Big Goodbye, The (13 page)

I felt a heaviness, a weight bearing down on me from above, and a pressure in my chest. It was horrible to see her this way. I tried to recall anything unusual she did when we were together—any erratic or irrational behavior that might point to mental illness, but couldn’t come up with anything.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she was fine. She could have just been upset by something that happened with Old Irish. Did she feel rejected? Defiled? Was she attempting to wash her sin away with the clear cool waters of the spring?

Once the old guy had her tucked into the passenger side of her car and was walking around the back to the driver’s side, I appeared next to him.

“Is she okay?” I asked.

“She will be,” he said.

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked. “She seems—”

“It’s exhaustion,” he said. “Stress. She just needs rest.”

“Anything I can do?” I asked.

“You could say a prayer for her,” he said.

“Anything else?” I asked. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

Chapter 27

In startling contrast to the woman who I witnessed unraveling at Wakulla Springs, the Lauren Lewis attending the political debate between her husband and Frank Howell was enchanting and erudite. When she walked into the room with her short, straight gray skirt and its matching short jacket, everyone turned—many never quite able to turn away from her for the rest of the evening.

We were in the cafeteria of Bay High School. The crowd was good, and included all the local dignitaries and luminaries, the top officials from Tyndall Field, the naval section base, and Wainwright Shipyard, the governor, a senator, a congressman, Pete and Butch, Ann Everett, and Payton Rainer. Rainer sat in the center of the front row. July was near the middle of the room, and Clip was with a small group of Negroes in the back. They were both here to help me find out who was following Lauren.

Ray and I were standing on one side of the stage, Cliff Walton on the other. Harry and the rotund man he was running against were standing near the front center of the platform, each trying to upstage the other.

“Any closer to finding out what’s going on?” Ray whispered.

I shook my head.

Harry and Howell were taking turns talking about how important the working man (and now woman) was to them, the local economy, and the war effort.

“You ever get to talk to Rainer again?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I was waiting to see if there was any heat from us liberating Lauren, then the few times I stopped by, he wasn’t there—they let me look. I figured he had left the country.”

“Maybe we can have a chat with him after this is over,” he said.

“You really think this thing’s ever going to end?” I said. “You’re more of an optimist than I thought.”

He smiled. “You think Butch’ll try to shoot me tonight?”

“He might right here in front of everyone,” I said. “He ain’t right. Cops any closer to finding out who killed Freddy, Margie, or Cab?”

“We’re about to find out,” he said, nodding toward the crowd.

I looked in the direction of his nod to see Pete making his way from his seat over toward us.

“Jimmy,” he whispered, as he came up behind us. “Ray.”

“Pete,” I said.

Ray didn’t speak.

“What’s new?” Pete said.

“Not much,” I said.

“Butch kidnapped or killed anyone lately?” Ray asked.

“Not today.”

We were all quiet a moment. Pete was nervous and it showed. He knew as well as I did that it was just a matter of time until Butch did something stupid, and if he did it to Ray he was going to get killed.

“Any headway on who killed the kid, Margie, or Cab?” Pete said.

“You’re asking
me
?”

“Yeah.”

“No,” I said. “You?”

“Not much,” he said. “But I gotta do something with all these bodies. My captain’s gettin’ sore as hell.”

I nodded.

Harry stood still as he spoke to the increasingly restless audience, but Howell moved about the stage on his toes in a way that reminded me of a cartoon I’d seen of a dancing hippopotamus in a tutu.

“Whoever did it is good,” he said. “We got none of the normal eyewitnesses and not a single clue—except your card.”

Ray raised his eyebrows as he looked over at me. I hadn’t told him about my business card being found inside Margie.

“A pro?” I asked.

“Maybe,” he said.

“Do you know where Butch was during the time of the murders?” Ray asked.

“It’s not Butch,” Pete said, but he didn’t sound very confident.

We were quiet a moment, which forced us to hear Howell tell how he had far more integrity and had worked harder his whole life than the soft, money-loving banker, Lewis.

“You guys working for Howell or Lewis?” Pete asked.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding.

