Body of Lies (29 page)

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Authors: Deirdre Savoy

Tags: #Romance

BOOK: Body of Lies
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He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Remind me to send the guy a thank-you note in the morning.”
 
 
The next time Zach woke, it was to the sound of a trilling noise he couldn't place. He had his gun in his hand in a second. He scanned the room and found nothing out of place. The noise trilled again. This time it penetrated that the sound came from a cell phone. Since he didn't have that ring tone, it must be Alex's, but the ringing stopped before he could get up to answer it.
He'd left his own phone in his pants pocket. He retrieved it now to check the time: a little after four in the morning. He had no messages from Smitty or anyone else, which probably meant the stakeout at his house was a bust. Damn. Had the police presence around his house scared Williams off or had he not planned to act at all? Either way, the question now was, what did he plan to do next? Zach hadn't a clue.
Alex's phone went off again. Whoever it was understood the word
persistent
. He knew Alex had given her cell number to many of her patients in case they needed to speak to her. On top of that she'd forwarded her private office line and home number to the phone as well. Anybody could be calling, and at this hour they probably considered getting in touch with her to be urgent.
Zach turned back to Alex and kissed her shoulder. “Sweetheart, your phone is ringing.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him as if he were a Martian. “What?”
“Your phone is ringing. I thought it might be one of your patients.”
The ringing stopped before she had the wherewithal to get up and answer it. But when she located it in her purse she opened the phone to look at the readout. “That's my next door neighbor's number. She's the only one I told I would be away for a couple of days.”
He watched Alex as she pressed the button to call back and placed the phone next to her ear. She had her back to him, so he couldn't see her face as she spoke. “Gladys, what's wrong?” she said. “I'm sorry I didn't pick up when you called.”
Alex was silent for a long moment. Then she said, “Oh my God, Gladys. Are you all right?”
Another silence, during which Zach grew more alarmed. He'd wait until Alex finished her conversation to ask what was going on, but he wished she'd hurry up and get off the damn phone.
“Thank you for calling me. I'm sorry you had to go through that.” Alex disconnected the call and tossed the phone onto the sofa. She turned to face him, a stunned expression on her face.
“Baby, what is it?”
“I have to go back. At this moment my house is burning to the ground.”
Twenty-seven
Zach drove back to the Bronx with a feeling of unease tightening his belly. Why would Alex's house catch on fire with no one inside? And four in the morning besides? This had to be Williams's work. He must have seen through the ruse at Zach's house and looked for a way to draw Alex out in the open. He'd applaud the guy's ingenuity if Alex hadn't been dead set on going back. He couldn't blame her. Everything she owned was in that house.
They'd go back, but he'd already called the captain to let him know what happened. He'd also called his brother Adam to let him know to expect them some time that day. They'd need somewhere to rest a few hours before heading back. In the meantime, he didn't intend to let Alex out of his grasp, much less his sight.
The ruins of her house were still smoldering when they pulled up in front. He didn't need a fireman to tell him that everything was gone, nor that the fire had been deliberate. The air was heavy with the acrid smell of burned gasoline. He stopped the car as close to the house as he could, considering that there were still two fire trucks and a host of police vehicles, some marked, some not, in front of the house.
Alex got out of the car and so did he, quickly rounding the hood to stand beside her. She just shook her head. “I'd thought Gladys was exaggerating about the whole house burning down.”
A middle-aged woman ran up to them. She had on a striped housecoat and a white scarf tied over the rollers in her hair. She threw herself into Alex's arms. “Look at your poor house. Everything's gone. I'm so sorry.”
Alex patted Gladys's back. “There wasn't anything you could have done and you called me as soon as you could. I appreciate that.”
Gladys took a step back. “I don't see how you can be so calm.”
Zach wondered the same thing. This was a different kind of calm from her usual demeanor. This seemed, in an odd way, peaceful. He didn't know whether to be worried or not.
“I'm saving my breakdown until later,” she told Gladys, “when I'm sure of how much damage has been done.”
As they'd spoken both the captain and Smitty had made their way toward them. Craig extended his hand toward Zach in greeting. “Welcome back to the fray.”
Zach shook his captain's hand. He didn't see any point in arguing the fact that he didn't plan to stay. Once he and Alex were ready, he planned to take Alex back to the Island. If Craig didn't agree with that Zach had plenty of vacation days stored up that he wouldn't mind using.
Craig turned to Alex and her neighbor. To Gladys, he said, “Would you excuse us?”
Gladys looked flustered but said a hasty good-bye to Alex before trotting off to her house.
To Alex, he said, “I'm sorry you had to come back to this, Dr. Waters. Please be assured we're doing everything possible to apprehend the person involved.”
Craig hadn't said Williams's name, but they all knew who he meant. Smitty grabbed Zach's elbow and nodded toward the other side of the car. Zach followed him, keeping his eyes on Alex.
“Relax, man,” Smitty said. “This place is swarming with cops. No one's going to get to her.”
Zach let out a pent-up breath. Maybe he did need to chill out a little, but he found that a little impossible to do at the moment. Someone had just burned down Alex's house, ostensibly to get her back to the Bronx. He wouldn't relax until they were somewhere safe.
But, he assumed, Smitty had something for him that he needed to hear. What's going on?”
“You know this was Williams, right?”
Zach nodded.
“Well, ever since we got into his place we've been checking him out. Seems he used to travel a lot painting those pictures of his. The guy kept meticulous records of where he'd been and when. A couple of those places have unresolved rape/murders for times he was there. We're looking into him for those as well.”
“Damn.” He glanced at Alex. She didn't need to know this, not now. “Anything else?”
“Not unless you count we don't know where he is as news. But it's definitely him. We already lifted a print off one of the gas cans.”
So either he was either getting sloppy or he wanted them to know it was him. Somehow Zach thought it was the latter.
“There is one bright note,” Smitty continued. “That girl came out of her coma.”
“How is she?”
“All right, mostly. She doesn't remember what happened. The doctors think they can patch her up okay.”
Since that was the best news he'd heard in a long time, he was glad Smitty passed it on. He chucked Smitty on the arm. “Thanks. I'm going to take Alex out of here.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Keep me posted as to what you're up to.”
“Will do.”
Smitty walked to where Alex stood, said something to her he didn't catch, then walked away corralling the captain with him.
After they'd gone Alex turned to him. “What now?”
“We'll head to my brother's house, get something to eat, a couple of hours' rest, and get out of here. If there's anyone you need to call about the house we can do that before we go.”
She nodded and got into the car. He did the same, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the ignition. He had to back out of the street, so he couldn't watch her, but when he turned at the corner he cast a look at her. She wore the same benign expression. “Not to sound repetitive, but how can you be so calm about this?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I don't feel calm exactly. But in a way, our friendly neighborhood psycho did me a favor. I'd been living in that house, tormenting myself with the past, for six years. I knew I should sell it or at least get out of it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Now it's all gone, the good and the bad. If there's anything salvageable, I don't want it. I like the idea of having a fresh start.”
She turned to him and smiled. A fresh start. Is that what they were having, too? Or could have once Williams was apprehended? That idea appealed to him, too.
 
