N is for NOOSE Page 13

  Two tables over, I caught sight of Macon with his gaze fixed on me. He leaned forward, making some comment. The man with him. made one of those casual turns, pretending to glance idly around the room when he was really taking aim at me. I picked up a menu, pretending I didn’t notice him pretending not to notice me. Margaret’s husband, Hatch.

  “You know what you want?” Rafer asked. “I do the works myself. I keep trying to reform, but I can’t resist.”

  “I’m with you,” I said. “Your daughter’s name is Barrett?”

  “That was Vick’s idea. I’m not sure where she got it, but it seems to fit. The job is temporary, by the way. She’s applied to med school. She wants to be a shrink. This allows her to live at home and save her money ‘til she goes.”

  “Where’d she do her undergraduate work? U.C.L.A.

  “Where else?” he said, smiling. “What about you?”

  “I hated school,” I said. “I made it through high school by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin, but that’s as far as I went. Well, I guess I did three semesters of junior college, but I hated that, too.”

  “How so? You seem smart.”

  “I’m too rebellious,” I said. “I graduated from police academy, but that was more like boot camp than academia.”

  “You’re a cop?”

  “I was. I was rebellious about that, too.”

  Nancy appeared with a coffee pot in hand. She was in her forties, hair pulled back in a smooth chignon over which she wore a net. She had large brown eyes, a beauty mark high on her right cheek, and the sort of body men seem to have trouble keeping their hands off. She wore a T-shirt, generously cut slacks, and brown oxfords with an inch-thick crepe sole. “You’re out early,” she remarked to Rafer. We both pushed our mugs in her direction and she filled them.

  “You met Kinsey?”

  “Not formally, but I know who she is. I’m Nancy. You talked to Alice about me.”

  “How are you,” I said. “I’d shake hands if I could.”

  “Yeah, I heard about that. Cecilia stopped by when we were opening the place. She says you took quite a hit. I can see your jaw turning blue.”

  I put a hand to the place. “I keep forgetting about that. It must look terrific.”

  “Gives you character,” she said. She glanced at Rafer. “What’s for breakfast?”

  He looked back at the menu. “Well, let’s see. I’m trying to keep my cholesterol up so I think I’ll have the blueberry pancakes, sausage, couple of scrambled eggs, and coffee.”

  “Make that two,” I said.

  “You want orange juice?”

  “Oh sure. What the heck?” he said.

  “Back in a flash,” she said.

  I saw Rafer’s gaze flicker to the window. “Excuse me. I see Alex. I’ll take him on back to the cabin and get him started.”

  I had to use two hands to hold my coffee mug, given that three fingers on my right hand were taped together like an oven mitt. The doctor had told me I could remove the tape after a day or two, as long as it felt comfortable. He’d given me four painkillers, neatly sealed in a small white envelope. I remembered a similar envelope from my childhood churchgoing days, when my nickel or dime offering was placed in the collection plate. The plate itself was wood, passed from hand to hand until it reached an usher at ,the end of the pew. I’d been kicked out of any number of Sunday school classes for reasons I’ve repressed, but my Aunt Gin, feeling huffy on my behalf, decided I was entitled to go to proper church services. I suppose her intention was to expose me to spiritual admonition. Mostly what I learned was how hard it is to do an accurate visual count of organ pipes.

  I glanced out the window, watching Rafer cross the parking pad, heading toward the cabin in the company of a young man carrying a black case, like a doctor’s bag. I took a physical inventory, noting the sore ribs on my right side. I didn’t think my jaw was swollen, but it was clearly bruised. No teeth missing or loose. I could feel a knot on my butt the size of a silver dollar and I knew from experience it would itch like a son of a bitch for weeks on end.

  “Miss Millhone, can I talk to you?”

  I looked up. James Tennyson was standing at the table in his tan CHP uniform, complete with all its creaking paraphernalia: nightstick, flashlight, keys, holster, gun, bullets.

  “Sure. Have a seat.”

