Evelyn David - Sullivan Investigations 01 - Murder Off the Books (22 page)

Mac continued to stare at her.

Rachel looked downward and began stroking Whiskey’s head with trembling fingers. She waited for Mac to call her a liar; waited for him to demand to see what she’d removed from the murder scene.

He waited too.

The silence was only broken by the ticking of the clock.

Rachel flinched as the sound of the clock seemed to get louder and louder.

Finally, Mac shrugged. “Well too bad the killer doesn’t believe that.”

“Do you…do you think the killer will come back here? I mean there’s nothing left. The police have strip-searched my house.” Rachel winced at her own words.

“Maybe you’re right. No point in breaking in again.”

Rachel exhaled loudly and slumped back against the cushions.

“Unless
….”

She tensed. “Unless what?”

“Unless you’ve hidden something so well–”

“I haven’t
….”

“Or you don’t know you have it. But if the police have missed it and it’s that important to the killer, then
….”

Rachel paled, heart racing. “Then he’s not going to stop until he finds it.”

The clock chimed the half hour.

Mac rose from the couch. “You should get some rest.”

Rachel looked up, eyes wide, sleep an impossible concept.

“Look, how about if I leave Whiskey here. She’ll be on guard duty while you get some sleep.”

A gentle snore rumbled from the hairy hound.

Mac grinned and was rewarded by a matching grin from Rachel.

“You don’t mind? I’m thinking maybe I should get one of those alarm systems like Althea has, but until–”

“No problem. Whiskey will keep you company. If you need me, you can reach me at my office
….”

“At this hour?”

“Yeah. JJ called. She’s got some stuff I needed to look at. I’ll swing by there on my way home.”

“You like your new secretary?”

“Yeah. She’s really good with computers and she’s slowly getting my business records into shape during lulls in her office remodeling work.” He grinned. “I never know quite what to expect when I walk in the door, but so far so good. Yesterday I managed to convince her that a Taser gun wasn’t one of the top ten things a private detective’s secretary needed to do her job. We’re still arguing over spy cameras and some kind of laser eavesdropping equipment.”

“I’d laugh, but after just having my privacy shredded none of that seems very funny.” Rachel moved Whiskey over a little and stood. “What do you really know about this woman? Where’s she from?”

He considered her question for a second. “I don’t have a clue. I turned around one day and there she was. She’s a mystery.”

Chapter 31

“You don’t have any food in here.” Sam slammed the refrigerator door shut. “I’m starving.”

“Do I look like your mother? If you’re hungry go to the store or a restaurant or better yet–go home.” Carrie was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, applying makeup, and trying to ignore the uninvited guest who was rummaging through her kitchen. “Your mother is going to go ballistic when she finds out you didn’t go back to Philly. I don’t want her mad at me for helping you.”

“Don’t worry. By the time Mom finds out, we’ll have found Uncle Dan and gotten him to some place safe. Maybe Canada.” Sam searched through the cabinets next to the refrigerator.

“I’m not going to
Canada. I don’t have any vacation days.”

“You don’t have to go to
Canada. Ray and I can handle it.” He shook his head in disbelief at the bare shelves. “You don’t even have cereal. Who doesn’t have cereal?”

“Hey, I have some Ramen noodles. And I think there’s a pizza in the freezer.”

He pulled out the frozen pizza and started reading the instructions on the back. “We should leave to pick up Ray soon. I don’t think we have time to cook the pizza. It says eighteen minutes, minimum.”

Carrie stuck her head out of the bathroom door, a towel covering her freshly-washed hair. “If you keep talking to me, it’s going to take me another eighteen minutes–minimum–to get ready. If you don’t want pizza, we can pick something up on the way to Concordia.”

“Okay, but I need to get some cash before we do anything.” He tossed the pizza box back into the freezer and slammed the door. “Why aren’t you ready yet?”

“Someone keeps interrupting me.” She disappeared back into the bathroom, calling out, “You’re messing up my routine. Sit down and relax. Ray said we were absolutely not to show up before 10:30.”

***

“Any chance you could look at Sean’s car next?”

Ray recognized the voice if not the dark shoes, the only part of the man he could see. God, he hoped Sam and Carrie didn’t show up early. He figured Mac would be almost as mad as Mrs. Brenner if he knew Sam had boarded the train to Philly and then immediately hopped off as soon as Mac was out of sight.

Ray rolled out from under the Mustang and looked up at the detective. “What’s wrong with it?”

Mac shrugged. “It’s been coughing a little and there’s some hesitation when I accelerate. It’s getting worse. I was hoping not to have to call Jeff. He’s starting to get an attitude about the condition of his vehicles when I bring them back.”

