Free Stranglehold by Ed Gorman Page B

thirty or forty minutes ago.”
    â€œAnd I’m hoping that a good number of people saw you.”
    â€œA large number of people. And all night long.”
    Somewhere in the pocket of her jacket her cell phone rang. “Excuse me.”
    I tried to make sense of her and the phone conversation, but I couldn’t. The county morgue was mentioned. The rest of it was lost on me.
    After putting her phone away again, she said, “Do you know Greg Larson, Ms. Davies’s partner?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWhat do you think of him?”
    â€œI’d rather not say.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause we hate each other. Anything I’d say about him would be prejudiced.”
    â€œWhy do you hate him?”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter.”
    â€œIt matters to me, Mr. Conrad.”
    My fingers started drumming on the table. As if I didn’t control them.
    â€œMr. Conrad?”
    â€œI’m in a business that can get dirty. I’ve been dirty myself and I’ll be dirty again. But it’s a matter of degrees. Most people on either side have lines they won’t cross. Larson crosses them all the time.”
    â€œYou’re quite angry, Mr. Conrad. I can see it on your face.”
    â€œYou asked how I felt about Larson. I told you.”
    â€œHave you seen Mr. Larson?”
    â€œYes. He came to the fund-raiser tonight.”
    â€œIsn’t that strange? Him coming to a fund-raiser for his opponent?”
    I made it a joke. “He came to torment me.”
    â€œAnd did he succeed?”
    â€œHe sure did. I don’t like being in the same room with him.”
    â€œDid you feel the same way about Monica Davies?”
    â€œPretty much. They both did the same kind of work.”
    â€œOne more question, Mr. Conrad. The patrolman told me that you had some kind of altercation with somebody in a car behind the hotel a few minutes ago.”
    â€œIt wasn’t an altercation. I just wanted to say hello to an old friend.”
    â€œApparently he didn’t want to say hello to you. The officer told me that you were shouting at him and chasing after his car.”
    â€œHe obviously didn’t recognize who I was. He might not even have heard me. In college he always played the radio very loud.”
    Her sly smile was a review of my story. It closed opening night. “I’d never take up fiction if I were you, Mr. Conrad.”
    She stood up. “I see I have two more people I need to talk to, and I’m sure you’re ready for some sleep.” She offered her long, sleek hand. As I stood up I took it. She was strong. “I’m sorry I had to trouble you with all this.”
    â€œDoing your job.”
    She gave me her best broadest, emptiest smile. “Now, that’s not what you’re
really
thinking, is it?”
    â€œNo,” I said as I started to turn away. “No, I guess it’s not.” I was too tired for any more of her droll inquisition.
    â€œGive the female patrol officer all your contact information, if you would. I hope you have a good night’s sleep.”
    I muttered through room number, phone number, home address, home telephone number, and headquarters phone number with the officer taking down all the information. Then I turned, yawning, toward the elevator.

PART TWO

CHAPTER    11
    I got into headquarters just after seven the next morning. I’d spent forty-five minutes on the StairMaster in the hotel gym, then had an egg and a piece of toast and three cups of coffee in the café. I was the only one in the office for a time. I didn’t want to think about Monica Davies and why Bobby had had her card and how Susan Cooper might be involved in all this. I forced myself to go through the internals that had been faxed late last night.
    The difference between public polling and internal polling is sometimes complicated but generally comes down to the fact that internal polling is done in