Hour Game

"Actually, I think I can guess. The little striptease you did for Kyle probably paled in comparison. By the way, why did you drive one of Bobby's classic cars to the Aphrodisiac?"

She looked at him with a triumphant smile. "I figured he owed me at least that. And he never drove them anymore."

"Do you know why?"

"He got tired of them, I guess. The great Bobby Battle was renowned for that. Getting tired of things and then forgetting about them." She stifled a sob.

King stood and looked down at her with little sympathy. "If Kyle's death is ruled a murder, the police will want to question you."

"I suppose it doesn't matter now. It can't get any worse."

"Oh, no, Dorothea, it can get a lot worse."

As they left the house, Michelle said, "How did you know it was her? I had Sava

"No, she couldn't be."

"Why not? You remember the way she flaunted herself at the pool that day."

"Exactly. That was the answer. Sylvia said that when she was at the Aphrodisiac, she overheard Kyle say that the woman wasflaunting her naked butt."

"Yes, so?"

"Well, Sava

CHAPTER 64

LATER THAT DAY THEY RECEIVED word from Sylvia that she'd completed the autopsy of Kyle Montgomery. They arranged to meet at King's office. When she showed up, Todd Williams was with her. A minute later Chip Bailey pulled into the parking lot.

"I called him," explained Williams. "I figured we needed to keep him in the loop, even though Kyle's killing isn't co

"Are you sure it's not?" replied King.

Williams looked at him sharply. "Are you trying to drive me nuts?"

As they settled themselves in the conference room, Sylvia opened her folder.

"As I said, we won't know the exact cause of death until we get the toxicology screens back," she began. "However, there were some unusual findings on the external exam that lead me to believe his death was suspicious."

"As in suicide by overdose?" asked King.

"No, as in homicide." She paused and then began speaking quickly but firmly. "Kyle was not a known drug user. We found no other drugs or drug paraphernalia in his apartment, and there were no other needle marks on any part of his body."

"But you did find a used syringe with something in it and a needle mark in the arm," commented Bailey.

"The something in the syringe has been confirmed as heroin. Okay, let's say Kyle wanted to kill himself. Heroin is a street drug, so you can never be certain of the dose you're actually injecting. And you also have to wonder where he obtained it. I obviously don't have any in my pharmacy."

Williams said, "But he'd know more than a layperson. And the sad truth is, there are sources of illegal drugs everywhere."

"But if you're going to kill yourself, you're looking to get it right the first time. Bottom line: heroin isn't a good choice for suicide. But more importantly, I found two small superficial puncture wounds in the center of Kyle's chest. I hadn't noticed them at the crime scene because of the poor lighting."

"What sort of punctures?" said Bailey.

"Like tiny needles set barely an inch apart. It's some sort of patterned injury."

"Like from a syringe?" asked Michelle.

"No. And you wouldn't use a syringe on your chest. Arms and legs are by far the best locations for injection purposes."

"Well, what do you think it is, then?" asked King.

"I've seen a case like this before in Richmond, after a riot. A man went into cardiac arrest and died after police incapacitated him with a Taser gun. A Taser would leave twin marks like I saw on Kyle where the electrified darts impacted the body."

Bailey said, "So somebody shoots him with the Taser and then injects him with an overdose. That's why there was no sign of a struggle."

"I can't be absolutely certain about the Taser, but there's more. I also found small petechiae and hemorrhages in his eyes and mouth."

"That's a sign of asphyxia, of being smothered," said Michelle.

"Exactly. The hemorrhages occur as one struggles for air. Now, there was no evidence of strangulation at autopsy, so I'm thinking he might have been suffocated with an object that would leave no such traces, like a pillow. And heroin is a respiratory depressant; his breathing would already have been very shallow, and that would have aided the person trying to kill him by suffocation."

"So if he was murdered and the person tried to make it look like a suicide, who has the motive to kill him?" asked Bailey.

"Well, the woman he was selling drugs to at the Aphrodisiac for one," said Williams. Bailey looked at him questioningly, and the police chief filled in his colleague.

Bailey said,"So she gets the money back, why kill him?"

"What if Kyle learned who she was and was trying to blackmail her?" suggested Sylvia. "That would be a prime motive for murder: fear of exposure."

"So we need to find this woman, and fast," said Williams.

Michelle and King exchanged glances.

"We know who she is," he said.

They all looked at him in surprise.

"Well, who the hell is she?" asked Williams.

"Dorothea Battle. And she's got no alibi for the time Kyle was killed."

"Dorothea Battle?" The police chief rose from his chair. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this right away, Sean?"

"We just found out ourselves. She admitted it to us."

Williams pulled out his cell phone. "Well, we'll pick her up pronto, then."

"She's at her house."

"You mean you hope she is. If she's flown the coop, I'm holding you responsible."

"I don't think she killed Kyle, Todd."

Williams ignored this and spoke into his phone, ordering the arrest of Dorothea Battle. When that was done, he looked at the private investigator. "And what do you base that conclusion on?"

"Gut instinct."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"If Dorothea did kill this guy, we might have three killers out there. The serial killer, the person who killed Bobby Battle and now whoever killed Montgomery," said Bailey.

"Or Dorothea could have killed Bobby," said Williams. He looked at King. "Did she say anything about why she went to see Battle?"

"Dorothea was hoping Bobby had changed his will to give her more money. She said she went to the hospital to make sure he'd done so. As it turned out, he hadn't. Remmy got the money. So his death didn't benefit Dorothea at all."

Michelle spoke up. "She said he was incoherent. But what if when she visited him, he told her that he hadn't changed his will and in anger she poisoned him?"

King said, "I don't think Battle was capable of answering any questions. He was on the ventilator which makes speech pretty much impossible."

Bailey glanced at King. "How's your theory looking regarding the victims being co

King shrugged. "Still working the angle."

After the others had left, King picked up the phone and made a call. But he put the phone down a few moments later.

"Who were you trying to get in touch with?" asked Michelle.

"Harry Carrick. There was no answer. I'll try again later. Once Dorothea is picked up, the shit will really hit the fan. Harry's friends with Remmy, so I'd like to give him some advance warning. He may want to go by and see her. And Dorothea's going to need a lawyer."

"I wonder if I should find Eddie and tell him."

"Better he hears from someone else. Bailey will probably want to do the honors."

"How come you didn't tell Bailey about Ca