 
Alex knew she liked Barbara Stone from the first moment she met her. She was the sort of warm yet stern mother Alex had enjoyed for the first thirteen years of her life. Alex had often wondered how her mother had ended up with a hard case like Sammy but had never gotten around to asking her. In a way, their relationship mirrored that of Barbara and Adam, except, though Adam might be a pain in the butt, he was no Sammy.
Barbara issued her kids out the door, then made breakfast for her and Zach, refusing Alex's offer of help. “You've been through enough without having to try to cope with my stove.”
Alex could have said the same to Barbara. How she coped with such equanimity Alex had no idea. But her pancakes were delicious. When Alex asked what she put in them, Barbara whispered, “Bananas.”
That was the ingredient Alex tasted but couldn't identify. She'd have to try that.
Once the plates were cleared, Zach went off with his brother into the study. When she was alone with Barbara, she volunteered, “How about you wash and I'll dry?”
“Obviously you have a compulsion to be helpful, but the dishwasher will do both for us. I'll take care of it later.” Barbara sat at the table, her coffee cup cradled in both her hands. “I'm glad for the moment alone together.”
Alex took a sip from her own cup waiting for Barbara to say what she wanted.
“I'm worried about my husband,” she said finally.
That surprised Alex. If there was a man who exuded self-sufficiency and self-containment, it was Adam Stone. “Why?”
“I'm sure Zach told you about my condition. I have to go into the hospital for more tests next week, but it doesn't look good. If my disease follows the same progression as my mother's, there isn't much time.”
“I'm sorry to hear that.”
“Well, in a way it's my own fault. I haven't taken care of myself as I should. There are screening tests that I didn't keep up with. I just got so busy with the kids and work and Adam.” She made a hopeless gesture.
“Why are you worried about him?”
For the first time Barbara met her gaze. “Because I know how he is. When bad things happen he doesn't wallow in self-pity, he looks around for someone to blame.” She shook her head. “I know he blames me for not being as careful as I should be, but he blames himself more for not protecting me.”
“That seems to be a Stone family trait.”
Barbara lifted her coffee cup in salute. “Amen to that. I don't know what it is about them that makes them think they're responsible for the rest of the world. Part of it is a cop thing, I guess. You know, serve and protect. Sometimes it's enough to put your teeth on edge.”
“I've noticed.”
Barbara sighed, the humor leaving her. “How do I convince my husband to stop worrying about whose fault it is and enjoy the time we have left together?”
Alex placed her hand over Barbara's. “Tell him how you feel. Encourage him to share his feelings with you. There's a book I can recommend, if you like.”
Barbara nodded. “You know, the worst part is knowing I'm never going to see my kids grow up. I'll never see them fall in love or get married or help them pick a career. Adam and I have had a lot of years together. I know he loves me and that there will always be a place in his heart for me. But the kids? They're so young.”
“They'll remember you, Barbara. My mother died when I was thirteen and I can picture her in my mind like she was here yesterday. In fact, I was thinking before that you remind me of her.”
Barbara brightened. “Somehow I think that's a great compliment.”
“It is. Anyone who could put up with the man she married ought to be ready for sainthood.”
Barbara stood and straightened her dress. “I'd better get a room ready for you and Zach. I know he said you two needed a few hours of sleep before you hit the road again.”
“Thanks.” In the meantime she pulled out her cell phone and her organizer. At the very least she needed to contact her insurance agent while she was still in the city. Heaven only knew what would happen with her house, her life when all this was over. But for the moment, she was more concerned with what Zach and his brother were talking about in the other room.
 
