. . . afterward. How does that sound? . . .
Like Dance herself a few minutes ago, Kellogg stretched. His face gave a very faint signal--he was troubled. It would be the shootout, of course. Dance had never even fired her weapon at a suspect, let alone killed anyone. She'd been instrumental in tracking down dangerous perps, some of whom had been killed in the takedown. Others had gone to death row. But that was different from pointing a gun at someone and ending his life.
And here Kellogg had done so twice in a relatively short period of time.
"So what's next for you?" she asked.
"I'm giving a seminar in Washington on religious fundamentalism--it shares a lot with cult mentality. Then some time off. If the real world cooperates, of course." He slouched and closed his eyes.
In his smudged slacks, and with floppy hair and a bit of five-o'clock shadow, he was really an appealing man, Dance reflected.
"Sorry," he said, opening his eyes and laughing. "Bad form to fall asleep in colleagues' offices." The smile was genuine and whatever had been troubling him earlier was now gone. "Oh, one thing. I've got paperwork tonight, but tomorrow, can I hold you to that offer of dinner? It is afterward, remember?"
She hesitated, thinking, You know counterinterrogation strategy: anticipate every question the interrogator's going to ask and be ready with an answer.
But even though she'd just been thinking about this very matter, she was caught off guard.
So what's the answer? she asked herself.
"Tomorrow?" he repeated, sounding shy--curiously, for a man who'd just nailed one of the worst perps in Monterey County history.
You're stalling, she told herself. Her eyes swept the pictures of her children, her dogs, her late husband. She thought of Wes.
She said, "You know, tomorrow'd be great."
Chapter 57
"It's over," she said in a low voice to her mother.
"I heard. Michael briefed us at CBI."
They were at her parents' house in Carmel. The family was back from the castle keep of headquarters.
"Did the gang hear?"
Meaning the children.
"I put some spin on it. Phrased it like, oh, Mom'll be home at a decent hour tonight because, by the way, that stupid case of hers is over with, they got the bad guy, I don't know the details. That sort of thing. Mags didn't pay any attention--she's working up a new song for piano camp. Wes headed right for the TV but I had Stu drag him outside to play Ping-Pong. He seems to've forgotten about the story. But the key word is 'seems.' "
Dance had shared with her parents that, where her children were concerned, she wanted to minimize news about death and violence, particularly as it involved her work. "I'll keep an eye on him. And thanks."
Dance cracked open an Anchor Steam beer and split it in two glasses. Handed one to her mother.
Edie sipped and then, with a frown, asked, "When did you get Pell?"
Dance gave her the approximate time. "Why?"
Glancing at the clock, her mother said, "I was sure I heard somebody in the backyard around four, four-thirty. I didn't think anything of it at first but then I got to wondering if Pell found out where we lived. Wanting to get even or something. I was feeling a little bit spooked. Even with the squad car out front."
Pell wouldn't hesitate to hurt them, of course--he'd planned to do so--but the timing was off. Pell was already at Morton Nagle's house by then, or on the way.
"It probably wasn't him."
"Must've been a cat. Or the Perkins' dog. They have to learn to keep it inside. I'll talk to them."
She knew her mother would do just that.
Dance rounded up the children and herded them into the family Pathfinder, where the dogs awaited. She hugged her father and they made plans for her to pick her parents up for his birthday party at the Marine Club on Sunday evening. Dance was the designated driver, so they could enjoy themselves and drink as much champagne and Pinot Noir as they wanted. She thought about inviting Winston Kellogg but decided to wait on that one. See how tomorrow's "afterward" date went.
Dance thought about dinner and could summon up zero desire to cook. "Can you guys live with pancakes at Bayside?"
"Woo-hoo!" Maggie called. And began debating aloud what kind of syrup she wanted. Wes was happy but more restrained.
When they got to the restaurant and were seated at a booth, she reminded her son it was his job to pick their Sunday afternoon adventure this week before the birthday party. "So, what's our plan? Movie? Hiking?"
