I freshened my coffee and sat down again at the counter.
“What do you think?” Wallace said.
“I think you captured the moment when Marie Perry realizes her husband has gone missing.”
“And?”
“And that’s gotta be worth something.” I enlarged the picture of Marie staring into the empty elevator car until it filled the screen. “Can you sharpen this up at all?”
“I tried to clean it up before I came over. I can zoom in a bit if you want?”
“No, leave it as is.” I studied the profile of Marie’s face. “Should she be more surprised?”
“I told you. She seemed sort of freaked out the whole time I was with her. Even up on twenty-five.”
“Do you think she knew Ray was going to skip?”
“At the time I didn’t.”
“And now?”
“I still don’t.”
I went back to studying the picture.
“What are you looking for?” Wallace said.
“I don’t know. Something we missed. Something that isn’t there that should be.”
“Like what?”
“If I knew that…” I paused, then glanced again at Wallace. “You still have access to the garage in the federal building?”
“Sure.”
“Can you get us in today?”
“It’s Saturday.”
“Can you get us in?”
“Maybe. Why?”
I stood up and threw the grad student his coat. “Let’s go.”
—
It took us three hours to go over everything. First, we studied Wallace’s photographs some more, then we walked through it all in the dim and dust of the federal building’s parking garage. Then we took some pictures. By the time we’d finished, I was convinced. I didn’t know if I could prove it, but I was convinced. And that was good enough. I downloaded Wallace’s photos to my laptop. The grad student knew where Marie Perry lived and wanted to tag along, but I told him that wasn’t going to work. The less other people knew, the better. So I went by myself and parked just down the street from her building—a three-story brownstone on Astor Street in the Gold Coast. She pulled up in a cab at about a quarter after six. It was raining lightly, and she held a newspaper over her head as she ran into the building. I gave her five minutes, then walked to the front door and pressed the buzzer. Her voice sounded tinny over the intercom.
“It’s me,” I said. “Kelly.”
Silence.
“How can I help you, Mr. Kelly?”
“I found Ray.”
More silence. Longer this time. I thumbed the grip on my gun. Then her voice came down again.
“First floor.”
The buzzer went off, and I pushed inside. The lobby was mahogany and marble. A small table with fresh flowers stood by three mailboxes. On the other side was an old, graceful staircase. I started to climb. She met me at the landing and led me into her apartment without a word. I took a chair beside a cold fireplace and looked out at the drizzle. Across the street was a modest little shack known as the cardinal’s mansion.
“You want something?” She held up a rocks glass with some amber-colored liquid in it.
“Whatever you got.”
What she had was scotch. Not the cheap stuff either.
“I’m sorry about the church,” I said. “You’re right. It was none of my business.”
Marie took a seat in the chair across from me. A side table stood sentry between us. “Am I supposed to say something?”
“There’s a girl I met named Elena Ramirez. She tried to come into your clinic the other day.”
Marie raised her eyebrows. “ ‘Tried’?”
“The protesters out front shooed her off, but she’s been in before to check things out. And she’ll be back.”
“I’m not sure what you want from me.”
“Elena’s sixteen years old, eight weeks pregnant, and scared out of her head.” I took out a folded-up sheet of paper and put it on the table. “That’s a copy of a police report that was filed four years ago when Elena’s older sister got pregnant. The old man’s still got his gun, and Elena thinks he’ll use it for real on her.”
“So she wants to have an abortion?”
“She doesn’t know what she wants. And she needs someone to help her figure it out.”
Marie skimmed the report, folded it up, and tucked it by her side. “I’ve never met Elena, but I’m sure I can track her down. As for Mr. Ramirez…”
“You worry about the girl. I’ll take care of the old man.”
“Fair enough.” Marie took a sip from her scotch and set the glass down on a wooden coaster. She blinked her frozen eyes once and waited.
“Your father thinks you’re crazy.”
“I told you. My father’s a predator. And you’d be well advised to stay clear of him.”
“I know how to find Ray,” I said.
“You know how to find him?”
“I know how he got out of the courthouse. And I know who helped him.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“I thought you’d want to know.”
“I didn’t hire you, Mr. Kelly.”
“You need to know.”
“Fine. I’m listening.”
I pulled up my bag and took out my laptop. “There’s a grad student I met. Getting his master’s in architecture. He’s been hanging around the federal building on and off since college.”
“Doing what?”
“Taking pictures. He was there the day Ray was sentenced. Up on the twenty-fifth floor with both of you. Then again in the parking garage. Maybe you remember him?”
“What does he look like?”
“Thirties. Light brown hair. Pretty fit.”
“I vaguely remember a man who came down after me in the elevator. But I’m quite sure I was alone when Ray’s elevator arrived.”
“You weren’t. The grad student took these photos.” I turned around the laptop and clicked on a picture. “You’re waiting for your husband in this first one.”
She studied the picture, the muscles in her jaw working overtime.
“Here’s the one I want you to focus on,” I said and pulled up the second picture. “This is the moment when the elevator door opens and you realize Ray’s not in the car.”
