“It seems to me you’re going to a lot of effort over a bunch of dead animals. Why?”
“I was told that when I got to the bottom of things, there would be a big story for the newspaper.”
“Who told you that, Michael?”
“The same person who told me the animals had been dumped down the mine shaft.” Michael took a sip of coffee.
“Go on—who was that?”
Soozie took Michael’s arm in her hand and squeezed. “A confidential source. You know that, as a news reporter, I can’t reveal my sources. They’re protected by the First Amendment.”
Mark disguised his irritation at Michael’s reliance on constitutional rights. “Certainly. I was hoping you wouldn’t have a problem with revealing your source in this instance, but, if you do, you do. I won’t ask you again.
“You’re really opening my eyes, Michael. From what you just told me, I’ve deduced that Gunther Hogg might have had a strong motive for doing away with Lamb. If Lamb isn’t able to testify against Hogg at the Board hearing, Hogg might not lose his veterinary license. Right now, Hogg’s my number one suspect. There’s no doubt about that. I’ll have him picked up first thing in the morning for questioning.
“Oh … by the way … one more thing … When the officers searched you they found a small bottle which had contained euthanasia solution. Is this it, Michael?” Caruso reached in his pocket, retrieved the evidence bag containing the bottle, and handed it to Michael.
Michael examined the bottle, then nodded his head. “Yes, that’s it. Dr. Royal gave it to me this afternoon. I’d made a big mistake by referring to the poison only as Blue Goodness in the article I wrote for the Times, and Royal tactfully brought the error to my attention. He suggested I write another article and accompany it with a photograph of the actual bottle, so there would be no doubt in readers’ minds what the poison looks like.”
“Was this bottle empty when Royal gave it to you?”
“Yes. It was exactly like you see it now. Why?”
“Well, the Blue Goodness stolen from Dr. Royal might have finally shown up. When Lamb was found, near death, there was a syringe nearby with a blue substance inside. And there was a needle mark on Lamb’s back. Our forensic experts are analyzing the residue in the syringe, but I’d be willing to bet right now it’s Blue Goodness.”
“It could be a coincidence, Mark. The Blue Goodness that was stolen from Royal might still be out there on the streets. Don’t forget—Gunther Hogg is a veterinarian. He had access to euthanasia solutions, and he didn’t have to steal them, either.”
“That’s a very good point, Michael. As I said, Hogg is our prime suspect at this time. Speaking of coincidences—it’s quite a coincidence you just happened to be at Royal’s office the morning of the break-in, when a bottle of Blue Goodness was stolen, and then you were found in Lamb’s clinic with this empty bottle in your pocket a couple of hours after someone tried to kill Lamb with the same poison.”
Michael’s eyes grew wide. “Surely, Mark, you don’t think I had anything to do with what happened to Lamb?”
Caruso waved his hand as if to dismiss the thought. “No, Michael, not at all.” Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. “You didn’t have any reason to want Lamb dead, did you?”
“No, of course not,” Michael denied strenuously. “You can check with Dr. Royal. He’ll tell you he gave me the empty bottle this afternoon.”
Mark sighed. “I’ve already tried to call him, Michael. His answering service said he’s out of town and can’t be reached for about a week. But don’t worry. When Royal gets back we can verify that little detail. No problem, buddy.”
“Whew. For a minute there, I was beginning to think I was a suspect.”
Mark chuckled. “Whatever gave you that idea? If you were a suspect, I’d have read you your rights and advised you to hire an attorney.”
Mark’s eyes narrowed again. “For the record, though, where were you about five this afternoon?”
“About five. Let’s see. I think I was taking a shower around that time. Yes, that’s it. I was in the shower at five o’clock. I remember, because I looked at my watch when I was getting dressed, and it was ten after five.”
Mark’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t ask you what you were doing, Michael. I asked you where you were. I spoke with Myra a little while ago and she told me she hasn’t seen you since lunch time, and she’s been at home ever since two. Apparently, she wasn’t feeling well and left work early. Didn’t you know that?”
