Poisonous: A Novel (22 page)

David photographed Lorenzo and the cop, a young, uniformed officer. David took a picture of the back of the squad car which included the unit number. Through the zoom lens, he noted Lorenzo typing rapidly into his phone but David couldn’t make out any details. A few minutes later the cop pulled away and Lorenzo got back on his cell phone. Ten minutes passed before Lorenzo abruptly drove out of the grocery store lot. David followed.

Across from the high school, Lorenzo parallel parked next to the city park and turned off his car. David drove around the block, then found a space where he could observe Lorenzo’s vehicle.

It was nearly two thirty. David suspected Lorenzo’s plan and was ready to intervene. When the special ed students came out of the trailers, David almost opened his door, but Lorenzo didn’t make a move. He simply watched.

Tommy walked his bike across the street and through the park. Lorenzo got out of his car and followed, but made no move to approach the young man.

David drove around the block again and saw Tommy sitting on a bench across from the middle school. He had a half smile on his face and looked around as if he had no worries. Several squirrels ran across the path in front of him, and he followed their progress with his whole body, tilting his head up to watch as they disappeared in the leaves. He grinned when the squirrels ran back down and then up a different tree.

Lorenzo was sitting on a bench three over from Tommy. Tommy had no idea he was being followed. David took a couple of photos, then drove around the block again and parked not far from Lorenzo’s car. He had a clear line of sight to Tommy, and a partial line of sight to Lorenzo.

The middle school let out a few minutes later, and Tommy’s attention shifted to the kids who came out of the school. Max had said that Tommy waited for his stepbrother every day.

A few minutes later, Tommy jumped up and waved. It looked odd, a grown man over six feet tall with shaggy blond hair and a bright green backpack on his shoulders waving like a little kid. Now David understood why Max was so protective of Tommy. He needed protection. She had often told David she never wanted children, but when it came to those who couldn’t take care of themselves her protective instincts were well developed.

David looked at Lorenzo. He hadn’t moved, but his attention was diverted to where Tommy was waving.

Austin Lake crossed the street, holding hands with a familiar blond girl.

His daughter, Emma.

David got out of his car as soon as Lorenzo stood up. But Lorenzo was closer and met up with Austin and Emma before David could get there.

“Hey, Austin, do you and your brother have a minute?” Lorenzo said. “I’m working with Max Revere and have some follow-up questions.”

To Austin’s credit, he narrowed his gaze and said, “Really? She didn’t tell me she was working with another reporter.”

David walked up to the group, putting his body between Emma and Lorenzo. “Go.
Now,
” he said to Lorenzo.

Tommy glanced at David, eyes wide, and took a step back.

Emma’s mouth dropped open.

“Excuse me, sir,” Lorenzo said, not intimidated. He should be. He had no idea what David could do to him. “I’m a reporter following up on a story.”

“I’m not asking again,” David said, not taking his eyes off him. David stepped a fraction closer to Emma, in front of her, and was surprised when Austin did the same. The kid had good instincts.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’re scaring these kids,” Lorenzo said. “Leave, and I won’t call the cops.”

“Dad,” Emma said and put her hand on his arm, “let’s go.”

Austin stared at him. “Oh, shit.”

Lorenzo looked confused. “Sir, I’m not here to talk to your daughter. Feel free to take her. I’m working on a story, and—”

It was Austin who spoke up. “Bullshit,” he said to Lorenzo. “You said you worked for Max Revere? That’s a fucking lie. Get out of here, and don’t talk to my brother again.”

“I’m just trying to—”

“You heard the kid,” David said.

“But—” Lorenzo took a step back, looking even more confused. “Look, I don’t want any trouble, I’m just—”

David stepped forward. He didn’t need to do anything else. As he shifted, his gun was visible under his jacket. None of the kids saw it, but Lorenzo did, and the reporter stared, eyes wide, before walking quickly away.

David made sure that Lorenzo got into his car before he turned to face the teenagers. He was about to speak when Tommy said, his voice shaking, “He-he said he worked for Max Revere. W-why did you do that?” He stepped away from David. David felt like crap that he’d scared the kid, but he had to protect him. At times he forgot how intimidating he was. David didn’t know how to be anything else.

