Unleashed (33 page)

"Thanks." I didn't want to talk about it, and she dropped it. Jackie and Mildred sat across from each other at the small kitchen table. Snaffles waited for me at the gate, his tail wagging.

"Joy," Jackie said. "This is a surprise."

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm all right. How are you?"

"I've been better, but I'll be OK. Mildred." I nodded at Mildred. She nodded back. "Could I speak to you alone?" I asked Jackie.

Cecelia took Jackie's place across from Mildred, and we went into the living room. Almost blinding sunlight filled the room. Jackie closed the curtains. "It gets really hot in here if I let the sun come in all day," she explained. The sun struggled through the dark-blue drapes, and the room took on a somber tone.

"I wanted to talk to you about something your husband was involved in."

She sat down on the couch and motioned for me to sit next to her.  "What kind of involvement?"

"It has to do with treasure." Surprise was all that registered on her face. "The basement of Eighty-Eight East End." Her surprise was tainted by guilt. "What do you know about the basement?"

"Nothing."

"I think it was you."

"What?"

"I think it was you seen leaving the emergency exit."

"But—"

"I don't think you killed your husband. In fact, I know you didn't. I think you were there, though."

Her eyes, large and frightened, stared at me. "How?" she asked in barely a whisper.

"I want you to tell me what happened. I won't tell the police or anyone else, ever. I give you my word of honor."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Will you tell me?" I could see that she wanted to. Her story pulsed inside her.

"I followed him," she started.

"From here?"

"Yes. I was here when he came back from his jog."

"He came back here? Why didn't Michael see him?"

"I don't know. He was probably looking at himself in the mirror. Or maybe he went out for coffee. I don't know why."

"OK. So, he came back here."

"He was here when I came in. I sneaked in the delivery entrance after leaving Julen. Joseph was packing a bag. He was wearing his jogging outfit and his stupid toupee, and he was packing a bag." Her words spilled out of her, angry and desperate. "When he saw me standing in the doorway, he jumped. He was obviously scared. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me anything. He brushed past me like I was the maid. But I was his wife. I followed him into the hall, and I grabbed his toupee off his head. He tried to take it back, but I didn't let him." I had an image of Mrs. Saperstein standing on the couch, the toupee held high above her head as the late Mr. Saperstein tried to claw up her body to get it back.

"It was so stupid, so childish of me. I told him he couldn't leave me, that I loved him, that I wanted to save our marriage." She looked at her hands where they fidgeted in her lap. "He looked at me with such disgust—like I was nothing. I don't know how it got to that." She paused. "We were really in love once, you know. We," she smiled sadly, "thought we would be happy together forever." She looked up at me and shrugged. "He gave up trying to take the toupee. He told me I would hear from his lawyer and stormed out."

"Then what happened?" I asked.

"That's it."

"Come on, finish it." Her eyes glistened. She appeared to be drowning on the inside.

"I took his toupee and I followed him," she whispered, "I took the stairs, and I followed him out of the building. He didn't turn around even once. He walked straight to this hatch in the ground in the park, near the cherry trees." She looked to see if I knew the hatch she was talking about. I nodded that I did. "Joseph opened it and then looked around to see if anyone was watching, but he didn't see me and he went down. I followed him. He had started wearing this awful cologne. A gift from his girlfriend, I guess. I could smell it. Isn't that crazy? I tracked him through the halls by his smell, like a dog." She was waiting for me to say something.

"I think it's impressive you were able to track him so cleverly."

"Sure," she laughed, the sound was tinged by tears. "clever, not psychotic. Whichever it was, I followed him. I saw him go into a room, and then I heard him inside the room. He was apologizing, and I heard a man tell him it was too late. I ran around the corner and hid. They came out of the room and walked in the opposite direction. I went after them. They went through the emergency exit. I was about to follow when I heard a bang." She paused. "I thought it was a truck backfiring. How silly." A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, leaving a track in her makeup. "I opened the door and saw Joseph on the ground." her breath shuddered and I put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't remember doing it," she continued, "but I must have dropped the toupee." She choked on a sob.