"I don't know yet." Wes examined the menu for a long time. Maggie wanted a to-go order for the dogs. Dance explained that the pancakes weren't to celebrate the reunion with the canines; it was simply because she wasn't in the mood to cook.
As the large, steaming plates were arriving, Wes asked, "Oh, you hear about that festival thing? The boats?"
"Boats?"
"Grandpa was telling us about it. It's a boat parade in the bay and a concert. At Cannery Row."
Dance recalled something about a John Steinbeck festival. "Is that on Sunday? Is that what you'd like to do?"
"It's tomorrow night," Wes said. "It'd be fun. Can we go?"
Dance laughed to herself. There was no way he could've known about her dinner date with Kellogg tomorrow. Or could he? She had intuition when it came to the children; why couldn't it work the other way?
Dance dressed the pancakes with syrup and allowed herself a pat of butter. Stalling. "Tomorrow? Let me think."
Her initial reaction, on seeing Wes's unsmiling face, was to call Kellogg and postpone or even cancel the date.
Sometimes it's just easier. . . .
She stopped Maggie from drowning her pancakes in a frightening avalanche of blueberry and strawberry syrups, then turned to Wes and said impulsively, "Oh, that's right, honey, I can't. I have plans."
"Oh."
"But I'm sure Grandpa'd want to go with you."
"What're you going to do? See Connie? Or Martine? Maybe they'd like to come too. We could all go. They could bring the twins."
"Yeah, the twins, Mom!" Maggie said.
Dance heard her therapist's words: Kathryn, you can't look at the substance of what he's saying. Parents tend to feel that their children raise valid objections about potential step-parents or even casual dates. You can't think that way. What he's upset with is what he sees as your betrayal of his father's memory. It has nothing to do with the partner himself.
She made a decision. "No, I'm going to have dinner with the man I've been working with."
"Agent Kellogg," the boy shot back.
"That's right. He has to go back to Washington soon, and I wanted to thank him for all the work he's done for us."
She felt a bit cheesy for gratuitously suggesting that because he lived so far away Kellogg was no long-term threat. (Though she supposed Wes's sensitive mind could easily jump to the conclusion that Dance was already planning to uproot them from friends and family here on the Peninsula and resettle them in the nation's capital.) "Okay," the boy said, cutting up the pancakes, eating some, pensive. Dance was using his appetite as a barometer of his reaction.
"Hey, son of mine, what's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"Grandpa would love to go to see the boats with you."
"Sure."
Then she asked another impulsive question. "Don't you like Winston?"
"He's okay."
"You can tell me." Her own interest in food was flagging.
"I don't know. . . . He's not like Michael."
"No, he's not. But there aren't many people like Michael." The dear friend who isn't returning my calls at the moment. "That doesn't mean I can't have dinner with them, does it?"
"I guess."
They ate for a few minutes. Then Wes blurted, "Maggie doesn't like him either."
"I didn't say that! Don't say things I didn't say."
"Yeah, you did. You said he's got a potbelly."
"Did not!" Though her blush told Dance t
hat she had.
She smiled, put down her fork. "Hey, you two, listen up. Whether I have dinner with somebody or not, or even go out to the movies with them, nothing's going to change us. Our house, the dogs, our lives. Nothing. That's a promise. Okay?"
"Okay," Wes said. It was a bit knee-jerk, but he didn't seem completely unconvinced.
But now Maggie was troubled. "Aren't you ever going to get married again?"
"Mags, what brought that up?"
"Just wondering."
"I can't even imagine getting married again."
"You didn't say no," Wes muttered.
Dance laughed at the interrogator's perfect response. "Well, that's my answer. I can't even imagine it."
"I want to be best woman," Maggie said.
"Maid of honor," Dance corrected.
"No, I saw this after-school special. They do it different now."
"Differently," her mother corrected again. "But let's not get distracted. We've got pancakes and iced tea to polish off. And plans to make for Sunday. You've got to do some thinking."
