(2011) The Gift of Death (26 page)

‘
I sure as hell hope this is going to help,’ she said looking down at her notes. ‘Okay - I discovered that there are only three men in the whole of the US who have changed their names to Robert Gleason since the date of the arrest.’

‘
Only three?’ said Kate. She felt a sense of anticipation rise within her. They were getting close. Soon he would feel what it was like to be hunted, to be prey.

‘
That’s what the records say.’

‘
Where are they?’

‘
There is one – a man born Saul David Coben in 1989 who was adopted as a teenager by a married couple, a Jane and Harvey Gleason, in Pennsylvania.’

‘
Not our guy,’ said Kate. ‘Who else?’

‘
A gay guy who used to be called Robert Olson who lives in Portland.’

‘
What’s his story?’ asked Cassie.

‘
Don’t know much. But it seems that he “married” his boyfriend, a Charlie Gleason last fall. I’m not sure of two guys getting together like that and in fact –‘

‘
Okay,’ said Kate, eager for Gloria to move on. ‘And the last one?’

‘
The last one is interesting because I’ve hardly got anything on him. No credit card details, no car loan, no telephone records, no mortgage, no bank account.
Nada
.’

Kate felt the hairs prick on the back of her neck.

‘
All I know is that his birth name was Gideon Walsh and that he was born in Vegas to a single mother.’

‘
Did you find any reason why he wanted to change his name?’ asked Kate.

‘
No. No reason.’

‘
And where does he live now. Still in Vegas?’

Gloria looked down at the piece of paper in front of her. ‘No. According to the most recent record I could find – his court application for a name change – he now lives here, in LA. Listed as 5520 West 104
^th
street, right next to LAX, I guess.’

Kate tapped the address into the search engine on her computer. At the top of the results list was the name of the Aviation Motel with advertised rates in the region of twenty five bucks a night.

‘
It’s a low rent hotel.’ said Kate. ‘The perfect place for some psycho to hang out who never wants to be found. Ladies, I think we’ve got our guy.’

33

Kate thought up the plan in minutes. Gloria was enlisted to reverse her car up to the side entrance to the house, a spot sheltered by an enormous
siempre verde
tree. Then she was despatched down to the front gate where Naylor sat in his car. Gloria prided herself on the use of her feminine charm – an ex-boyfriend had once called it the lethal combo of her fuck-me eyes and her double-Gs – and she didn’t have any trouble convincing Naylor that she was helping her friends shift some old stuff. She might even have to call upon him to help if she needed to move a couple of heavy boxes of books. ‘No problem, ma’am,’ he replied. ‘Just give me a shout when you’re ready.’

While Naylor was distracted, Kate checked on her mother, who still hadn’t woken up from her after-lunch nap. She blew a kiss in her direction, picked up a couple of cashmere blankets and headed back downstairs to her father’s study. She took down a couple of the larger paintings and carried them to the side door. Then she grabbed her notes and her purse and led Cassie by the hand towards the back seat of the car, where the two women lay down. When Gloria returned from talking to Naylor she simply spread out the blankets over her friends and then lay the paintings on top of them. Then she sashayed back down the drive to Naylor and asked him to help her lift a couple of crates full of books.

‘
It’s one of the problems of being a generously proportioned woman,’ said Gloria, pushing her breasts forward towards him, mischief playing in her eyes. ‘Really has fucked my back something bad.’

Naylor laughed as he walked back with her up the driveway, occasionally stealing a glimpse at Gloria’s ass.

‘
By the way, where are your friends?’ he asked, lifting up the first of the two boxes of books and carrying them into the trunk.

‘
They’re taking a nap right now,’ said Gloria. ‘I guess it’s a hard time for them just at the moment.’

‘
Yeah, sure,’ he said.

‘
Should I just give them a call?’

‘
I wouldn’t. They’re tired as shit. They were both up all night. I came over to try and lighten the mood, so to speak. Kate has been hassling me to help her clear out her spare room for months now. I thought that might help take her mind off her troubles. Clearing out all this junk has sure done her in. Sleeping like a baby now. Best give it a couple of hours.’

‘
Okay,’ said Naylor, putting them second crate into the trunk and slamming the back. ‘You have a good day now.’

Gloria got into the car and steered it out of the driveway, maintaining her composure until she turned the corner and was out of sight.

‘
Fuck, that was close,’ she said.

Nervous laughter erupted from the back seat.

‘
You sound like a couple of hysterical schoolgirls,’ said Gloria.

‘
Well, you’re one damned good liar,’ said Kate, peeling the blanket away from her face and taking hold of one of the paintings that had been placed on top of her.

‘
Gloria Smith, I’m never going to believe anything you tell me ever again,’ said Cassie, trying to sit up. ‘And to think that you’re a Bible-reading woman.’

‘
Well, I’m sure there’s something in the good book that would justify a little white lie like that. Something about committing little sins in the fight against a greater evil. Some shit like that, anyway.’ She switched on the air-con. ‘Jesus, I’m hot. How are you two prison breaks doing back there?’

The two women quickly scrunched up the blankets and stored them by their feet, laying the paintings over their laps.

