“I missed you, too.”
CHAPTER 22
AMY INTERVIEWED Julie for an hour and a half. Betsy came out of the bedroom midway through the interview and joined Joe and me on the deck. Her fingernails were painted in half a dozen different colors; Amy packed plenty of nail polish in that enormous purse. Joe found an old Frisbee in the cottage, and we tossed it around with Betsy while Amy and Julie finished up inside. The air was cool-frigid compared to South Carolina-but not as bad as it had been when I left the city. Maybe winter was going to lose this battle after all. Around one that afternoon, Amy came out and motioned for me to join her on the deck. I tossed the Frisbee to Joe and jogged up the steps.
“Huge, Lincoln,” Amy said when I reached her. “Absolutely huge. This is the story of my dreams.” She was smiling widely.
“Glad I could help, Ace. Only problem is, you can’t write it for tomorrow.”
She frowned. “How long do I have to sit on it?”
“At least another day. Joe and I have to sort out a few things before you can run it. Before you even can mention it to your editors.”
“What things?”
“We’re going to see Dainius Belov.”
She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. “You’re kidding, right? Or are you just suicidal?”
“I don’t think we’ve got much to fear from Belov. Remember, it was his son they killed. Joe and I are guessing old Dainius is awfully interested in finding out who murdered his kid. We’re counting on a little cooperation in exchange for a copy of the tape.”
“You’re giving him a copy of the tape?”
I nodded. “That’s where you come in. Do you guys have equipment for that sort of thing?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We’re going to need a copy of the murder tape, and you probably should make a copy of your interview tape as well. Leave copies of both tucked away someplace safe, and then bring me back one copy of the murder tape and the original.”
“Sure thing, boss. The technology guys won’t want to leave me alone while I’m copying the tapes, but that’s nothing I can’t get past using my feminine wiles.”
“Feminine wiles,” I said. “Uh-huh.”
She winked at me. “There’s nothing more fun than being a tease.”
Julie stepped out on the deck behind us and smiled at me. “Is my daughter driving Mr. Pritchard crazy yet?”
“He’s been crazy for years, Julie. She can’t do any more harm to him.”
Amy poked my chest with her finger. “All right, I’m outta here. But I need that tape if you want me to make a copy of it.”
I went down to the Contour and took the tape out from under the driver’s seat where I’d stashed it. I didn’t like handing it over to Amy; the thing attracted danger and death like a James Bond car. But I needed a copy.
“Keep this damn thing out of sight,” I said. “Can you bring the copies back out tonight, or is that a problem?”
“It’s a long drive, but I’ll do it.” She opened her car door but didn’t get in. “How long has it been since you slept, Lincoln?”
“A few hours, at least.”
“Go to bed, stud. You’ll need some energy when you’re arrested.”
She left, and I walked back up the steps and onto the deck. Joe was still playing with Betsy in the yard. I sat down at the picnic table beside Julie and shook my head.
“He looks like a doting grandpa out there. Amazing.”
She laughed. “He seems more taken with my daughter than he is with me, that’s for sure.”
“Don’t let his attitude bother you. He just wants to handle the situation in the way he thinks best.”
She looked at me. “Do you think I’m a fool, Lincoln?”
“For trying to run on your own?” I shrugged. “I don’t know, Julie. I’d like to work things out so you didn’t have to run at all. But I don’t see that happening. If you stay in town, you’re taking a huge risk. In general, I’d advise you to let the professionals help you hide, but Wayne was a professional, and you seem to think he had things pretty well planned.”
“He did.”
“Do you have enough money?”
She smiled. “We’ve got plenty of money. Wayne put all our money into an offshore account, and then he put some of Hubbard’s money into it as well. It was Hubbard’s payoff for Wayne keeping his mouth shut.”
I didn’t ask how much money it was. It was probably quite a lot. I yawned, and Julie frowned.
“You still haven’t slept, have you?”
I shook my head.
“Go inside and lie down,” she ordered. “Your partner is here to keep us safe. You need to sleep.”
I started to object but then thought better of it. I did need sleep, and as long as Joe was here there was no point in continuing to exhaust myself. I told Julie I’d take a nap, and then I went down to talk to Joe.
“I’m going to grab a few hours of sleep,” I said. “Think you can keep them safe while I do?”
“Can’t do a much worse job than you have,” he said. “Go sleep. When you wake up, I’ll drive back into the city and see if I can arrange a meeting with Belov.”
I went inside and lay down on a narrow, musty bed. The door was closed, but the sounds of Julie’s voice and Betsy’s laugh were with me as I fell asleep.
When I woke again the room was dark. I rolled onto my side and looked at the window, saw nothing but shadows outside. I looked at my watch. Almost seven. I’d slept for nearly six hours. I climbed out of the bed, pulled my pants and T-shirt back on, and went into the living room. Joe, Julie, and Betsy were sitting at the small square table in the kitchen with a pile of playing cards in front of them.
“Hi, Lincoln!” Betsy waved at me. “We’re playing Go Fish. Wanna play?”
I looked at Joe. “Go Fish?”
He grunted. “It’s more intense than I expected.”
“I keep beating him,” Betsy said, and Joe shot her a sour look that made her laugh. I caught Julie’s eye and grinned. Joe Pritchard and his new best friend Betsy. How adorable.
I sat in the living room while they finished their game, and then Joe came out to join me.
“About time you got up, Sleeping Beauty. I was running out of games to play with the kid. If you’d slept any longer, I was going to teach her how to clean a handgun.”
“Lovely.”
“I’m going to head back to the city now,” he said. “It’s going to take some time to get in touch with Belov. When I do reach him, he may want to meet with us immediately, or he may want to do it tomorrow.”
“Try for tomorrow,” I said. “I don’t want to leave Julie and Betsy alone.”
“Okay. But with a guy like Belov, there’s no dictating the schedule. If he says to meet him at midnight at home plate in Jacobs Field, we’re going to meet him at midnight at home plate in Jacobs Field. Understand?”
“Yeah. Hey, did Gellino leave any food in this dump?” My brain might have taken six hours off, but my stomach hadn’t forgotten that my last meal had been nearly ten hours earlier.
“Not much, but Lois Lane is bringing food with her.”
“She is?”
“Yeah, she called while you were asleep, and I answered your phone. She said she made copies of the tapes, and she’ll be out here in about twenty minutes. I told her to be sure no one’s following her. I’m not expecting anyone will be, but it doesn’t hurt to watch your back.”
Joe left, and Amy arrived shortly after. She brought a pizza with her, which made Betsy’s day. I carried wood in from the pile under the deck and started a fire, and the four of us sat beside it, eating the pizza and playing silly card games. The night before, I’d been exchanging gunfire with professional killers and dangling from a seventh-floor balcony; now I was chaperoning a Girl Scout slumber party. The varied experiences of a professional detective. And to think, some men are car salesmen or accountants. What a bore.
Amy left around nine, and I promised to call her the next morning with more information on our plans and when she could run the story. At ten, Joe called.