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AMES ARRIVED AT THE hotel a little after one in the afternoon. The ambulance had come and taken Frank Soames to the coroner’s office where his body would be prepared for interment. The hotel was silent, more silent than usual, because Arnie had sent most of the staff home. Only the hotel manager and the elderly couple remained. Arnie had all three seated in his cruiser and they looked frightened and concerned, not yet sure exactly what was going on.
Arnie was in bad shape. When Ames pulled the truck next to the cruiser and got out, he could see that Arnie had been crying recently. His large blue eyes were bloodshot and swollen, which looked almost comical on such a big man. Seeing Arnie that way tugged at Ames’ heart.
“Arnie,” he said, putting an arm across the other man’s shoulders. “How are you, son?”
He looked at Ames with his bloodshot eyes. “I’m okay.”
You’re about as okay as I am, son, Ames thought. He said, “Can you tell me what happened here?”
Arnie stood up, paced a few feet, and then returned to his side. From his shirt pocket he pulled out a pack of Marlboro, stuck one into the corner of his mouth and lit it. With a shy glance at Ames he said, “It’s funny how much I need this stupid cancer stick right now.”
“Smoke up,” he said.
“There wasn’t anything I could do, Steve, I swear.”
“Arnie,” he said, touching the man’s elbow. “I’m not blaming you; no one blames you. I know if there were something you could have done, you’d have done it. I just want to know how this went down, so I can tell his wife.”
Arnie dragged deeply on his cigarette. “I was sitting outside the room because I didn’t feel comfortable being in their room when they weren’t there. I just finished a chapter in that paperback I’ve been carrying around for a year because I can never find time to read—”
He had to look away because the tears were in his eyes again. “I’m sorry, Steve.”
“Don’t be sorry. We all care about him like he was family.”
“I was just sitting out there reading and then I hear his voice and he’s saying that bastard cut him up, but he’s more worried about her,” he said, nodding his head toward the truck, where Susan and David sat waiting.
“I ran down there as fast as I could. When I went in, I secured the place. Frank was lying there with blood everywhere. Jesus, I haven’t seen blood like that since the war.”
Arnie paused to gather himself. “That fucker stabbed Frank bad. There was blood coming out of his mouth, Steve...”
“Okay, take it easy. Listen. Never mind that now. I need you to help me take care of some business.”
He explained about Susan’s vision, about getting an address from Mark at One-Six, about going to Paul’s home and about finding the grave and Arnie listened carefully.
“I left Jimmy there, but I want one of my more experienced people there running the show. Take your cruiser and go over there before Hodges gets there. Get his report and then get in contact with me. I want you to go through that damn house again and find something. When I catch this fucker, I want stacks of evidence piled three feet high on the DA’s desk to go at him with.”
Arnie threw his half-smoked cigarette into the dirt and crushed it with his heel. He felt better now that he had something to occupy his mind. “What about you?”
“I’m going to sit on Susan and David. And I want to have a look around that room again.”
What Ames didn’t say was that he hoped Paul would show up a third and final time to finish what he started. He wanted to be here to put an end to this sick game.