by Rick Polad
Her face turned to a scowl. “That’s not all that’s missing.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s silverware missing, also.”
Spencer was confused. “But the police didn’t take that.”
She unfolded her arms and grabbed the edge of the table. “No, but I’d bet my worthless husband did. Probably sold it for gambling money.”
Spencer shook his head with compassionate support. “He was out of work, I hear.”
“Yes. I support this family. Have for the last couple of years.”
“But he was working for Miss Brock, wasn’t he?”
She looked disgusted. “So he says.”
“You don’t think he was?”
“Be serious.”
“Well, where do you think he got the money?”
“Gambling. He got lucky and made a few bucks. He has a sickness. Usually he just lost my money, but you have to get lucky once in a while.”
“That’s a shame. I know that can be hard on a family.”
She nodded her head vehemently. “That’s for sure.”
“I’m told he hid the money in the bushes. Does that seem strange to you?”
“Everything he did was strange.”
“Did you know about the money in the bushes?”
She gave Spencer a disgusted look. “Now that’s a pretty dumb question. If I knew about it, it would have been in the bank, not the damned bushes. Bushes don’t pay interest.”
“Do you have any idea why he would hide it in the bushes?”
She shrugged. “Not a clue. But like I said, nothing he did made any sense.”
“Please pardon my wondering, Mrs. Lamb, but you seem like a dependable person. Why would you put up with someone like Charles?”
“That’s a good question. And call me Sarah.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I guess I didn’t want to admit I was wrong. Would you like something to drink?”
He didn’t, but asked for some water to keep the rapport he seemed to be building.
Sarah got the water. “Here you go.”
After a drink, Spencer thanked her.
“What do you mean about being wrong, Sarah?”
“I like challenges. I’m afraid Charles was one. I worked for his brother, Steven, who constantly was having to get him out of trouble. One day he said what Charles needed was a good woman to straighten him out.”
Spencer’s surprise wasn’t pretended. “And you volunteered?”
A twisted smile changed her face. “Well, I had some incentive. Steven offered a wedding present of $50,000. And Charles wasn’t all bad. He had some good qualities that have long since been wiped away by alcohol.”
“So Charles was the black sheep of the family and Steven was the success?”
“Yup.”
“Sounds like you should have married Steven,” Spencer said with a smile.
Sarah also smiled. “I would have, but he wasn’t my type.”
“Are you sorry you did it, Sarah?”
“Hell yes! Didn’t take him long to spend the money—and not on anything worthwhile. This house needs a lot of work. That’s why I don’t believe he was working. He couldn’t even fix his own house.”
“Do you work?”
“Yes, I’m an accountant.”
“Steven’s company?”
“No. He shut down most of his company a few years ago when he got sick.”
“I should probably contact Steven. Do you have his number?”
“I have a number for the company, but he won’t be there.”
“I’ll give that a try.” She gave him the number.
Spencer finished the water. “I’m sorry you’ve had to go through all this. I can see why you were so angry at the jail.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mr. Tucker said you were pretty upset about the daggers.”
“Yes, I get emotional. That’s about the only thing that he hasn’t lost or sold. We used to have a lot more nice things. I wasn’t very nice to Mr. Tucker. Give him my apologies. I hope he finds something to help.”
Deciding to tell her about the release, Spencer said, “Well he already did. Charles was released this afternoon.”
She just nodded. Spencer couldn’t tell if that was good or bad news. She seemed lost in thought and was staring at something beyond Spencer.
Looking back at Spencer, she asked, “Have they found my other dagger yet?”
“No, not that I know of.”
“I assume they’re looking.”
“Of course.”
She looked confused. “I would’ve thought they’d have found it by now.”
Spencer shrugged. “It may never show up. Could be anywhere. Sometimes they just have to get lucky.”
Now she started to look angry. “You mean they might never find it?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Not one I would like.”
“Well, cross your fingers. It wouldn’t be for lack of effort. Thanks for your time, Sarah. I appreciate your talking with me.”
“Would you like something else? I could make some iced tea.” She didn’t want him to leave.
“No thanks. It’s been a long day. Good luck.”
She showed him to the door.
As he got into the Mustang, Spencer glanced again at the neighbor’s yard. Where there’s a tree house, there has to be a kid. Spencer wondered how old this kid was. And he remembered that when he was a kid he had spent most of the time in his tree house watching the neighborhood.
He drove home thinking there were two sides to every story, and you never know what makes a person do what they do. He thought about Laura as he drove.
Chapter 86
Spencer parked and met Stretch as he was coming out of the apartment building. Laura had just crossed the street into the next block. Stretch explained that two men were already on Broadway. He said he usually followed Laura but would leave her in Spencer’s hands and go ahead and check out the street and alert the hot dog man. Before Stretch left, Spencer showed him the picture of Charles he cut out of the paper.
