Forgotten Place (26 page)

"It sort of makes me wonder if Lowe didn't
pressure him to be less than thorough with Brighton Bennett's
autopsy when what was left of her was fished out of the river a few
months after McNamara died," she said.  "This is beyond
disturbing, Helen.  I think I'm going to be physically
ill."

The door to the autopsy bay swung open.

"You're never gonna believe this," Devlin
was a little breathless.  "I just got off the phone with that
mortuary.  All they did was put the guy in his casket and
order the flowers, book the church, have the grave dug."

"Tell me," I said.

"According to the owner, Dr. Riley Storm
told him that one of his assistants was studying mortuary science
and that they got authorization from McNamara's family for this kid
to embalm the guy here before he was sent to the funeral home."

"Fantastic," I muttered.  "No wonder
nobody questioned what went on here.  Did he say who this
alleged student was?"

Devlin nodded.  "Some guy named Billy
Withers.  Wasn't he the one with you at Helen's place the
other night, Dr. Winslow?"

"Helen, you can't possibly believe Billy had
anything to do with this," Maya protested before I could add my
theory to the conversation.  "He is the best lab assistant
I've ever had, and even if he did study mortuary science twenty
years ago –"

"That part is true?" I interrupted.

"Yes, and with a boss like Riley Storm, can
you really blame him for weighing his options once upon a
time?"

"I can't blame him one damned bit. 
Unfortunately, he gave Riley Storm the perfect patsy should anybody
start asking questions or, heaven forbid, exhume McNamara's
body."

"Still think Storm could be a good guy with
a vulnerability that got exploited?" Maya asked.

"Not on your life.  Devlin, call Crevan
and tell him that we need to know everything possible about the
history of Riley Storm.  I want to know when he was weaned
from the bottle, potty trained, who his third grade teacher
was.  Everything."

"Clearly I missed something crucial while I
was gone."

"Harry McNamara was alive when he rolled
into the morgue," I said.  "I'm sure you're right, Maya."

"So they killed him here?  How?"

"They embalmed the poor man before he was
dead.  Let's go.  We've got things that take precedence
over searching the Ireland house today, Devlin."

"Do you plan on telling me what those things
are?"

"Depends."  My eyes roamed from Devlin
to Maya and back.  "Can I trust both of you to keep this under
wraps?"

"Sure, whatever it is, Helen," Devlin said
quickly.

Maya wasn't quite so eager.  "It
depends on how risky it is, Helen.  I'm not going to be
responsible for you getting hurt again."

"I'll have Devlin with me.  I'm not
going without backup."

"Going where, exactly?"

I paused, chewed the inside of my cheek,
debated whether I could trust my alleged best friend to keep her
mouth shut and let me do my job.  "Orion won't like it. 
That's why I need the oath of secrecy, Maya.  The bottom line
is, either you want justice for the man on your table or you
don't."

"That's hardly fair.  Of course I want
justice.  I don't happen to see how you getting killed in the
process is the right way to see McNamara's murderer punished."

"Excuse me – she said she's got backup,"
Devlin said, more of an irritated, affronted growl.  "Do you
think I'd let someone hurt her?"

"I think you haven't known my dear friend
long enough to realize how slippery she can be when she believes
circumstances warrant such behavior."

"For God's sake, Maya.  I'm not
proposing a trip to Uncle Nooky's Bar and Grill again."

Dawning replaced suspicion in her
eyes.  "You plan on talking to Jerry Lowe."

"I have to do it, Maya.  You know
it.  I know it.  Even Detective Mackenzie here probably
realizes why somebody has to talk to him.  Who do you trust to
do it and get the answers we need?  Orion?  Lowe hates
his guts.  Crevan?  Lowe thinks he's some coddled
pansy.  The only person he fancies his equal is me.  It's
why he wanted me here in the first place."

"Swear to me that you're not gonna pull some
stunt.  You won't give Mackenzie the slip so you can dissect
Lowe's brain by yourself.  You're not going to take whatever
you learn and go off to arrest Riley Storm alone.  You won't
–"

"I'll talk to him and go straight home,
where I will promptly share everything Devlin and I learn with
everybody else involved in this investigation.  I'll eat a big
lunch and take my pain pills and have a nap with a teddy bear if it
makes you feel better.  I need to talk to Jerry Lowe."

