As soon as I identified myself at the front desk of the police station, I was escorted quickly to the investigators' bullpen. I'd last been there when Marianne and Beth had tried to frame Lenore on a narcotics charge. "Have a seat, Sir," the officer said. "The detective will be right with you."
"Do you call her detective or Lieutenant?" I asked him. " Or is it 'Lieutenant Detective'? What is the proper form of address?"
He paused for a beat or two and grinned. "Call her whatever you want, Mr Landry. It's your ass. I remember you. I was here when your two slaves got picked up for narcotics and trying to frame a free woman."
He was still grinning when Kathy Bishop came out from a back room. "Okay, Bas, what have you got for me?"
"What?" I asked, feigning shock. "If you came to my house, I'd ask how you were doing, give you a hug, and maybe offer you a drink like a beer or at least a cup of coffee."
Kathy looked at me and then to the officer standing next to me. She shook her head. In rapidfire succession she said, "You look fine, but how are you doing? I can offer you water or a cup of coffee that was brewed six hours ago. And if I give you a hug, I might choke you to death because I have the feeling you are involved in all this." She paused then said, "Let me rephrase that. Not just involved. You are in this up to your eyeballs." She turned to the officer. "Dan would you please make a fresh pot of coffee for Mr Landry? I'd like to hear the whole story without any more of his bullshit."
Then Kathy turned to me and chuckled. "Okay. Bas. I know this has got to be a good story. You and Lana Perkins. As soon as she heard your name earlier, I could not tell if she was going to fly off the handle or pee her pants. She was certainly shocked. She said Charlotte Applegate sold her daughter to a man. I assume that was you?"
I nodded and began to tell her what happened since Charlotte transferred Geri Perkins to me Friday morning. I skipped over the details of the story where I was not personally involved. I left it to Charlotte to reveal her personal information.
"Let me get this straight, you not only witnessed, but recorded everything that happened at Charlotte's Boutique today via her new security system which you installed." Kathy said. I nodded and handed her a pair of flashdrives. I'd included copies of the texts between Geri and Lana just to give the story a little context. After she read or listened to the phone calls, as well as this morning's video, she said. "Interesting but like you said, nothing there is a crime. The activity they talked about might have been cruel but it was consensual."
She sat up and listened closely to the video made after lunch when Lana came back to confront Charlotte at her store. "Ahh, now this is a much different accounting than what Lana and the two others have claimed. They have been depicting Ms Applegate as half unhinged after her time on the krewe's auxiliary and how she was taking advantage of the situation with Lana's daughter to get revenge. Lana is portraying herself as the victim claiming Charlotte is a money-grubbing bitch trying to profit on her anguish."
I asked her if she was aware of the activities involving the auxiliary. She leaned close. "Bas, you know full well I am a member of the krewe. I know how things work. But I did not know of anything illegal. Nor was I aware of this type of coercion which, at face value, appears consensual activity. Charlotte never complained from what I understand. All of that appears to me as mere background information."
"You may not like how the Krewe of Aphrodite conducts its affairs, but it is none of your business. There are things I might not like myself, but I cannot act in any official capacity until somebody files a legal complaint. You can bet that once Lana's activities are exposed, women in the Krewe will take heed. I doubt any of it will come out in court as it is irrelevant but the rumor mill will go wild, " Kathy said.
"Do you have time to wait around?" she asked. I nodded and told her as long as the coffee was good and I was not late for supper. She laughed and walked back towards one of the interview rooms. Ten minutes later, Charlotte came out accompanied by an older policeman who asked her to sit and make a written statement. She waved at me. She was offered a cup of coffee.
"Cynthia Dupree has changed her story a bit." Kathy offered when she emerged a half hour later. "It seems that when I quoted a few things she said on the video, she decided lying to protect Lana Perkins was no longer in her best interests." I asked her if she would tell me what Cindy as I knew her, said, Kathy shook her head. "Fuck no, Bas! You know better than even ask that. The only reason you were kept in the loop last time was because the women were your slaves. Go home. I'll be in contact if I need any more information or if you think of anything I might need to know, call me. You can bet somebody from the DA's office will be in touch very soon."
"If Charlotte needs an attorney, I will pay for either Lou Player or Lisa Townsend to represent her." I said, getting to my feet.
"Once Charlotte Applegate finishes her statements, she will be released." Kathy said shaking her head and smiling. "I see no reason to detain her. Now I have to go have a little talk with Rebecca Fruge. I'll bet her she will revise her story as well."
When I entered the house, I was immediately bombarded with questions. When asked where I was, Geri had simply said I'd rushed out the door without saying a word to her. She could not tell if I was upset or scared, but I certainly did not look happy. I'd turned my cell phone off at the police station and forgotten to turn it back on. Everybody seemed to panic when I could not be reached.
"Everything is fine." I said. "I just had to help a friend and I was in a hurry. But everything looks like it will be alright." I really hoped it would. I would hate to see this backfire on Charlotte and Lenore. Lori and Kat simply stood by without saying a word but I could tell they were barely able to contain their curiosity.