“I, uh, um,” Michael stammered. “I wasn’t at home. I was at—”
“Michael was with me this afternoon,” Soozie interrupted. “We had sex. Then, we took a shower. Together.”
Now Mark’s eyes opened wide. “Where did you and Michael have sex, Soozie?”
“At one of the houses I was showing Michael. I’ll give you the address. It’s on Habanero Street. You’ll find our fingerprints on the headboard of the bed. We were playing all the kinky little games that Michael likes—tying each other to the bedposts, that sort of thing. We even took a video of everything we did. I can bring you the tape, if you want to see it. It’ll probably make you jealous, Mark,” Soozie taunted. “Horny, too.”
Caruso turned to Michael. “Is that true, Michael? Does Soozie have a tape of you and her having sex?”
Michael’s face had turned a bright red. “Yes, Soozie has the tape. But—”
“Never mind. I’ll take your word for it. I won’t need to see the tape now. Make sure you don’t lose it, Soozie. Just in case. You can go now. Thanks for the help.” Caruso dismissed them summarily.
The same two officers who had brought Michael and Soozie to Metro headquarters drove them back to Soozie’s car. Michael had to talk to Soozie about the lie she told to Mark, and the sooner the better. But he couldn’t confront her in front of the policemen. After the officers dropped them off and drove away, Michael got into Soozie’s Cadillac. He would make it short and to the point.
“Where to, sweetheart?” she asked sweetly. “You must be starved. I know I am. How about taking me out to dinner?”
The last thing Michael wanted was to have dinner with Soozie. No, that wasn’t right. The last thing he wanted was for Myra to find out about Soozie. It was bad enough that Kimberly, and now Mark, knew about her. He had to get Soozie out of his life, once and for all. She was like an accident waiting to happen. Michael worried about what Soozie might do if he didn’t handle her with kid gloves. Perhaps taking her to dinner wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
“Fine. You’re driving, Soozie, so you pick the restaurant.”
Twenty
WHEN SOOZIE POINTED HER CAR into the Seafarer’s parking lot, Michael regretted telling her to choose the restaurant. The Seafarer was one of his and Myra’s favorite dining spots, the place they always went on their birthdays and special occasions and where they wined and dined their out-of-town company. Michael knew the owner, Tom, on a first-name basis, as well as many of the waiters and cocktail waitresses and even some of the busboys. No one would ever mention anything about Michael being there with a woman other than his wife, of course, but he was embarrassed nonetheless. It was a different situation entirely when he took Kimberly with him to critique a restaurant. He never felt uncomfortable when he was with her. But then, that was for work, and Myra always knew where he was and who he was with. And she had always trusted them in the past.
Michael’s ankle was feeling somewhat better, so he left the crutches in Soozie’s car. To his immense relief, Tom had taken the night off. Michael requested a table on the mezzanine, telling the maitre d’ he needed a quiet setting where he and his guest could hold a business conversation, with the emphasis on the word business.
Soozie held onto Michael’s arm and helped him climb the stairs. An elderly couple caught his eye and waved in his direction. Michael didn’t know the people’s names, but he remembered they always sat just behind him in Temple during High Holiday services. He waved back weakly an
d hoped they wouldn’t say anything to Myra.
Soozie ordered scallops in a Dijon mustard cream sauce and Michael selected the charbroiled Norwegian salmon with cucumber-dill sauce. After taking their order to the kitchen, the waiter brought a do-it-yourself salad bar to the table. A large wooden bowl filled with crisp mixed greens sat atop a Lazy Susan, surrounded by small containers built into the Lazy Susan containing sliced fresh mushrooms, garbanzo and kidney beans, raw broccoli and cauliflower florets, diced purple bermuda onions, alfalfa sprouts, croutons, and various salad dressings. Michael waited to confront Soozie until the waiter moved on to another table.
