Night Hunter (23 page)

“
Going.”

“
It’s kinda late.”

“
A friend is in trouble.”

“
Does it have anything to do with what happened to Lake and Odett?”

She nodded.

“
Let me go with you.”

“
No. I don’t think so.”

“
You still don’t trust me.” It was not a question.

“
I don’t know you, Mr. Davie.”

“
But do you believe that you may be in danger?”

Regina and Kristy exchanged glances. Regina felt a tingling at the base of her skull. At this moment she was running on nervous energy, compounded by extreme trepidation. But didn’t everything seem menacing in the middle of the night after being knocked to the floor in the dark by a hard-breathing, sweaty, well-built man in a leather jacket?

She nodded.

He released her arm. “We’ll talk later. Be careful, okay?”

She nodded again. She took out her mace key ring and they hurried out the door to the station wagon.

On the deserted freeway, after Regina had told Kristy about Tammy’s call and her bizarre meeting with John Davie, they fell silent for several miles.

“
I forgot to ask,” Regina said. “Who was on the phone?”

“
Wrong number. He wanted a Miss Houston. Hey, that was your name before you married Daddy, huh?”

“
What did the voice sound like?” Regina asked with disquiet.

“
Deep, sorta sandpapery—oh, there it is. Mom, Daly City turnoff up ahead.”

Regina had to grip the wheel to keep it from slipping from her wet palms. Her throat suddenly felt dry.

“
Yes, Mrs. Kowalski, dog poisoning is a criminal offense,” the uniformed officer said. “But I’m afraid it doesn’t entitle you to police protection.”

“
Warrior was killed because he was a guard dog.” Tammy hiccuped. Sherry and Kerry sat on each side of her on the couch. She pulled them closer. “Don’t you understand? Whoever did that to him, wanted me to go outside.”

“
And then what?”

She lost all patience. “And then I would’ve had acid splashed in my face.”

“
Ma’am, I think--”

“
I was one of the contestants in the Classic pageant,” she said in exasperation. She watched the two policemen exchange glances. “The same pageant that Donna Lake was in. You’ve heard of Donna Lake, I assume?”

The officers nodded.

“
Someone’s out to get all of us.”

“
All of you, ma’am?”

“
All of the finalists. Maybe all of the contestants for all I know.”

“
I see.”

The other officer said, “The vet will autopsy your dog. Find out exactly what killed him. Could be he just had a heart attack or a stroke.”

“
He was foaming at the mouth. He ate—” The doorbell interrupted.

Sherry slid off the couch and ran to the door, a policeman right behind her. A moment later she was back, followed by Regina and Kristy.

Tammy jumped up, rushed to Regina, and embraced her. “Jesus, am I glad to see you. Tell these ... these policemen about your theory. Tell them how someone wants to make us hideous.”

Regina put her arm around Tammy. “Tammy, that’s all it is, a theory. I have no proof.”

“
Christ, my dog was poisoned. That should certainly—”

One officer cut in, “The only thing we know for sure at this point, ma’am, is that the dog is dead. We don’t know how it died.”

“
When will you know?” Regina asked.

“
Soon as the vet gets to it.”

“
Which vet?”

“
Over at the Daly City Animal Hospital.” He excused himself and went to join his partner outside.

Tammy looked out the slider and saw the young Latin- looking cop dragging a black bag across the patio. Warrior. Such a faithful dog. She turned away and began to cry again.

“
I’ll get you a pill, Momma,” Sherry said.

Tammy nodded, blew her nose.

“
Hi, Kristy babe,” Tammy sniffed, put an arm around her and squeezed. “It’s good to see you again. Jesus, you get prettier and prettier.”

The police finished up and left. Kristy took charge of the twins, playing video games with them while the women talked quietly in the kitchen.

After a second cup of coffee, running on caffeine and nervous energy, Tammy said, “You’ve been great, Regina. Not many people would rush out in the middle of the night to be with a friend. Not a friend, actually. What contact we’ve had over the years was because of Donna. She’s so good for all of us. I never felt threatened by her like I did with you and Amelia. And it’s not just because I beat her out in the contest, it’s ... well…

“
I know.”

“
I was too frigging jealous of you to give our friendship a chance.”

Regina smiled. “That’s honest.”

“
Weren’t you jealous of Corinne?”

“
The contest wasn’t that ...” Regina paused, then went on, “Yes, yes I suppose I was.”

Tammy realized then that Regina wasn’t being as honest.

“
You were the first runner-up,” Tammy said, “and you were supposed to take over as queen.”

Regina nodded.

“
Why didn’t you?”

Regina stared into the coffee mug.

