Silent victim s-2

by C. E. Lawrence

"The Delaware?"

  "No," said Lee, "where the Harlem River meets the Hudson."

  "What was she doing there?" said El Naga.

  She was coming to see me, Lee wanted to say, but the time of death hadn't yet been conclusively determined. It was harder to pinpoint with victims who had been in the water for some time, as Ana had.

  "We don't really know yet," said Butts. "I wish we could tell you more, but we're trying to figure it out ourselves."

  "Ana hated the water," El Naga said. "She told me that once," he added apologetically.

  "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind," Lee said gently.

  "Yes, yes, of course-anything."

  "Did she have any enemies that you know of?" Butts asked. "Anybody who expressed a dislike for her, or who had a reason to harm her?"

  "No, I can't think of anyone. She was a little strange, you know, had an odd way about her, but she was a good worker, and got on reasonably well with the rest of the staff."

  "What about customers?" said Lee. "Was there anyone who acted suspicious or inappropriate with her recently?"

  El Naga furrowed his thick black eyebrows and chewed on his lower lip. "Let me think. This is a pretty upscale clientele, you know," he said defensively, as if the restaurant itself were a suspect.

  "Yes, I know," Lee reassured him. "I used to come here when I was a boy."

  El Naga's face brightened momentarily. "Really?"

  "Yes-I grew up not far from here."

  "It's very nice here, isn't it?" El Naga said. "I like the countryside so very much. I still can't get used to snow, though-it is quite different where I come from."

  "Yeah, and where's that?" Butts asked.

  "Egypt-Cairo. Very noisy, very dirty, very polluted, don't you know? I much prefer it here-I have even bought the snow boots for this winter."

  "So was there anyone you can think of who came here who might have acted strangely toward Ana?" Lee prompted.

  El Naga's face grew serious again. "No… oh, wait, yes-there was someone, about a week ago. I remember Ana telling the maitre d' that if he ever came again, would he please give him to another waitress."

  "Did you get a look at the guy?" Butts said eagerly.

  "Sadly, no. It was a very busy Sunday brunch, you see, and I was helping out in the kitchen. One of the cooks was away and we were short-staffed. I'm so very sorry I can't be more helpful," he added, looking dejected.

  "No, thank you for what you've told us-it could be very helpful," Lee said. The man was so earnest and eager to please that Lee wanted to reassure him.

  "Oh, one more thing," Butts said. "Do you happen to have the phone number of her boyfriend-what's his name again?" Lee had told him the boyfriend's name was Raymond, but Butts sometimes liked to get information out of people that he already had, just to see how they reacted to the question.

  "Uh, it's Raymond, isn't it? Raymond Santiago. Yes, I think I do-I believe that's the number she gave me as an emergency contact."

  "So you never met him?" said Lee.

  "No. I believe he picked her up from work once or twice, but I don't know if he ever came inside the restaurant. He's the day manager at the Black Bass over in Lumberville-he might be working the lunch shift today."

  El Naga arranged for them to talk to the rest of the staff, most of whom had been working last week's Sunday brunch. Apparently it was one of their busiest meals of the week. The only person who got a look at the customer in question was the maitre d', whose name was Assaf Hussein.

  "I wish I had gotten a better view of his face," he said, "but the man was sitting with his back to me. I can tell you this: he was rather tall, but slight of build, so I was surprised that Ana felt threatened by him at all. He was not an imposing-looking man, from behind, at any rate."

  "What about hair color, race, that kind of thing?" Butts asked eagerly.

  "Well, he was definitely Caucasian," Hussein said. "His hair was quite straight and rather light in color-sort of a light mousy brown, I think. From the back he didn't seem to be at all the kind of man who stood out in a crowd. I meant to get a look at his face as he left, but he slipped out quietly while my back turned, I'm afraid. It was quite a busy day, even for a Sunday."

  "Did she ever mention him again?" Lee asked.

  "No, she didn't. She worked three shifts later that week but never mentioned him again to me. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful," he said. "I really liked Ana. She was troubled, you know, but I had a sense that her life was beginning to turn around, and I was glad for her. Terrible for a thing like this to happen to such a young person."

