Lt. Angel got up from his desk. “I’d congratulate you on your work but since you’re right, it’s Wonderland quality, I’ll save the awards and decorations until you come back with a name. I will say you’ve turned over a lot of interesting rocks. What’s next?”
“I want to find out whose fingerprints are on the kiln controller and the glass, so I’ll nag the lab. And I’m going back to the Pearl to talk to Liz Fairchild. Maybe now that she’s had a chance to think things over, she’ll have more to say to me.”
• • •
“Detective Hartmann, how nice to see you again.” Liz Fairchild greeted the police officer as she opened the door. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d come during regular gallery hours to see what my artists are exhibiting.”
“Sorry to inconvenience you, Ms. Fairchild, but this isn’t so much about art appreciation as an appreciation for the truth. Or lack of it, in this case.”
“Oh, my, you’re more confrontational than you were the last time you were here.”
“That was the good cop. I’m here today as the bad cop.”
“I thought that was a game you played with two officers.”
“We’re understaffed. Can we go back to your office for a few minutes?”
Liz led the way. “Okay,” she said when they were both seated, “what now?”
“Unless you want to spend the afternoon at the precinct with your lawyer and a couple of officers really playing good-cop/bad-cop, you can tell me the truth about what you saw at Bullseye when you were there the night of the murder.”
Liz took a deep breath and rummaged around aimlessly on the top of her desk. Eventually she looked straight at Danny Hartmann.
“Look, I didn’t lie. I just left out a few things.”
“Lot of that going around,” Danny said.
“I got a phone call while I was eating dinner. A voice whispered that if I wanted to get the contract thing straightened out with Eubie, I should get to Bullseye ASAP.”
“Did you recognize the voice?”
“No. But I went anyway. It wasn’t much of a detour to swing by Bullseye on my way home so I thought what the hell, I might as well go see what he had to say.”
“What did you see while you were there?”
“The building was dark. No signs anyone was there, except for what was parked in the covered parking area: an old brown hatchback, Eubie’s van, and … and a red SUV. Amanda St. Claire’s. With her vanity plate, it’s easy to identify.”
“Was she in her vehicle?”
“No, I didn’t see a living soul. Or a dead one.”
“So, what did you do?”
“It was pouring rain so I stayed in the car and waited for a couple minutes to see if anyone came out. No one showed so I left.”
“Any idea what time it was?”
“Around nine, I’d guess.”