She gave the image a long look and sniffed. “I remember it. So what?”
“Look at the photo.”
“I did.”
I opened up another file and clicked on another image. “This is a picture I took an hour ago. The same open elevator door, shot at roughly the same angle. I had the grad student stand in for you.”
“You’re lucky you’re not working for me, Mr. Kelly. I have a feeling you wouldn’t last long.”
“You don’t see it?”
“See what?”
“In the picture I took today the back wall inside the elevator car is bathed in light. The entire wall. It comes from a single fixture mounted in the car’s ceiling.”
“Fascinating.”
“Now look at the picture of the empty car you’re staring into.” I pointed. “There’s a shadow across a portion of the back wall. Why do you think that is?”
She glanced again, first at one photo, then the other. “No idea.”
“It couldn’t have been cast by you because you were still standing outside the car.”
“All right, it couldn’t have been cast by me.”
“There was someone in that elevator car, Ms. Perry. Someone tucked away in the corner so only you could see him—but big enough to cast a shadow.”
“One of us is insane, Mr. Kelly. Fortunately, it’s not me.”
“The grad student told me you were the only one who actually looked into the elevator. Then the door closed, and you called upstairs to sound the alarm.”
“So?”
“What happened to the elevator car itself?”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
I closed
up my laptop. “Whoever was in that car took it to an upper floor. I haven’t got the records yet, so I don’t know exactly where. Then he got out and disappeared into the crowd.”
“Ray couldn’t have done that. They had the building locked down almost immediately and weren’t letting anyone leave. Besides, they have cameras on every floor. Someone would have seen him.”
I smiled. “Not if Ray was already gone.”
“I’m not following you.”
“You’re following me, Ms. Perry. Hell, you’re a mile ahead and stepping on the gas. Eddie Ward was the guy in that car when it hit the parking garage level. He was part of the plan from the start. When Eddie got on the elevator that afternoon he was carrying a canvas tool bag. In the bag were work clothes identical to his own. I think Ray stepped onto the elevator at twenty-five and changed into those clothes. He slouched Eddie’s Cubs hat over his head, put his own clothes into the bag and got off on the thirteenth floor dressed as Eddie. Then Ray took the stairs to the ground floor and walked out of the building before the alarm was ever raised. Eddie rode the elevator to the basement and was crouched in the corner when you peeked in. While everyone ran around looking for Ray, Eddie took the car up one or two floors and got out. He hung around the building, showed the cops his ID, and eventually gave a statement to police.”
“Truly unhinged.”
“Maybe. But if I’m right, it will all be on the security tapes. And easy to find once you know what you’re looking for. Eddie arriving with the bag in the morning. Ray dressed as Eddie getting off on the thirteenth floor with the bag in his hand. And then the interesting part. A second ‘Eddie’ getting off somewhere else in the building. Without a bag. No one’s ever looked for that. But it won’t be hard to spot. And then it all comes back to you.”
Somewhere outside, a crack of thunder boomed and echoed. Marie Perry started to say something, then paused and took another sip of her drink. When she smiled, it gave me a quick chill.
“What do you want?”
“Tell me if I’m right.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “Do your best. See if I care.”
“This can go one of two ways, Ms. Perry. I can go to the feds and let them run you down. Or I can feed you in pieces to the press. Either way it’s not gonna be fun.”
“And what if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not. And even if I am, it won’t matter. Everyone will believe it just because they want to. You’ll be fresh meat all over again, and people love that.”
The apartment had gone quiet again, save for a clock ticking away on the fireplace mantel and the steady fall of rain outside.
“I need a moment,” she said.
I nodded and she left. I settled in to watch the clock. After five minutes, I got up and walked down a carpeted hallway. To my left was a kitchen full of polish and stainless steel, then an open door that led to a bedroom. I stuck my head in and saw a tangle of sheets, but nothing else. On the other side of the hall were a bathroom and another door. I took out my gun and nudged the door with my foot.
“Come in, Mr. Kelly.”
I pushed all the way in. Marie Perry was sitting behind a large old desk, staring at the rain streaming down a dark set of double-paned windows.
“This is Ray’s desk,” she said.
I sat down opposite her.
“My God, you took out your gun.”
“It would be better if I could see your hands.”
“Is it as serious as all that?”
“You tell me, ma’am.”
She raised her hands slowly and placed them flat on the desk. “Better?”
I slipped my gun back into its holster. “Talk to me, Ms. Perry.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Why are we in here?”
“This is Ray’s room. Everything in here belongs to him.”
“I assume the FBI’s been through it all.”
“With a fine-tooth comb. I insisted they ship it all back when they were done. His car’s out in the garage. I haven’t driven it since the day of the sentencing, but I keep it anyway.”
“I’m right, aren’t I, Ms. Perry?”
“About what?”
“The elevator. Ray’s disappearance. Eddie Ward.”
“If you’re asking if I helped my husband avoid spending the best part of his life in jail, the answer is yes, I did.”
