“Poor Vassily, this is terrible beyond terrible. And now everyone will hate me.”
“Hate you, sir?” said Milo.
“The publicity,” said Szabo. “When I built the odeum, I took such pains to go through every channel. Wrote personal notes to the neighbors, assured everyone that only private affairs and very occasional fund-raisers would be held. And always, the ultimate discretion. My policy’s always been consistent: fair warning to everyone within a two-block radius, ample parking valets. I took pains, Detective. And, now this.”
He wrung his hands. “I need to be especially careful because of you-know-who. During the trial, life was hell. But beyond that, I’m a loyal Brentwoodite. Now this.”
Szabo’s eyes bugged suddenly. “Were you involved in that one?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Szabo. “Because if you were, I can’t say I’d have any great confidence in you.” He sniffed the air. “The poor odeum. I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue.”
“Mr. Szabo built a private concert hall, Alex. The victim was tonight’s performer.”
“The victim.” Szabo placed a hand over his heart. Before he could speak, the doors opened again and a young, lithe Asian man in snug black satin pants, a black silk shirt, and a red bow tie hurried toward us.
“Tom!” said Szabo. “The detective says a while longer.”
The young man nodded. He looked to be thirty at most, with poreless, tight skin glowing ivory under a dense blue-black cirrus of hair. “Whatever it takes, Stef. Are you okay?”
“Not hardly, Tom.”
The young man turned to me. “Tom Loh.” His hand was cool, dry, powerful.
Szabo hooked his arm around Loh’s biceps. “Tom designed the odeum. Designed the house. We’re partners.”
“In life,” said Tom Loh.
Szabo said, “Is the caterer doing anything or just standing around? As long as she’s stuck here, she might as well tidy up.”
Milo said, “Mr. Szabo, let’s hold off on cleanup until the crime-scene people are through.”
“Crime-scene people,” said Szabo. Tears filled his eyes. “Never in my life did I imagine that term would be relevant to our home.”
Tom Loh said, “Is the—is Vassily still here?”
“The body will be removed as soon as we’re finished,” said Milo.
“Sure, fine, whatever. Is there anything else I can tell you? About Vassily, the concert?”
“We’ve already been through the guest list, sir.”
“But as I told you,” Szabo broke in, “the guest list is only part of the audience. Eighty-five out of a hundred and thirteen people. And you must take my word: every one of those eighty-five is beyond reproach. Twenty-five are our faithful season-ticket holders—neighbors whom we grant free admission.”
“Stroking the neighbors,” explained Loh. “So we could get the odeum through zoning hassles.”
“Eighty-five out of one thirteen,” said Milo. “Leaving twenty-eight strangers.”
“But surely,” said Szabo, “anyone who’d be interested in Chopin would be too refined to . . .”
Loh said, “Let them do their job, Stef.” His hand rested atop the older man’s shoulder.
“Oh, I know you’re right. I’m just a fellow trying to make the world a more beautiful place, what do I know about this kind of thing?” Szabo smiled weakly. “Tom reads mystery novels. He appreciates this kind of thing.”
“Only in fiction,” said Loh. “This is hideous.”
Szabo seemed to take that as a reproach. “Yes, yes, of course, I’m babbling, don’t know what I’m saying. Go about your business, Detective.” He touched his chest. “I need to sit down.”
Loh said, “Go upstairs, I’ll bring you a Pear William.” Taking Szabo’s arm, he guided the older man toward the landing, stopped and watched as Szabo trudged the rest of the way by himself, then returned to us.
“He’s traumatized.”
“How long have you had the odeum?” said Milo.
“Same time as the house,” said Loh. “Three years. But the project was over a decade in the making. We began right after Stef and I moved from New York. We were together two years before that. Stef was in the hosiery business, and I was in urban design, did public and private spaces. We met at a reception for Zubin Mehta. Stef had always been a classical music freak, and I was there because I’d done some work for one of the maestro’s friends.”