I pulled my chair closer to my father’s.
“Thanks for your help, Dad. Now we speak the truth. How are you?”
“The doctors are very delicate about saying I’m getting older. It’s like I have time bombs in me. Every six months or so a new one goes off. I have an interesting variety of diseases. Alden keeps track of the medicine. I can’t any more.”
“Can you read?”
“That’s harder too. My eyes are going. I wish I could see my grandchildren.”
My brother and sister had children but lived far away and never visited my father. They didn’t want their children to associate with or even know about a grandfather who was a former hit man.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
He nodded. “I pay for my sins. I guess we all do. But I tell you, Danny, it’s a high price.”
“Alden wants you to get rid of some ties.”
“There’s a story behind each tie. It would be like burying my past.”
“Did you wear a specific tie every time you killed someone?”
“You make it sound so dirty.”
“It is dirty, Dad. Very dirty. I’m with Alden. Bury your ties and your past along with them.”
“I’m not ready for that.”
“She sounds very persistent.”
“You have no idea. But there’s my breakfast every morning. She seems to know what I need before I need it. She can get a bit sarcastic and thinks I don’t know that she’s being sarcastic.”
“She sounds as though she’d be a perfect wife.”
Another wave of the hand. “I’m old enough to be her...older brother.”
“Yeah. Her older brother’s father you mean.”
“Danny, keep me informed about this case.”
He was begging me. I suddenly realized. My father needed to be my consultant. It was his therapy.
“I will if you exercise more.”
“I get very tired.”
“Then be tired. Alden will help you.”
“I’ll try if you keep me informed and seek my advice.”
I stuck my hand out and said, “It’s a deal.”
He shook the hand.
I started walking out of the house and stopped when I saw Alden.
“My father is quite taken with you, Alden.”
“Thank you, sir. I went through training and it’s good when a patient is willing to cooperate.” She paused. “Sir, might I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve asked your father several times, but he won’t tell me. What did he do for a living?”
“Alden, please don’t ever ask him. I can tell you he was in the War, the Second World War that is. He worked in Intelligence. After that his life is an empty page. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I won’t mention it again. I thought there was something dangerous about him. Oh, he’s such an exciting patient.”
I smiled.
If she only knew.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gertrude Lucey lived in Old Field, a playground for the rich as far as I could tell. But she was not a frivolous old person playing croquet and watching her investments.
Mrs. Lucey was dignified, with her white hair always carefully arranged. Her dresses were, I’m sure, expensive but not in any flashy way. Her lips were thin, her chin disappearing, but her eyes were as bright as shooting stars. She was the drive behind her son’s political career. I owed her my career as well.
She offered me some lemonade and cookies. She knew I didn’t drink, but unlike other people I knew, she refrained from drinking liquor while I was there.
“Mr. Ryle, it is good to see you. It’s been a few weeks. I trust all is well although the furrows on your face look as though they are in danger of deepening into massive holes.”
“You’re perceptive as always, Mrs. Lucey.”
“You live long enough the muscle memory of your brain can explain a lot of what seems puzzling to the young. Now tell me exactly what is wrong.”
“I’m not sure I should do that.”
“We’re going to have a very fruitless conversation if I don’t know what you’re talking about and you don’t want to tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Maybe it was a mistake to come here.”
“Mr. Ryle, am I your employer?”
“Yes.”
“And do you respect me?”
“In the highest manner possible.”
“When my husband was a very young man and wanted to ask me out on a date, he walked in and out of the room where I was sitting and reading three times before he stood there, sweating as though he had played basketball for three hours, and asked if maybe, just perhaps, I wouldn’t mightily object if we went to the movies. My husband then looked comfortable compared to how you look now. Out with it.”
“It may involve an illegal activity.”
“Am I subject to arrest?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve never been arrested before. I can’t say it’s on my ever-shortening list of activities I’d like to do before I die, but I’m too old to be scared. I have very expensive lawyers. Right now what they do for me is play golf. I would enjoy making them earn their money. I give you permission to tell me the story even if there is some illegality involved.”
“All right.”
I paused to drink the lemonade. I thought a cookie would make my throat dry.
I told her the whole story. I didn’t leave any part out.
She pursed her lips.
“And you’d like to continue looking?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to be honest with yourself, Mr. Ryle. From your description the girl seems quite bright and extremely decent.”
“She is.”
Mrs. Lucey nodded.
“Have you allowed your affection for a little girl in a great deal of trouble to cloud your judgment of her ability to separate what could be a fantasy given birth by fear from the reality that occurred in that house?”
“I’ve thought about that a lot, Mrs. Lucey. It’s a matter of you and I both trusting my instincts.”
“Every minute you keep the girl you add to the possibility that she will be discovered in your care and that you will be charged with kidnapping.”
“Kidnapping?”