Her whiskey sat on the desk. She reached for it, but thought better. “Those charges were a sham, Mr. Kelly. A political witch hunt. Ray didn’t pressure people for donations. For Chrissakes, we had people lining up to give us cash.”
“Where is he, Ms. Perry?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I didn’t think you would.” She slipped her hands beneath the desk again. I reached for my piece, and she froze. “I’m getting something out of my bag. It’s not a gun. And you might find it instructive.”
I nodded. “Go ahead.”
She took out a long white envelope and placed it between us. Her first name was scrawled across the front.
“What is it?” I said.
“Ray gave me this on the morning he disappeared. Step-by-step instructions. What I had to do to get him out of the courthouse. What I needed to do after.”
I reached for the envelope. Her voice stopped me. “Ray’s dead, Mr. Kelly. Been dead for a while. He said it was easier that way.”
CHAPTER 21
“Exactly how did Ray get dead?” I said.
“Read the letter. It’s all in there.”
She got up and left. I sat behind Ray’s desk and read. He didn’t give up the big picture. Just specific directions for his wife. The elevator scam worked pretty much as I thought. Eddie Ward was in the car when Marie looked in. He took the elevator back up to the third floor, then walked down to ground level and waited for the cops to find him. By that time, Ray was long gone. He didn’t give any indication in the letter where he was going. The closest he came was on the last page.
My lawyer tells me the feds are going to try and fit me with a monitoring bracelet until I report to prison. I can’t risk that. So it’s got to be the courthouse. Today. Once I’m gone, there’ll be a lot of scrutiny and threats. The government can’t touch you. Not if you follow my instructions and stick to the script. Don’t worry about Eddie. He’ll be taken care of. As for the rest, I know you can make a life out of it. Not in Chicago, maybe, but there are other places. Other dreams. Go after them. And forget about me. As far as you’re concerned, Marie, I’m dead. At least for now. It hasn’t been a perfect marriage, so maybe this is a blessing. I wish things could have been different, but we both know that wasn’t in the cards. I’m sorry. Love, Ray.
—
I heard a footfall in the hall outside. She was at the door.
“Finished?”
“Why do you have your coat on?”
“I assume we’re going down to the police station.”
“Why would we do that?”
“To give my statement. There’s nothing in that letter that’s going to lead them to Ray. And I don’t know where he is, so that’s another dead end. I’m sorry to steal your thunder, but I’d rather the police hear it directly from me.”
“Sit down, Ms. Perry.”
“I suspect ‘Marie’ is fine at this point.”
“Sit down.”
She took the seat I’d been in and waited, her smile shivering in its newfound vulnerability.
“You seem almost happy,” I said.
“I’m just ready to move on.”
“That’s what your husband advises.”
“Ray could be calculating when he needed to be.”
I tapped the letter. “He says in here that Eddie’s gonna be ‘taken care of.’ You know what that means?”
“I assume he’d be paid.”
“So Ray had cash?”
She blinked. “I don’t know.”
“Why start lying now,
Marie?”
“I’m not lying.”
“You helped Ray either because you still love him, in which case all this talk about a marriage of convenience is just that. Talk.”
“Or?”
“Or you helped him for some other reason.”
“And you think it’s about money?”
“Sorry, but it’s just how things usually work. Either way, you’re not telling me everything.”
“You know as much as I do, Mr. Kelly. And sitting here staring at each other isn’t going to change that.”
“Fine,” I said and got up.
“Are we going to the police?”
“We’re going to see a friend.”
“I didn’t think we had any mutual friends.”
“He’s not my friend. He’s yours. An electrician named Eddie Ward.”
CHAPTER 22
Beatrice cracked the door as I tiptoed by. I gave her my best grin. She took one look and ducked back inside. One floor up, the door to Eddie Ward’s apartment was exactly as I’d left it—broken. Marie hadn’t said a word on the ride over and didn’t seem surprised to be here. I wondered if she already knew what we’d find inside. I took out my gun and pushed the door open. The place hadn’t changed a bit. I knelt and touched a finger to the layer of gray grit on the floor. I realized now what I should have seen then. It was cement dust. In the back of the apartment, the bedroom was still empty. I checked the closets and looked under the bed. Then I stripped off the blankets and sheets, but couldn’t find any sign of the dust. Marie watched me from the doorway. Across from the bedroom was Eddie’s only bathroom. At the very back of the bathroom was a claw-foot tub closed off by a shower curtain. I’d ignored the tub on my first visit. Now, I approached it and parted the shower curtain with the barrel of my gun. Someone had turned Eddie Ward’s tub into a concrete paperweight. I pulled out my phone and took a picture. Then I called Rodriguez.
—
We sat in the living room and waited for Rodriguez to show. Marie Perry’s eyes kept dancing toward the back of the apartment. For the first time since I’d met her, she seemed truly nervous.
“Who did you call?” she said.
“A detective buddy of mine. I told him I needed a half hour.”
“Why?”
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