by Sue Grafton
The kitchen was the prototype “before” in any home remodeling magazine. Cracked tile counters, black and white floor tiles, brown woodwork, stained sink, a dripping faucet. Someone, in a jaunty attempt to update the place, had covered the original wallpaper with a modern-day vinyl equivalent: pale green fruits and vegetables intermixed with white and yellow daisies. Along the baseboard, the vinyl strip was curling up like a party favor. I checked the walk-in pantry. The shelves were lined with industrial-size cans of hominy and peas. I went in and stood there, looking out at the kitchen with the door half-shut.
Irene Bronfen had been four when she left. I hunkered down, smelling soot, my eyes level with the doorknob. I returned to the hallway. The door to the storage space beneath the stairs was kept locked. I wondered if she’d used it as a playhouse. I hunkered there, looking left toward the kitchen. Not much visible from that vantage point. Murders are, so often, domestic affairs. Alcohol is a factor in more than sixty percent. Thirty percent of the weapons in these murders are knives, which, after all, antedate gunpowder and don’t have to be registered. As a matter of convenience, the kitchen is a favored location for crimes of passion these days. You can sit there with your loved ones, grabbing beers out of the fridge, adding ice to your Scotch. Once your spouse makes a smart remark, the stakes can escalate until you reach for the knife rack and win the argument. I moved through the kitchen. At the rear of the house, there was an enclosed wooden porch, uninsulated board and batten, where an antique washer stood. The water heater was out there, looking too small and decrepit to provide much hot water to the residents.
Irene at four had been somewhere in this house. I was willing to bet she’d been playing with the tea set. What had she told me? That the paint ran down the walls and ruined all the violets. I thought about her phobias: dust, spiders, closed spaces. I stood in the doorway, looking through the kitchen toward the hall. The ceilings were high, papered overall with the same repeating pattern of violets as the hall. The kitchen walls had been repapered, but not the ceiling itself. There must have been a time when it was the same throughout. I checked the baseboard near the stretch where the old icebox had once stood. In the wall above it was the square space with the little door to the exterior where the iceman had left his delivery. The next section of wall was a straight shot, floor to ceiling.
I could feel my attention stray to the portion of the vinyl paper that was loose along the bottom. I leaned over and peeled a corner back. Under it was a paper sprigged with roses. Under that layer came the paper with the violets again. I got a grip on the lower edge of the vinyl panel and I pulled straight up. The strip made a sucking sound as it raced up the wall, taking some of the sprigged paper with it. The rust-colored streaks were showing through, drab rivulets coursing through a field of violets, spatters of dull brown that had soaked into the paper, soaked into the plaster underneath. The blood had sprayed in an arc, leaping high along the wall, penetrating everything. Attempts to clean it had failed and the second coat of paper had been layered over the first. Then a third coat over that. I wondered if current technology was sufficiently sophisticated to forge the link between the blood here and the body that was buried in the footing. Lottie was the first to go. Her death must have been passed off as natural since she was buried with the rest. Emily must have come next, her skull “crushed” by falling bricks. And Sheila after that, with a story to cover her disappearance. That must have been the killing Agnes and Irene witnessed. Bronfen had probably made up the story of Sheila’s departure. I doubted there were any neighbors left who could verify the sequence of events. No telling what Bronfen had told them at the time. Some glib cover story to account for the missing.
Agnes had been in exile for years, protecting Irene. I wondered what had tempted her to return to the house. Perhaps, after over forty years, she thought the danger had passed. Whatever her motives, she was dead now, too. And Patrick – dear brother Patrick – was the only one left.
I heard the front door shut.
Chapter 27
*
He stood in the kitchen doorway, a brown grocery bag in his arms. He wore a dark green sport shirt and wash pants, belted below his waist. He was wheezing from exertion, sweat beading his face. His gaze was fixed on the length of vinyl wallpaper that now lay on the floor, folded over on itself. His gaze traveled up the wall and then jerked across to mine. “What’d you do that for?”
“Time to take care of old business, my friend.”