"It's OK. You can stop now."

"No. I want to finish. I saw him lying there. He had no face."

"I know."

"And he was in his own blood. I was standing in the doorway looking at him when I heard Chamers yell to me. I ran. I ran blindly through the halls. Somehow I found myself back at the room that Joseph came out of, and I went into it."

"What was in it?"

"It was so strange. It was just a bunch of wooden crates marked fragile." Her eyes were unfocused, staring into the gloomy light coming through the curtains. "I keep going back there, but I still don't understand."

"That's how Snaffles ate the rat poison?" I asked.

"Yes, I took him with me for the company." We sat in silence for a moment. "You won't tell anyone?" she begged and questioned in the same breath.

"Not a soul," I promised. "Have you figured out what your husband went down there for?"

"No." She smiled without her eyes. "I haven't a clue. The boxes are all empty. I don't understand it."

"Thank you for telling me." She looked at me but didn't say anything. "I've got to go," I said breaking eye contact. I stood up; she followed.

"Do you know why he went down there?"

"I think so."

"Will you tell me?"

"Later." She reached for my hand and held it lightly.

"Please, tell me. I can't sleep."

"The answer won't help you."

"Please."

"I can't tell you now. I promise you that I will explain it all soon." I took my hand away from her. She reached toward me. "I promise, soon."

###

B
ob was waiting for me outside. He followed me back to the Excelsior where I sat in my room until the sun set. Mulberry called. I told him to come over. He arrived with Chinese food.

"You trying to fatten me up?" I asked.

"Someone's got to do it." He pulled out General Tso's, moo shoo pork and spring rolls. We ate directly out of the cartons. I didn't have any plates or bowls.

"I did some research today after you ran off," Mulberry said, a piece of shredded pork hanging from his chin. I motioned to it. He tried to get it with his tongue.

"Lower," I told him. He stretched his tongue as far as it would go. I laughed.

"Did I get it?"

"No." He took his hand and wiped just below it. I laughed harder.

"Shut up." Mulberry reached into the bag, found a napkin, and vigorously wiped the wrong side of his face. "Hmm?" I shook my head, laughing. Mulberry got angry. "Just get it off me." I took the napkin from him and was about to grab it when I burst out laughing and had to slap my knee. "Joy!" he yelled. "Come on." He thrust his chin out toward me. I leaned over and wiped at the pork with the napkin.

We were just inches away from each other. Mulberry made eye contact, and the air grew thick for a moment. We both turned away quickly.

The detective grunted. "Like I said, I did some research today," he started. I smiled at him, laughter playing with my lips. "Don't look at me like that," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not cute."

I laughed. "You are when you have moo shoo on your chin."

"Listen to me, OK?"

"OK, sorry," I said.

"There is a drainage system underneath Eighty-Eight that flows into the river. It goes under the highway." Mulberry unfolded a map onto the coffee table and ran his finger over one of the dotted lines. "This one," he said. “We can take it right under the building and out to the open water. "

"We just have to find how to get into it?" I asked.

"Exactly."

"I found some stuff out today, too."

"Yeah?"

"I know what room Joseph Saperstein walked into in Eighty-Eight right before he was murdered." Mulberry's jaw dropped. I savored his surprise for a second before I continued. "It was the room with all the empty fragile boxes."

"I know what you're talking about," Mulberry said.

I popped the last bite of spring roll into my mouth. "I think we should check it out tonight," I said, my mouth full. Mulberry looked at me. I swallowed. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "Nothing, nothing. Let's check it out tonight."

"There's one thing."

"Yeah?"

"We're going to have to evade Bob."

"Who?"

"That's what I call my tail."

"Are you on something?" Mulberry asked.

"No, really. There's a guy who's been following me. I call him Bob." Mulberry just stared. "He works for the mayor. He's the same guy who threatened me on the subway."

"And he's been following you?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't really seem to be that into it."

"What?"