Before he could explain, Emma took both of Tommy’s hands and said in a quiet voice, “Tommy, that man doesn’t work for Max. I know Max very well, remember? This is my dad, David Kane. Remember, I told you about him? My dad works for Max.”

“B-b-but why would h-he lie?” Tommy refused to look David in the eye.

“No good reason,” Austin said. “Don’t talk to him. Ever. Promise me.”

Tommy looked at his feet, a deep frown on his face. “Okay, Austin, I promise.”

Austin turned to David. Both worried and defiant, the kid was not at all cowed by David. The brief moment of panic that had crossed his face when he realized David had seen him holding hands with Emma was gone. “Who is he, Mr. Kane?”

“Lance Lorenzo, a local reporter.”

“So he
is
a reporter.”

“But he’s not working with us,” David said. “Max doesn’t trust him.”

“Lorenzo—I think I’ve heard about him.”

Emma said, “He’s that blogger who wrote all that stuff about Ivy last summer.” She turned to David. “Why are you here, Dad?” Emma glanced around. She was nervous, and for a split second David thought she was embarrassed of him, and his heart twisted painfully. Then he remembered what Max had said—that Emma was worried that Brittney would screw with their custody agreement if David saw Emma without prior permission. He hated that his daughter was trying to protect him. He hated his arrangement with Brittney, but there was not one damn thing he could do about it.

“I was following Lorenzo,” David said. “He’s gone—I’ll catch up with him later.” He turned to Tommy. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Tommy.”

Tommy nodded rapidly, but still wouldn’t look at him.

David was getting a headache. “Austin, may I have a word with you alone?”

He phrased it as a question, but there was no question in his tone.

“Dad—” Emma began.

David discreetly winked at her, then steered Austin twenty feet away. Emma still didn’t look happy.

“Sir, I promise I’m not involving Emma in this situation. We’re just friends.”

“I know you’re
just
friends,” David said in a low voice. “Emma will be thirteen on Sunday. There can only be
just friends.
”

“Yes, sir.”

“Max says you’re a smart kid.”

He shrugged, but looked up at David. He had to give the kid points for not averting his eyes. Austin Lake was one tough teen. But David also recognized the anger in his stance and his eyes. It was all too familiar, and this was a potentially volatile situation.

“I’m going to give it to you straight. I don’t know what Lorenzo is up to, but he’s working around Max and causing problems in our investigation. You told your brother to stay away; you do the same.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you see him again, call me or Max, anytime.” David handed Austin his business card. “That’s my cell phone, I always answer it because I don’t give the number out to many people.”

“Um, thanks.” Austin put it in his pocket.

“I’ll give you a heads-up—Max and your mother had an argument this morning about the interview tomorrow. I don’t know how it’s all going to play out, but if Lorenzo thinks he can mess things up for Max, he’ll do it—and approaching your mother might be his next move.”

“Why?” Austin asked. “Max is trying to find out who killed my sister, why does another reporter care?”

“Good question, and I will find out. Not you.”

“Is that it?”

“If my daughter is hurt in any way, you will answer to me. Understood?”

Austin nodded and shifted on his feet, the first outward sign that he was nervous.

David smiled. Not a big smile, but he liked this kid. So he gave him a bone. “By the way, Austin, I appreciate how you stepped up a few minutes ago and were looking out for my daughter.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You have good instincts. Listen to them, and you won’t go wrong.”

“Okay,” Austin said, though it was clear he didn’t know what David meant.

“Take your brother home.”

“Thank you.” He turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at David. “You’re the only one who’s ever called Tommy my brother, not my stepbrother. Thanks for that.”

David watched the three teenagers talk, then Emma ran over to him and gave him a spontaneous hug. “I love you, Dad.” She smiled and waved goodbye as the three of them walked off, Tommy walking his bike alongside.

