Shell Game – Chapter 17 – Connections

“I’m surprised to see you. Twice in one day!” Claire Porter said as she let Evan into her apartment. She dressed in the same yellow housecoat, and her feet wore slippers capped with peacock feathers on their toes. However, her face bore a light coat of makeup, and her hair looked fixed, so Evan wasn’t sure how “in for the night” she was.

“I mean, I can’t imagine what good news you could bring at such an hour. Is it good news, Evan? You wouldn’t be here if it were bad news. You’d be out trying to fix it. But it could be bad news, too, might it?” She inhaled and let her breath out loudly. “Oh, I don’t know if this is something you hear from your clients from time to time, but it is certainly a relief for me to see you here, even if it’s not good news. Just to see you brings me a certain level of comfort.”

She led Evan further into the apartment and then, in a sudden rush, embraced him tightly and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I haven’t been able to calm down my mind all day,” Claire sobbed lightly. “I keep expecting the police to call or come barging through the door at any second.”

Evan took her shoulders in his hands and pushed her away slightly. He looked into her tear-streaked face, “I have neither good news nor bad news. Breathe easy. I just wanted to check on you.”

Claire smiled, and Evan handed her a handkerchief. She dabbed her eyes.

“And I wouldn’t worry about the police. Not yet anyway,” Evan said, relaxing on the sofa. “As far as I know, they still don’t know you are the one who hired us, and as things stand right now, there’s no need to bring you into it.”

“That’s a relief,” Claire said and sat next to Evan. She looked longingly into Evan’s face. It was the kind of face Katherine gave him years ago when they were younger, more in love, and life seemed easy.

Evan furrowed his brow, “You can drop the puppy dog act, Claire. It’s not going to get us very far.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Claire said, her forehead forming creases between her eyes.

Evan chuckled, “I appreciate the effort, don’t get me wrong. To be honest, I’ve never run into anyone with as much commitment to it as you. You must have been perfecting this for years.”

The look of hurt that blanketed Claire’s face brought brand new tears to her eyes. “I promise you, Evan, I don’t know what you are talking about. There is no act. I’m genuinely terrified. You can tell me to breathe easy, but there’s a killer out there. That killer shot in cold blood the two men I was with last night. Who’s to say I might not be next?”

Evan held up his hands, “I’m not mad at you or anything. But truth is, if you were as virtuous and fair as you pretend, we would get nowhere with this case.”

Claire promptly stood up and stamped her slippered foot, “You really know how to charm a lady.” She stood and walked over to sit on the radiator. Claire pouted, crossed her arms, and said, “I’m innocent, Evan. Do you think I killed those two men?”

Evan ignored her and drew random designs into the armrest of his chair with his forefinger. “I met with Harold Huber today,” Evan said and glanced up at Claire’s face. Surprise flashed over her features but was quickly replaced by a veneer of nonchalance as she casually folded her hands in her lap. Then Claire stood suddenly and began to tidy up. She didn’t say a word; she just aimlessly moved through the apartment, repositioning several vases, throw pillows, and small furniture pieces along the way. By the time Claire finished, the apartment looked no better or worse than before the tidying spree. All the while, the face of Claire Porter advertised that her mind was calculating the news of Harold Huber into whatever formula for survival she’d been using. Evan watched with curious amusement.

Eventually, she found herself at the electric coffee pot near the kitchen door and asked, “How do you know Harold Huber?” Claire looked down and then to Evan, “Coffee?”

Evan smiled like a cat and leaned back on the sofa. “Nothing for me, thanks,” he said. He repositioned himself in his chair and smoothed out the wrinkles in his pants legs. “I don’t know him. Huber that is. Never saw him before in my life.” Then he laughed to himself, “Yet I’ve talked with him twice in the same day. Interesting little fella.”

Claire returned to the sofa with a delicate cup brimming with black coffee. Evan marked the complete return of her poise and demeanor as she sat and chuckled. “Seriously,” he said, “I’ve seen some characters in my day, but yours is one in a million.”

“What did Mr. Huber tell you about me?” Claire said after taking a sip of her coffee.

Evan’s face beamed from ear to ear. “Not one thing,” he said.

Claire took another sip of her coffee, but Evan could see a new complex calculation working behind her eyes.

“He did offer me a business venture,” Evan said. “He said the payout would be ten-thousand smackers.”

Claire hid her reaction in another sip of coffee. “That’s quite a sum,” she said. “For what?”

Evan frowned and waved his hand, “Ah, for some pearl.”

Again, Claire’s look of poise broke down. She set the cup of coffee down a little clumsily and stood wringing her hands. Claire remained motionless, but Evan wondered if he might have just broken her adding machine.

