Sleep No More

by Iris Johansen

  Eve nodded. “And we were just talking earlier about how you sometimes have to look beyond reality.” She grimaced. “She can’t quite understand ‘spooky’ stuff, but she’s trying to be open to it.”

  Joe’s brows rose. “Now I wonder how that subject came up.”

  “Not the way you’d assume. I didn’t mention Bonnie.” She picked up her empty cup to take into the kitchen. “I figured that would be too much of a test as to how open she could be.”

  “Bonnie?” Newell asked.

  “My daughter, who died when she was seven.” She left it at that as she moved toward the doors. “I’m going to hit the shower and go to bed. Do you suppose there’s anything on TV about Gelber’s murder yet?”

  “I doubt it. I think they were caught flat-footed. There were no media trucks at the scene when we left,” Joe said.

  “Too bad. I’d like to know more.”

  “Me, too,” Joe said thoughtfully. “There are a couple things I’m curious about.”

  Eve’s gaze narrowed on his face. “Such as?”

  “How did Drogan get in? I examined that alarm system, and it was state of the art. I’m not bad, and there was no way I could bypass it. He’s either a positive Houdini with locks and alarms or there’s something … funny.”

  “What do you mean? How else could he get in the house?”

  Joe shrugged. “Maybe bribery to get the code from the alarm company? It’s a possibility, but it would require either time or extensive funds to do it. I’m thinking it over…”

  “Pierce has money, and he’d hired Drogan before.”

  “Yeah, like I said, I’m thinking about it.”

  “Anything else bothering you?”

  “I overheard talk from two of the forensics guys about a note.”

  “What?” She frowned. “A suicide note? With all those stab wounds. That doesn’t make sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t. That’s why I want to see if the media was able to get a statement from the police about the note.”

  “Don’t stay up all night waiting for the media to catch up. It’s almost four, and you didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  He nodded. “I’ll only check one time before I turn in. You go on.”

  She hesitated, her gaze on his face. His tea-colored eyes were glittering, and there was the tension she knew well. He was wired. Even if he came to bed right now, he’d lie there, his brain moving at hyperspeed, going over possibilities. “Okay.” She slid the glass doors open. “Let me know if you hear anything interesting.”

  “I will.” He dropped down in the chair Eve had just vacated. “There should be news on the hour, and that’s in twenty minutes.”

  “And five minutes later, I expect to see you,” Eve said sternly. “Or I’ll come down and get you.”

  He laughed but didn’t answer her.

  Eve stopped by Beth’s room, knocked, and carefully opened the door. Beth was in bed but the light was still on. “Are you okay?”

  Beth nodded, then smiled shakily. “You don’t have to be so protective. I told you I was working my way through this.”

  “Sometimes it helps to talk it out. I’m here if you need me.”

  “I don’t need you.” Then, as Eve started to close the door, “Thank you. I’m … grateful.”

  “No gratitude necessary.” She smiled. “After all, we’re family.”

  Beth’s smile became steadier. “That’s right, I keep forgetting. That means you’re stuck with me.” She reached over and turned out the light on the nightstand. “Now get out of here and let me see if I can get to sleep in this bed. If I can’t, you may find me downstairs sleeping on that couch in the living room.”

  “It looked pretty comfortable.” She paused. “Aren’t you the least bit curious about Gelber’s disc Billy is trying to make sense of?”

  “Yes.” Eve couldn’t see her expression in the darkness, but her voice was only a wisp of sound. “But I’m more scared than curious. If what you say is true about Gelber’s manipulating my memories and giving me posthypnotic suggestions, maybe that’s natural. Perhaps I was supposed to be too afraid to delve into what Gelber did. Do you suppose that’s possible?”

  Eve felt a surge of anger. “Yes, that’s entirely possible.” She turned. “So we’ll just break through that wall he built around you, ignore what he did, and get what we need. There’s nothing to be scared about.”

  “What if I did something … bad.”

