Chapter 21

The phone jerked me awake. “Mr. Haggerty, This is Lieutenant Frank Schaefer of the Fairfax County Police Department. I would like you and that pet gorilla of yours to present yourselves at headquarters today, say 1 P.M., to answer some questions about the deaths of Teresa NMI Johnson and one Leroy Alfonso Dixon. Do you understand me?” When I said nothing Frank repeated himself a bit louder, then said, “Did you hear me?”

I was getting numb rapidly. “Yeah, I hear you.” Then, “Frank, tell me one thing and don’t lie to me.”

“What?”

“Did she die alone?”

“No, Leo. She didn’t die alone. She died in the ambulance.”

“Thanks, Frank.”

“Leo, be there at one. I don’t want to have to put an APB out on you.”

“We’ll be there.” Rest in peace, Terri. Rest in peace. I went into the bedroom and shook Randi awake. “Wake up. We’ve got things to do. We don’t want to be late.”

She rolled away from me. I went into the bathroom and cleaned myself up. I went back to the bedroom and pulled out a loose, cotton pullover shirt and wrapped it around some other things and went back to the bathroom.

Randi sat up and said, “What should I wear?”

“It doesn’t matter. Something easy to get into. That shirt and a pair of my shorts. We’ll get you some clothes later today.” I went into the bathroom and locked the door. I unrolled the shirt and put the Beretta in its ankle holster and pulled my pants leg down over it. I was just going through the motions.

Randi sat on the bed. I said, “Go in and wash up. We’ll be ready to go soon.”

She looked up at me. “I’m scared.”

“I know. It’ll work out. We’ll all be with you. It’ll be over in a flash. There are no easy ways out of hard places.” Reassure yourself, big fellah.

“I know and I’ll do it. I’m just scared. He’s my father you know.”

“I know. I don’t believe it but I know. Go get cleaned up.”

She came out in a couple of minutes. We went into the kitchen and shared some salvaged hash from last night with fried eggs on top, croissants with lemon curd and fresh hot coffee. “One more thing, Randi. It may turn out the police will want to ask you some questions about what happened in the film place. It has nothing to do with you. It’s because I killed that man. I don’t want you to lie for me. You tell them what you want. You can tell them the truth. I’ll take my chances. Do you understand?” She nodded yes. As we finished eating, Arnie pulled into the driveway.

“Okay, Randi, let’s go.” I locked up and we hustled out to the car. Randi slipped into the back seat. I got in next to Arnie. We backed into the street, the 454 cubic inch engine growling the whole way, barely restrained.

Arnie asked where to.

“Those little cabins off Route 1. Plenty of privacy. Nobody would notice if one of the buildings grew wings and took off.”

“Fine. You got the gear?”

“Yeah, it’s in the back.”

We drove in silence down to the motel. Randi lay down in the back seat. Arnie paid for the room and we rolled down to it. It was the far end unit. We got out. The door was visible from the office. Arnie went back to chat up the owner and I hustled Randi into the room. There was a knock on the door.

“Yes.”

“It’s me, Leo. Let me in.”

I pulled open the door. Samantha was in the doorway.

“Nice to see you. Randi, this is Samantha Clayton. Samantha, this is Randi Benson. Randi, when this is over you’re going to stay for a few days at her apartment until we get things squared away for you. Samantha, buy her whatever things she needs to stay with you. I’ll pick up the tab.”

I left the two of them sitting on the side of the bed to survey the room’s layout. It would do just fine. Arnie came back to the door, knocked and entered. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yeah. You and Samantha sit in your cars. Keep low. Benson’s a big, beefy guy with a handlebar mustache. When he comes in, give it a good ten count then cross to the door and wait, okay?”

“Fine.” Arnie and Samantha left.

I looked at Randi. “Hang tough, kid. They’ll be right there for you. We won’t let anything happen. If it goes like I think it will, you’ll see you had to do it. I know you aren’t crazy about it but I don’t think there’s any other way to end it.”

She just sat there, looking at me with those eyes. Telling me I wouldn’t believe how shitty life could be and wondering whether anything would be any better after this. I squeezed her hand. “Ready?”

She nodded. I left her there. I walked down to the public phone outside the manager’s office.

“Hello.”

“Yes, Mr. Benson, this is Leo Haggerty. I’ve got your daughter Randi. She’s okay but she’s been through a lot. I think you ought to come down here and get her right away.”

“Where are you?”

I gave him the address of the motel and the cabin number. “I’m keeping her here; the manager doesn’t know. Listen, hurry. I’ve got to try to put the lid on something so the police aren’t involved. If you’re coming right away, I’ll leave her here for you to pick up. It’s only a five-minute drive. She’s ready to come home.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right over. She say anything to you?”

“What about?” Twist, pump the blade.

“Oh, you know, where she’s been. What she’s been doing.”

“No, she’s pretty closemouthed. Hasn’t said much of anything.”

“Yeah. I’m on my way.”

I hung up and walked back to number fourteen. The stage was set. I took my position and waited. He was right on time. There was a knock on the door.

“Miranda?”

“Yes.”

“Open up—it’s Dad.”

“It’s unlocked. Come on in.” She barely got the words out and was beginning to slump. She was losing the fight with herself. Her father slid into the room, looking both ways and locked the door behind him. He went to where she sat on the bed.

