Cutter (61 page)

I nodded.

‘Then I looked out that peephole and I saw him, and I almost didn’t notice anything until that thing moved in his throat. It bobbed up and down. And then I remembered what you said about his mother. The blonde hair. I wasn’t going to let him in, but I had to, Jimmy. I turned off the security system by the door, and I swatted Merlin the dog out toward the kitchen. He’s such a coward that he scooted away and hid behind the refrigerator.’ 

I looked and saw that the mutt was still cowering there, next to the fridge, having made a watery mistake that I’d have to clean up.

‘He’ll never make a hunting dog,’ I told Natalie.

Merlin wagged his tail and continued to shudder.

‘I had to let him in. It wasn’t courage, Jimmy. It was fear. I was afraid he’d go off and start it all over again.’

She sobbed and I took hold of her again. But she calmed down, slowly but surely, and by the time a detail of onscene investigators arrived she was able to go back into the living room with me so we could get on with the usual questioning.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I
loo
k
int
o
th
e
re
d-
heade
d
woman’
s
eye
s,
an
d
w
e
connec
t.
Bu
t
ther
e
i
s
somethin
g
els
e
goin
g
o
n.
Sh
e
reache
s
int
o
th
e
robe’
s
pocke
t
an
d
pull
s
ou
t
a
n
enormou
s
handgu
n.
I
t
i
s
squa
t
an
d
ugl
y,
an
d
I
kno
w
no
w
tha
t
thi
s
i
s
a
s
fa
r
a
s
I
g
o.
I’v
e
show
n
he
r
m
y
knif
e,
an
d
no
w
sh
e
show
s
m
e
th
e
pisto
l
.

Marin
a,I
thin
k
.

Thi
s
i
s
a
s
fa
r
a
s
w
e
trave
l.I
won’
t
le
t
he
r
arres
t
m
e.
Parisi’
s
wif
e
i
s
a
co
p,
bu
t
I
won’
t
le
t
he
r
tak
e
m
e.
S
o
I
hois
t
u
p
th
e
blad
e
an
d
a
s
I
reac
h
arm’
s
lengt
h
abov
e
m
e,I
hea
r
th
e
bullet’
s
boo
m.
Th
e
impac
t
shove
s
m
e
bac
k
abou
t
thre
e
fee
t,
bu
t
someho
w
I’
m
stil
l
standin
g
.

Marin
a,
thi
s
i
s
wher
e
i
t
end
s
.

Th
e
doo
r
behin
d
m
e
crashe
s
ope
n,I
tur
n
aroun
d
an
d
se
e
hi
m,
he
r
husban
d,
an
d
I
tr
y
t
o
lif
t
m
y
weapo
n
agai
n.
Bu
t
h
e
aim
s
a
t
m
e
an
d
shoot
s
twic
e.
Th
e
bullet
s
strik
e
m
e
belo
w
m
y
chi
n
an
d
thi
s
tim
e
I’
m
flun
g
backwar
d
an
d
dow
n,
ont
o
th
e
couc
h
.

Agai
n
I
tr
y
t
o
ris
e,
bu
t
I
hea
r
th
e
boo
m
o
f
th
e
squa
t
handgu
n,
an
d
I
se
e
feather
s
flyin
g
abou
t
m
y
hea
d
.

Marin
a,
thi
s
i
s
al
l
ther
e
i
s.
I’
m
lookin
g
fo
r
yo
u,
expectin
g
t
o
se
e
yo
u,
bu
t
ther
e
i
s
nothin
g.
N
o
soun
d,
excep
t
fo
r
th
e
close
r
an
d
close
r
buzzin
g
o
f
a
n
insec
t.
I
t
sound
s
lik
e
a
fl
y
i
s
waftin
g
abou
t
m
y
hea
d
.

Marin
a,
wher
e
ar
e
yo
u
?

Th
e
insec
t
circle
s
close
r
an
d
close
r,
bu
t
i
t
i
s
gettin
g
to
o
dar
k
t
o
se
e.
I
t
i
s
a
summe
r
mornin
g.
I
t
ha
s
t
o
b
e
full
y
ligh
t
outsid
e,
bu
t
m
y
eye
s
begi
n
t
o
fai
l
.

Ther
e
ar
e
tw
o
figure
s
i
n
fron
t
o
f
m
e,
bu
t
al
l
I
ca
n
hea
r
i
s
th
e
approac
h
o
f
a
commo
n
housefl
y
.

Circlin
g.
Comin
g
neare
r
t
o
m
e.
Closin
g
i
n
.

Epilogue

The man in the fire was identified by one bone from his leg and one bone from his forearm. From those two items our people were able to establish his size and weight. I didn’t understand how, but they were able to approximate the height of Karrios’s victim. Then DNA came into play and we had a match with a man who was reported missing about a week ago. According to our investigators, he was a homosexual who liked to consort with dangerous men. He apparently ran into more than he bargained for.

Karrios was cremated at his father’s request. There was no burial, so Niko took the remains home with him.

The newspapers were full of the story about Marco’s metamorphosis into his mother/sister. They were constantly bothering Natalie and me at home and at work. Natalie was not used to media attention, but now she appreciated what most of us in Homicide had to go through from time to time. She needed the experience for her future as a plainclothes officer.

The Captain said my wife might step up to Burglary as a detective within two years. It could happen that fast because of her newfound celebrity. She was the cop who shot Liberty Valance, the boys and girls in Homicide teased her. She put The Farmer down — with a little help from the old man. 

The kid who owned the red Corvette was suing the city and me, but our attorneys said the young man was now talking deal, so it’d cost Chicago and the Department something in five figures. The car was totaled in the run back to my house. The engine still ran, just about, but the body was wiped out.

Doc was still threatening to write the Great American Opus, as usual, and Jack Wendkos was living in transit, back and forth to that university. The lovely professor was trying to convince him to move out there and commute, and he was trying to get her to take a teaching job in the city.

My wife, Natalie, continued to walk a beat in Hyde Park. She also continued to take that at-home test for pregnancy. It was a morning ritual, regardless of what shift she was working. We were currently on days, so we rode into work together.

My blood pressure had subsided once The Farmer was deep-fried and turned to ash. The family doctor was hopeful that this was a trend toward better things. But I was compelled to exercise more and to eat the right things. My wife was part of the conspiracy to change my life. I lost eight pounds in three weeks, and I needed to buy new pants.

Natalie had gone to her gynee and asked about her peak periods of ovulation. When we arrived at one of those window-of-opportunity moments, we had to excuse ourselves from anything we were involved in and retire to the bedroom to take advantage of one of her peaks.

So far we hadn’t produced the proper color on my wife’s test kit. This morning I wanted to sleep in because I was taking another of the eighty-three days vacation time I had coming. Natalie’s romantic hold over me had worn me out.

My caseload was somewhat under control — we had three outstandings, still in red ink. But it was better than it had been. Karrios was enough for a career, all by himself. I was almost looking forward to no-brainers. To a series of slam dunks. 

I was hiding beneath the sheets when I heard Natalie’s voice. Faint, at first. But then she became louder and clearer. The voice came from the bathroom, where she did her daily test. My heart started to beat a bit more emphatically when I heard her.

‘Jimm
y!
Jimm
y!
Ge
t
i
n
her
e,
Jimm
y!
Ge
t
i
n
her
e
righ
t
no
w!
’

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