Walking Shadows

by Faye Kellerman

  “Can you give them more time?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.”

  Another few minutes passed. He said, “They needed someone from the department to act as a lookout.”

  “Who did? Gratz and Masterson?”

  “Yeah. Jaylene knew I was on the take. A lot of people were. A lot of people still are. I could name names but I’m a gentleman.” He looked at Lennie. “Jaylene was good at getting shit out of people. She filed the information away for favors. She cozied up to a lot of people. I was dumb—let the wrong head do the thinking. But I wasn’t the only one.”

  Lennie swallowed hard. She had to know. “My dad?”

  He looked at her and grinned. A minute later, he said, “Nah, not your dad. She was way too low class.”

  For some reason, relief flooded her.

  Guerlin said, “She made it sound like a no-brainer. Jaylene did. In and out. Gratz and Masterson were good at jobs. I knew that from growing up here, from previous jobs they pulled. I was on watch assignments that night. All I had to do was keep the area clean of cop cars.”

  “You were at a desk?”

  “Until the fucking silent rang, yes.”

  “What a mess.”

  “You can say that again.” Guerlin had lowered the gun to his lap. He looked at her. “You say you’re here for me. What can you do for me?”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Get me a car, Baccus. Get me out of here.”

  “I’ll be happy to make a call for you. That’s what I’m here for.”

  “Nah, don’t bother. I know how it works. They’ll say let the girl go, then we’ll see. The girl isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Why not? You still have me.”

  “You’re trained. She’s not.”

  “That’s true. But do I look like a threat to you?”

  “I don’t fucking know what you look like to me.”

  “I’m not a threat. Let Dana go and then I can help you.”

  He didn’t answer.

  Lennie changed the subject. “Why did you kill Brady Neil? What did he do to you?”

  “Shut up! I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I was just thinking that maybe it was Mayhew’s idea.”

  “I said I don’t want to talk about it.” Guerlin paused. “Fucking psycho. Mayhew. He’s in it as deep as I am. He took payoffs same as me.”

  “No one is figuring him for a good guy. We do think that you’re the brains behind everything because you’re smarter.”

  “Fuck the flattery. It isn’t working.”

  “Just saying.”

  “Well, don’t. I wasn’t the brains behind anything. I was just the lookout.”

  No doubt a lie, but Lennie nodded.

  He regarded her. “Your dad has balls—sending you in here.”

  “You know he’s not going to do anything stupid while I’m here.” Lennie laughed. “My mom would kill him.”

  “How is your mom?”

  Lennie hid surprise: first, that he knew her mother; second, by the genuine interest in his voice. “Not so hot.”

  “She’s been not so hot for a long time.”

  “She’s getting worse.”

  “That’s the way it is with those diseases. What does she have again?”

  “Multiple sclerosis.”

  “Muscle thing, right?”

  “Right.”

  “You have any brothers or sisters?”

  “I don’t. Giving birth to me almost killed her.”

  He was quiet for a very long time. He checked his watch again. By now, even in the gray darkness, she could make out the clock.

  A half hour to go before the raid. Mentally she began to prepare herself.

  Guerlin said, “This is what I want you to tell them.” A pause. “Are you listening?”

  “Every word. Please tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to go out there and tell them to fuck the money and the helicopter. Just get me a car with bulletproof windows. And no tracking devices. If I find out I’m being tracked, I’ll kill the girl.” He was breathing hard. “I’m taking the girl with me. As long as no one follows me, no one will get hurt. I don’t want anyone to die, but I’m not dying alone. You got that?”

  “No one has to die at all.”

  “Not sure about that. Go on. Get out of here.”

  “How about letting the girl go—”

  “No. Get out of here before I change my mind and shoot you both.” As if to emphasize the point, he aimed his gun at her. “Go.”

  She uncrossed her legs. “Tell me again exactly what you want and I’ll call them up.”

  “No, you tell them face-to-face. When the time comes, I don’t want to have to deal with you and her.”

