Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #4: Books 13-16 (A Dead Cold Box Set) by Blake Banner (best ereader for academics .txt) 📕

Melanie frowned. “So what do you want, a freebie?”

I laughed. “No, thank you. We just want to ask you some questions. Talk to us and in ten minutes we’ll be gone.”

She sighed and closed the door. “Let’s go up to my boudoir.” As she climbed the stairs ahead of us, she said, “Bronx? I sure hope this ain’t nothin’ to do with that Fernando. I ain’t gonna testify against that son of a bitch.”

She led us into a small room with a sofa, a couple of brown vinyl chairs and a huge TV on the wall. Dehan sat with her back to the door and Melanie draped herself on the sofa, facing Dehan. I took the other chair and let Dehan do the talking.

“Melanie, we are not asking you to testify. We are investigating a murder: the murder of a young woman who was very much like you. At the moment, all we are doing is putting the pieces together to try and get a picture of what happened the night she was killed. Now, what you can tell us could make all the difference between a killer going free, and killing again, or that killer being put away for life, where he can never hurt another woman. Or it could save an innocent man from going to prison. So it is really important, Melanie, that you be really honest with us and tell us exactly what happened between you and Fernando. You don’t need to testify, and he will never know you spoke to us. Deal?”

She sounded like a kindly mother talking to a troubled child. I turned to look at Melanie. She was fiddling with the hem of her blouse. She raised her eyes to meet Dehan’s.

“You better believe I am not going to testify. You put me in court and I will say he is the kindest, gentlest man on Earth.”

“I understand that. What happened?”

“About six months ago, it was in the summer, he was over here with some pals of his. I was working at the Unholy Chapel, the nightclub on Chapel Street? I was serving tables, keeping company with the patrons, you know the kind of thing.” She opened her eyes wide and laughed. “It’s damn good money, I can tell you that for nothin’! And Tony? The boss? People say he’s, like, an animal? But actually I think he’s a real sweet guy. He never done nothin’ to me, ’cept give me a chance to get on, and make some money.”

“So Fernando was at the club that night?”

“Uh-huh, him and some friends of his. They was there having fun, spending a lot of money, and so Tony says to me to go over, keep them company and see what they’re about.”

Dehan frowned. “What did he mean, see what they’re about?”

“Well, they were Mexican? And they had a lot of money. So this is like Tony’s kind of area. It’s like it belongs to him. He looks after people, if they have problems they go to him…”

Dehan nodded. “He’s with the Mob and this is his patch.”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.”

“And he wanted to know if Fernando was trying to move in.”

“I guess.”

“So what happened?”

“It was nothing like that. They were just out having a night on the town. And at first Fernando was real nice and cute, and when Tony knew they was OK, he came over and had a drink, and we, you know…” She grinned and giggled. “We did a little coke and I said why didn’t we go back to their place and have a party, you know, like you do. But Fernando and his friend said no, they wasn’t local, why didn’t we go to my place? Then two of his pals took off, they had a flight to catch or somethin’, and I said, well my place ain’t a palace…” She gestured around. “You can see! I’m saving for somethin’ better, you know? I ain’t gonna be in the game all my life.”

“That’s admirable. What happened?”

“So I says, well, OK, let’s invite another chick from the club and go back to my place. But Fernando and this other guy, I can’t remember his name, they say no, just me and them.” She shrugged. “Well, OK, I’m into that. So we come back here. We do a bit of coke to, you know, get in the mood, like…”

Dehan asked: “Who provided the coke, Melanie?”

“They did. They was real generous. They had plenty. Anyhow, I put on some music and start dancing, and I tells Fernando to come and dance with me. Meanwhile his friend is just sitting and watching. So when Fernando gets up to dance with me, I ask him, you know, like, being courteous, what does he want to do with his friend? And then, everything changed.”

“Changed how?”

“All of a sudden…” She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, blew her nose and dabbed her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was nasal and a bit squeaky. “All of a sudden he calls me a whore and a bitch, and slaps me across the face. He hit me so hard I fell down. I asked him what I done, what was wrong, but he just kept hitting me and calling me horrible names. Meanwhile, his pal just sat there and watched. I begged him to stop, begged his friend to make him stop, but he wouldn’t. The son of a bitch put me in hospital and I couldn’t work for four months.”

I spoke for the first time and she had to crane around to see me. “Did Tony take care of you?”

“Uh-huh.” She turned back to Dehan. “He was real good. He paid my rent, made sure I had food, my medical bills. Everything. He said