Unwanted Company - Barbara Seranella (21 page)

"Everybody's always in a hurry," Donna
mumbled, and climbed down from the stool. Farmer held out a hand to
help her down and frowned at Ellen. Hurrying Donna always had the
opposite desired effect.

"
Here they are," Donna said finally,
producing a vial of pills from her pocket. "They were here all
along." She laughed again, and Ellen wanted to punch her, but
you never had that luxury with the connection. There was no saying,
"Fuck you," and stomping off. Everybody understood this.

Ellen reached in her pocket for the cash. "Is
this the best you can do?" The question entered Ellen's mind
unbidden. She hadn't meant to even say it out loud. An unexpected
tear trickled down her face. She wiped it away with the back of her
hand.

'"
Three for a quarter," Donna said,
answering the question as if it had been directed to her. "That's
a good deal."
 
Ellen couldn't
speak as she counted out the money. Donna dropped the three little
yellow pills into Ellen's palm. Farmer slipped the cellophane off his
pack of Marlboros and handed it to her. The volume of tears rolling
down her cheeks surprised her.

"
What's the matter with you?" Donna asked.

"It's been a long time," Ellen said.

She rolled the cellophane
around the pills and held the package in her hand for the short trip
back to Farmer's. Farmer and Donna exchanged shrugs, unable to fathom
her strange reaction. For them, it was all business as usual. But she
understood. Her new life had already failed. And coming back to where
you've left is always the end of the road.

* * *

Mace and Munch listened to the tape together. The
first time, Munch said nothing. Then she rewound it and Mace paid
close attention as she explained what she thought they were hearing.

"
What's Ellen's last name?" he asked.

"
You're not going to arrest her, are you?"
Munch asked.

"
Do you want to press charges?"

"
No, of course not. "

"I need her full name for my report," he
said, not telling Munch that he planned to issue an APB. It was as
much for Ellen's safety as anything else, but he didn't want to spook
Munch.

"
lt's Summers," she said. "Ellen
Summers."

He had her wait in his car while he booked the limo
into evidence and explained to the Parker Center criminalists that he
wanted the back of the limo searched for evidence. Mace secured
another visitor's badge for Munch, took her upstairs, and had her
wait at his desk.

"I shouldn't be too long," he said.

His desk was in the corner by the window with a view
that encompassed the Federal Building and the massive office complex
of Immigration Services. Pictures of various crime scenes and mug
shots of career criminals were spread across his desk.

"Don't mind the mess," he said, shuffling
to the bottom of the pile a death-scene shot of an elderly woman who
had been shot in her sleep and bled out on her white pillowcase.

Munch pointed to the photograph now on the top.
"Hey," she said, picking up a picture of someone's living
room. "I've got the same hide-a-bed."

Mace took the picture from her. "What are you
talking about?"

"This sofa," she said, pointing. "I've
got the same one."

Mace studied the photograph and again noticed the
turned-around cushion. Now it took on a whole new meaning. Cassiletti
came through the doorway, relief evident on his face when he saw
Mace. The big man nodded a hello to Munch, then said, "Captain
Earl is waiting for us." Mace showed him the photograph. "This
is a hide-a-bed. Let's call the SID crew and get them back over
there."

"The captain?" Cassiletti asked.

"
What are you? My conscience? Just make the
call. I'll deal with Earl."

"He's waiting? " Cassiletti said.

"All right, forget SID. I'll stop over there
myself." Mace looked down at the seated Munch, and said, "I'll
try to be quick." He turned back to Cassiletti, extending his
hand toward the doorway as if he were an usher, and said, "Lead
the way."

They walked down the hallway to the captain's office.
Earl's secretary, Brenda, stopped typing and pushed the intercom
button. "Sir?" she said. "Detectives St. John and
Cassiletti are here."

"
Finally," came the reply

She let go of the button and smiled only at Mace.
"He'll see you now."

"Thanks, Brenda," he said. "Don't you
ever get any time off?"

Her smile grew bigger. A touch of pink highlighted
her cheeks. "Seems that way I haven't even had lunch, and I
don't know what I'm doing for dinner."

"
He doesn't pay you enough," Mace said,
letting the opening slide. He and Cassiletti entered the spacious
office. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Mace asked.

Earl was seated behind his desk and didn't rise when
the two men entered. He was wearing a polo shirt and chinos, as if
his day off had been interrupted. "It's come to my attention
that you've been requesting information on a Raleigh Ward."

"Yes, sir."

"You're looking in the wrong place,"
Captain Earl said.

"
He is not a viable suspect."

"
I'm not ready to rule him out, sir."

"This isn't open for discussion. I don't want
you going to this man's home, making any more inquiries, or
conducting surveillance of any type."

"
Who is this guy?" Mace asked.

"That's strictly need-to-know," Earl said,
looking out the window at his own view of the federal court building.
"Let's just say he's covered at a high level."

So thats it, Mace thought, the feds are involved. "I
don't care if he works for God himself. If this guy did those girls,
I'm bringing him down."

The captain looked only at Mace. "I'm giving you
a direct order. You are to cease all inquiries regarding this man.
Look elsewhere. Am I making myself clear?" '

Mace knew he'd come as close to the line as Earl
would tolerate. Now he flirted with serious insubordination. But he
was pissed, and he hoped that somewhere in Earl's brass-studded
little heart he was feeling it, too. Almost nothing felt worse than
caving in to the feds. The only feeling that surpassed it was letting
a murderer go..

"
Anything else, sir?" Mace asked through
gritted teeth.

"
I want your case notes."

"
I haven't typed them up yet," Mace said.

