‘Yes, of course I know what he does for a living.’
‘And whatdoeshe do?’ Choi again.
‘He’s an entrepreneur…an investor. He’s got businesses everywhere.’
‘In Los Angeles?’ Kendall asked.
‘Yes.’ Mary nodded. ‘He’s got a couple of movie production companies down in Los Angeles.’
Choi threw his hands up in the air, in a victory gesture. ‘Finally, we seem to be getting somewhere.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’ Right then, Mary seemed to be made of confusion.
Kendall reached for the manila envelope on the table. ‘What that means, Mary, is that we seem to have a big problem.’
One Hundred
Mary sat completely still, except for her eyes, which first narrowed at Detective Kendall, before bouncing over to Detective Choi, and finally to the manila envelope on the table.
‘What problem?’
Kendall retrieved a photograph from inside the envelope and placed it on the table in front of Mary. It was a Polaroid photo of a woman – a facial shot. Her eyes were open, and all that Mary could really see in them was fear. She had seen that same Polaroid photo before – on the wall down in Quaddra’s basement.
‘Do you know this woman?’ Kendall asked.
‘No,’ Mary shook her head. ‘I don’t, but I’m sure that she was one of the women on the wall down in that basement. Just like I told you.’
‘She was,’ Choi confirmed.
‘So, what’s the problem?’ Mary asked, her eyes wide, her head shaking ever so slightly.
Kendall retrieved several other Polaroid photos from the envelope, placing them all on the table in front of Mary. They all followed the exact same pattern as the columns in Quaddra’s wall – three facial close-ups, to start, then photos of the hands, body, bare feet and, finally, another facial close-up – the cadaver shot.
‘Yes,’ Mary said firmly. ‘That was exactly what I told you – thephotos displayed in columns – each column representing a different woman… a different victim.’
‘And you have no idea who she is?’ Choi, this time.
‘No. I’ve never seen her before. The first time I saw her was in these photos, on the wall down in that fucking basement.’
Kendall retrieved another photo from the envelope. This one, Mary had never seen before. It wasn’t a Polaroid. It was a headshot – the type used by casting companies, model agencies and movie studios. The woman on the photo was the same woman from the Polaroids.
‘What the hell is this?’ Mary asked, frowning at the photo.
‘You haven’t seen this photo before?’ Kendall asked.
‘No.’
‘It was on the wall,’ Choi informed Mary. ‘Together with all the Polaroids. This was the very first photo right at the top of the columns you mentioned. Every column had one.’
‘What?’
The two detectives exchanged a concerned look.
‘So, you’re telling me that you saw all the Polaroids on that wall,’ Choi pressed. ‘But you didn’t see this?’
Mary felt a shiver grab hold of her. ‘No, that photo wasnoton that wall. And what are you talking about – every column had one.’
‘Her name is Elena Muñoz,’ Kendall took over. ‘She’s an actress based in Los Angeles.’
