"No, listen, you might get a call from Elena Duarte. You know, from the café." Sandy related the conversation with Elena but didn't mention advising her to get a lawyer.
He was interested and impressed. "So, Norma Martin is tied into what may or may not be a crime family and very likely a pro-casino force. Furthermore, she's the mother of Elena Duarte. You say Elena claims to be the one who actually had the affair with Towson?"
"You don't believe her?"
"I have my doubts. Without prints or DNA, we can't even put her in his apartment. Why doesn't she just run? Why come to you?"
"She came to me for help. She's afraid the police are looking for her. And I told you Pirro is chasing her. She doesn't know what to do about him."
"Maybe this Pirro was flat out ordered to kill Towson, and Elena's weeping act is to cover it all up."
"Well, she's clever and obviously good at lying. Towson was no dummy and she fooled him. Is she truly frightened, or did they send her to me for some purpose?"
"I don't care about all of the other family stuff she told you. The threats and who wants to screw who. My concern is did she, or one of her Tampa crowd, commit the murder. The election campaign gives her motive, and sleeping with him positively provides opportunity."
"But why assassinate him if they can knock him out of the election with their Norma Martin rumor scheme?"
"Either way this is good, Sandy. Elena would never have talked with me. I would never have found out about that Tampa family angle without getting myself shot. You did it for me. You're good, thank you."
How delicious was that! "Gee, if I wore glasses they would be steamy right now."
"There's something else on this Tampa angle. You'll probably learn about it anyway. Your friend Linda is using an alias. Her real name is Lynda." He spelled it out. "She's Cuban-American from Tampa, not Georgia.
"Oh, God, why did she lie to me about that? What's she hiding? And she's been stalking me or she did at least once. That's how she was able to show up on cue when Huress came at me. What does she say about it?"
"I've told you too much already."
"Will it screw you up, if I confront her about using an alias?"
"I never told you anything."
"She lied to me about why she followed me, and she lied to me about her Georgia background. I don't appreciate that."
"Time's up, Sandy, got to run."
"What's the rush, you have something you want to attend to at home? Just one more little thing. The M.E. report said Towson dropped right where he was shot. Was there much blood spatter around?" She tried to make the question sound innocent.