True Blue (15 page)

As she finished her Coke in one gulp Roy said, “The cops came and got the key.”

“Yeah, I know. Messed up there.”

“I did?”

“No,
I
did. I forgot how smart my sister is.”

“She knew you’d taken the key?”

Mace nodded. “And if it happens again my butt will be right back in prison.”

“Your sister is not going to arrest you.”

“You don’t know Beth then.”

“Mace—”

“Drop it, Roy!”

“Okay.” He fiddled with his drink. “I’ve been thinking about Abe Altman.”

Mace said absently, “What about him? Want to renegotiate my deal?”

“I was thinking that there is no way he got a research grant that would pay an assistant six figures.”

Now Mace looked curious. “I was wondering that too. What do you think?”

“That he’s not taking a salary and he’s giving those dollars to you. I mean, it’s not like he needs the cash.”

“Still nice of him, though,” she pointed out.

“Well, it sounds like he wouldn’t be here except for you.”

“He was exaggerating.”

“Why do I think that’s bullshit?”

Mace shrugged. “Think what you want.”

“I heard a snippet on the news that a DA was found murdered.”

“Jamie Meldon. Did you know him?”

“No, you?”

She shook her head.

“I guess your sister has her hands full. That’s a high-profile case.”

“Actually, she’s not working it.”

“Why not? He was found in D.C.”

“Above everybody’s pay grades, apparently.”

Mace sat there staring off, mulling Mona’s words. She finally looked over at Roy. “Did you have time to do any snooping around your firm?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Ackerman’s office was clean. In fact, I’m not sure the guy does anything.”

“What do you reckon he makes for doing nothing?”

“Seven figures, easy.”

“I hate lawyers.”

“But he’s a rainmaker. The biggest in the firm. He brings major deals in like clockwork. The worker bees like me get paid well. But the rainmakers get the gold.”

“Good for him. What else?”

Roy brought her up to speed on the rest of what he learned, including his inspection of the fourth-floor construction site and his conversation with the construction supervisor and later discussion with the building’s day porter.

Mace jumped to her feet. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that before?”

“Tell you what before? I just talked to the guy this afternoon.”

“That was the day porter. You said you talked to the supervisor a lot earlier.”

“Okay, so?”

Mace dropped some cash on the table for the drinks.

“Where are you going?”

“
We’re
going to your office building. Right now.”

He stood and grabbed his windbreaker. “My office? Why?”

“Not your office, your office
building
, and hopefully you’ll get to see why.”

“You want to follow me on your bike?”

“No, I need to hide in the floorboard of your car.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I’m apparently being hovered!”

“A case I worked about five years ago.”

God, if it could only be. Nail the bastard. Get back on the force. To hell with Mona. And they couldn’t touch Beth. It would be all me.

“What?”

“Just hang tight. I don’t like questions while I’m on the hunt.” She slipped her hand into her jacket pocket.

“Are you carrying a gun?”

“No, but a girl can protect herself, right?”

They got in the elevator. When Roy moved to hit the floor button for Shilling & Murdoch, Mace grabbed his arm.

“I said office
building.
We might do your office later.”

“Do what in it?”

“You’re a real funny guy, Roy.”

She pushed the button for the third floor. Moments later they both peered out into the semi-darkened space.

“Now what?” Roy said in a confused voice. “Do we push all the floor buttons and then go running from the building laughing hysterically and look for a car to teepee?”

“Which way are the fire exit stairs?”

He led her down the hall past darkened offices and pointed to a door near the end of the corridor. Mace yanked it open with Roy right behind. She pointed to a door set into the wall by the fire exit door. She opened it. It was a broom closet.

“Are there more of these?”

“There’s one on the first floor too.”

“Boy, this place has great security,” Mace said. “You arm the front doors, hire a security guard, albeit a loser one, and then secure the office elevators and the office suites and you don’t secure the garage elevators? And then you have a perfect hiding place for some scumball right in the building?”

