Loyalty (32 page)

Milloy dropped Fina at Nanny’s, where she changed her clothes and went down to the workout room on the fourth floor. She jacked up the volume on MTV and the speed on the treadmill and ran until the sweat covered her skin in a glistening coat. Her injured wrist ached and itched, but she ignored it and just kept running. Another resident poked her head in at one point, perhaps to ask her to lower the volume, but beat a hasty retreat when she saw Fina running as if her life depended on it.

After an hour and ten minutes, she punched the buttons to slow down the treadmill and caught her breath as sweat stung her eyes. She hadn’t figured anything out on the machine, but her twitchy energy had abated.

Upstairs, she itched inside her cast with the lobster fork and gulped down a large glass of water. Her cast was starting to emit an aroma. Maybe Milloy had a saw that would make quick work of the restraint.

Fina blotted her face and neck with paper towels, refilled her glass, and took it into the living room, where she stood at the windows overlooking the harbor. The last vestiges of twilight reflected off the jets departing Logan. A dinner cruise passed through the no-wake zone.

Fina finished her water and stripped off her clothes in the bathroom. She showered, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, and wandered into the kitchen.

Her workout had resulted in a powerful hunger, so she opened the cabinet and started rummaging. Fina got groceries delivered every few weeks—not really groceries, more like indestructible foodstuff—but her reserves were getting low. In the far recesses of the freezer, she found a half-empty carton of Karamel Sutra ice cream. She grabbed a spoon and napkin and carried the pint and a diet soda into the living room.

Her first spoonful was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“It’s Matthew,” a voice called from the other side.

Fina let him in, lay down on the couch, and resumed her meal. Matthew pushed her feet over and sat down.

“Why are you flushed?” he asked her.

“I just did a hard workout.”

He looked at her wrist and shook his head. “I heard about your little run-in. That thing is going to be a biohazard in no time at all.”

Fina held the pint of ice cream out to him. Matthew shook his head.

“What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Fina asked.

Matthew’s smile widened.

“Oh, right. Your friend with benefits lives down here. Doesn’t she want you to make an honest woman of her?”

“Hardly. She’s a partner at Stokes and Williams. She just wants a reliable roll in the hay and then some legal pillow talk after the fact. And she’s trying to get me to jump ship to her firm.”

“That’s an interesting recruiting technique. Are you considering it?”

“What? Leaving the firm?”

“Yeah.”

“Nah. I know you think it’s an advertising ploy, but we do actually stick up for the little guy.”

“I know you do. I investigate a lot of the cases, remember?” Fina didn’t agree with everything that Ludlow and Associates did, but she knew that without them, a lot of grievously injured people would be truly screwed. What happens when you’re a thirty-nine-year-old single mother of three and you get injured in a car accident that’s the other guy’s fault? One stroke of bad luck and the precarious dominoes of your life begin to fall: hospital bills, lost wages, day care costs. Lots of people were a paycheck away from disaster, and the Ludlows kept that disaster at bay. Sure, they made lots of money in the process, and punishment wasn’t always meted out fairly, but Fina wasn’t sure that negated the good they did. Ludlow and Associates operated in the gray.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere, but I didn’t come over here for career counseling.”

“Glad to hear it. Hey, did you hear from a woman named Olivia? About a job?”

“She’s coming in next week for an interview. You think she’s good?”

“I don’t know what she’d be like as an assistant, but she’s smart and sassy. I liked her.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “Great.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped a few buttons. “So I’ve reviewed a chunk of files and pulled out names from those that were most lucrative.”

“You mean those in which the defendant was essentially destroyed.”

“You say
tomato
, I say
tomahto
.” He handed her the phone. “It’s just a portion of them, but I thought you’d want info as soon as I got it.”

“Yes, thanks.” Fina studied the screen. She felt a headache creeping across her brow, probably from her overexertion.

“Anything?” Matthew asked.

“Gimme a sec.”

Fina scrolled down the list. “Holy fuck!” She sat up.

“What?” Matthew leaned over and grabbed the phone from her. “Which one? Holbrooke?”

“No.”

“Duprey?”

“Yes! Yes, Duprey!”

“All right, calm the fuck down.”

“What is that case?”

“I can only tell you what’s on public record.”

“Fine. Tell me.”

“Give me a second to pull up some notes.” Matthew reached into his shiny leather briefcase and pulled out a slim laptop. He punched a couple of buttons and studied the screen.