“You are keeping her against her will. And before you say she came to you, a judge will say that she’s six and can’t make a reasoned analysis. You know you were supposed to turn her in. The police came to your home, Mr. Ryle. You kept a young girl incapable of making adult decisions in your home. Some judges and some juries will call that kidnapping. A wicked prosecutor may make some story up about an older man and a young girl.”
“Mrs. Lucey, please.”
“You’re not a desperate prosecutor thinking of running for D.A. They have no limits. Morality to them is an annoying impediment to a successful career.”
“Are you telling me to turn her in?”
“Good gracious, no. I was a young girl once. If I knew someone like you I would have run to you as well. I just want to expand your knowledge of what you face if you are caught. You will have some very expensive lawyers. But, and I apologize, there is always the legacy of your father to consider. A jury might decide that the rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the decayed tree.”
“So what should I do?”
“Give yourself a deadline. Say two weeks. Look for the possible killer. If you find no evidence of such a person in this two-week period, then you will have to say it is time to turn her in. Two weeks is a long time for you to gamble with your freedom, Mr. Ryle. Are you sure you’re willing to do that?”
“I am.”
“Very good. You will tell me how I might help.”
“I don’t want to get you into trouble, Mrs. Lucey. You already know more than you probably should.”
“It is not a matter of what you want, Mr. Ryle. I am telling you that I want to get involved. If you ser
iously think I’m not going to do all I can to help that little girl, then you don’t understand me at all. Do I make myself clear?”
I nodded.
“I’ll need money,” I said.
She pulled out a checkbook for her purse.
“How much?”
I told her.
She wrote the check out. It was double what I had asked.
She handed me the check and said, “Two weeks,” Then she added, “You have fourteen days to determine that little girl’s life.”
CHAPTER SIX
When I got home, Betsy was cooking with her new helper. Jennifer had decided that she didn’t like all the restaurant food Ari had been bringing home.
They were making waffles, which sounded like a better meal than I would otherwise get.
“Hello, Mr. Ryle. Betsy says I’ll be a great cook.”
I smiled.
“When you’re done, Jennifer, I’d like to have a talk with you.”
“Sure, Mr. Ryle.” Her face darkened. “It’s not a bad talk, is it? You’re not sending me away from here? Ari is teaching me self-defense, but I can’t beat him yet. Maybe in a week.”
“Maybe,” I said. I heard the sadness in my own voice.
I sat down and waited, as patiently as I could, for Jennifer to finish. When she had, we all ate the food.
“Why, Jennifer, this is as good as in a restaurant.”
“Thanks, Ari.”
“What do you want to be when you grow up, Jennifer?”
She put her head to one side. “A teacher, I think. I don’t know much about jobs except being a teacher. I don’t want to be a social worker. Wait, I know. When I grow up I want to read stories all the time.”
“Maybe you could write stories,” I said.
“Maybe, Mr. Ryle. Sometimes at night I get under the covers and tell stories to my doll, Audrey.”
“What’s important, Jennifer, is that you could have any job you want because you’re smart and nice and you work hard. You could be a doctor or an airline pilot, or own a store, or work in a factory, or any job in the world.”
“That would be good, Mr. Ryle. I’d like to fly an airplane. I’ve never even been in one, but I once read a book about a plane with all kinds of toys on it. Oh, I would have liked to live there.”
We finished eating.
Jennifer stood next to me. “I guess we should talk now, Mr. Ryle. I wish Audrey was with me. I sometimes hug her when I’m scared.”
“I’m not going to scare you, Jennifer. At least I’m going to try not to do so.”
I started to get up and as I did Jennifer took my hand.
“Mr. Ryle, I’ll help you walk over to your favorite chair.”
We both sat down.
“I don’t have to leave, do I, Mr. Ryle?”
“Not right now.”
“Then what do you want?”
“First I have to ask you. Is it too scary for you to tell me what happened in your house? I know you already did, but I want to go over it very slowly and ask you some questions.”
“I don’t want to, Mr. Ryle.”
“I understand, Jennifer. The problem is I don’t know how to begin to help you without getting more of the story.” I paused.
“Is that man going to kill me, Mr. Ryle? I don’t want to lie there on the floor like my mommy and daddy.”
“No, he’s not going to kill you. Ari, and Betsy, and I are going to protect you. We want to find that bad man and stop him. That’s why I want to talk with you.”
“I don’t know.”
“How about we begin and you can stop anytime you want to?”
“I guess. Wait. Can Ari go out and get me a chocolate ice cream soda? It will be easier if I keep thinking that when I’m done I can drink the ice cream soda.”
Ari jumped up. “What else would you like, Jennifer?”
She laughed. “You look like the big, strong magic genie in a book Mommy read to me.” She thought for a minute. “Let’s see. I want some macaroni and cheese. I really like that. And cookies. I think you should fill the house with cookies. We’d be very happy.”
“Let’s say a couple of very big cookies. Okay?”
“Okay, Ari. But very, very big.”
“Chocolate chip okay?”
“That’s my favorite. How did you know, Ari?”