Stretch shook his head. “Sorry, I just can’t tell. Could be, but could not.”
“Okay. Keep it in case you see the guy again.”
Stretch put it in his pocket and walked ahead. As he passed Laura he told her Spencer had her back.
The street was busy. Laura checked in at the hot dog joint and strolled down the east side of Broadway. Spencer found Stretch and they followed on the west. Spencer tried to pick out the other two men but couldn’t find them. Two police cars drove by in the first half hour.
Other than Laura talking to a few girls, nothing important happened.
A little after ten, Spencer noticed a large man on the same side of the street as him and Stretch and pointed him out. Not the guy. But the man seemed to be watching with more intent than usual. Ten minutes later he crossed the street, walked south past Laura, and entered a bookstore. Spencer watched the store.
The man came out after a few minutes and turned south. He stopped and talked to one of the girls Laura had talked to. He and the girl walked a few doors south and entered the doorway of a second-floor walkup apartment. Spencer’s first instinct was to follow, but remembered that business went on as usual despite the killings. And the killings had happened on Friday nights.
He mentioned it to Stretch who said he had Laura covered if Spencer wanted to go. He decided to stay but kept an eye on the door.
About a half hour later the man came out alone. He walked north, and as he passed Laura he said something to her. She nodded.
Spencer kept watching the door to the apartment and became more concerned as time went by. He was about to head over to the apartment when the girl came out. He sighed with relief and told Stretch to check out the apartment.
Stretch nodded. “Makin’ a living.”
* * *
Friday had walked out with more than his money’s worth. For twenty bucks he n
ow knew that the name of the other girl he had been watching was Katherine. The girl he paid had wondered why all he wanted to do was talk, but if she got twenty bucks for just talking, she wasn’t going to complain.
* * *
Spencer and Stretch followed Laura back to the apartment where they discussed the night’s activity. There wasn’t much to discuss. Spencer brought up the man who had walked past her near the end and asked what he said.
Laura shrugged and raised her eyebrows. “Not much. Just ‘have a nice night’. Why do you ask?”
“He had been watching for a while and then went upstairs with one of the girls you were talking to. Seemed a little strange.”
“Don’t think so,” said Laura. “Guys will watch for a bit to get the lay of the land before approaching a girl. It is illegal, you know.”
“Yeah, so I’ve heard.”
Laura announced she was going to bed and would see them all Friday night.
Spencer thought she should be more concerned that tomorrow night was Friday.
Chapter 87
At two a.m. Friday, patrol officers spotted a person matching the description of Joseph Rivera coming out of a convenience store on North Avenue. When they stopped and got out of the car, he ran. The officers lost him in an alley. Four units responded and he was found an hour later hiding in a stairwell. He had no ID. He was taken into custody for questioning and charged with fleeing a police officer.
He was held at the 11th precinct station and transferred to the 18th a little before noon where Steele questioned him. The kid said he had been living with a friend since leaving his mother’s. He gave the friend’s address. It was not one of the best neighborhoods. He admitted taking the knife. He said he knew his friend lived in a bad neighborhood and he might need it for protection. When asked where the knife was, he said someone had taken it, probably his friend. When asked why he had left his mother’s, he said he was afraid he would be arrested for stealing the money. He gave the same answer about running from the police. When asked if he knew anything about Miss Brock’s murder, the kid said he didn’t even know she was dead. When asked if he knew about the key, he answered, “What key?”
The only prints on the key Rosie had taken from Margaret’s bedroom were Margaret’s.
The kid was held on the flight charge. He called his mother, who called an attorney. He would soon be out on bail.
Steele knew they had nothing if they couldn’t find the knife. Two suspects, two missing knives. Great.
Chapter 88
By mid-morning Laura had enough of sitting in her room. It was a beautiful morning. A light breeze rustled the shades and the bird songs made her wish she was outside enjoying the day.
At a little after ten, she left her apartment, made her way to the basement, and left the building by the rear door that led to the alley. It was the first time she had ever left without letting Stretch know. She felt free for the first time in over a year.
She walked to the end of the alley, turned right, and headed across Wilson. The thought of walking down the street without being watched was exhilarating.
* * *
Friday saw her before she crossed Wilson. He was amazed at the daytime transformation. But despite the clothes and the pulled-back hair he knew it was Katherine. He had watched her Thursday night until she left Broadway. He also watched two men who appeared to be following her and he followed behind them. One of them walked past her but the other stayed behind and followed as she turned onto Wilson. Friday wasn’t sure what was going on so decided to come back and watch during the day.
But he didn’t want to get too close to her apartment in case the men were watching her for some reason. So he parked on the cross street and patiently waited. At 10:20, his patience was rewarded.
Friday felt strangely protective. Part of him wanted to warn her that there were men following her; but it wasn’t because he was worried about her—he wanted her all to himself.
