by Ian Fox
“I told you,” Steven said. “Have you got an arrest warrant?”
Deep in thought, she merely shook her head. After a few moments Sandra turned her attention to Steven. “I want to look into a few more things. I have to do it alone. Be back in three hours. I think we’ll take Dr. Patterson in tomorrow.”
He nodded his approval. If Sandra was busy, it meant he could take it easy.
An hour later, Sandra was at the zoo, dressed in navy sweats and sneakers and wearing a long-haired red wig. She pretended to be looking at the animals through large, dark sunglasses.
Searching for somewhere to hide, the special agent decided on the reptile house. It stood on a small slope thirty yards from the bear enclosure. Sandra carried a plastic bag containing an electronic listening device. Normally she would have to inform the zoo management about this, but she didn’t dare. In any case, she had no permission for what she was doing.
Within half an hour the person she was waiting for, Carlo Vucci, appeared. He was talking to a man who was slightly taller than him. Behind them were two other men with broad shoulders.
A few days earlier she had heard that Carlo Vucci often went to the zoo. She was even told the time and decided to take a risk. Everything she was doing was on her own initiative. If she were caught, she’d lose her job since Richard Ross had taken her off this case.
She turned on the listening device and directed it at Carlo. The earphone made a loud whistling noise. Some people nearby turned around to look. All she could do was ignore them. She set the wavelength and perched the bag with the eavesdropper on a railing, steadying it with both hands.
Finally, she heard a voice. At first it was incomprehensible, but then it got clearer. Although she was a hundred yards away, she could hear very well what he was saying. The hairs on her neck stood up.
“The damn fool, he ruined everything,” Carlo complained.
The man next to him said, “There was no other way. The police knew about it. I think we have a snitch, otherwise—”
“I’ve had enough of having to work with total incompetents. I told him a boat was out of the question because it was too dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“It’s a tragedy.”
“Tragedy or no tragedy, the shipment is worth three mill. I’d like to know who’ll pay for it. It certainly won’t be me. I paid the money over, but someone will have to compensate me.”
The man next to him rubbed his hands. “Carlo, surely we can come to an agreement. Just because this fell through, it doesn’t mean we can’t do another deal to cover our losses.”
Sandra was trying to hold the awkwardly shaped eavesdropping device as still as possible. It was the only way to catch every word.
“No,” Carlo said decisively. “I told him to send it by road, but he decided to ship it. As he wasn’t willing to listen, he’ll have to bear the consequences. Tell him that if he doesn’t return the three million by next month, what happened to Gowan will happen to him.”
“But Carlo, he doesn’t have that kind of money. Where would he get it?”
Sandra was astonished. She had arrived at just the right time. Carlo Vucci had just confessed to killing Patrick Gowan. She was angry, though, that she hadn’t also brought a recorder.
A heavy hand pressed on her shoulder. She was so shocked that the bag containing the eavesdropping device fell to the ground.
Chapter 66
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“What a wonderful car.”
“It’s just one of four,” Dr. Robert Miner replied. “Two are mine and the other two belonged to my wife. I should really sell them now that she’s dead, but I don’t have the heart. They remind me of her.”
The woman in police uniform gave him a nod. She looked about thirty and nearly six feet tall. Her shoulders were wider than most men’s.
She said, “I sure understand that. I lost my husband too, and I’ve just about given up on finding another one. I’m not the sort to look for men, you see.”
Robert Miner glowed with happiness. He had seen Caroline for the first time the day before, when she was arresting some youth. Robert was enchanted by her height and the strong arms that persuaded the boy to stop trying to defend himself and let her cuff him. Although she wasn’t particularly beautiful—her hair was cut short and her chin was wide—Robert admired her and felt his heart beat faster. Luckily, his car was parked only a few yards away and he quickly followed the police car all the way to the station, thus finding out where she worked.
That morning, he waited a long time for her to appear and then he spoke to her. He made up a story about somebody having threatened him and said that he was afraid for his life. When she offered to help, he promised her a considerable payment. She told him she couldn’t take the money but would talk to her boss and make sure he dealt with this case promptly. Caroline asked Robert about the person threatening him, and he described one of his colleagues.
Three hours later, she rang him and said that she already had a few suspects. They arranged to meet at the police station and looked at photographs. Of course, none of them were right, and Caroline was sorry she couldn’t help him. Robert implied that he didn’t know whether he would live to see the next day.
Finally, she said what he wanted to hear. She offered to go to his home with him and protect him until the morning. “It’s not as if there’s anyone waiting for me at home anyway,” she said, “and you seem really nice.”
Robert thanked her profusely and mentioned once more that she would be rewarded for her work. This time she didn’t say no, and told him to wait until six in the evening when her shift ended.
Like an excited teenager Robert rushed to the nearest mall, bought a new suit, and wore it immediately. Then he waited nearly two hours in a bar, drinking two coffees.
