sup with the devil

Chapter 16

They rode in silence until Jerry finally asked where they were going and Bettmeir cruised up to the curb and put the car in park. "I was going to say, we should go back to the club and question that Cropduster, or whatever you called her, and see if she can throw any light on the drug business. She's our only other contact inside the place."

"There's that chick at front desk and the coat hanger." Jerry was back in his own character and the bad feelings dissipated instantly, a product of living in one another's skins for so long.

"Maybe. Our only other connection is Dortman and his lawyer."

"Who else was on that list?"

"Nobody we know, but since the numbers aren't in sequence, I would guess they were selectively chosen."

Bettmeir put the car in gear and drove on downtown while Jerry struck up a sickening conversation with Rose back at headquarters. He found a parking space near the bank and stuck a police sign under the wiper blade. A UPS truck driver honked and showed Bettmeir the finger as he accelerated down the street looking for another space.

"They love us," he said as they crossed the sidewalk and climbed the steps to the building lobby. "And speaking of that, it sounded like Rose will come through with the tape?"

"You had doubts?" They laughed together and hurried down to the lower level and the club's anonymous entrance. "She'll come through; she's just squirming on her chair waiting for me to get back."

Bettmeir laughed and squared his shoulders as he knocked sharply on the copper door

As before, the door opened a crack and Bettmeir showed his badge. "Detectives Bettmeir and Ambrose."

The door opened wider and they were ushered quickly inside. The young woman from the coat check, still in her mini tuxedo, smiled and clasped her perfectly groomed hands in front of her.

"How may I help you?"

"Oooh let me count—"

"We'd like to speak to your uhm... Crop- crop-...?" Bettmeir poked his partner.

"Cropmaster. I'll call down and see if she's available. Follow me please."

"Absolutely."

"Will you roll in your tongue for five minutes." Bettmeir hissed as they walked quickly behind the young woman to the coat check counter.

She picked up a tiny cell phone and punched in a number then murmured something they couldn't hear, closed the phone and brought out her box of guest badges.

"I know where these go," Jerry winked. She smiled with her mouth and when they'd pinned them on, led them down to the Power Paddock.

The room was empty as before and they were looking at it with the same bewildered amazement when Cresta entered, this time the costume was long, thigh high velvet boots with a very short, white pleated skirt with two shoulder straps wide enough to just cover her breasts. Her blonde hair was piled high on her head and the black, Lone Ranger mask matched the boot material. She crossed to one of the throne chairs and sat with elaborate care, leaning her crop against one leg.

Bettmeir and Jerry, with eyes like eggs sunny side up, approached as though they might kneel before her.

"I think I explained the policy last time gentlemen, so I presume you have a warrant."

"We just have a couple of questions, Miss...?" Cresta sighed heavily and shut her eyes. "Right, Crop- cro-"

"Cropmaster, Ward." Jerry smiled and tilted his head. "My partner isn't too good with names." He moved up beside her and stared down directly at her chest intending to intimidate.

"And you are."

"Well I like to think I can remember memorable things... people." He leered a little.

Bettmeir recovered his aplomb, and cut off his partner's ogling, by asking if she was aware of Chester Hargrave's heart attack.

Cresta jerked slightly and sat straighter. "I didn't know but I heard that the woman he was living with committed suicide."

"Where?"

"At their apartment."

"I meant, where did you hear that?"
"On the news... a little while ago."

"Okay, fun and games are over. It wasn't suicide, it was murder and this is the second murder investigation connected to this place so we'll start with the mask coming off and your real name."

"I'll handle this, Cropmaster." They all turned to the door as Jared entered, holding the door and waving Cresta outside.

"She's answering some questions, pal," Jerry started.

"I'm afraid not. Cropmaster?" The tone was implicit and Cresta rose and left with a much dignity as she could muster. Jared closed the door and faced the two detectives. "Now, what did you want to know?"

Cresta leaned on her desk, arms trembling and mind racing. Murder! Elora Gates was murdered! She knew instinctively what had happened. Greenbaum had dispatched Jared to retrieve the video and he had done so with carte blanche discretion. Had he done something to Chester as well? She swallowed hard as she considered what might have happened to Hatti. She pulled the mask off and began slipping out of the club costume when her eye caught the light flashing on her cell phone.

She checked the mailbox and saw a call from Jean Travis. Speak of the devil. Cresta read the message and immediately deleted it then quickly changed to her street clothes. She locked the office and made her way out of a rear entrance that took her into the mall below the bank and from there out to the street where she hailed a taxi and sank back in the seat, her heart racing. She wondered if Jean Travis was as scared as she was at this moment. She must be since she left the city.

*************

Jared listened to the detectives with a stiff face. They had somehow come too close to the truth at a very inopportune time. The post box key had been useless without the Gates woman's signature and he had no way of getting that now. He decided to speak to Greenbaum before making his suggested solution.

"I'm going to end our conversation gentlemen until I've spoken to our lawyer. If you would kindly show yourselves back to the lobby." His posture indicated to Bettmeir that unless he allowed Jerry to beat him up, they would be getting nothing more.

"Would that be Mister Stoneman?"

"We'll be in touch." Jared said with a grim tight expression. The two detectives left, dropping their tags off at the front and waving a sad goodbye to the young lady.

**********

Jared relayed the information to Greenbaum, suggesting that he be permitted to eliminate the only other person who could possibly be a threat, namely Hatti Ambrose, before the detectives returned, which they both knew they would.

"It must be clean, Jared. No tracks leading back here."

"I understand fully."

"The Gates woman was a little sloppy I thought."

"Sir?"

"Too obvious."

"I understand." Jared made his way out and down to his own small office where he set about tracing Hatti's phone record at the hotel. As before he saw a call placed to Cresta's cell phone and it was a sad surprise. There might be yet another person to eliminate. He gathered his laptop and a few other items and left the club, heading back to Hatti's hotel.