“Then why are you here, Mister Darling?”
“Good question. Maybe your boss can tell us.”
I could read the disappointment on Dom’s face. He turned away from me and stepped back into the house. “Follow me,” he said.
Elvis was seated behind his desk when we walked in. He was wiping his hands with a tissue and didn’t look up for several moments. Nothing had changed since my previous visit. The desk held the same crystal ball, the same deck of cards, and the same box of tissues. Elvis was also dressed like before, same suit, same shirt, and same tie.
Elvis folded the tissue and dropped it into the wastebasket before looking up. His shoulders were slumped and his face was deeply lined, almost as if he were in pain. He appeared to be less sure of himself than the last time I’d seen him. I almost felt sorry for the guy.
“You can leave us, Dom. Wes, please have a seat.” He pointed to the leather armchair across from him and waited until Dom was gone before adding, “I was afraid you wouldn’t come. The last time we met you made it clear you didn’t hold a very high opinion of me or my craft.”
“Cat said you talked to Destiny and had some information for me.”
“You’re talking about Gail?”
“They’re one and the same,” I said.
“She was here last night and again this morning. Yesterday she wanted to know if she needed to worry about someone named Frankie. Today, you were all she could talk about. She claims you stole something from her and she wanted to know if you were going to return what you took.”
“What did you tell her?”
Elvis leaned forward and made a sad attempt to smile. “I told her the truth, Wes. I said you couldn’t give them back.”
“Why would you tell her that?”
“It is true, isn’t it? You did give the diamonds to the police, right?”
I felt a tingling along the back of my neck, like a poisonous spider had bitten me and the venom was spreading. There was no way he could know about the diamonds. I was afraid that if Destiny knew I didn’t have them, she would hurt or even kill Tanya.
“You told her that?”
Elvis shook his head. “No. I did tell her she should stay away from you, and that she wasn’t going to get the diamonds back. I assumed they were diamonds, since that’s what you asked me about yesterday.”
“She took a friend of mine hostage. Told me she’ll kill her if I don’t hand over the diamonds.” I felt defeated.
“And you don’t have them to give,” Elvis said.
“You and your bullshit are going to get my friend killed.”
“Your friend will be fine,” Elvis said. There was a hint of sadness in his voice. “She’s not the one who’s going to die.”
I jumped up, rested my hands on the desk and leaned in toward Elvis. “This is a bunch of crap and I’m tired of your spiel. It doesn’t work on me, but your interference is going to get someone hurt or maybe killed. You’re in way over your head, Elvis.”
“I’m not interfering, Wes. I’m trying to help. I wanted to let you know what’s going on. The last thing Gail said when she left this morning was that she’s going to kill you. Just so you know, you don’t have to worry about anything either.”
“Thanks for nothing.”
“You’re good at what you do, Wes. You shouldn’t try to run away from it. And the trouble with your mother will work itself out.”
Again, the imaginary venom was inching its way down my spine. For a moment I wavered and wondered if there was something more to Elvis than I was willing to admit. I shook off my doubts.
“If I were a gambling man,” I said, “I’d bet Tanya told Destiny about my mother and Destiny told you.”
Elvis shook his head. “Celine was back in my dreams last night. She told me about your mother. Celine feels as responsible for your quitting your job, as you feel for her getting killed.”
“I’m outta here, Elvis. This is nonsense. Everything you’ve said, you could have found out by doing a little research.”
“Why would I bother?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you want something from me.”
“I do. I want you to find out what really happened to Celine.”
I started toward the door. “Well if that’s the case, you can rest assured. I made arrangements with my mother to put an investigator onto Myron Stewart. I still don’t believe a thing you’ve told me. When I can prove you wrong, I’ll be back to rub it in your face.”
“And if I’m right?”
I reached out and pushed open the door. “When that happens I’ll apologize.”
“There is one more thing, Wes.”
“Why am I not surprised?"
“If it’s any consolation, I can assure you that you won’t go back to working for your mother. But you can’t quit being what you are, and you’re a damn good investigator. I’d like you to come to work for me. Sometimes, like with Celine, I see things. The police are almost as skeptical as you are and I need someone to gather hard evidence before I go to them.”
I glanced back over my shoulder, not quite believing what he was suggesting. He stared back at me with those dark, tired eyes and waited for my response. A part of me almost wanted to believe in him. Right then I realized that if he could make me feel this way, he must have nearly complete control over those who believed in psychics.
“I don’t want to be a detective,” I said.
“Is that true, or is the truth that you don’t want to work for your mother?”
It was a disturbing question, one I’d asked myself more than once. It was also a question to which I didn’t have an answer. I ignored it and left the office. As I pulled the door closed behind me, he added, “Come see me when you find Celine’s body. You may be able to keep a more open mind at that time.”
***
By nine that evening Destiny still hadn’t called. I paced back and forth between the kitchen and the living room of Tanya’s house. The wait gave me time to think about my conversation with Elvis. Maybe it was the mood I was in, maybe it was the anxieties of waiting for the call, but I began to wonder how Elvis came by his information. I suspected he had other detectives working for him, gathering information on me as well as other prospective clients. If so, his con game was much more organized than I’d imagined.
