Rio Flash ’62 by Andrew Deutsch

Author:Andrew Deutsch
Format: epub

Chapter 33

As had been in Vamella’s apartment, in Arabella’s were her prints and also three others. Again, one set was her housekeeper’s. But of the two others, no identification. What was different was there were also those two flashbulbs.

That was why Tadeo was trying to pull the take-back trick on Sergio.

When he had earlier arrived at Sergio’s apartment building, the doorman pointed him to the service elevator. There were a couple reasons Tadeo was not going to take that ride. The way he viewed it, his job was subordinate to no one’s. He wasn’t there to deliver groceries, and he wasn’t on the take and there to clean up Sergio’s mess. While waiting for the main elevator, he wrote down the doorman’s contact information. Not because he really needed to, but hopefully to unsettle the man for the rest of his day.

“That…that boyfriend, I guess we’ll call him, Ricardo Coelho, told me she had just fired you.”

“She didn’t fire me,” Sergio said. “We had an agreement, then a disagreement, and she took it upon herself to terminate our business relationship.”

“By paying you off,” Tadeo said. “At least that’s what Mr. Coelho said. That it seemed you needed the money.”

Tadeo saw the flash of anger, but Sergio turned into the room, away from him.

“I did a lot for her, and I thought she responded very, very...well, quite unprofessionally,” he said, then turned back to Tadeo, now with an expression of haughty impatience. “But as far as finances. I’m a Fontes Von Imperial, and whether by luck, God’s grace, or hard work, we don’t have those kinds of problems.”

Which the apartment didn’t fully affirm. It was expansive, and there was that partial ocean view. But Tadeo had noticed earlier that it was almost bare of furniture.

“So where’s your furniture, Sergio Henrique Fontes Von Imperial?”

“I sold it,” he replied indifferently. “I’m getting a new look. Something less here and more now.”

“More now. Hmm.” Tadeo glanced in one of the other mirrors—there was at least one on every wall. He adjusted his tie from his reflection, though his eyes were on Sergio, hoping to unnerve him.

Perhaps not, because Sergio asked him, “You always dress this well? Or is this for my benefit?”

Tadeo turned from the mirror. What was Sergio implying?

“I mean, on an inspector’s salary and all.”

Sergio was implying what Tadeo thought. “If one has good taste, one doesn’t have to spend a lot to look nice,” Tadeo said. Then he took out his notebook and glanced at a page as if there was something he needed to remember. There wasn’t.

“The two dead girls. People say you were close to both of them.” Tadeo looked politely at Sergio.

“You knew that when you phoned me previously.”

“That you knew them. Not that you were close.”

“I’m sure many people were close to them.”

“Really? Like who?”

“I gave you names. It’s your job to find out who else, isn’t it? You come here thinking you’re acting clever. Acting like you’re doing your job. Meanwhile, people are nervous. They’re scared. They want to know why no one’s been caught.

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