Mark didn’t have the stomach for it. Under the suspicious gaze of the listing agent, he headed for the patio and sat down beside the sparkling water of the vanishing pool. The patio was flanked by manzanita bushes, and hummingbirds flitted on delicate baby-blue flowers. The vast canyon stretched below, the grid of streets indistinct in the afternoon light.
Over his shoulder, above the roofline, high on a distant ridge, the tops of the letters of the Hollywood sign were visible. This is what he’d wanted, he thought ruefully, what he dreamed he’d be doing when he made it as a writer, sitting by his pool, in the hills, under the sign. He just thought it would last longer than five minutes.
Kerry rushed out the French doors and almost wept at the view. “Mark, I love this one so much. I love it, I love it, I love it!”
“She loves it,” the Realtor added, coming up behind.
“How much?” Mark asked woodenly.
“They’re asking three-four, and I think that’s a good price. There’s a million-five in renovations…”
“We’ll take it.” He was expressionless.
“Mark!” Kerry screamed. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him a dozen times.
“Well, you’ve made two women extremely happy,” the Realtor said greedily. “Kerry tells me you’re a writer. I think you’re going to write a lot of great scripts sitting right beside this gorgeous pool! I’m going to submit your offer and call you tonight at your hotel!”
Kerry was snapping photos with her cell-phone camera. It didn’t sink in right away, but when Mark realized what was happening he sprang up and snatched it out of her hand. “Did you take any pictures before?”
“No! Why?”
“You turned the phone on just now?”
“Yes! What’s the big deal?”
He hit the off button. “You’re low on power. Mine’s dead. I’m trying to conserve in case we need to make a call.” He handed it back to her.
“Okay, silly.” She looked at him reproachfully, as if to say: Don’t be acting weird again. “Come and look inside with me! I’m so happy!”
Frazier was dozing at his desk when one of his men tapped him on his shoulder. He awoke with a thick snort.
“We got a ping from Hightower’s phone. It was on and off, real quick.”
“Where are they?”
“East Hollywood Hills.”
Frazier clawed his unshaven cheek. “Okay, we caught a break. Maybe we’ll get a second one. What’s DeCorso’s status?”
“He’s in position, waiting for authorization.”
Frazier closed his eyes again. “Wake me up when the Pentagon calls back.”
Elder was lining up his drive on the eighteenth hole. Back-dropping the green was a thirty-seven-foot-high waterfall, a magnificent way to finish a round. “What do you think,” he asked the Wynn exec. “Driver?”
“Oh yeah, let the big dog play, Nelson. You’ve been crushing it all day.”
“You know, if I par this, it’ll be the best round I ever shot.”
Hearing this, the fire captain and the CEO edged a little closer to check out the ball path.
“For Christ’s sake! Don’t jinx yourself!” the Wynn guy yelped.
Elder’s backswing was slow and flawless, and at the top of the arc-a moment before a bullet ripped through his skull, splattering the foursome with blood and brains-it occurred to him that life was extremely good.
DeCorso confirmed the kill through his sniper scope, then efficiently broke the weapon down, tossed it in a suit bag, and exited the eleventh floor hotel room with its desirable view of the pristine golf course.
When they got back to their suite, Kerry wanted to make love, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He begged off, blaming the sun, and retreated to take a shower. She kept nattering through the door, too excited to stop talking, while he let the powerful shower drown out the sound of his crying.
The Realtor had told Kerry that Cut, the restaurant in their hotel, was to die for, a comment that made him wince. She pleaded to go there for dinner, and anything she wanted, he was going to give her, though his fervent desire was to hide in their room.
She looked stunning in her red dress, and when they made their entry, heads turned to see if she was a celebrity. Mark carried his briefcase, so the betting-man scenario was an actress meeting her agent or lawyer. This skinny fellow was surely too homely to be her date, unless, of course, he was filthy rich.
They were seated at a window table under a massive skylight, which by dessert time would bring the moonlight flooding into the room.
She wanted to talk of nothing but the house. It was a dream come true-no, more than that, because, she exclaimed, she never dreamed such a place even existed. It was so high up it felt like being in a spaceship, like the UFO she’d seen as a girl. She was like a kid with her questions: when was he going to quit his job, when were they going to move, what kind of furniture would they buy, when should she start acting lessons, when was he going to start writing again? He would shrug or answer monosyllabically and stare out the window, and she’d race to the next thought.
Suddenly she stopped talking, which made him look up. “Why are you so sad?” she asked.
“I’m not.”
“Yes you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
She didn’t look convinced but let it pass and said, “Well, I’m happy. This is the best day of my whole life. If I hadn’t met you, I’d be-well, I wouldn’t be here! Thank you, Mark Shackleton.”
She blew him a kittenish kiss that broke through and made him smile. “That’s better!” she purred.
Her phone rang from inside her bag.
“Your phone!” he said. “Why is it on?” He scared her with his panicky expression.
“Gina needed a number if they accepted our offer.” She was fumbling for it. “That’s probably her!”
“How long has it been on!” he moaned.
“I don’t know. A few hours. Don’t worry, the battery’s fine.” She clicked ANSWER. “Hello?” She looked disappointed and confused. “It’s for you!” she said, handing it to him.
He caught his breath and held it to his ear. The voice was male, authoritative, cruel. “Listen to me, Shackleton. This is Malcolm Frazier. I want you to walk out of the restaurant and go back to your room and wait for the watchers to pick you up. I’m sure you checked the database. Today is not your day. It was Nelson Elder’s day and he’s gone. It’s Kerry Hightower’s day. It’s not your day. But that doesn’t mean we can’t hurt you badly and make you wish that it were. We need to find out how you did it. This doesn’t have to be hard.”
“She doesn’t know anything,” Mark said in a pleading whisper, turning his body away.
“It doesn’t matter what you say. It’s her day. So, stand up and leave, right now. Do you understand me?”
He didn’t respond for several heartbeats.
“Shackleton?”
He shut the phone and pushed his chair back.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“It’s nothing.” He was breathing hard. His face was twisted.
“Is it about your auntie?”
“Yes. I’ve got to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” He fought to keep himself together, unable to look at her.
“My poor baby,” she said soothingly. “I’m worried about you. I want you to be as happy as me. You hurry back to your Kerry-bear, okay?”
He picked up his briefcase and walked away, a man to the gallows, small shuffling steps, head bowed. As he reached the lobby he heard the sound of breaking glass followed by two full agonizing seconds of silence, then piercing female screams and thunderous male shouts.
The restaurant and lobby were a whir of bodies, running, scrambling, pushing. Mark kept walking like a zombie straight out the Wilshire entrance, where a car was idling at the curb, waiting for the valet. The parking attendant wanted to see what was going on in the lobby and made for the revolving doors.