“See anything that helps you?” she asked.
He smiled. “Not really, but I’m glad we came. Gives me a little more feeling for the guy.” He motioned toward the sidewalk. “Come on, I think I’ve seen enough.”
They retraced their steps back to the front. As Gayle was stepping back inside the car, Stephen stood in front of the house enjoying one last look at the magnificent view. A dark blue car rounded the corner and slowed down as it approached them.
Stephen watched as it drove by. “Did you see that car?”
“I didn’t pay it much attention. Why?”
“I think it followed us here.”
She turned and looked over at the intersection, but the car was gone. “It followed us? Who’d be following us?”
“I have no idea? Nobody knew we were coming here.” He got into the car. “I noticed it when we turned off Sunset Boulevard. But I thought I was getting a little paranoid. Now I’m not so sure. The car’s circled around a few times.”
“Maybe they’re lost. Probably just tourists trying to find out what house George Harrison was at. I’m sure plenty of Beatles fans come this way.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Could be.”
###
Louise looked at the small suitcase that was open on the bed again. Why was it full of little kid’s clothes? Nurse Stefano never mentioned having any kids. She riffled through the garments. They were all brand new. Oh. Presents for someone.
She pushed the small suitcase onto the floor and reached into the closet. A shiny black dress caught her eye. Yes, that would fit her. She started unbuttoning her uniform and then stopped. What was that? A dull thump sounded near the front door. She moved away from the window and listened. After a few moments of silence, she glanced into the living room. The front door was still closed. Had she locked it? She shoved the black dress back into the closet and tip-toed to the window. A paperboy was peddling his bicycle down the gravel road. Louise opened the front door just wide enough to reach out and scoop up the paper.
She was sore from the day before. It had taken several tries before she’d been able to dump Angela’s body into the freezer on the back porch. Thank God for that wheelbarrow. If she hadn’t found it in the garage, she never would have been able to manage it. Angela wasn’t very big, but dead weight was tough. Her mother had given her the same problem.
The freezer had been stuffed with food. Beef roasts, pork roasts, frozen chickens. She hated to have to throw out so much. What a waste. The liver didn’t bother her. Good riddance. The whitefish, either. Too fishy.
She walked back to the kitchen table and spread open the paper. Probably too early to have any news about her escape. Nothing had been on the late night news either. That was odd. What to do? Should she risk driving Angela’s car to California? That plan hadn’t worked out for her before. There was no hurry. Angela probably wouldn’t be missed for at least a week.
Louise poured herself another cup of coffee. Was that a cardinal at the window?
Fifteen
Johnny Stampos paced back and forth in front of his desk. He was pounding a rolled up Hollywood Insider against his hand. “You see this, Tony? I’m a laughing stock. A damned laughing stock. That bitch played me like a fool.” He spun around. “And you! You spend all day traveling across the whole damn country and then go to a bar and get the shit scared out of you by a few local yokels. The next thing I know, you’re standing back in front of my desk, wringing your hands, telling me you didn’t have Barbara.”
Tony braced himself. “Boss, like I told you. They got posters all over the place looking for that DeLuca guy. Lucky me, this bozo busted out of prison a few days before I got there. I walk into a bar and start asking around for the same guy he’d been asking about a few years earlier. For some reason, that made all the damn bells and whistles go off. Them local guys were going nuts. Then the cops came and talked to me. What was I supposed to do? No way I could’ve gotten anywhere near that Kahle guy’s place.”
Johnny stopped. “Wait a minute. Did you say DeLuca?”
“Yeah. Paulie DeLuca.”
“Why do I know that name?”
Tony looked up. “You know that name?”
“I just heard it somewhere? I know I did. But where?”
“Maybe on the news. You probably saw it on TV about him breaking out. They think he had help from a woman guard. Can you beat that? I saw her picture. She’s not bad.”
Johnny tossed the paper on his desk. “Remember when I got that call from Marty Saltzman in Vegas?”
