The theatrical trunk containing the robot costume was in the master bedroom closet of Lorraine Pierce’s rented villa. There was also a wooden box in the trunk. When Matthias opened it he discovered two small grenades inside.
Lorraine Pierce, standing at the entrance of the bedroom, an officer on either side, shrieked in rage.
“That bastard,” she said.
Matthias noted that, for the first time that night, there was no dissonance in her voice. Her reaction held the clear ring of truth.
At the sight of the grenades, Brandon took several hasty steps back.
“Be careful with those things, Jones,” he said. “They don’t look like movie props.”
Luther, busy with the costume, glanced at the contents of the box. “They’re real. Not leftovers from the war, though. They look like a whole new generation of explosive devices.”
“That does it,” Brandon announced. “We’ve got all the evidence we need.” He angled his head at the officers standing near Lorraine Pierce. “Cuff her and put her in the car.”
“You idiot,” Lorraine hissed. “Can’t you see he set me up?”
“Who set you up?” Brandon asked.
There was a weary, resigned note in his voice. Matthias knew he had heard similar claims countless times before. He no longer took them seriously.
“Ray Thorpe,” Lorraine said. Her eyes tightened at the corners. “That son of a bitch wasn’t as dumb as I thought. He must have stashed the costume and the grenades here before he . . . Never mind. Can’t you get it through your thick skull, Brandon? Thorpe set me up to take the fall.”
The frequency of her words was pitch-perfect, Matthias realized.
“She’s telling the truth,” he said quietly to Luther. “Or at least what she thinks is the truth. Let me see that robot costume.”
Luther handed him the mask. “Here you go.”
Matthias studied the interior of the mask. The words Property of Silver Horizon Films were stamped inside.
“Listen to me, all of you,” Lorraine said, loud and frantic now. “If I really was this clever gunrunner you keep talking about, I would not be dumb enough to leave this sort of evidence stashed in my own bedroom.”
Luther cocked a brow. “The lady has a point.”
Brandon shrugged. “If she’s a gunrunner, she sells weapons and explosives for a living. Why wouldn’t she keep a couple of grenades handy?”
“And the robot suit?” Matthias asked. He held up the head of the costume. “Why didn’t she get rid of it as soon as she no longer needed it?”
“Maybe because she planned to use it to set up Ray Thorpe,” Brandon said. “Hell, I don’t know. All I care about is that we have a missing cipher machine and we have the individual who had Ares in her possession when she was arrested. That’s all I need. I’m going to turn this crazy case over to the FBI as soon as possible. Robbins, take Miss Pierce downstairs. And keep an eye on her.”
“Yes, sir,” the officer said.
He handcuffed Lorraine and propelled her out of the bedroom.
“You men are all damn fools,” Lorraine shouted over her shoulder.
“This way, Miss Pierce,” Robbins said. “And I’d just like to say that my wife never misses your column in Whispers.”
“I want a lawyer,” Lorraine yelled.
“You can call one from jail,” Brandon said. “Law enforcement here in Burning Cove is real up to date. We’ve got an actual telephone. You have to pay for your own long-distance charges, though.”
Matthias waited until Lorraine and the officers were gone. Then he looked at Brandon.
“I need to make a phone call, too,” he said. He started toward the door. “Luther, do you have Oliver Ward’s private number?”
“Yes.” Luther followed him out the door and down the stairs. “Why do you want to get hold of Ward?”
“Not Ward. His wife. I need to ask Irene a question.”
“At this time of night?”
“Trust me, she won’t want to sleep, not after she gets wind of this story,” Matthias said.
Oliver Ward answered on the second ring.
“Who is this?” he asked in the voice of a man who has been yanked out of a sound sleep.
“Matthias Jones. Sorry to bother you but I have to ask your wife a question. It’s very important.”
“It had better be,” Oliver grumbled. “Hang on.”
A few seconds later Irene came on the line.
“Has there been a break in the killer-robot case?” she asked, enthusiasm erasing any trace of sleep from her voice.
“I can tell you that an arrest has been made,” Matthias said.
“Who?” Irene demanded. “And don’t say it was the robot.”
“Not exactly. Lorraine Pierce. She wore a robot costume onstage to murder Pickwell.”
“This isn’t a joke, is it?”
“No,” Matthias said. “In addition to the arrest, a studio security guy named Ray Thorpe has been murdered and a top secret device has been recovered. The FBI will descend on Burning Cove sometime tomorrow to take charge, but I can arrange things so that they don’t get into town until after the morning edition of the Herald is on the stands.”
“I’ve got a pencil and a notepad. Keep talking.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the whole story soon, but first I need an answer to a question.”
“I’m listening,” Irene said.
“The local cops just found the robot costume that was used in the murder of Dr. Norman Pickwell. It looks like it came from Silver Horizon Films. It must have been created for a horror movie. There’s a good chance that the aluminum shell stuffed with wiring that Chester Ward and I took apart was made at the same time. Since no one recognized the robot when it shot Pickwell, I’m assuming that the film either failed at the box office or never got released. Is there any way to find out?”
