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philosophizing, in the middle of what looks like an air-raid. Doesn't that underline what I'm
saying?"
There was a short pause. Then Eric looked her up and down and asked, "Are you sure you're
all right? You look as if you've been in an air-raid, anyway."
"I'll be fine." Michelle sighed. "Doesn't anybody around here have any coffee?"
Ohira turned from the open door of his car, a few yards away. "Just coming up." He produced
a flask and some Styrofoam cups.
"I didn't know you read minds too."
Ohira grinned craggily. "Ancient Japanese custom."
"Eric?" Michelle inquired. He nodded gratefully. She took two of the cups, and held them
while Ohira filled them.
Corfe accepted a mug of something from an ambulance man and shook his head in answer to
some question. He seemed to be regathering his wits and showing more interest in what was
going on. Kevin went over to him.
"Hi, Doug. Are you okay?"
"Aw, I figure I'll make it." Corfe took a long swallow from the mug, wiped his mouth with a
knuckle, and looked at Kevin curiously. "So what happened to you down at the lab? When we
couldn't get any answer on the phone, I was starting to get really worried."
"Oh, there was trouble. It's really been one of those days that you hear about."
"I thought some of Payne's people might have gone there."
"They did. But the Tacoma cops have got them now."
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"Why were you stuck there? How come you couldn't decouple?"
"I'm not sure."
"Hell. . . . So tell me what happened."
Kevin frowned and tried to think back, but before he could go into it, Eric joined them.
"You're looking better, Doug. I think I'm just beginning to get an idea of how much I owe you.
I "
Corfe raised a hand tiredly. "Not now, Eric. There'll be plenty of other times for all that." He
looked around them and shook his head. "I don't know. . . . How did you do it? I was trying all
day to get the police to take it seriously, and they wouldn't even talk to me. You show up with a
posse of them in tow. What's the trick? Scientific intellect? German charisma?" He frowned.
"Come to that, when did you even talk to them? You couldn't have had time."
Eric grinned and accepted a cup of coffee from Michelle as she rejoined them. "I didn't have
to. It's amazing what happens when you come up the Interstate at a hundred and ten. They
appear from everywhere. You know that as well as I do, Doug. It works every time."
Corfe stared at him in astonishment. "You " Then he caught sight of another figure close by.
"Ah, Lieutenant Shelvy, I do believe. Lieutenant, let me introduce Ms. Michelle Lang real
and in the flesh. Alive and well too, thanks tothese guys."
The lieutenant held up both hands. "Okay, okay. All I can say is that situations like today
aren't exactly part of the manual. What else can I tell you?" He looked away as another officer
approached. "Excuse me. What is it, Des?"
"Everyone seems to be accounted for except two: the owner, Mr. Payne; and one of the
guests, a Mrs. Heber."
"None of the boats picked anyone up on the other side?"
"No. I just checked."
Eric lowered the cup from his mouth and turned to stare at the inferno. "Oh, my God!" he
whispered, genuinely horrified, despite the circumstances.
Shelvy's eyes flickered over him uncertainly for a second. "I take it she is your wife, Mr.
Heber?" he said. His voice was professional, detached, but in an appropriately lowered tone.
Eric nodded, his eyes invisible behind the flames reflecting off his spectacles.
There was a moment of heavy silence. Then Shelvy said, "Look, there's really nothing more
you can do here. I understand what you people have been through, but we will be needing full
statements and some other details cleared up back at headquarters. If there's any further
news, you'll be informed right away."
Eric looked away, then nodded again. "Yes, of course. I understand. Will it be all right to use
my car?"
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"Sure. I don't think we need worry about that. You can follow one of our guys. Des, can you
find someone to go back with Mr. Heber?"
"Sure." The other officer called to somewhere past the van. "Hey, Stan, can you get over
here?"
"Kevin, Doug, Michelle, you can ride with me." Eric looked inquiringly at Shelvy. "I assume
that's all right, Lieutenant?" Shelvy nodded, and then was called away to take a radio call.
"Maybe you'd better stay with your uncle," Eric told Taki. Taki nodded. The officer called Des
turned back to them.
"Which is your car, Mr. Heber?"
"Oh, it's back that way in the other yard a maroon Jaguar." Eric indicated with an arm. They
began walking in a group toward the gate. "What about the others?" he asked Des.
"Oh, they'll all show up there too in good time. It's gonna be a busy evening." He laid a hand
lightly on Kevin's shoulder in a way that was intended to be comforting. "Sorry about your
mom, son. But it's not all over yet. Give it a bit more time. You can never be too sure of these
things."
"She's my stepmother," Kevin said.
"Oh. . . . Okay."
"Which way?" Michelle halted, then looked back at Eric.
Eric pointed, then stopped and looked about as if he might have made a mistake. He shook his
head bemusedly.
"What?" Corfe said.
"It's gone."
Michelle looked around. "It can't be, surely not."
Eric pointed. "It was there. I'm certain of it."
Kevin walked forward and stared down at the space that Eric had indicated. A trail of puddles
and wetness on the concrete led toward the edge of the quay. He followed it to the top of steps
leading down, then turned and waved for the others to come over. At the bottom of the steps
was a jetty with an inflatable outboard tied up loosely to a stanchion. Painted along the front
was the namePrincess Dolores.
Eric gazed at it, then back at where the car had been. He dipped his hand in his pocket and
produced his keys. The others stared at them. Eric waited silently, inviting them to form their
own conclusion.
If he still hadhis keys, it could only mean . . .
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Vanessa clipped a red light at the west end of Nickerson Street, prompting a blast on the horn
from a pickup that had been just moving off. "Ease up, for God's sake," Payne rasped at her
irritably. "We're clear enough now. All we need is to get hauled up for a speeding ticket after
all this."
"Who's left to give us one?" Vanessa shot back. "Every cop in Seattle is at the boat."
"That's still no reason to go asking for trouble."
She had headed westward on the south side of the Ship Canal not with any particular
destination in mind, but simply to put distance between them and the Lake Union area. In fact,
they would more likely want to end up going the other way, either to get on the Interstate or
carry on across to Bellevue or Redmond. Not wishing to retrace her route now, she got into the
lane for the Ballard Bridge in order to circle back on the north side. She drummed her fingers
impatiently on the wheel while a Volvo dawdled in the approach ramp ahead of them, finally
putting her foot down and cutting around it.
"For Christ's sake ease up!"Payne snapped.
"Martin, why don't you try thinking about what we're going to do, instead of carping at me all
the time? If those fools of yours had known how to run a security business, none of this would
have happened."
"My people? Hey, don't you go blaming them. You're the one who told them to bring her back
to the firm."
"Did you expect me to wait until she threw a fit out on the street? There was no problem with
that. What on earth possessed Phil to bring those things back with him to the boat?"
"That wouldn't have been a problem either, if you hadn't made them a present of the van." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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