Devers, disappointment thick in his voice, said, “What now?”
“Godden’s office,” Parker said.
Webb leaned forward to glance at him past Devers, then looked straight again, saying, “Why?”
“Because two suitcases went out the window,” Parker said. “There were three. He was on foot and two was all he could manage. The third one is hidden around there somewhere handy.”
“Son of a bitch,” said Webb, and leaned on the accelerator.
5
”It’s here!” Devers shouted, and the other two came running.
They hadn’t worried about noise or light this trip; time was the important element now. With the Buick sitting with its high beams on in the middle of the gravel parking-lot behind the Monequois Professional Building the three of them had spread out like competitors in a scavenger hunt, first inside the building itself and then around the area in back.
And now it was Devers who’d found it, after fifteen minutes of searching, stuffed into a large metal garbage bin against the rear wall, with papers strewn over it to keep it from casual eyes.
Webb had been going through the pile of leaves at the far corner of the lot, Parker had been searching the hedge along the rear boundary line of the property. They both trotted over to find Devers grinning in the light from the Buick, an old canvas suitcase sitting on top of the now-closed garbage bin.
Webb said, “Is that it?”
“We’ll see,” Parker said. “Open it.”
“Right,” said Devers.
It wasn’t locked. Devers flipped open the two catches, raised the lid, and they were looking at a jumbled untidy mass of bills.
Parker said, “Good. Put it in the car, switch the lights off, come up to the office.” He turned to Webb. “Come on with me.”
”Right.”
The back door wouldn’t close properly since they’d gone through it the last time. Parker led the way into the building and up the stairs, Webb following him, saying as they started down the hall toward Godden’s office, “What do we want up here?”
“The body.”
“If he’s dead.”
“He’ll be dead,” Parker said.
They’d left the office as they’d found it, light on and door ajar, and when they went in now nothing had changed. Ralph was lying with his face turned so he was staring under the desk. Parker went on one knee beside him, closed his hand against Ralph’s throat.
Webb, leaning over the desk, said, “Alive or dead?”
Parker didn’t answer for a moment. His arm showed strain. Then he took his hand away and said, “Dead. We need something to roll him in, so we don’t trail blood.”
“Rug in the other office.”
“Good. Take his feet.”
They carried the body to the outer office, put it on the small rug in front of the receptionist’s desk. When they rolled the rug, Ralph’s feet protruded from the knees down.
Parker said, “We want the money cases, too.”
They went back to the inner office, got the two money cases, carried them out to the hall. Then Parker went back to the office to look things over. There were stains on the carpet behind the desk, but there was nothing to be done about that. No other signs out of the ordinary, and the stains could only be seen if you went around behind the desk. Parker switched off the light, went to the outer office, and he and Webb carried the body out to the hall. They shut the door so it locked, and Devers arrived saying, “What’s up?”
Webb told him, “We’re transporting a stiff.”
Parker said, “Can you carry those two cases? Don’t make a lot of marks on the walls.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Parker and Webb picked up the body again and carried it out to the car. Devers followed, carrying the cases one at a time, bringing one partway and going back for the other and carrying that farther and going back for the first and so on. Because Parker and Webb moved more slowly, Devers could keep up with them and even run ahead and open the tailgate of the Buick for them.
The back of the Buick was crowded with the suitcase, metal cases and body. Parker and the other two climbed in the front and Webb said, “Where now?”
“Godden’s house.”
6
The doctor was sitting on the floor where they’d left him, still tied and gagged. Webb went directly to the dresser when Parker turned on the light, picked up Godden’s keys, and went out to switch cars, putting Godden’s car in the drive and the Buick in the garage.
Parker sat on the bed. “Listen close,” he said. “Because of you, things got screwed up. We can’t use our hideout now, we’d never get out there any more, it’s almost light already. Three of my friends are dead, and two thirds of the money is gone. If I didn’t have any use for you I’d kill you now with a wire hanger. But I can use you, so you’ve got a shot at living. Cooperate and you’ll be all right. Screw up again and it’s all over.”
Godden nodded vigorously.
“All right.” Parker went over and removed the gag. “Don’t do a lot of talking,” he said. “Just answer the questions I ask you.”
Godden nodded again. “I will.” His voice sounded rusty, there were red marks on his cheeks where the gag had bit. The blood on his forehead had dried, so no more was seeping out.
Parker went back and sat on the edge of the bed again. He said, “How long is your wife out of town for?”
“Five more days. She’ll be back Monday afternoon. That is, the two of us are supposed to be back Monday afternoon.”
“You were leaving?”
“Friday. Friday afternoon.”
“Were you due in your office today?”
”You mean tomorrow? The day that’s starting?”
“It’s twenty after four in the morning. I mean today.”
“Yes, of course.”
“How many patients today?”
“Four. Well, three, not counting Ralph Hochberg.”
“Roger St Cloud?”
“Yes. Is he—?”
“That’s two,” Parker said. “What time’s the first session?”
“Ten o’clock. But that would have been Ralph. The next one would be at eleven.”
“In the morning,” Parker said, “call those two patients, tell them you won’t be in today.”
Godden nodded. “All right.”
“But wait till after the law talks to you.”
Godden looked surprised. “The law? You mean the police?”
“Your boy Roger barricaded himself in the house and shot it out with the cops.”
“My God!”
“They’ll be calling you. If you hear about it some other legitimate way first, you call them, offer full cooperation. Offer to talk to them, tell them anything they want to know. But you don’t want to go to them, you want them to come to you.”
“What if they insist?”
“You insist.”
“But, won’t they be suspicious?”
“No,” Parker said. “When they come here, give them the whole rundown on Roger, anything you want to say. But you keep cool about us.”
“You’ll be here? This is where you’re going to hide out?”
“If you tip about us,” Parker said, “the least you’ll get is your connection with the air base heist found out by the law. The worst you’ll get is a bullet in the head.”
“If I come out of this with my skin,” Godden said, “I’ll consider myself well ahead. Ellen Fusco told me about you, Parker, but I underestimated you, I didn’t really listen to what she was saying.” His face clouded. “I underestimated Roger, too.”
“Just keep remembering that,” Parker said. He got to his feet. “See you in the morning.”
“You’re going to leave me here like this?”
Parker went out, switching off the light.
There was a small light on in the kitchen now, enough to allow him to make his way around in the house. He went down to the kitchen and found Webb at the refrigerator. Webb looked around, a container of milk in one hand and a piece of pound cake in the other. “I was starved.”