“
The truth,” Tammy said quietly.

“
I didn’t have a year to devote to the obligations of the winner.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Tammy said, “God, you came so close to winning. And you didn’t even want the title. Or the crown or any of the perks that went with it. How could you do that to the rest of us?”

Regina looked at Tammy. “Do what?”

“
Without you I’d’ve been the second runner-up,” Tammy’s voice was high and forced, “not third.”

“
You don’t know that for sure.”

“
Sure enough.”

“
And what if you had been second runner-up, where do you think it would have gotten you?”

“
You’re a producer of a TV show,” Tammy said, knowing her tone was accusatory, but unable to stop,

“
Donna’s show.”

Tammy understood her meaning; it was ridiculous to think the pecking order would have changed the outcome of their futures.

“
Maybe you’re right, Tam. Maybe you would have been second runner-up. Maybe—”

“
Oh, Regina, I’m such a bitch,” Tammy cut in, ashamed of herself. “I wake you up in the middle of the night, drag you from your bed so I can accuse you of screwing up my life. I wish to hell none of us had entered that damn contest.”

They fell silent. Tammy picked nervously at the glittery polish on one long thumbnail, her mind wandering back to Warrior again. Gary would be heartbroken, he loved that dumb at mutt. That Lab was his, but Gary felt that the girls should have the dog for protection. “Regina, will you take us to Gary’s?”

“
Now?”

Tammy nodded. “He has his answering machine on. I can’t get through.” She failed to mention that Gary always kept his answering machine on.

“
Whenever you’re ready.”

At 5:12, Regina double parked the station wagon in front of Gary’s house in the Sunset district. Regina and Tammy sat in the front seat, the twins and Kristy in the back.

“
I’ll wait here till you’ve gone inside,” Regina said. “Just in case there’s a problem.”

“
It’s okay. We’re always welcome.”

“
I don’t mind waiting.”

Tammy, with her arms around her daughters, went up the walk to the front door. Tammy used the knocker, timidly at first, then with gusto.

After several long minutes, the door opened. Regina caught a glimpse of a slender arm and a long royal blue robe. She could not hear what was being said on the stoop, but Tammy looked visibly shaken,

“
Oh-oh, looks like trouble,” Kristy said.

The girls clung to their mother.

The door opened wider. The woman disappeared only to be replaced in the doorway by a tall, thin, bare-chested man wearing rimless glasses and what looked like a pair of sweatpants. The girls vanished inside, the door closed, and Tammy, left standing on the stoop, began to beat her fists against the door. After several moments she turned and came down the steps, stumbling on the last one.

The rear door opened and Tammy slid inside, closing the door softly. “He had company. Out of town friends, I…uh, didn’t want to impose.”

Regina started the engine and pulled away.

“
Where are we going?” Tammy asked, looking behind her at her husband’s house.

“
To our place. We all need some sleep.”

Twenty minutes later Regina was making up the sofa bed in the living room. Kristy had gone on to bed. Tammy, in a stupor, sat slumped on one of the club chairs, staring at the floor.

It had all caught up with her, Regina thought. The dog’s death, the shock, the pills, the rejection. A lot for one person to take in a single night. She found a cotton nightshirt and went to stand before Tammy.

“
Here, put this on.” She held out the nightshirt. “We better try to get a few hours sleep. Tammy?”

Tammy raised her head lethargically, her eyes seemed glazed and unfocused.

“
Tammy?”

With a sudden physical outburst. Tammy began to pound her fists on the top of her thighs. With each blow she grunted in pain and frustration.

“
Tammy, stop. Please.” Regina grabbed her wrists and held them, dropping to her knees.

“
The bastard moved her in,” she said vehemently. “She’s living in
my
house. Sleeping in
my
bed with
my
husband.” Tammy strained, and the strength behind her months of aerobics became quite evident to Regina as she struggled to hold on. Tammy broke the hold and then she did something that took Regina by surprise —she suddenly went limp, fell to her knees, and began to sob, deep, racking sobs. “He loves her. What will I do? Reggie, what will I do now?”

Regina hugged her tightly. “Tam, everything’s going to be all right. You’ll see.”

“
Gary threatened to put me back in that nut-nuthouse,” she cried bitterly, hiccuping.

“
What nuthouse?”

“
They ke-kept me six weeks in a mental ward. Ga-Gary wants me to go back.”

Regina held her and rocked. But the comforting words she longed to say wouldn’t come.

Donna held the mirror with a tremulous hand. She sat up in the hospital bed in a room brilliant with sunlight. Nolan and the boys stood on her right. Her father and Dr. Saxton were on her left.