Cloaked in Blood (26 page)

“Johnny, she
did
come home with a box
of donuts.”

“From a bakery that opened about twenty
minutes before she got home.  So where was she in the
meantime?”

“Where do you think she was?”

“I have my suspicions.”

“Wendell?” Crevan asked.

“Maybe I should insist that he stay at the
house too.  Easier to keep tabs on all three of them if I’ve
got them sequestered in the same place.  Better yet, I could
lock the three of them in the house while I’m gone.”

Crevan laughed.  “You really think that
stunt would work on a man like Wendell Eriksson?”

“I doubt it.  She was on the phone with
Maya when I got out of the shower.  Something happened last
night, a murder, and Helen knew about it before Maya told
her.  She claims that she heard it on the news, buddy, but I
know my wife.  She avoids news like the plague.  Won’t
read a paper.  Falls asleep when I turn on the nightly
news.  As for the radio in the Expedition, I doubt she’s ever
turned it on.”

“You think Wendell killed somebody
already?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him.  Do me a
favor would you?  Do a little digging and see if anything
interesting happened anywhere in Darkwater Bay last night. 
Better yet, rather than make it an official inquiry from OSI, call
Tony Briscoe and see if he’s in the mood to gossip this
morning.”

“You’re not coming in this morning?”

“Not yet,” Johnny said.  “I thought I’d
make an unscheduled appearance in Fielding this morning, see if
there’s been any unusual activity out at Dunhaven.”

Crevan groaned, “Don’t tell me you think
Helen went over there to talk to Jerry Lowe again.”

“She flat out told me she wanted to see him,
Crevan.  If I have to interrogate everyone at Dunhaven to find
out if she was there this morning, I’ll do it.”

“I thought you said you were done digging
for the truth where Helen is concerned.”

Johnny’s jaw set grimly.  “And I meant
it.  She’s made it abundantly clear that she can’t
change.  What she does after the boys are born is… well, it’s
her choice, but until that day comes, somebody has to look out for
their safety.  It seems to be my responsibility now.”

“You don’t really mean that.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said, “I really do.”

Wendell arrived within an hour of my frantic
call.  If he did something to Nate whoever-he-was, I would be
livid.  We needed these people alive, if we ever wanted to get
to the bottom of this conspiracy that was consuming my life bit by
bit.

He walked into the kitchen under two intense
stares.

“What?  Have I broken the code of our
alliance somehow?”

“You tell me, Dad.  What time did you
stop watching Lyle Henderson last night?”

“I stuck around for about an hour after we
got off the phone.  Lyle watched television for awhile, made
some notes on a legal pad, with his bible open, I might add, and
retired before nine.  I was on my way back to my post on the
adjacent rooftop this morning when I got your call.”

“Then you didn’t see this orderly Nate leave
work last night?” Datello asked.

“No, of course not.  I was gone long
before the young man’s shift ended.”

“Ah-ha!” my finger stabbed the air. 
“So you did learn about Nate’s routine last night!”

“I made a call to the assisted living when I
got back to Saint Agnes last night, Helen.  The pretense was
that I’m looking into a senior community for my ailing mother and
concerned that there is staff on duty at all times to assist the
frail when they need it.”

“What did they tell you?” Danny piped up
again.

“They assured me that they are fully staffed
around the clock, no short shifts, that there are three caregivers
assigned per each floor of the complex, except for the main level,
which if I understand their lingo correctly, has twice the number
of attendants plus registered nurses, as those with the most
physical needs reside there.  They do some sort of physical
rehab on top of everything else.  I think we got into the
wrong line of work, Sprout.  The people running this place are
making a killing.  The cheapest level of care they offer is
fifteen grand a month, not counting the cost for medication
management or meal preparation in the suite if someone wants those
options.

“Now would either one of you care to tell me
why I’ve walked into a hostile interrogation this morning?”

“The orderly, Nate, he was run down last
night on Hennessey Island as he left work last night.  Helen
did a little digging while we waited for you to show up.  The
accident happened shortly after eleven-thirty last night.”

Wendell’s eyes narrowed to tight
slits.  “I see.  So I’m to assume that every corpse that
turns up under suspicious circumstances is now my handiwork. Is
that how this works now, Helen?”

