“But the whole point of meeting me there was to obtain information he seemed eager for. It doesn’t make sense that he’d kill me before getting his hands on it.”
Baby looked at her almost imploringly. “What if he actually thinks you know too much at this point? That could make you a liability as far as he’s concerned.”
Kit rubbed her forehead, thinking. “There are other reasons he’s not a good suspect,” she said finally. “I was meeting him at nine so why would he start hiding in the stairwell before seven o’clock? And most of all, he knows what I look like. Though Avery bore a resemblance to me last night, I don’t think Kelman would have mistaken us.”
The last point seemed the best proof of all. She’d been to bed with him, he knew what every inch of her looked like.
“I just hope you’re finished having any contact with him,” Baby said.
Kit tossed her hands up. “I can’t be done just yet. I need to give him an ultimatum, make him go to the police now, not later. I don’t trust him, but I also don’t think he would hurt me. He’s had his chances and hasn’t taken them.”
Baby inhaled deeply, her breasts swelling insider her crisp white blouse, and let out a long sigh.
“What?” Kit asked.
“I worry that this man’s got a bit of a hold on you—like the Death Star. You can’t help but be drawn in his direction.”
For the first time all day, Kit found herself smiling.
“Wait, don’t tell me you’re a Star Wars fan, Baby,” she exclaimed.
“Well, in the 80’s I certainly was. Though after marrying a scoundrel the first time, I decided to go for men who were more Yoda than Han Solo. But you get my point, Kit. I’m worried this Garrett Kelman fellow has some sway over you. Because of your previous—well, encounter with him.”
Kit smiled again, wryly. “You mean lust has blinded me?”
“Exactly.”
“I swear the only thing I’m interested in right now is rescuing myself from this nightmare. But I don’t want to tell the police what I know without any evidence or corroboration from Kelman. Burke already seemed slightly suspicious of me and talking about a mystery man that only I get to see could make it worse.”
But she wondered if there could be any truth to what Baby had said. Did she feel some kind of pull from Kelman that she couldn’t resist?
“I promise, I’ll be extremely careful,” Kit added. “For now, why don’t we discuss business, before the shit hits the fan on that front. Avery’s death is going to be in the news, and it’s going to emerge that she’d been at our office.”
Baby suggested they strategize over lunch. Kit grabbed a pad and followed Baby to the kitchen, where she took a seat at the hammered metal table by the window. She had little appetite, but she gratefully accepted an iced tea.
“The first thing we need to do is figure out how to handle the press inquiries,” Baby said. “I know I said that bad breath is better than no breath at all, but this is the kind of breath that could fell an elephant. We need to enlist a pro to help.”
“I agree we have to be smart about this, but a PR person—especially one who does crisis management—isn’t going to be cheap. How can we possibly swing that?”
“I have a friend who I think will give us some advice for free. She’ll need a room done at some point and I’ll make it a barter deal.”
Baby also recommended that for the next few weeks they focus on only existing clients or those hovering on the horizon, and not accept any brand-new business. Keeping a low profile, she said, meant less exposure, fewer questions asked.
Kit understood her reasoning, but the strategy troubled her. The firm would be fine for the short-term, but it would mean a dip, perhaps a substantial one, in future revenue. And they’d be dinged by Avery’s death. Kit had already invested many hours working on the project and there was no way, in good conscience, for her to collect on that.
“What about the hotel job?” Kit asked. “You wouldn’t want to turn that down, would you? And how do we pay Dara if we don’t take new business?”
“The door’s already open on the hotel project so if it does materialize, we should definitely go for that one. It will pay extremely well, and we’ll both have to be involved. As for