Dead Red (36 page)

“I’m not paying you to give me—” He stopped himself.
Smart man.
“Jack,” he said. “Take me off speaker.”

Jack did as he was told. “Yes, sir?” He spent the next three minutes listening. When Golden was finished, Jack said, “We’ll see you then, Mr. Golden. Room 117 in the back.” He put the phone on the table. “Get comfortable, Ray. Golden’s on his way north. And he’s not too happy with you.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” I said. “So we’re supposed to wait for him to get here? How long’s that gonna be?”

Jack looked at the digital clock between the beds. I did the same. Almost three thirty in the morning.

“By six thirty,” Jack said. “And don’t feel obligated to stick around, Ray. You and Einstein over there can go home anytime you want.”

I looked over at Edgar, who seemed perfectly happy watching the Yankee rerun. Angela Golden had drifted off in a sitting position; her breathing was getting heavy. I sat in my chair and closed my eyes.

“That’s okay, Jack,” I said. “I’ll wait.”

“Whoop-de-fuckin-do,” Jack said just before he dragged his chair in front of the door and collapsed into it.

Chapter 30

A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER I was shaken out of a half dream by the buzzing of Jack’s phone. All Jack said was, “Yes, sir,” and he sprang from the chair and moved it away from the door. He looked through the peephole and opened the door. In walked Charles Golden, wearing a gray suit and blue tie as if this were just another workday. He wasn’t alone. Behind Golden stood Joseph, the security guy who worked for Tony Blake. He, too, was dressed for business, but he was wearing sunglasses, which he did not remove when he entered the room.

Jack gave Joseph a look as he shook Golden’s hand. Edgar turned off the TV while Golden and Jack both looked over at Angela, who was still sleeping.

“She’s been out for hours,” Jack explained. “Not a peep out of her.”

Golden took in the room. “Yes,” he said, something resembling a smile crossing his face. “She’s always been a good sleeper.” He turned to Blake’s guy. “This is Joseph. Joseph, these are Mr. Knight and Mr. Donne.”

“We’ve met,” I said. “At the benefit the other night.”

Joseph just nodded. Then he turned, looked outside to the parking lot, and shut the door. He stayed in front of it.

“That,” Golden said, pointing at Edgar, “is your friend?”

“Hello,” Edgar said with the body language of someone who was trying to melt into his chair.

“Yes. Edgar was very help—”

Golden shut me up with a raise of his hand. “I don’t care about that, Mr. Donne. If you’re worried about the reward money”—he looked at Jack—“I’ll round it up to sixty thousand, and the three of you can split that. Fair enough?”

“I’m not worried about the reward money,” I said. Jack, on the other hand, looked extremely worried about the reward money. “But, yes, that is fair, Mr. Golden.”

“Good.” He walked over to the bed and looked down at his daughter. This time, I noticed, he had the look of a father relieved his child was safe. He reached over and gently shook her shoulder. “Angela,” he said, just above a whisper. “Angel?”

Angela stirred and let out that low moan kids do when awakened against their will. She rubbed her eyes, and it took her a while to bring them into focus.

“Good morning, Daddy,” she said. Just another day in the life of the Golden Family. “Is mom here?”

“No, Angel. It’s just me.” He sat down next to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” She rubbed her belly. “I’m pregnant.”

Golden didn’t flinch. “Yes, Angel.”

He knew
, I thought. All this time she was missing he knew she was pregnant.
Why the hell didn’t he—

As if reading my mind, he said to the room, “My daughter’s … condition does not get discussed outside of this room. This is a family matter, and it will be handled with the utmost discretion.” He looked at Jack, Edgar, and me. “Is that absolutely clear, gentlemen?”

We all said, “Yes.”

Golden got off the bed. “Okay,” he said. “Here’s how this is going to work: Joseph and I will drive Angela down to the city.”

“You’re not taking her home to Long Island?” I asked.

Golden shot me a look. So did Jack. I was to remain quiet.

“I have a place where I put clients up on occasion. Clients who need to be, let’s say, out of the limelight for a few days. I can have a doctor meet us. I believe you’ve been there, Mr. Donne. Rather recently, in fact.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. Jack looked at me as if he believed I did know what Golden was talking about, and he was none too pleased.

“The condo on Kent, Mr. Donne. Where your friend Ricky was interested in purchasing an apartment.”

