The Cold Nowhere (27 page)

‘I talk to everyone who buys one of my vehicles, Ms. Dial. Her lead salesman was Phyllis Bowen, but I thanked Ms. Huizenfelt personally for patronizing my establishment. That’s my rule, been that way ever since I opened. I may not see customers for a decade or more, but they’ll come back to me sooner or later, and in the meantime they’ll send me their family and friends. That’s the way it works. It’s a service business.’

‘Margot?’ Serena repeated.

‘What about her? What do you want to know?’

‘What did you two talk about?’ Serena asked.

‘We talked about what a great truck she was buying.’

‘Anything else?’

‘Not much. I’m a politician, Ms. Dial, and Ms. Huizenfelt is a reporter. As far as I’m concerned, everything I say around a reporter is on the record, so I’m mighty careful about what I say. As I recall, Ms. Huizenfelt spent a lot of time admiring some of the things I have here in my office, and she made a few comments about the money I’ve earned in my life. I gather she isn’t a big fan of people with money, and that’s okay. I started out with nothing and now I’m one of the wealthiest people in the state. I got here through hard work and street smarts, and anyone else in this country is welcome to do the same. Meanwhile, you won’t find me bitching about the pensions we pay for public servants such as yourselves. You earn every dime, and Jesus loves you for what you do.’

Stride leaned forward and put his elbows on Lenny’s desk. ‘We were thinking that Margot had other things on her mind when she talked to you,’ he said.

‘And what would that be, Jon?’

‘Prostitution.’

Lenny rolled his eyes. ‘You’re still on that wild goose chase? I thought K-2 would have talked to you about that. Look, I’ll be the first to say that I have a fairly libertarian philosophy about what a woman chooses to do with her own body. My feeling is, if a woman wants to make money with the parts that God gave her, I say more power to her. As for the men, that’s between them and their wives. I don’t really see that it’s any of my business. Or yours.’

‘Solicitation is still a crime,’ Stride said.

‘So is murder,’ Serena added.

Lenny took his feet off the desk. He gave up on his salesman’s face and adopted his politician’s face instead. He could be intimidating when he wanted to be. ‘Are you suggesting I had something to do with this lady’s disappearance? She accused me of buying
hookers and I got rid of her? That’s crap. You drag my name into this and you will regret it.’

Stride glanced at Serena. ‘I don’t think Jesus loves us anymore.’

‘I guess not,’ she said.

‘Look, Jon, we’ve butted heads over the years,’ Lenny went on. ‘Doesn’t mean I don’t like you. I do. You and me, we’ve got a lot in common. We’re both Duluth lifers. We both lost women we love. We’ve both been hunting with K-2, and we know the police chief of this great city couldn’t shoot a shotgun straight to save his life. When I come down hard on you, it’s not personal. It’s politics. And in this case, I’m telling you both that you are making a mistake, and I don’t want it to blow up in your faces.’

‘We’re not here to accuse you of anything, Mr. Keck,’ Serena said. ‘We’ve just got a chain of events that makes us uncomfortable.’

‘How so?’ Lenny asked.

‘Let me spell it out for you. A few months ago, Margot wrote an article about an under-age prostitute. From what we know, this girl has been in bed with at least one man with serious resources, someone who wouldn’t want the world to find out he’s been sleeping with a teenage girl. He may not be the only one. In fact, there are rumors of a prostitution ring operating among wealthy professionals in the city. Have you heard anything about that?’

‘Not a word,’ Lenny replied. His face was stone.

‘Just over a month ago, Margot came here to buy a new truck. She didn’t go to a dealership close to home. She came to you. Two days later, she began trying to find Cat, the same girl she interviewed a few months ago. In fact, she was with Cat’s aunt on a Saturday evening in Duluth, and the kid who saw her there, Curt Dickes, called
you
when he saw Margot that night. The very next day, Margot disappeared, and someone started coming after Cat. Just a few days ago, someone chased Cat as she was leaving a party that you hosted. Do you see why we have questions?’

‘Sure I do,’ Lenny agreed. ‘It sounds fishy to me, too. All I can tell you is that Margot bought an SUV from me. That’s all. As for this unfortunate young girl, I’ve never met her, and I sure as hell have never slept with her.’

‘She was at your party,’ Stride said.

