Careless Whiskers by Miranda James

Author:Miranda James
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780451491152
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2020-01-21T08:00:00+00:00

NINETEEN

“I guess I should have figured out that he was wearing some sort of disguise,” I said, chagrined. “That bush of hair and that mustache distracted me a bit, but what I really puzzled over was the name, Finnegan Zwake.”

“It’s obviously taken from James Joyce,” Kanesha said. “What’s the puzzle?”

I explained about the series of young adult novels whose main character had that name.

“Interesting, but I’m not sure I attach any particular significance to it,” Kanesha said. “What I want to know is whether there is any connection between the impostor and Dingelbach. Did the impostor seem to know anything about the play?”

I had to cast back over the conversations with Zwake that I had been a party to before I could respond. “In a way, yes, but also in a way, no. He never said anything that showed knowledge of the plot of the play. He made some comments to Lombardi about the character.” I related the incident, and Kanesha nodded.

“I see what you mean. That statement about the character could apply to the lead in almost any play of substance,” she said.

“What was the point of it all?” I asked. “Surely he had to know he’d be found out eventually, when the real Zwake turned up.”

“It allowed him to get close to Lombardi,” Kanesha said. “And he could show up at rehearsals and get backstage. No one would have thought much about it.”

“No, probably not,” I said. “Do you think he’s a viable suspect?”

“Definitely,” Kanesha said. “Until I find out who he really is, he’s going to remain at the top of my list.”

“I think you’re right.”

“Can you recall any distinguishing features, other than the hair and mustache?” Kanesha held her pen, ready to jot down whatever I said.

“No,” I said. “Nothing that I can think of. But you ought to talk to Helen Louise. She was with me. She might have noticed something. Other people saw him at the party, too.”

“We’re working on getting the guest list for the reception,” Kanesha said. “Once we have it, we’ll start talking to everyone who was there.”

“Routine police work,” I said, thankful I didn’t have to go through all that tedium.

Kanesha nodded. “It pays off most of the time.”

“Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce came to the reception,” I said. “You know how sharp-eyed they are.”

“I’ve already talked to Miss An’gel,” Kanesha said. “Last night, and again this morning.”

“She didn’t tell you about the ruse she concocted?” I asked.

“No, she didn’t.” Kanesha sounded the tiniest bit peeved about that.

“I imagine she had other things on her mind,” I said.

“Perhaps.”

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during Kanesha’s next conversation with Miss An’gel. While Kanesha was respectful to her elders—except occasionally to her own mother—she also was a hardened investigator who didn’t tolerate omission or evasion lightly.

“Is there anything else?” I asked.

“No, that’s it for now.”

“Then I have a question for you,” I said. “Do you seriously think that my daughter killed Lombardi?”

Kanesha fixed me with a hard stare.

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