Orchestrated Murder Read Online Free

Her passing was such a loss.”
    â€œCut the public relations crap,” Pratt growled. “I’ve got better things to do with my time.”
    Browne didn’t answer. He showed each of the detectives the rooms they’d be using. Pratt waited, arms folded.
    â€œAll right, Detective Pratt,” Browne finally said. “My job is to help keep this orchestra running smoothly. Spadafini’s murder is a complete disaster for us. I’m just trying to keep things going and minimize the fallout.”
    Pratt bit back a sharp answer that it was a greater tragedy for Spadafini. “So tell me about the two of them.”
    Browne sighed and looked down a moment. “There were rumors about Luigi and Annabelle—”
    â€œI’ve heard it was more than rumors.”
    â€œAll right! They were having an affair.”
    â€œDid Spadafini have a wife?”
    â€œNo. He said it would have cramped his Italian playboy lifestyle.”
    â€œWas there anyone else in the orchestra Spadafini was involved with?” Browne sighed again. “Our new piccolo player.”
    â€œWas that recent?”
    The orchestra manager looked uncomfortable. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that this is what upset Annabelle so much.”
    â€œCould it have driven her to suicide?”
    â€œI…I don’t know. Perhaps.”
    â€œI have one of my men checking on it, but you could help a lot if you’d tell me whether she left a suicide note.”
    â€œLook, Detective, this would have been a huge scandal if it had come out.”
    â€œDid she leave a suicide note?” Pratt repeated.
    Even though they were alone in the corridor, Browne looked around before speaking. “I asked the maestro about it. He said there was a letter sent to his apartment. He told me he burned it without reading it.”
    â€œDid you believe him?”
    Browne sighed. “Would you have wanted to read something like that?”
    â€œAnd he or you never contacted the police.” Pratt made it sound like a statement.
    â€œThere didn’t seem to be any point. The girl obviously jumped in front of the train on her own. Fifty people must have seen it.”
    â€œYour conductor sounds like a heartless bastard.”
    â€œHe could be.” Browne looked away for a moment. “But he was a sublime musician.”
    â€œThat doesn’t excuse anything. You should have gone to the police with what you knew.”
    â€œWhat good would it have done? It’s not as if Spadafini killed her himself.”
    Pratt fixed the manager with a hard stare. “It sounds to me like you’re trying to excuse his behavior.”
    â€œHe ran his life by a different set of rules than normal people. If you want to know, he told me that Annabelle became demanding. She wanted to move in with him, regularize their relationship. She didn’t understand when he told her that this would never happen. He said he’d never led her on, made promises he didn’t plan to keep.”
    â€œAnd you believe he was telling the truth?”
    â€œHow should I know? I wasn’t his priest!”
    At the end of the corridor, the door opened and one of the uniformed cops came through it.
    â€œDetective Pratt?”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œThe orchestra is getting hungry.”
    Pratt looked at his watch: nearly twelve thirty. “I suppose we have to do something. They’re going to be here a while longer— unless someone confesses.”
    Browne looked relieved as he said, “Occasionally, we have sandwiches brought in for long rehearsals. I’ll see to it.”
    â€œOne other thing, Browne. I need a list of all the orchestra members who are here today.”
    â€œI’ll go up to my office and print it out.”
    As he hustled off, the uniform said, “You asked me to tell you if we spotted anything interesting. There’s one woman who’s been sitting in the