Read Online Mostly Murder by Linda Ladd - Free Book Online Page B

must’ve let him in. If she knew him, it’s going to help us find him.”
    â€œGot to be a boyfriend or lover. And I don’t think it’s random, or a robbery gone wrong, either.”
    â€œShe might have a jealous ex-husband with a key, something like that.”
    â€œAll true, except it doesn’t explain that voodoo doll with your face on it.”
    Claire ignored that. She leaned down beside the couch and found a hurricane glass lying on its side. She recognized it as a souvenir from Pat O’Briens, a popular bar in the French Quarter. She and Black had spent an evening there, just before he’d left for London. “She was drinking with him, Zee. I bet we’ve got his prints all over that glass.”
    â€œSo he beat her unconscious, took her down those stairs outside. Nobody would’ve seen him leave if he parked under the house.”
    Claire sighed and nodded agreement. This was quickly turning into a really bad case, and she had an equally bad feeling that it was only going to get worse.

Chapter Five
    Stepping carefully around the overturned furniture and broken lamps, Claire and Zee progressed into Madonna Christien’s kitchen and found it neat and clean, except for one wine bottle lying on the floor in front of a stainless steel refrigerator. Its contents had drained out into a big puddle in the shape of Florida with part of the panhandle under the white cabinet. Off the kitchen, they found a bathroom that had another door leading into the master bedroom. It had one of the new claw-foot standing tubs built to look old, still full of perfumed water. Two fluffy white towels were folded neatly on a red velvet bench beside it. Madonna Christien had probably been getting ready to bathe when the killer showed up, but the bathroom itself looked untouched. There was no bathrobe in sight, which Claire found unusual. Claire always had one ready and close enough to grab. Most women did. There was a white hairbrush on the sink, alongside a small travel hair dryer and a bottle of Garnier Extra-Hold Mousse.
    â€œMaybe she was in the bath and the guy rang the doorbell. She got out and let him in. She had to know him, Zee.”
    â€œYeah, everything was fine at first. They had a drink together out of those hurricanes, talked some. Then something went down wrong, and the guy flipped out.”
    â€œSounds reasonable.”
    There were two small closets inside the bathroom. Although she’d checked them out earlier, she hadn’t turned on the interior lights, just checked for somebody hiding inside. So, when she turned on the switch, she found Madonna Christien’s personal wardrobe. Claire pulled out a couple of hangers and found that Madonna dressed like a hooker, except maybe a mite kinkier. “Look here, Zee, black leather and spiked collars and fishnet hose. Madonna was a hooker, all right.”
    â€œLemme see.” Zee came off overeager, but Claire stepped aside and let him scrape back the hangers one at a time. “This stuff has dominatrix written all over it. See any whips or ball gags? She’s a prostitute, all right, but I’d say more of a call girl, maybe. Hope she’s got a little black book with all her johns listed for us.”
    â€œDon’t hold your breath, Zee. If she had one, it’s probably somewhere in a safety deposit box.” Claire pulled open a drawer in a small antique white bureau on one side of the closet and found neat stacks of pricey thong underwear and lace teddies, most of which looked like “come hither, lover boy” garb. “Could be a porn connection. Looks like she had money to spend.”
    Zee had moved on to the other closet. “Whoa, look at this. Madonna’s into a bit of voodoo, too.”
    Claire joined him at the door. With the light on, she could see that the altar tucked in the back was almost identical to the crime scene. Lots of candles, skulls, and pictures of Catholic saints