Paint It Black

Chapter Forty-six

Louis woke to the smell of strong coffee. He grimaced as he sat up, and looked down at his hand.

The tips of his fingers protruded from a thick bandage. His palm still throbbed. His forearm was bandaged in thick gauze. He hurt everywhere.

He slid his legs gingerly over the side of the bed and looked at the clock on the nightstand. Four-fifteen. Jesus, he had slept almost all day.

He used the bedpost to stand. Issy was curled in the covers at the foot of the bed. Someone had left an old plaid robe on the bedpost. He slipped it on and shuffled to the kitchen.

Dodie jumped up from his chair. “Here, lemme help you, Louis.”

He put a hand on Louis’s arm, pulling out a chair. Louis sat, letting out a sigh that rippled through his bruised muscles.

“Coffee?”

Louis nodded. He pulled the newspaper over to him.

Heller was being arraigned today. He saw his own picture on the bottom of the page. He pushed the newspaper away as Dodie came back with the coffee. Margaret was on his heels.

“You shouldn’t be up,” she said.

“I’ve slept for two days,” Louis said. The pain in his jaw began to pound again. He sipped at the coffee, but it burned the cuts on his lips.

“You hungry? I can fix you something,” Margaret said.

Louis shook his head. He wasn’t sure he could chew.

“Scrambled eggs,” Margaret said. “Soft scrambled eggs.”

She disappeared.

Louis’s eyes flicked to Dodie sitting across the table. He was staring at him.

“I’m okay, Sam.”

“Just checking.”

The smell of eggs filled the kitchen. It made Louis’s stomach churn.

“Oh, Louis,” Margaret said, “Emily Farentino called. She came over yesterday but you were asleep. She has to leave today and she wants to say good-bye. She said you could reach her at Dan’s office till five tonight.”

“Thanks, Margaret.”

Dodie was staring at him again. “You decide yet what you’re going to do?” he asked. “I mean, after you heal up and all.”

“I don’t know. Go home for a while, I guess.”

“Why? You can’t work there.”

Louis tried another sip of coffee. “I have applications out, Chicago PD, Cleveland. I’ll find something.”

Dodie stirred his coffee.

“Besides, my car’s up there,” Louis said.

“Go get it.”

Louis sighed.

Margaret returned with the eggs. She started to tuck a napkin into Louis’s pajama top, and he let her, too tired to argue. He started to eat slowly.

“You could find work here, Louis,” Dodie said.

“Sam’s right,” Margaret added quickly.

He looked up at them. “I’m not a PI.” He looked away, shaking his head. “It wouldn’t work.”

“Well, what about Dan?” Dodie pressed.

Louis shook his head again.

“Dan could find something for you, Louis. Lord knows he could use a good man and-”

Margaret put a hand on Dodie’s arm. “Sam, you’ve been chewing on his ear for two days now about this. Let the man be.”

Dodie sat back in his chair. Margaret moved back to the stove.

Louis felt something rub his leg. He looked down to see Issy. The cat looked up at him, then trotted off toward the laundry room. Louis glanced up at the wall clock. It was after four-thirty.

He took another bite of eggs, then slowly rose.

“Where you going?” Dodie asked.

“To say good-bye to Farentino.”

Emily was sitting in the chair facing Wainwright when Louis came in. They were laughing. Wainwright sobered when he saw Louis at the door. Emily turned.

“You still look like shit,” she said.

“You should see me from this side,” Louis said. “What were you two laughing about?”

“Mobley,” Wainwright said. “He’s still pissed he didn’t get the collar.”

“He’ll live,” Louis said. He eased into a chair and looked over at Emily. The briefcase was sitting next to her chair. She saw him looking at it.

She shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe I’ll write my memoirs someday,” she said.

He studied her face. She looked like she hadn’t slept well. Or maybe like she wouldn’t ever truly sleep well again. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want her to leave, but he didn’t know what to say that could keep her here any longer. She hadn’t been a partner, at least not in the real sense. But he knew he was going to miss her. He’d miss her energy and dedication, the way her mind worked. He smiled slightly. Shit, he was even going to miss her balls.

She was looking at him. “Well, I’ve got a long drive ahead,” she said. She hesitated, then held out her hand to Wainwright.

“Thanks, Chief,” she said. “It’s been. . an education.”

Wainwright stood up and took her hand. “For both of us.”

She turned to Louis and extended her hand. “Hey, Kincaid.”

He held up his bandaged hand. She smiled and shook his thumb.

“Hey, Farentino,” he said.

“Drive careful,” Wainwright said.

She picked up her green rain slicker and started to the door.

“Farentino,” Louis said.

She turned.

“Got time to go get some coffee or something?”