‘When I left that party, the only girl there was my own saleswoman, Phyllis, and Phyllis is not exactly the hooker type. If this Cat arrived later, or any other girls, it’s none of my concern. I’d strongly suggest that it not be any of your concern either, Jon. Call that friendly advice, okay? When I have to, I can play dirty, because politics is a dirty game. Before you play against me, think about who’s living under your roof.’

‘You’re well informed,’ Stride said.

‘Better believe it, Jon.’

‘So you didn’t arrange for any girls at the party? You don’t know who they were?’

‘No and no.’

‘Curt Dickes says he set it up for you.’

‘Well, if Curt and one of my boys spread a few bucks around to grease the party, they did it without telling me. Anyway, I’m sure it wasn’t for sex. My boys are smooth. They don’t need to pay for it.’

‘What about Curt? What’s your relationship with him?’

‘I’ve known the boy for years. I know his family. Good people. Curt’s had some tough breaks, and I help kids like that whenever I can. I haven’t forgotten that I grew up with nothing. I pay Curt to hand out fliers in Canal Park. He sends customers my way. That’s the extent of our relationship.’

‘He’s driving around in a brand new Fusion that you gave him,’ Stride pointed out. ‘Is that standard compensation for handing out fliers?’

‘I loaned him a car for a few days. Big deal. His own beater is in my shop. Look, Curt’s a boy who likes to brag. If someone brags
about my cars, that’s a good thing. You shouldn’t take him seriously about anything else.’

‘Why did he call you when he saw Margot driving one of your trucks?’ Serena asked. ‘He says she’d been asking around about rich men and prostitution in the city. It’s interesting that he’d feel the need to warn you about that.’

‘Curt gets some strange ideas in his head, but I’m a big boy, Ms. Dial. I can take care of myself. I already told you, Margot and I talked about her new vehicle. Whatever happened to her after that had nothing to do with me. Now if you want to talk about upgrading that convertible of yours, I’m happy to spend the rest of the afternoon with you. Otherwise, I still need to hit another tee shot at Pebble and try to keep it away from the goddamned water.’

Serena and Stride both stood up.

‘Thanks for your time,’ Serena told him.

‘For a woman who looks like you, sweetheart, I always have time. And Jon, it’s always a pleasure. I meant what I said. I like you. I’d hate to see you get into trouble. K-2 feels the same way. You get my message?’

‘Loud and clear,’ Stride said.

‘Good. Real good. Give me a call when the weather warms up. We’ll play eighteen.’

‘You golf?’ Serena asked, as she sprinkled chocolate on the skim foam of her cappuccino.

Stride smiled. ‘I found a body on a golf course once. Does that count?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Cindy golfed. She bought me clubs, but I only used them twice. They’re still in the attic.’

‘Was she any good?’

‘Cindy? Oh, yeah, she was on the golf team in college. She used to play with K-2 and Steve all the time. I don’t think they ever beat her.’

The two of them found a table in the food court of Miller Hill Mall. The crowded space smelled of caramel corn and Chinese food. Oldies from the 1980s played from overhead speakers. Stride checked his watch; it was nearly three o’clock. He sipped black coffee and watched a squealing pack of toddlers chase each other between the tables.

‘So what happened to Lenny’s wife?’ Serena asked. ‘He’s got the big painting on the wall, and he said you both lost women you loved.’

‘That’s true,’ Stride said. ‘Rebekah’s dead.’

‘Did you know her?’

‘No, I met him when she was killed. Lenny was just getting into politics back then. I have to give him credit, he was genuinely supportive when Cindy died a couple years later. I thought things would be different after that, but politics is politics for Lenny. Not long after, he was throwing up roadblocks for me again.’

‘What happened to her?’

‘She was killed during a home invasion. She and Lenny were on some Ford junket in the Keys, but Rebekah got food poisoning and came home early. She stumbled right into the burglary, and a Hmong immigrant named Fong Dao shot her in the head.’

‘Awful.’

‘Yeah, say what you want about Lenny, he was devastated. The two of them got married young, long before he made his money. Most of his friends said she was the one with the business savvy. Rebekah was the one who pushed him into politics, too. He was launching his first City Council campaign when she was murdered. At first, he said he was going to bow out, but then he changed his mind and won by a landslide.’

‘When was this?’

‘Ten years ago, right before Christmas.’

‘Was that the same winter Michaela died?’

‘Yes, Marty killed Michaela about six weeks later.’

Serena frowned. ‘Is there any way there could be a connection?’