  He put a hand against his holster, securing his gun as he slid into the booth. I thought he was ill at ease, but I didn’t know him well enough to be certain. “I saw Rafer step away from the table and figured you might have a few minutes.”

  “This is fine. Nice to see you. You got your flashlight back?”

  “Yes ma’am. I appreciate your returning it. Jo found it inside the storm door when she went out to get the paper.” He pointed at my hand. “I just heard about the fellow coming after you last night. You all right?”

  “More or less.”

  “He meant business.”

  “I’ll survive,” I said.

  “The reason I came over… I didn’t even think about this until yesterday. The night Tom died? I was cruising along 395 when I spotted his truck… you know, with the hazard lights on. At first, I didn’t realize it was him because he was still some distance away, but I intended to stop and see if there was anything I could do. Anyway, there was a woman walking along the road, heading toward town.”

  “A woman?”

  “Yes ma’am. I’m almost sure.”

  “And she was facing you?”

  “That’s right, but she veered off about then. This was shortly before I passed so I didn’t get a good look at her, just a fleeting impression. She was bundled up pretty good. If it hadn’t been for Tom and trying to get help for him, I’d have cruised back in her direction in case she needed help.”

  “Is it unusual to see someone walking out there?”

  “Yes ma’am. At least, I thought it was, at the time. This was miles from anywhere and there’s very little in the way of houses out there, except for one subdivision. She could have been out for a jog, but she didn’t seem dressed for that, and in the dark? I doubt it. Anyway, it struck me as odd. I guess in my mind I was thinking she might have got mad at her boyfriend and taken off on foot. I didn’t see another vehicle so I don’t think it was a flat tire or anything like that.”

  “And this was no one you knew?”

  “I really couldn’t say. It was nobody I recognized under the circumstance. Like I said, I didn’t think much about it and later it slipped my mind entirely. I don’t even know what made me think of it. Just the fact that you asked.”

  I thought about it for a moment. “How far away was she from the truck when you saw her?”

  “It couldn’t have been a quarter of a mile because I could see Tom’s hazard lights blinking in the distance.”

  “Do you think she was with him?”

  “I suppose it’s possible,” he said. “If he was having chest pains, she might have been on her way to find help.”

  “Why not flag you down?”

  “Beats me. I don’t know what to make of it,” he said.

  “I’d like to see the spot where Tom’s truck was parked,” I said. “Could you maybe take me out there later?”

  “Sure, I’d be happy to, but the place isn’t hard to find. It’s maybe a mile in that direction. You look for a couple big boulders near a pine with the top sheared off. Thing was struck by lightning in a big storm last year. Just keep an eye out. You can’t miss it. It’s on the right-hand side.”

  “Thanks.”

  He glanced toward one of the tables near the front of the cafe. “My breakfast is here. You have any more questions, give me a call.”

  I watched him move away. Hatch and Macon stood together near the cash register, waiting for Nancy to take their money. My conversation with James hadn’t gone unnoticed, though both men made a big display of their disinterest. Rafer returned, entering the cafe without the technician, whom I assumed was busy at the cabin with his little brushes
and powders. Rafer eased into the seat, saying, “Sorry about that. I told him we’d join him as soon as we finished here.”

  When we reached the cabin after breakfast, the door was standing open. I could see smudges of powder along the outside edges of the sills. Rafer introduced me to the fingerprint technician, who rolled a set of my prints for elimination purposes. Later, he’d ink a set of Cecilia’s prints, along with the prints of any cleaning or maintenance workers. He could have saved himself the trouble. The cabin yielded nothing in the way of evidence: no useful prints on the window glass, nothing on the hardware, no footprints in the damp earth leading to or from the cabin.

  The interior seemed dank, the bed still lumpy with the pillows I’d tucked under the pile of blankets. The place was drab. It was cold. The digital clock was blinking, which meant there’d been another power failure. The adrenaline had seeped slowly out of me like gray water down a clogged drain. I felt like crap. A rivulet of revulsion trickled over me and I was embarrassed anew at the inadequacies of my attempt to defend myself. Anxiety whispered at the base of my spine, a feathery reminder of how vulnerable I was. A memory burbled up. I was five years old again, bruised and bloodied after the wreck that killed my parents. I’d forgotten the physical pain because the wrenching emotional loss had always taken precedence.

