Salvation In Death Part 16

"Am I going to dig a little, Billy, and find out you and Jolene have been breaking any commandments?"

His head snapped up. "You will not. Jolene would never betray Jimmy Jay in that way. In any way. She's a lady, and a good Christian woman."

"Who spiked Jenkins's stage water with vodka?"

Billy sighed. "Josie took care of it tonight. There's no need to bring that out, and embarra.s.s Jolene. I t was a small thing."

"The church is big business. A lot of money. Who gets what?"

"I t's very complicated, Lieutenant."

"Simplify it."

"Church a.s.sets remain church a.s.sets. Some of those a.s.sets are used by the Jenkins family. The plane used for transportation in the work of the church, for instance. His daughters' homes, which are also used for church business. Several vehicles and other a.s.sets. Jimmy Jay and Jolene have-over more than thirty-five years of time and effort-acc.u.mulated considerable wealth in their own right. I know, as I was consulted, that Jimmy Jay arranged, should ... should he go to G.o.d, that Jolene and his family are provided for. And that the church itself can and will continue. I t was his life's work."

"Did he leave anything to you, Billy?"

"Yes. I 'll inherit some of his personal effects, one million dollars, and the responsibility of managing the church in the manner he wished."

"Who'd he cheat on Jolene with?""I won't dignify that with an answer."

Something there, Eve decided. "I f you're taking that stand to protect him, you may also be protecting his killer."

"Jimmy Jay is beyond my protection. He's in G.o.d's hands."

"Eventually, his killer will be in mine." She rose. "Where are you staying in New York?"

"At the Mark. The family was given use of the home of one of our flock. They're at a town house on Park Avenue. The rest of us are at the Mark."

"You're free to go there, but don't leave the city."

"None of us will leave until we take Jimmy Jay's earthly remains back home."

Eve tracked down Peabody, pulled her out of yet another dressing room. "This place is a d.a.m.n maze. Status."

"I 've finished the first two daughters, and I 'm on number three. My take is they're in shock, and they want their mother, which is where the first two are now. They're worried about their kids, who are with the nanny who travels with them. The youngest one's in there and about five months pregnant."

"c.r.a.p."

"She's holding up, holding on."

"Which one's Josie?"

"Inside. Jackie, Jaime, and Josie." Peabody's face creased with a frown. "What's with all the J's?"

"Who knows. I need to ask this J a couple of questions."

"Okay. Listen, I told McNab to take the husbands since he'd finished with Security."

"That's fine. Maybe we'll get out of here before morning." Eve stepped in.

The woman inside wore white. Her hair was a softer shade of blond than her mother's and worn loose around her shoulders. I f she'd indulged in facial enhancers like her mother, she'd cleaned them off. Her face was pale and bare, her eyes red-rimmed with tears s.h.i.+ning out of the blue.

After the sugary pink of Jolene's dressing room, the reds and golds of this one came as a relief. Under a lighted mirror stood a tidy grove of stage enhancers, grooming tools, framed photographs.

In one the recently deceased held a chubby baby.

"Josie."

"Yes."

"I 'm Lieutenant Dallas. I 'm sorry for your loss."

"I 'm trying to tell myself he's with G.o.d. But I want him to be with me." As she spoke, she rubbed circles over the lump of her belly. "I was just thinking how busy we all were today, getting ready for tonight, and how little time I had with him. How I was doing something or other this afternoon, and I thought: 'Oh, I have to talk to Daddy, and tell him how Jilly-my little girl-how she printed her name today, and got all the letters right.' But I didn't get the chance. Now I won't."

"Josie, did you put the water bottles onstage?"

"Yes. Seven of them. Three for each half, and one extra. He usually only went through the six, but we always put out seven, in case. On the table behind the drop."

"The drop?"

"Curtain. See, the singers open, upstage, then when Mama and Daddy come in, they lift the curtain. The table's there, behind it."

"When did you put them out?"

"Ah, about fifteen minutes before his cue, I think. Not much before that." S be/di "When did you put the vodka in?"

She flushed, pink as her mother's dress. "Maybe an hour or so before. Please don't tell Mama."

"She knows. She understands."

"You got the bottle in his dressing room?""That's right."

She wiped at fresh tears with her fingers. "He wasn't in-sometimes he is, and we'd talk a little while I fixed his bottles. I f I was doing it. And we'd joke. He liked a good joke. Then I 'd take them back to my dressing room. My sisters and I sing, too. We'd perform in the second half with Mama, and at the end, with the Eternal Lights, Mama, and Daddy."

"Did you see anyone around your father's dressing room?"

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many of us. I saw some of the crew going here and there, and the wardrobe mistress-Kammi-she came in with Daddy's suit as I was leaving, and some of the tech crew were here and there. I wasn't paying attention, Miss Dallas. I was thinking how I wanted to get back to the dressing room with my sisters, and stretch out for a few minutes." Her hands moved over her belly again. "I get tired easy these days."

"Okay, let's try this. Did you see anything or anyone out of place?"

"No. I 'm sorry."

Eve pushed to her feet. "Detective Peabody's going to finish up, then she'll take you to your mother." Eve started to the door, stopped, turned back.