"I will." Wes seemed reassured.
Dance ate the rest of her dinner, feeling elated at this victory: being honest with her son and receiving his acquiescence to the date. Oddly, this tiny step did a huge amount to take away the horror of the day's events.
On a whim she gave in to Maggie's final plea on behalf of the dogs and ordered one pancake and a side of sausage for each, minus the syrup. The girl served the food in the back of the Pathfinder. Dylan the shepherd devoured his in several gulps while the ladylike Patsy ate the sausage fastidiously, then carried the pancake to a space between the backseats, impossible to reach, and deposited it there for a rainy day.
*
At home, Dance spent the next few hours at domestic chores, fielding phone calls, including one from Morton Nagle, thanking her again for what she'd done for his family.
Winston Kellogg did not call, which was good (meaning the date was still on).
Michael O'Neil did not call either, which wasn't so good.
Rebecca Sheffield was in stable condition after extensive surgery. She'd be in the hospital, under guard, for the next six or seven days. More operations were needed.
Dance talked to Martine Christensen for some time about the "American Tunes" website, then, business disposed of, it was time for dessert: popcorn, which made sense after a sweet dinner. Dance found a Wallace and Gromit Claymation tape, cued it up and at the last minute managed to save the Redenbacher from the microwave of mass destruction before she set the bag ablaze, as she had last week.
She was pouring the contents into a bowl when her phone croaked yet again.
"Mom," Wes said impatiently. "I'm like starving." She loved his tone. It meant he'd snapped out of his unhappy mood.
"It's TJ," she announced, opening up her mobile.
"Say hi," the boy offered, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
"Wes says hi."
"Back at him. Oh, tell him I got to level eight on 'Zarg.' "
"Is that good?"
"You have no idea."
Dance relayed the message and Wes's eyes glowed. "Eight? No way!"
"He's impressed. So what's up?"
"Who's getting all the stuff?"
" 'Stuff' would be?"
"Evidence, reports, emails, everything. The ball of wax, remember?"
He meant for the final disposition report. It would be massive in this case, with the multiple felonies and the interagency paperwork. She'd run the case and the CBI had primary jurisdiction.
"Me. Well, I should say us."
"I liked the first answer better, boss. Oh, by the way, remember 'Nimue'?"
The mystery word . . .
"What about it?"
"I just found another reference to it. You want me to follow up?"
"Think we better. Leave no t undotted. So to speak."
"Is tomorrow okay? It's not much of a date tonight, but Lucretia might be the woman of my dreams."
"You're going out with somebody named Lucretia? You may have to concentrate. . . . Tell you what. Bring me all the wax. And the Nimue 'stuff.' I'll get started on it."
"Boss, you're the best. You're invited to the wedding."
FRIDAY
Chapter 58
Kathryn Dance, in a black suit and burgundy blouse--not the warmest of outfits, all things considered--was sitting outside at the Bay View Restaurant near Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey.
The place lived up to its name, usually offering a postcard image of the coast all the way up to Santa Cruz, which was, however, invisible at the moment. The early morning was a perfect example of June Gloom on the Peninsula. Fog like smoke from a damp fire surrounded the wharf. The temperature was fifty-five degrees.
Last night she'd been in an elated mood. Daniel Pell had been stopped, Linda Whitfield would be all right, Nagle and his family had survived. She and Winston Kellogg had made their plans for "afterward."
Today, though, things were different. A darkness hung over her; she couldn't shake it, and the mood had nothing to do with the weather. Many things were contributing to it, not the least of which was planning the memorial services and funerals for the guards killed at the courthouse, the deputies at the Point Lobos Inn yesterday and Juan Millar too.
She sipped her coffee. Then blinked in surprise as a hummingbird appeared from nowhere and dipped its beak into the feeder hanging on the side of the restaurant, near a spill of gardenias. Another bird strafed in and drove the first away. They were pretty creatures, jewels, but could be mean as scrap-yard dogs.