He crossed to the kitchen table and set the grocery bag down. He removed some items – toilet paper, a dozen eggs, a pound of butter, a loaf of bread – and set them on the table. I could see him try to settle on an attitude, the proper tone. He’d been rehearsing this in his mind for years, probably confident the conversation was one he could handle with a perfect air of innocence. The problem was, he’d forgotten what innocence felt like or how it was supposed to look. “What old business?”
“All the blood on the wall for one.”
The pause was of the wrong length. “What blood? That’s a redwood stain. I refinished a piece of porch furniture and knocked the can off on the floor. Stuff sprayed all over, went everyplace. You never saw such a mess.”
“Arterial blood will do that. You get a pumping effect.” I tromped over the crumpled strip of paper, with a scrabbling sound, and washed my hands at the kitchen sink.
He put a half gallon of ice cream in the freezer, taking a moment to rearrange boxes of frozen vegetables. His rhythm was off. An accomplished liar knows how important the timing is in conveying nonchalance.
I dried my hands on a kitchen towel of doubtful origin. It might have been a part of a pillow case, a paint rag, or a diaper. “I drove over to Mt. Calvary and looked for Anne’s grave.”
“Make your point. I got work to do. She’s buried with the family on the side of the hill.”
“Not quite,” I said. I leaned against the counter, watching him unload canned goods. “I went into the office and asked to see the interment card. You bought her a stone, but there’s no body in the grave. Anne left town with Irene in January nineteen forty.”
He tried to get huffy, but he couldn’t muster any heat. “I paid to bring her all the way from Tucson, Arizona. If she wasn’t in the coffin, don’t tell me about it. Ask the fellow on the other end who said he put her there.”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “Let’s cut to the chase. There wasn’t any husband in Arizona and there weren’t any little kids. You made that stuff up. You killed Charlotte and Emily. You killed Sheila, too. Anne was alive until late last night and she told me most of it. She said Emily wanted to sell the house and you refused. She must have pressed the point and you were forced to eliminate her just to end the argument. Once you got Emily out of the way, there was only Anne to worry about. Have her declared dead and you collect the whole estate…”
He began to shake his head. “You’re a crazy woman. I got nothing to say to you.”
I crossed to the wall-mounted telephone near the hall door. “Fine with me. I don’t care. You can talk to Lieutenant Dolan as soon as he gets here.”
Now he was willing to argue the point, any means to delay. “I wouldn’t kill anyone. Why would I do that?”
“Who knows what your motivation was? Money is my guess. I don’t know why you did it. I just know you did.”
“I did not!”
“Sure you did. Who are you trying to kid?”
“You don’t have a shred of proof. You can’t prove anything.”
“I can’t, but somebody can. The cops are really smart, Patrick, and persistent? My God. You have no idea how persistent they are where murder’s concerned. The whole of modern technology will be brought to bear. Lab techs, machinery, sophisticated tests. They’ve got experts out the wazoo and what do you have? Nothing. A lot of hot air. You don’t stand a chance. Fifty years ago you might have fooled ‘em, but not these days. You’re up shit creek, pal. You are totally screwed…”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot. You’ve got standards. You’re not going to tolerate a lot of smutty talk from me, right?” I turned back to the telephone. I had picked up the receiver when the window shattered in the back. The two acts came so close together, it looked like cause and effect. I pick up the phone, the window breaks out. Startled, I jumped a foot and dropped the phone in the process, jumping again as the handset thumped against the wall. I saw a hand come through the shattered window and reach around to unlock the door. One savage kick and the door swung back abruptly and banged against the wall. I had grabbed my handbag and was just reaching for my gun when Mark Messinger appeared, his own gun drawn and pointed at me. The suppressor created the illusion of a barrel fourteen inches long.
This time there was no smile, no aura of sexuality. His blond hair stood out around his head in damp spikes. His blue eyes were as cold and as blank as stone. Patrick had turned, heading toward the front door in haste. Messinger fired at him casually, not even pausing long enough to form an intent, the shooting as simple as pointing a finger. Spwt! The sound of the silenced .45 semiautomatic was almost dainty compared to its effect. The force of the bullet drove Patrick into the wall where he bounced once before he fell. Blood and torn flesh bloomed in his chest like a chrysanthemum, shreds of cotton shirting like the calyx of a flower. I was staring at him mesmerized when Messinger grabbed me by the hair, hauling my face up within an inch of his. He shoved the barrel of his gun under my chin, pressing so hard it hurt. I wanted to protest the pain of it, but I didn’t dare move. “Don’t shoot me!”
