The Maze

by Catherine Coulter

  Sherlock looked up. Her eyes were very bright and very green. “It’s Sunday, sir, and we were going to watch the Redskins game. I’d prefer the San Francisco 49ers but you don’t show them here unless they’re playing on Monday Night Football.”

  Before Jimmy Maitland could leap on Sherlock, Savich said, “I just wanted her to rest today, sir. I’d planned to speak to you about it tomorrow. However, it’s kind of you to have driven all the way over here.”

  “Why the hell is she here?”

  “She was attacked in her town house. I didn’t think it was safe for her to remain there.”

  Maitland grunted at that. “So what the hell’s going on here? It’s about that little prick Marlin Jones, isn’t it?”

  She knew if she told him she had no idea what it was about, he’d probably have a coronary, so she said simply, “Yes, sir. I don’t think our job is quite done yet. I’m going back to Boston to talk to him again. There are some loose ends, some things that just don’t fit together. The last thing we want is any uncertainty. Remember Richard Jewell and the Atlanta Olympic bombing? We looked like secretive, cover-your-behind boobs in that deal. We were heavy-handed, let the media in on everything before we had anything remotely conclusive, and then we left the guy twisting in the wind. We took his reputation, his good name. Sir, we even took his Tup-perware. Let me finish properly with Marlin Jones. Just this week, sir. That’s all I need, just this week.”

  Reference to the Richard Jewell fiasco made Jimmy Maitland nearly chew clean through his cigar. “You mean we could get burned in this?”

  “It’s possible, sir. As I said, I’ll be going up on Tuesday and get everything settled. Maybe stay until the end of the week. Please, sir.”

  “Who the hell tried to whack you, Agent Sherlock?”

  She should have known he would home in on that. Mr. Maitland was a very tenacious man. “I don’t believe it was a whack job, sir, more like a threat, but it is one of the loose ends.”

  “I don’t like my agents getting whacked, Agent Sherlock.”

  “No, sir.” As the whackee, she hadn’t liked it either, but she didn’t think Mr. Maitland would laugh if she said that. She moved even closer to the edge of her seat. Her head was aching. Her shoulder throbbed. She felt mildly light-headed. She wanted Dillon to kiss her. She saw him naked over her and choked on the sip of water she’d just taken.

  “You okay, Sherlock?” Savich half rose in his chair, then at her look, he sat down again. What would he have done anyway? Hugged her? Yeah, that would have been a real treat for Maitland. He might have just stroked out on the spot. Savich prayed Maitland wouldn’t ask any more questions about her attacker. He didn’t have any convincing answers made up just yet. He didn’t want to bring in her family, at least not just yet.

  She said, “Yes, sir, I’m just fine.”

  She was red in the face; she wouldn’t look at him. She was staring at the black tassels on her Bally loafers. If his boss hadn’t been sitting six feet from him, he might have thrown her over his shoulder and carried her upstairs. He smiled really big at Jimmy Maitland. “I’ll go with her to Boston. We’ll get it all wrapped up.”

  “Marlin Jones is in jail. Who the hell attacked Agent Sherlock? Why?”

  “We don’t know yet, sir, but we’re betting the answer lies with Marlin Jones.”

  “You don’t know that, Savich. It might be entirely unrelated.” No one said a word. Jimmy Maitland sighed and pulled himself to his feet. He was tired. He’d had too much beer to drink the night before at a retirement party for Bucky Hendricks, an old New York agent who’d been a terror in his day. Even the Mob had sent him a gold watch. He wanted to go home and watch the Redskins too. He said, “Go on to Boston, then. I see you don’t want to tell me you really have no idea if Marlin Jones is connected with this attack on Sherlock. There is one thing though, Savich. The young cop who messed up and let two of the old people go in that Florida nursing home murder—he has no idea. We were right—all old people look the same to him. Oh yeah, there’s been a spate of murders in South Dakota, right in Elk Point, then the guy went over the border into Iowa. Nasty business. The police chief in Sioux City is frantic.”