Fina kicked him gently with her foot. “Hurry up.”

“Don’t you have any pills you can take, you know, to calm down?”

Fina let her head fall back and stared at the ceiling.

“Okay. Here it is. It was a med mal case. Big ruling in our client’s favor: $8.9 million.”

“So how does Duprey figure into the case?”

“He was one of the doctors.”

“Okay. What were the specifics?”

Matthew looked at the screen. “Right. This makes sense. It’s a cerebral palsy case. That explains the steep damages.” Matthew looked at her. “You’ve worked one of those cases, right?”

“I’ve done some background work, but then it gets passed on to the expert witnesses.”

“Right, well, in this case, a woman, Jackie Watson, went into the hospital, Cincinnati Unified—”

“That sounds like a chemical company or an airline.”

“She went into Cincinnati Unified to deliver, no problems with her pregnancy, but one thing leads to another, and she ends up with a severely disabled baby, Amber Watson.”

“Is that how you won in court? ‘One thing leads to another’?”

“No, it was a little more complicated. One of the ob-gyns was Connor Duprey.”

“Bev and Chester Duprey’s son. So he was found responsible?”

“How do you know who his parents are?”

“Long story. So was he found responsible?”

“He, two other doctors, and Cincinnati Unified.”

“Did he lose his license?”

“It was suspended. Can’t practice medicine for the time being. His insurance is on the hook for a huge payout. The usual.”

“Why such a huge payout?”

“The CP was severe. It costs a ton of money to care for a kid like that.”

Fina scraped the bottom of the ice-cream carton. “Just to play devil’s advocate for a minute, between the two of us, I thought there was no definitive evidence linking cerebral palsy with delivery.”

“Fina . . .” Matthew smiled and wagged his finger at her.

“I’m just trying to understand the two sides so I can figure out if the Dupreys have any grounds for thinking this was a miscarriage of justice.”

“It’s hard to draw a straight line from a difficult or delayed birth to CP. Other factors may contribute to the development of CP, but the delivery can’t be ruled out.”

“So how’d you get so much cash?”

“Because we’re highly skilled.”

“Other than that.”

“Juries don’t like ambiguity or injustice. When they see a severely disabled child, they want someone held responsible.”

“So you parade the kid in front of the jury and get the sympathy vote.”

“I stand by my case.”

“I’m sure you do.”

Matthew closed the top of his laptop. “Nobody wins in those cases.”

Fina looked confused. “Ah, don’t you guys?”

Matthew shrugged. “Sure, but somebody’s got to take care of Amber Watson. Her dad works at a factory, and Jackie’s a stay-at-home mom. They’ve got three other kids. This way, she’ll get the care she needs.”

Fina grinned. “You’re like a caped crusader.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “Does this info help?”

“Damn right it helps. I wish we’d figured it out sooner.”

Matthew picked up his briefcase, and Fina walked him to the door. “What are you going to do with this?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe pay the doctor’s mother a visit.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Good luck with that.”

“She’s a Southern woman. I’m sure our conversation will be extremely civil.”

“She hasn’t met you yet.”

“Aww. That’s so sweet.”

Fina closed the door behind him and walked into the bedroom. She lay down on the bed and listened to the hum of the air-conditioning. Bev Duprey was going to lead her somewhere. She just didn’t know where.

Sleep came in fits and starts.

Fina forced herself to stay in bed until seven
A.M.
, but once up, spent the next two hours showering, eating, and pacing.

What kind of hours did madams keep? Fina didn’t know, but given Bev’s apparent adherence to social mores, she imagined that she kept typical business hours.

Fina couldn’t deal with the idea of driving, so she hailed a cab outside her building and spent ten minutes listening to what she thought must be Somali pop music. At Bev’s Back Bay office, she mounted the steps to the bank of buzzers outside the front door. Most of the names were on neatly typed slips of paper, but two were scrawled on scraps of paper shoved into the windowed slots. Fina pressed one of those buzzers and waited. She pressed it again, and after a moment, there was static and a harried voice.

“Hello?”

“Got a package.”

“Ahh . . . I can’t come down right now.”

“Just buzz, and I’ll leave it in the entry.”

“I’m not supposed to do that.”

“Fine. I’ll leave a slip and you can pick it up between noon and three
P.M.
Our storage facility is next to North Station.”

“What? But I . . . You know what? Just leave it.”

“Whatever you want, ma’am.”