  “Let her go—”

  “Shut up with that, okay?”

  “Mr. Guerlin, all I’m saying is it’s probably easier for you to deal with me. You’re a former cop, for goodness’ sake. You’ve got the gun; you’ve got more experience than I have. And while I’m here, Dad isn’t going to do anything.”

  “Okay, you blew it.” He pointed the gun at her face. His hand was steady and his eyes were focused. But he hesitated. Barrel still aimed at her head, he said, “You have balls.”

  Lennie felt her eyes start to tear. Quickly she looked down. “I believe everything you’re telling me, sir. Everything. I don’t want to die. But I really don’t want the girl to die. It was my idea to come in here.”

  “Proving something to your dad?”

  “Yes, probably.”

  “That I understand.” He shook his head. “I’m not a monster, you know.”

  “I know that. Let the girl go.”

  He checked his watch again. “I really don’t want to shoot anyone.”

  “Let me use the phone. I’ll tell them everything you want me to say.”

  “It’s not a hard demand: just get a fucking bulletproof car.”

  “It’s easier than a helicopter.”

  “They got plenty of time to arrange it. Call them up.”

  “I will. Would you like to talk to them directly?”

  “No. You do it.” He waved the gun at her face. “Go on.”

  Lennie picked up the phone on Yvonne’s desk. The call was quick and precise. If the hidden mic was working, they already knew what the call was about anyway. She hung up. “They’re working on the car. Like you said, it’s not as hard a demand.”

  “They’d better get it right, because time is running out. And I can’t take both of you. If you don’t leave here soon, you won’t leave here alive.”

  “How long do I have?”

  “Why? What’s the point in hanging around? You did what you could. It didn’t work. Deal with it. Better than being six feet under. And I will shoot you. Get the hell out of here.”

  Before she stood up, Lennie said, “Can I ask you something? Nothing to do with what’s going on right now.” When he didn’t answer, she said, “Did Gratz and Masterson murder the Levines?”

  Guerlin laughed. “Of course they murdered the Levines. They’re a couple of psychos. They didn’t have to kill them. They probably did it for fun. That’s what tipped me over . . . why I told the kid to lie about seeing them. They did it and I didn’t want those two assholes running around loose.”

  “They were convicted of a double murder. Why didn’t they get life without parole?”

  “Why?” Guerlin rubbed his fingers together. “There’re a few local assholes in this town who call themselves judges. Gratz and Masterson had lots of valuable shit from the robbery. When Jaylene contacted Mayhew and me for the payoff, we knew we were stuck. But it turned out okay. Gratz and Masterson were put away for a while, and they’ll get their chance for parole down the line.”

  “Makes sense.” Lennie paused. “But why did Brady Neil and Joe Boch have to die?”

  “Shut up about that. Now get out of here before my finger gets itchy. Now!”

  As soon as
she stood up, the monitors went blank, plunging the room into darkness.

  Immediately, Guerlin lunged at Lennie just because she was closer.

  A tactical mistake.

  He should have gone for the girl. Easier to handle, easier to control.

  As he caught her, Lennie flailed her arms in a wild circular pattern, knocking the gun from Guerlin’s hand.

  Score one. To Dana, Lennie shouted, “Go, go, go, go!”

  The teen bolted as fast as she could to unlock the door. It swung open all the way, hit the wall, then closed back on itself, automatically relocking.

  Even without the weapon, Lennie knew that she was at a disadvantage. She had known what was going to happen, and he still somehow got the jump on her. She was struggling against him, as he tried to pin her with a chokehold. She tried to stomp on his instep, but his feet were planted too far back. She tried to kick him, but she couldn’t find her balance as he choked her. He was stronger and more experienced. He also outweighed her and could use all of those pounds for extra leverage.

  Seconds passed and Lennie heard nothing.

  Where the hell was SWAT?

