The Laura Cardinal Novels (74 page)

“Why would they do that? They’re going to the Colorado River.”

“They probably won’t, but—”

He tapped the map again. “I want them at the roadblock on 164. Is there anything else?” He looked from Laura to Jon.

“DPS is sending a negotiator,” Laura said.

“Negotiator?” He looked at her. “Why?”

“A hostage negotiator, in case—”

“We don’t need one.”

“I would advise you to have one there,” said Service.

“Well, we’re not having a DPS team. This is going down in Nevada. We don’t want any more jurisdictional headaches than we need. As it is, everybody and his brother’s coming to the ball.”

“You could get a team out of Las Vegas,” Laura said.

He glared at her. “This is really not your business, detective.” He turned to Jon. “I talked to our SWAT commander not an hour ago. He seems to feel we don’t need a hostage negotiator. So we’ll leave it at that.”

Suddenly, there was the familiar whopping of helicopter blades. Damien Peltier’s white teeth showed, half-grimace, half-smile. “There’s my ride. Jordan, pack up your tent.”

Service said, “I think you should keep that unit on 95.”

Peltier ignored him. “Let’s go, let’s go. Everybody get a move on, let’s make this quick.” He saw Service filling his briefcase. “Jon, you understand, but we’re going to need you here—we need you to coordinate the info coming in on this end.”

Jon’s face turned a dull red, but he said nothing.

“You two go ahead and coordinate your efforts.” He glanced at his watch. “Just remember you’re a guest here and don’t trample all over her homicide—you’ve got to work and play well with others, be sensitive to her needs.”

He picked up his shoulder bag. “Let’s show some chivalry. Just because there’s a truck full of nuclear waste headed for the Colorado River, doesn’t mean we can’t give the locals a hand.”

Grabbing up his briefcase in the other hand, he strode briskly out of the office, calling back over his shoulder, “Look busy!”

California Highway Patrol officer Jess Harding walked along the row of cars, occasionally stopping to talk to one motorist or another, what they called in his job being “Officer Friendly," presenting a good face to the public and doing his bit for public relations.

Some motorists were impatient, downright pissed-off at the delay, and some were philosophical—one family was watching a DVD in their big, new SUV, windows rolled up and air conditioning on. Despite the heat and the wind, a number of people were standing in the road, straining to see the wreck, which was still smoking.

“What happened up there?” asked a guy wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with an eagle head and the words PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN.

“Car accident. We’re close to clearing the road, shouldn’t be long.”

That wasn’t strictly true. It would be a while. The tow truck was waiting to remove the wreck of the Corvette, which had been reduced to a twisted black, wheelless hulk. But the other vehicle, which had escaped the fire, was dead center in the roadway and they were waiting for the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver.

“What happened? Did anyone get killed?”

“I don’t have that information at this time, sir.”

But of course he did. The driver of the Corvette was toast. The other guy was alive, but didn’t look like he’d stay that way. How it looked to him, the Corvette must have been going at a high rate of speed when the old ranch truck pulled out in front of him going in the same direction.

CHP officer Jack Sheedy was measuring the scene and marking evidence for any criminal charges when it got to court. There would be a lawsuit from someone. Jess continued up the line, deflecting questions and putting a cheerful face on it. The last vehicle in line was a semi truck.

When he got to it, he grabbed the mirror and stepped up on the running board. The driver rolled down the window.

“Where you headed?” Harding asked.

“Flagstaff,” the driver said. He nodded to the cars in front of him. “What’s going on up there?”

“Accident. Speeder in a sports car ran into some old guy turned right in front of him.”

“What time frame’re we looking at?”

Harding decided to be a little more honest since this guy was a trucker. “Looks like an hour and a half at least.”

“Guess I have time for smoke then.”

“I could use a cigarette right now myself.”

Guy shook out a Camel but Harding declined. “Can’t,” he said, surprised that he sounded apologetic.

Harding stepped down, saw the silver tanks under the heavy tarp. “Looks like giant beer kegs under there. That would be something, huh? What are they anyway?”

“Milk.”

“Milk?”

“PET Milk.”

Harding shook his head. “Haven’t heard that name in years. There’s still a market for it?”