Chapter 89
That night, Laura decided to leave her jacket behind and left her building at about ten. Spencer and Stretch followed. They had decided to pull the man out of the alley so there would be two men with Laura, one on each side of her on the east side of Broadway.
The street was as crowded as usual for a Friday night. Happy people laughed and jostled as they made their way to their favorite nightspot on Broadway.
Laura got the okay from the hot dog man and strolled the east side of the street. She nodded to two girls she had come to know well enough to nod to. They nodded back. She didn’t see Sunshine. And she had not seen Ramon again. A patrol car drove by, slowly heading south.
After the patrol car disappeared, a young man, who looked to be in his thirties, walked up to her.
“Care for a cigarette?”
“No. Thanks.”
He lit his own, blew a small cloud of smoke in her direction, and took it out of his mouth with his left hand.
Laura wasn’t impressed and started to walk away.
“Hey, how about I buy you a drink?”
“No thanks. I prefer the fresh air.”
He moved closer. So did her two men on the east side of the street. Stretch and Spencer watched from the west side.
“Well then, let’s take a walk.”
“I like the fresh air right here,” Laura replied with no interest as people moved between her and the man.
The man moved to within touching distance. “I assume you’re not out here for decoration. I’d like to make a deal here but you’re not helping. Maybe if we were better friends. My name’s Max, what’s yours?”
“The only friends I need are presidents.”
He nodded. “Okay, that’s better. Any presidents in particular?”
“Yeah, Ben Franklin.”
The man looked confused. “Are you messing with me?”
Laura raised her eyebrows. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, Ben Franklin wasn’t a president.”
Laura smiled. “Very good, I’m impressed. But he is the one on the bill I like.”
Max whistled. “Pricey.” He looked her over. “But, maybe worth it. I could come up with a Ben Franklin.” He reached into his pocket.
Laura’s smile was replaced by a smirk. “That’s nice, but can you come up with five?”
Max looked shocked.
Without looking away from Laura, Stretch said to Spencer, “I’m guessing she just told him the price.”
Spencer laughed.
Taking his hand out of his pocket, Max said, “I can’t imagine what would be so special to make me spend that much.”
Laura agreed. “No, I bet you can’t.”
“Go to hell, bitch.” He turned and walked north.
“And so it goes,” said Stretch. “That’s why she doesn’t have to worry about the alley.”
The two men flanking Laura walked by each other and took up positions on the opposite side from where they had been. Laura never acknowledged their presence but was glad they were there.
Standing in a stairwell just north of Stretch and Spencer, Friday took it all in. The conditions had to be just right. Sometimes he watched his target for more than a week. Everyone would eventually have a last night on earth. He wondered if this would be Katherine’s.
* * *
Another man had a chat with Laura twenty minutes later with the same result. Both of the other girls had disappeared. Busy night.
About eleven thirty, Stretch poked Spencer. “Check out the guy coming up from the south. Big. Green shirt.”
“Yup.”
“That’s the guy I’ve been talking about who’s been watching the street. He your man?”
“Nope. Same size but different guy.”
As Spencer watched the man, he noticed the evangelist drunk and pointed him out to Stretch.
“Yup. Thanks. The guy never quits. What a way to spend a Friday night.”
The big man approached Laura. As he neared her, her two guards were switching positions aga
in and passed each other, both to the south of Laura, walking through a crowd of people.
Stretch saw the big man start to talk to Laura. When he did, the evangelist came over and started to rant about sin. When the big man pushed him out of the way, the drunk bowled into him with all of his pent-up righteous strength and knocked him into Laura. All three went down as Stretch ran across Broadway between cars.
Someone in the crowd yelled, “Fight!” and people started to gather. Stretch reached the pile and started to pull people apart. Spencer had been stopped by traffic and waited for an opening.
Stretch got the two men off of Laura and she moved away from the crowd to the north, unknowingly separated from her two guards by the crowd. As he started to get up, Stretch was knocked down by the drunk who had been belted by the big man and fallen into Stretch. The big man jumped on both of them and they were surrounded by the crowd.
* * *
Having seen exactly what he was waiting for, Friday made his way across the street between cars and came up to Laura who was standing apart from the crowd and the fight that was still going on.
He didn’t bother with small talk. “How much?”
She gave him a blank look. “Five hundred.”
Friday didn’t even blink and started to reach into his pocket.
“Not here, you idiot!”
She turned, walked ten feet to the alley, and turned in, not at all aware that her entire team had lost track of her. Friday followed.
* * *
To Spencer, it seemed like things were moving in slow motion. It took only twenty seconds or so for the traffic to clear but it seemed like forever. He was the only one who saw Laura being propositioned and, amazingly, walking off with a man who was just as big as Charles and the guy in the pile.
Spencer reached the alley and looked in but couldn’t see anything in the darkness. He pulled his gun out of the shoulder holster and walked slowly into the alley as his eyes adapted a bit.
