Time and Trouble (38 page)

“
Jane Heller, Sam Browne, R. Tannenbaum, no Stephen Tassio, no Stephen T., no S. Tassio
…
DeeDee Stanley, Alicia Malone, Douglas Newber
—”
She
’
d just said something she should have listened to
…
She scrolled back again, said every last name and this time, she paused at Alicia Malone. Alicia. That was the name she
’
d seen elsewhere, too. Not the most common name, and she
’
d heard it. Somebody had said it in the last few days, and pray to God it hadn
’
t been Ivan when they
’
d had a glass of wine late the night before. Ivan
’
s romantic complexities were too often the subject matter during a time that was supposedly reserved for reviewing how her household was doing. According to Ivan, his life was seldom going well, and it was endlessly complicated, because of his adoration of and overenthusiasm for the opposite sex.

One of his girls had been a Tawny, she was sure. And the other complication, a Brittany.
“
Very American,
”
he
’
d thought.

So who was Alicia? It wasn
’
t as if Billie
’
s life was a long waltz between friends and gossip and lots of names, so Alicia had to be part of the search for Penny.

She opened her notebook and held her breath. Please have written it down. Alicia couldn
’
t have been all that important or she
’
d remember something more than the sound of her name, but please let her have documented it.

And there it was, a fit. Mrs. Tassio going on about Stephen
’
s dreadful friends. And one, the Malone girl, who
’
d seemed quite lovely until she pulled him into her weird group and approved of his getting that bird. And Mr. Tassio, murmuring, half to himself, that he
’
d always been fond of Alicia.

Billie felt like Lewis and Clark. Both of them. She
’
d found something in this new world, even if she didn
’
t yet know what it was or meant.

She went out to the reception area and borrowed Zack
’
s phone book.
“
Malone,
”
she whispered.
“
Be listed.
”
It would be so unusual as to be heretical, but there were miracles.

And there was her first occupationally-based one.
“
San Geronimo Valley Financial Services
”
listed Alicia Malone but only a phone number. Still, it was something. She kissed the white pages and grabbed the phone.

The message said that the office was closed and Alicia Malone out of town until after President
’
s Day. Billie left a message, anyway.
“
Damn,
”
she muttered as she hung up. But Emma probably knew some way to get the address that went with the number. Billie could at least find the office, be ready on Tuesday after the long weekend.

The weekend seemed very long indeed when thought of that way.

The outer door opened and Yvonne, looking as if she
’
d lost weight in the last two hours, barged in.
“
Ha!
”
she said, pointing at Billie.
“
That
’
s what I figured!
”

“
Jesus Christ!
”
Billie said.
“
I told you
—”

“
Can I help?
”
Zack asked Yvonne in a tone that would have deterred anyone normal.

Yvonne ignored him.
“
You
’
re a detective,
”
she said, her finger still aimed at Billie.
“
At first, I thought you came here because you were hiring one. That you were looking for him, too. I waited. I can be patient.
”
She nodded several times in agreement with herself.
“
You have no idea how patient I can be.
”

“
Yvonne,
”
Billie began.

“
You know this woman?
”
Zack asked.
“
Is she a client?
”

“
This is Yvonne. I don
’
t know her last name. She
’
s looking for her former boyfriend on her own, not as a client.
”

“
Not former.
”
Yvonne wagged a finger back and forth, chastising them.
“
We
’
re for keeps. He
’
s been forced to
—”

“
She hasn
’
t hired you?
”
Zack asked.

Billie shook her head.

“
I want to,
”
Yvonne said.
“
Now that I know you weren
’
t here to hire somebody, you
’
re here to be hired yourself!
”
She giggled, then abruptly grew serious again.
“
That
’
s what I want to do.
”
She finally let her hand fall into normal position. No more finger-pointing. A step forward.

No way in hell Billie could knowingly work for a lunatic, provide a stalker with information
—
assuming she could get any. Even Emma Howe, with all her rules about not inflicting your own morality on clients
’
issues
—
even she wouldn
’
t put an innocent in danger for a few bucks.

“
I
’
m really sorry,
”
Billie said,
“
but I couldn
’
t do that. I
’
m too booked. I couldn
’
t.
”

Yvonne flashed a look at Zack, as if he might be prompting Billie to lie, then she looked back at Billie, and then to the closed glass-paned door.
“
Who else is here?
”
she demanded.
“
Somebody here better not be too busy for me. I have my rights, I
’
m a citizen. Everybody treats me like horseshit.
”
The woman zoomed from rage to heartbreak without missing a beat.

