I was tempted to do something to her like draw a mustache on her face or autograph her butt. Cooler heads prevailed and I lifted her feet onto the bed, hopefully made her comfortable, covered her with an afghan, and turned out the light. Then went back into the kitchen, pulled a stool in front of the laptop, and punched in the password DB+DB to see if I could learn anything. After two hours I was just as stupid as when I started.
Sometime well after midnight I grabbed a blanket from Heidi’s hall closet and ever the gentleman, settled in for the night on her couch.
Heidi’s cursing coming from the kitchen woke me about 7:15 the following morning.
“God, I hate these god damned things,” she growled. She was fully dressed, groomed, and shaking an aspirin bottle.
“What is the problem?”
“I just want to open this damn thing. Why do they have to make them so fucking difficult?”
“Are you referring to the childproof cap?” I asked, taking the white plastic container from her hand.
She stormed over to the sink and ran tap-water into a glass.
“Oh please, spare me the superior attitude and just open the damn thing.”
Heidi with a hangover was not a fun experience, for anyone.
“Two or four?” I asked, shaking two into my hand.
“God, the whole bottle. Oh, why did you do that to me? I’ve got an 8:45 conference call and then follow-up meetings all day. I’ll never be able to make it.”
“Okay, first of all, I didn’t do anything to you. Believe me, nothing happened.”
“Oh sorry,” she said looking beyond pitiful.
“Second, I was out of line sitting on you and forcing you to drink the better part of two bottles of red wine.”
“Okay, okay, that’s not helping just now.”
“If it’s any consolation, you look beautiful.”
“Do I?”
“Yes. I’ve got the coffee ready to turn on. Can you wait two minutes and I’ll pour you a travel mug?”
“No I need to run, I’ll grab some at work, and…”
“Okay, but make sure you do, and grab a couple of pastries just to get something in your stomach, promise?”
“Yeah, okay thanks, Dev. Sorry about the lack of, well you know, catch you later?”
“Not a problem, Heidi. Now go on and get to that conference call,” I gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Yeah, sorry but I better run, let yourself out.”
Chapter 42
I was standing in the dark, in a two car garage across the street and kitty corner from the Spot bar. It was half past eight in the evening. I was looking out a grimy window to see if Kerri would show up, and if she did was she alone? Jimmy had talked with her the night before when she came looking for me, bought her a double vodka martini.
“God, I could have watched her drink those things all night long, on the house. She is one great-looking woman, Dev. How’d she ever end up with you?” he asked, sounding like she’d somehow had to settle for second prize.
Kerri didn’t show at nine, or nine thirty. About ten minutes to ten I saw her car creep past and park fifty feet farther down the street. As she parked, a dark-colored SUV flicked its lights at her from across the street. She walked into the Spot alone, exited a minute later, and had a short but animated conversation on her cell. When that was finished she stuffed the cell in her purse and went back inside.
I figured Jimmy must have enticed her to wait with the offer of another free double martini while her friends across the street just cooled their heels.
There’s a front and a side door to the Spot. The SUV was parked in such a way that it could watch both doors. The nice thing about being a regular at a place is that you learn the pattern of how things operate, or at least how they’re supposed to operate. There’s a back door, too. It’s used for the occasional picnic in the parking lot and to take out the trash after closing.
I left the garage, walked in the opposite direction, then around the block, crossed the street a block farther down, and went up the alley to the back door. I peeked around the corner; the SUV was still parked across the street. I tried the door. It was locked so I phoned the bar.
“The Spot and we’re open,” Jimmy’s voice.
“Jimmy, Dev. Don’t say my name.”
“Hey, Dev, that lady is here waiting for you.”
“Are you fucking listening? I said don’t say my name.”
“Oh, yeah sorry ‘bout that.”
“Did she hear you?”
“No, she’s picking a couple of songs over at the jukebox. Want me to put her on?”
“No, no, Jesus don’t do that. I don’t want her to know we’re talking.” I peeked around the corner again, the SUV was still in the same place.
“You coming in or you want me to tell her to take off?” Jimmy was finally getting on board.
“I’m at the back door, can you slip back here and let me in?”
“The back door?” he paused and I could almost hear him thinking on the phone. “Okay, yeah I can be there in just a minute, hang on.” He’d obviously set the phone down on the bar, ‘cause I was still listening to background noise when the door clicked open.
“What the hell is it with all the secret stuff? You trying to surprise this chick or something?” Jimmy asked.
“Look Jim, we’re going to leave out this door in just a half minute or so. Can you leave it unlocked.”
“You’re going back out this door? You must have a husband or boyfriend on your ass?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“Well, she might be worth the risk. Like I said before, I wanna see the pictures, man.”
We walked across the nondescript little back room that used to serve as a kitchen and into the barroom. Kerri had returned to her stool at the far end of the bar and sat sipping her free martini. She was staring at the front door, looking bored. Jimmy stepped behind the bar. I walked the length of it and came up behind her.
“Kerri?”
She turned and stared at me with a shocked look on her face. Then looked over my shoulder like she expected something to happen, maybe the side door was supposed to burst open.
It didn’t.
“Kerri?” I asked again.
“Oh, Dev, what a surprise. I was hoping I might run into you here. Sorry you had to leave so quickly the other day.” She said it like I’d had to make a meeting instead of fleeing a carload of her thug pals. One of whom was promptly drilled between the eyes.
“Yeah, that was unfortunate. Hey let’s you and I take a walk, okay?”
“I would like that. Can I buy you a drink first? I guess I wanted to tell you how sorry I am if I caused you any trouble, you know, with shooting you in the head and all. Of course, I feel bad about doing that.”
Trouble? I thought, lady, you have no idea what I got planned for you. But then again, neither did I. So I said, “No problem. Look, leave the drink and let’s go outside for a minute.” I looked to either side then raised my shirt, showed her the pistol shoved into my belt. I took her by the arm, not too forcefully.
She didn’t protest, didn’t appear concerned about the pistol either, for that matter. She just smiled and led us toward the side door.
“Oh, not that door, there’s another one back here,” I said, directing her by the elbow again. There was some slight hesitation and she looked up at me, unsure.
“Relax, if I was going to do something like hurt you, you think I’d want all these witnesses around who can place us leaving together?”
“I suppose you are right. Mind if I just phone a friend? I’ll tell her I might be a little late.” She smiled nastily, slowly licked her lip, then produced the cell phone in her hand, opened it up to call.
“Yeah, actually I do mind, let’s go.” I took the cell out of her hand, closed it, and steered her into the back room and out the door.