The Other Path
Chapter 55
"Feel like eating anything now?" Rick inquires, peeking in the door of the loft's master bath.
Catlike, Kate stretches beneath the warm bubbles. "Yeah, maybe. Can you make French toast?"
"It would be my pleasure. Butter and syrup or strawberry preserves?"
"Definitely, the preserves – and bacon."
"That's something I'm always happy to cook. Are you getting out soon, or do you still want to soak a while?"
"I'll be out soon. The water's cooling down, and I don't want you sticking a thermometer in the tub again."
"Hey! At least I only stuck it in the tub. All right. I'll start the batter and warm up the griddle. That should time out about right."
"So," Rick asks as Kate breaks off a piece from a strip of bacon, "Who's Dolly Bartlett and how bad was telling her Lou-Anne was murdered?"
"Dolly is, was, Lou-Anne's sister. According to her, both of their parents passed away five years ago. Lou-Anne was four years younger than Dolly, so Dolly played parent as best she could, at least for a while. Dolly said Lou Anne was always into fashion, making clothes for their dolls and later for herself and her sister. Lou-Anne wanted to go to Parsons to study design, but they didn't have the money. But Lou-Anne moved to the Big Apple anyway to get a job and see if she could save up for Parsons or snag a scholarship. But Parsons won't tell you if you're eligible for a scholarship until they admit you. And even if Lou-Anne got one, she still would have had living expenses. So she got a job in a boutique. Dolly didn't know which one. She thought it was on Broadway. Lou-Anne was barely making it, but she was saving money by sewing her own clothes. And she made some for one of her co-workers, too. So they became friends and started eating out together when they could.
"I don't know how straight Dolly got the rest of the story, but she said that Lou-Anne and her friend were having Italian somewhere. While they were at the restaurant, an older woman tripped and tore her dress. Lou-Anne always had sewing stuff in her bag. So she offered to help. It turned out that the woman was meeting her son at the restaurant. He wanted to thank Lou-Anne, and they struck up a conversation. After that, Dolly was very fuzzy on the details, but I got the impression that Lou-Anne became the man's mistress and a very well-kept one."
"That accounts for the Manolos and the high-end clothes," Rick notes. "But why have them sent to her sister?"
"Dolly wasn't sure. Some of the things were for her. She said Lou-Anne was very generous. The rest, Lou-Anne had Dolly ship to a mail drop. Lou-Anne explained that she wasn't supposed to have any traceable connection to the man who was keeping her. Dolly didn't like that. She was worried about Lou-Anne, but she said her sister seemed happy. Lou-Anne was even still expecting to go to Parsons. She claimed her boyfriend would put her through. So Dolly went along."
"The odds say you find the boyfriend, you find the murderer," Rick points out.
"That doesn't mean we will. But Dolly doesn't know who he is."
"So, what's your next step?"
"Lou-Anne's financials should show which boutique Lou-Anne worked at. That would point us to her friend. She'll probably know who the guy was. I can take it from there."
"Just don't forget about your appointment with Dr. Drake."
"As if you'd let me."
"Someone murdered Lou-Anne?" Dee Dee Shalleen questions. "Who killed her?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," Kate explains. "Her sister said she had a friend at the boutique where she worked. Was that you?"
"Yes, she was great! She made clothes for me, for both of us. We both wear small sizes. I mean, she did. So we'd go to the fabric store and go through the remnants, you know, short lengths from the end of the bolt. They cost a lot less per yard. Still, Lou-Anne could do amazing things with them. But after she hooked up with Nico, she didn't have to anymore. She could buy whatever clothes she wanted. She didn't have to work here either."
"When was the last time you saw Lou-Anne?" Kate asks.
"Maybe five or six months ago. We went to dinner a couple of times after she quit, but then she told me Nico didn't want her going out without him."
"Do you know Nico's last name?" Kate queries.
"I was with Lou-Anne the night they met at a restaurant in Little Italy. But I never heard it, and Lou-Anne never told me."
"What was the name of the restaurant?" Rick queries.
"Caruso's. It's the one where the opera students come to your table to sing. It was just fun for Lou-Anne and me, but I think Nico was really into it."
"So he'd probably go back there again," Kate figures.
Dee Dee shrugs. "I guess he would."
"How would you feel about dinner and some opera?" Kate asks Rick as they return to his unit.
"Good to hear you're hungry and…." A siren screams from Rick's cell phone. "It's three o'clock. Your appointment with Dr. Drake is in an hour."
"Drake's office is at Columbus Circle, Babe. It won't take more than 20 minutes to get there."
"Unless we hit a traffic jam or a water main breaks or a sanitation truck stalls in front of us. We should get going just in case."
Kate rolls her eyes. "Fine. Maybe I can get Lanie to send her report to my phone while I wait."
"Something you didn't expect in Lou-Anne's autopsy?" Rick asks as Kate sighs.
"I expected it, but it still sucks. Lou-Anne had signs of old injuries, cracked ribs, fading bruises, but nothing where it would show. Someone was beating her but didn't want anyone to know it."
"And you think it was Nico?" Rick asks.
"Right now, he's the most likely suspect."
"Kate Beckett," A nurse calls from a door leading to the examination rooms.
As Rick starts to get up, Kate shoots him a warning look. His hands cross defensively in front of his face. "I'll wait right here."
"You can sit up now, Kate," Nora Drake instructs. "I'll order a confirmation of your home test along with all your other bloodwork, but you have all the signs of early pregnancy. Your vitals are good. Your BMI is on the low end of normal. It would be even lower if you had less muscle. I take it you work out a lot."
"It's part of the job," Kate claims.
"That may be, but you're going to gain weight. Sometimes women at your fitness level, with low body fat, resent changes in their bodies they can't control. But a baby needs nourishment, and so do you. I'll be monitoring you to make sure you're both getting it. You said the scar on your chest is the result of being shot in the pericardium."
"That's right, Kate confirms. "But all my heart function tests have been normal since I was released back to duty."
"And I don't detect any irregularities now. But pregnancy puts a lot of stress on the body, including the heart. So I'll be keeping an eye on it, just to be sure. I'll have your lab results tomorrow. I'll call you if anything we have to address shows up. Otherwise, I want to see you in a month, sooner if you have any symptoms you find disturbing. The nurse will give you a print-out of your diet recommendations before you check out. Who does most of the cooking in your household?"
"My husband."
"I'd advise giving him a copy."
"Um, we were planning to go to an Italian restaurant tonight – on a case," Kate confides.
An unexpected smile lights Drake's face. "Skip the wine and espresso, Kate. But otherwise, by all means, enjoy."
