Shallow Graves by Jeremiah Healy

death.
    “Did Mau Tim ever talk with you about her personal life?“
    “No. No, she really didn’t, John. We talked a little once about what growing up in an ethnic Swedish family was like, but— you see, quite a lot of the girls see me as kind of a big sister.“
    “Somebody they can confide in?“
    “Yes, but not Mau Tim.“
    “Independent?“
    “More... insulated. I think growing up Amerasian must have given her some problems. I don’t mean while she was working. She could be dazzling on a shoot. I mean more that she kept her personal side to herself.“
    “Might she have confided more in your partner?“
    “George?“
    “Uh-huh.“
    “I doubt it. Maybe Sinead, though if you meet her, you’ll never see why.“
    “She the model who was having the party?“
    “Right. Sinead Fagan. George can give you her number, too. Only, don’t release it, okay?“
    “Release it?“
    “Yes. Some of the girls use the agency as their number and address to screen out the creeps.“
    “Models get approached a lot?“
    “You bet. Even agencies like this one have to avoid them.“
    “Like by no sign out front.“
    “Right. And by being on the fourth floor instead of street level. If they could spot us from the sidewalk, every pervert with an Instamatic would be in here, trying to hire ‘nude models’ for ‘private photo sessions.’ “
    “Did Mau Tim ever have any problems with ‘creeps,’ Erica?“
    “Not that I know of. I think she would have told me that.“
    I nodded. “Who decided to take out the policy on her?“
    “We both did.“
    “You and Yulin.“
    “Yes.“
    “Whose idea was it to start with?“
    Lindqvist watched me very carefully. “Should I be thinking about my lawyer now?“
    “Same answer as before.“
    She paused. “It was George’s idea.“
    “You have policies on any of your other models?“
    “No. We thought about it on a guy a few years ago, but he moved to New York .“
    “And on to another agency?“
    Another pause. “Yes.“
    “Any reason you applied for half a million?“
    “It seemed like a good number at the time. Believe me, John, Mau Tim was a rising star about to become a superstar. There was nobody quite like her. Two years from now, that policy would have been for two million dollars and every model in the country would be showing up at test shoots with violet contact lenses.“
    “Would she still be worth that to you by then?“
    “Mau Tim wasn’t going anywhere.“
    My turn to pause. “I didn’t mean to imply that she was. I just meant since Mau Tim was nineteen now, she’d be ‘past-prime’ in another two years.“
    Lindqvist brought out the good smile again. “You’re very... accomplished at this, aren’t you, John?“
    “I’ve been doing it a long time. You get lucky.“
    “First, Mau Tim wasn’t going to leave our agency. She’d heard quite a lot about how you have to go to New York to hit the megabucks, but she was loyal to us. Second, Mau Tim was an exception to the rule-of-nineteen. She would have been sensational for a long time to come.“
    “All right. Mind telling me where you were a week ago Friday?“
    A darkening. “When Mau Tim was killed?“
    “Yes.“
    The eyes flitted again. “Upstairs? Yes.“
    “Upstairs?“
    “I have the penthouse unit in this building. I was catching up on some paperwork.“
    “Alone.“
    “Unfortunately.“
    “On a Friday night.“
    Lindqvist traced an index finger from her throat to her navel. “All dressed up and no place to go.“
    I shook my head. “Anything else you can think of?“
    “Yes. Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?“
    I folded my pad. “That’s pretty fast.“
    “This business moves pretty fast, John.“ Her eyes went to the ceiling. “The penthouse has a great deck. Barbecue for two?“
    I stood. “Thanks, Erica, but I’m already taken.“
    The beaming smile. “The best always are, John. The trick is learning how to take them away.“

- 6 -

    George Yuun’s door