Wonderland (23 page)

A week after the funeral, Uncle Nick arranged for Bianca’s abortion. He knew the father was Patrick, and he knew that Patrick had left her for Connie, and that Connie was now dead. But he never asked Bianca about any of it. He simply accompanied her to the appointment, paid the bill, and brought her back to the park, where she recuperated in his apartment inside the administrative building.

In the fall, Bianca opted to stay at Wonderland, the place where she felt the most safe. She never attended Puget Sound State University, or any college, for that matter.

And neither had Patrick.

•   •   •

Bianca poured herself a glass of red wine and waited for the knock on her apartment door she knew would come. The thought of Patrick, even after all these years, filled her with a mix of emotions that was still confusing, emotions that only quieted down when she was with someone new. She had never loved anybody like she loved Patrick, and it was easy to pretend it was him she was making love to here in the apartment, with Wonderland just down below. The other boys, all carefully chosen, helped fill the empty space Patrick had left, and for the short time those relationships lasted, she felt almost whole again.

As she did right now, with Xander Cameron. It hadn’t taken long to seduce him. It never did. Eighteen-year-olds had their drawbacks, but a voracious appetite for sex was not one of them.

It was sunset, and Wonderland was alive, the lights glittering like fallen stars. The windows of the admin building were soundproofed, so Bianca couldn’t hear the carnival music blaring or the happy screams of little children or the whooshing and whirring of the roller coasters. Looking out the window was like watching a movie with the sound off. Even with no lights on inside the apartment, it was bright, the glow from Wonderland casting moving colors and shapes on the white walls. The spectacular lights could be seen easily from the freeway, and they worked better than any billboard, their bright gleam promising passersby fun and excitement and joy. The Wonder Wheel at the very north end of the midway rotated slowly, and she watched it thoughtfully.

Bianca was no stranger to thoughts of suicide; she’d seriously considered killing herself twice before. The first time was after she was told her tennis career was over. The second was after she’d aborted her baby—and to this day, she still couldn’t decide which experience was more painful. If she ever contemplated suicide a third time, she knew exactly how she’d do it.

She’d take a ride on the Wonder Wheel until her chair reached the top, and then take a big swan dive. It was 150 feet from the highest point of the wheel to the concrete, and death would certainly be quick. Bianca wondered if she would actually hear herself smack the pavement in the few milliseconds before she died, and believed that if she did, the sound would be quite satisfying.

A light knock behind her ended that thought, and she turned away from the window. She licked her lips in anticipation of everything that would happen once she opened her apartment door, and she took one last sip of wine in preparation.

She greeted her guest with a welcoming smile. It wasn’t Xander, her current lover. But that was all right; she hadn’t been expecting him.

“Come on in, Oz,” she said.

THIRTY

D
onnie Ambrose was waiting when Vanessa arrived back at the department. She had a lot to tell the young detective, but for now, it could wait.

“They’re in interview room three,” Donnie said.

“They?”

“Glenn Hovey and his mother. She insisted on being with him.” He made a face. “I already want to strangle her. She’s like a little yappy dog you just want to kick, but can’t.”

“Do your best to restrain yourself.” Vanessa’s tone was dry. “I’m surprised he hasn’t hired a lawyer. Let’s hope he doesn’t ask for one. How did Nate make out with the ID cards we found?”

“He ran the nineteen names we didn’t recognize through the Missing Persons Database; nothing came up. He checked for death certificates; nothing there, either. Obviously, this doesn’t prove they’re all alive and well—he’d have to look into each one more thoroughly to verify they’re okay—but so far it looks like just the five are dead, including Jack Shaw.” Donnie looked disappointed. “I was so sure we had him.”

“We still do,” Vanessa said. “Five of the twenty-four are dead, and Hovey was in possession of their cards. Maybe the others were intended victims; I can work with that. Now, don’t keep me in suspense. How’d it go at Wonderland?”

“Bianca Bishop wasn’t at the park.” Donnie followed her down the hallway. “Receptionist said she was out, didn’t know where, but I got the feeling that even if she knew, she wouldn’t tell me. I went to Bianca’s house, she wasn’t home. I obviously didn’t have a warrant so I couldn’t search.”

“What about the apartment that’s right in the admin building?” Vanessa gave him a look. “You should have told me about that, by the way.”

“I assumed you knew.” Donnie looked surprised. “It’s not a secret, it’s sort of common knowledge.”

“For who? People who’ve spent their whole lives in Seaside and who’ve worked at the park for years?”

“Point taken.”

“Well, don’t feel bad. Oscar Trejo didn’t mention it to me, either,” Vanessa said. “I asked him point blank if there was anyone else at the park the morning the Wonder Wheel Kid climbed it, and he said no.”

“He could have been telling the truth. Just because the Dragon Lady has an apartment there doesn’t mean she was there that night.”

“You knew what her nickname is, too?”

Donnie grinned and ducked, pretending as if she was about to hit him. “Sorry. Again, common knowledge for everybody but you.”