  “I’ll deal with it tomorrow, sir.” Savich rose and walked Jimmy Maitland to the front door.

  “This place,” Maitland said, taking one last sweeping look. “I remember one night when your grandmother came down those stairs wearing this lemon yellow chiffon gown. Lord, she must have been at least seventy-five then but she was a queen. You’ve done well with it, Savich. Your brother the artist still pissed at you that she gave you the house?”

  “Not too pissed now. He got over it.”

  “I hate that modern stuff. Tell Ryan to go Impressionist, can’t go wrong there. As for that dolphin of yours I bought, I still like it. Nice work. Oh yeah, take care of Sherlock.” He paused a moment, carefully wrapped his unlit cigar in a handkerchief and slid it into his jacket pocket, then walked to the front door. He lowered his voice. “I suppose you know what you’re doing.” He nodded toward the living room where Sherlock was sitting still as a stone, still staring down at her shoes.

  “I sure hope so, sir.”

  “It’s been what? Five years since Claire died?”

  “Yes, five years.”

  “Sherlock is getting high marks in the Bureau.”

  “She deserves them. I’m glad I was bright enough to latch onto her right out of training. She’s a plus to the Unit.”

  “I imagine she’s also other things to you, but that’s none of my business. Make sure it remains none of my business. You take care of her, all right, Savich? And yourself. And call when you need backup.”

  “Yes, sir, I will.” Savich paused just a moment, then turned, smiled, and strolled back into the living room, whistling.

  She said immediately, “What dolphin was Mr. Maitland talking about?”

  “I told you I whittled. The dolphin was a piece my sister stole out of here and put on consignment in the Lampton Gallery. She was all over me to quit the FBI when the piece sold. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that my boss bought it.”

  “I see,” she said slowly. “Do you happen, by any chance, to have any more whittled pieces around here?”

  “A couple.”

  He was clearly uncomfortable. She just smiled at him. “Have you ever carved teak?”

  “Oh yes, but my favorite is maple.”

  “You’ve been doing it a long time. Some of the scars on your hands look very old.”

  “Since I was a kid.”

  She said nothing more.

  It was chilly in Boston, the sky a dull gray, the clouds fat with rain. The buildings looked old and tired, ready to fold in on themselves. Lacey shivered in the small interrogation room, waiting for them to bring in Marlin Jones. She would have given about anything to be in San Francisco at that moment, where everything was at least two hundred years newer and the chances were really good that it was sunny. Then she remembered what was in Boston and shook her head. Where was Marlin Jones? Naturally his lawyer, Big John Bullock, would be with him. She hoped she could talk him into leaving her alone with Marlin. Just five minutes; that’s all she wanted. Dillon was close by, just outside, speaking with the two homicide detectives in charge of Marlin Jones’s case. Lots of people behind the two-way mirror would be watching and listening.

  She heard leg shackles pounding hard. She looked up. Marlin stood in the doorway. He looked hard and tough, all gentle edges carved off him. He stared at her for a very long time, not moving, not saying a word. Then, finally, terrifyingly, he smiled. He lifted his shackled hands and waved his fingers at her. “Hey, Marty, how’s your arm? I remember how that felt, throwing that knife at you, watching it hit you, dig right into your skin. It went in so easy. Still hurt from my knife, Marty?”

  “No, Marlin, I’m just fine. How’s your belly? Can you stand up straight yet? You got a big scar to show for my bullet?”

  He grew utterly still.
The vicious light in his eyes went out, leaving them dark and opaque. “You’ve still got that smart mouth on you, Marty. That wasn’t an act you put on for me. You need a man to teach you how to behave.”

  “Be quiet, Marlin,” Big John said, lightly touching his fingertips to Marlin’s forearm. Marlin shook him off.

  Big John never stopped looking at Lacey. “Forget it, Agent Sherlock. There’s no way I’ll leave you alone with him.” He sat down.

  “You sit down now too,” a sergeant said, shoving Marlin into a chair. “Don’t move or I’ll shackle you to the arms. I’m standing right behind you, boy. Just keep your hands on the tabletop. Don’t even let your hair grow, you got that?”