“Dad, I didn’t mean –”

“I think perhaps it’s time that we actually
discuss my so-called body count.  Exactly how many people do
you think I’ve killed?”

I shrank away from the anger.  “I don’t
know,” meekly.

“Don’t play the wounded woman with me, young
lady.  You’ve been dropping hints about who I killed, if I
ever took money for jobs, all sorts of nonsense since you came back
into my life, so how about we just dispense with all the secrecy
right here and now.”

No way would I be able to soften his anger
with the repentant child ploy.  I doubted that
I’m the
mother of your grandchildren
would hold much sway either. 
My hands perched on my hips.  “All right, Daddy.  Let’s
have the conversation.  I found your files in the safety
deposit box in the Cayman Islands.  Did you think that your
little version of shorthand would be incomprehensible to me? 
There were hundreds of sizable deposits, Daddy, and encrypted
names, newspaper clippings.  And let’s not forget that I know
what you did to rescue Thomas Peterson.”

The smile chilled me to the bone. 
Datello took two steps back, practically hid behind me.

“I did make sure Thomas Peterson’s father
never harmed him again.  That boy was about to set his own
father on fire, Helen.  Would you have done differently? 
Don’t lie to me.  I know about Ronnie Czerny.  I know
about Scott Madden, if you’d like a more recent example of your
rather fluid interpretation of justice. 

“For the record, I did not murder hundreds
of people who got away with murder or horrific child abuse. 
There were exactly five.  And those deposits?  Simply
gratitude from very relieved people of means who never forgot that
justice
is
blind, even when juries are both stupid and
incompetent.  Some people understand that there is a
difference between reasonable doubt and all doubt.”

“Five?” I echoed.  “You honestly expect
me to believe that a hundred million dollars came from five
families who appreciated the justice of Wendell Eriksson?”

Datello’s relief radiated behind me. 
“Helen, if I’d met your father twenty or even thirty years ago, I’d
have paid twice that much if Sully simply vanished.”

Wendell looked like Danny’s consent was all
the validation he ever needed.  “Did you never question why
the account grew so much after my arrest?”

“There were some very wise investments.”

Dad cursed and turned away from me. 
“There were two very wealthy people who wanted to make sure I had
an adequate defense fund, Helen.”

“Who were they?” I demanded.  “And why
did you make sure I didn’t hire a competent attorney for you? 
Do you have any idea how guilty I’ve felt for all these years
because I listened, because I didn’t lift a finger to make sure you
were acquitted?”

“Yes, Helen, I know you felt guilty.  I
knew you would, but I figured it was better than the
alternative.  Now that the world believes I’m dead, it’s
moot.  The reasons I did what I did no longer matter.”

“I think they matter to her, Wendell,”
Datello said quietly.  “I never had the opportunity to ask my
father why he worked for Sully Marcos.  Family or no, his
feelings for my mother aside, I needed to know why he’d have
anything to do with a monster like Uncle Sully.”

“She had a better life without me, Danny,”
Dad said.  “I’ve already explained this to her.  If I had
been acquitted, her career would’ve never happened.”

“Some things are more important than work,”
Danny said. 

“Tell
me
that, Helen.  Tell me
that you regret the job that brought you here, to this place, to
the man who loves you and gave you the children you’ll have this
fall!  Tell me you regret it!”

“I hate all of it,” I screamed.  “I
hate it because it made me see an uglier truth than even the
horrible things you’ve done, Daddy.  I hate it because it
turned me into a killer who can’t trust anybody.  I hate it
because I know now that I’ve never been this person I thought I
knew.”

“Do you think I like this part of
life?  Do you think it was easy for me to hear the terrible
things you’ve faced alone because I wasn’t there for you?  If
I thought it would heal your heart, I’d drive out to Hennessey
Island right now and kill Lyle Henderson, Helen.  But I know
it won’t help.  I know it won’t give us the answers that we
all want, that we all need!”

Danny’s hand rested on the small of my
back.  He gave me a gentle push forward.  It didn’t take
much.  Dad’s arms folded me into the embrace that I’d missed
for all of my adult life.

