The Charity (37 page)

“Yes. Down near the Financial District on Bromfield Street. There’s a camera shop that can do just about anything. Don’t you think I should do that?” He placed the tapes on the table.

“No. Someone might be interested as to what it is if they see you making copies of it. I’ll give you the originals tomorrow when I see you.”

They rode the elevator down to the lobby. It was nearly deserted. A few hotel employees worked behind the front desk. Another couple meandered toward the elevator bank, returning to their room after an evening out.

“I’ll walk you back.” Shea took Jessica’s arm as they left the hotel.

“No. I’ve got to change my clothes before I go back. I shouldn’t be seen with you.” Jessica looked up and down the street. A movement at the other end of the block caught her eye. “Did you see that?”

Shea followed her glance. “No. I don’t see anything. What were you looking at?”

Jessica squinted her eyes to sharpen her vision. “I just thought I saw someone. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Shea took her arm and turned her to face him. He stood quietly for a moment, looking down at her.

“Right. Tomorrow then.”

As soon as he released her arm, Jessica disappeared into the night.

The next morning, Jessica got up and treated herself to breakfast in the cafeteria in the Y’s residence. She had slept in, so the breakfast crowd was gone. The room was painted in a bright yellow with orange shapes hung on the walls in an attempt to make it look cheerful. With the green-topped tables, the place was simply dreadful. Just one or two women sipping coffee from Styrofoam cups sat isolated at small, dingy tables.

Jessica placed her breakfast on a tray and sat along the far wall. An earlier patron had left a newspaper behind, and Jessica spread it out on the table and read while she ate.

“You were certainly a night owl last night.”

Jessica looked up and saw the woman who was working at the front desk the night she checked in. “Excuse me?”

“It’s Greenburg, right? Anyway, you seem to keep late hours. What are you doing here?” The woman’s face was bloated from frequent gorging on fast food. Her skin had a slightly greasy quality to it.

“I don’t know why that should be of any interest to you.” Jessica shifted her body slightly to indicate she did not want to be disturbed. Also, she was uncomfortable. She had avoided being seen by anyone while she was out of her room to avoid just this type of intrusion and resolved to be even more elusive.

“Oh. All the ladies here are of interest to me.” The woman’s face had reddened slightly with the effort to talk. “Especially ones that get so much attention.”

Jessica slowly raised her eyes up to the woman. “Attention? Oh, I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“Nope. Notta chance. First there was a man standing outside for hours yesterday that left only after you did. Didn’t see ‘im again ‘til you got back last night. Then they was both back this morning. Workin’ nights like I do I see it all.”

“
‘Both
?’ You said there was just one man.” Jessica pretended to warm toward this woman while she got the information she wanted from her.

“Yup. After you got back, there was some kid out there, too. With real red hair. Like yours. I guessed he was a brother or somethin’, but these days ya can never tell.” Fat fingers with bitten nails pulled at a gaudy earring then played with her oily black curls which grew from a line of gray roots. She smiled and gave Jessica a conspiratorial wink. “It was funny. They was both playin’ cat and mouse with each other. Both knowin’ the other was there, but tryin’ to hide anyway. Ya got man problems, do ya?”

Jessica sat back. She had been so careful. Her clothes were hidden in a car garage close to the hotel. Stopping many times to look around and to listen, she had been positive no one had followed her. That no one even could. She remembered the red-haired boy she had seen at the hotel. That explains one person, but who was the man?

“Oh yeah, the red-haired kid. He just can’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Being out past his bedtime and all must be why he was playing hide and seek with the other guy. What did the other guy look like?”

The woman moved her huge heft to sit in a flimsy metal framed chair. It squealed its warning. “Average height. Decent build. He moved well, though. I’ll bet he’s good in the sack!” She laughed at her own joke and waited for an acknowledgment of her crude remark, which never came. “So, what should I tell ‘em next time they ask for ya?”

Jessica felt her skin prickle with a chill. “Well, tell them the truth. That I’m busy doing research on my dissertation and that I’m catching up with some old friends. I’ll be here for another week, maybe more.” She flashed a smile at the woman.

“A week? Well, ya’d better get the room booked. We don’t have that marked in for you.” One thick wire leg of the chair began to bend slowly outward, sliding along the linoleum floor.

Jessica watched it with fascination. “Oh. My mistake. I’ll go take care of that right now.” Without another word, she got up from the table and left the room. The chair finally lost its valiant battle of support. The sound of metal clamoring on tile and a thud followed her down the hall. Echoes of a screech and excited voices faded away.

Jessica went back to her room and took an inventory of all that she had there. Her pack, some old clothes and notes were scattered about. She recounted the money she had squirreled away. If anyone had searched her room, they had been very careful. The notes would be meaningless to anyone else, unless, of course, they recognized the names and facts as she had. She taped all of the cash to herself except for a few bills. Those she left partially hidden on the dresser.

After tossing some belongings around, she stood back and looked at the room. It had the appearance as if she would be returning at any moment.

At the front desk, another woman looked up at her. The night clerk was probably still picking herself up off the cafeteria floor. Jessica quickly paid for a week and a half and inquired about room availability and long-term rates after that. She forced herself to be relaxed, imparting the impression that she would be staying for a while.

She walked out the front door and paused. A man about twenty feet away stooped down and tied his shoe. The day was bright and cold. She smiled up at the sun and took an exaggerated inhale. She swung her nearly empty pack over her shoulder and bounced up the street, red hair swinging merrily, seemingly without a care in the world.

Shea looked at his watch again. One-thirty. Damn it.

The waiter came over again and looked at his patron anxiously. “Perhaps the young lady wishes to meet with you some other time?” He rubbed his hands together and adjusted his white shirt with a black, clip-on bow tie.