  "Yeah," said Butts. "It's a bitch, ain't it?"

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Lee and Butts decided to push on to Lumberville and drop in on Raymond Santiago at the Black Bass. They declined Sayeed El Naga's invitation to dine at the Swan as his guests. It seemed inappropriate to take advantage of his hospitality at a time like this, especially after interviewing the staff about their murdered colleague.

  Butts had his regrets, though. As they climbed into the dark green Saturn sedan, he said, "It sure smelled great in there. Sorry we couldn't stay."

  "It just didn't feel right to me," Lee said as he started the engine. "Don't you think it would have been uncomfortable?"

  "Yeah," Butts sighed, buckling his seat belt. "But it sure smelled great."

  Lee circled around the back of town before heading west over the bridge to Pennsylvania. Lambertville looked prosperous but relaxed on this Tuesday in late August. He saw children playing on the wide sidewalks, riding their bikes or Razor scooters, and others splashing in plastic pools on grassy side lawns. School would be starting in a week or so.

  Lee remembered the feeling of wanting to fill the final glorious days of summer with as much activity as possible.

  As he turned onto the bridge across the river, Butts said, "I wonder what that was we smelled cooking. God, it smelled great."

  "Look, I'm sorry," Lee said. "But don't you think it would have been weird to stay?"

  "Yeah, I guess you're right," Butts agreed, but he didn't sound convinced.

  "I'll tell you what," Lee suggested. "If we can, we'll eat at the Black Bass, okay?"

  Lee turned north on the River Road, which would take them to Lumberville, to the Black Bass Hotel.

  Lumberville was a hamlet tucked along a narrow strip of land on a section of the Delaware where the river lay far below sheer rocky cliffs on one side, while on the other side the wooded hills rose abruptly and steeply from the town. Settlers in the eighteenth century had managed to carve out a bit of town, which consisted of little more than a general store, a few houses, and of course the legendary Black Bass Hotel.

  The Black Bass, built in 1745, had a very different history than its New Jersey cousin, the Swan. It was a renowned Tory stronghold during the Revolution, and the dusty Union Jack over the bar was supposedly from that era-though it was admittedly hard to separate legend from reality in some of the claims that were made about the hotel. There were glass cases displaying scores of objects and artifacts, allegedly from the British Royal Family, all the way from Queen Victoria to the present.

  Lee had worked there one summer as a teenager and remembered the owner well. His name was Mr. Shelton, and he was an odd, elderly gentleman with a halo of white hair, a pink face, and an alarming way of biting off his consonants when he spoke. He was inordinately fond of Boston bull terriers, and when Lee knew him, he kept three of them, the oldest and meanest of which was a female named Samantha-Sam for short-who had a vendetta against children. Lee still remembered the delight the old gentleman took in introducing him to the dogs, and the strange little smile he had when he said, "This is Sam. Sam doesn't like children." Even though he had yet to learn about the concept of projection, Lee had an instinctive understanding that the dog was Mr. Shelton's alter ego.

  The front hall was deserted when they entered it. It smelled musty, of damp, ancient wood and slowly growing fungus. The wide floor
boards creaked under their feet, and as always Lee had the feeling of being transported to the era when the building was constructed, over 250 years ago. He looked around. Not much had changed since his childhood-the entrance to the bar was still on the right, the narrow wooden stairs leading up to the rooms visible from the front entrance. The little sitting room where Mr. Shelton kept his dogs was on the left, covered by a thick brocade curtain with a blue-on-white design of fat naked angels cavorting, harps and roses in their plump little hands.

  They heard a rustling sound from the sitting room and turned just as an exceptionally handsome young man emerged from it. He was of medium height, with thick, curly black hair, an olive complexion, and a face that was almost pretty, with a wide mouth and deep-set almond-shaped eyes. He wore a navy blazer over crisp white shirt and ironed blue jeans. His attitude was friendly but a little suspicious. He regarded them warily, while maintaining a courteous smile.

  "I'm sorry, but we're closed for lunch. Can I help you?" he asked, crossing his arms and tilting his head to one side.