“Are you okay?”

Randi nodded head down. She couldn’t look at him.

“That detective—did you tell him anything?”

Her head swung slowly, sadly from side to side.

“Good. That’s my girl. Listen, I don’t know what made you run away but we’ll work it out. You just tell me what you want and it’s yours. You want to stay out later with your friends, I understand. I’ve been thinking about it that maybe I’ve been too strict on you. Just, you know, I’ve been worried that it might slip out what’s happened. You just promise me you’ll forget about all this and we’ll go home and start all over and everything’ll be fine.”

Randi looked up at him and nodded. Paralyzed like a rat dancing with a hawk. He looked down at her. Crossroads time. He dipped his head and kissed her below the ear like a vampire. She went rigid, her eyes closed.

“Just one last time,” he croaked.

He pulled up her T-shirt and began to squeeze her breast. He stood over her, pushed her onto her back and brought her knees up and began to pull down her shorts. She rolled her head over in my direction, pleading with her eyes. I pushed open the door and Benson looked right at me and the camera. I kept on shooting all the way into the room. “Hold it right there, you son of a bitch.”

Benson pushed her away and sprang for the door. He pulled it open and Arnie filled the doorway with his empty steel eyes, a metallic menace. Samantha slipped by them and ran up to Randi. She wrapped her up in a long coat and helped her up off the bed. Randi moved like a zombie. Samantha pushed Randi’s head down onto her chest and averted her face from her father. Arnie pushed him back into the room with his palm and Randi slipped through the doorway. I retrieved the mini-recorder from the trash can in the corner of the room and put it into my pocket.

“Sit down, Mr. Benson.”

He turned to me, glaring. “You scumbag! You filthy pervert! What are you going to do with those pictures? I can’t believe she’d sink to this level so fast. I’m her father,” he bellowed. “How could she do this to me?”

Awestruck, I looked at him, an engine of such colossal narcissism that no one else existed but that they furthered or thwarted his plans. The remonstration of others was persecution. All excess was justified.

“Sit down, Mr. Benson.”

“What did you offer her, that slut, that …?”

I helped Mr. Benson instantly assume the fetal position. “Keep your mouth shut, Benson. That’s if you want to talk again in the next six weeks. I have had it with you. You’re going to get up and sit on this bed very quietly and answer all of my questions or what you just got is going to become a regular occurrence. Are we in accord?”

He nodded.

“You set me up in the movie theater with those goons, right?”

He still didn’t understand. “If I ask you again, Mr. Benson, your answers will be limited to nodding and crying. Are we communicating?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent.”

“Yes. I hired the guys to warn you off. I hired you to satisfy my wife. I wanted to get you to drop the case. I’d have found her eventually.”

“Consider that first shot on behalf of a girl I jumped all over because of you. You’ve got a lot of accounts to settle. Now we come to your daughters. This is the deal and listen good. They both go away to school, away from you until they’re eighteen. You foot the bill for school, necessities and therapy. You keep away from them both unless their therapist okays it. You don’t buy anything else for them: no cars, no trips, no stereos. When Tammy’s eighteen the deal is over and I destroy the tape and photos. You fuck up and this goes out in the mail to everyone you’ve ever met. Do we have an agreement?”

He nodded. “What’ll I tell my wife?”

“That’s your problem. The truth hasn’t been much esteemed between you two before; I’m sure it won’t be missed now.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“My bill promptly paid will suffice. Mr. Benson, I sincerely do not want to see or hear from you again. I’ll contact you when the plans are worked out for Randi and Tammy. Oh, one more thing. The police may contact you about the work you hired me to do. Just tell them the truth. They may want you to notify them if Miranda shows up. If so, I’ll call you to let you know when she’s ready to talk to them. And don’t worry; it’s not about you. Your secret is still safe. You may leave now.”

He sat there for a moment, lost in his new life. He slowly got up and turned to me. “Listen, you gotta understand, I didn’t …”

“Don’t tell me. I don’t care. Whatever your story is, it doesn’t excuse what you did. I’m not interested in understanding you. Just get out.”

He opened the door and the morning sun flooded in. He went out and passed by Arnie’s android gaze. I looked around at the room one last time. If I ever get to see the far side of hell I’m sure this room will be there.

I got off the bed, looked at Arnie and pulled the door closed behind me, flicking off the light. We walked together across the lot. I checked my watch. We had time to rehearse our story before our rendezvous with Frank Schaefer. I pointed over to Samantha’s car and he nodded.

I walked over to the car, put my head in the window. “Randi, your dad has agreed to all the terms. You’ll stay with Samantha until we get a school lined up for you. We’re going to take care of Tammy too. I know things feel bad right now, but I think the worst is over. I’ll be in touch with you, okay?”

She looked up, huddled in the blanket, her face furrowed by tear tracks and nodded dully at me.

I looked at Samantha. “Thanks for being there. Arnie and I have to see the police about some things that happened to the guys that had Randi. I’ll see you when we’re done.”

She nodded. I looked at her, memorizing her face, more sure than ever that I didn’t want to lose her. Not to evil or accident, microbes or men, and most of all not to my own fears.

She looked back at me steadily, intently. I kissed her lightly on the lips. She drove off and I stood alone in the lot, feeling both larger and smaller than before.