"You said how busy you all were today. Did your father spend the day here, rehearsing?"

"Oh, no. We all had breakfast this morning, at the home where we're staying. And morning prayer. Then the kids have school. My sister Jackie and Merna-that's who helps out with the kids-taught today. Mama came down first, to meet with Kammi, and with Foster, who does our hair. Mama is very hands-on with the wardrobe, the hair, and makeup. Daddy went out for his walk and meditation."

"When?"

"Oh ... around noon, I guess. No, closer to eleven."

"With his bodyguard?"

Josie bit her lip. "I forgot, that's one of those things like the vodka. Daddy sometimes gives Clyde an hour or two off, and he sort of lets Clyde think he'll be staying in, working. But he just wants to get outside and walk and think, on his own."

"So your father was out on his own, walking and thinking, from around eleven to ..."

"I 'm not sure, because most of us went on before one, to rehea.r.s.e, and to check with Mama on the wardrobe and so on."

"Everyone was here at one?"

"Well, I don't know. Everyone on the girls' side would've been by around one-thirty anyway. I know that sounds silly, but the singers are all girls, and we're all on stage left, so we call the girls' side."

"Anyone missing, or late?"

"I just don't know. My sisters and I went straight out to rehea.r.s.e, and I can't recall anyone not being there when we switched off so the Eternal Lights could rehea.r.s.e."

"And your father?"

"I heard him doing sound checks. He had such a big voice. Then we all rehea.r.s.ed the final song, and the encore. I went to spend some time with Walt and Jilly-my husband and my daughter."

"Okay. What's the address where you're staying?"

Eve noted it down, nodded. "Thank you, Josie."

"I know G.o.d has a plan. And I know whoever did this will answer to G.o.d. But I hope you'll see that whoever did this answers here on Earth before that day."

"Well, that's my plan."

Eve went back out, wound around to Roarke, who sat front row center, happily playing with his pocket PPC. "Status?"

"G.o.d is a very big, and very lucrative business. Want a report?"

"Not just yet. You should go home."

"Why do you always want to spoil my fun?"

She leaned down until they were eye to eye. "His wife loved him. That's no bulls.h.i.+t. I love you."

"That's no bulls.h.i.+t."

"I f I found out you were s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around on me, could I off you?" He inclined his head. "I believe I 've already been informed you'd be doing therhumba-after appropriate lessons-on my cold, dead body."

"Yeah. Yeah." I t cheered her up. "Just not sure pink Jolene has the stones for that."

"Jimmy Jay was in violation of the ... which commandment is it that deals with adultery?"

"How the h.e.l.l would I know, especially since I wouldn't wait for you to face your eternal punishment, should you be in said violation, before I rhumba'd my a.s.s off."

"Such is true love."

"Bet your excellent a.s.s. I got the vibe he might've been s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around, but maybe I 'm just a cynical so-and-so."

Pleased with her, Roarke tapped a finger over the dent in her chin. "You are, but you're my cynical so-and-so."

"Awww. Money's another good one. What kind of-round figure-lucrative are we talking?"

"I f we put church a.s.sets, personal a.s.sets, a.s.sets neatly tipped into his children's and grandchildren's names, his wife's personal a.s.sets into the same hat, upward of six billion."

"That's pretty f.u.c.king round. I 'll get back to you."

She hunted down Clyde, found him in a small backstage canteen, sitting over what smelled like a miserable cup of coffee. He smiled weakly.

"Coffee here's as bad as cop coffee ever was."

"I 'll take your word." She sat and looked him in the eye. "Did Jimmy Jay have a sidepiece?"

He puffed out his cheeks. "I never saw him, not once in the eight years I 've been with him, behave inappro-priately with another woman."

"That's not an answer, Clyde."

He s.h.i.+fted in his seat, and she knew her vibe rang true.

"I 've been divorced twice. Drank too much, saw too much, brought it all home too much and lost two wives to the job. Lost my faith, lost myself. I found them again when I heard Jimmy Jay preach. I went to him, and he gave me a job. He gave me a second chance to be a good man."

"That's still not an answer. He's dead. Somebody put something besides a little shot of vodka in his water. So I 'm going to ask you one more time, Detective Sergeant: Did he have a sidepiece?"

"I figure it's likely. I never saw him, like I said. But I had a sidepiece or two in my time, and I know the signs."

"Did his wife know?"

"I f you asked me to swear to it, I might hesitate, but I 'd still say no."

"Why?"

"I 'd've seen it, felt it. I t's a good bet I 'd have heard it. I think she'd have stood by him if she found out, but I think-h.e.l.l, I know-she'd have put the stops to it. She's a soft-hearted woman, Lieutenant, and she loved him to distraction. But she's got a spine in there. She wouldn't put up with it. Fact is, he loved her the same way.

"I know," he said when she stared through him. "We always say we love the wife when we're s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around on her. But he did. The man was crazy about Jolene. He just lit up when she was around. I f she'd found out and put it to him, if he'd seen it hurt her, he'd have stopped."

"He didn't stop the vodka."

Clyde puffed out his cheeks again. "No. No, I guess he didn't."