"
Give me what you've got, then," Captain
Earl said.

"
It's all in my head, sir," Mace said,
knowing there was no argument for that. He thought of the roll of
film in his pocket, the tape of Munch's, and the limousine parked in
the back lot of the sheriffs crime lab. "But as soon as I get
the chance, I'll type them up for you."

"
How do you plan to proceed with your
investigation?

Captain Earl asked.

"
Just good old honest
police work, Captain." Mace was gratified to see a small wince
cross Earl's countenance.

* * *

Munch spent her time at
Mace's desk idly reading whatever reports were visible. Then she saw
her own handwriting on a Xeroxed sheet of paper under the picture of
the hide-a-bed. This was the report she had written for Mace. Someone
had made notes in the margin with a red ink pen. She casually slid
the paper out to where she could read the addenda. Next to the phone
number Raleigh had called from the limo at the end of the run,
someone had written a name in blue ink: Pamela Martin. Written under
the name was an address in Santa Monica. Now she had a name and
address to go with the phone number.

* * *

Mace drove Munch to Digger's house on the Venice
canals. Since his father's death, Mace had only been back twice. The
place looked different since Caroline had cleared away the thick
bramble of ivy and bougainvillea that previously shadowed the front
windows. This place has known too much darkness, she claimed. Time to
let in some light.

"
Caroline is taking care of the house until we
clear probate," Mace explained to Munch, as they pulled up the
narrow street.

"
How many bedrooms?" she asked.

"Two."

"
What are you going to do after it clears
probate?" Munch asked.

"'We'll put it on the market."

"
You should hold on to it," Munch said.
"You got a nice little fenced-in yard, parking, you're close to
the ocean. Plus the property values have really been going up in this
area."

He smiled at her. "Property values?"

"
Yeah," she said. "There's like this
big boom going on. Even with the high interest rates. You wouldn't
believe what they want for a third of a lot in Ghost Town. We looked
at one place. They were asking one hundred and thirty thousand, and
it wasn't even safe there."

"
Maybe this is a good time to sell," he
said. "Before everyone comes to their senses."

"
And then what?" she asked.

"
What do you mean?"

"Are you going to move back to your train car?"

"
Probably. I've been there for the last couple
of months. It's been all right."

"Doesn't it seem cramped after living in a
house?"

"No," he said, and opened the car door. He
didn't tell her that instead of cramped, the Bella Donna felt
remarkably empty. But none of that made any difference. Letting
Caroline keep the house was the obvious choice. She had a  small
vegetable garden that she'd begun when they moved in with Digger back
in December. She was comfortable there, with a bathtub she could soak
in, a real kitchen, and her own washer and dryer. There was that, but
more importantly, the ghosts of the place didn't haunt her. For him,
painful memories lurked around every corner. First his mother, then
his father, and finally his marriage. '

"
There· they are," Munch said, pointing to
two figures standing by the edge of the canal. She jumped out of the
car, called out to them, then headed their way.

Caroline and Asia turned at the same time. Each held
chunks of white bread in her hand. A horde of ducks, gulls, and small
black birds with yellow eyes surrounded them. Caroline's laugh
carried above the clamor of the flock.

"
Hey, Mom," Asia yelled. "Come on over
here. We're feeding the birds."

"
I can see that," Munch said.

Mace followed her to the water's edge. Caroline
turned to him. "Hi," she said. "Watch where you step."

Seeing Caroline at play with the little girl filled
him with warmth and pain. Was this a glimpse of some sort of
alternate life? Should this child have been their own? Would that
satisfy in Caroline the emotional connection she claimed to need—a
need he failed to meet? Just saying "I love you" was not
enough, she said. Nor were flowers, a monthly paycheck, or a diamond
ring, he also discovered. What the fuck it would take, he hadn't the
energy left to figure out. Hadn't he said he was sorry? "Where's
Derek?" he asked. The question surprised even him. Derek's
location was close to the bottom of his list of priorities. Caroline
seemed unfazed by his inquiry.

"
He needed to go home and take care of his dog,"
Caroline said. "I told him that we'd be fine without him."

"
Good call," Munch said.

Caroline opened her arms to Munch, and said, "How
have you been?"

Munch stepped forward and returned the hug, saying,
"Really great "

Mace felt his face twitch with the push-pull of
longing and sorrow. He folded his lips inside his mouth to stop their
quiver and felt a tug on his hand. He looked down to see Asia holding
out a piece of bread to him. "Watch out for the big white one
over there," she said. "He's a hog."

"
Maybe that's how he got so big," Mace
said. When he looked up, Caroline was smiling at him. "Did you
meet my babies?" he asked Asia.

"Your babies?" she asked, wide-eyed,
drawing out the last word.

"
Sammy and Nicky. "

"
Oh. Oh," Asia said, hopping up and down.
"Mom, they got dogs. Two of them. The black one is Samantha. She
kisses all the time. And if you throw a ball for Nicky, she brings it
back to you." '

"
You'll have to show me that," Munch said.
Asia took her hand. "They're in the house. C'mon."

"
You two go ahead," Mace said. "We'll
be right in."

He waited until Munch and Asia reached the gate and
were out of earshot. "Thanks," he said to Caroline.

"
What's going on?" she asked. "Is
Munch in some kind of trouble again?"

"
I didn't want to take any chances? He filled
her in on his case, how the evidence indicated that Munch had
inadvertently crossed the path of the Band-Aid Killer. When he told
Caroline about the missing registration, she shivered.

"
Then they can't go back home until this is
resolved," she said. "What about Asia's father? Can he help
out?"