“Come on, Jimmy,” he said. “Just ’cause you don’t work for the good guys anymore don’t meant you have to work against us.”

“I just don’t want to do anything to help your partner frame me,” I said. “Or shoot Ray.”

“You mean die tryin’ to shoot Ray,” Ray said.

“Okay,” Pete said. “Have it your way. Just answer one question for me. I know you’re working for Lewis and that eager young wife of his. I just want to know if you were when all those people were killed.”

He had been my partner. I had been willing to die for him the way I now was for Ray. And I wanted to turn around and use all the strength I had to beat his face in until it was unrecognizable. Somehow I found the restraint I needed to refrain, and he eased back over and took his seat beside his new partner, who was glaring in our direction.

“You think we acted like that when we were still part of the good guys?” Ray asked.

“I didn’t,” I said. “I’m sure you were far worse.”

He smiled.

Eventually, the debate ended. There wasn’t a clear winner among the candidates, but everyone in the audience was a loser. Frank Howell made his way down our side of the platform to greet his supporters, but Harry lingered on stage. He was staring at Rainer who was obviously trying to communicate something with his expression. His head was lowered, his eyebrows arched, and he looked from Lewis to Lauren and pointed to his watch.

I started to move toward Rainer, but stopped when Harry began to speak.

“Folks,” Harry yelled over the noisy crowd. “Folks. Could I have your attention for a moment. I’m sorry, but there’s something I need to say.”

The crowd quieted down. Rainer was nodding at Harry. Lauren, who was shaking her head, looked over at me, her expression one of fear and helplessness. Howell, who was near me, looked over and arched his eyebrows.

Standing so close to him, I saw again how deep and abundant the acne scars on his face were and thought that he was benefitted by being on stage—too far away for potential voters to see just how unattractive a man he really was.

“I was going to wait to do this, but I feel I must say something tonight,” he said. “I’m seriously considering dropping out of the race for mayor of this great city. If I do, it will be for purely personal reasons. I’d like nothing more than to get the opportunity to serve all of you fine folks, but sometimes . . . well, we don’t always get what we want. I’ll make my final decision in a couple of days and make an announcement then. For now, please keep me and my family in your prayers.”

“Well,” Howell said, his smile expanding his fat face even farther. “My, my.” Winking at me, he added, “Wonder what kind of personal issues he has.”

He then pranced away—well, as much as a slightly effeminate, elephantine middle-aged man can.

I looked for Rainer again, but he was gone.

“Did you know anything about this?” I asked Ray.

He shook his head.

“Wonder what’s going on?” I asked.

“Let’s see if we can’t act like detectives and find out.”

Chapter 28

“Take him around back and wait there,” Walt said. “I’ll get the car and pull around.”

Ray and I began to escort Harry away from the crowd, which was still demanding an explanation from him.

“And see if you can find Mrs. Lewis,” he added.

“I’ll look for her,” Ray said. “You take him.”

Without waiting for a response, he disappeared into the crowd, and I grabbed Harry’s right arm and ushered him toward the rear of the building.

We walked down a series of short, mostly dark hallways and wound up in a small storage room with a back door exit.

“We’ll wait in here until Walt comes around with the car,” I said.

He didn’t say anything, only continued to look lost, as if he were the one who was in shock instead of the one who had delivered it.

“You okay?” I asked.

“I have all the money I’ll ever need,” he said, his voice small. He still had the unfocused stare of the desperate. “I just wanted to do something meaningful with my life. Help the people of the city that’s been so good to me and my family. All I ever wanted to do was serve the public.”

“Why are you considering pulling out of the race?” I asked.

He didn’t look at me, didn’t acknowledge my presence in any way.

“I would’ve made a great mayor,” he said. “Lot of money and people flowing into our little town right now. Lot of corruption. We need someone who can’t be bought, who’ll stand up to those who would try to destroy our way of life. I could have done that. I—”

“Harry,” I said, my voice loud and urgent.

He looked at me.

“What the hell’s going on?” I asked. “Why are you dropping out of the race?”