  Marlin didn’t say a word. “He’s got it,” said Big John. “Don’t worry, Officer.”

  “You and I did a lot of dancing when I was last in Boston, Marlin. You remember our last tango through your little maze, don’t you?”

  “I thought you were so pretty, so precious, but then you started saying those bad things. But you don’t even have a husband, do you?”

  “Nope, no husband.” She was holding her ballpoint pen, lightly tapping it on the tabletop. She said, “You never saw me before I came into the lumber store, did you, Marlin?”

  “Me? See you?” He paused a moment, then smiled at her. “You think maybe that’s possible?” Then he shrugged and looked down at his dirty fingernails, ignoring her.

  “I don’t think I ever would have dated you, Marlin. You want to know why? Even though you look pretty interesting on the outside, you look dead on the inside, really dead, like you’ve been dead for a very long time.”

  “I’ll ask you that question on the witness stand, Agent Sherlock,” Big John said as he laced his fingers over his stomach. “Good stuff. To think I nearly refused to let Marlin say anything to you. Do keep talking. No juror will convict this poor fellow. Talk about not responsible—”

  She ignored Big John. She sat forward, laid down the pen, and clasped her hands on the table in front of her. It was Formica, scarred, stained. She wondered briefly when it had last been cleaned. “Have you ever seen me before, Marlin?”

  He was staring at her. At that moment, she felt she could see his dead eyes looking through her skin down to her bones, looking at the blood pulsing through her veins. For an instant, she saw him dip his hands into her blood. She jumped, then forced herself to stillness again. He was scary with those eyes of his, but she was the one making him into more than he was. He was a monster, but she was making him into the Devil. Just let him stare. There was nothing he could do to her. He’d already tried and she’d won. She had to remember that. “Did you, Marlin? Ever see me before Boston?”

  Slowly, he shook his head. “Nah. Maybe, but who cares? I still don’t like you even though you’re pretty. You’re a real bitch, Marty.”

  “I’d like you to tell me something, Marlin.”

  “If I feel like it.”

  “Remember when you were in the hospital I asked you to list the women you’d killed in San Francisco?”

  “I remember.”

  “You left out a woman named Belinda Madigan. Why? Why did you leave out her name?”

  “Did she curse?”

  “No. I’ve never cursed either, Marlin. Why did you leave out Belinda Madigan’s name?”

  He shrugged, his eyes narrowing now, and she saw into him, clearly. He knew he could play her along, he knew he was in control, he knew he could string her along until—until what? Had he ever seen her before? In San Francisco? Did he know who she was? Something was awfully wrong. She knew he was playing mind games with her, but she couldn’t stop.

  He grinned, showing all his beautiful straight white teeth. “I got trouble remembering sometimes, you know?”

  “Just maybe my father prosecuted you? He was an assistant D.A. in San Francisco seven years ago. His name is Corman Sherlock. Was that it, Marlin?”

  “I heard about your daddy, heard he was a mean son of a bitch, heard he never cut anybody any slack, but I never met him.”

  “Why did you kill Belinda Madigan?”

  Big John roared out of his chair, knocking it over. The sergeant grabbed his arm, his gun out. The door to the interrogation room burst open, and three armed officers rushed into the room.

  Lacey stood up slowly. “It’s all right, gentlemen. Mr. Bullock just got a bit riled, didn’t you, sir?”

  “You’ve got no right to ask him questions like that, Agent Sherlock. If you do it again, Marlin won’t say another word, the interview will be over, and there’ll never be another one. You got that?”

  “I got it.” She saw Dillon standing in the doorway, his expression set, his eyes hard. They’d argued about this, but in the end, he’d given in, allowing her to see Marlin alone. She knew he’d seen her desperation. He said nothing now, merely looked at her. She smiled, gave him a slight nod, then sat down again. “I’ll be careful with my questions, Mr. Bullock,” she said. “Please sit down, sir. If you feel like bounding around like that again, please don’t. I’d just as soon not get shot by accident.”