"But if Lowe's really in with Datello for
all of this, aren't you worried that this conversation will tip
Datello off to what you're doing?" Maya continued to argue against
what we all knew had to happen.

"There is no evidentiary link between what
happened to Harry McNamara and Danny Datello.  It's not even
linked to David Ireland's murder.  Believe me.  If Jerry
Lowe leaves that conversation believing anything, it'll be that
we're after Riley Storm.  Or better yet, Billy."

"Helen, that would kill him!"

"Lowe?  We could be so lucky," I
muttered.

"Billy!"

"I leave it to your gentle hands to deliver
the news of Storm's ultimate betrayal.  Billy's not a suspect,
but we can't pretend letting Lowe or Storm believe he might be
isn't a gift.  They set this game into motion.  I intend
to use it to my advantage."

Chapter 23

On the drive to Fielding where Lowe was
currently being held, I reflected on a number of seemingly random
events. I had heard the name Dunhaven uttered often enough,
ironically first by Datello when I notified him of Gwen Foster's
murder.  I wondered if his mention of the mental hospital was
ironic or foreshadowing what he feared I would learn if I stayed in
town long enough.

Thoughts of Agent Ritter bounced around my
head.  Could Sully Marcos have been connected to Nick and Kim
Jackson?  Was my attempted murder truly unrelated to Rick and
Sully and Danny?  I glanced at my wrist watch.  Almost
eleven.

"Let me use your cell phone." 

While the phones on the walls and tables in
the house were returned, Johnny hadn't restored custody of my
iPhone to me.  Yet.

I dialed the familiar number and pressed
Devlin's Blackberry to my ear.

"David Levine."

"Hi," I said.  "It's Helen."

"Yes."

"I need a favor, David."

"That's very interesting news, but I'm
afraid this isn't a good time to discuss personal business, Mr.
Carlyle.  Perhaps you could –"

"David what's wrong?"  I sat up
straight in the front seat of Devlin's Crown Vic.  "It's me,
Helen."

"I understand," he said.  "Perhaps you
could meet me for dinner or drinks tomorrow night and we could
discuss this in person."

"Seriously?  You want me to come to
Washington?"

"That would work best.  Can you free up
the time in your schedule on such short notice?"

Not really.  Not with Orion watching me
like a hawk.  Then again... he had been starkly absent for the
past day.  "I'll see what I can do, David.  I'll call if
I can't make it."

"Very good, Mr. Carlyle.  I look
forward to seeing the portfolio recommendations."

He disconnected the call before I could fish
for more information in code.  I stared at the screen. 
"What the hell…?"

"Bad news?"

"Confusing," I said.  "My mentor at the
bureau, we've remained close even though I quit abruptly last
spring."

"And that's who you called?"

"Hmm," I nodded.

"Sounds like he wants to see you in
Washington.  That could pose a problem given Orion's
restrictions."

"Yeah.  He wants me there tomorrow
night, Devlin.  I could swing it, but not without a lot of
help."

"And I suppose you see me as the
coconspirator in this scheme."

"He called me Mr. Carlyle.  Do you know
what that means?"

"Either he had a very bad connection, or he
didn't want the people around him to know he was talking to
you."

"Bingo."

"On which?"

"Smart ass," I grinned only briefly. 
"There are things happening in the FBI, things that relate to my
ex-husband's death, the man he laundered money for, it's
complicated.  If David wants to see me in person, it must be
serious enough that he's not comfortable discussing it over the
telephone."

"He could come here."

"No," I said.  "If he can't talk to me
on the phone openly, he can't suddenly pack up and come out for a
visit.  I've got to get to him."

"What about this case?"

"There was a reason I called to ask for a
favor," I said.  "Nobody has absolutely linked Mitch Southerby
to the Marcos crime family.  I'm pretty sure I saw his name in
connection to Marcos, but it's been a long time since I had free
access to that information, Devlin."

"Right.  He was the guy your ex
laundered money for, right?"

