Full Tilt

46

Chicago

The hotel parking lot was not well lit as Kate, bent against the rain, hurried to her car.

How long did I sleep?

Wiping water from her face, she keyed 6168 Craddick Street into her GPS. As she wheeled out, the thought crossed her mind to contact Newslead’s Chicago bureau to request a photographer meet her there.

No, there’s no time.

Kate put her wipers on high speed. Lightning flashed and thunder grumbled as she navigated across New Jenny Park to the address. This could be the house of a killer, the place where his mother committed suicide, she thought.

And I’m going there alone to meet a stranger on a night like this.

Kate repositioned her grip on the wheel.

Maybe it’s a risk-but I can’t lose this chance to get inside the house.

She could handle herself. She’d taken firearms courses, although she detested guns and never carried one. She’d taken self-defense courses. She had a can of pepper spray and a personal alarm in her bag.

She always took precautions.

She arrived at the house to see a late-model Cadillac parked in the driveway.

Kate eased up behind it, then took a photo of the car with her phone, then another, zooming in on the license plate. Then she sent them to Chuck and Reeka along with a message.

Going to meet Ritchie Lipinski, owner of the Zurrns’ house on 6168 Craddick Street. This is his car and plate. FYI, going alone. If I don’t send you an OK within one hour call Chicago PD.

She pulled up the hood of her jacket, hurried to the door and knocked. Lights were on inside. Thunder rolled then there was movement inside and the door opened.

“You must be Kate. I’m Ritchie.”

The man extended his hand. As Kate shook it, hers disappeared in his. He held it firmly for half a second longer than she liked. He was in his fifties, about six-two, with an expensive suit, tie loosened. His long blondish hair was slicked back accentuating his clean-shaven pockmarked face. A scar meandered from the right side of his lower lip, disappearing under his chin, which moved with his rapid gum-chewing as his intense eyes took a walk all over Kate.

“Let me take your wet coat,” he said.

“That’s fine.”

Ritchie’s eyebrows went up a notch at her refusal.

“Suit yourself there, Kate.” He turned and cast a hand over the empty house. Naked walls, naked hardwood floors. It smelled musty and looked as if it could use a good cleaning, maybe some paint. “I’d offer you a drink or something, but I’ve got nothing. I just came by to give the place a quick look, check the wiring and plumbing, see what kind of shape it’s in before we rent again, or sell it, or tear it down. I don’t know. This way.”

The floorboards moaned and his strong cologne trailed as he led her to the kitchen, where there was a table and four chairs.

“At least we can sit and talk here.”

He pulled out a chair for her but remained standing, leaning against the sink with his arms folded. Before Kate got out her notebook, she positioned her pepper spray can in her bag so it was on the top, easy to reach without Ritchie seeing.

“What can you tell me about the Zurrns?”

He looked at the ceiling, chewing.

“That takes me back a few years. The woman was nuts, so was her kid. But they never gave us any trouble and she was always on time with the rent, until the day she hung herself in her bedroom closet.”

“She hung herself.”

Ritchie nodded, still chewing.

“I found her. Dad sent me to check on her when she was late with the rent. It was awful…and the smell. I tell you, I had nightmares.”

“Did she leave a note?”

Ritchie shook his head.

“Nope, nothing. She was living alone. Her kid was grown, long gone. She used scarves, tied her scarves together. Sad.”

“Any indication why she did it?”

“Drugs, booze, who knows? We all knew she was hooking, but there was never any trouble. She told Dad that they were her boyfriends. Look, I never knew the woman and my dad didn’t know her. And neither of us were her johns, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

His gum snapped.

“So what can you tell me about her son, Sorin?”

“Him?”

Ritchie looked off at the walls as if reading a memory there.

“Creepy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll show you.”

“Show me what?”

“In the basement, come on. You have to see this.”

He walked to a door leading from the back just off the kitchen.

“Follow me.” The door stuck and he jerked it open.

Kate hesitated.

“Come on,” he said, and tugged the chain switch for the light. “You want to know about the kid, you should see this.”

She tossed her notebook in her bag and collected it. As she reached the top of the stairs she felt inside her bag, sliding her fingers around the canister. A disagreeable, damp, cold smell wafted up as she followed him down the creaking staircase.

It was dim and unfinished.

Pipes, cables and ductwork were tucked into the joists of the main floor. Spiderwebs swayed in the breeze Ritchie made as he passed. Empty crates and boxes were piled into one corner. Somewhere water was dripping. Kate heard scratching as a large shadow zoomed across the floor.

Was that a rat?

“Over here.” Ritchie stood by a heavy wooden door with a large steel lock. “There’s a crawl space in there, but I don’t let renters use it.”

Keys jingled and he inserted one in the lock. It clicked and he opened it. He pulled on the door, swinging it, scraping it across the floor. No light reached inside the crawl space. It was black.

Keys jingled again and Ritchie selected a penlight from his key ring, crouched and entered. “In here. You won’t believe this.”

Kate froze.

Should I follow him in there?

She checked her grip on her pepper spray and twined her fingers with her keys in the spiked position. Then she followed him in. He’d lowered himself to a squatting position in a corner and began raking his flashlight across the crawl space.

“See?”

Kate saw a row of cinder blocks stacked to make a small room. Steel circles were anchored in the wall.

“I found this after they moved out. My dad said it didn’t exist before they moved in. Her kid did this. I thought it was for a dog, or something. Looks like a little jail cell-what do you think?”

Brilliant light flashed as Kate took a picture.

She had to take several more because her hands were shaking.