Urge to Kill fq-4

by John Lutz

  “Where you going, Pearl?” Quinn’s tone was softer now.

  “To copy and mail something. I feel I have to do it. No choice. It involves life instead of death.”

  Quinn watched her walk away, wondering what she’d meant. Then he opened the Lincoln’s door and felt heat roll out. He got in and sat with the engine running and the air conditioner blasting, watching Pearl through the windshield until she disappeared among a throng of people who’d just crossed with the traffic light.

  Pearl talk, he figured, and fastened his safety belt.

  70

  Quinn sat with Zoe at a corner table in Hammacher’s, a German restaurant on the East Side. It was a place that afforded privacy, with high-backed wooden booths and lots of cloth and green carpeting to mute sound so voices wouldn’t carry. Deals legal and illegal were made here.

  Quinn had courted some of his upper-echelon snitches in Hammacher’s, but hadn’t visited the restaurant in over a year. Nothing had changed. Still the hushed ambience, still the elderly waiters who kept their distance unless summoned, and still the indefinable mingled scents of spices, boiled sauerkraut, and something else that almost made the eyes water.

  They’d both ordered German draft beers with unpronounceable names and the sauerbraten special and were waiting for their food to arrive, their gigantic frosted mugs of beer in front of them. No one was seated within twenty feet of their booth.

  Zoe had on one of her psychoanalyst outfits. A light gray blazer over a white blouse, a blue skirt of modest length. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, which only tended to make her look younger. There was a frankness and receptiveness about her features. Patients might tell her everything.

  Quinn explained to her about the plan to lure the killer into the open by agreeing to what he, the killer, regarded as a hunt.

  Zoe listened carefully, then took a sip of beer. The foam left a slight mustache, and Quinn resisted the impulse to reach across the table and touch it, touch her lips.

  “So the sport is that the two hunters are evenly matched,” she said. “Sometimes one is stalking the other; sometimes it’s vice versa.”

  “That’s pretty much it,” Quinn said. “Usually the participants are accustomed to hunting in the wild. I suppose the urban setting is supposed to negate any advantage one might have over the other because of familiarity with certain types of terrain.”

  Zoe gave him a slight smile. “At least the prey gets to shoot back. That’s what the anti-hunting movement has always dreamed of.”

  “Are you part of that movement?”

  “I’m not terribly zealous about either side of the argument,” Zoe said. “But two human beings stalking each other, and then one of them dying-that’s something different from hunting.”

  “I’m not so sure it is,” Quinn said.

  “This is a male thing. Is that why it appeals to you?”

  “I don’t know that it appeals to me,” Quinn said.

  Zoe smiled at him. “But it does.”

  Quinn regarded his oversized beer mug. “Yeah, I guess on a certain level it does.”

  Zoe reached across the table and touched his hand. “I do understand, Quinn.”

  “And you approve?”

  “If it’s something you feel you have to do, I’m behind your decision.”

  “A friend of mine described it as…what did she say…‘mano-a-mano bullshit.’”

  Zoe leaned back. “Well, it is in a way. But your friend simply doesn’t have a great enough understanding or appreciation of the compulsion to adhere to the male code. If she knew you at all, she’d know that you have to do this. Not only do you see it as your job, but you see it as your destiny. You are what you are. It’s a challenge between your ego and your id, and you must accept it to retain your manhood.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” Quinn said. He hadn’t really thought it out. He’d simply known within seconds that to accept the killer’s challenge, to play the game by his rules, was the honorable thing to do. “Honor,” he muttered.

  “That’s exactly what it is,” Zoe said. “Your honor. That is not a small thing, Quinn. And I think it’s important that you know I appreciate that and I stand behind you.”

  “The classic male and female roles,” Quinn said.

  “That’s true. They’re roles that are ancient and deeply rooted in human experience. Remember all those medieval tales about dragon slaying and rescuing the princess?”

  “Enough of them,” Quinn said. “So you’re my princess?”

