Insidious

by Catherine Coulter

  “I hate boats, I get seasick! Listen, I’m more than one hundred yards from Missy’s house! I’m not doing anything wrong, just out walking around, minding my own.”

  Daniel looked up the street, mentally calculated, and realized he was right. Barely. “Stop lying, you were planning on sneaking to Missy’s house again, hoping Agent Wittier wasn’t there to pound you. Again. What is it going to take to get you out of Missy’s life once and for all?”

  Blinker looked at Daniel’s face in the dim moonlight, saw something that scared him. He licked his dry lips. “I couldn’t sleep, no, really, I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to get any closer, I swear it. I just wanted to be near where she lives. Maybe see her if I was lucky, you know?”

  Cam’s rage evaporated. He was obsessed, fixated for some reason on Missy. He was only a sad little man, but still, an idiot. She said very clearly, “If I ever see you in Malibu again, Blinker, I will personally shoot you and bury your body in Topanga Canyon.”

  Blinker looked at her moon-pale face, at the fierce anger in her eyes, and whispered. “No, you won’t. You’d go to jail if you killed me.”

  Cam said, “Nah, I’d haul your carcass to the canyon on a really dark night when no one’s around. I’d bury you so deep no one would ever find you. And then Missy and I would drink a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”

  “I think it would be a beer for me,” Daniel added.

  Blinker looked seriously alarmed. He sat up, waved his hands at them. “Listen, you shouldn’t treat me like I’m that guy killing all the actresses. I’m not into hurting anybody. I’m not even the only guy hanging around Missy. Look, Agent Wittier, I admire Missy, seeing her smile makes me happy. I’d never hurt her, well, or anybody.”

  Daniel’s face was a study in frustration. He jerked Blinker to his feet, grabbed his shirt and shook him. “Let me put it this way, Blinker. Missy doesn’t want to make you happy. She does not want to see you again, ever in this lifetime. You know why? Because she’s dating me. I want you the hell out of our lives.” He shook him again. “Do you understand me?”

  “Missy is really dating you?”

  “Yes.” Another shake. “Answer me. Do you understand?”

  “Well, yes, I supposed I have to.”

  Blinker looked like he’d burst into tears.

  “Good.” Daniel smoothed down Blinker’s shirt, brushed him down. “Go back to Cleveland, bake cookies with your mom, sell her some bonds. Go, Blinker.” They stood watching as Blinker, his head down, kicked pebbles out of his path on his way back to his car.

  When they heard his car engine rev, Cam said, “Well, that perked me right up. Maybe he really will stay gone.”

  When Cam and Daniel pulled into the driveway of Missy’s cottage, they saw Missy standing backlit in the doorway, wearing sleep boxers and a baggy shirt, her glorious hair tousled about her face. She looked relieved to see them.

  Daniel started telling her about Blinker as Missy herded them into the kitchen. “Sit down, sit down. You both look wrung out. I’m going to make some tea. Too late for coffee. So tell me more about Blinker.” They both sat down and Cam found herself looking at the bright red-and-white-checked tablecloth, thinking it would look good on her kitchen table back in Alexandria. She put that thought away and started doing a mental sort of the day, something she always did before bed at night. That’s when it hit her square between the eyes. She jumped to her feet. “Daniel! What Blinker said—” She grabbed her cell out of her jacket pocket, dialed. Blinker picked up after three rings, wide-awake.

  “Blinker, it’s Agent Wittier. Are you home yet?”

  “Yeah, like I’m Superman and can fly. I’m still driving. Look, Agent Wittier, when I get home I’ll start packing, I swear. I’m calling my boss, taking a leave of absence. You good with that?”

  “Yes. It’s for the best, you’ll see. Now, listen up, Blinker. You said you’re not the only guy hanging around Missy. You saw someone else? Was he on her street? Another stalker?”

  “He was a turkey, not discreet at all. I spotted him right away.”

  “Okay, I understand. When did you see him?”

  “The first time I saw him around her house was a couple of weeks ago, then again the day before she took off for Las Vegas. I haven’t seen him since she got back. Not to say he couldn’t still be around because I spend my mornings working, usually.”