“Uh-huh. Especially in France.”

“France.” He laughed. “Figures.” He had one foot back on the running board, which offered him some lumbar support. He would rather bullshit with the truckers or play officer friendly with the citizens than sit in his car, even though standing for long periods made his back ache. “Where you coming from?”

“Tonopah.”

“That’s where this stuff comes from?”

The guy looked at him, sunglasses dark and glossy. His mouth turning up at the corner: “Dairy farm.”

A blast of wind buffeted Harding, fluttering his uniform pant legs. Wondering whether the guy was putting him on or just making a joke. He laughed. “Dairy farm, what else? Must be hard getting milk into those little cans, huh?”

Silence. Guy just sitting there, serene behind his dark glasses. Clearly had no sense of humor, so Harding didn’t bother to explain his joke. He could still hear the echo of his own laugh, tinny all by itself. He patted the cab door, said, “Take it easy.” He started back up the line of cars again, the wind coming hard now and slapping him sideways, carrying with it the smell of charred meat, and Harding could swear he felt those dark glasses staring at his back all the way.

Richie Lockhart already had his telephonic warrant and was on his way to Bobby Burdette’s, but decided to let the Williams police chief know what was happening as a professional courtesy. As he walked to the building he saw Josh Wingate talking to the chief out in the parking lot.

“You need any help executing that warrant?” Chief Loffgren called out.

“Oh, so you know about it.”

“Jungle drums. Talked to the judge.” He clapped Officer Wingate on the shoulder. “Seriously, you might want to take Officer Wingate along. Might be good to have another eye.”

Why not? Richie didn’t want to do it by himself, and he had been impressed with the way Wingate had handled himself at Cataract Lake. He nodded to the young officer. “Come on.”

Josh Wingate detached himself from the car he’d been leaning against and followed him to his Chevrolet.

“You ever execute a warrant before?” Richie asked.

“No, sir.”

“Just do what I tell you. The occupant won’t be there. But we gotta maintain the chain of custody, any evidence we gather, so the main thing I want you to do is follow my lead, do exactly as I say—and wear gloves.”

“Yes, sir.”

They drove out Seventh to Edison Avenue and turned right.

Josh Wingate was quiet. Glancing in Wingate’s direction, Richie saw that the kid was staring straight ahead, his face impassive. Richie had noticed that he had been very helpful in the past and always had a nervous energy. Not today, though. He’d thought he was doing him a favor to bring him along, but the kid was a bag of laundry sitting on the passenger’s seat.

Then he realized. Of course. Family troubles. His mother had gone off the deep end, nearly taking Laura Cardinal out when she tried to kill herself a couple of days ago. Of course he’d be shaken up. Barbara Wingate off to the loony bin. His whole world turned topsy-turvy.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Josh Wingate mumbled something that Richie couldn’t decipher.

Richie decided to pursue it. He needed to know this kid’s state of mind. If he was preoccupied with his own problems, he would be useless at the house, which was a crime scene and needed to be treated as such. “I heard about what happened with your mother. She all right?”

“She’s okay.” Staring out the passenger window now.

“Heard they took her in for observation. She out now?”

“Yes, sir.” Flat voice, flat expression. Holding on to a lot of pain, trying to keep it inside. Richie knew all about that, only he hid his pain by joking. He remembered in happier days when his wife had season tickets to Arizona Opera and dragged him along. One of them was
I Pagliacci
.

Laugh, clown, laugh.

What he wouldn’t give to have her drag him to one more opera. “How about Erin? She okay?”

“My brother-in-law and his wife are coming for her next weekend.”

“They’re from out of state?”

“Germany.”

“
Germany?
”

“He’s stationed there.”

“Oh. So they’re taking her to Germany?”

“Looks like it.”

“You okay with that?” he asked. A regular Dr. Phil.

“I’m
glad
.”

He didn’t sound glad. He sounded mad. Pissed-off at the world, but then, Richie didn’t blame him. With a witch like that for a mother, who wouldn’t want to see his niece go as far away as possible? Making her sick like that. Germany was as good a place as any.

Richie glanced at Josh Wingate again. Profile carved in stone, eyes forward, hands loose on his lap. A thousand miles away.

