Free A Simple Suburban Murder by Mark Richard Zubro Page A

of the above ever heard of the kid either. That doesn't mean there isn't some lesser-known or newer group he's working for, or like I said the other night, the kid could be freelancing."
    "So you didn't get anything."
    "Be not too hasty, gorgeous one. I went back and checked several of the disreputable escort services. That was much more difficult. One of them had this tidbit. They never heard of a Phil Evans, but they knew Jim Evans. I was sure it wasn't the same man. Who ever heard of a forty-six-year-old hustler? I described the elder Evans from what you told me. My source insisted that it was the same man. He didn't know what Evans did for the service. He only knew there was some connection."
    "What would Jim Evans have to do with a gay escort service?" I asked.
    "That I couldn't tell you." "Could you at least tell me which escort service it was?"
    He mulled this over. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I know you can't reveal my source, and you won't reveal where you got this from."
    I assured him I wouldn't.
    He warned, "It's unrealistic to expect to call and expect them to talk to you."
    "I've got to try."
    "When we worked together, you were the most trustworthy one, often the only trustworthy one. Use this information carefully. It's called Adonis-at-Large. It specializes in pretty young men. Be careful when you call them," he said. "It's most likely they'll simply hang up on you, but there's a real possibility of danger when you start getting nosy around those prostitution things."
    "You're involved with them," I pointed out.
    "Yes, dear, but that's different. I'm involved in the community and have well-connected sources whom I trust and who trust me."
    "Would you be willing to come with me if I decided to go see them?"
    "No. I can't go beyond my sources, sorry."
    "Thanks anyway. I'll be careful."
    "Good. Now, I've also checked at every point available to me in the general community: social service agencies, hotlines, whatever. As far as they know or were willing to tell, the kid isn't in Chicago. Sorry, dear, that's not what you wanted to hear, I know. Tell me, what did you learn?"
    "We might have a lead from a three-hundred-pound lesbian named Daphne."
    "Janet, from the Womb?"
    "You know her?"
    "I know a great deal about her." His voice dripped the acid of a vicious queen on the attack. "Don't trust that woman. Better yet, have no dealings with that woman."
    "Why not?"
    "She has the most foul reputation of any so-called community leader in the city. She's double-crossed half the prominent gays in town and all the bar owners."
    "Double-crossed?"
    "The examples are legion. Here's the major problem. Say they'd all get together to endorse a candidate for office, or to deal with police raids on our bars. They'd agree on united action. A few days later, sometimes only hours later, they'd find out that she'd cut her own deal with the alderman, the ward committeeman, or the commander down at the local police station. To say she's intensely disliked is an understatement. Don't expect much help from her. She's got one of the most prosperous bars in the community, and she never spends a cent on any gay causes."
    "She might be able to lead us to the kid."
    "She told you that?"
    "She said she'd talk to him and let us know if he would talk to us."
    "Don't believe her. Anyway I haven't gotten to the worst. She's one of the disreputable crowd I couldn't check on. My sources wouldn't even talk about her. I do know this. She's got boys working out of that bar, and we're talking young boys. What's more, she's never been raided, not even harassed slightly. She's got to have powerful connections."
    "Does she actually own the bar?" I asked. "She said she did."
    "I doubt it. She runs the place and may own a part of it. It's more likely a partnership deal. Most of them are these days."
    After a dozen more warnings and predictions of doom, Neil rang off, insisting we keep in touch with him.
    Scott had listened on an extension. He came into the