Slow Kill - Michael Mcgarrity [42]
In the center of the patio were a large swimming pool and a separate hot tub surrounded by marble tile. Scattered around the pool was enough lawn furniture to accommodate forty or more people. Off to one side of the house stood an outdoor kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a built-in gas barbecue grill, and a work island protected by a freestanding pergola.
Beyond the swimming pool four cabanas sat near two tennis courts. A large swath of carefully groomed lawn in front of a low garden wall served as a putting green. At the bottom of a gently sloping hill, a gardener pruned shrubbery lining a pathway to a guesthouse three times the size of Ellie’s modest home.
Claudia Spalding stepped out of the guesthouse and paused along the pathway to speak to the gardener. She wore black slacks and a sleeveless black scooped top. At her neck a large solitary diamond glimmered in the sunlight.
“This is not a good time,” Spalding said stiffly when Ellie drew near. Her thin mouth was pinched, but her makeup, right down to the long lashes, eye shadow, and creamy red lip rouge, had been perfectly applied.
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Ellie said.
“What do you want, Sergeant?”
“Have you spoken to Kim Dean recently?”
“Yes, I called him yesterday to tell him about Clifford’s death, as I have many other people. We’ve spoken several times since then.”
“Did he say anything to you about leaving Santa Fe?”
Spalding pushed a wisp of hair away from her cheek. “No.”
“An arrest warrant charging him with murder has been issued in Santa Fe,” Ellie said.
Spalding’s aloof expression vanished. She drew her head back sharply. “Impossible.”
“Why is that?”
“Kim is perfectly happy with our relationship as it is. He has no reason to harm my husband.”
“Can you think of any reason for him to leave work suddenly?”
“Perhaps he had an emergency of some sort at home,” Spalding said.
“He’s not at his house,” Ellie replied.
“Have you checked with his ex-wife in Colorado?” Claudia asked. “She constantly calls Kim to come and deal with his son when the boy acts out. The child has serious behavior problems.”
“That’s good to know,” Ellie said. “Where else might he have gone?”
“I have no idea,” Spalding said.
Ellie looked meaningfully at the guesthouse. “Would he be coming here?”
“No,” Claudia said emphatically.
Ellie stared hard at Spalding. “If you know where he is and refuse to tell me, you can be charged as an accessory to murder.”
Spalding waved her hand in annoyance. “You must be joking.”
“I’m not.”
“Then tell me what in the world makes you think Kim killed Clifford.”
“I can’t go into that, Mrs. Spalding.”
“Well, whatever your reasons, it’s all absurd.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Kim isn’t a violent person by nature. He’s very low-key. Calm and easygoing.”
“Why did you go to Dean’s pharmacy immediately after you picked up your husband’s thyroid prescription?” Ellie asked.
Claudia’s eyes turned angry. “I’ll answer your silly question and then you must leave. It’s the only store in Santa Fe that carries the perfume I use. Kim stocks it especially for me. Now, I have a funeral to arrange and a husband to bury. If you have any more questions, speak to my lawyer. Please wait here; Sheila will show you out.”
Ellie watched Spalding move across the patio and into the house. Was Dean a bully who, according to Ramona Pino, browbeat his employees? Or a low-key, pussycat kind of guy, as Claudia Spalding characterized him? The steel inside Claudia Spalding made Ellie doubt the woman would be attracted to a subservient man. But anything was possible. Maybe Spalding was a closet dominatrix.
Ellie tried to visualize Claudia Spalding cracking a whip while wearing spike-heel boots and leather. The idea of it almost made her laugh out loud.
Sheila, the woman who’d escorted Ellie to the patio, arrived and guided her back through the house. Along the way, Ellie learned that Clifford Spalding’s corporation was headquartered in Los Angeles, at Century City, and that Spalding had been in his office