“Are you going to tidy the place again and fix another cup of coffee?” Evan asked. He pointed to the half-finished cup on the table, “Because you haven’t finished the first one.”

Her eyes jumped into focus and aimed at Evan. “Are you pulling my leg?” she asked with a garish smile. “Please don’t tease me, Evan; my nerves are so fragile.”

“You misunderstand,” said Evan leaning his forearms on his thighs, “I have a personal policy not to kid. It diminishes your trust in me. Besides, I find it in bad taste to fool around when it comes to money, especially ten G’s.”

Claire blurted out a laugh and then covered her mouth. “But, but, but, but you can’t be so, so, so, gullible,” she managed. “This is an obvious scam.” Claire pointed her finger at Evan, “You should not go into business with the likes of Harold Huber.”

“Everybody’s got to eat,” Evan shrugged. “Listen, I don’t mean to burden you with my affairs, but that kind of bread would help me out quite a lot. Pay off some debts and with the rest, well… I could do very well for myself for a long time.”

“But you’re supposed to be working for me.” Claire threw herself on the sofa close enough to Evan that their knees almost touched.

“Don’t you worry, I am. But you can’t say you’ve been helping me out much,” Evan said. “I mean, you hired me to find your father, which I knew was a lie before it ever escaped those pretty lips of yours. Gabe tailed your Jason Charles, and now both men are dead. The next question is, why?” He looked in her eyes and spoke in a tone of complete ambivalence, “I’m not saying you know, but you know something more than you’ve told me.”

“Like what?” asked Claire.

“Like this pearl,” Evan said. “You practically jumped out of your skin when I mentioned it. You kept your cool, though. I give you high marks.”

Claire turned away from Evan and placed her face in her hands. Her tears began again. “Ten-thousand is a lot of money.”

“It is,” Evan replied.

She looked back over to Evan. Tears were forming rivulets through her perfect makeup. “I can’t compete with that. I couldn’t compete with that in ten lifetimes.” Claire looked out in the distance focusing on nothing and no one. “I thought you were a different kind of man, Evan Gold. I thought you might be the kind of man who did the right thing because it was the right thing and didn’t only trade services and loyalty to the highest bidder.”

“Survival of the fittest,” Evan said. “Isn’t that what they’re teaching in schools these days?”

“But I have nothing left to give!” Claire’s tears turned to sobs.

Evan stood and raised his voice, “You could start with giving me the truth! There are too many loose ends. I can’t get my mind around them. You know more than you’re saying, and this could all spin out of control if you’re not careful. I need you to trust me, Claire. Trust me. Tell me the truth!”

Claire continued to sob and then said, “I don’t know if I can.” She looked up at Evan, her eyes glistening.

“Listen,” Evan’s voice softened, “I don’t know what you’re mixed up in or what it would take to get you out. I don’t need to know everything, but can you be on the level with me? Shoot straight for a change? Not all this cloak and dagger nonsense?”

Claire stood and took a step toward Evan. She nodded, then shook her head, then shrugged helplessly, “I think so. I’ve had to cover my tracks for so long. Can you trust me a little bit longer? Even without all of the details?”

“I’m already neck-deep in this case, Claire. I don’t know if that makes me a wise man or a fool, but it’s where I am. I can go along with you for as long as necessary, but you must know you’re going to have to come clean sooner or later. Facts, especially facts around crimes, have a hard time staying hidden.”

“I know you’re right,” Claire said and once again blotted her face with his handkerchief. “I think, maybe if the three of us talked.”

“Three of us?” Evan asked.

“You, me, and Harold,” said Claire.

“Okay,” nodded Evan.

“If the three of us could talk, we might be able to clear the air,” said Claire.

“I like what you’re thinking,” said Evan. “And I happen to know where he is at this very moment.”

“Where should we meet him?” asked Claire.

“That I don’t know,” pondered Evan. “Maybe we pick him up at his hotel and then take him back to my place.”
“I’m game if you are,” Claire smiled.

“Great,” said Evan. “Get on your things, and we’ll hustle down to The Webster. I think we can catch him before it gets too late.”

Claire went into her bedroom and shut the door, and Evan took the opportunity to look around the place. He observed that Claire traveled light. She’d also moved into The Walnut Grove in a hurry. Still, he didn’t locate anything helpful before she returned ten minutes later.

Claire emerged from her bedroom with a fresh outfit and reapplied makeup. Evan held out his elbow.

“You look fine,” he said. “Shall we?”

Claire linked her arm with his, and they exited her apartment together.