Bombshell by Catherine Coulter Page B

exaggerated accent, but I know he wants her; I’m only a stray guppy, an afterthought. She’s the one who told me she’d read he and his twin Dr. Hayman were separated as boys and it was Rafael the mom took back to Spain. He is always waxing eloquent about his upbringing in Barcelona and his training at Queen Sofía College of Music in Madrid, studying under the famous Natalia Bron.”
    She sighed. “I guess I was drunk.”
    “Sounds like it. That’s weird for you, Ms. One Drink.” He turned toward the door. “Ah, here he is, your friend and neighbor, Mr. Stoltzen. He asked if he could come see you.” Griffin nodded to Henry. “Mr. Stoltzen.”
    Henry didn’t quite meet his eyes. He whispered, “Please, Agent Hammersmith, call me Henry.”
    “All right,” Griffin said, and watched Delsey smile with affection at him.
    Henry was different, Delsey knew it when she’d first met him, and she really liked him—impossible not to. She took his hand, shook it. “Hey, dude. You found me and called the paramedics. Thank you.”
    Griffin had met music nerds before Henry, and when Stoltzen had stopped him in the lobby, Griffin knew he fit the bill nicely. He was on the short side, his shoulders stooped, his skin vampire-pale and soft-looking, like he’d never thrown anything heavier than a wadded-up piece of paper into a wastebasket. He wore a long goatee, blacker even than his shaggy hair, meaning he probably dyed it. Still, all six inches of it was a pure distraction, an excellent affectation for him. Even though Griffin had read the statement Dix took from Henry, he thought it was a good idea to let him visit with Delsey. Perhaps he would help her remember something.
    He watched Henry slink to Delsey’s bedside, and stand looking down at her knees, not her face, shifting his feet back and forth. “It was really bad, Delsey,” he said, finally looking at her face. “I came by earlier to speak to Agent Noble. Then I wanted to see you, but the deputy outside your room wouldn’t let me come in—”
    “You didn’t recognize Deputy Claus?”
    “Sure, and he recognized me, too, but he said I still needed permission, but Agent Noble was gone and there was no one to give it to me.” He turned to Griffin. “Delsey talks about you a lot.”
    “Not all bad,” Delsey said.
    Griffin said, “Why didn’t you go to the party, Mr. Stoltzen? Henry?”
    “I wasn’t invited. I’m not pretty enough.”
    Delsey said to her brother, “Professor Salazar’s parties always have more women than men.”
    Both Griffin and Delsey heard spite in Henry’s voice when he said, “According to what I’ve heard, Salazar doesn’t like competition.”
    Then where’s the harm in inviting you?
Griffin said, “I know you already told your story to Sheriff Noble and Agent Noble, but please humor me and tell us both again, from the beginning, Mr. . . . Henry.”
    “Yeah, okay, I can do that.” He looked down at Delsey. “I heard you pull in at about one o’clock and looked out the window, saw you unlock your door and walk in. I admit it, Delsey, I did wonder if you’d had too much fun at Salazar’s party. You looked like you were weaving around a bit.”
    Delsey said, “And I’ll never do that again for as long as I live, so help me God.”
    “Good,” Griffin said, then turned to Henry again. “You said you heard something come from Delsey’s apartment and it worried you? How long was this after she came in at one o’clock?”
    “Maybe about ten minutes before she walked in. I thought I heard some bumping around, like there was someone in her apartment, a visitor maybe, but then I didn’t hear anything else, and so I thought I imagined it. Until Delsey screamed. I banged on the floor and called 911, and then I listened some more, and then I walked down.”
    “Do you remember what time it was?” Griffin asked.
    Henry’s eyes darted to Griffin’s face. He popped his knuckles. “You know, it took me a while to decide