“What? Oh, right.”
Damn it!
He tossed a few bills on the table and grabbed the file of papers he had carried with him. He took one last look around the restaurant as he stood in the doorway. He was reluctant to leave.

Midday in the North End. Nothing was unusual. Cars were double-parked, forcing traffic to crawl along while weaving through the open path of street. A few stooped Italian men and women went about their daily business, occasionally greeting one another warmly on the cold afternoon. Brightly colored Christmas decorations flashed in some storefronts. The air was filled with the smell of garlic and fresh baked bread. The aromas reminded him to eat. He had lost his appetite when his luncheon companion had neglected to show. He even called his office and checked his voice mail for any kind of message. Nothing.

He decided to walk back to the office and paused at an intersection, waiting for the traffic to clear. The walk signal would be coming, but he never bothered to wait for that. It was more than the usual state of gridlock that Boston enjoyed. A few taxis seemed to enjoy playing ‘Chicken’ with one another to see who would give up an inch first. He watched the test of nerves with passing interest. He just wanted to get going.

“Share a cab?” The figure herded him forward to an empty cab.

Shea resisted. “No. I’m walking.”

“No, Mister. Share a cab?” The person was wearing a red sweater and dark glasses. A scarf surrounded a head of dark hair.

He began to pull away. Before he could make a quick gesture, his arm was caught in a firm grip.

“
Shea
. Get into the damn cab!”

He took another look at the figure. “Jesus H. Christ. Right.” He got into the cab and asked to be taken to his office.

“Go by way of Canal Street.” Jessica leveled him with a cold stare. Fury made her eyes glow. “You jerk. You had me followed.”

Shea looked at her. He had to be more careful. Underestimating this woman would give him more problems than he cared to deal with. Truth was the best strategy for the moment. “He’s someone I’ve worked with for many years. He’s the best in the business and a trusted friend.”

“Yeah? Well, if he’s so good, then why is it so hard for him to hide from a fifteen year old kid.” Jessica spat out the words in anger.

“Kid?” Shea was having trouble following that fact.

“Yeah. I guess he’s a member of the other team.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“I spotted the tail the resident assistant told me about when I left the Y. Good thing I had planned ahead. I got my wig, sweater, and money from a hiding place in a ladies’ room in the mall. I entered as a naive redhead and left as a hassled brunette. You stupid jerk. Now the whole world knows where I am and why. Nice one.”

“I’m sorry. I thought it was best. I’ll call him off.”

“Good. Now it’s going to be a lot harder to meet. And from now on it’s on my terms. Got it?”

Shea nodded. The cab inched its way through the gridlock.

Jessica handed Shea the tapes. “One original. One copy. I stashed some copies around, too. Now, turn me in.”

Shea looked at her in disbelief. “What?”

“You heard me,” Jessica presented her wrists to emphasize her point. “Turn me in.”

He brought his hands up as if to shield himself from the thought. “No way. You’re nuts.”

Jessica persisted. “I’ve thought about this. Right now, whoever or whatever this group is knows you and I have been in contact and no doubt they know why.” Jessica spoke in a low voice. “It’s a perfect time to kill
both
of us. You haven’t turned me in yet, and no one officially knows I’ve resurfaced. If they kill you and me now, their little secret is safe. Once it goes public that I’m alive, the publicity you’ll get will help you to uncover information and will help you with that run for Governor I read about. Once in jail, I’ll be more of a celebrity than a criminal. The notoriety will keep me alive, too.” The static from the cabby’s radio covered her words.

The attorney general sat back and weighed what she said. He focused on her eyes. Anger had burned itself out and was replaced with determination. “I’ve thought about that. Two things are wrong with your thinking.” He put his index finger in the air. “One. Going public now will not help me get some of the documents I need. We still have to find out
why
all of this happened. Having the media involved will bring out every kook there is with one false lead after another. It also gives the other side a chance to alter evidence. In a media feeding frenzy like the one we’d get, our jobs would get harder. You’ll just end up rotting in jail. Which brings me to the second reason.” He put a second finger in the air for emphasis. “Two. Celebrity or not, they would have you dead inside a week once you got in jail. Suicide. A stabbing. Attempted escape and being shot. No way. You’d be dead.”

Jessica knew he was right. “Okay then. What do we have so far?”

Shea clicked off the elements. “Past relationship with victim good. No monetary benefit for death. Forensics will show angle and depth of slashings to be consistent with the victim being suspended when attacked. An eyewitness. A lighter.” He looked at her. “Problems are, a lot of physical evidence at the scene. The witness disappeared after possibly faking own death. Has motive to lie, and experienced detective at the scene declared you the prime and only suspect. Remember, I saw you myself covered with Gus’ blood the next day. That holds a lot of weight. And, oh yeah, the fact that I never came forward with a record of our conversation after the murder indicating you were a witness rather than a suspect means I’ll burn in disbarred hell.”

Jessica looked at him. “Not if we win.”

The cabby raised his head and asked where one of his passengers wanted to be left off. They were turning the corner onto Canal Street. Jessica indicated a spot another block up.

Shea looked at her for a long moment before he continued talking. “I told you. What we have to do is find out
why
someone else would kill Gus. Tell me about your family.”

Jessica opened the door to the cab. “No time. I put some background down on paper. It’s in one of the tape boxes.” She got out of the cab and stood on the curb. “Take a call from Rita Harrison. It’ll be a while.” She slammed the door and entered a building. The cab pulled away.

Jessica bounded up the steps of the building, ran down a hall and stood next to the back door. From there, she could see the trains chugging into North Station. Glancing quickly around, she took off her scarf and glasses and reversed her coat so that its bright blue lining was showing. She had to find that lighter.