Show of Evil

He sat in Stenner's darkened sedan. Maybe they were just answering a disturbance call. Maybe it was just a coincidence and they would leave. He decided to give them a few minutes.

Meyer drove the car to the row-house apartment south of Garfield Park. Vail sat in the backseat, twirling an unlit cigarette between his fingers. St Claire turned in the shotgun seat and looked back at him.

'What about Vulpes?' he asked. 'We got enough to pull him in?'

'For talking to a computer? We need the woman, then we'll decide. We're still not positive she's the copycat.'

'He's not going anywhere,' said Meyer. 'He's home singing duets with Jimmy Durante.'

'Okay,' said St Claire.

'You disagree?' Vail asked.

'Nope, just thinkin' out loud.'

'You got another nudge?' asked Meyer.

'Kinda.'

'What's a kinda nudge?' Meyer asked.

'It's just, you know, a kinda nudge. Ain't a full-fledged nudge yet.'

'Your nudges make me nervous, Harve,' Vail said.

'Why?'

'Because most of the time they turn out to be harbingers of doom.'

'Can't help it, just happens.'

'I'm not knocking it, I'm just saying they make me nervous.'

The police car was parked a block away from Rudi Hines's apartment. The driver was an old-timer named John Bohane. His partner, Richard Luscati, was a rookie, two months on the job.

'Lieutenant Johnson said we should wait here for you, Mr Vail, so as not to rile anybody up. We did walk down there and look around.'

'And…?'

'Her car's parked around back in an alley. Bonnet's warm. And there's a lot of blood on the front seat.'

'Uh-oh,' St Claire said.

'You think she's in there then?' Vail asked.

'Yes, sir, I do.'

'Okay, let's do this cautiously. This lady should be considered armed and dangerous.'

'Right.'

Meyer pulled the car in front of the patrol car and parked. The five men walked up the quiet deserted street to the converted row house.

'That's her apartment,' Bohane said, pointing to the corner of the second floor.

'There a back door?' St Claire asked.

'Uh-huh.'

'Whyn't you two go in the back, we'll take the front, just in case she decides to take a drive.'

'Right.'

The two patrolmen disappeared quietly down the paved walk that separated the two houses. Vail, St Claire, and Meyer walked quietly to the front door.

Vulpes watched as the second car pulled up beside the police car. He couldn't see what was going on. Then the new arrival pulled over to the kerb in front of the patrol car and three men got out. The cops joined them. They started across the street towards the apartment building. As they passed under the street light, he recognized Vail. His pulse throbbed in his jaw, increasing the pain, but he ignored it. He was overwhelmed with hatred. There was Vail, a block away, and he could do nothing about it.

Damn you, damn you, Vail! You figured it out faster than I gave you credit for.

Well, perhaps the police did not know about the attack on Stenner and Venable yet. Stenner was surely dead. Venable was out cold, so probably Stenner's car wasn't hot yet.

Maybe I hurt the bitch more than I thought. He laughed thinking about it. Still, he had to ditch the car in a hurry.

It was too late to help Hydra. Hopefully she was so far over the edge, she wouldn't give away the rest of the plan. Too bad, he thought. It was such a perfect plan and she had carried it out flawlessly until now. But Venable had screwed him up and now Vail had beat him to her.

He had to get away from there, lift another car and ditch Stenner's. He checked the map and found a group of high-rise apartments. Perfect, he thought. He had to find a parking lot and heist another car.

Goodbye, Hydra. Sorry it didn't work out.

He wheeled the car into a U-turn and headed for North River.

'Lemme go first,' St Claire said, arcing a wad of chewing tobacco into the grass.

'How come you go first?' Meyer asked.

' 'Cause I got the gun,' St Claire said. He drew a .357 Magnum from under his coat and led the way inside. A poorly lit hallway was swallowed up by darkness and a flight of stairs on one side led to the second floor. A moment later the two patrolmen emerged from the other end of the hall.

'We're clear,' Bohane said. 'Her car's still back there.' The patrolmen led the way, followed by St Claire, Meyer, and Vail. Bohane knocked on the door.

'Ms Hines?' he called out.

Inside the apartment Rudi Hines was in the bathroom. She stood naked in front of the sink, scrubbing her hands, the water pouring off her hands tinged with red. When she heard the rap on the door, she hurriedly threw on a cotton housecoat and stepped from the bathroom into the living room.

It was sparsely furnished. A sofa with its springs sagging to the floor, a round kitchen table with two chairs, two easy chairs in the same disrepair as the sofa. The only light came from the 60 watt bulb in a floor lamp near the door.

'Is it you?' she cried eagerly.

She heard the muffled reply. 'Ms Hines, it's the police. We need to talk to you. It's about your car.'

She went back into the bathroom and emerged a moment later with a large carving knife clutched in one hand. She backed into a dark corner of the room.

'Look, ma'am,' St Claire said, standing near the door. 'We don't wanna have to bust up your door. Just open up and talk to us for a minute.'

 'Go away.'

In the hall, St Claire looked at Vail and shrugged. He turned to Bohane. 'Waste it,' he ordered.

The two cops drew their revolvers. Bohane stepped back and slammed his foot into the door an inch or two from the knob. It burst open. Somewhere down the hall a door opened and a dim face peered out. 'Go back inside,' Vail said. 'And stay there.' The face disappeared and the door closed. The two patrolmen jumped inside the room. Bohane first, Luscati covering him, then St Claire behind them. St Claire saw her first, standing in the shadows.

'Lemme do the talking,' he said softly, and to her, 'Now why'd you make us go and do that?'

'What do you want?' she said. She saw Vail enter the room. Her eyes blazed in the dim light. 'I know who you are,' she hissed.

'Ms Hines, I'm Martin Vail, acting district attor—'

'I know who you are. Why aren't you out there?'

'Out where?'

'What do you want?'

'Ma'am, do you also go under the name Rene Hutchinson?' St Claire asked.

She backed further into the corner, her eyes peering at them from the darkness. She lurked in the shadows, but Vail could see one hand in the spilled light from the lamp. It was still covered with dried blood.

' "'Vengeance with its sacred light shines upon you." Sophocles,' she whispered.

'Miss Hines, do you also go by the name—'

'I am Hydra,' she said. She held the knife tight at her side, within the folds of the housecoat.

'Do you know Aaron Stampler?'

'There's no such person.'

'Do you know Raymond Vulpes?'

' "Revenge is sweeter than flowing honey." Homer.'

'Do you know the Fox?' St Claire said, cutting her off.

' "Punishment is justice for the unjust." '

'Listen here, ma'am…'

She glared from the darkness at Vail. 'What are you doing here?' she demanded.

'Where should I be?' Vail asked.

'With her.'

'With who?'

' "To die is a debt we must all pay." '

The two patrolmen looked at each other quizzically. Meyer looked around the room. On a table near the door he saw a small tape recorder. It was caked with blood.