Mystery_ An Alex Delaware Novel Part 17

"I'm fine," said Agajanian, averting his eye from the image. "That's disgusting, there was no need for that. Why didn't you just call my office?"

"We did. Your secretary promised to call you right away but we never heard back."

"I was working outside the office, haven't checked messages."

"Outside, as in your sisters' office?"

"Outside is all you need to know. Now, you really should go. This is totally inappropriate."

Milo said, "If we had reached you on the phone would you have given me that poor girl's real name?"

"What makes you think this will be effective?"

"I always go for the personal touch."

"What did you say your name was?"

"Sturgis, West L.A. Division."

"And you're a lieutenant."

Milo smiled. "And you're an attorney."

Agajanian said, "Lieutenant Sturgis," as if caching a weapon.

Milo said, "If you'd like to enter it into your PDA, I'd be happy to wait."

"That's okay, I have a good memory."

"Does that include this poor girl's real name?"

Agajanian didn't answer.

Milo said, "I also need the name of anyone your sisters hooked her up with-"

"My sisters don't hook anyone up, they've created a social networking site."

"Where people pay them for the privilege of hooking up."

"It's not a fine point, it's the crux, Lieutenant. There's no genuine agency here, meaning SukRose is not a party to any transaction and as such-"

"They're aiming to be the eBay of MayDecember romance," said Milo. "I hope they make billions. Meanwhile, give me names for one particular May and any Decembers in her past so we can find out who turned her into hamburger. At the least, we'll be able to notify her family so what's left of her-her components components-are not stacked indefinitely in a refrigerated closet-"

"I get get you, Lieutenant Sturgis. But no, sorry, can't help." you, Lieutenant Sturgis. But no, sorry, can't help."

Milo loomed. "Why not?"

"Why not? Because SukRose could conceivably end up incurring legal responsibility for any ensuing personal damage brought about by your investigation. Then there's the general matter of privacy and-"

"I get you you, Mr. Agajanian."

"Meaning?"

"You were always a good student but the sight of blood grossed you out so instead of becoming a doctor where you might actually be able to help someone, you chose a profession where you get paid to turn simple things complicated by creating a foreign language called lawyer-speak that you can then charge poor suckers to translate."

Arcing a thumb at the Boxster's personalized plate, Milo winked. "Life is good, huh?"

Brian Agajanian's jaw dropped, then slammed shut, tightening to compensate. "I'm not going to stand here and justify my profession. Some things are are complicated and your situation falls into that category." complicated and your situation falls into that category."

Milo dropped the death photo into his case. "Suit yourself, Brian. Have you discussed with your sisters the fact that the less you tell us, the more public exposure their company's going to get? But not the right type of exposure? As in tomorrow's six o'clock news letting the world know that one of their Sweeties ended up murdered and they've refused to help furnish evidence?"

"That," said Agajanian, "would incur consequences of its own."

"You bet it would, Brian. If I'm a rich geezer looking for a nubile hard-body I'm not gonna turn to a website where a hard-body got turned nasty-mushy and the police are snooping around."

"That's my point! Your snooping is potentially deleterious to the survival of-"

"What's deleterious, Brian, is your letting things get to the point where everything's out in the open."

"You're the one ripping it wide open." the one ripping it wide open."

"Business is business," said Milo. "Mine is putting away bad guys and if your sisters are taking money from a murderer to whom they supply girls-directly or indirectly-you think that's gonna help their business? It's in their best interests to clear this up. One way or the other, I'm gonna find out who killed that poor girl and why. The only question is do Suki and Rosalynn end up part of the problem or part of the solution."

Agajanian's chest heaved. He stared at the sky.

"Brian?"

"They end up neither, because they're not involved any more than the phone company's involved when someone makes a crank call."

"We subpoena phone records," said Milo. "Have no problem getting compliance."

"Then maybe you should subpoena us."

"Suit yourself, Brian. Meanwhile, my Public Affairs Division tells me there's a TV reporter doing a story on computer dating sites, real pushy type, chafing at the bit to learn more about your sisters."

"My sisters have done nothing wrong."

"If you say so. We're finished, go enjoy your family." Milo turned to leave.

Brian Agajanian said, "You're telling me there's been a specific request to cover SukRose.net?"

"What started out as general interest got specific when news of this poor girl's murder got out."

"You didn't purposely direct this reporter to my sisters?"

"Nope."

"But if I don't comply, you will."

"Brian, the less media contact I have, the better. But once the wheels start spinning, it's hard to put the brakes on."

"This is wrong. This is totally wrong." Agajanian tapped a foot, looked out over the rooftops of houses beneath his. "Okay, I didn't want to get into this but maybe it'll prevent you from wasting your time and ours. Trust me, there is no no possible connection between my sisters' client and your victim's murder. None, whatsoever." possible connection between my sisters' client and your victim's murder. None, whatsoever."

"One client," said Milo. "You're saying she only hooked up with one Daddy?"

"I'm saying you're wasting your time looking at any any client of my sisters. You have my personal a.s.surance in that regard." client of my sisters. You have my personal a.s.surance in that regard."

"That so?"

"Cross my heart." Agajanian's smile was smug. The joy of regaining the upper hand.

Milo said, "Well, here's my personal a.s.surance, Brian: If you want your sisters' business to thrive, you're gonna need to cut the c.r.a.p and stop dancing around and give me two names. Hers and her date's. Once you do that, I'm out of your hair."

"What if you decide to get back into my hair?"

"Then you'll need one h.e.l.luva comb."

"Very funny-"

"It's not funny, Brian. Nothing's funny. A poor girl got her face blown off and even if I had a sense of humor to begin with, I lost it. You've got ten seconds to decide before those wheels start spinning."

Agajanian's Adam's apple rose and fell. He licked his lips.

