Sleight of Hand - By Phillip Margolin Page 0,69
lose his lunch. After seeing the photos there was no doubt in Santoro’s mind what Dana meant when she used the word “neutralize.”
“There’s no way I’m going to help you kill someone,” he said. “If that’s where this is going, count me out.”
Dana stared into space for a moment. Then she nodded.
“What can you tell me about your attacker?” Santoro asked.
“He wore a ski mask. I was so anxious to get away that I didn’t take it off, so I can’t tell you what he looks like. But you shouldn’t have any trouble identifying him. The guy is huge. Not fat. Well built, like a heavyweight boxer. And you shouldn’t have any trouble finding him. He’ll be in a hospital or the morgue.”
“Is there anything else you remember? Any scars, tattoos?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s Russian or from somewhere in Eastern Europe.”
“Now, that is interesting,” Santoro said. “The odds are that Russian muscle would be connected to Nikolai Orlansky, and Charlie Benedict has represented members of Orlansky’s crew.”
“I’d forgotten that.”
“Yeah, well, you had other things on your mind.”
A sudden thought occurred to Santoro. “Do you think Tiffany Starr might be in danger?”
Dana turned pale. “I’m sure this guy came after me because Tiffany told someone about my visit. The person she talked to is probably the person who told her where Carrie Blair was buried.”
Dana looked worried. “Tiffany is a junkie, and junkies can’t be trusted. If I killed Blair and Tiffany told me a reporter had come around asking questions, getting rid of Tiffany would be my top priority.”
Santoro stood up and walked toward his bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Dana asked.
“I’m getting dressed. We’re going to drive to Starr’s apartment and see if she’s okay.”
Tiffany did not answer her door.
“She’s a stripper. She could be at a club,” Dana said.
“I hope so. Because she could also be dead.”
Dana thought for a moment. “Wait in the stairwell.”
“Why?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Dana had been inside Tiffany’s apartment so she knew it didn’t have an alarm system, and the bolt was pathetic. As soon as Santoro was out of sight, Dana jimmied the lock. Twenty minutes later, Dana was walking downstairs with the detective.
“She’s not in the apartment but I did find an ATM receipt of a recent two-thousand-dollar deposit.”
“A payoff for telling Barry Lester what to tell the cops?”
“Could be.”
“Did you see anything that made you think Starr was in danger?”
“There wasn’t any sign of a struggle or blood, if that’s what you mean.”
“Look, Dana, I’ve been thinking. If Nikolai Orlansky sent the guy who attacked you, you’re in a lot of trouble. Orlansky is completely ruthless, he has no conscience. He views killing people as a business strategy.”
“But he wouldn’t know I’m involved. I used a false name when I talked to Starr.”
“Then how did this guy get your number?”
“I gave her a business card identifying ‘Loren Parkhurst’ as a reporter for Exposed.”
“Orlansky is smart, Dana. With the lead to Exposed he’ll figure it out.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m suggesting that you leave town for a while. I know how tough you are but it will be next to impossible for you to get to Orlansky, and he can get to you anytime he wants.”
“I’m not going to run. And what about my boyfriend? I’m living with someone I care about. If Orlansky is as ruthless as you say and he can’t find me, he might try to get at me by threatening Jake.”
“Good point, but I think I know a way to protect both of you. Is there any part of this investigation you can do out of town, because I’ll need a little time to see if it works.”
“There’s something I was going to do that would take me away from D.C.”
“Then do it. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come back. It shouldn’t be long.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Dana got home a little after two-thirty. Jake woke up when she entered the bedroom. Dana sat on the side of the bed.
“We have to talk,” she said.
The only light in the room came from the moon, so Dana’s face was in shadows. Jake couldn’t see her expression, but he could hear the tension in her voice. He sat up.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was attacked tonight.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and the man who attacked me isn’t. I took care of him. But he was working for someone who wants to scare me off a case, and I’m worried that they might try to get at me through you.”
Jake was wide awake now. “How serious