Chicago. Since she had the address memorized, Ethan Chandler must have been a very important client.
“Please, I’m concerned for Ethan. What is this about?”
A cop rarely answered questions, only asked them. It was his partner’s turn to go fishing, and she didn’t miss a beat.
“What’s Mr. Chandler’s relationship to Olivia Davenport?” Angel asked.
With Ethan’s full name, they had enough to do a background check, but if they got more from Blevins, that might develop into another lead. Cronan sat back in his chair, leaving the questioning in the hands of his savvy partner.
“Olivia?” The publicist turned pale. “They’ve been dating, off and on, for the last few months. What’s she got to do with—” It didn’t take long for the woman to do the math. “Oh my, God. Did something happen to Olivia?”
“ She was murdered last night,” Angel said. “Her name will hit the news today, now that the Davenport family has been notified.”
Rachel Blevins slumped into her chair. “Ethan will be devastated.”
A strained silence filled the room. The publicist looked surprised by the news, but not broken up over it. Her expression looked more like someone had cancelled lunch.
“We only want to talk to your client.” Angel reassured her. “He may have had dinner with Olivia. We’re piecing together her last hours.”
“ No, she never showed,” the publicist said. “I’d made reservations for them at eight. Amandine’s Restaurant on Halsted. Ethan has a performance on Saturday. He’d been busy with rehearsals and hadn’t seen Olivia for a few days. He asked me to pull strings to get them into Amandine’s at the last minute. But when I talked to Ethan that evening, he told me he was at the restaurant, and Olivia never made it. He’d left cell phone messages for her.”
“ What time did you call him?” his partner asked.
“ A little after nine, I think.”
“ We still need to talk to him and get a statement.” Angel looked up from her notes. “By the way, what does Mr. Chandler do to need your expertise?”
“ You haven’t heard of Ethan Chandler?” Blevins looked down her nose and gave them attitude.
But Cronan knew how to balance the scales. “No. Considering that you handle his publicity, he may want his money back.”
The woman narrowed her eyes at him. “You know, I can see it now.”
“ See what?” he asked.
“ How you got those lumps.” The publicist didn’t wait for his reply. She turned to Angel. “Ethan Chandler is a world class violinist and a major recording artist. Absolutely phenomenal. You should see him in concert.”
She sighed and fanned her face like a regular drama queen.
“He’s drop dead gorgeous,” the woman added. “And best of all, he’s blind.”
“ Best of all? I’m sure Ethan doesn’t think so.” Cronan grimaced, and it hurt.
“ All I’m saying is, he’s a publicist’s dream, and he’s as charming as they come. Circle of Fifths was his idea for a corporate name. It’s a musical chart of sharps and flats, but it sounds uber-chic, don’t you think?”
“ Yeah, I get goose bumps thinking about it.” Cronan crossed arms over his chest, still clutching the woman’s nameplate.
“ Have you ever known Olivia to use drugs?” Angel asked after giving him a sideways glance.
“ I wouldn’t know, but nothing would surprise me about her.” The publicist shook her head. “She wasn’t right for him. Whether she was into drugs or not, she was definitely a user. Ethan deserved better.”
Cronan noticed the woman didn’t have any trouble slipping into the past tense when it came to Olivia Davenport.
“Any time she wanted publicity for a charity event,” the woman said, “she made sure Ethan showed up. He was her photo op. I’m not surprised she never showed at the restaurant either. It wasn’t the first time.”
The publicist crooked her lips into a smile. “At least this time, she had a legitimate excuse.” The
“Please, I’m concerned for Ethan. What is this about?”
A cop rarely answered questions, only asked them. It was his partner’s turn to go fishing, and she didn’t miss a beat.
“What’s Mr. Chandler’s relationship to Olivia Davenport?” Angel asked.
With Ethan’s full name, they had enough to do a background check, but if they got more from Blevins, that might develop into another lead. Cronan sat back in his chair, leaving the questioning in the hands of his savvy partner.
“Olivia?” The publicist turned pale. “They’ve been dating, off and on, for the last few months. What’s she got to do with—” It didn’t take long for the woman to do the math. “Oh my, God. Did something happen to Olivia?”
“ She was murdered last night,” Angel said. “Her name will hit the news today, now that the Davenport family has been notified.”
Rachel Blevins slumped into her chair. “Ethan will be devastated.”
A strained silence filled the room. The publicist looked surprised by the news, but not broken up over it. Her expression looked more like someone had cancelled lunch.
“We only want to talk to your client.” Angel reassured her. “He may have had dinner with Olivia. We’re piecing together her last hours.”
“ No, she never showed,” the publicist said. “I’d made reservations for them at eight. Amandine’s Restaurant on Halsted. Ethan has a performance on Saturday. He’d been busy with rehearsals and hadn’t seen Olivia for a few days. He asked me to pull strings to get them into Amandine’s at the last minute. But when I talked to Ethan that evening, he told me he was at the restaurant, and Olivia never made it. He’d left cell phone messages for her.”
“ What time did you call him?” his partner asked.
“ A little after nine, I think.”
“ We still need to talk to him and get a statement.” Angel looked up from her notes. “By the way, what does Mr. Chandler do to need your expertise?”
“ You haven’t heard of Ethan Chandler?” Blevins looked down her nose and gave them attitude.
But Cronan knew how to balance the scales. “No. Considering that you handle his publicity, he may want his money back.”
The woman narrowed her eyes at him. “You know, I can see it now.”
“ See what?” he asked.
“ How you got those lumps.” The publicist didn’t wait for his reply. She turned to Angel. “Ethan Chandler is a world class violinist and a major recording artist. Absolutely phenomenal. You should see him in concert.”
She sighed and fanned her face like a regular drama queen.
“He’s drop dead gorgeous,” the woman added. “And best of all, he’s blind.”
“ Best of all? I’m sure Ethan doesn’t think so.” Cronan grimaced, and it hurt.
“ All I’m saying is, he’s a publicist’s dream, and he’s as charming as they come. Circle of Fifths was his idea for a corporate name. It’s a musical chart of sharps and flats, but it sounds uber-chic, don’t you think?”
“ Yeah, I get goose bumps thinking about it.” Cronan crossed arms over his chest, still clutching the woman’s nameplate.
“ Have you ever known Olivia to use drugs?” Angel asked after giving him a sideways glance.
“ I wouldn’t know, but nothing would surprise me about her.” The publicist shook her head. “She wasn’t right for him. Whether she was into drugs or not, she was definitely a user. Ethan deserved better.”
Cronan noticed the woman didn’t have any trouble slipping into the past tense when it came to Olivia Davenport.
“Any time she wanted publicity for a charity event,” the woman said, “she made sure Ethan showed up. He was her photo op. I’m not surprised she never showed at the restaurant either. It wasn’t the first time.”
The publicist crooked her lips into a smile. “At least this time, she had a legitimate excuse.” The
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