Drowning in Amber (A Marie Jenner Mystery Book 2) (32 page)

So I went to the park and thought about taking the edge off. Even though I knew it was only my head talking. Didn’t need the drugs anymore. No body, so no physical addiction. But that didn’t stop me from going over there and thinking about it. Long and hard.

Then I gave my head a shake. I wanted to follow Noreen, not this pack of assholes. I’d had enough of this life—and this death. It was time to move on. Moving on meant growing up and doing what I said I would do. So I turned my back on the park and headed over to Honoria’s apartment.

The place was packed with cops. I had a bad minute or two when I thought I heard Luke’s asshole dad, but it was only his voice on a walkie talkie.

I walked through the door and scared the hell out of a police dog who was sniffing around the place. Looked like he’d been looking for drugs before I set his nerves a-jangling. When he leaped for me—crotch-height, what, do they teach those dogs that’s the best place to hit?—I jumped back and squealed like a little girl before I remembered I was fucking dead and he couldn’t do a damned thing to me.

“Jesus, Fargo!” the cop handling the dog gasped as the dog yanked him all over the small apartment. “Sit! Sit!”

There was no sitting on Fargo’s part. Just more leaping around trying to tear me apart, with no luck of course. Finally, the handler lost his temper and pulled the dog up nearly off his feet. Just to get his attention.

“I said stop it right the hell now!” he yelled. The dog finally remembered his training, but by that time, the head cop had had enough.

“Get him out of here,” said the big guy parked over by the kitchen sink.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the handler said, letting the dog’s feet finally touch the floor. “I don’t know what came over him.”

“Just get him out,” the big guy snapped. “We’re not going to find drugs in this place.” He looked around as the handler pulled the whining dog out the door and down the stairs. “We’re not going to find anything in this frigging place.”

“What are we looking for exactly?” Another cop, in plainclothes and harried-looking, looked up from the big pile of old mail on the minute kitchen table.

“Anything that would give us a hint where she might be.” The big guy shrugged. “In other words, your guess is as good as mine.”

“Jesus, I don’t know how she could live like this,” the other cop muttered and turned back to the pile of mail. “What a shit hole.”

I personally thought the cop was being overly critical. All right, the place was pretty small and the furniture was all Sally Ann special, but it was clean, except for the few dirty dishes in the sink. However, the big guy nodded his agreement. Apparently living standards for the police were considerably higher than for people like us.

I glanced over at Honoria’s art table and saw the sketches she’d done. One or two of the church, and that godawful tree. And I felt myself slip . . .

And I was back at the tree.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Honoria sitting on the church steps, drawing on a large sheet of paper lying on the step beside her. Her eyes were closed as her hand holding the charcoal pencil jerked over the page.

I didn’t want to go near her because I hated how I felt when I was in her proximity, but I wanted to see what she was drawing. So I crept up behind her and looked over her shoulder.

She was drawing herself. She looked like she was being tortured. Hung up by her arms, her head bent forward, hair in her face, and I could see her mouth was open and screaming. Didn’t doubt she’d be screaming. Looked like the torture being used was electricity, thanks to car batteries at her feet. Nasty shit, that. I’d scream too.

Something about the place looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

“Where is that?” I whispered, half-afraid she’d answer me.

She stiffened, opened her eyes, and looked around, like she’d suddenly felt me whispering to her. Spooky shit.

Then she said, “I had to come here, Eddie. The pictures, they never lie.”

God, she was talking to me again. I took a couple of big steps away from her and then, when she turned around and stared at the spot where I’d been, I ran.

I told myself it was so I could get back to Marie and tell her what I’d seen, but it wasn’t that. I didn’t want to spend another second around the blonde. She creeped me the hell out.

I’D NEVER BEEN
so glad to see anybody wander into that office as I was when Eddie finally came back. I couldn’t say anything to him, of course, because the place was packed to the rafters with angry book club members. But if I could have, I would have given him a big kiss.

“I am trying to explain a few facts of life to you.” Queen Bea was sitting in my chair behind my desk, directing traffic and generally getting under my skin in a huge way. “And if you’d just get the rest of us our coffees, I’d be happy to show you the small presentation we’ve put together.”

She pointed at my computer. “Can we run the PowerPoint presentation from here? Where do you keep your projector and screen?”

Eddie stared at the throng of women in my office and shook his head.

“I don’t have a projector or a screen,” I said to the book club, even though I desperately wanted to find out what Eddie knew. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d go sit in another chair, Bea.”

“I need the lumbar support,” Bea replied majestically.

“You gotta get them out,” Eddie said. “Now.”

I rolled my eyes, hoping he’d understand that I meant, “I would if I could, but I don’t have a clue how to move them, so I can’t.”

“I know where Honoria is,” he said.

“Where?” I said out loud, before I really thought about what I was doing.

“I’m talking about my back, dear,” Bea replied, looking at me like she thought I was anything but dear. “You do understand, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I muttered, reaching around her for the pad of paper and pen by the phone. I scuttled over to the window, hoping Eddie would follow me.

Of course, every member of the book club shut up and watched me do this. I looked out the window, feeling like an absolute idiot because, of course, Eddie didn’t follow me.

So, I turned around and glared at him, and he finally got the hint.

“She’s at the churchyard,” he said. “Where I was—you know.”

Yes, I knew exactly where he meant. Why was she there? What was going on with that woman? Didn’t she know everyone in the world, it seemed, was looking for her?

“Is there something we can help you with, dear?” Bea called from my chair.

