“Concentrate! Think! Think!”
The answer, he realizes, rests back where he just came from. He reaches into his jacket pocket and removes the pistol he took from Posner. This will have to do. There are no more insulin syringes. He examines the weapon for the first time and becomes aware of its smoothness. The weight is less than he thought it would be. Probably no more than a few pounds. Why was Posner unable to pull the trigger? Stupid bastard either didn’t have the brains to cock the gun, or the balls to shoot it. If he had, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’d be dead and not that woman.
In some way it’s Posner’s own fault that woman’s dead. Who was she? His wife? Another girlfriend? Too bad he didn’t get to see her and Heidi meet up. That would have been some catfight. Heidi’s tough. He’s seen it a hundred times. But that other woman? That’s just a coincidental accident. What the army calls collateral damage. Hell, when he heard her voice all he could think of was getting out of there. He would have too, and she’d be alive, if he hadn’t tripped on the last steps and skidded into her with the needle.
It’s too bad, but he doesn’t feel sorry. He laughs aloud. Posner got what he deserved for being so stupid. He hefts the gun. He needs to be sure it will work. He looks down both sides of the road. He’s still alone. He points the gun into the passenger seat cushion and squeezes.
The roar is deafening despite the muffling effect of the cushion. There is also a recoil he doesn’t expect, but the mechanism works. He spins the barrel and sees four bullets left. More than enough. He returns the revolver to his coat pocket. The motor is still running, and he eases the car back onto the road and begins to drive back toward Posner’s neighborhood. He stays at the speed limit and exits a few blocks from the Posner turnoff, drives to a nearby beach access, and sits with the engine off. He must wait a bit more. He knows it. So he sits and watches the ocean, but after only ten minutes he needs to get going again.
He leaves the beach and swings the car around an extra few blocks to avoid being seen from Posner’s home and approaches the house he’s stayed in from the other direction. Just as he cuts into the driveway, the flashing lights from down the block at Posner’s house catch his eye. It’s only for a moment through, as the garage door is already in motion and daylight disappears in seconds.
The same bedroom window he’s used before still offers an unobstructed view of the Posner house. Rotating ambulance and police lights fill that end of the street. There’s only one ambulance and he watches two medics wheel a gurney and stretcher up the driveway. The medics lift the stretcher and carry it inside. Four police cars line the street and a fifth arrives as he watches.
There’s a large crowd of people milling around. Most are in police uniforms. He also sees Wisdom in pants and jacket and a few men in suits. People enter and leave the house in a steady flow. He sees a pink-and-white dress appear from behind a parked car.
It’s her, the bitch. She’s alive. The bitch. He curses as he watches her move towards a police car. Wisdom walks over to her, speaks for a moment, and then calls a policeman over. She and Wisdom speak and the policeman listens and writes on a pad. They seem to finish and talk for only a few more seconds then shake hands. She moves her head sideways. She’s turning him down.
“What for? Does he want some too? Didn’t think you turned anyone down.”
She gets into a red Audi. There are two police cars behind her and she clearly must wait while they pull back. It gives him time. He races back to the garage and into the Chevy. The automatic door rolls opens. The street at his end of the block is still empty. He pulls to the edge of the driveway and watches as she pulls away and turns the corner. He rolls his car into the road and speeds up going down the adjacent block. He should catch up with her in a minute or two. It’s hard to lose a red car.
CHAPTER 22
Wisdom is officially out of the picture the moment the Suffolk County Police Department takes over. Still, Bennett is close to the County people and keeps him advised of the case’s status. An all out search is on, but by evening there’s no immediate sign of Stern.
“He’s gone to ground somewhere,” Bennett notes, acknowledging the obvious. “We also found out something about his past that we never knew. Seems that when he was in his teens living upstate, he threatened to kill some girl who publicly humiliated him. A few hours later she was found dead in a car accident. The police investigated, but no charges were ever filed. The inquiry is public knowledge. The info came from the archives of a local paper, the Berkshire Eagle.”
“That shows zilch, except that maybe he didn’t like girls who gave him a hard time.”
“Exactly. It also covers every guy who ever lost out with someone they fancied.”
“Anything official yet from the County Medical Examiner’s Office?”
“No surprises. The County ME says that the preliminary result is that Sara Posner died from a lethal injection of insulin. She went into shock and died within a few minutes. It must have been rough shit for Posner. Holding her there while she convulsed then dies and unable to do anything.”
“I should have known when I went inside. I should have spotted it. I’ve seen insulin shock before.”
“It was already too late when you got there. And why should you have assumed it was insulin shock? She could have been unconscious for a dozen reasons. And remember, no one even found the needle until after the EMTs picked her up because she fell on top of it at some point.
“We did find another needle upstairs. It was full to the brim with insulin, but unused. It was lying on the floor almost hidden amongst a pile of bottles, towels, and whatever. You name it. Stern must have dropped it when he and Posner fought. It’s the only possibility, but we’ll confirm it when we speak to Posner.”
“So Stern came prepared to kill at least once and maybe again.”
“How’s Posner?”
“He’s at Southampton Hospital. Doc says maybe County can speak to him this evening. You’re welcome to join them. Unofficially, of course.”
“I’d like that. Thanks, but I’m just too busy.”
“Then I’ll fill you in later. Okay if I call?”
“That’ll work. I’ll be here till at least eight.”
“What about the sister?”
“As far as I know she’s okay, although she was pretty shook up. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since this afternoon, but I think she’ll probably be leaving to go back to Geneva in a few days. I did have a cruiser check in on her just to be safe, but she told the uniform not to bother her. Said she’d be all right on her own. I believe she can handle it, but I’ll still have someone watch the house until we find this guy.”
“That’s good. I shouldn’t have confirmed Posner’s location. It was stupid and unprofessional.”
The comment surprises Wisdom. It is rare for Bennett to second guess any of his actions.
“Not true. She just conned you good. Probably in the genes. Her sister, Heidi, must have been even better.”
“Yeah, and look where it got her.”
At eight fifteen that evening, Wisdom’s cell phone rings. He’s hoping it’s Bennett and it is.
“Well, Posner’s still in a bad way and likely to be that way for a while. They plan to ease up on his sedation, but looks like they’ll keep him on it for at least another day or two.”
“Any family to help out?”