New York Dead (Stone Barrington 1)

“Yes, Ms. Morgan. Did you think of something else?”

“I… I lied to you, I’m afraid.”

“How so?”

“I was at home alone the night Sasha fell. Chelsea wasn’t with me. She said that to protect me, but I realize this is serious, and I don’t want to involve her. I hope you’ll for get that I didn’t tell you the truth the first time; I’m telling you the truth now.”

“All right, we’ll forget your first statement and leave Chelsea out of it.”

“Thank you.”

“What time did you get home that night?”

“I worked on the evening news, so it would have been about eight thirty.”

“Did anyone see you? The doorman, maybe?”

“I live in a walk-up in the West Village. There’s no doorman.”

“Anybody else? A neighbor?”

“No. There are only two apartments in the building, and my downstairs neighbor was on vacation.”

“Did you go out again for any reason?”

“No. I read until about eleven, then I went to sleep.”

“I see. Ms. Morgan, I’d like you to come up to the Nineteenth Precinct to be fingerprinted. It might help us eliminate you as a suspect.”

She paused for a long time. “I don’t think I want to do that,” she said. “I’ve already talked to a lawyer, and he advised me not to cooperate any further than this.”

“That’s your right,” Stone said. “But I have to tell you that the Supreme Court doesn’t consider being fingerprinted to be self-incriminating. We may have to insist.”

“I suppose that’s your right,” she replied. “But I haven’t done anything wrong, and you don’t have any real reason to suspect me. So I won’t be having anything else to say.”

“I’m sorry you’ve decided to do it this way, Ms. Morgan.”

“Good afternoon, Detective Barrington.” She hung up.

Stone told Dino about their conversation.

“Bingo!” Dino cried. “Let’s go see Leary.”

“Wait a minute,” Stone said. “I just remembered something.” He went to the evidence room, dug out Sasha Nijinsky’s financial records, and began leafing through her checkbook.

“What are you looking for?” Dino asked.

“I remember some checks Sasha wrote. Here! One… two… three of them, all made out to Henrietta Morgan! The name meant nothing to me at the time.” He totted up the amounts in his head. “Total of twenty thousand dollars over eight weeks, listed as loans. You know what this smells like, Dino?”

“Blackmail!” Dino yelled. “Miss Hank says, ‘Pay me, Sasha, or I’ll tell all!’ Let’s go see Leary!”

Leary beamed at them. “I knew good police work was going to break this case.” He chortled. “Pick her up right now.” He reached for the phone. “I’ll call Delgado; he’ll call Waldron.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lieutenant,” Stone said, “not yet, anyway. Let’s get her up here and hear her story first.”

“Get your asses out of here and bring in the dyke!” Leary said, dialing.

“This is insane!” Hank Morgan said, interrupting Stone in his readi