Familiar Foe √

10. Eagle's Eye

Charles was running late on the dull Monday morning and I couldn't sit still. Talking to Tamara Coker had a way of revving my nerves for hours. She swore she hadn't seen the blade in ages, called me a psychotic manipulator, then swore some more that she hadn't even touched it before. Everything made me edgy, for once we had actual evidence but not enough to prove beyond reasonable doubt.

Charles barged into my room with a sunny smile.
"I can tell you something really good." He pulled out the other chair in the room.

"You somehow got a confession out of Tamara?" His face fell a bit.

"No. Asuquo found something, finally." I facepalmed.

"Come on Charles, we should be concentrating on getting something out of Tamara."

"I know. Consider it tying up loose ends." He put his hands out in proposition and I sighed.

"Go on sunshine, brighten my day."
He grinned.

"He has been sieving through Mrs. Coker's business life; colleagues, customers, competitors but I encouraged him to dig into her finances, search for any foul play or shady transaction, nothing popped."

"I don't understand where this is going."

"A little patience, Mary." He saw my anxiety, he was enjoying this.

"He noticed a pattern, payments made with her credit card, hotel bookings at least twice every week for about a year. I guessed it was for her business transactions but why would she need a room for that and why not just use her home if it couldn't have done in her shop? Plus, Asuquo visited the hotels she had booked in the last month before her death and her name wasn't in their register."

"So, she hadn't booked the rooms but her credit card paid for them. Did he...?"

"A little ahead of you there partner. The girls names weren't there either."

"Maybe the bookings were made with a fake name. Did you check for a consistent name on all the registers?"

"Did. Found a dead end called Anthony Joshua, unless you think Mrs. Coker was there with the boxer."

"She was there with a man." I caught on.

"Ah, brainy Mary. The receptionist at Dannic hotel recognized the picture of the vic that Asuquo showed her, she had been the one to check her in. She remembered her because the woman had been there with a guy at least twenty years younger than her, they tried to play it cool but she could tell from the way he looked at the lady that the relationship they had wasn't familial or corporate."

"Mrs. Coker had been a sugar mommy. Surveillance?"

"Negative." I sighed.

"Did she at least give a description?"

"Tall, moderate, no remarkable looks. It could have been anyone Kay, it could have been me."

"Your looks are remarkable."
He smiled.

"Really? What about me is remarkable?"

"Your antenna ears." I joked and we laughed a bit.
I wasn't feeling optimistic about this new angle.

"This only proves that she was in some sort of a secret relationship which isn't uncommon among wealthy widows. Even married women do it Charles, we are searching for her killer not her secrets."

"Secrets bury secrets. We need to find this guy, he might have the secret we need to wrap this up."

I placed my face on my right hand that was propped on the table.