  This was not a battle that she was going to win going one-on-one. Conventional strategy and police tactics had just flown out the window. Somehow, she managed to take in a breath before he started squeezing out her air and her life. She clawed at his arm with her sharp red nails. Pain barely registered on his face, he was so pumped up.

  Digging deep into his flesh, raking his skin, blood flowing down his arm.

  Red on red.

  Vaguely aware of distant noises.

  Human voices.

  She couldn’t hold her breath any longer, exhaling with a whoosh. She tried to hold off inhaling, but the need for oxygen was overpowering her brain. Her eyes began to see sparkles as she started going under. The noises were getting louder, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on. She was still clawing at his arm when the idea hit her.

  Going about this all wrong.

  She retracted her hand and tried to go under his forearm instead of pulling it off her neck. All she needed was a tiny bit of room to get her hands in between his arm and her neck. Prying up his forearm just enough to take in a half breath of oxygen.

  Which was all she needed.

  She placed her hands under the back of her head right next to the soft spot in his throat, and with as much force and momentum as she could marshal, she plowed her sharp red nails into the depression under his Adam’s apple. Stunned, Guerlin loosened his grip as blood squirted out. He was trying to pull away, but her fingers were still deep in his gullet, keeping him attached to her.

  She inhaled deeply, enjoying the rush of oxygen as she pivoted around and bore her nails deeper into his wounded throat. Intent on saving her own life, she barely registered that SWAT had burst through the door.

  She knew she could let go now, but her brain was looping as she kept reaming and rotating her nails and fingers into his neck until she had carved a deep, wide ruby hole . . . until her fingers touched the cervical bones of his spine.

  Chapter 33

  By the time Decker had his back and legs debrided and treated for minor burns at St. Luke’s, it was after midnight. Because his torso and legs had been bandaged, he was walking slowly down the hospital corridors. McAdams was on his right, watching him struggle. He stood close by in case Decker faltered. When they hit the entry lobby, Tyler looked through the glass windows and said, “Ordinarily I’d bring the car around. But I don’t want to leave you alone with the press.”

  Outside the main entrance of the hospital, the pack of media personnel had thinned to several stringers who specialized in nighttime videos and a couple of intrepid reporters, including one from the Hamiltonian. At the scene, Chief Baccus had fielded most of the on-the-spot questions. He’d do a formal announcement in the morning.

  “I can walk to the garage.” Decker tried to roll his shoulders, but he was bandaged too tightly. “Is Radar still at the station?”

  “Don’t even think about going back to work, boss. I promised Rina I’d take you home and watch over you personally.”

  Decker stopped walking. “You called Rina? On Shabbos?”

  “And you think it would be better for her to hear about it over the news?”

  “Tyler, she doesn’t watch TV on Shabbos.”

  “She’s visiting her mother in a retirement home, Peter. The news is going twenty-four seven. For your information, she was very grateful to hear about what happened from me and not from some anonymous source. Besides, if she did hear about it on Shabbos, she’d call you immediately. I saved her making a phone call.”

  That was probably true. Decker continued walking but was silent.

  McAdams said, “It was a short conversation. I told her that no matter what she heard, you were fine. I didn’t say anything about your being mummified.”

  “Smart.” He shook his head. “Harvard, I really need to talk to Radar.”

  “Give me a message.”

  “No, I have to do it in person.”

  “Why?”

  “Because something’s bothering me.”

  “C’mon!” McAdams stopped walking. It wasn’t hard, since Decker was shuffling like an old man. “What!”

  “The entire time we were out there, waiting for some kind of conclusion to that horrible drama, I did not see Yves Guerlin’s sons. Did you?”

  “Not that I recall. But I wasn’t looking for them.”

  “You’d think that with their father in a life-threatening situation, someone would have called them down.”

  “Maybe someone did. Maybe we just didn’t notice them.”

  “No, they weren’t there. I’d like to know why.”

  “You can find out tomorrow, Peter. With Guerlin’s death, I’m sure next of kin will be notified.”

