs what?”
    “To talk to you. To clear this thing up.”
    “Hold it. You’re saying Michael knows who killed Jason?”
    “Of course not. He’d have gone to the police if he did. Common sense would tell you that. Look. Here’s the thing. You need to see him. It’s in the cards. I read for you.”
    “I thought you said Michael needed this. Who needs whom here?”
    “You need each other. It’s a match made in heaven, Sunshine. Can you get a plane out today?”
    “I’m a little overwhelmed, to tell you the truth. Could you tell me exactly what the cards said?”
    “They said Michael was going to be very important in your life.”
    Oh, no. Shades of the Cosmic Blind Date.
    “But only briefly. You only have one thing to do together, as far as I can tell.”
    “Did you say you used to date Michael?”
    “Yes. Why?”
    “He’s gay then?”
    “Completely.”
    “Not bisexual?”
    Maurizio burst out laughing. “Believe me, it wasn’t that kind of reading. Michael would rather die.”
    “Well, look, have you talked to Michael at all? Will he see me?”
    “Michael’s out of town right now, but of course he’ll see you. You don’t think he’d let you come all this way for nothing, do you?”
    Sure I did. It was the most harebrained scheme I ever heard in my life. “Well, look, Maurizio, I’ll think