  “Describe him to me.”

  “Older, thirties for sure. He was tall, thin, and he always wore jeans and a hoodie with the top up to cover his head. I’m surprised Missy never noticed him, looking like he did.”

  “Blinker, Detective Montoya and I are coming to your place. I’ve got some photos to show you.” She punched off, jumped to her feet. “Daniel, we have to go.”

  Missy grabbed her arm. “Let me throw on some clothes, I’ll go with you.”

  “No, absolutely not,” Daniel said. He gave her a long look, turned to Cam. “Let’s go.”

  63

  * * *

  BLINKER’S APARTMENT, ON HIGH STREET

  SANTA MONICA

  FRIDAY NIGHT

  Blinker lived in an upscale apartment complex, complete with palm trees, bougainvillea and manicured lawns. It was quiet and calm. As they climbed out of Daniel’s Crown Vic, Cam said, “He’s in 3C, there in the corner unit with all the windows. We’ve struck gold, Daniel, I know it.”

  Cam felt a moment of sheer envy when he showed them in. “Hey, nice digs, Blinker. How do you afford this?”

  “He’s a bond trader,” Daniel said.

  Blinker eyed them. “Well, you might as well come into the living room. So you come here late at night to show me some photos and the first thing you do is bust my chops some more? I wasn’t lying, I’m leaving. You can look in my bedroom, suitcase open on the bed, my shorts already packed.”

  Cam said, “We’re not here to pack for you, Blinker.” She called up photos and handed her cell to Blinker. “Here, look at these photos. Have you seen this man?”

  Blinker took her cell and put it under a living room reading lamp. When he shook his head, Cam swiped to another photo. Another head shake. When he looked at the third photo, he stared at it a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I recognize him. But he looks different here, he looks dead. Is that a DMV photo? Like I told you, when I saw him, he was wearing a hoodie, both times. But that’s him.”

  Daniel said, “This is important, Blinker. Are you completely certain this is the man you saw looking around Missy’s cottage?”

  Blinker nodded. “I almost told him to go away that first time, but there was something about him that was scary, and I chickened out. Then I was glad I didn’t try to warn him off because I didn’t see him again for a while. I thought he’d found someone else.”

  Daniel said, “How do you know he wasn’t just out for a walk and happened to be going Missy’s way? Did you actually see him following Missy home?”

  “Yeah, that first time he did follow her home, sort of looked around before he left. The second time, Missy wasn’t around and I saw him looking in the windows. I spotted him right away because he wasn’t very polished about it, not like I am.”

  “Missy caught you and so did we, so you can’t be all that polished, either,” Cam said.

  Blinker waved that away. “Bad luck, that’s all it was. Who knew you’d be out so late tonight? And that first time, I didn’t know Missy had an FBI agent sleeping in her second bedroom.”

  Daniel said, “You’ve already forgotten Missy chased you down in Las Vegas?”

  Blinker puffed up like a proud papa. “Yes, she did. She’s amazing. I let her catch me.”

  Cam said, “Let’s focus. Tell us everything about this guy you can remember, Blinker, every detail.”

  “Okay, I remember I was getting a bag of Cheetos from that 24/7 market on PCH when I first saw him. Missy was in the store buying some stuff and I was hanging around, seeing what she’d do. When she left, I noticed him on the street. I saw he was looking at h
er. Even though he was keeping his distance, I knew he was following her, so, yeah, I tucked in behind him, watched him. He trailed her nearly all the way back to her cottage, then he waited a couple of minutes, you know, looking around, and left.

  “I saw him again the evening before Missy left, not that I knew then she was leaving town. He was wearing the same hoodie, jeans, running shoes—that’s how I recognized him. I waited to see what he was up to. As I said, he cased Missy’s cottage, maybe trying to get a look at her. I left after he did, haven’t seen him again.

  “That’s all I remember about him.” Blinker stared at them. “Hey, do you think he’s the sick dude who’s killing off the young actresses?” Blinker looked about to faint. “Do you think he was planning on killing Missy?”

  “It’s very possible,” Cam said.