  While Rafer and the tech conferred outside, talking in low tones, I hauled out my duffel and began to pack my things. I went into the bathroom, gathered up my toiletries, and tossed them in the bottom of the bag. I didn’t hear Rafer come in, but I was suddenly aware of him standing in the doorway. “You’re taking off?” he asked.

  “I’d be crazy to stay here.”

  “I agree with you on that, but I didn’t think you were finished with your investigation.”

  “That remains to be seen.”

  His gaze rested on me with concern. “You want to talk?”

  I looked up at him. “About what? This is a simple job to me, not some moral imperative. I’m getting paid for a piece of work. I guess I have my limits on that score.”

  “You’re going to quit?”

  “I didn’t say that. I’ll talk to Selma first and then we’ll see where we go from here.”

  “Look, I can see you’re upset. I’d offer you protection, but I don’t have a deputy to spare. We operate on a shoestring ���”

  “I appreciate the sentiment. I’ll let you know what I decide.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to have help. You know anybody who could pitch in on personal security?”

  “Oh, please. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t do that. This is strictly my problem and I’ll handle it,” I said. “Trust me, I’m not being pig-headed or proud. I hired a bodyguard once before, but this is different.”

  “How so?”

  “If that guy meant to kill me, he’d have done it last night.”

  “Listen, I’ve been beat up in my day and I know what it can do to you. Screws your head up. You lose your confidence. It’s like riding a horse ���”

  “No, it’s not! I’ve been beaten up before ���” I raised a hand, stopping myself with a shake of my head. “Sorry. I didn’t meant to snap at you. I know you mean well, but this is mine to deal to spend another minute in this godforsaken place.”

  “Well,” he said, infusing the single syllable with skepticism. He paused, silent, hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. I zipped the duffel, picked up my jacket and my handbag, looking around the cabin. The table was stilled littered with my papers and I’d forgotten about the Smith-Corona, still sitting in it’s place with the lid half closed. I snapped the cover into place and stuffed papers into a manila envelope that I shoved into an outer pocket of the duffel. Using my left hand, I lifted the typewriter case. “Thanks for the ride and thanks for breakfast.”

  “I have to get on in to work, but you let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  :You can carry this,” I said, passing him the typewriter. He did me one better, carrying both the duffel and the Smith-Corona as he escorted me to the car. I waited until he pulled away and then I headed for the office and stuck my head into the door. There was no sign of Cecilia. The usual table lamp was still on, but her door was shut and I imagined her catching up on the sleep she’d lost taking me to the emergency room. I got into my car and pulled out of the parking lot, turning left onto 395.

  I kept an eye on the odometer, clocking off a mile and then began to look for the spot where Tom’s truck had been parked the night he died. As Tennyson indicated, it wasn’t hard to find. Two massive boulders and a towering pine tree with the top missing. I could see the raw white inner wood where the lightning had slashed away at the trunk.

  I eased over onto the berm and parked. I got out of the car, draping my heavy leather jacket across my shoulders. There was no traffic at this hour and the morning air was silent. The sky was massed with dark gray, the mountains obscured by mist. Snow had begun to fall; big lacy flakes that settled on my face like a series of kisses. For a moment, I leaned my head back and let the snow touch my tongue.

  There was, of course, no remaining trace of vehicles having been parked here six weeks before. If the truck, Tennyson’s patrol car, and the ambulance had chewed up the soil and gravel along the shoulder, nature had come afterward and smoothed away any suggestion of events. I did a grid search, my gaze fixed on the barren ground as I walked a linear pattern. I imagined Tom in his pickup, the pain like a knife wedged between his shoulder blades. Nausea, clamminess, the chill sweat of Death forcing him to concentrate. For the time being, I set aside the image of the woman walking down the road. For all I knew, she was a figment of James Tennyson’s imagination, some piece of misdirection designed to throw me off. In any investigation, you have to be careful about accepting information without a touch of skepticism. I wasn’t sure of his motivation. Maybe, as implied, he was just a genuinely helpful guy who took his job seriously and wanted to apprise me of his recollection. What interested me here was the possibility that Tom had dropped his notebook out the window, or that he’d somehow destroyed the contents in the final moments of his life.

