Disturb (12 page)

Bill motioned for Theena to come over.

“We need help! Someone’s after us!”

The driver’s window rolled down.

“Bill May? Theena?”

It was DruTech President Albert Rothchilde.

T
heena glared at Rothchilde. He was in all black, except for a blood red rose pined to his lapel. He had come to the funeral late, and left early. But she had a pretty good idea why he’d stuck around.

Rothchilde returned her obvious anger with a blank stare, then focused on Bill. “Are you both all right?”

“Some people are chasing us. They have guns.”

“Guns?” Rothchilde raised an eyebrow.

Theena kept her voice even. “Open the doors, Albert.”

“Of course.”

Rothchilde hit the unlock button. Bill climbed into the back seat, Theena the front. She watched her boss try to feign concern.

“Shall we head to the police station?”

Bill shook his head. “They won’t help. Just get us out of here.”

Theena noticed the faintest of smiles appear on Rothchilde’s lips. “Are you sure you’re okay? Who were those men? Were they trying to rob you?”

“I think they’re organized crime.” Bill opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out.

He suspects Rothchilde,
Theena thought.
Maybe the guy isn’t as gullible as he looks.

“Just take us home, Albert.”

“Well, I still think we should call the authorities. Do you want to go home, Dr. May?”

Bill said nothing.

Theena could understand his trepidation. They knew where he lived.

“You can stay with me, Bill.”

“Are you sure?”

Theena nodded. Rothchilde gave her a slight jab in the ribs, which she ignored.

“If I can stop at my place and pick up some things.”

“Of course. Just show me the way.”

Bill directed Rothchilde to his condo and told them he’d only be a minute. When he was out of the car, Theena turned to Rothchilde and slapped him.

“You asshole! They were shooting at us!”

Rothchilde’s eyes twinkled.

“They missed. They’re pros, Theena. They were just delivering a message to Bill. You weren’t even supposed to be involved.”

“You’re a bastard.”

He gave her knee a squeeze.

“We both have the same goal here, darling. I see you’re playing your part to the hilt. How was Dr. May? It’s been a while for him, I understand.”

Theena refused to be baited.

“Have you found out who killed my father, yet?”

“Not yet. I’ve got the whole Chicago PD on it.”

“Maybe they aren’t looking in the right place.”

“Meaning?” Rothchilde moved closer. “Oh, I understand. Maybe they should be looking in this car, right?”

Theena looked into his eyes. Beneath the amusement they were blank, dead. She wondered, not for the fist time, what she’d gotten into.

“You killed Mike Bitner, didn’t you?”

“There’s no way to prove that.”

He did, the bastard. And he was reveling in it. Theena felt a tickle of fear spider-walk up her spine.

“How do I know you didn’t kill my father, too?”

“You know I didn’t. It wouldn’t make sense. He was worth too much.”

“What does that matter? Maybe you had your own warped little reason. Once a killer, always a killer.”

Rothchilde pinched her cheeks and squeezed them together, making her lips pout. “And once a whore, always a whore.”

She shook out of his grip. He put his hand on her knee again, rubbing.

“I didn’t kill your father, Theena.”

His caress was cold, oily. She didn’t know if she believed him or not.

“How about Dr. Townsend and Dr. Fletcher?”

“What about them?”

“They weren’t at the funeral.”

Rothchilde frowned. “Yes, I noticed that, too. I’ll have Halloran check on them. I should probably put some men on you as well. If someone’s trying to sabotage me, they may go for you next.”

Theena folded her arms.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Of course you can, dear. If the bad guy comes to your door, you can always fuck your way out of danger.”

She made a fist, intent on putting a permanent dent in his long pointed nose. But Bill was leaving the building. He’d changed into jeans and a new jacket, and was lugging an overnight bag.

Rothchilde blew her a kiss. “It’s that fire in you that makes you so dynamite in the sack.”

Bill climbed into the back of the car, putting his suitcase on the seat next to him. “All set.”

Rothchilde didn’t need directions to Theena’s apartment, but she gave them anyway. Bill may have suspected Rothchilde, but he gave no signs that he suspected her. She wanted to keep it that way.

They drove in silence. Theena harbored so many doubts that sorting them out was difficult. She had originally aligned herself with Rothchilde because they shared a common goal. Whomever sponsored N-Som needed to have deep pockets and major clout. Theena was a large part of the reason that American Products acquired DruTech. She’d slept with him at her father’s request.

But sex and murder were two entirely different things.

Theena knew men, what they wanted, and how to control them. She thought she had Albert wrapped around her finger. Now she wasn’t so sure. And the stakes had gotten higher than simply getting N-Som approved.

Theena thought about Townsend, and O’Neil, and Julia and Red. She’d been working with these people for years. They were her family. Now Townsend and Red were missing, Manny had been attacked twice, and her father was dead.

Could she be next?

Theena furrowed her brow, trying to come up with a solution. Rothchilde owned the police. He had friends in both the state and federal government. He was in bed with organized crime. If Rothchilde wanted them all dead, who could she go to?