  “Guerlin is divorced. His sons are next of kin. Where the hell were they?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Peter. Guerlin confessed to killing Brady Neil. Your case is closed.”

  “I just think it’s weird that they never showed up.”

  “You’re not hearing me. Guerlin confessed. Case closed.”

  “Baccus said he was going to call them—the sons.”

  “Maybe with everything that was happening, he forgot.”

  “You don’t forget to call next of kin in a hostage situation. You use them to try to talk sense into the kidnapper. It rarely works, but you try every option possible.”

  “There was a time exigency. Maybe the sons didn’t have enough time to get there. I’m sure Baccus will call them now that Guerlin’s dead.”

  “Then it’ll be no problem for me to talk to them.”

  “I’m sure you can do that at some point, but not at twelve-thirty in the morning. No one is going to talk to you right now.”

  “I just want to look up a few things on the computer. You go home and catch some sleep. I’ll catch a cab.”

  McAdams made a big point of sighing. “I’ll take you. And I’ll stay with you. I promised Rina I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”

  “You must be exhausted, kiddo. Go home.”

  “What about you? Or doesn’t Bionic Cop need to rest.”

  “I’m too wired,” Decker said. “There’s no way I can sleep until (a) we know where the sons are, (b) we know where Denny Mayhew is, and (c) until I talk to Lennie.”

  “None of the three is going to happen tonight.” They reached the elevator. McAdams pushed the button. “Certainly not Lennie. She’s being debriefed. I don’t think Lennie will be talkative for a very long time.”

  “She may have more resilience than you’re giving her credit for.”

  They both stepped into the elevator car and rode it to the underground lot. As they walked to the automobile, McAdams said, “You saw her. She’s totally traumatized. This wasn’t a shooting, Peter; it was hand-to-hand combat. I can’t even imagine . . . maybe you can imagine . . .” When Decker didn’t answer, he sa
id. “Or maybe I should shut up.”

  Decker said, “In Nam, combat wasn’t my role. I was a medic, not a point man. But I’ve done one-on-one as a cop a few times. That’s how I got shot. And, yes, it did stick with me for a long, long time.”

  “Then you know what she’s going through.”

  “I do. Somebody needs to tell her that she executed her job perfectly. She needs to understand that.”

  “Boss, you’ll have an opportunity to tell her that. Just not at . . .” McAdams looked at his watch. “Almost one in the morning.”

  “I want to find out if Radar or Baccus has contacted the sons.”

  “We’re back to that? Why are Guerlin’s sons so important to you?”

  “After hearing the conversation between Guerlin and Lennie on the wire, I think we do have a better idea of what happened with the Levine murders. But I still don’t know why Guerlin would want to kill Brady Neil or Joe Boch.”

  “And we’ll probably never know unless Jaylene starts remembering things.”

  They found the car. Decker moved slowly but refused help. He slid into the passenger’s seat. “Brady Neil is my case, and I want to know why he was killed.”

  “Well, good luck with that.” When Decker didn’t answer, McAdams said, “What do you think happened, hotshot?”

  “You go first,” Decker said.

  McAdams sat down and turned on the engine. “I think Jaylene told Joe Junior that Guerlin and Denny Mayhew took payoffs from the Levine murders: money or possibly the spoils of the robbery. I think Joe Junior told Brady and the two of them had the brilliant idea to blackmail two crooked cops. At first, they gave them a little cash just to shut them up. I think that’s how Brady got his spending money. But maybe the boys pushed it too far and Guerlin got pissed.”

  “Then why didn’t he kill Jaylene Boch?”

  “Like Lennie said, maybe Guerlin had a soft spot for her.” McAdams went silent as he drove up the ramp and out of the garage. “Maybe he thought she’d just die a natural death.”

  “Guerlin had no problem telling Lennie details about his part in the Levine robbery and murders, including getting Gregg Levine to commit perjury. Why was he so reticent to talk when she asked him about the murders of Neil and Boch?”