New smile. Tight, cold, focused.

Milo said, "Nice talking to you, Brian."

Agajanian said, "Should SukRose choose to help your department in the pursuit of their investigation and SukRose choose to help your department in the pursuit of their investigation and should should SukRose at some point require confirmation of that help, I need a guarantee that said confirmation will be forthcoming without undue delay or obfuscation. Furthermore, the police department must pledge to do its utmost to s.h.i.+eld SukRose from unwarranted media exposure, excepting such exposure that SukRose solicits in pursuit of its own legitimate interests, not to exclude film, television, or printed media adaptation." SukRose at some point require confirmation of that help, I need a guarantee that said confirmation will be forthcoming without undue delay or obfuscation. Furthermore, the police department must pledge to do its utmost to s.h.i.+eld SukRose from unwarranted media exposure, excepting such exposure that SukRose solicits in pursuit of its own legitimate interests, not to exclude film, television, or printed media adaptation."

"You want to write a screenplay?"

"Just b.u.t.toning down details, Lieutenant. Finally, it is imperative imperative that SukRose not be identified as the source of the information you are seeking in any way that exposes the company or its princ.i.p.als to civil or criminal liability." that SukRose not be identified as the source of the information you are seeking in any way that exposes the company or its princ.i.p.als to civil or criminal liability."

That sounded like a motion he'd drafted and memorized. To my ear, meaningless, unenforcable pap.

Maybe he needed to face-save at the next family reunion.

Milo smiled. "You're a good brother, Brian. And that all sounds fine to me."

Brian Agajanian breathed in deeply, closed his eyes. "The name in our files is Tara Sly."

"Sly as in-"

"Clever, tricky. And that's all I know about her except for what she listed on her page. Women don't pay a fee so we don't collect personal data from them. Therefore I have no address or financial information to give you, only the email address she was using at the time, which is [email protected] I tried to send an email there and it got kicked back as an inactive account. And yes, she did connect to only one client but as I told you he's irrelevant."

"Because he's a saint?"

"Even better," said Agajanian. "He's deceased."

"His email got kicked back, too?"

"I checked him out in public records, found the death certificate. Natural causes."

"Thorough, Brian."

"No need to thank me."

"I'll thank you once I get a copy of Tara Sly's page as it was when she posted it on SukRose. Same for the late, lamented Sugar Daddy and his personal information."

"I just told you, he's dead," said Agajanian. "Nine months ago."

"I'm a thorough guy, Brian."

Agajanian flexed a biceps. "You cannot tell his family you found him through SukRose."

"Wouldn't think of it."

"Fine, fine." Agajanian's face was wet with sweat. "If you promise me that's the end of it." you promise me that's the end of it."

"Cross my my heart, Brian." heart, Brian."

"Wait here, I'll bring it to you."

"Thank you, Brian."

"I still don't know why you'd care about a dead guy."

"Old habits," said Milo.

SukRose Sweetie #21667 Codename: Mystery Age: 24 Residence: Western Elite Height: 56 Weight: 113 Body Cla.s.sification: Sylph With Curve Bonus Eye Color: Brown (Chocolate) Hair Color: Blond (Honey) Education: A.A. communications Occupation: Model, Actress, Personal Care Speciliast Habits: No bad ones. Least I don't think! LOL.

Nonsmoker but I don't mind if U light up a big juicy Cohiba in fact I like the aroma.

Profile: California Girl all the way, luv the whole state top and bottom and middle cuz let's face it clouds are a drag and suns.h.i.+ne's great for the mood and even for the skin if you don't overdo cuz it puts in a glow. Why not be happy when happy makes everyone else happy is my montra. Adventure and freedom are my thing. Specially freedom. But adventure doesn't come too far behind. I luv to travel but to be real honest haven't done as much as I would if I had a good friend who also luvved to travel. Favorite food: Mexican if there's no cruelty in how they make it and who says Mexican can't be vegan their great with veggies. Favorite music: Pink, Lifehouse, Lady Gaga, Katie Perry, The Thermals, Maroon Five. Favorite read: Elle, Marie Claire, Architecture Digest, People, Us. Guilty Pleasure: The Enquirer. I like yoga and Pilates and really anything that centers me and lets me explore. I like to take long walks they can be slow or airobic. I'm all kinds of physical but also I'm spiritual and I luuuuuuv animals but if you have allergies we can just go to the zoo and look at them from far away. Anything that's fun for U is fun for me. I like to please so please let me please suns.h.i.+ne's great for the mood and even for the skin if you don't overdo cuz it puts in a glow. Why not be happy when happy makes everyone else happy is my montra. Adventure and freedom are my thing. Specially freedom. But adventure doesn't come too far behind. I luv to travel but to be real honest haven't done as much as I would if I had a good friend who also luvved to travel. Favorite food: Mexican if there's no cruelty in how they make it and who says Mexican can't be vegan their great with veggies. Favorite music: Pink, Lifehouse, Lady Gaga, Katie Perry, The Thermals, Maroon Five. Favorite read: Elle, Marie Claire, Architecture Digest, People, Us. Guilty Pleasure: The Enquirer. I like yoga and Pilates and really anything that centers me and lets me explore. I like to take long walks they can be slow or airobic. I'm all kinds of physical but also I'm spiritual and I luuuuuuv animals but if you have allergies we can just go to the zoo and look at them from far away. Anything that's fun for U is fun for me. I like to please so please let me please.

Seeking: A Daddy of any age who knows how to be strong but also gentle, spiritual but also practical, kind but also a leader who embraces change. I'm not one of those people who thinks money has to give you headaches or mess up your life it's all about balance and why not enjoy the world if no one gets hurt? I want an adventure with the right person and I don't close doors I like to open them.

Flanking the profile were four photos.