  "Yeah, we're lookin' for Raymond Santiago," Butts said, swinging his large head around to peer through the partially opened curtains.

  The young man smoothly closed the curtains behind him, and his smile relaxed a bit. "I'm Ray Santiago-can I help you?"

  "Mr. Santiago," Lee said, "maybe you'd like to sit down. I'm afraid we have some bad news."

  "I don't need to sit down," he replied. "What is it?"

  "It concerns your girlfriend, Ana Watkins," Butts said, holding up his badge.

  Santiago's face hardened when he saw the shield. "What about her? Is she okay?"

  Butts glanced at Lee, so he took over. Once again, he thought it was best to get it over with quickly. As his mother used to say, tearing off a bandage slowly always hurt more than a single quick, firm pull.

  Lee took a deep breath. "I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but she's dead."

  Santiago's reaction was unexpected. He stood for a moment staring at them, then abruptly burst out laughing. It was the strangest reaction to bad news Lee had ever seen. He and Butts stood watching uncomfortably as Santiago laughed.

  Finally the laughter subsided, and he said, "Okay, you guys, well done-you really had me fooled. Tell Ana that was a good one. I like the whole thing with the badge-for a minute you totally had me."

  "Mr. Santiago, this is not a joke," Butts said, looking irritated.

  Santiago's eyes twinkled. "No, of course it's not. Hey, where did she find you guys? You're good, you really are." He looked from Butts to Lee and back again. Lee saw the instant the realization hit him. His face froze, then went slack. He took a step backward, as if he had been pushed. His breath caught in his throat and he said simply: "No."

  "I'm so sorry-" Lee began, but Santiago grabbed him by the shoulders, looked deeply into his eyes, and said, "No, don't. Just shut up-please?"

  "Mr. Santiago-" Butts said, but Santiago waved him off.

  "No, no, no! Stop it, please, just don't do this."

  He looked as if he was about to crumple to the floor, so Lee grasped him firmly by the elbow and guided him through the foyer and into the empty restaurant. Butts trudged along behind, muttering to himself. Lee knew the detective hated delivering bad news. He didn't care much for it himself. He escorted Santiago to the nearest chair and gently sat him down. Santiago began to rock, hugging himself and whimpering softly.

  "What happened?" he whispered. "How did she-I mean, was it-did she-?"

  "No, she didn't take her own life," Lee said. "We think she was murdered."

  "Oh, Jesus!" Santiago said, and began rocking again. "Who would-she didn't have any enemies, for Christ's sake! Who on earth-do you know who did it?" he asked imploringly.

  "No, I'm afraid we don't," Butts said.

  He looked as if he was about to lay a hand on Santiago's shoulder, then checked the impulse, and stared down miserably at his shoes, waiting for him to snap out of it. Both he and Lee seemed to sense that the moment couldn't be rushed, so Lee took a look around the restaurant while they waited, inhaling the familiar old building smell of moldering ancient secrets.

  Little had changed since he was a boy. The dining area was surprisingly airy after the cramped entrance hall, with wooden tables and chairs scattered sparingly around a single large room. Tables lined the far wall of the restaurant, which was dominated by a row of windows overlooking the river. The oak tables and chairs were of eighteenth-century design, and the dark wood had been chosen to match the wide burnished floorboards, which were original. He remembered as a boy how he imagined centuries of feet treading those boards, the soft click and shuffle of shoe leather back and forth as people came and went. This building had been standing for over thirty years when the revolution began, and had sheltered Tories and patriots within its walls-brigands and bandits, lovers and murderers alike.

  Santiago had stopped rocking and was staring off into space, a dazed expression on his handsome face. He exchanged a look with Butts, who frowned and raised his shaggy eyebrows.

  "Mr. Santiago?" Lee said tentatively. "I'm so sorry for your loss, but we'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

  Santiago looked at up them with childlike vulnerability. His dark eyes were free of tears, but they were wild with grief. He gazed at Lee searchingly, as if he somehow held the power to release Santiago from this pain. Lee knew exactly how he felt and knew there was no release but time itself.

  "Is that okay with you?" Butts said, and Santiago nodded. Lee wondered if they would get much out of him-he was still in a state of shock.