 
As it was too early in the morning for liquor, Zach had accepted a glass of orange juice from his brother. He didn't know why drinks were mandatory in this room, but he set his glass on the nearest coffee table and left it there.
Adam took his usual place behind the desk. “She seems to be holding up well,” he said as his opening salvo.
Zach didn't know why his brother's words irritated him so much, but they did. “
She
has a name.”
Adam's eyebrows lifted. “I know that. Alex seems to be holding up well.”
“Yes, she does. But that doesn't mean I'm not worried about her.”
Adam nodded. “You should get her out of here as soon as you can.”
“I intend to.”
Adam stared at him a moment. “What's with you today? I think this case is getting to you or maybe you got up on the wrong side of someone's bed.”
“That's what it all boils down to for you, isn't it? Who I'm sleeping with. I don't remember you being a prude before you married Barbara, and frankly I never told you this, but I walked into the house once when you two were going at it. I could hear you down here. That's when I stopped letting myself in with my key. So what exactly is the problem you have with me? You think I was unfaithful once so I have to pay for that the rest of my life?”
For the first time in a long while Zach saw uncertainty in his brother's eyes. “Weren't you?”
“Not until I told her it was over and that I wasn't coming back. When I said ‘infidelity' I meant hers.”
“Then why did you let me go on thinking otherwise for so long?”
“I'd hoped you knew me better than that. In those days I had the same mistress I do now, my job, just like you, just like Jon. We have that in common, if nothing else. Besides, do you really think I wanted to talk about that?”
Adam tilted his head to one side. “No, I guess not. I got totally freaked just thinking Barbara was with another man. I don't know what I'd do if I knew it for certain.”
Zach stood. “I need to see to Alex.”
Adam nodded. “Go. If there's anything you need, let me know.”
 
 
Alex had just settled under the covers in Adam and Barbara's guest room when Zach walked in the door. Her gaze wandered over to him. Although they'd only been apart a few minutes there seemed to be something different about him. “What have you been up to?”

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