She rolled her eyes.

“By the way, Earl called, looking for you. Wants an update on everything, says he feels like he’s being kept out of the loop. I told him you’d call him when you could.”

Vanessa sighed. That’s because Earl
was
being kept out of the loop; it wasn’t an accident. “What was his mood?”

“Distracted. Stressing over the development deal, apparently he got into it with Tanner Wilkins at the city council meeting earlier because Tanner won’t sell his property on Clove. Plus the gala thing is tonight.”

“Wow, such a busy bee, our chief of police,” Vanessa muttered. “Doing everything
but
his job.”

They had reached interview room three, but before she could open the door, her phone pinged. Checking it quickly, she saw it was a text from Ava.

Working late again tonite. Ok if I sleep over at Katya’s?

Vanessa frowned. She didn’t like Ava working late, not while there was a potential serial killer running around loose at Wonderland, and this was the third time in the past week that Ava would be sleeping over at her friend’s house. “Hang on,” she said to Donnie. “It’s my kid. Go on in, but don’t start without me.”

He disappeared into the room, and she remained in the hallway and texted Ava back.
Who else is with you tonight? I don’t want you leaving work alone.

Her daughter’s reply was quick.
Supervisor works till close. Katya’s
dad is picking us up. Will be lots of people around, don’t worry.

Vanessa supposed that was okay. Jerry, still in town for another couple of days, had volunteered to hang out with John-John until she got home, and he’d picked up the seven-year-old from day camp already. Based on the looks of things, it was going to be a long night with Glenn Hovey. Having Ava over at her friend’s house, where there was parental supervision, was better than leaving her at home by herself. She texted back.
Ok, that’s fine. Let me know when you get to Katya
’s. You guys have fun. Love you.

Love u 2.

Vanessa put her phone away and pushed the door open to the interview room. Donnie was seated across from Sherry and Glenn Hovey.

“Mr. Hovey, it’s nice to see you finally. We’ve been looking for you,” she said. “Mrs. Hovey, it’s good to see you, too.”

“Can I smoke?” Sherry Hovey didn’t bother to say hello. In her pruned hands was a pack of Marlboros and a pink plastic lighter. She shot Donnie a dirty look. “This numbnut here says I can’t smoke.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, you can’t,” Vanessa said. “But there are designated areas outside. In fact, you don’t even need to be here. It would be better if we could talk to your son alone.”

“I’m not going nowhere. Anything you say to him, you can say in front of me, otherwise we’re calling a lawyer.” She turned back to Donnie. “Can I at least get some coffee?”

“Sorry, we’re fresh out,” the detective said with a smile.

Glenn Hovey looked nothing like the old picture Vanessa had seen in his room earlier that day, nor did he resemble his employee picture, which must have been at least five years old. The Glenn Hovey sitting in front of her was a man of medium height, maybe five nine, with about sixty extra pounds on him, most of which were around his middle. His hair was thinning and his pink scalp was visible beneath the few light brown wisps that remained. He was wearing a beige golf shirt that was too short and too tight, and there was a stain on it right where his belly began to protrude. In the quiet of the interview room, Vanessa could hear a faint wheeze, and thought the man probably had asthma.

Sherry Hovey drummed her nails on the table. “I told Glenny you were here to talk about the Wonder Wheel Kid and Homeless Harry. But he doesn’t know nothing about either.”

Vanessa ignored her. “Where’ve you been the last little while?” she said to Glenn.

“For Christ’s sake, he was in Vegas,” Sherry Hovey said. “That’s where he was arrested. His car is still there. How are we supposed to get it home, by the way? And who’s going to pay for it?”

“Mrs. Hovey, if you want to stay in the room, you will have to be quiet,” Vanessa said firmly. “This is a police investigation and if you interrupt again, I will ask this fine young detective here to call you a taxi.”

The woman opened her mouth to say something again, but her son gave her a look, and she shut it.

“What were you doing in Las Vegas, Mr. Hovey?” Vanessa asked again.

“Playing poker.” Glenn picked a loose thread off his shirt. “Big tournament just off the strip. It’s how I supplement my income.”

“How’d you do this time?”

“Pretty good.” A smiled lifted the man’s chubby cheeks. “Eight thousand.”

“Eight thousand!” Sherry Hovey smacked her son in the stomach, which jiggled, almost comically. “You didn’t tell me that. We can finally buy a new stove.” She extracted a cigarette from her pack. Across from her, Donnie shook his head, and cursing, she put it back.

“I spent some of it.” Glenn shifted away from his mother slightly. “Not sure how much is left.”

“Did you go to Vegas with friends?” Vanessa asked. “Or did you go alone?”

“I went alone. But I hung out with friends.” Glenn’s eyes darted to his mother’s face. “Why?”

“What friends?” Mrs. Hovey said. “You got no friends. And how much money is left?”

“I have friends.” Glenn’s face turned red. “I have lots of friends, Ma. Just because you don’t know them all—”

“I’ll need their first and last names.” Vanessa pulled out her black notebook. “I need to give them a call to verify where you were.”