I might have gone on all night wondering about it, but my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, and was irritated when a male voice said, “Mister Darling?”
“I’m waiting for a call, Dom. I can’t talk right now.”
“Please Mister Darling.” Dom coughed, and his voice took on a strained quality when he continued. “I think they’re going to hurt Mister Elvis.”
“Who are they, Dom? You need to calm down and be a little clearer on what you’re saying.”
“It’s the girl you were asking about. Mister Elvis called her Gail, but the guy she’s with kept calling her Destiny. Mister Elvis told me that if she showed up I was to call you.”
“Was there another girl with them?” I asked.
“Yes sir. I don’t know her name, but her hands were tied behind her back.”
“I’m on my way.” I headed for the door, talking as I ran. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the living room, locked in a closet.”
“You stay put. Don’t even try to get out until I get there,” I said. “I’d rather not get the police involved right now.”
“Good. The man said if anyone tried to call the police, he’d kill all of us. I believe him. He has a gun and he forced me into the closet, then he hit me on the head with his gun. I pretended to be knocked out. That’s when he locked me in, but he didn’t check to see if I had a phone. I couldn’t think of anyone else to call. I could break out easy enough, but I’m afraid if I do he’ll kill Mister Elvis.”
“Hold on a sec.” I hurried across the porch and grabbed Tanya’s pink bicycle. It was tucked into the corner of the porch and unlocked, so I carried it down the steps and
out the gate. I climbed on board and began to pedal the bike before lifting the phone back to my ear.
“Is there a gun in the house?” I asked.
“Mister Elvis keeps three antique pistols in a display case in the library. They wouldn’t be loaded, and I don’t know if they can still shoot.”
Great, I thought. I peddled furiously down the street and wondered what I was going to do when I got there. I was unarmed, and every instinct told me to contact the police. But my thoughts turned to what had happened to Celine, and I couldn’t bring myself to make the call.
I slowed to allow a pedestrian to cross in front of me before turning onto Eaton. Traffic was light. No one seemed to notice when I jumped off the bike and leaned it against a fence two doors down from Elvis’s house. If someone wanted to steal the damn thing, I wasn’t going to worry about it.
I lifted the phone to my ear. “You still there, Dom?”
“Yes sir.”
“How do I get inside?”
“I could break out and let you in the front door.”
“They’ll hear you,” I said. “Is there another way in?”
“The side door facing Duval leads to Mister Elvis’s library, but you have to walk past the windows in the office. I think they’re all in there, at least I haven’t heard anyone walking around the house since I got locked in here. The blinds might be shut, but I usually do that and I never had time to close them.”
“Is the door locked?”
“It’s always locked at night. But we keep a spare key. It’s hidden in the pot holding the cactus. When you face the steps it’s on a stand to your right. Reach behind the cactus and the key is pushed into the dirt right along the edge of the pot.”
“What will I find once I’m inside?”
“You’ll be in the library. The door on the right leads to a hall. The one on the left leads to Elvis’s office. That’s where you met with him.”
“You sure you’re okay, Dom?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m going to hang up and turn off my phone so you won’t be able to call me,” I said. I glanced at my watch. “Give me fifteen minutes, and then start yelling and pounding on the door. I’m hoping the noise will split them up before I try anything. But whatever you do, if someone comes to the door and tells you to be quiet, listen to them. I don’t want you getting hurt. Understand?”
I waited for Dom’s “Yes Sir,” closed the phone, and slipped it into my pocket before moving over to the gate.
The gate creaked when I opened it. I stood still and waited to make sure no one was going to investigate the noise. After a minute or so I scooted through the gate, ran past the porch and around the corner of the house, stopping at the edge of the lighted windows of the office. The blinds were up and I could see Elvis sitting at his desk. Staying as much in the shadows as possible, I peeked around the corner of the window and felt relief when I saw Tanya seated across from him.
The windows were closed and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear what was being said. I needed to know who was in the room. Dropping down on my knees I crawled forward far enough to see to the side of the desk. Destiny was standing about three feet to the right of Tanya. She had a pistol tucked into the front of her jeans and was saying something to Elvis. He shook his head, and then Willie stepped into view. He slid up alongside Destiny, whispered in her ear, and moved back out of sight.
I slipped back away from the window, stood, and looked around. There were bushes directly under the window and the area in front of the bushes was lit as if by a spotlight. It was not going to be easy getting by without being seen.
The light reached all the way to the fence line. My first inclination was to work my way along the edge of the fence, but if Destiny or Willie looked out across the yard I was pretty sure they’d see me. That meant I could either scale the six-foot fence twice, or take the time to sneak around to the far side of the house. I chose the latter.
The other side of the house and the backyard were unlit. I tripped several times in the dark before admitting to myself that I’d have to slow down. Ten minutes, a bruised knee, and a couple of cactus quills later, I let myself into the library.
