The Helium Murder(36)

“Rocky Busso was found dead an hour ago,” he said. “An apparent suicide. He left a note confessing to Hurley’s murder.”





Chapter Fifteen

I felt a shiver through my whole body, and a sadness that surprised me. I couldn’t believe that Rocky Busso was dead, and I couldn’t believe that I cared. I also felt waves of doubt—that he took his own life, or that he was solely responsible for Hurley’s murder—all the more amazing considering how fearful I’d been of him. It seemed that the few minutes he’d spent in my apartment changed my view of him completely, and I felt closer to this victim than to Congresswoman Hurley.

From the distance created by my mental wanderings, I heard Matt’s voice.

“Gloria?”

He gave me a look I’d come to recognize as concern—his brow knotted into wrinkles, his mouth twisted a little to the left.

“I’m shocked,” I said. “Do you really think there’s anything to it?”

“That he’s dead?”

“That he did it himself, or that he murdered Hurley?”

“It does have a funny ring to it. It’s not usually that simple,” Matt said, talking as much to himself as to me. “We’ll certainly be looking into it. It’s not your problem, though, is it?”

“I think he was hired to kill her, but whoever was supposed to pay him, killed him instead.” My declaration came out with much more emotion than I’d planned, and I realized I’d snapped a red plastic paper clip in two while I was talking. “Maybe he wanted more money or something, or maybe he wanted out of the life,” I said.

“Evidently Rocky’s good deed had a greater effect on you than you thought. Are you going to be all right? You’ve had a lot to deal with this week, Gloria, and I think you should call it quits for a while.”

“I wonder if he told any of his friends he was expecting money, or ...”

“You’re not listening, are you?”

“I’m afraid of what you’re going to say.”

“Like, ‘you’re off the case?’”

“Something like that. You know I can’t drop things, Matt. Cavallo will be here any minute, and you’ll need me,” I said, waving my notes in the air to emphasize my point.

As if by some magic, coincident with the fluttering papers, a uniformed officer appeared in the doorway with Vincent Cavallo, much younger and much more handsome than I’d pictured, with dark hair and eyes and a nose so perfect I knew he couldn’t be all Italian. Was it my imagination, or were they giving Ph.D.s out sooner than they used to, I wondered, and to better-looking people?

I knew it would be awkward for Matt to fire me in front of company, so I used the occasion to my advantage.

“You have some very interesting proposals,” I said to Cavallo, immediately after Matt introduced me. “I’m especially curious about the idea of eliminating cylinder-filling but increasing sales of crude helium.”

There, I thought, he can’t fire me now.

Matt gave me a side glance and shook his head. I knew I hadn’t heard the last of his worries, but at least for the duration of this interview I was safe from downsizing.

Cavallo answered three or four questions I had, laying out the statistics on the balance of revenues, and when he was relaxed and confident, Matt stepped in.

“Tell me about your association with the federal helium operations,” he said.

Cavallo shifted in his seat, placing both feet on the floor in front of him. He unbuttoned his leather jacket and loosened the scarf around his neck. I was most disappointed when he screwed up his mouth and disturbed his poster-boy features.

“I’m not associated with the helium facility,” he said.

“You’re listed as a private consultant.”

“I’m not representing myself in that regard.”

“I don’t understand,” Matt said. “Do you or don’t you receive contracts and money from the helium facility?”

“In a way.”

“In a way,” Matt said, clicking his tongue. “And haven’t you also received money to evaluate the facility as an independent expert, as if you had no interest in it?”

Cavallo’s smooth, low baritone had changed to one slightly higher in pitch, and I noticed that he’d begun to play with his watchband. I felt like part of an experimental psychology team, where I set up the subjects and Matt came in with the “gotcha” questions.

“I receive contracts, but I’m not the endpoint. I represent another party who has the controlling interest in what I do.” Cavallo spoke with seconds, if not minutes, between words, as if he were making his way slowly through a test in a foreign language.