  Blinker weaved where he stood. Cam laid her hand on his arm to steady him. He whispered, “If Missy hadn’t left for Las Vegas, he might have killed her, like all the others? Someone else was killed in Las Vegas when Missy was there, isn’t that right? Maybe he couldn’t get to Missy, so he killed someone else? That means I saved her, right?” He pulled away from Cam, stood straight, shoulders back. “Imagine that, me, John Bayley, mild-mannered bond trader. You won’t forget I picked him out of your photo lineup, will you?”

  “No, we won’t forget,” Daniel said. “You did good, Blinker.”

  Blinker sat down hard on his sofa. “This is scary, dude. You’ll keep Missy safe, won’t you? You’ll get that guy? Will you tell Missy how helpful I was? Maybe she’ll be grateful and—”

  Daniel leaned down, gave his face a pat. “Bon voyage, Blinker. Have a nice life.”

  64

  * * *

  42 LASSITER AVENUE

  SANTA MONICA

  FRIDAY NIGHT, 11:00 P.M.

  It took far too long to find the house Doc and Deborah had rented together because Cam and Daniel didn’t have the address on file. They’d gone to Doc’s old apartment, a half a block from the hospital, only to find it empty. It took fast-talking the hospital administrator to get them to the right address. Finally, Cam and Daniel pulled up a block from the new rental, Arturo right behind them. Their house one of many ranch-style homes built in the seventies, well maintained, its front yard lush with oaks and palm trees. Lights shined in many of the houses, and canned laughter sounded from a TV comedy through an open window. Doc’s house was dark.

  Arturo said, “With any luck, he’s already in bed asleep.”

  Cam said, “I hope you’re right, but there’s a good chance he isn’t here. He’s not stupid, he had to know today didn’t go well for him, that we were putting things together, Blinker aside. Maybe he figured he’d have to run someday, and he decided not to wait.”

  Daniel said, “No sign of Elman and his group. I say we go get him.”

  Arturo grabbed Cam’s sleeve. “Look, in the side window—flames! Doc might be in there. Cam, call 911.”

  Arturo and Daniel ran to the front door, Cam on their heels, her cell phone to her ear. The door was locked. Daniel stepped back and kicked the door handle. The door shuddered, held. He kicked it again and the door flew open. Arturo called back as he ran into the house. “Stay here, I’ll check the bedrooms!”

  “No way,” Daniel said. “Cam, we’ve got this. Keep a lookout for Doc.” He took off after Arturo.

  It seemed like forever but only a few moments passed. She wanted to go in after them but held herself back. What could she do to help them? The house was going up quickly, heat and smoke was pouring out at her. She heard sirens in the distance and prayed. She heard Arturo yell. She couldn’t just stand there. She started into the house as Daniel came staggering out, carrying Arturo over his shoulder and dragging an unconscious man behind him. Arturo’s jacket was on fire, flames leaping up from his back. Cam slapped at the flames as Daniel dropped the unconscious man and threw Arturo onto his back on the grass, smothering out the last of the flames. “He’s inhaled a lot of smoke.” He slapped Arturo’s face. “Come on, you badass, breathe, no way do you want your ex-wife to get your pension. Arturo!”

  Arturo heaved out a breath, choked, coughed as Daniel jerked him upright and pounded his back. Finally, through the coughing, he wheezed out, “What, Montoya, were you going to put your tongue down my throat?”

  Daniel lightly tapped his face. “You wish, Loomis. Can you breathe okay?”

  “Well, pretty good, but my back feels like it’s on fire.”

  Cam pulled off his still-steaming jacket, ripped away his partly burned shirt and examined his back in the streetlight. It was bright red. She was afraid to touch him.

  “Let’s get them farther away from the flames first,” Daniel said. “First Arturo. No, dude, don’t you even think about trying to move.” He and Cam pulled him beneath an acacia tree near the sidewalk. He let them, his head hanging forward, breathing fast.

  “How bad is it?”

  “Not bad, only a little red,” Cam said. Arturo hoped she wasn’t lying through her teeth, but it hurt so much he figured she probably was. He didn’t move.

  “I’m okay, see to that guy we pulled out. He’s in worse shape than I am.”

