A Killing in China Basin - By Kirk Russell Page 0,96
bandages and staple generic drugs delivered to third world countries for pennies. She had alliances with firms producing drugs in China and India and her foundation worked out methods to teach doctors and dentists on a massive scale, webcasting dental and medical procedures as they were performed live. Those watching could email their questions. People called her a visionary.
‘We don’t question that you’ve done good deeds on a large scale, but none of that has anything to do with this investigation. What’s the real reason you went to the boat?’
Lafaye got up and walked over to the windows. She looked out at the park as she answered.
‘I went to buy Erin Quinn’s home address for ten thousand dollars.’
‘And do what with it?’ la Rosa asked.
‘Give it to my attorney who would work quietly with law enforcement authorities to build a case against Erin Quinn for extortion. You have to understand that this woman has threatened me. She’s a nightmare to me. And I had no idea that the man I was going to meet at the boat was Cody Stoltz. I thought that he was an individual like me that Quinn had cheated or was extorting. For separate and unspoken reasons we were both looking for her. But of course I didn’t know who I’d been chatting with all those years. You can imagine my shock when he took off his disguise and said he was Cody Stoltz. He tricked me.’
‘How did he know to be at Lake Merced the next day?’ Raveneau asked.
‘Ask him.’
Her foundation was everything to her. It was her life, her ego, her everything, and so he played that last, after she’d ordered them to leave.
‘You’re going to force us to go public with this.’
‘I don’t see why that would be, but I’ll take it as the threat you intend it as, and I have some advice for you, don’t do anything until you talk to my attorney. He’ll call you this morning.’
He did.
‘What can I do to help solve this misunderstanding?’ the attorney asked.
‘We have information that could cause us to view your client as a suspect in an unsolved murder in China Basin. We need her to fill in some gaps in her account to us. That may clear her of any suspicion.’
‘I know that she would like to clear this up.’
‘She needs to tell us how Cody Stoltz knew to be at Lake Merced.’
‘That’s it?’
‘That’s it, right now. We’ll give her the rest of the day and I’ll give you another phone number you can reach me at this afternoon.’
‘After all she’s been through, do you really think you can twist her arm this way?’
‘Use my cell number, that’s going to be more reliable. Are you ready for the number?’ Raveneau waited a beat and then read the number off. After the lawyer repeated the number, Raveneau said, ‘I’ll talk to you this afternoon,’ and hung up.
SIXTY-THREE
In the mid afternoon la Rosa called him over to her computer.
‘This Lafaye’s foundation website – look at this. She’s supposed to be in Seattle tonight at a dinner honoring the most significant donors to her foundation. They’re giving her an award at the dinner.’ La Rosa threw him a wicked smile. ‘Think she’d pass up an award?’
The award was to be given at a restaurant Raveneau vaguely remembered reading about as cutting edge with a rising star of a chef, a dinner more likely to draw wealthy donors, the type of people she wouldn’t want to disappoint.
‘What do you think?’ la Rosa asked.
‘I think you’re on to something here.’
At four thirty that afternoon a driver showed up at Lafaye’s house and took her to SFO. They watched her check in and pass through security, and waited until United was ready to board the first class passengers before approaching her. Raveneau pulled his homicide star and made sure the people nearby could read it. Her face reddened with embarrassment and humiliation. One of her aides, a young blonde woman with heavy black glasses, stood dumbfounded nearby. La Rosa turned to her and said, ‘Better board or you might miss your flight. Your boss won’t be coming.’
‘You can’t do this,’ Lafaye said.
‘Step away from the line, Ms Lafaye,’ la Rosa said, and Raveneau just watched her, saw her fumble with her phone and call her lawyer, who demanded to speak to him and then told Raveneau he had two choices, charge her with a crime or let her on the plane.