The Angel Singers by Dorien Grey Read Free Book Online

said, as we shook hands.
    “‘No problem,” he said. “I appreciate your coming by on such short notice. I want to get this taken care of right away.”
    Though I had a good idea of what he was talking about, I couldn’t be sure and decided to wait for him to tell me. He gestured me to a seat.
    “We want you to look into Grant Jefferson’s death,” he said simply.
    We?
    “Aren’t the police doing that?” I asked.
    “Of course,” he said, “but this goes a little beyond normal police procedures. There are quite a few people involved on quite a few levels and we—I—want to keep the whole matter as contained as possible.”
    “‘We’ being…?”
    He nodded. “The chorus board of directors. We met last night to discuss the possible ramifications of Grant’s death on the organization. Crandall is opposed to the idea of bringing a private investigator in, but since the police have already interviewed him and he will obviously be a focal point of their investigation, the other members and I overruled him.”
    “Was he able to tell them anything?”
    “He answered their specific questions, but he’s too astute to go beyond or elaborate on his responses. They undoubtedly will want to talk with him again.” He leaned forward in his chair and looked me squarely in the eye. “This is not to go beyond this room, but I’m seriously concerned not so much that the investigation’s focus will quite likely be on Crandall as that it may have some justification.”
    “How so?”
    “I suspect there may have been some serious problems regarding his relationship with Grant Jefferson.”
    “I got the impression from when we talked last that you didn’t know Jefferson all that well.”
    He nodded. “You’re right, I didn’t. But Crandall never wanders far from type.”
    “Any specifics?”
    “Not really. Mostly impressions. I’ve known Crandall for years. I would categorize him more as a close acquaintance than a friend. He comes from wealth and has made several fortunes on his own, and he’s always operated on the not totally unjustified principle that money is power.
    “Unfortunately, he occasionally carries this principle over into his personal life. Grant Jefferson was not the first young man he has taken under his wing. Usually, they drop out of his life as quickly as they enter it. I may be a bit jaded, but I’ve often found that what can be bought can be paid to go away.
    “Crandall, as I’ve said, loves to be in control, and as far as I can tell it has always been he who ended the liaisons. But I get the impression Jefferson had an agenda of his own, though I have no idea of what it might have been.
    “I would truly hate to think Crandall actually did have anything to do with Grant’s death, if for no other reason than that I can’t imagine his blowing up one of his own cars—and especially a car as expensive as a Porsche.
    “I’m telling you all this to encourage you to consider all options—not that I had any doubt that you would.
    “My main concern, other than to see Jefferson’s killer brought to justice, is to keep the chorus as far out of this mess as possible. It’s an asset the gay community can’t afford to have jeopardized.”
    “I understand and agree.”
    “So,” he said, sitting back in his chair, “you’ll take it on?”
    “Sure,” I said, actually relieved to have another real case to sink my teeth into. “I assume I’ll have Booth’s full cooperation?”
    He raised an eyebrow and gave a slight shrug. “I certainly hope so. If he was not responsible for Jefferson’s death, he knows it’s in his own best interests in the long run, and if there is one thing Crandall is not, it’s stupid.” He grinned, then added, “I’ve also spoken with Roger, telling him to expect to hear from you.”
    Glancing at his watch, he then said, “Ah, time to get back to court,” and got quickly to his feet, picking his suit coat off the back of his chair with both hands and