Yvonne
’
s eyes overflowed, and she brushed at them as she spoke.
“
You don
’
t realize
—
this is the anniversary of our last time together. Two months ago today, in the rain, we went to Stinson, our special place.
”
Her voice had grown dreamy, heavy, as if drugged as she sank into her tale.
“
We
’
d been there before. The bartender owns a house and sometimes he rents out the guest room to special friends. Stephen took me there. Everywhere
—
Mendocino, camping in the Trinity Alps, Big Sur
—
Point Reyes a lot.
…”

“
Listen, I appreciate your interest, but
—”

“
It was storming, but we put on our slickers and went on the beach. The ocean was wild, the rain
—
he took my hand, held it. I thought he was going to ask me to marry him, that
’
s what I thought!
”
Like a badly played violin, her voice grew ever higher, thinner and piercing.

“
Thought he would
marry
me and instead he
’
d been pressured into getting rid of me.
”
She pressed her palms against her solar plexus.
“
It hurt him, but he had to do it. His parents forced him. Exactly two months ago today.
”

Billie nodded acknowledgment.

“
Can I help you?
”
Emma
’
s voice was strong and level as she stood in the open door of her office. Billie had no idea how long she
’
d been watching. She was carrying her briefcase.
“
Is there a problem?
”

“
I
—
she
—
I want to hire her but she
’
s refusing! She doesn
’
t like me
—
the Tassios poisoned her against me. I have money
—
oh, not enough for his kind, for his family, for his mother, but enough for you! I have to find him! Isn
’
t that your job? I
’
ll die if I don
’
t find him soon. He ruined my life
—
I never finished college because of him. He owes me.
”

“
I
’
m sorry, but perhaps we could discuss this another time?
”

Emma moved toward the wild-eyed woman. Zack stood, too, looking temporarily benign, permanently large and powerful.
“
Right now is not a good time for us and you look as if perhaps you should think this through first, decide if you truly want to
—”

“
You
’
re brushing me off, too? You
’
re
detectives
!
What kind of game is this?
‘
Come back some other time
’—
who are you kidding? The time is today.
Today.
The anniversary of our last time together and I
’
m bleeding inside and all I ask is a little help.
”

“
Ah, Emma, this is Yvonne.
…
She
’
s looking for Stephen Tassio?
”

Emma
’
s right eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly.

Yvonne spoke right through Billie
’
s words.
“
You were with his parents, you were at his work
—
you
’
re after Stephen, too, but you don
’
t know him the way I do. I could help you. I know where he must be. Last chance
—
will you or won
’
t you?
”

Emma took a deep breath.
“
Won
’
t. Will not. Clear enough? Now, our business here is over.
”
Billie, Emma, and Zack advanced like a V-shaped weapon aimed at Yvonne.

“
I won
’
t forget this!
”
Yvonne screamed as she backed out the door.
“
Don
’
t think I will!
”
Her voice shook and dimmed as she walked down each stair, but she never stopped talking.
“
I don
’
t need you, never did
—
I just wanted to make it easier, give you a chance, too
—
but now
…
whatever happens
—
it
’
s your fault!
”

Emma looked taller than usual, muscles on alert.
“
Not good,
”
she said.
“
She
’
s hell-bent on proving something today. She could kill herself, kill him, or kill an innocent bystander.
”

She meant Penny. The most likely innocent bystander. Billie felt her pulse in her throat.
“
She has no idea where he is, that
’
s why she followed me all day. Process of elimination, but now, she
’
s going to the beach, I bet. All that talk about their last rendezvous.
”

“
If he
’
s anywhere near it, he
’
s both a fool and god-awful easy to ID in a hearse.
”

“
He wouldn
’
t go back to the same place with his new girl, would he? Even if it
’
s his buddy
’
s place?
”

“
We don
’
t know him. Don
’
t know if he gives the place special significance, and she
’
s crazy,
”
Emma said.
“
Yvonne
’
s seeing patterns where there aren
’
t any. There
’
s no point calling the police about a skinny girl who
’
s angry, but that doesn
’
t mean she isn
’
t big trouble. I
’
m really worried about Penny. She
’
s in the way. In Yvonne
’
s way. Hurry
—
maybe we can still see her, follow her.
”

As they raced down the stairs, Billie thought hard, willed herself back to her front door, at Yvonne
’
s car parked across the street. God knows, she
’
d stared at it long enough, remaining on her doorstep, watching until there was no trace of the madwoman.
“
A little wagon,
”
she said.
“
Black, maybe. I don
’
t know what make. Sorry.
”

“
Maybe a straight line isn
’
t the fastest way this time,
”
Emma said.
“
Maybe following an unknown car driven by an unstable woman to an unsure destination is how we
’
ll actually find Penny Redmond.
”
She glanced at Billie.
“
Alive. Maybe. If we hurry.
”

Twenty-Three

Penny sat at the top of the stairs, too
furious to go into
“
their
”
bedroom where the only roommate she had left was the scowling, brown-eyed hawk. She couldn
’
t believe Stephen could dump her and leave her and go off to the beach alone. As if she were nothing more than a chore he couldn
’
t wait to finish.