“Yeah. Some guy from New York needed help.”
“I swear Marty said the guy’s friend was named DeLuca. Paulie Deluca.” He grabbed the phone. “I’m calling Marty.”
###
Croaking frogs created a loud symphony as the sun finally sank over the thick canopy of trees behind the cabin. Paulie peered out the window. “Where are those little bastards?”
Kitty snapped her suitcase shut. “What little bastards?”
“Those damn frogs. You never see them during the day, but at night they make such a racket you can hardly sleep. Where do they hide all day?”
“Who cares? Come on. Let’s get out of this cesspool before we catch typhoid fever or something.”
Only one car passed them on their way to the IGA store. Al answered on the third ring. He told Paulie he’d call him back in ten minutes. He wanted to use a pay phone down on the corner.
It seemed like it was half an hour before Al called back. Thank goodness nobody else needed to use the booth. Paulie grabbed the receiver. “What took so long?”
“Shut up. It’s about to rain, and I had to find an umbrella, not that it’s any of your damn business. Anyway, thank goodness you called. This morning I heard from some mob boss out in L.A. They want to help you. They’ll get you safe passage to Vegas.”
Paulie smiled. “They will?”
“Yeah. But you need to do something for them first.”
“What?”
Al paused. “It’s a little complicated. They want you to find some broad named Barbara Jenkins. She’s supposed to be staying at that same place you were looking for that kid a few years ago. Phillip Kahle’s place.”
Paulie thought about what Al just said. “Hey, wait a minute. How am I supposed to do that? It ain’t like four years ago when nobody up here knew anything about me. I just busted out of the pen. Now everybody up here’s looking for me. I can’t be waltzing around out in the open. And what am I supposed to do with this broad if I find her?”
“Get her to Chicago. You do that, they get you to Vegas, and put you up in your own place. Look Paulie, you aren’t dealing with the Red Cross or the Salvation Army. You want a favor, you do a favor. That’s how it’s always been.”
Paulie’s neck turned crimson. “What kind of shit is this? How am I gonna pull that off? Every cop in the state’s looking for me. Screw that. I called you to tell you I’m heading back to New York tonight. Forget Vegas. You need to find me a place to stay. We’re leaving right now. We should get there sometime tomorrow afternoon.”
“Paulie! Shut up for a second, will you? They already sent somebody from L.A. to do the job, but it didn’t work out, and they’re blaming you.”
“Me? How the hell can they blame me?”
“Once the guy got there, everybody was up in arms. Nervous and everything when you busted out of the joint. Because of that, he had to go back empty-handed. Just so you know, when they tell you to do something, they ain’t askin’. If you don’t pull this off, you won’t be safe in New York…and neither will I. You ain’t leaving tonight. Figure out a way to grab the broad, get to Chicago, and everything’ll be fine. Just figure it out. Hey, it’s starting to pour out here. I gotta go.”
Paulie slammed down the receiver. Those low life bastards. He looked over to where Kitty was sitting in the car. How the hell was he going to tell her this? He pushed the phone booth door open and walked back.
“How’d it go
?”
“Ah, you’re not going to believe this, but Al said they’re gonna help us.”
She reached over and gave him a hug. “That’s great. How?”
“Well, um, I gotta do something first. Then they’re gonna set us up in a place in Vegas.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean you have to do something first?”
“Look. I don’t know how much you know about me and what put me in prison, but four years ago, the mob wanted me to follow this kid from New York to his uncle’s place up here. His uncle turned out to be some Hollywood movie director.”
She rummaged through her purse for a cigarette. “I’m familiar with your file.”
“Well, don’t ask me why, but Al said there’s someone staying at this guy’s house up here. All we gotta do to grab her, get her to Chicago, and then we’re on our way to Vegas.”
“Grab who?”
“Some broad named Jenkins. I think Al said it was Barbara. Barbara Jenkins.”
Kitty’s mouth dropped open. “The actress?”