Maybe this guy did know everything.

“That’s where you’re taking Angela?” Jack asked. “Williamsburg?”

“For a few days, until we can settle this situation.” Golden looked around the room. “Angela, do you have anything you need to bring with you?”

She scooted herself up into a full sitting position. “No. It’s all at the house.”

“The house?” Golden looked to me, and then Jack.

“Robby Torres’s house,” I explained. “Ricky’s brother. That’s where she and the other girl, Marissa, were last night. When he was shot—”

Again, Golden waved his hand. “I know about that.” He turned to Jack. “What was Robby Torres’s role in my daughter’s disappearance, Jack?”

“I’m not sure if he had a role in it, sir, other than Marissa asking him to let them hide—stay there.” Jack was uncomfortable saying those words to the man who’d been paying him good money to know these things. “Ray and I are heading over to the hospital today to see if we could interview Robby,” he said.

We were?

Golden nodded approvingly. “Excellent idea. I want you to interview this other girl, too. Marissa? Find out what she knows, and make sure she understands the consequences of talking to the wrong people.”

“What ’consequences’ are those, Mr. Golden?” I asked. “That sounds like a threat.”

“That came out wrong. I’m tired.” Golden smiled. “I mean the girl needs to understand the value of silence. In fact,” he turned to Joseph, “maybe we can persuade her to ride down to the city with us. She’s from Williamsburg, after all.”

Joseph nodded. Edgar glanced at me for a reading of the situation. I ignored him, careful to maintain my poker face.

“She’s in the hospital, too,” I reminded Golden. “I spoke to her last night by phone, and I wouldn’t describe her as a very cooperative person.”

“When she hears what I have to offer,” Golden said, “I’m sure she’ll be very cooperative. Okay.” He clapped his hands together, more like a kindergarten teacher than a public relations giant. “We need to get Angela’s belongings from Mr. Torres’s house. I don’t—we don’t want anything left there that could connect my daughter to last night’s accident.”

“Shooting,” I corrected him. This guy’s spin could make you dizzy.

“Of course. Joseph, you and I will take Angela to Mr. Torres’s house to retrieve her things. Mr. Knight and Mr. Donne, I’d like you to go over to the hospital and see if Mr. Torres is in any condition to provide us with any worthwhile information. Then we’ll meet you at the hospital to get a report before we head back to the condo in Brooklyn, possibly with Marissa.”

“Yes, sir,” Jack said, as if visiting Robby had been Golden’s idea instead of his. “How do you plan to get into the house?”

Golden exchanged a quick glance with his security guy, Joseph. “We’ll find a way. Assuming the police have concluded their investigation.”

“Yes, sir.” Jack said. “Let’s go, Ray. Edgar.”

Jack opened the door, and Edgar was the first one out. Jack followed and I was behind him. Something was tugging at the back of my brain—my cop brain—telling me something wasn’t quite adding up. I tried to push the tickle forward to my consciousness, but it wouldn’t come, so I decided to scratch this itch later.

Before going out, I turned to Charles Golden. “You’re welcome,” I said.

He gave me a confused look before catching on. “Yes,” he said. “I’m glad you found my daughter before this got out of hand.”

“Me, too.”

I noticed he still never said thank you.

*   *   *

We got to the hospital in less than five minutes. Last night’s desk nurse had been replaced, and the benches in the waiting area of the emergency room held only two people: a young couple holding hands and whispering to each other.

Jack approached the woman behind the desk and asked about Robby’s status. After telling her that he was Robby’s cousin, the nurse clicked a few keys on the computer and moved her lips as she read the info to herself.

“He is awake,” she informed us. “Let me page the doctor and see if he’s allowed to have visitors.” She looked back at the screen. “He’s supposed to be transferred to the patient care unit as soon as a room becomes available.”

“That’s good news,” Jack said.

“Yes.” She picked up her phone and paged the doctor. “You might want to have a seat,” she said, pointing toward the chairs. “I have no idea how long it will take Dr. Price to complete her rounds.”

I could tell that didn’t sit well with Jack, but he smiled, said “Thanks,” and the three of us took seats in the waiting area.

“Should I ask about Marissa?” Jack asked me.