“The original building developer declared bankruptcy and the people who took it over finished construction on the cheap, and that didn’t include secure garage elevators. No one wanted to pay for a retrofit.”

“Well, I bet they will now. Okay, even if you come in through the garage you have to pass by the security desk to get to the fire exit stairs. You said the construction crew checks out at five-thirty and they don’t work weekends. Ned comes on at six and exits at six. Exterior doors, office elevator, and your office suite all go secure at eight p.m. and go off at eight a.m. That leaves a huge window.”

“Window for what?”

“Oh come on. Did you hit your head on the basketball rim one too many times?”

They continued up the stairs and the next door she opened was to the fourth floor. It revealed almost total darkness. Mace scooted forward and crouched down behind some building materials. Roy knelt next to her. “What are we looking for?” he whispered.

“Know it when I see it.”

They crept forward with Mace in the lead. Roy noted that she moved like a cat, no noise, no unnecessary movement. He tried as best he could to mimic her. He did find that his hands were growing sweaty, and his pulse banged in his eardrums.

A minute later she stopped and pointed. Roy saw the dim wash of light coming from a far corner of the space where it wouldn’t be directly seen from the windows.

Mace reached in her pocket and pulled something out. Roy couldn’t see exactly what it was.

“Now what?” he murmured.

“You stay here. If somebody other than me comes flying past, trip them and then bash them on the head with like a two-by-four or something.”

“Bash them on the head? That’s a felony assault. And what if he has a gun?”

“Okay, sissy boy, let him kill you and then your survivors can file a civil suit against the bastard for wrongful death. I’ll leave it up to you.”

She headed on while he took cover behind a large toolbox on wheels. He looked around the floor and picked up a block of wood. His fingers gripped the chunk tightly and he mumbled a prayer that no one would come running by.

And I am
not
a sissy boy
.

Two minutes went by. And then the silence ended.

He heard a yell, and then a sound like a long hiss. A scream and a heavy thud caused him to leap up and sprint forward. He tripped over a pile of ceiling panels, tumbled forward, landed on his back, slid a couple feet on the smooth concrete, and came to a stop next to a pair of strappy high heels.

Groaning and rubbing his head, he stared up. The light hit him in the eyes. He put up a hand to deflect the glare.

“What the hell are you doing down there, Roy?” asked Mace, who was holding a work light in a cage that she’d snagged off the floor.

“Coming to save you,” he admitted sheepishly. “Gee, that was sweet. I’ll just take it as dumb luck that I didn’t actually need you to save me, since we’d both be like dead if I had.”

She helped him up.

“I heard a scream and a thud. What’s going on?”

She pointed her light downward again. Roy’s gaze followed the shaft of illumination. The Captain was lying on the concrete, his big body still shaking.

“What the hell did you do to him?”

“Zap knuckles.”

“What?”

She held up a pair of black-coated brass knuckles. “Nearly a million-volt pop. He’ll be okay. But right now his nickname is Twitchy.”

He pointed to the knuckles. “Aren’t those illegal?”

Mace copped an innocent look. “Why, Roy, I don’t think so. But just in case they are, don’t mention them to anyone.”

“You know I am a lawyer and thus an officer of the court.”

“But there is such a thing as attorney-client confidentiality.”

“I’m not your lawyer.”

She slipped a buck from her pocket, slapped it in his hand, and then jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “You are now.”

“Why’d you zap the Captain?”

“Twitchy is the Captain? You know him?”

“Yeah, ex-vet who’s now homeless.”

She ran the light over the Captain’s rags and filthy face. “I zapped him because he’s a big guy, and I’m just a helpless girl.”

“You’re not helpless and I’m not even convinced you’re a girl.” He looked around. “So the Captain must’ve been the one stealing food and tools.”

“Maybe more than that, Roy. Maybe a lot more than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“How about killing female law partners?”