  "How did she die?" he said, his voice trembling.

  "She was drowned."

  Santiago shivered. "She hated the water." "When's the last time you saw her?" Butts asked. "Friday. We had a fight, see, about this fear she had that she was being followed. I told her it was all in her head, and she got angry at me and stormed out." His voice was a shaky monotone, as if the power of his grief was blocking any expression of emotion. "She was always doing things like that-she was a real drama queen, you know. So when she didn't call over the weekend I figured she was just sulking and thought I'd let her chill out for a while. Her moods never lasted more than a couple of days. I called her this morning before I left for work and got her voice mail. I thought maybe she was studying. She is-was-taking a class at Rutgers."

  Lee's calls to her had also bounced to her voice mail repeatedly. No cell phone was on the body when she was found. Lee knew Chuck had sent the CSI team over to her house at the same time he and Butts were heading out-they might even still be there, for all he knew. The cell phone, if found, might contain clues, but then again, it might not.

  "You say she was worried about bein' followed," Butts said. "Who exactly did she think was following her?"

  "Okay," Santiago said, rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers, as if trying to massage away the cobwebs in his brain. He was beginning to look more focused now-his eyes were clearer, and when he spoke his voice was less monotone and distant. "She was seeing this crazy shrink. I thought he was a total quack and told her so-"

  "How did she react to that?" Lee interjected.

  "Man, she did not like that at all," he said with a bitter little laugh. "Told me to go f-uh, screw myself. Said she had finally found someone who was going to help her unlock the secrets of her past, you know, and that I should just back off and let her do her thing. So I was like, all right, if that's what you need to do that's okay, just don't expect me to agree with it. 'Cause I really thought this guy was whacked, you know?"

  "Dr. Perkins?" said Lee.

  "Yeah, that's his name. Why, do you know him?"

  "No," said Lee. "Did you ever meet him?"

  "No, man, but I seen him once getting into his car when I picked her up there one time, and he had a look about him, you know?"

  "What kinda look?" Butts said.

  Santiago shrugged. "Just like, you know, the guy looked evil, man. I mean, he'
s all thin and gaunt with a little goatee and everything. Christ, he looks like the devil. I know you can't judge people from the way they look or anything, but this guy gave me the creeps."

  Butts looked at Lee and then back at Santiago. "So you never spoke to him?"

  "No. I wanted to, but Ana said I couldn't-that it would violate 'doctor-patient confidentiality,' or some bullshit like that, but I thought she was just trying to protect him. He had her under some kind of spell, if you ask me."

  "Like a magic spell, you mean?" Butts said.

  Santiago froze, his eyes wide. "God, you don't think-I mean, I know he's whacked, but do you think he could have-"

  "It's very unlikely," Lee reassured him. "We think Ana was the victim of someone who has killed before."

  "Really? So you might know who killed her?" Santiago searched their faces for a sign of hope.

  "No. We don't have an actual suspect yet," Butts answered.

  Santiago's whole body seemed to deflate. He slumped back down in his chair, and his vacant stare returned. "I don't know, man-maybe I could have done something to prevent this. I just don't believe it. How could this happen to her? What did she ever do to anybody?"

  "You said before she thought she was being followed," Butts reminded him. "Did she say anything more about that, like who it might be?"

  Santiago ran a hand through his curly black hair, which glistened in the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the row of windows. Outside, Lee could see the water of the Delaware sparkling silver in waves of reflected light.

  "She was real secretive about that. She said she'd uncovered some kind of childhood abuse or trauma or something. I got the sense that the doc had spooked her so much that she believed whoever it was had come back to get her."

  "So you didn't really believe her?" Lee asked.

  "Naw, man, I just thought it was that crazy doctor, filling her head with all kinds of nonsense. That's the thing about Ana: she's-she was gullible, you know? She was always looking for answers, and when someone came along who looked like they had them, man, she was right there, first in line to get wisdom. The thing was, she wasn't always good at judging people, so she could get hurt." He shook his head sadly. "I tried to protect her-I always told her to question people's motives more, that kind of thing."