Richie stopped the car. “You interested in working this scene with me?”

Josh Wingate swiveled his head to look at him. “Yes, sir. I want to.”

Richie thought about it. The kid was depressed—big time—but Richie could use the help. Reluctantly, he put the car in gear, wondering if he was making a mistake.

And throughout the afternoon, Josh zombie-walked through the search. Nothing you could put your finger on. He was precise; he was obedient; he was careful.

But he wasn’t there.

Look busy
. Laura glanced around the room, which had been reduced to herself, Jon, and an off-duty dispatcher brought in to help. At the moment, she was cleaning up coffee spills on the table. Priorities, as Special Agent in Charge Damien Peltier would say. “Well, we have enough people for a lemonade stand,” Laura said to Jon.

Jon Service glanced at one of the laptops, still up. More messages had come in. He sat down and started logging them into Rapid Start, Laura looking over his shoulder.

There was new information on Glenn Traywick. He had been at the Nevada Test Site earlier today, but left early, supposedly on his way to Utah.

Laura knew he was Jack Taylor’s nephew. Although Jack Taylor wouldn’t implicate him, they already knew he was part of the scheme. She’d seen his name written down before—on the old refrigerator door at Taylor’s Creekside Cabins. The brochure for flights over the Grand Canyon.

“Traywick has an airplane.”

Jon looked up from the computer. “He does?”

She described the brochure, the red-white-and-blue plane.

“If ever a guy could use a plane, he would,” said Jon.

Ten minutes later, Laura got the information from the FAA. “He keeps it here in Flag at Pulliam Airport. A Cessna 175.” She gave Jon the call letters. “A plane with those call numbers left North Las Vegas Airport earlier this morning. He didn’t file a flight plan.”

“You think he’s coming here?”

A search turned up the information that Glenn Traywick had owned a house in Flagstaff for fifteen years, but sold it eight months ago. His current address was an apartment here in town. More good fortune: The apartment manager lived across from Traywick and was on nodding acquaintance with Traywick’s girlfriend, Michelle.

“Do you have a last name?” Laura said into the phone.

“No. She’s not on the lease. Know where she works, though. Trecor.”

“Trecor?”

“Trecor Business Equipment on Milton Road. My brother buys all the stuff for his business there—he has a publishing software company.”

“Have you noticed anything unusual about either of them recently?”

“Does moving out of the apartment count?”

Laura grabbed the phone tighter in her fingers. “Oh, that counts.”

“Moving van was here all day yesterday. They sure had a lot of stuff for a small apartment.”

“Did they skip out?”

“Nope. Michelle came over yesterday. Said there was a death in the family and they were going to have to leave town, break the lease. She was nice about paying up—they lost the security deposit and a few months rent.”

“That was yesterday?”

“Uh-huh. But she left today with the last of her stuff.”

“When was this?”

“Quarter of eight this morning.”

When Laura hung up, she asked Jon when Glenn Traywick was last seen at the Nevada Test Site.

He was staring at the computer. “It’s in here somewhere. Where’s Jordy when you need him?”

“Out playing cowboy with Clint Eastwood.” Laura grabbed the phone book, punched in the number for Trecor Business Machines, and found out that Michelle Cantey had worked there most of the morning. About ten minutes ago, she’d left on a personal errand and wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day.

It was clear to Richie early on that Bobby Burdette had cleared out with all his personal information. As the hours ground on, working his way through dirty clothes, cupboards of canned goods, a refrigerator full of cold cuts growing brown and condiments that must have been here for a decade, he realized that Burdette hadn’t been here for a while.

And he wasn’t coming back. It was a sense he had. The place felt stale, closed-up, but it was more than that. The minute someone left a house for good, you could tell. It was like the house itself had given up. He had left a few things behind—a ratty old couch, a bed and bedside table, some mismatched kitchen chairs. And, surprisingly, a brand new wide-screen TV and combination DVD/VCR player. Worth at least two grand combined.

Who in his right mind would leave something like that? But even if Richie didn’t know the circumstances, didn’t know what Bobby Burdette was planning, he would have known he wasn’t coming back.