Ray grinned, his swollen bottom lip a match for the detective’s. “I can take a quick look but I’m swamped today. Have to get this Mustang ready to go in less than an hour.”

Mac reached out a hand and helped Ray to his feet. “How come you don’t have the Mustang up on the rack?”

“Broken.” Ray sighed. He walked out the open garage doors and over to Sean’s car. “My boss put it on my list of things to fix today. You wanna pop the hood?”

Mac opened the driver’s door, leaned in, and found the hood release button. He groaned as he stood upright again. “I think I pulled a muscle yesterday. You feeling okay?”

Ray’s face flushed as he remembered the cop’s blows while he was handcuffed and helpless, but he waved off Mac’s concern. “I’m fine.”

Mac chuckled, moving his hand from the small of his back to his bruised jaw. “It’s a good thing you wore him out some before I had to tangle with him or I’d be in some real pain. It’s been a long time since I took a punch.”

“I appreciate what you did.” Ray’s voice was muffled by the car hood. “Turn it over, will you?”

Sputtering turned into a backfire, before the car shuddered and died.

Ray leaned to the side, looking around the hood at Mac. The teen’s face reflected his amazement that the older man could be such a great detective and know absolutely nothing about cars.

“It wasn’t that bad before. Really.” Mac’s face reddened. “Maybe I should have–”

Ray slammed the hood shut. “I’ll need to blow out the fuel lines. New fuel filter. Maybe a new fuel pump. Check the timing.” Ray looked at his watch. “Do you need a ride back to your office?”

Mac shook his head. “Nah. JJ said she’d pick me up. Should be here any minute.”

Ray smiled as a figure dressed in black leather, riding on a motorcycle, roared into the garage parking lot. “She’s got a nice Harley. Try to remember to lean into the turns.”

“Oh, shit.”

***

“So have you talked to the cops yet?”

“Yeah, but they didn’t buy me food.” Tia’s rail-thin roommate licked her fingers before choosing another donut from the box on the table in front of them. “These are great.”

Sam and Ray watched in fascination as the girl ate her third pastry.

“What did they ask you?” Carrie pushed the box a little closer to the girl.

“Just when was the last time I saw Tia and did she have any enemies.”

“Did she, Vicky?”

“Huh?” Powdered sugar had drifted down the front of the girl’s navy sweater and she was busy brushing it off.

“Did she have any enemies?”

“I don’t know. I mean it’s not like I really knew her or anything. I just met her six weeks ago when school started. Think I’ll get another roommate or they’ll let me have a single?”

“I can tell you two were close. Hope this conversation isn’t too painful,” Sam said, ignoring Carrie’s frown and grabbing one of the few remaining donuts.

Vicky nodded, wiping her mouth. “I was too sad to go to my first class but I’m better now. I think she might have been wearing my new top. It’s missing from my closet. You didn’t happen to notice–I mean since you saw the body–it was blue with a thin green….”

“No.” Carrie’s eyes filled with sudden tears.

“We didn’t notice her outfit,” Ray interrupted, putting his hand over Carrie’s trembling one. “But if she was wearing your sweater, you can kiss it good-bye.”

“Did she ever mention Malwick’s murder?” Sam asked, taking over the interview.

“Huh?”

“The guy that got shot in the clock tower? Remember?”

“Yeah.” Vicky glanced at Ray and picked up the last donut, placing it on a napkin in front of her. “She was bummed out that she had to keep working in that office afterward. And then when the old lady bought it, she said the place gave her the creeps. She’d filled out some paperwork to transfer to another work/study job a long time ago, but nothing ever happened.”

“Did she ever mention Dan Thayer?”

Vicky took a bite of the donut and nodded.

Sam waited, tapping his fingers on the table. When she didn’t elaborate, he pushed. “Well, what did she say about him?”

“That he was kinda hot.”

Sam started coughing and Ray thumped him on the back.

Carrie reached across the table and stilled Vicky’s hand as she lifted the donut to her mouth. “Tia thought Dan Thayer was hot?”

“Well, in a nerdy, old guy kind of way. But it didn’t matter.” She popped the last morsel in her mouth. “He had a girlfriend. Tia once almost caught them hooking up.”

Three sets of eyes riveted on the now-full roommate. Finally Sam squeaked out, “Do you know who she is.”

“Tia didn’t tell me her name. But the rumor is that he and
….” Vicky glanced around the Student Union, her eyes lighting on two women seated in the corner, sipping coffee.

“That’s her,” she pointed. “That’s Dan Thayer’s girlfriend.”

“Lenore Adams,” Carrie said, staring at the familiar face. “She runs the computer center.”

Sam nodded. “She looks like Uncle Dan’s type. Let’s go, maybe she’ll lead us to him.”