“Why did you lie to Mark about being with me this afternoon?” His voice brimmed with disapproval.
Soozie was astounded by Michael’s question and disturbed by his tone of voice. “Mark thinks you tried to kill Dr. Lamb. He was trying to trap you, sweetheart. Couldn’t you tell?”
“No, I couldn’t,” Michael told her bluntly. “Mark’s a friend of mine. He wouldn’t do anything underhanded like that.”
Soozie swallowed a bite of salad before speaking. “Yes, he would. He may be your friend, but he’s also a cop. Mark was very suspicious of you. He was acting just like Columbo does on TV—you know, the ‘one more question’ routine—trying to get you to slip up and contradict yourself or say something that would give him probable cause to arrest you.”
Michael shook his head disgustedly. “Soozie, you have a vivid imagination. I don’t have anything to hide. I never even met Lamb, and I certainly didn’t try to kill him.”
“Of course you didn’t, sweetheart. I know that. Just don’t let Mark’s buddy-buddy routine pull the wool over your eyes. All the time he was questioning you there were other cops sitting in the dark in the next room watching us through the mirror. Every once in a while I caught a glimpse of them—whenever someone opened a door or lit a cigarette.”
Michael was flabbergasted. “I knew the mirror was made of one-way glass, but I didn’t see—”
“Oh, yeah,” Soozie confirmed, taking a sip of wine. “They were there all right. Did you notice how hard Mark worked to convince you Hogg was his prime suspect? I didn’t buy that bull for a minute. You were his number one suspect, sweetheart. Until I fixed him, that is. You saw how he let you go as soon as I told him we were having sex during the time Lamb was attacked. I gave you a perfect alibi.
“But Mark’s going to check it out. Take my word for it, lover. The first thing tomorrow morning your detective friend will have someone at the house on Habanero street dusting the headboard for fingerprints. He’ll probably check the sheets for pubic hairs and semen spots, too. Expect a call asking for a sample of your blood and a few strands of hair for DNA testing. I’d planned to go back to the house and straighten up; a house always shows better with the beds made. Lucky for you, I haven’t had the time.”
Michael glared at Soozie with reproach. “I have another question for you. What did you put in my drink the other day to make me pass out?”
Soozie looked at him with wide-eyed innocence. Suddenly, her face closed, as if guarding a secret. “Why do you think I put something in your drink, sweetheart? The heat got to you, don’t you remember?”
“For some reason, I’m having a hard time believing that. If you thought I was sick, why did you tie me up and rape me?” A thin chill hung on the edge of his words.
Soozie’s jaw dropped open. She reacted angrily to the challenge in his voice. “Rape you? What are you saying, Michael? I didn’t rape you. We had sex together, but you were damn willing, as I recall. It didn’t take anything to turn you on—you were ready even before I was. Sure, I wanted to make it with you. We’re two adults, and I didn’t see any need to pussyfoot around or play hard-to-get. If you didn’t want to have sex with me, all you had to do was say no.”
Michael shook his head as if to clear away the cobwebs. Soozie’s sincerity appeared to be genuine. If she wasn’t speaking the absolute truth, she was obviously stating what she herself believed the truth to be. Soozie had planted a seed of doubt in his mind and now he was beginning to question his own perception and memory of the incident. He was, after all, pretty much out of it that afternoon. He knew he found her seductively attractive. Even while they were still in the real estate office, he had a hard time keeping his eyes from scanning her body lasciviously. Was there something he had unwittingly said or done to lead her on? Could it be that she had merely acted on his subconscious signals?
As soon as Michael and Soozie finished their salads the busboy cleared the table and the waiter brought their entrees. They ate in silence. Soozie was obviously upset with Michael. It wasn’t only because Michael had failed to appreciate her efforts to get him off the hot seat with Mark. And it wasn’t because he had accused her of raping him. Something else was gnawing in the pit of her soul.
