Del nodded, put away his pen and pad and said, “Keep her warm, Doc. Pull the covers over her. She’s supposed to be resting.”
They left.
I lowered her down on the bed and gathered the comforter around her. Stroked her face, her hair. She was still shaking. Gradually it slowed, then ceased. She began breathing rhythmically. I touched her cheek. Kissed it. Kissed her eyes. Waited until I was certain she was deeply asleep before returning to the living room.
Del and Milo were walking the green-jacketed coroner to the door. His trousers had a sharp crease. Everyone had dressed for tonight.
Milo had on a couple of handages.
After the coroner was gone, Del pointed to the body bag.
“Intruder got in by picking the lock.” he said. “B-and-E tools, professional set. But he made too much noise doing it and woke up the victim- Dr. Overstreet. Not that it was a particularly sloppy job- pretty good, actually.”
Pointing to the doorjamb. I couldn’t see any scratch marks.
Milo examined it and said, “Spick-and-span, no print dust. No dust in the bedroom either. I saw the print boys down there. What’s the delay?”
“My orders,” said Del. “Haven’t authorized them yet. The uniforms who got here don’t think they touched the jamb but they did touch the knob and they trampled the bedroom pretty darned good charging it- it was a Code Three. They were after prevention, not preservation.”
Milo said, “Yeah.”
Del said, “Let me ask you. Any reason to go through the whole shebang, trash her place? Most of it’s light surfaces- that means the black dust. You know what a godawful mess that makes. Seems like a clear-cut self-defense situation. Coroner says height of the spatters backs up everything she said.”
Milo thought and rubbed his face and said, “No reason.”
“I mean, if we’re going to get into a giant hassle, let’s do it, Milo. But I just don’t see the point.”
“No point,” said Milo. “I’ll handle any procedural hassles.” Glance at the body bag. “Tell me a bedtime story, Del.”
Del said, “Okay, so she hears the door opening, wakes up. She’s normally a good sleeper but tonight she was jumpy because of the doc’s call.” He looked at me. “Something about your being followed, some weird Nazi stuff that I couldn’t really make out. What I did get was that ’cause you sounded worried, that worried her.”
“Goddam good reason to be worried,” said Milo.
Del stared at Milo’s wounds and said, “Your hot party’s related to this?”
Milo let out a long sigh; suddenly he looked weak and wasted. “It’s a long story, Del. You wouldn’t believe it if I tried to give it to you for free.”
“I’m open-minded,” said Del.
Milo smiled. “It’s a four-drink story, Delano. You buy; I tell.”
“After the paperwork?”
“Fuck the paperwork.”
Hardy shrugged. “You’re the D-Three. Someone gets on my case, I blame it all on you. You sure you don’t want a blanket?”
“I’m fine,” said Milo. “Tell the story.”
“Where was I,” said Del. “Yeah, she was jumpy- so jumpy she took her gun out of storage. S and W Police Special. Apparently it used to belong to someone named Mondo back in Texas where she’s originally from- she didn’t want to talk about that. I couldn’t get that part real clear. If the reg isn’t kosher, I imagine we can work that out, too, right? No Bernie Goetz illegal weapons bullshit. Anyway, she had a box of bullets for it, loaded it up, put it on her night stand, and had it ready to grab when she heard the intruder out in the living room. Intruder came tippy-toeing in. There was light from the window above the bed. She could see the intruder swinging something- we found it over in the corner. Louisville Slugger with nails sticking out of it, real pretty. She yelled at the intruder to stop. Intruder kept coming. She yelled again, kept yelling. Intruder didn’t pay any mind. So she emptied the gun. Three slugs in the intruder, three near-misses in the wall. She’s a damn good shot, considering the situation. Hope she doesn’t waste too much time on guilt.”
He knelt beside the bag. “Now for the interesting part.” Tugging down and parting a foot of zipper. It sounded like something ripping.
A face stared up at us.
Female. Capuchin-monkey face under dirty-blond hair. Mussed hair. Eyes closed, the left one puffy and plum-colored. Skin tinted gray- the greenish-gray reserved for Death’s palette. A quarter-sized, black-edged ruby hole in the left cheek. Dry lips, parted. Between them a sliver of corn-niblet tooth.
“A woman,” said Hardy. “Can you top that? No ID, nothing on her. One thing we should have them dust is the bat. Hopefully we’ll pull something off of that.”
“She calls herself Crisp,” I said. “Audrey Crisp. That may or may not be her real name.”
“Yeah?” said Del. “Well, Crisp got herself crisped.” Shaking his head. Tugging the zipper another inch lower. “Want to see more?”
“Anything to see?” said Milo.
“Just two more holes down below.”
Milo shook his head.
Del zipped up the bag. “Lady with a baseball bat- all those spikes, like one of those medieval things. Mace, or something. Gotta be one for the books, right? Ever see that before, Milo?”
I walked back into the bedroom. Sat on the bed. Linda opened her eyes, muttered something that could have been my name.
With no evidence to the contrary, I decided it had been my name.
The power of wishful thinking…
I brushed hair away from her brow and kissed it.
She whimpered and turned on her side, facing me, looking up at me.
I lay down beside her and closed my eyes. When the ambulance attendants came for her, they had to wake me. Had to pry my arm from around her waist, and hers from mine.
37
Her father flew in the next morning from Texas. I’d expected Gary Cooper and got Lyndon Johnson out of a trash compactor: short, stout, big ears with banjo lobes, whiskey nose, crinkle chin. The only genetic link to Linda I could discern, a pair of small, delicate hands that he kept plastered to his sides. Nothing Texas Rangerish about his clothes either. Powder-blue sport coat, yellow golf shirt, white seersucker slacks, brown patent-leather loafers.
He called me sir a lot, not sure who I was. Not sure who his daughter was. When he walked into the hospital room, she gave a weary smile and I left the two of them alone.
She left with him the following day, promising to call when she got to San Antonio. Following through that evening, but sounding tentative herself, as if someone was listening in and she was unable to talk freely.
I told her to take her time healing. That I’d check to make sure the kids at Hale were okay. That I was there for her whenever she needed me. Working at making it sound convincing- putting a little therapist in my voice.
She said, “That means a lot to me, Alex. I know the kids are going to be okay. The person they’re using for substitute principal is really good. I went to school with him- he’ll do a good job.”
“I’m glad.”
“Can he call you? For advice?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. You’re so terrific.”
“My head is swelling swelling swelling.”
“I mean it- you are. By the way, Carla has your gift- we got a gift for you. Last week. It’s a set of Mark Twain. The complete works. I know you like books. I hope you like Twain.”
“I love Twain.”
“It’s an old leather set, really pretty. I found it for you myself, in an antiques store. Wish I could be there to give it to you. But Carla will send it to you. Unless you’re at the school. Then you can pick it up. In my office. On the desk.”
“I’ll go by. Thanks.”
Pause.
“Alex, I know this is nervy, but do you think you could possibly come on out here, spend some time with me? Not just yet, but maybe a little later?”