“Where’s Eric?” he breathed.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re going to help me get him back.’
Fear had pierced my chest wall like splinters. All the adrenaline was coursing upward to my brain, driving out thought. I had a brief image of Dietz with Rochelle Messinger. They’d evidently succeeded in plucking the kid from his father’s grasp. I could smell chlorine from the swimming pool, mingled with Messinger’s breath. He probably couldn’t take his gun to the pool without calling attention to himself. I pictured him in the water, Eric on the side just waiting to jump in. If his mother appeared, he’d have run straight to her with a shriek of joy. By now they were probably barreling out to the airport. The plane had been chartered for nine to allow time for the snatch. I willed the thought away. Made my mind blank.
Messinger slapped me across the face hard, setting up a ringing in my head. I was dead. I wouldn’t get out of this one alive. He shoved me toward the back door, kicking a chair out of my path. I caught sight of Ernie, the old guy, shuffling toward the kitchen. His expression was perplexed, especially when he spotted Patrick on the floor with the corsage of blood pinned to the center of his chest. Mark Messinger turned and pointed the gun at the old man.
“Oh don’t!” I burbled. My voice sounded strange, high-pitched and hoarse. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the spwt! I looked back. The old fellow had pivoted and was shuffling away in panic. I could hear his howls echo down the hall, as frail and helpless as a child’s. Messinger watched him retreat, indecision flickering in his eyes. He lost interest and turned his attention back to me. “Get the car keys.”
I saw the bag where I’d dropped it on the floor near the phone. I pointed, temporarily unable to speak. I longed for my gun.
“We’ll take my car. You drive.”
He grabbed me by the head and buried his grip in my hair again, propelling me with a fury that made me cry out in fear.
“Shut up,” he whispered. His face was close to mine as we descended the back stairs. I stumbled, grabbing at the rail with my right hand for balance. My heel slipped off the stair and I nearly went down. I thought he’d pull all my hair out, effectively scalping me with his closed fist, which held me like a vise. I couldn’t look down, couldn’t move my head to either side. I could feel the gravel driveway underfoot. I proceeded like a blind woman, hands out, using senses other than sight. The car was parked in the drive near the shed. I wondered briefly if a neighbor would spot our clumsy progress. Nearly dark now. In my mind’s eye, I could see Rochelle’s face. Please be on the plane, I thought. Please be in the air. Take Dietz with you forever and keep him somewhere safe. I pictured his impatience, his intensity. I willed him into a taxi, drove him away from the danger. I couldn’t save him, couldn’t even save myself this time around. Messinger yanked open the door on the passenger side and pushed me across the front seat. He was driving a yellow Rolls-Royce: walnut dashboard, leather upholstery.
“Start the car,” he said. He got in after me, crowding close. He placed the barrel of the gun against my temple. He was breathing hard, his tension concentrated in his grip on the gun. If he shot me, I wouldn’t feel it. I’d be dead before the pain could travel along my nerve ends and get the message to my brain. I willed the act, wanted it over with. “Do it,” he said. I thought the voice was mine, so nearly did it mimic my thought.
“Start the fuckin’ car!” His anger was erratic, sometimes fire, sometimes ice, his command of himself veering inexplicably from unbridled impulse to rigid control.
I felt for the keys in the ignition.
“Where’d they take my son?”
“They didn’t tell me.”
“You lying bitch! I’ll tell you then.” He dropped his voice and I could feel the force of his words against my cheek. The sexuality was back, the same tickle of desire that rises when you dance with a man for the first time – some awareness of the flesh and all the possibilities that wait. He was calm again, confident, his throaty laugh nearly jubilant. “Rochelle’s got a twin brother flies a plane,” he said. “She knows better than to take Eric back to her place because I’d find him first thing and she’d be dead before she shut the door. She’ll try to get him out by air, take him off and hide him somewhere till things cool down.” He moved the gun away from my head, gesturing with the barrel. “Back out on the street and take a left. We’ll head out to the airport, there’s a charter place out there. Drive carefully, okay?”