  “Bullshit. You were a kid. What could you have done?” She started to pull the door shut. “Try to sleep.” She paused a moment outside the door before she moved next door to her room. She had thought that Pierce was the principal villain of the piece, but the more she thought about Gelber, the more she was beginning to give him equal billing. Pierce had been her jailer, but Gelber had robbed her in a hideous way.

  Murder was a terrible crime, but so was the crime that Gelber had committed against Beth. There was no way on earth Eve could regret Gelber’s death.

  * * *

  EVE WAS STILL AWAKE when Joe came to bed over an hour later. “So much for catching one newscast.” She yawned and cuddled closer to him. “Well? Anything about Drogan?”

  “No.” His hand absently stroked her hair. “Nothing about Drogan. He’s not a suspect.”

  “What?” she asked, startled.

  “You heard me. A note was found on the coffee table in the living room written by a Paul Helmer, a director. He confessed to killing Gelber because he allegedly ruined his life by hypnotizing him, then threatening to tell his wife of his infidelities, which he’d confessed while under hypnosis. He stated Gelber was blackmailing him.”

  “It wasn’t Drogan?”

  “I didn’t say that. I just told you about the note. The police think that since Paul Helmer was a patient, Gelber could have let him into the house. It’s a pat explanation since the house was not broken into, and the alarm was so difficult to disarm. They checked out Helmer with Gelber’s secretary and he’d definitely been undergoing therapy for the past two years.”

  “Have they picked up Helmer and gotten a statement yet?”

  “Not yet. He wasn’t at his apartment.” He paused. “And they may not get a statement … in time. The note he left was a suicide note as well as a confession.”

  Eve was silent, trying to take it in. “All the ends neatly tied up. I suppose it could have been Helmer.”

  “If they find Helmer’s body, then the police will close the case without any further investigation.”

  “Was the note handwritten?”

  “No, computer, but it was signed by hand.” He added dryly, “Much simpler to forge … or easier to persuade someone to scrawl.”

  “You’re not buying it.”

  “I’m still betting on Drogan. Pierce knew we were getting too close to finding out what happened to Beth. It would be smart to get rid of one of the prime witnesses.”

  “You think he planned all this with Helmer?”

  “It was clever, and I don’t believe Drogan is that clever. According to his dossier, he’s principally an assassin and good at what he does. But this is an elaborate cover-up, and he’d need someone to do that for him.”

  “But is Pierce that clever?”

  “He’s capable … and desperate. By using Helmer, no one would be looking at any connection to him. The killing is all spelled out for anyone to see. All he had to do was wait a few days until the police finished getting the info on Helmer out of his files, then send someone to get Beth’s records.” He shook his head. “I don’t know … it’s complicated.”

  “So what next?”

  “We go through the disc we pulled tonight and see if we find evidence that will skewer that son of a bitch, Pierce.”

  “Can’t we go to the police now?”

  “We could, but not if you want to protect Beth. You prove that Helmer didn’t kill Gelber and Beth was thirty minutes away, and you set her up. She’s a mental patient who has a grudge against Ge
lber and wants revenge for an imagined crime against her.”

  “Dammit.”

  “Exactly. That mental-patient stigma is going to haunt her for the foreseeable future.”

  “I hate it.”

  “So do I,” he said quietly. “She doesn’t deserve it. But we have to accept the facts and deal with them.”

  “The fact is that Pierce put a major stumbling block in our way when he got rid of Gelber.”

  “He got rid of Gelber, but we still have the disc. That could clear the path.”

  “Then what are we doing lying here when we could be working on that disc?” She sat up in bed and said fiercely, “Beth may be frightened of knowing what’s in it, but I can’t wait.”

  Joe chuckled and pulled her back down. “You’ll have to wait. Newell has the disc, and you need to sleep.” He kissed her. “Give it a few hours, Eve.”

  He was right. But she was still feeling a sense of sudden urgency. She put her cheek on his shoulder. “I just have a feeling that everything is moving too fast, and we need to keep up. We needed Gelber as a witness against Pierce, but now he’s dead. Pierce is scared, and he’s started eliminating everyone who knew what he did to Beth.”