“How much money is left?” The old woman reached for her cigarettes again, remembered, and pushed the pack away again. “You ran through eight grand in a week?”

“Also, I’ll need addresses,” Vanessa said. “What hotel did you stay at? Did anyone stay with you?”

“I—” Glenn paused, his head turning from his mother to the deputy chief, clearly unsure whom he was supposed to be talking to. He finally settled on Vanessa. “Are their names really necessary?”

“Oh, just tell her.” Sherry Hovey tapped her lighter impatiently on the table. She was trembling all over, clearly fighting off a nicotine craving. “Tell her so she’ll stop asking you questions about the Wonder Wheel Kid. You’re looking for his alibi, right?” she said to Vanessa.

Glenn’s wheezing was a bit louder. “I wasn’t even at the park that night.”

“Yeah, and that’s why you’re gonna get in trouble,” his mother said. “How many shifts have you missed? You know we need you to keep that job.”

“My job’s not in danger, okay, Ma?” Glenn looked back at Vanessa. “I wasn’t at the park when the kid’s body showed up. And I wasn’t there when the other kid climbed the Wonder Wheel.”

“It’s a very long drive to Las Vegas,” Vanessa said. “You must have known you’d be gone awhile. Why didn’t you notify anyone at the park?”

“I got my schedule mixed up.” He scratched his head. “I didn’t know I was working that night.”

“And which hotel did you say you stayed at?” It felt like Vanessa was asking the same questions all over again. “Do you have an invoice, anything to verify you were there? What about food or gas receipts?”

“I didn’t stay at a hotel, I stayed with friends. I didn’t keep any receipts. I didn’t think I needed to.”

“Did you give these people your money?” Sherry Hovey’s prune face darkened. “You don’t need to pay people to be your friends, Glenny—”

“Mrs. Hovey,
please
,” Vanessa said in frustration. She looked over at Donnie, who seemed both amused and fascinated by the two of them. “I’ll need names. Then we can move on.”

“You better not have spent all the money you won,” the old woman said. “You know we need that new stove. Three out of the four burners don’t work. How am I supposed to cook?”

“You don’t cook. Macaroni and cheese from the box isn’t cooking,” Glenn snapped.

“It’s the only thing I can taste,” his mother snapped back. “The chemo killed my taste buds.”

“It’s not the chemo, it’s the cigarettes.”

“You buy them for me!”

“You nag if I don’t!”

Giving up, Vanessa sat back and crossed her arms. There was no point in interfering. Sherry Hovey was too amped up, and despite the warning Vanessa had given earlier, she couldn’t take the chance that the woman might call her son a lawyer if asked to leave.

“You know we need money for the stove, and instead you’re spending your money on people who are just using you,” Mrs. Hovey said to her son.

“It’s my money and I can spend it how I want.” Glenn’s voice had gotten loud. “You have your disability and dad’s pension, which is more than enough to cover the house.”

“Yeah,
my
house, and I can decide who lives there.” Sherry Hovey’s voice was equally loud.

“You don’t want me to live there? I don’t have to live there!” Glenn’s voice had gone full hysteria. “I’d be happy to leave, Ma! Then you can have the neighbors drive you to all your appointments—”

“Excuse me,” Vanessa said, but neither Hovey heard her.

“You’re lucky I let you live with me,” Sherry Hovey shrieked.

“Let me?
Let me?
You couldn’t survive there without me! I pay all the bills!”

“You do
not
! You pay the cable bill so you can watch your sex movies on Cinemax!”

“I also pay for the Internet—”

“Yeah, so you can watch more sex movies! I don’t use the Internet! I don’t even have email!”

“Well, you should have email! What person in this day and age doesn’t have email?”

“
Excuse me!
” Vanessa banged her fist onto the table several times. She wondered if anyone else in the department could hear the screaming match, and then wondered how they possibly couldn’t. “Mr. Hovey, we need to stay on topic. I need to know who you were with in Las Vegas—”

“His name is Sergio, okay?” Glenn was addressing Vanessa but still glaring at his mother. “I don’t know his last name.”

Sherry Hovey’s mouth dropped open again. “Sergio?” she said. “Who is this Sergio?”

“Do you have his phone number?” Vanessa said.

“We correspond mainly by email through his website,” Glenn said. “But I do have his number if you want it. And his address. He’s the one I’ve been staying with.”

Sherry Hovey inhaled sharply and smacked him on the stomach again, sending ripples all through his midsection. “Who is this Sergio? Is this man conning you out of your money? I told you a thousand times, Glenny, you’re too trusting—”

“He’s a hustler, Ma,” Glenn said, and Vanessa watched as a look of horror spread across Sherry Hovey’s face. “He’s a prostitute, and I pay him, okay? You happy now?”

“You pay a
man
for
sex
?” The old woman placed a hand over her heart, her eyes twice the size they’d been a moment ago. “Oh, Glenny . . . are you
gay
?”