The lock released, and Fina slipped into the entry hall. Olivia had told her that Bev’s office was on the first floor. Hopefully, she was in. If not, Fina might indulge in a little B&E.

She walked quietly to Bev’s door and stood listening for a moment. She could hear footsteps on the other side. Her knuckles rapped gently on the door, and she waited. The footsteps stilled, then moved in her direction.

“May I help you?” Bev asked when she opened the door. It was the woman whom Fina had seen the day before. Today, she was wearing a pink dress with a faint brocade pattern and large gold earrings in the shape of knots. Her makeup was just a tad heavy, but her skin was remarkably smooth. She smiled at Fina, revealing straight, white teeth.

“I think you can,” Fina said, smiling back. “We have something to discuss, Mrs. Duprey.”

A slight frown crept onto her face. “Since I don’t know you, I don’t see how that could be. What is your name, dear?”

“Fina Ludlow.”

Bev’s smile hardened. “The name’s not familiar.” She took a step back. “I’m quite sure we have nothing to discuss,” Bev said, and started to shut the door.

Fina thrust her foot into the path of the door. “Really? The name’s not familiar? What about Rand Ludlow? Or Carl Ludlow?”

Bev’s lip curled.

“I know you’re a busy woman, Mrs. Duprey.” Fina grasped her hand around the door. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Bev glared at her. “I could call the police.”

“Be my guest. They might be interested in what we have to discuss.”

Bev stared at the floor for a moment and then let go of the door. Fina walked in and sat down on a yellow houndstooth chair in the living room. Bev sat down in the chair across from her.

“No offer of tea? I’ve heard so much about your good Southern manners,” Fina said.

“And clearly you have no manners, but that shouldn’t surprise me. I assume your upbringing was akin to being raised by a pack of wolves.”

Fina snorted. “Pretty much.”

Bev fiddled with a gold linked bracelet on her wrist. “Are you an ambulance chaser, too?”

“No. I’m a private investigator.”

“But you work for your family?”

“For them and for others.”

“Investigating innocent people, no doubt. What’s so important that you had to force your way in?”

“Did my sister-in-law, Melanie Ludlow, contact you?”

Bev considered the question and then shrugged. “I can’t recall.”

“This isn’t a Senate hearing.”

“Well, what reason would your sister-in-law have for contacting me?”

“I understand the connection between you and my brother and father. I know that they won a huge settlement against your son in court.”

Bev tilted her head. “Is that what you call it? ‘Won a settlement’? A more accurate description would be that your family destroyed the lives of three outstanding doctors. Burned them to the ground.”

“I’m not here to debate the merits of the case. I have nothing to do with that.”

“Of course you don’t. I’m sure you’ve never benefited from the spoils of your father’s work.”

“Unlike Connor, you mean. Isn’t medical school awfully expensive?”

Bev brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I know about the case, but I also know about our other connection; that you’ve supplied ‘companionship’ to my brother Rand,” Fina said. “I’ve met some of your whores.”

“They’re not whores, Ms. Ludlow. They’re escorts.”

“They’re young women who fuck men for money.”

“You’re the one who sounds like a common whore, what with that language. I can’t imagine your mother is proud of you.”

“God, I hope not.”

Bev uncrossed and crossed her ankles. “I still don’t understand why you’re here.”

“Back to my original question. Did my sister-in-law contact you, and if so, why?”

Bev was silent.

“How about an easier question: Did my brother find your service coincidentally, or did you seek him out?”

Bev smirked. “Your brother has expensive taste. It’s only natural that he would seek out Prestige. We’re the best.”

“Right. And Brianna?”

Bev raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I know about Brianna. We met a couple of times.”

“Did she tell you about me?”

“No. Actually, Brianna was very loyal. I certainly hope you didn’t kill her over some presumed betrayal.”

“That is a grotesque suggestion.”

“Right. You don’t think your little operation in Framingham is grotesque?”

Bev gripped her hands together. “As interesting as this conversation is, Ms. Ludlow, I am a busy woman. I don’t think I can be of assistance to you.”

Fina reached into her cast and scratched the area near her thumb. She got up and walked to the door. “If I find out that you had anything to do with my sister-in-law’s death, I will dismantle your life and your business and your precious dignity, piece by piece.”

Bev glared at her.

“It would be a mistake to doubt my resolve,” Fina said.

“I don’t doubt your resolve at all, Ms. Ludlow. Just the wisdom of your threat.”

Fina opened the door and slammed it behind her.

