by Judith Post
“Do you use drugs?” Danny asked.
“That’s enough.” Rick gave a quick nod toward the door. “We’ve answered all the questions we’re going to.”
“I’d just like to know if Lane can give us the name of the supplier in this area.”
Madge ground out her cigarette. “What are you after? You’re trying to turn Gail’s death back on us. It’s not like we had anything to do with it.”
“The supplier could tell us who he was going to meet on the night Gail died. His customer might have been looking for cash. He might have gotten it from Gail’s purse.”
“Lane doesn’t know any suppliers. He doesn’t use drugs.” Rick stalked to the front door and held it open. “Don’t come back until you find Gail’s killer.”
“If I need answers, I can question you here or at the station.” Danny handed Rick one of his cards. “In case you or your son remembers anything.”
“We don’t have any more answers. Neither does Lane.”
“You’ve been very helpful,” Enoch said on his way out. And he meant it. In his mind, Gail's death was linked to the two robbers, not the clown killer, now. “Thank you.”
In answer, Rick slammed the door behind them.
Chapter 28
Danny turned onto Sherman toward town. “I think that went well, don’t you?” “You weren’t very diplomatic.” Enoch nodded at the building on the corner of Main and Sherman. The newspapers needed a bigger building to hold the new press they’d ordered from Japan. “Impressive.”
“Uh-huh.” It was impressive, but Danny had other things on his mind. “What was that ‘You’ve been very helpful” bull supposed to be when we left? Diplomatic?”
“Lane was helpful. He knew Chad robbed people, he knows a dealer in the area, and he’s added his name to our list of people to watch. He thinks he’s smarter than he is, so he might have said more if you'd used a little finesse.”
“Bull pucky. Not after he let it slip that he’s sleeping with his dead friend’s ex. Not because she has money, of course, but because she's afraid, living in fear after what happened to her druggie husband. And I’d lay odds that he buys from Chad’s supplier, so there’s no way he’s giving us that name. He was going into fake charm mode. Thought I’d rattle him a little.”
“You rattled us right out of the house.”
Danny shrugged. “We wouldn’t have gotten anything else anyway.”
Before they reached Calhoun, Enoch said, “I could use some Vietnamese food for lunch. Want to stop at Saigon?”
Danny wasn't really hungry. He suspected Enoch wasn't either. It was a stalling tactic. Enoch wanted more time to assimilate the information they'd gotten and to brainstorm together.
"You don't have to feed me every time we hang out together. I could stop in at your place."
Enoch grimaced, and Danny got the picture. He didn't feel comfortable inviting him to his penthouse. "Voronika's asleep, and I don't want to bother her."
Danny understood that. So they'd eat. "Anything for a friend," Danny teased and headed to the restaurant. It was a small, efficient place that served authentic dishes at reasonable prices.
They placed their orders and sipped tea while they sorted their thoughts. Finally Danny said, "I'm thinking Gail got mugged for drug money. What about you?"
"Me too, so our killer's not going to wait very long before he goes after Maggie. He missed Katy and Marie. He's primed and ready."
Their food came, but Danny ignored it. He wanted to nail down their observations first, to firm up his next moves. "Since Gail's a regular homicide, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be involved. It's going to be ordinary beat work. You're helping enough with the clown sicko."
"I can still do days."
Danny raised his eyebrows, surprised.
Enoch looked sheepish. "I've given it some serious consideration. I'll go crazy tiptoeing around the apartment when I know Voronika's asleep in the guest room, stretched out on satin sheets. I'll never get any work done. I'll always be taking cold showers."
Danny couldn't stop the grin he felt coming. "I wouldn't want you to prune up."
"Besides, if I kept pestering her, she'd either leave or toss me out. It's better if I keep busy."
"You're sure Voronika will be safe when you're not there? If the clown killer can break in homes, why can't someone go after Voronika when she's sleeping?"
"They can, but heaven help them when they wake her up. And I'm going to make sure it will. I'm installing an alarm on her bedroom door."
"Will it guard her from you?"
"Let's hope, eventually, she doesn't think of me as a threat."
That satisfied Danny. Hell, Enoch lived in a penthouse. It wasn't like anyone could cut the screens to get inside his place. Well, no one but vampires, but they slept during the day. If he installed a security system, too, and deadbolt locks, no one should be able to get to Voronika. He dug into his food and was nearly finished when his phone rang. “Yeah?” He pushed the volume up so that Enoch could hear while Maggie explained that she was going to work two hours over that night. “My replacement is going to be late, a family emergency, so I volunteered to stay on a while until she could get here. Just thought you’d want to know so that you don’t worry.”
“Why don’t you give us a call before you leave the hospital?" Danny suggested. "We can tail you from there.”
“There are plenty of people changing shifts then,” Maggie said. “I should be fine."
That's what Danny had thought about Marie, that she'd be surrounded by students and walk to her car with them. He'd been wrong. Danny frowned at the gray day outside the restaurant windows. “I’d feel better if we kept track of you.”
“If it’s no inconvenience…”
“Just give us a call.” Danny flipped his phone shut and looked at Enoch. “Are you and Voronika covering that?”