When she finished her meal, Soozie put her fork down and captured Michael’s eyes with hers. “Now, I have a question for you. Where were you showering this afternoon?”
Michael fidgeted in his seat. He didn’t want Soozie to know about Kimberly. “I, uh, I was at a friend’s house,” he stammered.
Soozie shook her head and laughed hollowly. “Your wife was right. You are a horny devil, aren’t you? You’re just like me, sweetheart. You and I aren’t capable of maintaining monogamous relationships.” Suddenly, her mood changed. “If I thought I really had a chance with someone like you, I’d try my damndest to be faithful,” she added wistfully. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Do you like me, Michael? I don’t mean just for sex. I mean, as a person who could be your friend.”
Michael didn’t know what to make of Soozie. One minute, she was the consummate all-business real estate professional. On the turn of a card, she transformed into a brassy, amoral, tough-as-nails sexual predator. Now, yet another facet of her personality had emerged, and Michael realized that, deep inside, Soozie was a terribly lonely, sensitive, tormented woman; yearning, even desperate for a meaningful relationship. It was the third element that troubled him the most, for compassion to the sensibilities of women was both his major strength and major weakness.
“Hel-lo! Are you still there, Michael?”
“I’m sorry, Soozie. Did you say something? My mind must have drifted off for a few seconds.”
She hurriedly wiped the tear from her cheek, before he could notice. “No, sweetheart, I was just rambling. I wasn’t saying anything important.” Soozie pushed her plate away. “I’m finished with dinner, and I see you are, too. Are you ready to go?” she asked impatiently.
“Yes, unless you’d like coffee or dessert.”
“No, thanks. I don’t need the calories and I don’t need the caffeine. I’m going to have enough trouble getting to sleep tonight, as it is. Do you want to come over to my apartment and stay awake with me, Michael? I’ll do anything you want. Anything.” She hoped he would say yes, but she knew what his answer would be even before she posed the question.
Michael took a long time to compose his thoughts. It was obvious he had already crushed Soozie’s feelings and he had no desire to offend her further. “Soozie, that’s a very tempting offer. But I’m not the man for you. You deserve someone who can love you with all his heart and soul, and that’s not me. You know that.”
Soozie bowed her head. She wanted him on any terms, but refused to lower herself by begging. “Yes, I guess I do.” But I can change him, she thought. I could satisfy Michael so thoroughly he wouldn’t need any other woman.
Michael knew he could not go home to Myra and he didn’t want Soozie to know where Kimberly lived. “It would be better if I took a taxi home. If my wife saw me with you again both of us would have to face her wrath, and I’m not up to a knock-down drag-out fight tonight. You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes, I understand,” she said, without conviction. “Don’t forget—you left your crutches in my car. Would you like me to bring them in to you?”
“No, I’ll walk you out to your car and get
them. Thanks for reminding me.”
Michael paid the check and they went outside. Soozie held his arm to help steady him and he leaned on her for support; his ankle was bothering him again. After Soozie handed Michael the crutches, he gimped to the driver’s side of her car and waited until she opened the door. Before she sat down, she took him in her arms and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was sensual but not erotic. It could have been a kiss of apology. For the first time, Michael responded to her overture willingly. His kiss might have been one of forgiveness.
Soozie waited until Michael went back inside the restaurant to call for a cab, then drove off. Her mind, usually so sharp and clear, was in turmoil. She’d never had difficulty setting goals and meeting them. But what had she really accomplished? Certainly, nothing she was proud of. She’d made a lot of mistakes in her lifetime. She’d done many things that were immoral and some that were illegal. And now, she’d set a course from which she could not turn back, even if she wanted to. It was too late. She would have to proceed to its fruition. To complicate matters, she thought—no, she knew—she had, for the only time in her life, fallen hopelessly in love.
Blue Goodness (Michael Kaplan Mysteries) Page 17