“It’s very personal,” he said. “I don’t want to, but I have to. They wanted me to drop out tonight, but I just couldn’t. I keep hoping a miracle will happen.”

“Who’s they?” I asked. “Who’s doing this to you?”

He didn’t say anything, just shook his head.

The storage room was damp, and I could hear water dripping in an unseen corner. Pungent and difficult to breathe, it smelled of mildew and cleaning chemicals.

“Does it involve your wife?” I asked.

He sobered up instantly, turning his blue eyes on me with clarity and intensity. “My wife?” he asked. “What you are talking about?”

“Are they using your wife to get to you?” I asked.

“She has nothing to do with this,” he said.

“Who killed Freddy Moats?” I asked.

“Who?”

“What does Rainer have on you?”

His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly recovered.

“Let us help you,” I said. “We can make this go away. You just have to trust us. Isn’t that why you hired us?”

“There’s nothing you can do,” he said. “Just pray for our city. Those who control it are going to take it down.”

“Is Howell behind this?” I asked.

The rear door opened, and Walt and Ray were standing there.

“Come on, Mr. Lewis,” Walt said. “Let’s get you home.”

“Where’s Lauren?” I asked.

Both Walt and Lewis looked at me in surprise.

“I couldn’t find her,” Ray said. “She’s gone. Somebody said they saw her walking.”

“Probably walked home to clear her head,” Lewis said.

“I’ll go see if I can find her,” I said. “See if you can get him to level with you. He’s not dropping out of the race because he wants to.”

Chapter 29

The lakeside park was cut out of a corner of pine and oak forest about a mile from downtown. It had a red brick entrance with a wrought-iron gate, a walking path, picnic pavilion, swings, and a merry-go-round for children.

The sliver of cloud-shrouded moon and smattering of stars against the black velvet sky did little to illuminate the dark night, and the streetlamps scattered throughout the park spilled only a small pool of light onto the ground directly beneath them.

Except for Lauren, the park appeared to be empty. Very few people would find it inviting on such a dark and foggy night. The playground equipment sat still and quiet, the only evidence children had been there recently, their tiny shoe prints in the sand around it.

Lauren, clutching her purse in her hands, walked along the path, her head down, her movements labored.

I scanned the park, my eyes moving across the wooden benches and swings, through the picnic tables on concrete pads and the grills a few feet away from them, past the pavilion, the public restrooms, the play area, and down to the cypress trees next to the black lake. At least one other person was here, watching from the woods or some other hidden vantage point, I knew it. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him.

“Nice night for a walk,” Clip said, stepping out of the darkness to stand beside me.

We were beneath a large oak tree, hidden by a tall shrub near the entrance of the park. I had asked for his help after the debate, and he had been watching Lauren ever since, even while I was with Harry in the back of the school.

“She being followed?” I asked.

“You mean ’sides us?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He nodded.

“Any idea where he is?”

He shrugged. “Haven’t seen him myself. July got a quick peek at him when he—”

“Where’s July?”

He pulled one of Ray’s Handie-Talkies up out of the darkness, extended the antenna to turn it on, and called for July.

The Gavlin Handie-Talkie units belonged to Ray. He had recovered them in a case he worked a year or so back and held onto them, thinking we might need them one day. I don’t think Clip and July using them is what he had in mind.

“I’m here,” July said. “There’s someone following the little—” Clip depressed the button to speak so I wouldn’t hear what she called Lauren. “—and I’m going in for a closer look at the guy.”

I held out my hand for the unit.

“It was her idea,” he said. “She had them in her car.”

“July, this is Jimmy,” I said. “Stay where you are. I repeat. Stay where you are.”

“Jimmy?” she asked.

“Whoever he is, he’s very good,” I said. “Probably plenty dangerous, too. I want you to back away. Go get in your car and go home. We’ve got it from here.”

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere, fella,” she said.

“Does Ray know you have his radios?” I asked.

She didn’t answer.

“Just stay where you are,” I said. “I’ll get back to you in a minute.”

The lake was so dark it looked like an oil spill, its black surface shimmering like a Florida highway on an August afternoon, with the elongated reflections of the lights from the houses on the other side.