Bev sneered. Christ, she hated these people.

Fina ran smack into a man standing outside Bev’s door. He was about her age, with sandy hair and a slight build.

“Sorry,” Fina said, and she started down the hall.

Connor watched her leave and thrust his hands into his pockets. He closed his eyes for a moment and then knocked on his mother’s door.

There was a muffled sound on the other side, and then Bev threw the door open and scowled at him. When she realized it was her son, her features softened, and her hand pressed against her chest. Her color was off.

“Mom, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” Connor put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to one of the chairs in the sitting room. He gently pushed her into it and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Bev smiled at him when he gave it to her. She took a long drink and set the glass down on the coffee table.

“Let me check your pulse.” Connor sat in the chair next to her and took hold of her wrist.

“Connor! Don’t be ridiculous. I’m fine,” Bev said, and reclaimed her wrist.

“You’re not fine. Obviously that woman upset you.”

Bev took a deep breath. “You’re right. She did, but I’m fine now. You just caught me at a bad moment.”

“What was that about?”

“I don’t really care to talk about it, dear.”

“Does it have something to do with Dad?”

“Goodness, no. Nothing to do with your father. Really, you needn’t worry.”

Connor felt the heat rise under his collar. “Mom, I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I’m a grown man. I’m not as fragile as you think. You can trust me.”

Bev grasped his hand. “I do trust you, Connor. I just don’t want to burden you. You have enough to manage without . . . this.” Bev waved her hand in the air as if pushing away an unpleasant scent.

“Stop treating me like a child,” Connor said in exasperation. “Don’t you understand how inept that makes me feel? On top of everything else?”

Bev flinched slightly. “Fine. If you must know, that woman was Fina Ludlow.”

Connor tilted his head and looked at her.

“She was here regarding her sister-in-law Melanie,” Bev said.

“Those Ludlows?” Connor asked.

“Yes, those Ludlows. Her brother is Rand Ludlow, and Carl Ludlow is her father.”

“Why would she see you about her sister-in-law?”

“She’s convinced herself that I know something about her death.” Bev took a sip of water.

Connor studied the floor. He raised his eyes and looked at his mother. He felt a chill, and for just a moment saw what other people might see when they looked at Bev: her strength and unrelenting will.

He looked away.

“And that, of course, is absolute bull honkey, as your daddy would say.” Bev released Connor’s hand. She pushed his hair away from his eyes. “She can’t face the fact that her brother is a murderer, so she’s grasping at straws.”

Bev gazed at the painting over the fireplace. “I pity her, actually. It must be awful contemplating that your loved one is a monster.”

Fina walked to Ludlow and Associates and mulled over her visit to Bev Duprey. She hadn’t uncovered any answers, but she’d put Bev on notice. Maybe she should tell Cristian and let the police deal with it.

Carl’s gatekeeper ushered her into his office, where Carl and Scotty were staring down Pitney and Cristian.

“Your timing is impeccable,” Pitney said, and smiled at Fina. The lieutenant was wearing a kelly green pantsuit that contrasted sharply with her orangey hair. All she needed was a pot of gold to complete the look.

Cristian looked at Fina. “How’s your wrist?”

“Thank you for asking, Detective Menendez,” Fina said, and looked pointedly at her father and brother. “It itches like a motherfucker.”

“My daughter, the sailor,” Carl said, glaring at her.

“We were just letting the boys know that we got some new information about Rand’s leisure activities. Did you know your brother pays for it?”

Fina shrugged. “Go figure.”

“I wonder how Melanie felt about that?” Pitney asked.

Fina shook her head and sighed. “Do you really think that Bev Duprey is a reliable source?”

Pitney and Cristian exchanged a look. “What do you know about Bev Duprey?” Pitney asked.

“Just, you know, stuff,” Fina said as she walked over to the fridge. She reached in and pulled out a diet soda, which she handed to Scotty. “Do you mind?” She held up her cast. He popped open the can and handed it back to her. Fina took a sip.

Pitney stared at the ceiling. “I swear to God, if I find out you’re obstructing this investigation—”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Fina said. She sat down on the couch. “I’m not obstructing anything. When I have something to tell you, I’ll be in touch.” Fina took a sip of her drink. “I do have a question for you, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Why was my brother arrested for Melanie’s murder when there’s a plausible alternate theory of the crime? One that creates more than reasonable doubt. Perhaps there was a teensy rush to judgment.”