Kate took a deep breath. She had to remind herself that none of this was a joke. As she stared down at one of her father’s portraits of her as a small girl she felt relieved that he was no longer around. He wouldn’t have been able to bear to see her like this. A broken relationship with a man she had loved. Pregnant with his child. Her life in danger. Hiding in the back of a car in order to escape police protection with the thought of tracking down a deranged – and dangerous – criminal.

But it was the only thing to do, she told herself. She tried to rationalise the situation to herself. She was sure the guy in the motel by LAX was him, she felt it in her gut. Imagine the look on Josh’s face if she turned out to have found the creep. God – why did she always have to seek his approval? Even now, even after everything that had happened she was still trying to win his love. It was pathetic.

But she was not going to put herself in any danger. Well, not much, anyway. There was an element of risk involved in her plan. But she couldn’t bear the thought of this thing – this not knowing, this
torture
– dragging on any longer. She was pregnant for god’s sake. In addition to alcohol, tobacco, drugs, hot dogs, tap water, fish, soft cheese, and raw eggs, the books said she should avoid unnecessary stress. And what was she doing? Driving out to knock on the door of a psychopath and potential serial killer? Great. Just what the doctor ordered.

After their initial high spirits, the three women fell silent. As Gloria drove south on La Cienega Boulevard, Kate noticed the comparative lack of traffic. This was a classic example of why surface roads were always preferable to freeways, she thought. Josh always believed in taking the 110, the 105, the 10, the 405 and the 101 if he wanted to get anywhere in LA. But, in her opinion, freeways sucked. End of story. No argument. The last time they had argued about this – was it really a year ago now? - they had ended up in bed together. God, would she ever be able to get him out of her system?

As Gloria drove south, Kate was reminded of all the times she had taken the road down to LAX. There had been the trips for work, the conferences in New York, Dallas, Miami, London and Manchester. The occasional break with Josh – the few days in Hawaii, a fun weekend in Austin, Texas. And the times she had driven to the airport to collect friends from out of town. When this was over she would call her girlfriend Lisa, who was now living in Britain.

Kate smiled to herself as they passed a Buggy Whip sandwiched next to a sex shop. The name of the diner had always been a standing joke of her dad’s and she pictured him hooting with laughter at the thought of the clients moving from the fast food outlet to the sleazy ‘erotic showcase’ next door. She imagined him putting on one of his myriad funny voices – he used to do a great Groucho Marx – and imitating a customer walking up to the counter of the sex shop: ‘Give me a buggy whip, straight up, and hold the chocolate.’

They turned into Aviation Boulevard and took the exit that led directly into public parking lot B. Gloria found a space and pulled in.

‘
All set?’ Gloria asked.

‘
All set.’

‘
You nervous?’

‘
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.’

‘
You still want to go through with this?’

Kate thought for a moment, before she nodded her head; a gesture which served to convince herself that she was ready more than anybody else.

‘
Sure am. Let’s get this thing over with.’

Cassie reached over the touched her hand.

‘
Kate. I know you think you can handle this, but I’m really scared,’ said Cassie.

‘
I know. But it’s going to be fine. I promise you.’

‘
But what if -?’

‘
I told you before. There are no what ifs here. I’m going to walk to the motel, you follow on at a safe distance in the car. I’m going to check at reception and just make a few inquiries about the wannabe Bobby Gleason. If there’s any trouble you know what to do. You’ve got Josh’s cell. You’ve got the number for his investigation team.’

‘
Why don’t we just call Josh now? Would that be so bad? Or at least 911.’

‘
I told you. I can handle this. And anyway, I feel somehow responsible. I don’t know, like I started it in some way.’

‘
If that’s the case then why not let me come in with you?’

‘
No way, Cassie. It’s just that –‘

‘
You think because I’m blind I stand a greater risk of getting hurt?’

‘
Yes, frankly, I do. Sorry, but –‘

‘
How come every single girl that Gleason attacked died apart from me?’

‘
I don’t know. You were –‘

‘
And don’t tell me I was lucky, Kate. What happened had nothing to do with luck.’

‘
I’m sorry, Cassie. I didn’t mean to denigrate what you did, but –‘

‘
But what?’

‘
There is no way I’m going to allow you to come in with me. Thanks for the offer. And I know you mean well, but I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. You’ve suffered enough as it is.’

‘
And what about you? What about the baby?’

Kate didn’t know what to say.

‘
It’s something I’ve got to do,’ she said, opening the door.

She knew Cassie was pissed with her.

‘
Okay?’

‘
Okay, but take care.’

‘
Just give me a few minutes, that’s all I need. And Gloria? Do not let Cassie out of your sight.’

‘
Don’t worry,’ she said in a mock-serious fashion, ‘we’re in lockdown mode here.’

Kate took a small compact out of her purse and checked herself in the mirror, forcing herself to make a tough, don’t-fuck-with-me face. Was she ready? She had to be. And there was no way she was going to back out of this now.

She checked the address one more time and quickly got out of the car. She took a deep breath and walked through the parking lot towards the exit. She turned around to check that Gloria and Cassie were following her.

At the end of West 104
^th
situated nearest the airport she passed Sea Dwelling Creatures, at 5515, and then at 5420 there was Drexler’s Marine Fish. Weird. What was it about this neighbourhood that seemed to attract so many fish lovers? She made a note to Google it when she got back home.

If
she got back home.