  “Sure am,” Zoe said. “After dinner I’ll show you.”

  For her birthday dinner, Rob took Mitzi to Mephisto’s, a marvelous restaurant in Lower Manhattan. It wasn’t where you’d go to dine economically. Mitzi was impressed by the fact that Rob would spend so much simply because she was turning twenty-five. She sampled her marinated mushroom appetizer and glanced around. Of course she knew no one. This wasn’t the kind of place her friends from the club would frequent.

  Mitzi smiled across the white tablecloth and glittering crystal at Rob. It was obvious that he wanted to make this an occasion. He’d worn a perfectly tailored blue suit, a white shirt, and a silky floral pattern red tie with a gold tie clasp. There was a gold pin in the form of a soaring bird on his suit coat’s left lapel. Mitzi had to admit she’d never expected to dine in this kind of place with a man so perfect for her on her birthday. And he’d brought a gift for her. At least he’d intimated that it was a gift. It was in a blue carry-on bag that sat beneath the table. She’d tried to pry out of him what the bag contained, but he wouldn’t say anything other than that he wanted it to be a surprise. Men liked to play games. They made games out of just about everything they did. Mitzi had an entire routine about it.

  Rob raised his champagne glass to her and fixed her with a smile that dazzled like the crystal. She reached across the table and clinked her glass against his, but not hard. The thing must cost a fortune.

  “To Mitzi at twenty-five,” he said. “May you always remain so young.”

  She grinned and sipped champagne from the delicate stemmed glass. “If only that were possible.”

  “Maybe it is,” he said, “if you believe hard enough.”

  “No,” Mitzi said. “Mother Nature’s a joker, just like me.”

  “Then you and Mother Nature should be friends.”

  “We are,” Mitzi said, “but she’s a bitch sometimes. Like most of my other friends. She seems to get a laugh out of women growing old and men getting tired of them. Look around. You see it happen all the time.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that with me, Mitzi. I promise.”

  She stared hard into his deep dark eyes and rested her hand gently on his. “For some reason,” she said, “I believe you. More importantly, I think you believe you. But don’t you see that’s the joke? You’ll change your mind. Lovers do. They honestly think they won’t, but they do.”

  “Not me,” Rob said. “I’ll love you for the rest of your life.”

  With the polished toe of his wingtip shoe he nudged the blue canvas bag beneath the table.

  Mitzi sipped champagne and continued gazing into his eyes. Despite the mystery there she decided to believe him with every beating cell of her heart, at least for tonight. If he wanted to make tonight her night-their night-it was fine with her.

  How many Robs were there?

  How many nights like this were there?

  Carpe diem. Seize the day. Like in the Robin Williams movie. How would you say seize the night in Latin?

  There had to be a joke in there somewhere. Maybe even in Latin. Latin could be a terrifically funny language.

  71

  When they left the restaurant after dinner, Mitzi knew she was a little drunk. During the coziness of the cab ride to her apartment, she tried to tease Rob, get him to reveal what was in the blue bag.

  Instead of telling her, he teased back, sitting close and keeping the bag well on the other side of him on the back seat. Some of the
teasing became sexual, but Mitzi didn’t mind. The cabbie was from some Middle Eastern country, listening to low-volume but insistent Arabic music. He seemed uninterested in what his passengers were doing and might not understand much English.

  Rob didn’t direct the cabbie to stop in front of her building. Instead, they got out at the corner, leaving a short walk. That was okay. The night was still warm, but pleasant because of a slight breeze. As the cab drove away, Mitzi hoped she’d be able to walk all right after all the mixed drinks and wine she’d consumed.

  She leaned in close to Rob and he put his arm around her, supporting her. Her legs felt all right, but there was an alcohol-induced numbness in her cheeks. And the sidewalk seemed to be moving around a bit on her, like a funhouse floor. She wasn’t sure if she could navigate a straight line without his help. Mitzi walked with her head resting against his shoulder until they had to climb the steps to her building’s entrance.

