It had been the blue blazer, actually, that gave him the idea. He knew it was a common courtesy for yachtsmen anchored in proximity of one another to exchange visits, share drinks, or otherwise pay a courtesy call. He’d pose as a yachtsman, go on board, and see what there was to see. But these were bad guys, drug smugglers — he’d have to play it very, very carefully.
He soon discovered it wouldn’t be as simple as just strolling into the marina. The place was surrounded by a chain-link fence and sported a staffed guardhouse by a closed gate. A big sign read GUESTS BY INVITATION ONLY. The place reeked of money, sealed off from the hoi polloi.
He studied the chain-link fence, which ran along the shore, back from the water, and disappeared into some brush. Making sure no one was watching, he followed the fence into the brush, pushing his way into the growth along the riverbank. And there he found what he was looking for: a low gap.
He squeezed through, rose, brushed himself off, replaced the cap on his head, tugged his jacket smooth, and went walking along the shore, keeping to the brush. After fifty yards he could make out a boathouse ahead, and the beginning of the piers and docks. With another quick adjustment to his attire, he stepped out into the open and quickly scrambled down to the walkway above the pier, then began ambling along it as if he were just another yachtsman taking the air. A marina employee was working on the dock past the boathouse, where several dozen tenders were tied up at numbered spots.
“Good evening,” Betterton said.
The man looked up, greeted him, went back to work.
“I wonder,” Betterton said, “if you’d be willing to take me out to the yacht over there.” He pulled a twenty from his pocket and nodded at the white vessel moored about five hundred yards off.
The man rose. He peered at the twenty, then at Betterton. “The Vergeltung?”
“Right. And please wait there to take me back. I won’t be on board more than five minutes, maybe ten, tops.”
“What’s your business?”
“A courtesy call. One yachtsman to another. I’ve been admiring the boat and thinking of upgrading to something similar, myself. My yacht is over there.” He waved vaguely at the anchorage.
“Well…”
There was a movement within the darkness of the boathouse and another man appeared, maybe thirty-five years old, with faded brown hair and a dark tan despite it being November. “I’ll take him over, Brad,” the new arrival said, scrutinizing Betterton.
“Right, Vic. He’s all yours.”
“And you’ll wait for me while I’m on board?” Betterton asked.
The man nodded, then pointed to one of the marina’s tenders. “Hop in.”
CHAPTER 60
DR. FELDER PACED BACK AND FORTH BEFORE the leaded-glass windows of Dr. Ostrom’s office at Mount Mercy Hospital. He took a long, deep, shuddering breath, stared at the brown marshes beyond, a chevron of geese flying south.
What an afternoon it had been — what a terrible afternoon. The NYPD had come and gone, having turned the place upside down, asked questions, disturbed the inmates, and ransacked Constance’s room. One detective still remained on the premises for follow-up: he was now standing just outside the office, conferring with Dr. Ostrom in low tones. Ostrom glanced over, saw Felder was looking at him, frowned with disapproval, and turned back to the detective.
So far they’d managed to keep the story out of the papers, but that wasn’t going to help him much. And it likely wouldn’t last long. Already he’d received a call from the mayor, who had told him in no uncertain terms that — unless Constance Greene was returned to Mount Mercy with minimal fuss and zero collateral damage — Felder could start dusting off his résumé. That it now appeared Dr. Poole had participated in the escape — perhaps engineered it — didn’t really do him any good. The fact was, it was Felder’s name on the outing request.
What could this Dr. Poole possibly want with Constance? Why would he take such great risks to spirit her away from Mount Mercy? Was he working at the behest of an unknown relation? Could Pendergast have been involved?
At the thought of Pendergast, Felder shuddered.
There was a commotion down the hall, near the guard station by the hospital entrance. A white-clad orderly walked toward Ostrom and the detective. Felder stopped pacing and watched while the orderly conferred briefly with Ostrom.
The director of Mount Mercy turned toward Felder. “There’s a woman here to see you.”
Felder frowned. “A woman?” Who knew he was here right now, save for Dr. Ostrom and the staff? Nevertheless he followed the orderly down the corridor and back to the guard station.
A woman was indeed waiting by the entrance: fiftyish, short, thin as a twig, with fiery red hair and bright red lipstick. A faux Burberry bag was draped over one shoulder. She walked with a cane.
“I’m Dr. Felder,” he said, letting himself past the guard station. “You wanted to see me?”
“No,” she said in a high, querulous voice.
“No?” Felder repeated, surprised.
“I don’t know you from Adam. And tracking you down wasn’t exactly my idea of a pleasant afternoon. I don’t have a car, and do you know how difficult it is to get out here without one? It was hard enough even learning whereMount Mercy is. Little Governor’s Island — bah. I tell you, I nearly gave up twice.” She leaned forward, tapping her cane on the marble floor for emphasis. “But I was promised money.”
Felder looked at her in confusion. “Money? Who promised you money? What does this have to do with me?”
“The girl.”
“Which girl?”
“The girl that gave me the note. Told me to bring it to Dr. Felder at Mount Mercy. Said I’d be paid.” Another tap of the cane.
“Girl?” Felder echoed. My Lord, it has to be Constance.“Where did you see this girl?”
“From my back garden. But that’s not important. What I want to know is this: are you going to pay me or not?”
“Do you have the note?” Felder asked. He felt himself flushing in his eagerness to see it.
The woman nodded, but suspiciously, as if she might be subjected to a search for admitting this fact.
With shaking hands, Felder dug into his suit pocket, pulled out his wallet, peeled off a fifty, and held it out to her.
“I had to take twotaxis,” the woman said, placing it inside her bag.
Felder plucked out a twenty, handed it over.
“And I’ll need to take a taxi back. It’s waiting outside.”
Another twenty was produced — the last bill in Felder’s wallet — and it vanished as quickly as the others. Then the woman reached into her bag and produced a single piece of paper, folded in half. One edge was ragged, as if it had been ripped from a book. She handed it to him. Written on it, in Constance’s precise copper-plate hand, was the following:
Please take this note immediately to Dr.
Felder, care of Mount Mercy Hospital,
Little Governor’s Island. Please — IT’S A
MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH.
Felder will give you a monetary reward.
His hands shaking even more, he unfolded the piece of paper. To his surprise, the message inside was written to somebody else — Pendergast:
Aloysius — I have been kidnapped by a
man who claims he is your brother-in-law,