“Because it’s my favorite, and I figured we had the same taste. Okay, Jennifer, I’m going out now. You speak with Mr. Ryle and answer all his questions. Do we have a deal?”
Ari stuck out his hand.
Jennifer took it and shook it hard.
“We have a deal, Ari.”
Ari left, and Jennifer turned to me.
“I still am scared,” she said. “Can I hold your hand?”
I stuck my hand out and she held it.
“All right, Jennifer. We’re going to start. We’ll go slowly. You stop if you need to rest or think or want a glass of water.”
She nodded. She wasn’t happy. I hated forcing her to speak about what happened again, but I couldn’t see a way out of it.
“Let’s start with where you were at the very beginning, when you heard a shot.”
Jennifer paused. She was building up the emotional strength to speak. I waited.
“I was upstairs, Mr. Ryle. In my room. Mommy had just bought me a chapter book that day. I want to read as much as I can, and I wanted to begin reading chapter books. The book was about a little girl, so I could understand it. All of a sudden, there was this very loud noise. I didn’t know what it was. I knew my daddy owned a gun, but he kept it locked in a safe. I never went near the safe.”
“Were you curious about this noise?”
Jennifer nodded.
“Yes. But I was too scared to go downstairs yet. I hoped my mommy and daddy were watching television and it was on there.”
“So you waited.”
“Yes. I tried to read the chapter book again, but I couldn’t concentrate. And then it happened again.”
“Another shot.”
“Yes.”
“Jennifer, this is very important. Did one shot come right after the other or was there some time between the two shots?”
Jennifer thought about that. She lifted her head up.
“There was a lot of time.”
“Can you tell time?”
“Sort of.”
“Say you’re watching a cartoon. A shot happens at the beginning of the cartoon. Does the other shot come in the middle or end of the cartoon?”
“I’m not sure, now, Mr. Ryle. I’m confused, but I think it comes even after the end of the cartoon.”
“Good, Jennifer.”
“But the third shot came right after the second shot.”
“A third shot? Are you sure there was a third shot?”
“Oh, there was. Like I said. The second shot came and then the third shot came right away.”
I stood up.
“You play with Betsy. I’ll be right back.”
I ran to the study, sat down, picked up the phone, and called Cromwell.
“Yeah?”
“Didn’t your parents teach you any manners, Cromwell?”
“Manners aren’t for when the most annoying man on Long Island calls.”
“Cromwell, I’m shocked. I keep you out of jail for twenty years and this is how you treat me.”
“First of all, Danny, I would have been out in maybe ten years with good behavior. And second, I’ve done, what?, ten thousand favors for you?”
“Who counts among friends, Cromwell?”
“I do. I count the favors you ask every single day.”
“We’re close to even, Cromwell.”
“Yeah. You say that to me every time.”
“You’ll enjoy this one. You’ll be keeping a little girl safe.”
“This about that kid who went missing? The one with the dead parents?”
“It is indeed.”
“What do you need to know?”
�
��First, I need your famous discretion. And then I need you to get into the police work about the autopsies and the crime scene investigation.”
“That’s easy enough. I know a guy there.”
“You know a guy everywhere, Cromwell.”
“Yeah. Bribery is in season. Everyone needs more money. It makes my job easier. What exactly are you looking for?”
“I want to know how many bullets were in each body and whether there were any stray bullets in the house.”
“I’m not seeing it, Danny. What’s the difference?”
“I’m trying to work that out. How long will it take?”
“No time. A couple of hours. But this guy is greedy. He wants Mets tickets behind the plate and a pile of cash to celebrate the day.”
“Just do it.”
“I don’t print cash here, Danny.”
“As I recall, the last time you tried, Cromwell, you only printed the bills on one side.”
“I was in a hurry. I thought no one would look.”
“Two hours, Cromwell.”
“Who am I? Houdini?”
“Two hours and extra credit for you.”
“I want to know when I’m going to be done.”
“Soon.”
“You better be telling me the truth.”
He slammed the phone down.
Jennifer saw me and ran over.
We talked for a few minutes, and Ari returned armed with the goodies Jennifer wanted. She sat at the kitchen table and began nibbling at the cookies and sipping the straw slowly, draining the cup of her ice cream soda.
She looked happy.
Betsy came over to me.
“Did that work out?”
“I’ll know in a couple of hours. Meanwhile, how are your breaking and entering skills?”
“Why do I think that you’ll eventually get me in jail where I’ll meet some of the criminals I put there? I don’t think it will be a happy meeting.”
“I’ll go.”
“You need at least one helper.”
“You want me to take Ari.”
“I do. I’ve got too much law and order in my blood.”
“That’s not the same as justice, Betsy. Or the same as saving Jennifer.”
“Maybe not, but I like driving by the jail and not reporting to it.”
I told Ari of our plans. That got him hungry. We decided to go get some Chinese food and bring it home.
The Hunted Girl Page 3