Page 14 of Choosing Stella

“He asked you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he was fascinated by the reading. He wanted to see if anything happened.”

“Did you normally leave cards with clients?”

“No.”

“So this was unusual.”

“Yes.”

Dempsey stepped closer to the table.

“The Tower was found beside Mr. Bellacorte’s body.”

I gripped the back of a chair.

For one second, the room narrowed to the pressure of wood against my palm.

“Beside him?”

“Yes.”

“How did he die?”

“We aren’t discussing details yet.”

“You came into my apartment before dawn and told me my card was next to a murdered client. I think we’re past being delicate.”

Talbot’s voice stayed even.

“Did you take any weapon into the penthouse?”

“No.”

“Did Mr. Bellacorte have weapons there?”

“I don’t know.”

“You spent time in the suite.”

“I was in the rooms we used for the booking. I wasn’t searching his penthouse.”

Dempsey studied me for another second.

“Who knew you were there?”

“The Network. Antonio. Whoever he told.”

“His chief of security, Mikhail Volkov, confirmed you were his private appointment.”

The name meant little to me beyond the vague awareness that Antonio employed layers of people to handle anything inconvenient.

“Then Volkov knew I was there. Did he see Antonio while I was there?”