I nodded dumbly, my mood shifting as abruptly as his. So far, I was alive, not maimed or disabled. I was grateful he hadn’t hurt me, thrilled I wasn’t dead. I did as I was told. I felt absurdly happy that his manner was pleasant, his tone nearly friendly as I backed out of the drive. He’d reduced my habitual cockiness to humility. There was still hope. There was still a chance. Maybe they’d already left. Maybe they were gone. Maybe I could kill him before he killed me. I had a flash of Rochelle being shot in the chest. He’d kill her as carelessly as he’d killed Patrick Bronfen, with the same matter-of-factness, the same casualness, the same ease. Dietz would die. Messinger would trade me for Eric at the outset and then kill us all. Rochelle, Dietz, and me, in whatever order would maximize the horror. I focused on the road, suddenly conscious of the car. I could smell leather seats, the fresh rose in a crystal vase. The car glided in silence. I turned right on 101 and flew north. There was not a highway patrol car in sight.
My mouth was dry. I cleared my throat. “How did you know where I was?”
“I put a bug on the Porsche the first night it was parked in front of your place. See this? My receiver. I’ve been following you guys everywhere in a couple of different rental cars.”
“Why’d you kill Patrick?”
“Why not. He’s a dickface.”
I glanced over at him curiously. “Why’d you spare Ernie?”
“That old fart? Who knows? Maybe I’ll go back and do him now you mention it,” he said. His tone was teasing. A little hit-man humor to show what a devil-may-care kind of guy he was. He’d taken the gun away from my head and it rested now on his knee. “What’s the story with this bodyguard? He’s a pain in the ass. Two times I nearly had you and he stepped in.”
I kept my eyes on the road. “He’s good at his job.”
He looked over at me. “Yo
u makin’ it with him?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Come on…”
“I’ve only known him four days!” I said, righteously.
“So what?”
“So I don’t jump into bed with guys that quick.”
“You should have done while you had the chance. Now he’s a dead man. I’ll make you a deal. How’s this? Him or you. Better yet, Rochelle or him. Take your pick. If you don’t choose, I kill all three of you.”
“You’re only getting paid for one.”
“True, but I’ll tell you, the money doesn’t mean that much. When you do what you love, you’d do it for free, am I right?” He leaned toward the tape deck. “Want some music? I got jazz, classical, R B. No heavy metal or reggae. I hate that shit. You want Sinatra?”
“No thanks.” I saw the off-ramp for the university and the airport and eased right. The road curved up and to the left, crossing the freeway, which now passed underneath. It was gone and we hit the straightaway. Two more minutes to the airport and what was I going to do? The digital clock on the instrument panel showed that it was 8:02. A mile farther on, the access ramp to Rockpit Road came into view on the right. I took the turn. I knew the ocean was close by, but all I could smell was the rotten-egg odor of the slough that hugged the road. A fog was rolling in, a dense bank of white against the blackened sky. The university sat up on the bluffs like a walled city, all lights and buff-colored towers. I’d never gone to college. I was strictly blue-collar lineage – like this guy, come to think of it. Like Dietz.
I took Rockpit for half a mile until the hangars and assorted outbuildings of Neptune Air appeared on the left. “Here,” he said. I slowed the Rolls and turned in. Messinger sat forward, peering through the windshield, which had been spritzed with fine mist.
There were four miscellaneous vehicles parked in the lot, but there was no sign of Rochelle’s rental car. Messinger had me park the Rolls in the lee of a metal-sided hangar. Under the inverted V of the roofline, illuminated by a single bulb, the sign read: flight instruction, FAA REPAIR STATION, 24 HOUR CHARTERS, PIPER dealer, and avionics sales services. The perimeter fence was made of chain link, wrapped with barbed wire on top, and padlocked. Warnings were posted at intervals. Floodlights on the far side of the hangar glowed blankly on the empty runway.