  I covered every inch of ground within a radius of a hundred feet. There was no notebook, no pages fluttering in the breeze, no confetti of torn paper, no nook or cranny into which such detritus might have been secreted. I kicked over rocks and dead leaves, set aside fallen branches and dug into crusty patches of snow. It was hard to believe Tom had dragged himself out here to take care of such business. I was operating on the assumption that his field notes were sensitive and that he’d made some effort to secure the confidentiality of the contents. Then again, perhaps not. The notes might not have been relevant.

  I returned to my car and turned the key in the ignition, not without struggle. The tape on my right hand made everything slightly awkward and I suspected that the compensatory effort over the next couple of days was going to wear me down. While the injury wasn’t major, it was annoying and inconvenient, a constant reminder that I’d suffered at someone’s hands. I did a U-turn onto the highway and headed back to Selma’s. By ten A.M., I was on the road for home.

  Chapter 12

  *

  Shortly after leaving Nota Lake, I’d thought I caught a glimpse of a county sheriff’s cruiser keeping me company from half a mile back. The car was too far away to identify the driver, but the effect was to make me feel I was being ushered across the county line. I kept my eye on the rearview mirror, but the black-and-white maintained a discreet distance. When we reached the junction of 395 and 168, a road sign indicated that it was five miles to Whirly Township, seven miles to Rudd. The patrol car turned off. Whether the escort was deliberate or coincidental, I couldn’t be sure. Nor could I determine whether the intention was benign or belligerent. Earlene’s husband, Wayne, was the deputy who worked in Whirly Township, so maybe it was only him on his way to work.

  After that, the desert landscape sped by in a monotonous repetition of scrub-covered low hills, and I
spent the rest of the journey in a haze of road-induced hypnosis. The intervening towns were few ��� Big Pine, Independence, Lone Pine, Cartago, Olancha ��� unexpected small enclaves that consisted primarily of gas stations, wooden cottages, coffee shops, perhaps a pizza restaurant or a Frosty Freeze, sometimes still boarded over for the winter. In most towns, there seemed to be more buildings abandoned than were currently in use. The structures were low wood fronts with a Western or Victorian feel to them. In some areas, the commercial businesses seemed to be devoted almost entirely to propane sales and service. An occasional feed store would be tucked in among the cottonwoods and pines. I passed one of those plain motel-style brown-and-yellow churches that made you suspect it would be depressing to believe whatever these people believed.

  Between townships, the empty stretches of wilderness picked up. The air felt clear, warming as the road descended from the higher elevations. The snow had disappeared, soft flakes turning into an even softer rain. What should have been a clear, unobstructed view was subdivided by the march of power lines, telephone poles, and oil derricks ��� the cost of doing business in an otherwise pristine countryside. Out of the raw hills to my left I could see the occasional cinder cone and the dark craggy outcroppings of lava from ancient volcanic activity. Rocks dotted the landscape: green, red, brown, and cream. The area was undercut by two major fault lines ��� the San Andreas and the Garlock ��� that in 1872 had generated one of the largest earthquakes in Californian history.

  Gradually, I let my thoughts drift back to events I’d left behind. I’d spent an hour at Selma’s before I’d departed Nota Lake. So far, given my four days’ work, I’d earned a thousand dollars of the fifteen hundred she’d paid me in advance. That meant that I would owe her money if I decided to quit… which I confess had crossed my mind. My medical insurance would cover the expenses incurred in behalf of my bunged-up hand. She’d been properly upset by what had happened and we’d gone through the predictable litany of horror and remorse. “I feel sick. This is my fault. I got you into this,” she’d said.