The Groaning Board

murders than you think. I can
help.”
    He gave the chair another kick. “I
don’t know why I—“
    “I know stuff you need to know, so
shut up and listen,” she said. “A. T. Barron gets The Groaning Board, lock,
stock, and barrel. It’s how their partnership agreement was written. And if
Micklynn was murdered—”
    “She was.”
    “Then Ellen Moore thinks she will
inherit a lot of money. There was a double-indemnity clause in Micklynn’s
insurance policy. For death by violence, not self-inflicted. That may be why
Ellen didn’t think she committed suicide. Then again, Ellen may not know about
the policy at all. You can check the policy with Arthur Margolies. Yes, Carlos’
Arthur. But be sure not to mention me.”
    “Up to your old tricks, huh, Les?”
She almost caught him in a smile, but it was gone in a minisecond.
    “Micklynn wouldn’t let Hem and A.T.
bring The Groaning Board public. Without Micklynn, the company belongs to A.T.
and she can do exactly what she wants, which is make a ton of money by going
public and then getting out of the business.” Wetzon took a swig of beer and
gave Silvestri a hard look. “How did Micklynn die? Did she drown?”
    He shook his head. “Poisoned. Same as
Sheila.”
    “Do you know that Micklynn’s cat
Jimmy was doused with alcohol and set on fire shortly before Sheila was killed?
Micklynn found what was left of him in a bag at her front door. Sheila had
broken off their friendship and was behaving strangely. My premise is that
Sheila thought Micklynn had something to do with the horrible phone calls. And
I think Micklynn may have thought Sheila had something to do with Jimmy’s
death.”
    “Jesus. How the hell did you find out
about the cat?“
    “I’m a good detective, Silvestri, but
because I don’t work your way, you don’t give me any respect.”
    He dropped to his knees in front of
her. “See, I’m giving you respect.”
    She stuck out her foot to push him
over, but he grabbed her ankle, and they stared at each other. Then he set her
foot on the floor and got up and went back to his post at the window.
    “A.T. made a scene at Ellen’s
school—the Colton School—because Sheila chose another girl over Ellen for a
special summer program at Johns Hopkins. A lot of anti-Semitic language was
bandied about. Did you know about that?”
    He turned away from the window. “No.
Metzger’s people did the interviews at the school. There was no mention of
anything like that.”
    “Ellen’s boyfriend, Todd Cameron, is
the one who tried to toss me off the roof at Hem and Minnie Wu’s party.“
    “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me the
night it happened?“
    “I didn’t know until I found the
cross from his earring caught in my... um... dress... later that night...”
    He folded his arms as if he knew why
she was fumbling. “Where is it? The earring.”
    “Um... Bill has it. Todd’s father is
Judge Cameron. Bill’s going to talk to the family tom—” She looked at her
watch. It was quarter to two. “Today, at five in his office.“
    “Anything else you haven’t told me?”
    “Did you know that Micklynn and Hem
had an affair and Minnie beat her up pretty badly? And that Minnie also
attacked Ellen after she caught Ellen with Hem at Smith’s dinner party? Minnie
almost strangled her.”
    “A nest of vipers, all of them.”
    “Everything is connected, yet nothing
fits, does it?” She yawned, covering her mouth. Izz lay across her lap like a
hot pillow. Silvestri’s air conditioner groaned. Her mind was getting fuzzy.
How was she going to tell him about Sheila’s briefcase?
    “I don’t suppose you and your crazy
partner organized a little break-in at The Groaning Board Monday night?”
    The question caught her with her
defenses down. She began to stutter. “I—uh—no—why? Why would you think that?
There was a break-in? No kidding.”
    “Oh, yes.”
    “Right. I think I read about it. Hem
was caught, wasn’t he?”
    “He swears he never got upstairs. But
somebody did.”
    “Do you believe him? What was he
looking for?”
    “Business papers. Or so he says.”
    “Maybe love letters?”
    “Maybe. What about you and Xenia?”
    “What about us?”
    “Why were you there?”
    “Who says we were?”
    “It was amateur night. A cleaver,
crochet hooks, and a brick in a Saks shopping bag.”
    “A brick?” Smith hadn’t mentioned a
brick.
    “A brick wrapped in Charivari tissue
paper.”
    “Christ.”
    “And a receipt from Saks made