Later, while they were in the car, he turned to look at her, assessing her strong chin which made her face even harder and more manly. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your protection.” When she looked at him with her dark eyes, he had to put his hand on his heart. “You said you lost your husband. What happened to him?”
She told him he was thirty years older than her and had died of a coronary. Robert nearly lost control of the car from happiness.
“You seem a bit tense. What if I drive instead of you?” she offered.
At first he wanted to say no, but changed his mind. Why not let her drive? That way I’ll be able to look at her.
He stopped a few yards up the road, got out of the car, and they swapped places.
“Perhaps this really will be best. I keep thinking about that man and that I may die before tomorrow. I have to tell you, I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. While I’m here, nothing will happen to you.”
She turned the ignition and drove off smoothly.
At the house, he showed her all the rooms except for the basement. She was impressed, never before having been in such a pleasant and spacious house.
“It’s really nice here,” she said.
“My wife and I enjoyed it very much,” he replied. Dr. Miner adjusted his collar as if it were too tight. “Come, I’d like to show you something.”
Caroline followed him along a hallway whose walls were adorned with original paintings by famous artists, and she commented, “I suppose those are worth quite a bit.”
“You could say that, but each one means a lot more to me than the money I could get for it. I bought them all over the world when my wife and I traveled. I couldn’t sell them.”
He opened the closet holding his wife’s clothes and took great pleasure in observing the policewoman’s mouth as it gaped wide.
“Oh my,” she said. “You could dress at least a hundred women with those. And you’ve still got them.”
“How could I throw them away? I haven’t been able to. One day I may donate them to charity, who knows?”
“That would be nice,” she said.
He flipped the switch of the oval revolving closet rack.
While she watched the clothes moving by her, through the material of her uniform he could see her firm and pert butt, admired the strong thighs that gave the impression the trousers on them would burst at any moment.
He closed his eyes and imagined her with him in that room in the basement, dressed in her uniform, ordering him around. He moistened his lips and took short breaths.
After a while, he asked her, “Do you go to the gym?”
She looked at him with surprise. “I’m a dedicated bodybuilder. I know it doesn’t look too good on a woman, but I like it. I can’t help it.”
Robert started feeling so hot that he had to undo his shirt. “No, that’s not what I meant. I think you look good.”
“Oh, I know you’re just saying that. Men are repulsed by it, but I don’t care.”
“I truly think you look good. I’d never say it if I didn’t mean it.”
Now her cheeks colored. “It’s very kind of you. No one has ever said anything like that to me before. Most men avoid me, you see, because of my uniform. They probably don’t like the fact that I’m often stronger than them, either. Believe it or not, when we do martial arts, I beat most of my colleagues.”
Robert pressed his hand to his chest and asked God not to let him have a heart attack. He could feel sweat running down his neck. “How about we go downstairs and sit? I’ll make you some tea or coffee. And we can talk about payment and other details.”
She nodded in a manly fashion and set off for the stairs with firm steps. At that moment, as he stood behind her and smelled her perfume, he felt like putting his arms around her and asking her to stay with him for a whole week. He stopped himself at the last second and remained cool. But only one thought filled his head: I have to have her, however much it costs.
Chapter 67
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When Simon woke up, Christine was gone. It was five in the afternoon.
A note she had left him on the hall table said she would call soon. He stretched lazily a few times and yawned, then set off for the bathroom.
Later, he went out to the nearest drugstore. There he purchased some insulin on prescription. While the pharmacist rummaged through the drug cabinets, a voice in Simon’s head repeated that he would become a murderer and that he shouldn’t do it. Yet another voice said he should do it, to save Christine and many others.
He walked home quickly. He decided not to think about the details, but to be ready, just in case. There’s no way I could really kill anybody. Then he thought about Christine going to the police and telling them everything and he felt a stab in his heart, knowing that it would mean losing her.
Upon unlocking and opening his door, he got a surprise. Edna Weiss was in the kitchen, putting dishes away.
“Edna, what are you doing here? It’s not your day today.”
“Hello, Dr. Patterson. I haven’t come to clean. I came because I was worried. I can’t even sleep anymore. I know you didn’t kill Helen.”
Simon relaxed and smiled. “Of course I didn’t kill her. Someone else did and I intend to prove it. But the thing is, the police are convinced it was me. I’m wondering if they’re looking anywhere else at all.”
“That really is terrible. What will you do?”
He raised his hands helplessly. “What can I do? If they charge me, I’ll find the best lawyer possible and defend myself. That’s all I can do.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “How can they charge you with something you haven’t done?”
“That’s it. They can. I’m beginning to wonder if someone has framed me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. The police say that only a surgeon could make such a precise cut on Helen’s throat. They found a scalpel next to her of the make used by our hospital. There are too many coincidences.”
“It is strange,” Edna said.
“There’s just one thing that bothers me. Why was the murderer still in the house when I got home? He was taking a risk. What would have happened if I had walked into the bedroom ten minutes earlier?”