  “You just watch yourself, little lady.”

  “I’m Special Agent Sherlock,” she said mildly, admiring his tactic.

  He wasn’t stupid. He merely shrugged and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

  She turned to Marlin, who hadn’t moved or spoken throughout the ruckus. “Did I entrap you, Marlin?”

  “I don’t know what that means, Marty. I just knew I had to punish you. God sent me to punish his weak vessels, to purify them, to make them whole again.”

  “As in to make them dead, Marlin?”

  “Don’t answer that, Marlin. Watch yourself, Agent Sherlock.”

  “Why did you leave out Belinda Madigan’s name?”

  He gave her that superior smile again, disregarding her question. “Belinda who? I don’t know any Belinda. That’s a pretty name, old-fashioned. What’s she to you, Marty?”

  “Do you think I look much like her, Marlin?”

  “No, but I think you’re prettier, I always—”

  Big John Bullock’s mouth was working. He didn’t know what was going on, but he soon would. He wasn’t stupid.

  Lacey sat back in her chair and drew in a very deep breath.

  Big John said finally, “Who’s Belinda?”

  “She was one of the women in San Francisco that Marlin had to purify. It was seven years ago. He purified seven women in San Francisco. It was seven, wasn’t it, Marlin?”

  He was shaking his head. “No, not seven. I don’t do seven. My pa always told me that seven was a bad number, that it was even worse than thirteen. He’d always laugh at the hotels who didn’t have a thirteenth floor, told me that the fools on the fourteenth floor were on the thirteenth really, but they were too stupid to realize it. No, I never did seven, did six, like my pa told me.”

  “All right. The six women you purified in San Francisco, all of them cursed and bad-mouthed their husbands?”

  He nodded. Big John didn’t say anything, which Lacey considered a gift.

  “Did you date any of them, Marlin? You’re a good-looking guy, I bet it wouldn’t have been hard for you to get a date with almost any woman, right?”

  He nodded again. “Ladies like me,” he said, and studied his thumbnail. “They tell me I’m a great lover.”

  She nearly gagged. “You date Belinda?”

  “I told you, Marty, she wasn’t one of the women I had to purify. Why are you so interested in her anyway?”

  “I like the name. It’s unusual.”

  “I don’t like the name, but I like yours, Marty. It sounds kind of like a boy’s name. It was close, you know? Once I thought God wanted me to purify little boys, to correct them if they’d gotten a bad start, put them on the right path, but then I realized it wasn’t boys, it was girls. Women who’d had their chance to straighten out, but hadn’t. Women who’d married good men and turned on them. I slept with them, you know, just to mak
e sure they were the ones to take out. All six of them cheated on their husbands, told me what jerks they were, so then I was sure they had to walk the walk through my maze.”

  “Marlin,” Big John said very quietly, “shut up.”

  “Yeah, well, purify, then. That’s it, purify. I wish I’d gone to college. I could have learned more pretty words like purify.”

  She was riveted. She imagined that all the people listening to Marlin were riveted. She wondered what Savich was thinking.

  “You didn’t ask me out when I came to the hardware store.”

  “I know. That was weird. I slept with Hillary. She was good. She sucked me off really well. Do you know that she said bad things while I fucked her?”

  She would push back. “Why didn’t you try to fuck me, Marlin?”

  She watched him actually flinch. None of it was an act. “Don’t, Marty. That sounds so crazy coming from you. Don’t talk like that, okay?”

  “Okay. But why didn’t you want to be intimate with me, Marlin?”

  He shrugged. “You came on so strong, talking about your poor husband like you did, and then there was your foul mouth. You said all those bad words right in front of me.” He sighed. “But you know, I was just in a hurry. I couldn’t take the time to ask you out, to see if you’d sleep with me.”

  “Why the hurry, Marlin?”

  “Because God wanted me to go to Toronto. I couldn’t until I’d taken care of six women here in Boston. Yeah, I was in a hurry. I’m sorry, Marty. Do you wish I’d made love to you?”