  No one had passed them on the sidewalk, and they rode the elevator by themselves up to her floor. Just before the door slid open, he leaned over and kissed the side of her neck.

  Mitzi did have trouble finding her apartment key in her purse, and when she did finally close her fingers on the key chain, it slipped from her grasp. Maybe she was drunker than she thought.

  Rob helped her, fishing the key from her purse and placing it in her hand so she had a firm grip on it. He was smiling down at her as she fumbled to insert the key in the lock.

  She did manage to do that without his help. She unlocked the brass knob lock, then the deadbolt above, and pushed the door open.

  To blinding, flashing brilliance winking from cameras.

  Behind the flaring lights she could glimpse figures of at least a dozen people, all facing her. Most of them held cameras high in front of them or in tight to their faces so they could use viewfinders.

  Mitzi was stunned. She felt Rob’s grip tighten on her arm so she wouldn’t fall.

  “Surprise!” everyone shouted in imperfect unison.

  Still stunned, but grinning, Mitzi looked up at Rob. “You! Did you know about this?”

  Rob was smiling, yet he did seem genuinely surprised.

  “I didn’t,” he said. “I swear it!”

  “He’s telling the truth, Mitz.” Jackie’s voice from somewhere over by the sofa. “We didn’t have a chance to tell him. You haven’t been around the club lately, Rob, and Mitzi’s the only one with your phone number, so we had no choice but to surprise you both.”

  “More fun that way, anyway,” Ted Tack’s voice said.

  Rob’s grip tightened again on Mitzi’s arm, but this time in a gentle signal to gain her attention.

  “See, darling,” he said. “I’m honest to a fault.”

  “Get them some champagne,” Jackie said. “It’s time for a toast!”

  “More champagne,” Mitzi said. “Yeah, I could use that.”

  72

  Quinn thought that for Zoe’s safety he shouldn’t spend the night. He didn’t tell her that was why he was leaving, but after they’d made love in her bedroom he showered, dressed, and kissed her good night. She seemed to understand why he was going and kissed him back with a special passion.

  Quinn smiled down at her. “You make me want to stay.”

  “But you can’t,” she said.

  “You’re ahead of me.”

  “There’s no ahead or behind. I understand you, that’s all.”

  “Your job,” he said.

  “No, darling. It’s more than my job.”

  He kissed her again and didn’t look back at her as he left.

  When he got to his apartment building he was surprised that there wasn’t a package waiting for him in his mailbox. He was sure there was room for it, but he found only the usual fliers and bills.

  But when he went upstairs there was the package in front of his apartment door. It was about six inches square, tightly encased in brown wrapping paper fastened with heavy tape. There was no label. Quinn’s name and address were printed in black ink directly on the wrapping. He knew there’d be no fingerprints to be found, and the name and address lettering looked as if it had been done with a ruler and would provide no basis for comparison. The wrapping paper, too, would be a common brand and untraceable.

  Still, when he got inside the apartment he put on latex gloves before carefully opening the package.

  Inside the wrapping paper was a white box of the sort a large piece of jewelry might come in. Inside the box was a small. 25-caliber Springbok revolver. It was loaded. Its barrel was almost short enough to be called snub-nosed, colored a dusky blue steel like the rest of the revolver except for its checked wooden grip. It looked cheap, like the kind of piece that might blow up in your hand, but Quinn knew it was simple and effective. A close-in weapon. It would be easy to conceal and make very little noise, but it would do the job.

  He called Fedderman, who came within fifteen minutes with a guy from the lab named Peterman, who looked about sixteen years old and was all business. Peterman dusted the revolver for prints and found none. The box, paper wrapping, and tape he put in a plastic evidence bag. He and Fedderman took the bag with them when they left. Quinn knew the contents of the evidence bag would provide about as much workable evidence as the revolver. None.