Edna looked shocked. “My God, I don’t dare even think about it. Maybe he’d have attacked you, too.”
“It is odd.”
They talked for another half-hour, until the phone rang in the hall. Simon jumped up, thinking it was Christine.
“Hello, Simon, it’s me.”
He was right. “Hi. Where are you? Are you alright?”
Curious, Edna Weiss was listening from the kitchen.
“Yes, I’m fine.” She paused a moment. “Listen, get a bit of paper and a pen. You have to write this down.”
He found what he needed and said, “OK, go on.”
“Carlo will come home around eight tonight. He’ll be in the car on his own. I know that for sure. …”
There was a silence. Simon thought the line had been cut.
She said, “I don’t think this is a good idea. It would be better if I went to the police.”
“No, no, Christine, go on, please. I said I’ll do it. You won’t go to the police.”
Edna Weiss wondered who Christine was.
“OK, Simon, if you say so. … I feel very bad. You’re not a murderer.”
“Go on, please.”
“He drives along Orm Street, which goes through a small patch of woods. There’s not much traffic at that time. I thought that you could go there at around half past seven and hide your car somewhere in the trees. Then you’d have to wait by the road so that Carlo could see and recognize you. If he does, he’s sure to stop. You know what he thinks about you.”
“Yes, I do,” he said dryly.
“You could say that you need a ride home and he’ll help you. Then all you have to do is inject him with the insulin. He’ll fall into a coma and that will be that.”
“I see. I wrote the name of the road and the time. I’ll look at the map. I’ll be there.” At least that’s what he hoped.
“Be careful,” she said, before putting the phone down.
Simon returned to the kitchen. Edna eyed him suspiciously and could see he was tense.
“Would you like a cup of tea?” she asked.
He looked at the window. “Tea? Oh, yes, tea. Of course I’ll have some. You make it and I’ll sort something out in the meanwhile.”
He went to the bedroom and sat on the bed. He wanted to think how he would carry out this murder.
It will be very simple, he told himself. I’ll inject him with insulin and it’ll all be over. And I’ll save Christine and myself.
He got up and went to get a map. He found the road and wanted to mark it, but remembered that it could serve as evidence later. Simon tossed the map aside. It was all happening too fast. He didn’t have time to think it over.
He heard Edna telling him that tea was ready. He had to go downstairs.
They chatted for another fifteen minutes in the garden. Simon tried hard to be nice to her, but couldn’t hide the tension growing inside him.
When he wiped the sweat off his forehead for the third time, Edna said, “Maybe it’s best if I leave. I just came to see you. I think you need to lie down. It’s obvious you’re ill.”
He smiled. “Maybe I’ll do as you say. It’s very nice of you to have visited with me. You’re coming tomorrow anyway, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. I’ll come tomorrow and clean up all that mess. Bye, Dr. Patterson.”
“Bye,” he said, and rushed to the bathroom.
He sat on the side of the bathtub and dropped his head to his hands. His insides felt as if he had swallowed hydrochloric acid. He had never been so terrified.
Chapter 68
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Sandra Grant had turned around in fright when someone put a hand on her shoulder. She was sure it was one of Vucci’s snoops, who seemed to be everywhere.
“What are you doing with that device, miss?”
It was a zoo security guard.
“Oh, you really scared m
e.”
He repeated, “What are you doing with that device?”
She moved away from the glass so as not to seem suspicious. “What device? Oh, this?” She didn’t know what to say. Then it occurred to her. She offered her hand. “My name is Dr. Ramsay. I don’t know if you’ve heard about me. I’m a biologist, researching communication among species. This is a listening device.”
The security guard said, “What do you mean? Listening to the animals?”
She smiled. “Yes, that’s it.” She pointed at the elephants. “Did you know that elephants are among the most communicative of animals?”
“No,” the guard admitted.
“No? Don’t you read National Geographic? I’ve had a few articles in there about elephants. And you say you work here?”
He blushed, saying, “I don’t read much.”
“Yeah, well, then you wouldn’t know, would you?”
He was even more confused. “Listen, miss, you carry on doing whatever it is you’re doing. I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ve got plenty of other work.” He left the terrarium.
Sandra checked the situation through the window again. Unfortunately, Carlo Vucci was gone. Disappointed, she decided to go home. Tomorrow morning, I’ll tell Richard about this and demand that he give the case back to me. I’ll quickly handle Dr. Patterson and then dedicate all my attention to Carlo Vucci.
Chapter 69
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Carlo Vucci was furious. Business wasn’t going well at the moment. There was even a danger that he’d have to ask the bank for a loan, which was against his principles.
It was a hot evening, the sun was setting, the sky light gray. He was sitting in his limo, driving no faster than thirty-five miles an hour and thinking about Christine.
He pressed a button and a few moments later a hoarse voice croaked, “Hello?”
“It’s Carlo. Have you got any information yet?”