"I mean, I see him all the time. He nods at me when I wave."

"You wave?"

"Yeah, I think he's bored. But I don't think we should let him follow us tonight."

"OK?"

"We can go out the back."

"OK."

G
oing out the back meant taking the elevator down to the basement and following exit signs till we were standing behind the hotel. Mulberry and I found our way onto 79th Street and headed for the park. Armed with police-issued flashlights, we made our way to the hatch in the bushes. Even though I'd told Mulberry that the drainage hatch led to a secret passage, he was still surprised when I pulled on the sprinkler and the door rose.

"Ladies first," Mulberry said, looking down into the darkness. I clicked on my flashlight and pointed it at the steps below.

"Scared?" I asked.

"Just cautious," he said. I led the way. Smelling the river, I wondered if I would really be using it to escape New York. The hatch closed, and I felt Mulberry stiffen.

"The lights will come on soon," I said.

"I'm not worried," he told me. The lights went on as promised.

"Ready?" I asked when we reached the door. Mulberry nodded. I opened the door and led him through the closet to the next door. He pushed past me and led the way to the room with the boxes marked fragile. Our flashlights cast white circles of light on the strange, empty wooden crates. I found a light switch and flicked it. The single bulb in the ceiling splashed light over the room.

Mulberry pulled a crowbar out of his bag and approached the first box. It was an inch or two taller than me, sealed with nails all the way around. Mulberry huffed and puffed, cracking wood to open the case.

"Nothing," he said, peering into the hole he'd made. I shone my flashlight in and saw the inside of an empty box. The next one was the same and so was the one after that; the next three were just as treasureless. Mulberry was red-faced and panting by the time the last box was opened. "What the fuck?" he said.

"They sounded empty," I reminded him.

"Crap!"

"Not so loud!" He turned away from me. I let out a breath of air, letting it vibrate my lips so he would know that I was exasperated by him.

"Shit!" he yelled again and punched the box. It tipped over and Mulberry cradled his fist.

"That's what you get for—" I smelled the river. Looking down, I saw water rushing below the floor. "What the—?" Mulberry looked over at the hole that the box had been concealing.

"It's the drain."

"The drain?" I asked.

"This is it. This is how they were getting in and out."

"Where's the treasure?" Mulberry walked over to another box. He put his weight against it, and the thing tipped over revealing another hole. This one had a net suspended over it in which rested a trunk. Water hummed below. Mulberry and I stared. He reached in and lifted the trunk's lid. It was filled with gold coins. The gold glowed in a way that made it hard to swallow.

"Holy shit," Mulberry finally said. He walked over and knocked down the next box—another chest. I knocked over the box closest to me. Inside a net was a velvet bag. I pulled it up and opened it. Diamond necklaces and pearl earrings lay tangled together inside the pouch. I looked over and saw Mulberry holding a matching bag, his face dotted with white facets of light.

"Diamonds?" I asked. He nodded. A smile spread across Mulberry's face—the smile of a very rich man.

After putting the room back together the best we could, Mulberry and I headed back. "We've got to get a boat that can either handle a heavy load—" Mulberry said as we walked through the park, "Or a couple of boats that we could tie together. Ones that we could inflate once we got down there."

"Good idea," I said. We walked out of the park toward the Excelsior.

"I think we have to get it out in one go or he'll notice it's disappearing—and we should do it soon," Mulberry said.

"I can get some boats in the next couple of days," I said as we walked to the back of the building.

"I'll talk to my man about price. We might want to hold on to some of it and sell it slowly," Mulberry said in the elevator.

"That sounds smart." I opened the door to my room. Blue greeted us warmly. Mulberry sat down on the couch. I passed him a can of beer. I opened mine, he opened his, and we clinked them together.

"To treasure," Mulberry said, his beer in the air.

"To treasure." We took long sips, watching each other over the edge of our cans.

###

T
wo days later I went to the bank and withdrew my one hundred grand. It was in four envelopes. I put them in my purse next to my gun and walked over to 60th and 2nd to an army surplus store.