Murder at the Opera - Margaret Truman [29]
“Let’s start there,” said Johnson. “What sort of a student was she?”
“In what way?”
“Serious? Not so serious? A rule breaker? In trouble? Abrasive? Get along with others?”
McCarthy’s responses were uniformly positive.
“Did she have any friends? Close ones?”
“I, ah—I suppose so
“The reason I ask is that from what I’ve heard about opera singers, they tend to be temperamental and high-strung
McCarthy laughed. “I suppose some are,” she said, “but our students are encouraged to get along with one another
“But there has to be some jealousy among them,” Johnson offered.
“I wouldn’t know about that,” McCarthy replied, not sounding as though she meant it.
Johnson decided to change the subject. “When did you last see Ms. Lee?”
“I really don’t remember. I know she didn’t show up for classes yesterday, because one of her instructors reported it to the office
“Did she miss many classes?”
“No” was accompanied by a shake of the head. “Her attendance record was good, I think. I can check
“Please do
McCarthy opened a file drawer behind her desk, removed a folder, and looked at it. “No,” she said, replacing the file and closing the door. “Her attendance record is about average
Johnson smiled. “You make it sound as though an average attendance record means missing a lot of classes
“I don’t want to mislead you,” McCarthy said. “Singers in the program—all opera singers, for that matter—are naturally concerned with their voices. They’re blessed with wonderful voices and take very good care of them. Charise missed her share of classes for medical reasons. She’d been seeing one of the physicians at George Washington University’s Voice Treatment Center. They’re tops in their field. Many of our students have doctors there
“I see,” Johnson said, noting what McCarthy had said. “Who else can I talk to, someone who was particularly close to Ms. Lee
“Let me think,” McCarthy said. “There’s Chris Warren. He and Charise are both from Toronto. They roomed together
Johnson nodded. Warren was who Portelain had been told to interview.
“Their agent would probably have more to offer than anyone. He’s from Toronto, too. His name is Melincamp. Philip Melincamp. He has a partner, who might be able to help you. Her name is Zöe Baltsa
Johnson noted the names, closed her notebook, and stood. “I appreciate your time, Ms. McCarthy. Here’s my card. Please call if you think of anything that might be of interest, if anyone else goes missing.” She’d picked up the “gone missing” elocution from a British cop show.
“Of course. All I can say is that I hope you find who killed Charise, and do it fast. Having some nut wandering around the Kennedy Center killing young women is setting everyone on edge
“We’ll do our best. Now, I’d like to see the facility
“I’ll be happy to show you anything you’d like, Detective
After an impromptu half-hour tour, which included the costume rooms, they ended up in one of the rehearsal spaces, where a young woman practiced an aria, accompanied by a pianist.
“That’s Christopher Warren,” McCarthy told Johnson, referring to the pianist.
“Ms. Lee’s roommate
“Yes
Obviously Willie wasn’t questioning him. Next thought: What was he doing here playing the piano so soon after his roommate had been murdered?
“I’d like to speak with him,” she told McCarthy.
“I’ll go tell him
“No,” Johnson said, “I’ll wait until they’re finished. I wouldn’t want to interrupt
She and McCarthy took seats across the large space from the performers.
“It’s beautiful,” Johnson said. “I don’t know that song
“It’s an aria from Donizetti’s Lucia. ‘Regnava nel silenzio,’ I believe
Like most Americans, Johnson’s exposure to opera was nonexistent, aside from those occasional snippets that managed to slip into the public vocabulary. She closed her eyes and allowed the sheer power and beauty of the singer’s voice to penetrate her senses. She loved music, and had enjoyed the usual teenager’s dream of becoming a rock star. But