Enoch laughed. “No wonder you were so generous.”
“I can sit there with you and hold your hands, but I thought you'd rather have some alone time with Voronika. She's still gung-ho about watching over Maggie, right?”
“You're getting a little too comfortable with this.”
“Yeah, who'd have thought? But having a vamp on the case has some advantages. She can smell our killer, hear his heart tick, and nail his ass better than we can. And she'll be with you, so she's safe.”
“We can cover Maggie every night if you want us to.”
Tempting, but Danny liked to keep involved. “If your girlfriend will let me, I’ll take my turn tomorrow night. It's Friday. I don't have a weekend shift, so I can sleep in on Saturday.”
"And if our guy shows up? How will you stop him?"
"Without super powers? The way I've always done it before—with plain, old leg work." A thought occurred to him and Danny stopped, fork in midair. "Voronika is safe, keeping watch over Maggie, isn't she? I still don't feel so good about that."
Enoch's expression clouded. "She's safer with me than she would be on her own. She won't hide in my apartment. She wants Vlad to make a move. She's forcing his hand, so that we can deal with him one way or the other. Sort of like you and your clown killer."
Danny didn't like those options. Neither did Enoch, Danny could tell. Enoch made a point of changing the subject. “What now? Who do you interview next about Gail?"
"Want to stop by to see her daughter?”
“Angel? Sure, why not?”
“Can’t wait to see if she fits the bill.”
“I’m guessing not.” Enoch threw a twenty dollar bill on the table for a tip, then went to the register to pay for their meals. Danny went outside to warm up the car. He flipped open his notepad and looked for Angel’s address. When Enoch slid onto the passenger seat, he said, “Guess which neighborhood she lives in?”
“This family likes to stay close.”
Danny tossed Enoch his notes and pulled into traffic. “Gail's address is a few pages back. Let’s go there first.”
A girl opened the door before they reached it. “Madge called about you. You must be the cops.” She had her mother’s jowls and hook-shaped nose, but she had beautiful, large gray eyes with heavy lashes. “Gary, come here a minute. The badges found us and want to ask some questions.” She looked them over. “You sure put a burr up Rick’s butt.”
Enoch smiled. “I got the impression that’s not hard to do.”
She laughed. “He hates everything—the government, banks, businesses. According to him, there are conspiracies everywhere.”
A man inches shorter than Angel came to stand beside her. “Hey, how you doin’?”
Danny looked at the boxes of clothes on the living room carpet. Lots of jeans and tee shirts. Young peoples' clothing. "You’re carrying things in?” That surprised him. He thought they'd be carting things off.
Angel nodded. “Our rent’s due the first of the month. Thought we’d move in before we have to pay it. We both took days off for Mom’s funeral, so this was the perfect time.”
“All the legal stuff’s done already?” In his line of work, Danny knew red tape. There was a form for everything.
“Mom left everything to me, so it’s no big deal. She paid off the place forever ago.”
Danny was sure it wasn't that easy, but he wasn't about to argue. “I'm the detective assigned to find your mom’s killer. The people she worked with said she didn’t have any enemies. Do you know of anyone who held a grudge against her or who’d hurt her?”
“Mom? Everyone loved her. It couldn’t have been someone she knew. It had to be some lowlife mugger.”
Danny shifted his gaze to Gary. “Do you agree?”
“It had to be a stranger. No one who knew her would hurt her like that.” He sounded sincere.
“Did you get along with her even after you and Angel got a divorce?”
“Gail didn’t look down on anyone, you know? Me and Angel still love each other. That was enough for her.”
“But you’ve had some problems in the past. Didn’t that bother her?”
Gary looked Danny straight in the eyes. “I called her from jail, and she was there with cigarettes for me on visiting day. Who else does stuff like that?”
Danny raised an eyebrow at Angel. “A girlfriend?”
“Not me. I was mad at him for getting busted.”
Gary shrugged. “I deserved that, but Gail, she just believed if she was nice to you, you’d turn into a better person.” Gary looked at Enoch. “You know the type, right?”
“I’ve met a few. Not many."
"Was she right?" Danny asked. "Did it work? Or did you run out of money for booze and go after her?”
"I wouldn't hurt a hair on that woman's head," Gary said. "She was my saint. She's watching over me now."
"Is it working?"
“I’m not going to bullshit you, man. I still drink, but not as much. Now I stop before I get stupid.”
Angel put her arm around his waist. “He doesn’t want to let Mom down.”
“And what about you?” Enoch asked. "Was your mom your saint?"
“She was always there for us. She left us this house, some savings. We owe her.”
Danny believed them. They both sounded sincere. They wanted to turn things around, and he hoped they could. “Good luck to you then.”
“I’m gonna need it," Gary said. "It’s been damned hard.”
Angel rubbed his arm. “He’s going to make it this time. Mom and me are gonna help him.”
When they went to leave, Gary said, “Find the guy who hurt her. He has to be a creep.”
Once in the car, Danny ran a hand over his cropped hair. “This woman made friends, not enemies. She helped everyone she met.”
“I don’t think it was Angel or Gary,” Enoch said.