  As they went out the door, Fedderman gave Quinn a sad backward glance that had a disturbing finality about it.

  Fedderman and Peterman had been there less than twenty minutes. Time seemed to be running faster now, at least for Quinn. As if it might be running out.

  He found a clean, soft rag under the sink and wiped print dust off the revolver, then checked it to make sure it was in good working condition. He felt secure in his apartment, but he tucked the gun in his belt anyway, then went into the kitchen and poured himself two fingers of Famous Grouse scotch in a water tumbler.

  He made sure the apartment was securely locked, then sat for a long time at his desk, sipping scotch.

  When he finally went to bed, he placed the gun beneath his pillow. Being an old single-action revolver, it would have to be cocked by drawing back the hammer before it could be fired. There was little chance of that happening accidentally. It was a good under-the-pillow gun.

  The scotch relaxed him enough that he could get to sleep, but a small corner of his mind remained awake.

  Lavern Neeson sat in the chair by the bed for hours, cradling the shotgun almost as if it were a child. She listened to Hobbs snore and to the familiar sounds of the building, the steady hum of the air-conditioning, the faint pop and rattle of pipes, the occasional muffled crack of wood expanding or contracting. In the kitchen, the refrigerator cycled on and off.

  Shortly before dawn, she stood up from the chair and replaced the shotgun in the closet. Before closing the closet door, she stared for a long time at the box of shells on the top shelf. Such potential for destruction in such small items. Such potential for change with the simple squeeze of a trigger. Instantaneous, irreversible change. Like being yanked with a bang from one world and dropped into another.

  The prospect was intimidating, but with every passing day it was less frightening than the world she lived in.

  She stood with her bare feet on the cool wood floor, her face buried in her hands, and began to cry. Her sobs were almost silent, and no one was there to see her shoulders quake.

  It didn’t take long for her to get herself under control. She’d become an expert at modulating and manipulating her emotions. Her expression was calm. Only her reddened eyes and the tear tracks on her cheeks remained of her violent fit of sobbing.

  Peace and rest. She was beginning to associate the shotgun with peace and rest. That was dangerous and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop it.

  Less than a minute later she was back in bed with Hobbs, feeling the heat emanating from his muscular body. He lay on his left side, facing away from her, unmoving and unaware, snoring away.

  Lavern drifted into an uneasy sleep for a short while, and then the ala
rm went off.

  The sun had barely risen when the landline phone on the table next to Quinn’s bed rang.

  He woke slowly, not sure how many rings he’d missed, and tried to get his body to respond to the urgency he felt to answer the phone.

  Finally his partially numb right hand found the receiver and clumsily removed it from its cradle.

  Lying on his back, he pressed the receiver to his ear, said, “Quinn,” in a sleep-thickened voice.

  The voice on the other end of the connection sounded wide awake, crisp, and authoritative.

  It said, “Listen carefully. Don’t talk. These are the rules.”

  73

  The bedroom was bright with fragments of early morning sunlight when the man Mitzi Lewis knew as Rob Curlew observed her as she slept.

  Standing nude, he leaned over her and listened closely to her breathing. She was still sleeping soundly.

  Careful to make no noise, he gathered up his clothes and carried them into the bathroom. He ran no water and made little noise getting dressed.

  He didn’t want to leave Mitzi, didn’t want to lose this one. But her surprise party last night had been a surprise for him, too. Now almost everyone she knew had seen him and would be able to supply police with descriptions, could identify him. Many of them had photographs of him with Mitzi.

  He simply couldn’t take the chance. Sometimes the best of hunters came up empty.

  When he was dressed, he found the blue carry-on that he’d promised Mitzi he’d open this morning, and walked softly back to her bed.

  He stood very still and listened to her breathe, watched her sleep. She looked so innocent, so unknowing.

  She would never know the pivotal moment in her life, the moment that had saved her life. Perhaps the great joke of her life. Being Mitzi, she might very well have looked at it that way.