Murder at the Opera - Margaret Truman [60]
“Tell me more,” Berry said.
“Not a lot more to tell, Carl
“He can’t be all take, no give,” Berry said. “He’s paying for the apartment here in D.C. that Lee and Warren were staying in
“I’m not surprised. From what my opera friends tell me, Charise Lee had one hell of a future as a soprano. Of course, she’s from the new school of soprano-lite singers, smaller voices in smaller bodies, that seem to have displaced singers with traditionally big voices, the kind that can fill a vast opera house without miking. They’re certainly pleasant to listen to, and to look at, but they lack that palpitating, bigger-than-life presence that the truly great opera singers possess. Still, if what I hear is true, this now very dead soprano-lite might have become the darling of the opera world in a few years, which could pay off in spades for Melincamp down the road. Laying out some rent money early on in her career might have been a smart move
Berry sipped his juice and thought before offering, “If she promised to be a meal ticket for him, that would pretty much rule him out as her killer. No motivation to have her dead
“On the surface. But Melincamp’s a whore. Maybe he was stealing from her and she got wind of it, threatened to blow the whistle
“Doesn’t play,” Berry said. “She was a young singer getting started. How much money could she have been making? Hell, she was just a student here
“Wrong, my friend. Anyone accepted into the Young Artist Program here at the Washington National Opera is more than ‘just a student.’ They’re very special talents who had to prove their mettle to none other than the maestro of maestros, Plácido Domingo. No, Carl, anyone accepted here has a bright future, indeed
“I’ll take your word for it,” Berry said. “Tell me more about Melincamp and his partner
“Melincamp’s a low-life. He talks a good story but is always looking for a buck. He and Baltsa aren’t exactly copacetic partners, like Rogers and Hart, or Ben and Jerry. The way I hear it, he’d kill his mother for a lot less than you or I would
“I wouldn’t for any money,” Berry said.
“You always were too serious, Carl. I was joking
Pawkins reached into his small, leather shoulder bag and handed Berry the sponge he’d purchased at the theatrical supply shop. “Like this one?”
Berry’s fingers made indentations in the sponge. “Where did you get this?”
“A store. I offer it to dissuade you from jumping to the conclusion that the killer had to have been someone involved with theater, specifically the opera. Anyone could have bought it the way I did.” He laughed and checked his watch. “Almost time for a real drink. Here I’ve been telling you everything you need to know about the Lee case, as well as what’s wrong with opera singers today, and nothing from you. Where does your investigation stand?”
“I’ve got people questioning the agents. We brought in Warren. Dumb kid bolted and got a faceful of Willie Portelain’s fist
“And he has an airtight alibi, I assume
“Anything but. We’ll start interviewing everyone in that Young Artist Program. Maybe we’ll get lucky and come up with somebody who had it in for the victim, a guy she jilted, another singer who was jealous. I understand that opera singers can get pretty jealous of one another. In the meantime, we’re still at square one. Hey, Ray, I saw the article about you. Pretty nice
“My fifteen minutes of fame. I wasn’t pleased with the photograph. I’m a lot younger and better-looking than the picture shows
Berry cocked his head and exaggerated his scrutiny of Pawkins’ face. “Yeah, you’re right. Look, Cole wasn’t happy when I told him we’d be getting together on the Lee case, but he didn’t say no. I can use your help
“And you’ll have it
Pawkins paid with a credit card.
“Let’s stay in touch,” Berry said as they stood on the sidewalk.
“Absolutely. I may have to run out of town for a day or two, but I’ll let you know. Not sure I can get away. I’m in Tosca.”
“So