***

Balancing two cups of coffee and carrying a newspaper under his arm, Mac shouldered open the office door and immediately spotted JJ sitting on the bare floor reading the back of a can of stain.

“Is it too late to get the carpet back?” He chuckled at the expression on the young woman’s grime-smeared face. “Just kidding. The place is looking good. Are we going to get the furniture back soon?”

“I asked Snake to keep your stuff another couple of days. It’s taking longer to get the floor finished than I expected. Phil can’t sand it until tomorrow. So I can’t put the stain on until the day after that.”

She set down the can and took the cup he was holding out to her. “Wanta help me clean?”

“Can’t.” He grinned. “I’ve got a lunch meeting at the college. But if you need an assistant, I know someone who’d probably enjoy spending the day with you.”

“I thought Ray had a full-time job at a garage.”

“I was thinking of someone a little younger and with more time on his hands. Sean’s got another day of suspension, so he’s stuck at O’Herlihy’s unless he’s gainfully employed elsewhere. And since you’ve got to drop me by there to pick up a car
….”

JJ’s eyes narrowed. “The undertaker’s son? Please. I’m not interested in any high school kid.”

“Hey, Sean’s not a bad kid. You could do a lot worse, besides Jeff’s loaded.” Mac laughed, thinking that Jeff and Kathleen would learn not to meddle in his love life. “Where’s the phone? I’ll give him a call.”

“Back room, but don’t plug it in. We’ve been getting crank calls.”

“Get used to it. My best customers are cranks.”

***

“Are you sure there’s nothing else?”

“Like I told you on the phone. This is it.”

“How about that ice cream truck?”

“Dad rented it out. Sorry.”

Mac didn’t think Sean looked all that sorry as he tried to hand him the keys to the bug truck. The kid was probably angry about Mac messing up the Nissan. “And to think that this very morning, I was putting in a good word for you with JJ.”

“Really?”

Mac and Sean both winced as the teen’s voice cracked, ending the word with a high-pitched squeal.

Before Mac could dash Sean’s hopes with the news that JJ wasn’t too receptive, his cell phone rang.

“Sullivan.”

“Hi, Mac. It’s Bobbie.”

“Are we still on for lunch? I’m running a little late. Car trouble.” Mac glared at the teen.

Sean jingled the keys in front of him and Mac frowned, grabbed them and put them in his jacket pocket.

“They what?” He listened to the undercover detective with growing anger. “When?”

Bobbie told him she’d seen Rachel’s son and two other teens about a half-hour before. She’d been too busy to call him until just now.

“Damn it. I put that boy on a train last night myself. And I just saw….” Mac realized that Ray had been waiting for the other two to arrive.

The undercover cop laughed, suggesting that he might want to invest in some electronic tracking devices.

“Or shock collars,” Mac joked. “I’ll be right there. No, I know you can’t leave Lenore’s office.”

***

“Are you sure it was Ray Kozlowski? Lots of kids his age here on campus. They all dress alike.” Mac felt like he was using that phrase, ‘are you sure’ a lot for one morning. He was having a hard time believing some of the stuff he was encountering was really happening–it wasn’t even noon yet and his day had already gone to hell in a hand-basket.

Bobbie shook her head. “I remembered him from the funeral, the tall kid that Pete was chasing. I saw the girl there too, the one with Mrs. Brenner.”

Mac sighed. “They must have heard the rumors about Lenore and Thayer. Have you been able to confirm the relationship? I’m assuming Greeley’s got all her phones tapped, in addition to planting you outside her door.”

“No phone taps since there’s nothing concrete. But we’re watching her house and Thayer hasn’t shown up–as least as far as we’ve been able to determine.”

“Thayer was last seen dressed as a woman. Have you seen any tall women in Lenore’s vicinity?”

“Nah. Well, her housemate’s tall, but I’ve met her. She came by the office the other day to pick up Lenore. Long blonde hair. Blue eyes. Looks like a model. Believe me, that woman was not Dan Thayer in drag.”

“What’s Lenore’s schedule for today?”

“She cancelled her appointments for this afternoon. Said she wasn’t feeling well, claimed that something she ate in the Student Union wasn’t agreeing with her.” Bobbie shrugged. “I’ve been eating over there and I don’t doubt for a minute that the food could make her sick.”

Mac rubbed his shoulder. “You think the kids followed her home?”

“That would be my guess. Last time I saw her,” Bobbie pointed to the window overlooking the open area between the Student Union, the clock tower, and the computer science building, “the kids were trailing her.”

“Okay. I’ve got Lenore’s address in my notes. I’ll head over there and see if I can round them up before they get themselves arrested.”

Bobbie grinned. “So what are you driving these days?”