  “If we can catch Drogan, he won’t have a weapon to use,” Joe said. “All we need to do is keep an eye out for him and pounce. There’s no doubt that he’ll stay close to us as he can get. Beth is the target, and I’m the lagniappe.”

  “‘Lagniappe,’” she repeated. “That’s the French word for a little something extra.”

  “And Drogan was born and raised in Cajun country, so he knows Cajun French. He’s into voodoo. I’ve been thinking of that and wondering how we can use it…”

  Eve shook her head and settled closer to him. Joe was thinking, planning, reaching out. She brushed her lips against the warm flesh of his shoulder. “You’d better not be the lagniappe. I won’t have it.”

  He didn’t answer and she felt a ripple of disquiet.

  Voodoo.

  A snake skeleton wound around the throat of a woman buried alive.

  Her arms tightened protectively around him.

  6:05 A.M.

  Twin Branch Arms Motel

  “I DON’T LIKE THIS PLACE.” Stella wrinkled her nose as Pierce unlocked the door of Room 7. “It’s cheap and looks like one of the places I took my johns when I was doing tricks.”

  “You’re still doing tricks,” Pierce said. “Only you’re doing them when I tell you to do them.” He threw open the door. “Now go change into that gold robe. Gelber should be here in about forty-five minutes.”

  “I’m not sure that I want to screw him if he’s going to make me come to places like this.” She opened her overnight bag and pulled out the gold robe. “I’ll have to teach him to treat me as I deserve to be treated.”

  “I assure you that you wouldn’t like that at all.” He moved toward the TV across the room. “Be happy that I’m not going to—”

  “Don’t turn on the TV.” She had stopped and was stripping and slipping on the gold robe. “I want music. Turn on Queen on the iPod.”

  “That’s what you said in the car coming here.” He turned to look at her. “Don’t turn on the radio. Play the iPod. And what’s this obsession with Queen?”

  “I like that song, ‘We Will Rock You.’” She fluffed her hair and took her discarded clothes back to the overnight bag on the bed. “I think it suits me. I can see myself rocking the whole damn world.”

  “I’m sure you can,” he said dryly. “Just concentrate on rocking Gelber. In the end, that’s all you’re good for. You should be grateful I’m setting you up with a man who will be weak enough to let you control him. You’d be nothing if I hadn’t taken you in hand and taught you. You’d still be a promiscuous two-bit whore putting out for any guy who would buy you a drink or a joint. The idea of your having any lasting effect on anyone is laughable.” He switched on the TV. “And you can’t have your iPod right now. I want to watch TV.”

  She smiled. “Then go ahead and watch it, Harry. It doesn’t make any difference now. And I’m grateful for everything you taught me and everything I learned myself just from being with you. But you’re wrong, you know. I will rock the world.”

  “Be quiet. I’m trying to watch the news.” He could hear her moving behind him beside the bed. “And settle down.”

  “Wouldn’t you like me to give you a quickie before Gelber gets here? I could make it exciting for you.”

  “Not now. I have to concentrate on what I’m going to say to Gelber to make accepting you a fair trade for that cashier’s check. It’s not going to be easy. There are some things more important than sex.”

  “No, there aren’t. Not if you pick the right moment.”

  “That’s your philosophy, a whore’s philosophy.”

  “And one you embraced and developed since you met me.” Her voice was soft and seductive. Though he was looking at the TV, he could smell the scent of her perfume as she came toward him. “This is the right moment, Harry.”

  “I told you that I—” He turned his head and she came into his line of vision. Shock jolted through him. Her gold robe was hanging open and every step revealed a flash of glowing skin and voluptuous body, but that wasn’t what stunned him. It was her face, her eyes, the expression of total sensuality and power.

  “You see it, don’t you?” She sat on the arm of his chair, and one hand was rubbing his chest. “I can make your whole world go away.” Her lips were only a heartbeat away. “Your heart is pounding. You want it.” Her tongue touched his lower lip. “Tell me.”

