Dorothea smiled tightly. “Can one ever have enough money? I know I can’t. And Bobby had so damn much of it.”
He eyed her steadily. “Bobby was a tough negotiator. So what was the quid pro quo, Dorothea?”
“I’d rather not say,” she finally replied. “It’s not something I’m exactly proud of.”
“Actually, I think I can guess. The little striptease you did for Kyle probably paled in comparison. By the way, why did you drive one of Bobby’s classic cars to the Aphrodisiac?”
She looked at him with a triumphant smile. “I figured he owed me at least that. And he never drove them anymore.”
“Do you know why?”
“He got tired of them, I guess. The great Bobby Battle was renowned for that. Getting tired of things and then forgetting about them.” She stifled a sob.
King stood and looked down at her with little sympathy. “If Kyle’s death is ruled a murder, the police will want to question you.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter now. It can’t get any worse.”
“Oh, no, Dorothea, it can get a lot worse.”
As they left the house, Michelle said, “How did you know it was her? I had Savannah pegged as our druggie-stripper.”
“No, she couldn’t be.”
“Why not? You remember the way she flaunted herself at the pool that day.”
“Exactly. That was the answer. Sylvia said that when she was at the Aphrodisiac, she overheard Kyle say that the woman was flaunting her naked butt.”
“Yes, so?”
“Well, Savannah has her name tattooed on her butt. Other things being
equal, I doubt she’d show it off to Kyle if she wanted to remain incognito. There’s only one Savannah in Wrightsburg with a derriere like that.”
CHAPTER
64
LATER THAT DAY THEY
received word from Sylvia that she’d completed the autopsy of Kyle Montgomery. They arranged to meet at King’s office. When she showed up, Todd Williams was with her. A minute later Chip Bailey pulled into the parking lot.
“I called him,” explained Williams. “I figured we needed to keep him in the loop, even though Kyle’s killing isn’t connected to the serial murders.”
“Are you sure it’s not?” replied King.
Williams looked at him sharply. “Are you trying to drive me nuts?”
As they settled themselves in the conference room, Sylvia opened her folder.
“As I said, we won’t know the exact cause of death until we get the toxicology screens back,” she began. “However, there were some unusual findings on the external exam that lead me to believe his death was suspicious.”
“As in suicide by overdose?” asked King.
“No, as in homicide.” She paused and then began speaking quickly but firmly. “Kyle was not a known drug user. We found no other drugs or drug paraphernalia in his apartment, and there were no other needle marks on any part of his body.”
“But you did find a used syringe with something in it and a needle mark in the arm,” commented Bailey.
“The something in the syringe has been confirmed as heroin. Okay, let’s say Kyle wanted to kill himself. Heroin is a street drug, so you can never be certain of the dose you’re actually injecting. And you also have to wonder where he obtained it. I obviously don’t have any in my pharmacy.”