SIXTEEN

Seth took a deep breath to calm his frustration. He and Delphie always got to this place. Maresol told him once that Delphie only spoke what was told to her; she never interpreted what was said. She thought that people who interpreted interfered with forces beyond their control and manipulated the truth. He just wished she would tell him what everything meant. But Delphie never told him. He heard Delphie laugh at him.

“I know, I know,” he said.

“Just tell me,” Delphie mimicked his voice. He laughed.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“Not that I can think of,” Delphie said. “Take care of yourself, Seth. This is a big, big mess. Bigger than you or me. A big mess. You’re cleaning up a lot of karma. And when it’s over, a lot of good people can finally rest.”

“Okay, thanks,” Seth said. He was about to hang up when he heard her voice.

“And Seth?”

“Yes?”

“Chamber a round,” Delphie said. “Do you know what that means? Because it doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“Yes,” Seth took the handgun from his jacket pocket.

“Good,” Delphie said. “Blessings.”

She hung up.

Seth took the handgun out of his jacket pocket and snapped a bullet into the chamber. Clara looked up at him.

“Just a precaution,” he said to the dog.

He was about to tuck the weapon into the back band of his jeans when he heard his army captain’s voice ring in his head repeating what he’d always said, “Wanna shoot yourself in the ass, O’Malley?”

“No, I don’t,” Seth said out loud. He’d have to wait to get his holster from the car.

“Talking to yourself,” Ava said when she came out of the bathroom. Her flawless nakedness held his full attention. “What did Delphie say?”

“We should get breakfast downtown and go hunt us a killer,” Seth said.

“That’s oddly clear for Delphie,” Ava smirked.

“Want to start over?” he asked.

“I do . . . I . . . I just can’t,” Ava said. “Is that okay?”

“That’s okay,” Seth smiled to assure her. “Do you think your lab buddies will be awake?”

“Leslie and Fran?” Ava asked. “They have kids to take care of.”

“Hmm,” Seth said. His eyes followed her movements. She leaned over to take a pair of clean underwear from her purse and slipped them on.

“Why?” Ava asked while she pulled on her jeans.

“I wondered if I could look at the security tape from the hotel,” Seth said.

“Huh,” Ava said. “They didn’t mention a security video. I bet they’ve looked at it though. Every big hotel has cameras in the corridors.”

Seth nodded.

“You could call Ferg,” Ava said. With her bra around her waist, she walked into the bathroom. “He’s usually on until at least eight.”

Seth called his old friend Captain Ferguson of the Denver Police. He, Mitch, and Ferg had come through the ranks around the same time. Captain Ferguson was the best crime scene investigator Seth had ever worked with. Ferg had the ability to see things almost no one else could, and he was able to interpret what they meant. He was also a good, loyal friend.

“Ferg?” Seth asked.

“Hey,” Captain Ferguson said. “Yeah, I’m going to be late again. You know things are pretty hot here.”

Seth listened while Ferg walked somewhere private.

“Go,” Ferg said.

“I’d like to see the security tape from the hotel,” Seth said.

“There’s a real shit storm here. Alvin’s dead. Marshals are dead. We’re clueless,” Ferg said. “And some dick named O’Malley has gone missing. They’re looking all over for him. His housekeeper suddenly doesn’t speak English, and that kid who lives with him is stupider than usual. But what I want to know is . . .”

Seth heard what sounded like a closet door close.

“Where is my Ava?” Ferg whispered.

“Safe,” Seth said. “For now.”

He listened while Captain Ferguson caught his breath. Ferg had been one of Ava’s supervisors. He loved her like a daughter. When Seth and Ava had started dating, Ferg had cornered Seth to make sure his intentions were good. Seth heard Ferg walking with the phone again.

“Well, you don’t have to be a bitch,” Ferg said, and the line went dead.

Seth waited a few minutes and checked his phone. Ferg sent him an email with a link to the surveillance video. While he didn’t own a super-fancy phone, this phone had been issued to him by the Denver Police Department. It was “smart” enough to get email, and photos, and play videos. He moved the cursor to around the time when the marshals were killed and put on his headphones.

There was a cleaning cart in the hallway. In a large hotel, there was probably always a cleaning cart in the hallway. He backed up the video. A corner of the cleaning cart appeared about an hour before the marshals were killed. Although he couldn’t see her or the cart, he heard the cleaning woman say, “Housekeeping,” in a thick, South American accent, and a tap on the door. Fifteen minutes later, the cart moved forward, and the cleaning woman came into view. She was fairly small and thin. She had dark-hair and ruddy but fair skin. She moved with ease down the hallway, cleaning the rooms. She was cleaning the room next door to the marshals when they were killed. Seth counted on his fingers and called Ferg.

“Check room 374,” Seth said.

“And why is that?”

“You’ll find a dead cleaning woman in it,” Seth said.

“We checked out the cleaning woman,” Ferg said.

“You checked out a woman you thought was the cleaning woman,” Seth said. “Did you keep her cart?”

“Yes,” Ferg said.

“The actual cleaning woman is either in 374 or in the cart,” Seth said. “Someone’s mother didn’t come home from work yesterday.”

“Motherfu . . .” Ferg slammed the phone down.

“What was that?” Ava said.

She’d covered her tear-stained face with a light application of makeup. He kissed her cheek, and she sat down to put on her running shoes.

“Ferg,” Seth said.

“You found something?”

“I think so,” Seth said. “Seems like we have a family of killers.”

“We knew that,” Ava said.

“This is a family job,” Seth said. “That’s what Jasper was trying to say – father; son; daughter. The daughter, disguised as housekeeping staff, killed the marshals.”

“Wow,” Ava said.

Seth nodded.

“I’m starving,” Ava said.

“Yes. Let’s eat,” Seth said. “I’d love some coffee.”

“You going to tell me what Delphie said?” Ava asked.

Rather than answer, he signaled Clara, and they left the room to find breakfast.

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