Then she heard, "Hello."
Winston Kellogg came up behind her, slipped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. Not too close to the mouth, not too far away. She smiled and hugged him.
He sat down.
Dance waved to the waitress, who refilled her cup and poured one for Kellogg.
"So I was doing some research about the area," Kellogg said. "I thought we could go down to Big Sur tonight. Some place called Ventana."
"It's beautiful. I haven't been for years. The restaurant's wonderful. It's a bit of a drive."
"I'm game. Highway One, right?"
Which would take them right past Point Lobos. She flashed back to the gunshots, the blood, Daniel Pell lying on his back, dull blue eyes staring unseeing at a dark blue sky.
"Thanks for getting up so early," Dance said.
"Breakfast and dinner with you. The pleasure's mine."
She gave him another smile. "Here's the situation. TJ finally found the answer to 'Nimue,' I think."
Kellogg nodded. "What Pell was searching for in Capitola."
"At first I thought it was a screen name, then I was thinking it might have to do with this computer game, 'Nimue' with an X, the popular one."
The agent shook his head.
"Apparently it's hot. I should have consulted the experts--my kids. Anyway, I was toying with the idea that Pell and Jimmy went to the Croytons' to steal some valuable software, and I remembered Reynolds told me that Croyton gave away all this computer research and software to Cal State-Monterey Bay. I thought maybe there was something in the college archives that Pell planned to steal. But, no, it turns out that Nimue's something else."
"What?"
"We're not exactly sure. That's what I need your help on. TJ found a folder on Jennie Marston's computer. The name was--" Dance found a slip of paper and read, "Quote 'Nimue--cult suicide in L.A.' "
"What was inside?"
"That's the problem. He tried to open it. But it's password-protected. We'll have to send it to CBI headquarters in Sacramento to crack, but frankly, that'll take weeks. It might not be important but I'd like to find out what it's all about. I was hoping you'd have somebody in the bureau who could decrypt it faster."
Kellogg told her he knew of a computer wiz in the FBI's San Jose field office--in the heart of Silicon Valley. "If anybody can break it they can. I'll get it to him today."
Dance waved for the waitress. Toast was about all she could manage this morning, but Kellogg ordered a full breakfast.
He said, "Now, tell me about Big Sur. It's supposed to be pretty."
"Breathtaking," she said. "One of the most romantic places you'll ever see."
*
Kathryn Dance was in her office when Winston Kellogg came to collect her at five thirty for their date. He was in formal casual. He and Dance came close to matching--brown jackets, light shirts and jeans. His blue, hers black. Ventana was an upscale inn, restaurant and winery but this was, after all, California. You needed a suit and tie only in San Francisco, L.A. and Sacramento.
For funerals too, of course, Dance couldn't help but think.
"First, let's get work out of the way." He opened his attache case and handed her the plastic evidence bag containing the computer found in the Butterfly Inn.
"Oh, you've got it already?" she asked. "The mystery of Nimue is about to be solved."
He grimaced. "Afraid not, sorry."
"Nothing?" she asked.
"The file was either intentionally written as gibberish or it had a wipe bomb on it, the bureau tech guys said."
"Wipe bomb?"
"Like a digital booby trap. When TJ tried to open it, it got turned to mush. That was their term too, by the way."
"Mush."
"Just random characters."
"No way to reconstruct it?"
"Nope. And, believe me, they're the best in the business."
"Not that it matters that much, I suppose," Dance said, shrugging. "It was just a loose end."
He smiled. "I'm the same way. Hate it when there are danglers. That's what I call them."
"Danglers. I like that."
"So are you ready to go?"
"Just a second or two." She rose and walked to the door. Albert Stemple was standing in the hallway. TJ too.
She glanced at them, sighed and nodded.
The massive, shaved-head agent stepped into the office, with TJ right behind him.
Both men drew their weapons--Dance just didn't have the heart--and in a few seconds Winston Kellogg was disarmed, cuffs on his hands.
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