David’s eyes burned. He wished things were different. He wished he could see his daughter every day. But one reason he didn’t return to Marin County after the army was because living so close to Emma and knowing he couldn’t see her would have tormented him. Unless Brittney was completely on board, David wasn’t confident that the court would change the custody arrangement. He’d never married Brittney, and diligently paying child support apparently didn’t give him any rights. Brittney didn’t even want the money from him, she had wanted nothing to do with him after he called off the engagement, but support was nonnegotiable. He would provide for his daughter. Brittney’s mother helped convince Brittney to accept the money, and they agreed that the money would go directly into a college fund for Emma.

Neither David nor Brittney had gone to college, and sending Emma to a good university was one thing they agreed upon. Perhaps the only thing.

David went back to his car and drove around the block, hoping Lorenzo was still around. He wasn’t. David drove by Austin’s house, then Tommy’s house, but didn’t see Lorenzo’s car. David went back to the newspaper office. He was bound to show up here sooner or later. David sent Max a quick message that he wouldn’t make it to the preserve to meet with her and Graham, but to call him if she needed anything. Then he waited.

Chapter Nineteen

Jogging and biking trails, open spaces for picnics, seasonal creeks, and a five-mile hike marked with posts every half mile, made the thousand-acre preserve a nice place for a day trip. Max pocketed her phone and stood in an uneven wooded area that was too big to be called a hill and too small to be called a mountain.

Vehicles were forbidden in the area, but a fire road bordered the west edge of the preserve, locked on both ends and used only for emergency crews. Each access point opened into a neighborhood.

Her research revealed that the preserve was used sparingly during the week except for morning joggers, most of whom lived along its perimeter. Though the preserve was technically closed an hour after sundown, it was easy enough to access on foot and Max suspected teenagers often came up here to drink or make out. But this afternoon, it was quiet. Too quiet. No sounds of traffic, people, construction … only nature and Max.

She wondered why she didn’t get the warm fuzzies when she was in the middle of such peace. She craved her privacy, loved her penthouse apartment off Greenwich in New York, and she adored her cabin in Lake Tahoe where she could sit on the deck, watch the sun dance upon the water, drink wine, and relax.

But it was
too
quiet here. No water, only trees and trails. The only sounds were those of birds, and even they weren’t all that noisy.

She’d had Richard park at the end of a sparsely populated road where the southern end of the fire road was accessed. She asked him to stay with the car—David had hired him as a driver, not a bodyguard, and she didn’t want him tagging along and distracting her while she was thinking. She’d told Richard to direct Graham and David up the trail when they arrived.

Richard had parked their vehicle on the same stretch of road as Ivy had the night she died. According to the police report, they’d canvassed the neighborhood, but no one had seen Ivy driving into the neighborhood or leaving her car. Her car had been off to the side at the end of the road, ten feet from a sign that said no parking after 10:00
P.M.
The police patrolled the area two or three times a night. Ivy’s car hadn’t been there at 10:15
P.M.
; it had been ticketed at 3:30
A.M.
But that made sense because according to Austin, Ivy left the house just before 10:30
P.M.

A public trail led Max to an open area on the hilltop. Aside from the trails and the one large open space at the top, most of the preserve below was covered with trees and dense foliage. The main fire road branched off into several fire access roads, which doubled as dirt bike paths. Houses had been built into the hills on both sides of the access road. To the west was a golf course and then beyond that, Mill Valley. Max walked to the far western edge of the open space and she could see the green fields at the base of the hill, but couldn’t make out any details.

Ivy had fallen to her death from the northwestern edge of the clearing. The steepest part of the area was a three-story drop before the incline leveled off to a more gradual downslope. A seasonal creek bed was lined with rocks, branches, and debris.

The clearing was approximately four acres, with evidence of a recent party—some effort had been made to clean up, but Max found several empty beer bottles and a pair of women’s underwear near the eastern edge of the space, where it was partly shielded by trees. Max was hardly a prude, and she’d enjoyed sex in a variety of places, but in the middle of a clearing where any hiker, biker, or jogger could chance upon them? She’d pass. She liked sex, not voyeurism.

She looked around and tried to picture Ivy here. She couldn’t. Why had she come? To meet with a boyfriend? But that didn’t explain the tweet, as if Ivy was waiting for someone who hadn’t shown up. The tweet sounded angry, not upset.