“The Captain? No, that’s nuts. He wouldn’t.”

“How do you know him?”

“This is sort of his turf around here. I give him stuff. Money. Food.”

“And shoes.” Mace pointed her light at the Captain’s feet. “I remember seeing those in your car.”

“The poor guy was wearing cardboard for his shoes.”

“So you only know him from the streets?”

Roy hesitated. “Well, not just from the streets.”

“How else?”

“Does it matter?”

“It all matters, Roy.”

“I defended him once.”

“From what?”

“Assault charge. But that was three years ago.”

“Yeah, and I can see that things have really looked up for him since then.”

“I’m sure he came here just for food and to get off the streets. It’s dangerous out there at night.”

“Apparently it’s dangerous in here too.”

“He couldn’t have killed Diane.”

“Sure he could.”

“How?”

“On Friday he snuck in through the garage after the hammer and nail crew left. A guy like him coming in the front door would have aroused too much attention. Old Ned was probably in the back hooked to a milkshake IV or else he waited until he was gone too. He times his movement across the lobby and hits the stairs. He hides out in that oh-so-convenient broom closet until your friend the day porter does his thing and leaves. Then, when things quiet down, he goes to the fourth floor, which he has direct access to from the fire stairs, and beds down for the night. On Monday he either pops awake when he hears the elevator coming up early in the morning or else he’s already up because he knows he has to get back out before people start coming in. He hits the button over there to make the car stop on this floor. The doors open. Tolliver can’t see him, but he can see her, a lone female trapped in a metal box, easy pickings. He grabs her and that’s it.”

“But if he knew Ned comes in at six why wouldn’t he have already been gone?”

“You think it’s all that difficult to slip past Ned?”

“Or maybe he doesn’t have a watch.”

She knelt down and lifted up the Captain’s left sleeve, revealing a watch. She hit it with the light. “And it’s got the right time.”

“You said something about a case you worked?”

“Same M.O. Bandit hid in buildings where construction was going on. He’d hit the elevator button when he heard the car coming up or down late at night. If the doors opened and it was a chick all by herself, he’d pounce.”

“Ever catch the guy?”

“Did better than that. I went in as bait. He tried to grab me and I shot him right in his most private of areas. The guy had butchered three women. So it was a real pleasure to put him out of commission permanently.”

“Okay, but the Captain—”

“Look, the
Captain
maybe only plans to rob her, but things get carried away. I see two Purples and a Combat Bronze on his jacket. What branch was he in?”

“How’d you know it was a Bronze Star for combat?”

“Because of the Valor Device worn with the medal.” She pointed to a small V on the Captain’s chest above the Bronze Star. “That’s only for combat heroism.”

“I knew that because my brother is a Marine, but how do you know?”

“I’ve done my patriotic duty and dated guys from every uniformed branch. They liked to show me their medals. Plus my dad had one from Vietnam. So which branch?”

“Army Ranger.”

“So he’s both huge and strong and really skilled at killing people.” She glanced down at the big man and then over at Roy. “The Captain have a real name?”

“Lou Dockery. I still don’t believe he killed Diane.”

“Spoken like a true defense attorney. But it’s not up to you. In fact, you have to call the cops right now.”

“Me?”

“Officially, I’m not here. My sister gave you a number to call. Dockery will be in la-la land for another twenty minutes or so. I suggest you make that call, right now.”

Roy looked panicked. “What the hell do I tell her?”

“The truth, but leave the part about me out. Hang on a sec.” She picked up a piece of wood and used a small knife to cut her hand, drawing a bit of blood that she smeared on the wood.

Roy looked stunned. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“Because I know my sister. And hang on to the chunk of wood.”

“Why?”

“Again, because I know my sister. Now give me your key card.”

“Why?”

“I want to have a look-see through old Shilling and Murdoch.”

“You’re not serious?”

She brandished her zap knuckles. “A million volts’ worth of serious.”