  It was a surrender, but he didn’t give a damn. There was something about her in this instant that was totally mind-blowing. He was on fire. “I—want it. But hurry, dammit.”

  “Oh, yes. You’re worried Gelber will interrupt us.” She slid her other hand around his neck. “Don’t you worry. I’ll hurry, Harry.”

  A sharp jab in the back of his neck.

  He jerked. “What the hell? You clawed me.”

  “But you like me to claw you sometimes. I’ve heard you pant and groan as I run my nails over you.” She pulled back from him and smiled. “You thought you were the smart one, but I made you like everything I did to you.” She got to her feet. “I wonder if you’ll like what I did to you tonight.”

  “Shut up and come back here.” His voice was hoarse and his throat was tight. He tried to clear it, but it just became tighter. “Stop teasing me.”

  “Actually, I’m tempted to see if I could keep you this hot until the very end. Kind of an experiment. But I’ll get more pleasure out of just watching you.” She stood before him. “Like you like to watch me all by myself sometimes.”

  He was beginning to feel … panic. Stupid. “I’m tired of games.” He started to get out of the chair.

  He couldn’t move.

  He tried again.

  He was paralyzed!

  His heart was suddenly exploding in his chest. Fear. Rage. Terror. “What did you—”

  “A dose of medicine for what ails you.” She smiled. “You taught me all about drugs, didn’t you? Everything from Spanish fly to those sedatives you had me giving Beth Avery. You’d have been proud of my choice in this one, Harry. Even though it wasn’t one that was on your recommended list. It’s a little too exotic for your taste. You have no sense of adventure. In about three minutes, you’ll have a massive heart attack, and no one will be able to trace the drug that caused it.”

  “No!” The terror was growing. “Antidote…”

  She shook her head. “Too late. Relax. Just enjoy looking at me and remembering all the pleasure I gave you.” She reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “And think about all the pleasure this money is going to bring me. I need it if I’m going to rock the world.”

  “Please … stop it.”

  “Stop the drug? Stop your world from ending? But why should I do that? I have no need for you any longer.” She saw a flickering image on the TV screen from the corner
of her eye. “Oh, look, there’s your friend, Gelber. Dead, poor man. He doesn’t appear to need my services any longer, so it’s a good thing I’m here to take this money off your hands.”

  “You … knew.”

  “About Gelber?” She smiled. “It took a little doing to keep you in the dark about him until I could get you here. But you always underestimated me, and that helped.” She turned his wrist and glanced at his watch. “One minute, Harry. It’s almost over.”

  “Fool. You were always a fool. I—won’t die. You probably got hold of the wrong … drug.”

  “You’re underestimating me again. If I don’t know, I get a man to serve me who does.” Her smile became mocking. “Guess who taught me that?” She slipped the gold robe from her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. “I want to be the last thing you see when your heart explodes. I want you to take the vision of me to hell to burn you.”

  “You’ll … join me.”

  “Not for a long time, and when I do, I’ll figure a way to rule in hell, too. Your face is flushing. Ah, it’s coming, isn’t it?”

  Pain!

  “No…”

  “You’re lying. I can always tell.” Her gaze was on his face, greedily absorbing every hint of pain. “Yes, here we go…”

  His heartbeat was a painful drumming …

  Agony.

  He screamed!

  His heart exploded!

  * * *

  IT HADN’T LASTED LONG ENOUGH.

  Stella gazed at the slumped body of Pierce in profound disappointment. If she’d known that there would be no lingering pain or humiliating distress, she might have chosen a different drug. Oh well, it was supposed to be safe and foolproof as far as the actual death factor was concerned.

  She turned away and picked up the gold robe and slipped it on again before she went toward the bed. She picked up her cell and dialed the number she’d programmed into the phone. “It’s done. I’m ready for you.” She hung up the phone.

  She dropped down on the bed and settled back against the headboard. She might as well be comfortable though she doubted she’d have long to wait. She turned up the volume to watch the commentary from the TV hosts on the news story about Hans Gelber while she listened for the knock on the door.