Out of Body Read Online Free PDF Page B

know those women?”
    “I interviewed them for a piece on making it in New Orleans. As jazz singers. I’m working on it now.”
    Archer might as well have told Fisher he didn’t believe a word he said. The message was clear in his eyes. “How many other singers have you interviewed?”
    Letting out a long breath, Fisher finally said, “None. Just the two.”
    “You got more singers on your list?”
    “I’ve got some prospects.”
    “You sure Shirley Cooper wasn’t one of them?”
    Fisher sat up straighter. “Is she a singer?”
    “I don’t know yet. Do you?”
    “No,” Fisher said. “I told you I didn’t.”
    “She lived with a boyfriend. He’d already reported her disappearance when we found the body. How about the fourth one, Pipes Dupuis?”
    Fisher put his forehead in his hands and leaned over his knees. “Yeah, Karen Dupuis, she’s the next one after Amber Lee. She was the next one I intended to talk to. It’s a tough world, y’know, trying to make it as a musician or singer here. Talent pours into the Quarter. Only a few ever make it big.”
    “Save the informational announcement.” Archer appeared to consider his next move. He checked his watch, then reached out a hand to hover over his phone. “Looks likeyou’ll be working a different story real soon. I should put you in an interview room.”
    Fisher buried a rush of anger. “Whatever you say. You’re the boss. How did you find out about Liza Soaper and Amber Lee? How did you link all the women together?”
    Archer looked as if he’d refuse to answer, but he shrugged and said, “Liza’s landlady said her lodger went out to work one night and never came back. That was about ten days ago.”
    “You’ve known she was missing that long without making it public?”
    “Yeah.” And Archer’s hard eyes warned Fisher not to have any opinions about that. “The case didn’t come to me then. They were hoping to get some leads before any suspect got frightened out of the area. Amber’s been gone a few days. Pipes dropped out of sight last night.”
    “Who reported them?” Fisher asked.
    “Sidney, that’s Amber’s singing partner, reported Amber missing. She didn’t arrive at Scully’s for work one night and hasn’t been seen since. Pipes took a break between sets at Caged Birds last night and we can’t find anyone who saw her afterward. Or her daughter…” Archer paused, staring at Fisher. “Erin. The kid’s five or six and she wasn’t mentioned in case it put her in more danger. If she’s still alive, the killer might decide she’s too much of a liability and get rid of her.
    “While her mother sang, she slept in a dressing room. They didn’t go home—or they didn’t get home. The band Pipes sings with is sure she and the kid were snatched. No husband or lover on the scene.”
    Fisher winced. “Too bad about the kid.”
    Archer gave him an exasperated look. “I don’t like it that you may be part of the problem. Not at all.”
    “If you thought I was a problem, you wouldn’t be answering my questions.”
    “If you already know the answers, what difference doesit make?” Archer pushed around the mess of papers on his desk. “We’ll get through a few preliminaries right here. If you’re willing to do that? Informal?”
    “You’d better record everything, hadn’t you?” Fisher said, unflinching.
    “I’m not accusing you of anything—yet. Just having that chat you wanted. Who did you meet first?”
    “Liza Soaper. Maybe I need a lawyer.”
    “There’s the phone,” Archer said, nodding at his desk. “How long ago did you hook up with her?”
    “Around six weeks, give or take.”
    Archer wasn’t taking notes—or recording anything. “How did you find her?”
    “I asked around. Who was an up-and-comer? Did anyone know someone who was making it, but had a rough story to tell about getting there? Most of them do, but you’ve got to think through how you approach them.”
    Archer kept his mouth shut and