Paulie shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess so.”
Kitty shoved the cigarette back in the pack. “Kidnap her? Are you out of your mind?” She pushed herself away from him. “Don’t you think I’m in enough trouble as it is? What’s wrong with you? You promised if we got away, you’d go straight. You were going to bible classes. You got your GED. Now you want us to kidnap somebody?”
“I do want to go straight. But Al’s arranged it. We’re stuck here. Let’s just do this one thing. Then we can start a new life out west like we talked about.”
She pushed open the car door. “I didn’t sign up for this. If you want to kidnap somebody, go ahead. I’m not digging a deeper hole for myself because of you.”
He reached for her. “Where are you going?”
She turned toward the store. “I’m done. This is crazy. You’re crazy. I’m going to turn myself in and face the consequences. I’ll probably do a few years, but nothing like I’d get for kidnapping someone.”
He grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and dragged her back into the car. “You turn yourself in, and they know where I am. That ain’t gonna happen.”
Kimberly Mattson walked ahead of her father down the cobblestone pathway of the monarch butterfly sanctuary and stopped before she got to the big granite stone.
Walter caught up with her. He was glad to see how agile she was getting with her leg braces. “Are there butterflies? Is that why you stopped?” He took a step back and grabbed his daughter’s hand. “What’s going on?”
A small crowd gathered a respectable distance from a woman standing in front of Britt Adolfson’s large memorial stone. A dark veil covered her head and face. Her long black dress flowed to the ground.
Walter asked a member of the crowd, “What’s going on? Who is she?”
An older woman turned. “I don’t know. Someone said she’s been standing in front of that stone for hours. She doesn’t move. Stands there like a statue. It’s not right. It’s scaring the children. Someone needs to tell the authorities.”
A man next to her said, “I think they already did. Some guy said the cops were here, but there was nothing they could do. This is public property. She’s not doing any damage. She’s just standing there.”
The woman replied, “Well, it’s not right. All covered up in black like that. Why is she wearing a veil over her face? Is she in mourning? That lady on the tombstone died years ago. Why is she mourning her now? And why doesn’t she move? She’s giving me the creeps.”
Kimberly looked up at her father. “What is it? Why is she just standing there?”
“I don’t know.”
The woman turned to her husband. “This is ridiculous. I’m going to see what the meaning of this is.”
He reached for her. “Martha!”
She stepped out from the crowd and walked up to the silent figure. “Excuse me. Can you tell me what it is you’re doing here?”
The shrouded figure didn’t move.
“Hello! I’m talking to you. Why are you standing out here all the time?” The figure remained silent. The woman took a step closer. “Don’t be rude. I asked you a question.” Again there was no response. The woman raised her voice. “Why are you standing here? You’re scaring the children.”
Her husband rushed up and grabbed her by the arm. “Come on. We’re leaving. Let the poor woman do her mourning, if that’s what this is, in peace. No need for you to make a scene.”
Walter took his daughter’s hand. “Look. Over by the fence. Butterflies.”
Sixteen
Light from first dawn crept into the cabin. Kitty rolled over on the couch and winced in pain. A spring that had been poking her during the night was now digging into her calf. She sat up and rubbed her leg. Paulie was snoring in the bedroom.
She went to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. Her car keys were lying on the table. All she had to do was pick them up, quietly push open the back door, and get the hell out of there. Go back to Marquette and turn herself in. Throw herself at the mercy of the court. How much time would she get? Probably not that much if she cooperated. Hell, maybe even a suspended sentence. But Chuck. He’d divorce her. No big deal there. She had stopped loving him after his second affair. She reached for the keys.
“Damn that coffee smells good.”
Kitty jerked her hand back. “It…it sure does. Grab a cup. I’ll pour you some.”
“I’m glad to see you’re talking to me. Pretty stupid of you to spend the night on that filthy couch.”