  Daniel pulled the other man farther from the house and fell to his knees beside him. “He’s alive, breathing. He’s got some bad burns, and a head wound that’s still bleeding.” He grabbed Arturo’s discarded shirt and pushed down on the gash, relieved to hear the wail of sirens.

  Cam said, “The fire was just starting. Doc couldn’t have left more than a few minutes before we got here. I’ve put a BOLO out for him already. The DMV has him driving a Volkswagen Beetle. The question is, where did he go?”

  Daniel looked up at her. “And who is that guy who was in Doc’s house?”

  Before Cam could answer him, everything happened at once. Supervisor Elman, Corinne Hill, and Morley Jagger, their flashers flooding the neighborhood with red light, pulled up across the street as two fire trucks stopped in front, two ambulances screaming to a halt behind them. Neighbors poured out of their houses, everyone staring at the flames leaping out of the burning house, grabbing garden hoses to soak down their own houses. Elman set Hill and Jagger to keep them back.

  Cam checked the man’s pockets as the EMT quickly placed an oxygen mask over his face and examined his head wound. She found only some wadded up Kleenex and a half packet of sugarless gum. “He has no ID on him,” Cam said over her shoulder to Daniel.

  Daniel squatted down beside her, looked at the EMT’s nameplate. “Josh, will he make it?”

  “Don’t know,” Josh said. “Pete, get a gurney over here, notify the ER at SMH that we’re coming with a major head trauma, smoke inhalation, burns.”

  Another EMT was looking at Arturo’s back. “The detective’s got second-degree burns, but he’s not critical.” She patted his arm. “You aren’t going to have much fun for a while, Detective, but you’ll be okay. You shouldn’t need any grafting, good thing, that’s a bitch.” She jerked her head toward the unconscious man being lifted onto a gurney. “Were you the one who saved that guy’s life?”

  Elman walked over to them. “What in the name of heaven happened here, Arturo?”

  Cam answered for him. “Arturo and Daniel went in there, pulled that man out. He’s got no ID, and his head wound’s bad enough to have knocked him out. He’s about the same size and build as Mark Richards—Doc. My guess is Doc decided to run, but he didn’t want us chasing him, so he found a man who was similar in build to him, knocked him out, and left him behind so he’d burn with the house. If not for a guy named Blinker we talked to tonight, we wouldn’t have found out about Doc’s house burning down at least until the morning, and we’d have assumed the burned corpse was Doc. It would have taken several days for the DNA to prove us wrong. By then Doc would have been long gone, probably on a beach in Mexico.”

  Daniel said, “I agree with Cam. After that lie detector test today, he knew it was only a matter of time before we got everything nailed do
wn.”

  “I want to hear about this Blinker,” Elman said.

  “Actually, sir, you probably don’t,” Daniel said.

  Elman stared back at the house, still spurting flames. It was going to burn to its foundation. He looked back at Daniel. “Hey, Montoya, your jacket’s burned. Did it go through to your back?”

  Daniel hadn’t felt a thing, but now he did, and he didn’t like it. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

  Elman called out, “Hey, over here. We’ve got some more burns.”

  Josh jogged over, stepped behind him. Daniel said, “Don’t tell me what the jacket looks like, I don’t want to know. Listen, I’m all right, you need to look at Cam’s hands, she was beating out the flames on Arturo’s jacket.”

  “No, I’m fine, a couple of blisters, not bad at all.”

  Josh helped Daniel out of his jacket, eased down his shirt. “I gotta say, Detective, it’s a good thing you were wearing this jacket. It saved you a world of hurt. Still, you should come to the hospital, let the doctors have a look—”

  “Thanks, Josh, maybe later.”

  Cam dusted off her jeans, clipped her Glock back onto her belt. She looked at Arturo, who was breathing hard, his eyes closed. She said a prayer, then turned to Elman and Daniel. “Doc isn’t more than a half hour ahead of us, maybe less. He could be headed anywhere—but probably the border.”

  “Unless he hasn’t run yet,” Daniel said. He straightened slowly, relieved he could. “I’m thinking he wasn’t done here, that he went back to the person who put him in our sights.”