For the next couple of days, I occupied myself with the routine matters of the agency. Harper wasn’t the only thing I had on my mind, and I’d been neglecting my duties, which vexed Jacque to no end.
I spent the days catching up and mulling over what I thought I knew, though it wasn’t much. I thought a lot about what had happened to Olivia. Someone was going to pay for that. I didn’t hear a word from Kate.
On Friday morning I called the staff into the conference room. We did the usual rundown of the week’s progress, and then the conversation turned to Harper. Ronnie and Tim both allowed that they were making progress, but neither one was ready to report. I was frustrated, but it was no good pushing them. They did what they did, and they always got it right, which was why I’d hired them. I closed the meeting, got myself a cup of coffee, and went back to roost in my office.
Dammit! I have to do something. Can’t just sit here and mope. Olivia… Who killed her? Why? And Charlie. I shuddered at the thought. What the hell would have happened if I hadn’t pushed her away? Wow. Now there was something to ponder.
Falk! Who killed Falk? Why? What did he do? What did he… The gun was a 9 mm. Gold has a 9 mm!
I sat up straight. It was time for another visit to Shady. I needed to get my hands on that gun. Kate needed to get her hands on it. It could provide an answer to who killed Falk. If it was a match for the one that killed Falk, we’d have him, and Tree, and maybe Harper, too, if Tree talked. If it wasn’t a match… well, no harm done. It would take a bit of figuring out, but either way it was a win-win.
I didn’t say anything to anyone in the office. What I was about to do could get me into some deep trouble, and not just with the law; I could get hurt, or worse.
It was about four o’clock that afternoon when I arrived at the mall. The restaurant was closed, the gym was busy, and so was the cigar store. The two clothing outlets, not so much.
I circled the block, through the parking lot on McCallie, from south to north, then swung around the block and did the same at the rear. And there it was. Outside what I knew must be the rear entrance to Shady’s office sat the Beemer that had followed me on Saturday evening, after I’d left my father at the club.
I hit the Bluetooth and called Kate. God only knew what kind of reception I would get. Maybe she wouldn’t even take the call.
“What do you want, Harry? I’m busy.” Wow. Her voice was like ice.
“Yeah, well. I think I have something that might interest you. I’m at the mall on McCallie. The other day, when I came by to get compensation from Shady for the injury to Mike’s nose—”
“Robbed him at gunpoint, you mean.”
“No, Kate. I never touched my gun.” It was a lie, but what the hell. I was in over my head in trouble with her anyway. One more little untruth wasn’t going to make it any worse.
“No? Then you must have beat it out of him with that baton of yours.”
“Whatever. I never touched him. Just listen to me for a minute, will you? While I was there, I did have occasion to subdue his cronies, Stimpy and Ren.”
She almost giggled, but not quite. “So?”
“Gold was wearing a rig with a 9 mm.”
Silence, then, “Did you get it?”
“Err… no. I guess he still has it.”
“Pity. I can’t touch it. Not without probable cause.”
“You can’t, but I can.”
“Harry, I don’t like where this is going.”
“Look, Kate. If he threatens me with it, I can take it away from him, and then I can hand it over to you. I would be doing my civic duty, right?”
“I don’t like it, Harry. I’d rather do it with a warrant, and I can’t get one without cause.”
“Okay. How about this? Judge Strange owes me a favor. Suppose I get you cause? He would issue a warrant, right? Tell you what. You come on down to the mall and meet me outside.”
“What, right now?”
“You want the gun or not?”
“Okay, I’m at Amnicola. Give me twenty.”
“Great. If I’m not waiting for you outside, come on in and rescue me. I’ll leave the door open for you.”
She disconnected. I grinned. Just like old times. Twenty, huh? This has to be timed just right.
I parked the car in front of Shady’s office and dumped the nine in the glove box. There was a newspaper on the back seat of the car. I folded it twice, looked at my watch, and waited exactly thirteen minutes. I figured I’d have just enough time to do what needed to be done before Kate arrived. Then I got out of the car, locked it, and headed for the front door with the newspaper held behind my back. I pushed the bell button.
The door was opened by my fat friend from my previous visits. He took one look at me and turned and ran down the passageway to Shady’s office.
Predictable.
I bent down and put the newspaper against the bottom of the door jamb and allowed the door to close on it. It did, but not quite. There was a quarter-inch gap, just enough to get a finger inside and pull it open.
To say they were surprised to see me was an understatement. The “receptionist” already had his back to the wall, just inside the door. Duvon and Gold both pulled their weapons. Tree ripped open his desk drawer and grabbed one of his own.
“Whoa! Dammit, Shady. What kind of hello is that?” I had my hands held high, palms facing them, my coat open to reveal the empty rig.
“You son of a bitch. I told you never to come back here. I oughta cap your ass. What the hell do you want this time? You bring my money back?”
“I just have a couple of questions. We have three dead bodies, two of them homicides. I know you don’t go for murder, Shady, but Harper… I need to know about you and Congressman Harper. What’s the connection, Shady?”
I thought he was going to burst. He could barely speak he was so angry.
“You—you—you piece o’ crap. I don’t have to tell you nothin’.”
“Now, Shady—”
“Shut the hell up, you piece o’ shit. You think you can waltz in here any time you want? Screw you, you… you… Duvon, go smack him upside the head, hard.”
Duvon took a step forward. “I’ll kill his ass.”
“I said smack him, not kill him, you stupid, dumbass son of a bitch.”
Duvon looked at him like he’d been smacked himself. I wasn’t surprised. I’m not quite as stupid as it might appear. I knew Shady was no killer, but his two idiot cronies? Maybe. Be that as it may, Duvon duly smacked me. At least he tried to. I knew it was coming and I held up my right arm. It took the blow, and it hurt like hell. I thought for a moment that he might have broken my wrist. He raised the gun for another try.
“That’s enough. Drop ’em. All of you.”
Kate walked in, her gun pointed right at Shady’s face. She was followed by Lonnie, who still had that same goofy smile on his face.
“Get out of here, Harry,” Kate said, without taking her eyes off the three amigos.
“But—”
“No buts. Out. Now.”
I didn’t argue. I left. I waited outside, sitting on the hood of the Maxima.
They came out about five minutes later, empty-handed.
“Well?”
“No good, Harry. Gold’s gun was a small-frame Ruger. Tree’s was a 9 mm, a Smith and Wesson. Falk was killed with a Beretta. Duvon’s gun? A damned great .45, a cannon. All of their weapons are perfectly legal. The permits are all in order. Waste of time, Harry.”
I rubbed my arm. It was going to be sore for a while. “Dammit.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Better luck next time, Harry.”
Then she and Lonnie got into their car and drove away. No goodbye, nothing.
I guess I’m still in the doghouse. What the hell do I do now?