‘I don’t see how. By the time that happened, Fong was already under arrest. He’d done time for half a dozen burglaries in St. Paul, and he was on our radar after a couple similar crimes here in the city. We found the money and jewelry from the burglary in Fong’s apartment, plus the gun that was used to kill Rebekah.’

‘What about accomplices?’ Serena asked.

‘Fong was a loner, except for a girlfriend. If Fong thought he could cop a better deal by ratting out an accomplice, he’d have done it in a heartbeat.’

‘Lenny never remarried after the murder?’ Serena asked.

‘No, but he obviously didn’t take a vow of celibacy.’

‘You think he’s lying about prostitution?’

‘I do,’ Stride said. ‘Don’t you?’

Serena nodded. ‘Yeah, if there’s some kind of upscale hooker network operating in town, he’s part of it. I also don’t think it’s
a coincidence that Margot started hunting for Cat right after her sit-down with Lenny. She figured out something and wanted Cat’s help in proving it. The question is, would a prostitution scandal really be enough to end Lenny’s political career? It’s embarrassing, but politicians have survived worse.’

‘Not if the prostitute was a kid,’ Stride said.

‘Is that worth killing over?’

‘Lenny’s more powerful than the mayor up here. You think he’d give that up over a one-night stand with a teenage hooker? I think he’d do just about anything to save his neck, and it wouldn’t be hard for Lenny to find somebody to do the dirty work for him.’

Serena inclined her head toward a woman who was picking her way through the mall crowds toward them. ‘Well, let’s see what Lenny’s employees say about him. That’s Phyllis Bowen, the woman who sold Margot the SUV.’

The two of them stood up to shake Bowen’s hand as she joined them. The saleswoman from Lowball Lenny’s dealership eyed the people around her, as if she was afraid to be recognized with two police officers. When Stride offered to buy her a cup of coffee she shook her head. Instead, she put a paper lunch bag on the table, but she didn’t open it. She sat down opposite them and fidgeted in her chair.

‘I appreciate your meeting us, Phyllis,’ Serena told her.

Bowen shrugged. It was obvious that she didn’t want to be here. ‘I hope this doesn’t take long. I took a late lunch.’

‘We just have a few more questions.’

‘I already told you what I know. Margot bought an Explorer from me, end of story. She drove her last truck into the ground; it had like two hundred and fifty thousand miles on it.’

‘Did she say why she came to you? I mean, why not shop closer to home? There’s a Ford dealership five minutes from her place in Grand Rapids.’

‘Nobody can touch the deals here. We get buyers from all over. Everybody knows Lenny.’

‘Yes, they do,’ Stride said. ‘So tell us about him.’

Bowen fingered the paper bag, making it crinkle. ‘Lenny says the dealership is a family. Family don’t tell stories on each other.’

‘I appreciate your loyalty, but we’re investigating a disappearance and at least two murders.’

‘I don’t know anything about that.’

‘Maybe not, but you can help us. What’s it like to work at Lenny’s dealership?’

Bowen’s lips bent into a frown. ‘It’s a boys’ club. Big deal.’

‘You’re no boy.’

‘I’m the token woman,’ she said. ‘They don’t want blonde bombshells working the floor. Too many male buyers go straight to them. I guess I was plain enough to fly under the radar.’

Bowen wasn’t unattractive, but Stride knew she wouldn’t turn men’s heads. She was in her early thirties, tall and skinny, with brown hair cut in a bob. Her nose was slightly too big for her face and had a slight hawk-like droop at the tip. Her chin made a severe point. She would blend into a crowd, not stand out from one.

‘You can see why I’d get the up when a woman like Margot turned up in the showroom,’ Bowen added.

‘The up?’ Serena asked.

Bowen smiled. ‘Customer walks in, one of the salesman gets up. Anyway, nobody wanted her. I got the last laugh, because I made the sale.’

‘You must do pretty well,’ Stride said. ‘You were at the party on the
Frederick
this past weekend for the top salespeople, right?’

‘That’s right. Most of the younger salesmen don’t get the fact that car buyers aren’t looking for slick. They want solid, steady, dependable, trustworthy. That’s me.’

‘How was the party?’ Stride asked.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Painful, but not optional. Booze. Dirty jokes. More booze. I was happy to get home to my husband and my kids.’

‘What time did you leave?’ Stride asked.

‘Eleven fifteen. I ate the steak dinner at the Radisson, and I stayed on the boat long enough to collect my trophy, and then I was gone.’