“We’ll get our answers, Sprout, and by God,
this thing isn’t going to wreck us.  Do you understand
me?  We are
Erikssons
, dammit.  We may be down,
but we do not give up!”

I nodded and wept onto his shoulder. 
“I’m sorry, Daddy.  I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t run that boy down, Helen, but I
have a very strong suspicion about who did.”

“Who?” the question was muffled against his
shirt.

“Whoever Lyle’s partner is.  He made a
phone call shortly after Nate left his apartment.  He’s got a
partner, Helen, one that I suspect drives the vehicle that killed
another potential witness.  I can say many things about Lyle
Henderson but none of them reveal a man with more than great
ambition.”

I lifted my head and peered at my
father.

Datello beat me to the punch.  “What
does that mean?”

“He was a man of grand – and grandiose –
ideas, but doing the work to see them come to fruition?  Not
Lyle.  For God’s sake, Helen.  Use your head.  He
used his step-daughter to support his church, let her risk her neck
and mine to make sure he had enough money to live the lifestyle he
always wanted.”

“The armored cars you robbed…”

“Yes, Helen.  I was the one who chose
the targets.  Marie wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on her
own.  When this mess started, you were far too young to take
care of yourself.  I couldn’t risk your safety.”

My focused sharpened like the point of a
blade.  “Who planned the last heist, Dad?”

He grinned.  “Who do you think? 
You were safely away at college, Helen.  I was done with
Marie’s ridiculous threats.  And I didn’t lift a finger to
help her that night, which was why she killed the armored
guards.”

“And why she tried to kill you.”

He nodded.  “Indeed.  Didn’t quite
work out the way she planned.”

“So your point is that Lyle Henderson isn’t
a mastermind,” Danny said.  “If not him, then who is it?”

“That’s what we need to discover.  And
I’m pretty sure that’s why people connected to this ring are
dropping like flies,” Dad said.  “I suspect that even Lyle is
expendable, but he’s too arrogant to realize it.”

“Lowe too,” I said.  “I’m sure he knows
more about everything in this city than he’s willing to share with
the world.”

“
Lowe
?” Dad and Datello vied to drown
each other out.

“Yes,” I said calmly.  “Before I picked
up my breakfast this morning, I made a little detour to
Dunhaven.  As I suspected, Jerry was more than willing to talk
to me.  And before the two of you throw fits, I was perfectly
safe.  He didn’t threaten me, and I got a few answers to
questions that have been nagging me for months.”

Dad fumed under his breath while I explained
the substance of my conversation with Jerry Lowe that
morning.  Danny’s expression was an odd hybrid of wonder and
horror.  It slowly eroded into a scowl.

“Wait a minute.  Back up, Helen. 
Lowe implied that he didn’t have anything to do with Varden and
Kelly visiting you in D.C.?”

I nodded.  “I can’t quite take him at
his word, though.  Let’s not forget this
is
Jerry Lowe
we’re talking about.”

“But he did mention that Rodney Martin had
inquired about them.”

“Yes,” I said.  “He also admitted that
Martin told him that Hardy and Weber were considering making a job
offer to me at his suggestion.”

“But that doesn’t mean Lowe was the only one
Rodney informed about their plans,” Danny said.  “Exactly how
well did you know Rodney Martin, Helen?”

“Vaguely at best.”  I explained how we
met, that I was a teaching assistant at UCLA while Rodney completed
his undergraduate studies.  “He was in the abnormal psychology
class I taught on occasion.”

“Before or after you helped law enforcement
in California close the case that brought you to the attention of
the FBI?” Dad asked.

“Before,” Datello said.  Martin was
already climbing the ranks of the Darkwater Bay police when Helen
landed on my radar.”

“Interesting,” Dad mused.

“Would either one of you care to tell me
why?”

Datello looked at Dad.

Dad looked at me.  “Do we really need
to explain this?”

“Apparently you do.  Let’s just credit
it to my dulled mental capacities for the time being and assume
that I’m not connecting the normally obvious dots.”

“Helen, Rodney Martin
was
a
climber.  I was more qualified to be a police captain than he
was,” Danny said.  “He was a suit, someone with piss poor
instincts, but lots of ambition.”