French Silk(71)

Mentally she reviewed everything she knew about Claire Laurent. Some classy broad, she thought grudgingly. Tall. Naturally sender. Well dressed. Classic features. She was the kind of woman Ariel aspired to be, but she knew in her gut that it wasn't in her genes. She could try from now till doomsday and never achieve that cool elegance. You were either born with it or you weren't.

Claire Laurent was taking long, leisurely walks through the French Quarter with A.D.A. Cassidy, who had never looked at Ariel with anything except suspicion and ill-concealed derision. He seemed to know that no matter how often or how hard she washed, she never felt completely clean. He had kissed Claire Laurent! Shame, shame. The possibilities of how she could use that tidbit made Ariel giddy and almost compensated for her envy.

The snooty bitch had bamboozled him. It was as simple as that. Did he think someone as hoity-toity as Claire Laurent was incapable of murder? Think again, Mr. Cassidy.

However you looked at it, he'd been derelict in his duty. Tomorrow morning, even before she called a news conference to announce Ariel Wilde's Prayer and Praise Hour's latest undertaking, she had a vitally important telephone call to make.

* * *

Cassidy had been forewarned that the chief was on the warpath, so Tony Crowder's imperious summons came as no surprise. "He's waiting for you, Cassidy," the secretary informed him sympathetically. "Go right in."

Cassidy assumed a casual air. "Good morning, Tony. You wanted to see me?" From behind his desk, Crowder glared at him. Cassidy took a seat, crossing his ankle over his opposite knee. "Actually I'm glad you called me in this morning. I've got something to discuss with you."

"I'm taking you off the Jackson Wilde murder case."

"What?" Cassidy's foot hit the floor with such impact that it rattled Crowder's cup of coffee against its saucer.

"You heard me. You're off it. I'm reassigning it to Nance."

"You can't."

"I have. Or at least I will as soon as this meeting's concluded. Which it is."

"Like hell." Cassidy shot up from his chair. "Why're you doing this?"

"I'll tell you why," Crowder thundered. "I'm catching holy hell from everybody about this. The mayor. The P.C. Judges. Especially that tight-assed Harris. Congressmen. Even the freaking governor has put in his two cents' worth. I've got Jackson Wilde coming out my ass, and I'm sick of it. I want an end to it, and so far you've failed to make that happen."

"I'm trying."

"With Claire Laurent?"

Cassidy cautiously assessed the glint in his superior's eyes. Uneasiness crept in behind his anger. "Among others."

"Exactly what are you 'trying' with Claire Laurent?"

"I get the impression that's a loaded question."

Crowder maintained a bead on Cassidy as he reached for his coffee cup and slurped from it. "I got a call this morning from Ariel Wilde."

"Okay, I get the picture," Cassidy said, breathing easier. "She reminded you that we haven't arrested her husband's killer yet, and you felt the need to chew ass. Is that what this is about?"

"That's part of it. Not all."

"Well?"

"Did you take Claire Laurent on a romantic moonlight stroll through the French Quarter last night?"

Although Cassidy's heart had dropped to his knees, he kept his expression impassive. "I went to French Silk and confronted Ms. Laurent with information I'd obtained from other sources." He explained about the telephone calls and the discrepancies in timing. "Ms. Laurent claimed that she had filled that time by taking a walk to cool off after meeting Wilde face to face at the crusade. She suggested that we retrace her steps."

"That included a stop at Café du Monde?"

"Yes."

"And a stroll along the Moonwalk?"

"Yes."

"Which is probably where she disposed of the murder weapon."

"I mentioned that," Cassidy said defensively.

"And what did she say?"

"She maintains that she's never owned a gun of any kind and wouldn't even know how to fire one."

"You don't have to be too good a shot to shoot off a man's balls at point-blank range."

"I mentioned that, too," Cassidy said with a laugh.

"You think this is funny?"

"No. The chuckle was my way of pointing out how alike we are."

"Oh yeah? I've never romanced a suspect."

Cassidy's eyes snapped to Crowder's. "Neither have I," he said, giving Crowder back his hard stare.

"That's not what it looked like to Ariel's spy."

"Spy? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Our dear Mrs. Wilde had one of her flunkies keeping an eye on Claire Laurent and reporting anything incriminating or suspicious. So far the only suspicious thing she's done is go out on a date—"

"It wasn't a date!"

"—with the man who may very well have to prosecute her in a court of law. Only I'm eliminating that probability by removing you from the case."

"You can't take me off the case," Cassidy shouted. "I told you how that walk came about."