“You gonna tell the nurse she’s your cousin, too?” Jack grimaced. “Let’s just wait on Dr. Price and see what happens. Maybe Golden can spin a little magic and find out what’s up with Marissa.”

“If anyone can, he can,” Jack said. “You notice how he didn’t even flinch when he found out baby girl was preggers? The guy’s chill, man.”

“Information is Golden’s currency, Jack. I got a strong feeling he knew Angela was pregnant all along and has been working on some strategy to protect the family image.”

Jack snorted. “It’s the twenty-first century, Ray. Teenagers get pregnant all the time.” He looked over at the couple sitting a few seats away and whispered, “I bet that’s why Romeo and Juliet are here.”

“
She’s
not the daughter of the King of PR, Jack. What’re people going to think if Charles Golden can’t even keep his own kid’s reputation clean?”

Jack’s face told me he knew I had a good point, but he wasn’t going to admit it out loud.

“Anyway,” he said, “we are officially out of it. We got his daughter back. True, the reward money is five grand less than we expected, thanks to your expansion of the firm,” he said, shooting a look at Edgar, “but I’m back to building inspections and interviewing wits the day after tomorrow.”

“I’m glad it all worked out for you, Jack,” I snorted.

“Come off your high horse, Ray. A week ago you were twenty thousand dollars poorer than you are today. Boo freakin’ hoo.”

“And Ricky was still alive.”

That shut him up. I leaned back and closed my eyes. Allison and I could go anywhere with that kind of cash and spend some much-needed time alone. That thought reminded me I needed to call her. I stood and removed my cell from my pocket. Just then a doctor appeared before us.

Dr. Price looked to be about my age, very blonde, very pretty, and very tired. She held a clipboard against her chest and said, “Mr. Knight?”

Jack jumped up. “That’s me, Doc. How’s my cuz?”

“Stable,” she said, taking in Edgar and me. “Are you aware of the circumstances behind his injury?”

“I know he was shot, if that’s what you mean.”

“Yes.” She looked at the clipboard again and gave it a puzzled look. “I’ve never seen this before, but when your … cousin was brought in last night, his shoulder wound had already been treated.”

Now it was my turn to speak. “Excuse me?”

“The admitting physician reported that when he removed the victim’s shirt, there was already a dressing on the wound. A rather primitive one, but someone did their best to stabilize Mr. Torres before the EMTs arrived at the scene.”

Jack and I exchanged looks. Edgar stood. I’d almost forgotten he was there.

“Does it say there,” Edgar pointed at the doctor’s clipboard, “how the EMTs were notified there was a shooting?”

Dr. Price looked down at her papers again. “Someone called nine-one-one and reported that someone had been shot.”

I saw where Edgar was going with this and jumped in. “Not that there was a gunshot, but that
someone
had been shot?”

“That’s how I read this, yes.”

Now Jack caught on. “The fucking shooter called nine-one-one.” He walked around to let that thought breathe. “The guy shoots Robby—he’s got to know the neighbors heard it—but he gets ahead of it and calls it in himself. He figures he’s got two or three minutes before the cops and EMTs respond, and just enough time to stabilize Robby. Why?”

“He didn’t want him dead,” Edgar said.

I looked at Edgar, impressed. I patted him on his upper arm. “Nicely done, man.” I turned back to the doctor. “Can we see Robby now?”

“One of you can,” she said, and looked at Jack. “Maybe his cousin.” She didn’t believe that for a minute.

“We’re his friends,” I admitted. “We came up last night as soon as we heard. I believe his family was to be notified this morning.”

Dr. Price smiled. Behind those tired eyes was a spark that told me she could be my ER doc anytime.

“That’s very admirable of you,” she said. “But it’s against hospital policy to allow non-family members to visit a patient in the ICU without family consent.”

The three of us considered that. Jack spoke first.

“But he can talk?”

“Oh, yes. He’s already asked for coffee and some breakfast.”

Jack reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell, and handed it to the doctor.

“Is it against hospital policy to allow ICU patients a phone call?” he asked.

Dr. Price smiled again. “None that I’m aware of. He has your number?”

“Go to my contacts and press ‘Ray.’”

“I’ll get it to him right away,” she said, and went off. As she turned the corner, Jack said, “She can make me turn my head and cough anytime.”

“I think you need a different kind of doctor, Jack.”

“Yeah, Ray, ’cause you’re so normal.”