“No.” I walked back into the middle of the room and tried keep the sudden panic out of my voice as I spoke. “I don’t want to see a PowerPoint presentation, and I don’t have all day to discuss your ideas—”

“Investigation, dear,” Bea said haughtily. “We did a thorough investigation.”

“Yes, of course. Sorry.” I ground my teeth, then tried to smile. “I do have somewhere to be. Do you think perhaps we could set up a time for a meeting when James could be here . . .”

“No, dear, sorry,” Bea replied, shaking her head. Then all the rest of them started shaking their heads and clucking until I felt like I was trapped in a chicken coop with a bunch of broody hens, and I fought the sudden scream that pressed against my lips.

“We gotta go,” Eddie said. “Now.”

I sucked in a quick breath to calm myself. “Give me the gist,” I said, grabbing up the pad of paper and pen and making a great show of preparing to write down every damned word they told me. “But I only have a couple of minutes.”

“Fine,” Bea said. “But you won’t get the full effect if we just tell you who it is without telling you how we came to these conclusions. It’s really quite fascinating.”

“I’m sure it is,” I said, pressing the pen point so hard into the pad of paper I was shocked it didn’t break off and spray black ink everywhere. “But I honestly don’t have the time to listen to everything. Please, just tell me your theory.”

“Fine. Even though our journey of discovery is nearly as interesting—no, I would call it captivating—as our conclusions, here it is. We believe—” She stood, ponderously, and held out one hand for effect. I was sure I heard a couple of the book club members suck air through their teeth in anticipation.

I sucked a little air myself, but just to keep my calm.

“Please, just tell me,” I said. Begged, really. “Please.”

“The killer is Raymond Dunning.”

I actually started to write the name, then stopped and stared at the gloating woman. A spatter of applause started somewhere in the back of the room, but I yelled over it.

“Who is Raymond Dunning?”

Bea smiled so patronizingly I felt a sudden urge to slap it off her face. “Didn’t do your homework, now did you?”

“What?” I gasped. Eddie started to say something, but Queen Bea rumbled over his words.

“Raymond Dunning deals drugs—among other things.” Bea’s mouth turned down in a moue of disapproval, and I heard a couple of the other women tsk.

“Thank you for that information,” I said, writing the name beside the address on the pad of paper and putting down the pen hopefully. “I’ll let you know if you were right. And now—”

“Oh no,” Bea said, shaking her head. “You are going to hear all about how we figured this out. Fascinating information, really fascinating.”

“I wish I could, but—”

“But nothing!” Bea said sharply. “You will sit and listen. We’ve put in some long hard hours here, missy. We deserve to be heard.”

“We gotta go,” Eddie said. “Get ’em out.”

“Just give us an hour,” Bea said, leaning forward eagerly. “And if you find us that projector, the PowerPoint presentation takes—”

“No!” I bellowed, and they all, finally, shut up. Shock electrified the air, but I steadfastly ignored it. “Look ladies, I’m sure it’s all fascinating, but I do not have time for this.” I pointed to the door. “You have to leave. Now.”

“But—”

“No.” I spoke as firmly as I could and kept pointing at the door. “It’s time for you to leave.”

“But—”

“No.”

Bea pushed the chair away from the desk and pulled her considerable bulk from it.

“Fine,” she said, dropping an old-fashioned computer disc that evidently held the PowerPoint presentation she so wanted me to see into her purse and snapping it shut. “We’ll leave. But if and when you finally do realize that Raymond is the real culprit, you owe us one hour for the presentation, plus a question and answer period after.”

“And snacks,” another woman said as she stood, clutching her purse to her chest and looking just as peeved as Bea. “Don’t forget the snacks.”

I said nothing, afraid that if I said a word, they’d take it as a sign I was weakening, and settle back in. More than likely so they could negotiate what snacks should be served.

“Do we have a deal?” Bea asked.

I nodded, but kept my finger pointing at the door.

“Fine,” she said again, and walked to it, her entourage following. “Expect to hear from us. Soon.”

Finally, they left.

“Get James on the phone,” Eddie said. “And tell him where we’ll be. We can’t waste any time.”

I picked up the phone and quickly dialed James’s cell number.

“James?” I said, when he answered. “She’s at the Holy Trinity Church. Sitting on the front steps.”

“How do you know that?” he asked, but before I could think of anything, he said, “Forget it. Doesn’t matter. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“I’ll meet you.” I hung up the phone and turned to Eddie. “Sorry. You’ll have to wait a little while longer.”

“No problem,” Eddie said. “Just go get her somewhere safe.”

I stopped, surprised. “Aren’t you coming?”

“I’d rather not,” he said, prissily. “I hate that place—and I don’t much like her.”

“Join the club,” I muttered, and grabbed my purse.

“Do you want me to come?” he asked.

“If you want.” I was surprised. He’d never seemed to care whether I wanted him around or not before.

“Well, maybe I will,” he said. Then suddenly light swirled around him and for a brief second before he disappeared, he looked distraught.

I wondered, briefly, where he’d gone. Suspected his disappearance might have had something to do with him talking about the churchyard. But I didn’t have time to think about him anymore. I had to find Honoria.

I HEARD EDDIE
before I got to the churchyard. It almost sounded like his voice was in my head as much as it was in the air.

“They got her!” he cried, over and over. “They got her!”

“Who got her?” I muttered, hoping against hope he could hear me, too. He didn’t respond, but I could see him at the far end of the block, standing in front of the tree where his life had ended.

I ran to him, hoping to get there before James did. But James slewed up in his car at exactly that moment, so it was the three of us standing in front of the tree. Just the three of us. Honoria was nowhere to be seen.