My eyes came to rest on the display case that hung across the room, and I grinned. Inside were three antique dueling pistols and a large saber. The case was backlit, which cast enough light for me to see where I was going. The pistols were black powder guns and would be useless, but I’d taken fencing classes in college and the saber might be a godsend if only I could take Willie and Destiny by surprise.
The room itself was perhaps twenty by twenty feet and held a recliner, a sofa and an over-sized oak library table. Three of the walls were covered with books, some appearing to be quite old. Beneath the display case, the forth wall held an entertainment center. There was a large flat screen TV, a CD player, and enough speakers to rock the house. I guess even psychics need to unwind every once in awhile.
As I crossed the room, I was paying more attention to the sword than to where I was walking. I slammed my knee into a low table I hadn’t noticed and bit back a yell. When no one came running I continued on to the display case.
I ran my hand along the outside edges of the case, found the latch, and let out a sigh of relief when I realized it wasn’t locked. I opened the case, cringed when the door squeaked, and took down the sword. It was heavier than I expected. I turned back toward the office and took a couple of practice swings to get the feel of it. As I stepped away from the case, the door to the Elvis’s office swung open and Willie walked into the room.
Chapter 29
I stood still as Willie drew a pistol and pointed it at me. He was dressed in the same clothing he’d been wearing when he left Frankie’s the previous evening, and he looked like his entire world had fallen apart.
“You killed Frankie,” he said. “And Bob. I could maybe forgive Frankie, but not my brother. Now I’m gonna kill ya, and I’m gonna enjoy it.”
I was innocent of both those charges, but the chances of my convincing Willie of that were nonexistent. I had watched Destiny manipulate Frankie. I was pretty sure if she told Willie the sky was falling, he’d take cover.
As if to confirm my suspicions, Willie’s face took on a moonstruck look when Destiny called out from Elvis’s office, “What’s going on out there?”
“It’s Wes.” Willie turned his head toward the office. “I told you I heard something out here. I know you didn’t hear anything, but if we’re going to be together you’ve got to trust me, hon.”
While he was distracted, I looked down at my watch. By my figuring it had been more than fifteen minutes since I’d last spoken with Dom. If he didn’t make his move soon, it was going to be all over for me, and probably everyone else in the house. They couldn’t afford to leave witnesses.
I’d seen Destiny’s propensity for violence firsthand. I suspected she would let Willie do the dirty work before she got rid of him. I almost felt sorry for him. I knew what was in store for him when he was no longer useful.
Just when I thought I was going to be on my own Dom let out a hideous scream. This was followed by a loud crash from the other side of the house. Willie snapped his head in the direction of the noise and started moving toward the office.
It was now or never. If Willie got his wits back together, I was a dead man. I raised the sword, shouted, “Hey asshole,” and lunged across the room.
Willie was quick, but seemed confused. He swiveled his body toward me, raised his gun, and snapped off a shot. The sound was deafening, and something plucked at my pant leg. Before he could get off another shot I gave a flick of my wrist and brought the sword down.
The blade struck the barrel of the pistol sending it flying across the room. I then slammed the hilt of the sword into Willie’s face. Something crunched, Willie cried out, and slid to his knees spitting blood and broken teeth onto the floor.
I raised the sword over my head and was going in for the kill when three shots rang out from the ot
her room. Tanya screamed, and I turned and started toward the office. Willie had more fortitude than I gave him credit for. He grabbed my leg, twisted it, and when I fell to the floor he scrambled on top of me.
“You son of a bitch.” He let out a triumphant yell, and reaching up he twisted his fingers into my hair. His eyes were wild and it felt like he was screwing my head off. When I tried to pull away he slammed my head against the floor. “You’re a dead man, Darling.”
My ears rang and I made an effort to raise the sword. The blade caught under the leg of the table. I felt helpless. Willie laughed at my efforts, and slammed my head against the floor again. He let go of my hair and I fought to throw him off me, but he hung on like a bronco rider glued to the saddle.
Reaching across my body he slapped the sword from my hand and moved his face close to mine, whispering, “I’m going to beat the living shit out of you, Darling. I’m going to do it for Frankie, and for my brother. After that, I’m going to have some fun with the darkie girl you seem to be so fond of before I kill her.” His breath was foul, and his lips were coated in his own blood. He reminded me of a killer clown that inhabited my nightmares when I was a child. I wondered if the nightmare would return after this night.
I tried again to buck him off. He backhanded me across the face and grabbed my ears. His blood and spittle drooled onto my face as he lifted my head and prepared to slam it a final time against the floor.
I felt light-headed and was having trouble catching my breath, but he was over confident. Focusing my thoughts on what would happen to Tanya if I died; I felt a surge of energy.
I waited until he reached the top of his arc, and then I snapped my head forward.
There was not a lot of strength behind the motion, but I heard his nose snap when my forehead connected. Willie cried out and loosened his grip on my ears. I kept pushing with everything I had left in me, and still I couldn’t shake him from my chest.
Key Lime Blues Page 21