Don’t panic, she told herself. Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe it would all work out for the best.

She knew it was a lie, but she clung to it anyway.

It was all she had.

C
arlos was holding a napkin to his swollen lip when the car phone rang. He had a pretty good idea who it was.

“Yeah?”

“You were supposed to scare them, not shoot them.”

Carlos spat some blood out the window. He pretended it was in Rothchilde’s face.

“The prick sucker punched me.”

“I thought Gino told you to follow my orders exactly. Shall I tell your boss you’re having a listening problem?”

What was with this guy? They were doing him a favor. He could show a little respect. These big business types felt like the whole world should bow at their feet.

“No, Mr. Rothchilde.”

“I’m glad we understand each other. I just dropped them off at Theena’s place. The situation has changed. I want them out of the picture.”

“Out of the picture?”

“Theena and Dr. May have worn out their usefulness to this organization.”

Carlos shook his head. At the first little bump in the road, Rothchilde wanted to whack everybody. And saying this on an open line, yet. Gino must have been making a real mint off of this idiot to keep him around.

“That’s not a smart idea, Mr. Rothchilde. Two FDA agents dead, both on the same case, plus her father and her.”

“We had nothing to do with her father.”

“So? Cops will still look.”

“Let me handle the cops. You just clean out your wop ears and do what you’re told.”

“I’m Cuban.”

Rothchilde went off on a yelling jag, and Carlos hung up. He looked at Franco, who was clutching an ice pack between his legs.

“He wants us to take out the Doc and the girl.”

Franco smiled.

“Good. I’ll enjoy snuffing that guy. And the girl will make a yummy dessert.”

Carlos frowned. He didn’t like the way any of this was going. He decided to call Gino.

“Whaddaya want?”

“Gino, it’s Carlos.”

“No shit. You see that big bright display on your phone? It’s called Caller fucking ID.”

No respect. Didn’t anyone see the movie
Scarface
? Now Pacino, he had respect. Maybe it was just this generation. Carlos had worked for Gino’s father, years ago. That man respected everyone who worked for him, and he got that respect back. Carlos would have taken a bullet for him. He wouldn’t take a mosquito bite for Gino.

“He wants us to take the doc and the girl out.”

“Jesus. That guy. Okay, you do it, make sure it don’t get back to me. I don’t want it to look like a hit. Maybe a robbery. Or some crazy killer Charlie Manson thing. Messy. Franco is good at that psycho shit.”

Carlos sighed. It kept getting better and better.

“You got it, boss.”

Gino hung up.

“We gonna do it?” Franco was practically drooling.

“Yeah. We have to make it look messy.”

“I like messy. We need to stop at the store for supplies.”

Carlos kept a box of disposable latex gloves in the trunk. He also had duct tape, carving knives, and some butcher’s aprons, along with his disguise. The tools of the wet trade.

“We’re set.”

“You got rubbers, too?”

“Rubbers?”

“Make it messy, right?”

“Jesus, Franco.”

Maybe it was this generation. Carlos suspected MTV had a lot to do with it.

“Stop at that place on Damon. They sell the extra large kind.”

Carlos pointed the car east.

T
heena’s apartment didn’t match her personality. It was plain, with little frill or flourish. There were no photos of friends or family anywhere, and the bland painting hanging over the sofa looked like it came with the frame, probably purchased because the color scheme matched the sofa and love seat.

Neat, tidy, impersonal.
Sort of like a motel,
Bill thought. The only distinctive object in eyeshot was a potted cactus next to the front door, jutting out of its terra cotta pot like a two foot, green exclamation point.

“Are you hungry?”

“Tired, mostly.”

They’d spent the previous night in Manny’s room, and hadn’t slept much. Bill could say without question it was the best day he’d had in over a year. It was more than just the sex. He felt connected. For a few wonderful hours, Theena had taken away his guilt and loneliness, and given him back a shred of self-worth.

But the woman Bill had been with yesterday was nowhere to be found at the moment. Today’s Theena was withdrawn, distant, defeated.

“The bedroom is the second door, there.”

Bill yawned. He needed a nap, but there was a lot he had to do. The N-Som folder he’d taken from Bitner’s house was in his overnight bag. Among other things, Bill was anxious to see how the experiment with Sam the monkey ended.

But it was more than that. Bill didn’t want to sleep because he was afraid Carlos and Franco might find him. He couldn’t be caught unaware.

“I’m okay, thanks.”

“You look exhausted.”

“I am. But I don’t think sleep is a good idea right now.”

He wanted to share his doubts about Rothchilde with Theena. Bill had a solid feeling that the A.P. President was behind those two thugs, Franco and Carlos. He also believed that Rothchilde had some kind of pull with the Chicago PD, which is why Bill hadn’t gotten any help.

But something held Bill back. Even with all he’d shared with Theena, there was still something he didn’t completely trust about her.