“I used to work for Whispers. I know someone there who will know who to call. Is that all you need? Just the title of a Silver Horizon movie that was about a robot?”
“No. I want to know if Vincent Hyde was under contract at Silver Horizon when the robot movie was made.”
“Vincent Hyde is involved in this thing?” Irene’s voice rose in feverish excitement. “Hang up. I’ve got to make some calls. Wait, how do I get hold of you when I get the answer to your question?”
“If you get an answer in the next few minutes, call me here at Lorraine Pierce’s number, Exbrook 2555. If I’m not here, I’ll be at the Paradise or on my way there.”
“Got it.”
“One more thing,” Matthias said. “I’d also like to know if Ray Thorpe was working security at Silver Horizon when the robot film was made.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I find out anything,” Irene vowed.
“Thanks. This is very important.”
“To you and me both,” Irene said.
Matthias dropped the receiver into the cradle.
“What’s going on?” Luther asked quietly.
Matthias took a moment to collect his thoughts.
“There had to be two versions of the robot,” he said. “One was an empty aluminum shell. The second was the costume. I think we can assume that Ray Thorpe stole both from Silver Horizon Films.”
Luther nodded. “If he was handling security for the studio, he would have had access.”
“He was obviously a tough guy, but he didn’t seem to be all that smart. Pretty sure he’s not Smith.”
“I’m with you,” Luther said. “Go on.”
“Lorraine Pierce is a good liar, but I’m convinced that she was telling the truth tonight when she said she wasn’t Smith. She and Thorpe were obviously deeply involved in this business but I’m equally sure that they were being manipulated by someone else, someone who has been pulling the strings all along.”
Luther gave that a beat. “It would be a classic Smith operation. He orchestrates the whole project but he stays in the shadows while it is unfolding.”
“Maybe,” Matthias said, “he’s the client. Just a voice on the phone, as far as Pierce and Thorpe are concerned.”
“Now that,” Luther said, “makes a hell of a lot of sense.”
“If things had gone according to plan, he would have gotten rid of both Thorpe and Pierce as soon as he took delivery of the cipher machine.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Smith, or at least it fits what we know of his style. He plays the part of the client who commissions the theft of the machine and then he gives precise instructions on how to carry out the scheme. Throughout the whole thing he stays in the shadows.”
“That way, Pierce and Thorpe could never identify him.”
“If we’re right about any of this, you can bet he’ll disappear as soon as he realizes that Pierce isn’t going to deliver the Ares machine,” Luther said.
“I think we’ve still got a chance of nailing him.”
Luther stilled. “What?”
“I’m betting that Smith is here in Burning Cove,” Matthias said. “He has been all along. He had no choice, because this was not just the most important deal of his career—it was his final act of revenge against the government that fired him. He would have wanted to keep a close eye on every aspect of the project.”
Luther rubbed the nape of his neck. “I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. If this were any other job, he would cut his losses and disappear. But this isn’t a routine job. He’s a desperate man, and desperate men take risks they would not otherwise consider taking. When he finds out things have gone wrong tonight, there’s a very real possibility that he won’t do the logical thing and walk away.”
“At least Raina and Amalie are safe tonight. The Paradise is a fortress.”
The telephone blared less than ten minutes later. Matthias did not need the Jones family talent to know that disaster had struck.
He grabbed the phone.
“Jones,” he said.
“I’ve got some information for you,” Irene said, her voice sharp and clear. “The title of the Silver Horizon film that featured a killer robot was The Revenge of the Robot. It was made four years ago. Died a quick death at the box office. But you were right. There were two versions of the robot. One was an empty aluminum shell that could be filled with a lot of fake wiring and mechanical gadgets. It was used for scenes in which the crazy inventor was shown working on his creation. The studio also planned to use it for publicity purposes.”
“The second version was a costume, wasn’t it?”
“Yep. Made to look like the aluminum robot.”
“Ray Thorpe?”
“He was not working security at the studio at that time,” Irene said. “He was hired there quite recently, however.”
“What about Vincent Hyde?”
“Hyde was at the top of his career four years ago. He was under contract at another, larger studio doing the Mad Doctor X films. My source also reminded me that Hyde would never have taken a role that would have forced him to wear a mask. He’s much too vain.”
“Who played the robot in the Silver Horizon film?” Matthias asked.
“A stuntman, probably. I’m trying to dig up his name but that may take some time.”
“Forget trying to find the stuntman’s name. There’s no time. Besides, I know who played the robot.”
“Who was it and why is that important?”
“Later. Got to go, Irene.”
Matthias dropped the phone into the cradle and raced out the door.
Luther saw him and opened the passenger side door of the Packard.
“Got a name?” he asked.
Matthias got behind the wheel and fired up the engine.
“Don’t need one,” he said.
“Where are we going?” Luther asked.
“The Paradise. I’ve got a feeling Smith is already inside the walls of your fortress.”