"Yes, so as a matter of course, I was kept
far away from the investigation for more than two years. 
That's what I need from David, evidence that Southerby was one of
Marcos' men."

"There's got to be a better way of going
about this, Helen.  If you sneak off tomorrow and fly to D.C.,
Orion will have a fit, and you know it."

"Not if I don't go alone."

"You're going to ask him to go with
you?"

I summoned every ounce of sincerity I
possessed and gazed at detective Mackenzie.  "Johnny and I had
a relationship that ended badly a couple of months ago, Dev. 
He blames himself for me getting so..."

"Malnourished?"

"Weak.  His reaction was to get bossy,
which was one of the reasons things ended between us.  I've
been on my own for a very long time, and I don't take well to being
told what to do or asking for permission.  I caved in to his
demands this time because it was easier to go along than to fight
him, and I honestly didn't realize how weak I had become."

"All right."

"If Johnny decides to show up and take
control of my household again tonight, and I ask him to come with
me to Washington, I'm afraid it sends a message that isn't exactly
accurate."

"Like you're willing to reconcile with
him?"

"I won't lie." A lie in itself.  "Part
of me will always care for Johnny very much.  There's a
chemistry that we share, I think it's obvious to everyone.  It
doesn't make us a perfect match, and I can't lose sight of that,
not now.  Not when he's ready to move forward with someone
else."

"So who would take this quick trip with you,
Helen, if not Orion?"

I stared hard at the hands folded in my
lap.  "You could come with me."

"Ah, I don't know about that.  I'm the
new guy around here, Helen, and on top of that, we're supposed to
be working this case that has a whole lot of people on tenterhooks,
hoping we can finally get some hard evidence against Danny
Datello."

"But it
is
related to our case.  David
will still tell me what I need to know about Mitch Southerby. 
It's just that he has something else he needs to say in the
meantime."

"I don't want to lose my job."

"Devlin, I'll take full responsibility for
this trip.  I'll even lie and say that I told you Shelly
approved it, so nobody will blame you for getting the wool pulled
over your eyes.  Hell, you're the new guy.  How could you
possibly be familiar with my modus operandi?"

"You're not gonna try to give me the slip
while we're gone, are you?"

"Now why would I do that, when I asked you
to come with me in the first place?  I learned my lesson in
October.  I'm not going anywhere without someone to watch my
back."

"Our flirting this morning aside, I get the
feeling that you wouldn't care who that person is, as long as it's
not Johnny Orion."

"I wouldn't go that far," I said.  "But
it is my preference to keep some distance between Johnny and
me.  Apparently he's come to his senses too, which is why he
disappeared yesterday afternoon on his so-called personal
business.  You're not going to upset him by doing this with
me, Dev.  On the contrary, he'll probably give you a
medal."

"I'd feel better about this trip if you
really did talk to Lou about it, Helen."

"I like Finkelstein, don't get me wrong, but
people are a little too eager to do as Orion says around
here.  If he doesn't like it that my friend wants to see me,
and I promise you, he does not like David Levine, he'll put the
kibosh on this trip so fast it'll make your head spin.  The
problem I see with all of this, is our need to have evidence that
links Southerby to Datello.  That link lies in the information
that the bureau has on Sully Marcos."

"Agreed.  All right.  I'll do it,
but you have one shot with me, Helen.  You lie to me once, and
I call Orion.  Clear?"

"As crystal."

Devlin pointed to a four story building
situated on a marshy flat southwest of Darkwater proper.  "Is
that the place?"

"I've never seen Dunhaven
before, though I've heard it mentioned."  The name itself
suggested a dark place of refuge,
dun
referring to a dark brown color,
and
haven
being
the refuge.  Either someone had a sick sense of humor when
they named the hospital, or they had a poor grasp of the etymology
of the English language.

The construction was old, at least seventy
years.  The stone walls were indeed dark brown, no doubt
weathered into their current state by the damp air and propensity
for brown moss when the weather turned cold.  As we grew
closer to the building, I noticed the peeling white paint from the
windowpanes, the lack of modernization that was all too common in
hospitals used to house the mentally ill for treatment.