As Danny pulled from the drive, he watched Gary come onto the porch to light a cigarette.
Gary shrugged sheepishly. “I can’t smoke in Gail’s house. It doesn’t feel right.”
Danny nodded understanding as they pulled away.
Chapter 29
Enoch parked his Land Rover at the curb across from the hospital at nine o’clock. Maggie had been scheduled to work from seven to seven today, but with the two hours extra she volunteered for, she'd put in a long day. Nurses worked different schedules than the rest of the world, Enoch discovered. Maggie didn’t work at all tomorrow—when Danny would watch her—but she pulled an eight hour shift on Sunday. He watched different cars leave the parking garage, but there was no sight of Maggie’s red Impala.
"Do you think she's all right?" Voronika asked. She was sitting shotgun this time and liked it a lot better. That, and the Land Rover's tinted glass, made her more comfortable.
"Her replacement probably hasn't shown up yet."
"But the poor girl's already worked fourteen hours."
"People aren't always dependable," Enoch told her. He meant to make small talk while they waited, but Voronika wasn't in the mood, he could tell. He flipped on his radio.
"What's that?" she asked as she listened to pop rock.
"Music."
"Is that what they call it?"
He turned it off. "Anything you'd like to talk about?"
She raised a silver eyebrow. "I don't mind quiet. Do you?"
Thirty minutes passed before his cell phone rang. He snatched it up. “Hello.”
“Georgette hasn’t come yet. Sorry. I was too busy to call you until now. I can’t leave until she gets here.”
“No hurry,” Enoch said. “Just give me a call before you leave the building and go to the parking garage.”
“You’re awfully nice.”
“Not really, but I'm nice to good people.” There was a differentiation in Enoch's mind. Maggie couldn’t begin to imagine some of the deeds he’d performed.
“It comes with your job, doesn’t it?” she asked, surprising him.
Good God, did she know about his job? Then he calmed down. To her, he did police work with Danny. “Just like covering a shift until the next person shows up comes with yours.”
“Ooops, gotta go. A light went on over a door.”
The phone went dead. Enoch leaned back in his seat and relaxed. "Her replacement's still not there," he told Voronika.
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Somebody should learn not to take advantage of a favor."
It was another twenty minutes before Maggie called again.
“Georgette's here. I’m on my way out.”
“It’s dark. Keep talking to me until you’re in your car with the doors locked.”
“Mikey got to go home today.” She didn’t sound happy.
“Mikey?”
“A little boy on my floor. Six years old and had to have his appendix out. The mom left the family a few years ago. The dad's working all kinds of hours to pay bills.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What kind of a mother leaves her kids?”
"I'm guessing when she had sex, she wasn't thinking about what kind of parent she'd be.”
"She should have." Enoch heard a door open and close. Maggie said, “I’m in the garage now.”
He wanted her to keep talking. “What was Mikey like?”
“Smart. Funny. A chip on his shoulder. He’ll probably be in trouble in ten more years.”
“You can never tell. He might meet the right person—a teacher, coach…”
“Let’s hope.” There was a voice in the background, and Maggie stopped talking. “Excuse me?”
The voice came closer, and Enoch tensed. It was a man’s voice, deep and gruff, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. Enoch turned up the volume on his phone so that he could hear better. Voronika's hand went to the door handle.
Maggie said, “You’re at th
e wrong building. You need to turn right on the first street past the hospital and go about half a mile.”
Enoch heard a mumbled thanks. There wasn’t any more conversation. Maggie said, “I’m at my car now.”
“Is the man anywhere close by?”
“No, he’s walking away.”
“Look in the windows and make sure no one’s hiding in your back seat.”
“The doors are locked.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“No one,” she said.
“Good, unlock your door, get inside, and lock it again.”
Enoch heard the door open, then slam, and he relaxed a little. A false alarm. An engine started, and in a short time, he saw Maggie’s red Impala pull out on the street. He turned down the volume on his cell phone and followed her. When she pulled into her drive, he parked across the street and watched her go into the garage. A minute later, the lights came on in her living room.
Moving his seat back, he stretched his legs. He was ready for a long watch. "We can keep track of her from here," he told Voronika. He switched the radio to classical music, but Voronika gave him a look. He turned it off. They were sitting in silence when Maggie came out an hour later and ran across the street to him. She had a grilled ham sandwich and a cup of coffee. Voronika ducked to the floor out of sight. Enoch rolled down his window.
“Just in case you’re hungry,” she said.
Enoch sighed. “I tried to make it look like my car was parked in front of your neighbors’ house, so that people would think I was visiting them. Your bringing me food sort of ruins that.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I know. I’m sorry. But it feels funny being in a warm house, eating a nice dinner, and knowing that you’re out here in the cold with no food.”
“That’s part of my job.”
Her expression lit up. “I know. Why don’t you park somewhere else and sneak into my yard? I’ll let you in through the garage’s back door. Then you can guard me from inside.”
He wasn't sure what to do. He didn’t trust Maggie not to give them away if they stayed in the car. He had to warn her away somehow. “I'm working with a partner, and she won't like it if her cover's blown.”