She poured milk on a bowl of corn flakes and reached for a spoon. “Speaking of stupid, I hope you’re still not thinking about carrying out that harebrained kidnapping scheme.” She stirred the cornflakes around in the bowl and looked at him.
“Of course I am. I don’t have a choice.”
“Are you out of your mind? You’re a wanted fugitive; she’s some kind of famous movie star. It would be a miracle if you could pull this off without getting caught.”
He took a cigarette out of her pack and lit it. “It won’t be that hard. I’ll case the place and grab her when I can. Maybe break in during the middle of the night. Then we head over to Chicago and that’s it. I’ve done my job. We get to Vegas and lay low for a while.”
She ate some of her cereal in silence and then said, “Boy, you sure fooled me. You promised me you’d go straight if you ever got out. Now listen to you. I must be some kind of sucker to think how I bought your bullshit hook, line, and sinker. Ate it up like candy and now what? You’re going to kidnap some poor girl and deliver her to the mob.” She shook her head. “What a complete idiot I am.”
Paulie stubbed out his cigarette. “It wasn’t bullshit. I wanna go straight. It’s just that I gotta do this for Al…and for us. Once this job’s over, things will change. You’ll see. It shouldn’t be that hard. His place is on a long road just before you get to Grand Marais. Took me a while to find it last time, but I think I remember where it is. There’s a big iron gate and a stone wall before you get to the house. Tonight you can drop me off there when it gets dark. I’ll climb over the wall and see what I can find out.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. You’re on your own for this one. I’m already in enough shit. Count me out.”
“What does that mean? Are you leaving?”
“No, I’m not leaving. I’m just not going to help you pull a stupid stunt like this.”
Kimberly Mattson ran to the far end of the guest room. “I don’t want to wear those braces today.”
Walter put them down. “Why not?”
“They hurt and make me look funny.”
Walter thought about what to say. “But Doctor Emanuel wants you to use them while you’re up here visiting Aunt Irene. They’re going to make your legs stronger. When your legs get stronger, he’s hoping that you won’t have to wear them anymore.”
“But they hurt me.”
Walter moved closer. “Where? Can you show me?�
�
Kimberly lifted up her left leg and pointed to a red spot a few inches above her ankle. “There.”
He bent down. “That must be where one of the parts rubs against your leg. I’ll get a Band-Aid from Aunt Irene and put it on that spot.”
“I had a bad dream about that lady last night.”
“What lady?” Walter asked.
“That lady we saw at the butterfly park. The one who was all in black.”
“You did? What happened?”
“She was chasing me but I couldn’t run because of those stupid braces.”
“Do you want to go see the butterflies today?”
Kimberly shook her head. “No. I want to stay here.”
Walter stood. “Okay. Let me get a bandage.” He found his sister sitting at the kitchen table. “Do you have a Band-Aid I can use? Kimberly’s getting a blister from where one of the braces is rubbing her leg.”
“Sure.” Irene went into the bathroom and came back with a few. “Here. Keep them in her room.”
“Thanks. You’re not going to believe this.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t want to go to the butterfly place today.”
Irene looked surprised. “Really? That’s different. Why?”
“She had a bad dream last night about that woman we saw who was standing in front of the big granite stone.”
“That’s terrible. So that woman is scaring the children just like some of the crowd were saying.”
“I guess. I can’t believe Kim doesn’t want to go. She seemed to love it there before.”
“Somebody should call Mr. Kahle and tell him what’s going on. They’ve interviewed him a few times in the local paper. He seems very proud of that monarch graveyard.”
###
Phillip Kahle stared at his plate. “What’s this?”
“It’s supposed to be scrambled eggs and bacon,” Barbara replied. “But the eggs never stuck together. They were all runny so I kept them on the burner for way too long. I got so engrossed in making them, I burnt the bacon too. Where’s Jeanette? I thought she was going to do the cooking while Cora was gone. Why did you ask me to do it?”
The Monarch Graveyard Page 13