She smiled. “Sorry. Got a date with Vinny. Later, guys.”

She left.

Louis turned to look at Wainwright. “Vinny?” he asked.

“Vince. The ME,” Wainwright said.

Louis shook his head, smiling.

“I went to see Candy this morning,” Wainwright said. “He was asking about you.”

“I feel bad I haven’t been over to see him yet,” Louis said.

“Don’t be. He wasn’t really up for visitors until today.” Wainwright paused. “He’s going to be all right, by the way. The knife missed everything important.”

“Thank God.”

“He said he can’t wait to come back to work,” Wainwright said. “Said something weird, too. Said he was rethinking the Miami thing. You know what he meant?”

Louis nodded, smiling slightly.

His eyes wandered over the office, falling finally on the bulletin board. It was empty. His gaze came to the framed photograph of Wainwright’s two kids. He looked up to see Wainwright looking at him.

“You feeling any better?” Wainwright asked.

Louis shrugged. “How about you?” he asked.

Wainwright nodded slowly. “Better.”

It was quiet except for the rain on the window and voices filtering in from the outer office.

“I found out something interesting today,” Wainwright said. “It’s about the Broward cases. I found out why there was a gap between the first New Jersey killing and the two near Fort Lauderdale. After the Jersey fishing season was over, the Miss Monica headed south and put in at Fort Lauderdale for repairs. They were there for a month.”

“Enough time for Heller to kill twice,” Louis said.

“And then the boat came here for the winter,” Wainwright said.

They were quiet again for a moment.

“They’re saying Heller’s mentally incompetent, that he won’t get the death penalty,” Louis said.

“I know,” Wainwright said. “I still think he should fry.” He leaned back in his chair.

Wainwright let a moment or two pass. “Why didn’t you do it?” he asked.

“Do what?”

“Kill him.”

Louis held Wainwright’s gaze, then looked away. He had asked himself the same question in the last two days. He couldn’t come up with an answer. He couldn’t come up with an answer either about why he felt nothing but ambivalence when he thought of Tyrone Heller being locked up for life rather than dying in the chair.

He looked back at Wainwright. “That day you had Skeen cornered in the bathroom,” he said. “You said you killed him. Why?”

“I told you,” Wainwright said softly, his eyes unwavering. “I had to.”

Louis nodded slowly. It fell silent again. Voices drifted in from the outer office. There was a knock.

“Yeah?” Wainwright called out.

Myrna poked her head in the door. “Chief? This just came for Louis.” She handed Louis a paper and left.

Louis unfolded the paper and read it. “Goddamn it,” he said softly.

“What?”

“Mobley,” Louis said. “It’s a summons. He’s busting me for not having a goddamn PI license.”

He crumpled it and threw it across the room.

“Don’t sweat it,” Wainwright said. “It’s just a small fine.”

The room was quiet again. Louis knew it was time to say his good-byes and get out, but he didn’t want to leave.

“So, what will you do now, Louis?” Wainwright asked finally.

“I don’t know.”

“I’d offer you something, but-”

“It’s okay, Dan.”

Louis’s gaze drifted to the window.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Wainwright said. “Roberta Tatum called this morning. Wanted me to give you a message.”

“What?” Louis asked.

“She said, ‘Tell the cookie to come get his money.’ ”

Louis stared at Wainwright.

“It’s twenty grand, Louis. You earned it.”

Louis didn’t answer. He rose slowly and held out his hand.

“Thanks, Dan,” he said. “For everything.”

Wainwright rose, hesitated, then came around the desk. He gave Louis a quick but gentle clasp around the shoulders.

“Thanks for all your help,” Wainwright said. “Keep in touch. Let me know when you get settled somewhere or if you ever come back to Sereno.”

Louis nodded quickly and went to the door, closing it softly behind him.

The rain was finally letting up as Louis stopped to pay the toll. He went across the causeway and headed slowly down the tree-tunneled road through Sanibel. He crossed the low-slung bridge over Blind Man’s Pass onto Captiva Island.

By the time the road took a bend toward the water, the rain had stopped. He glanced to his left as he drove, watching the orange smudge of sun creep toward the gray-green water.

At the tiny town center, he pulled up in front of the Island Deli and Liquor and went in. A bell tinkled over his head as he closed the door.

The store’s narrow aisles were crammed with boxes. More boxes were stacked along the back in front of the coolers of wine and beer. To his right there was a shelf crowded with cheap ceramic birds, dolphins, and assorted shells. Colorful beach towels, embroidered with the words Captiva Island, hung along a wall.

Roberta was behind the counter ringing up a loaf of bread and a six-pack of Bud for a man in a flowered shirt. She glanced at Louis as she took the man’s money. The man gathered up his bag and moved past Louis, out the door. The bell tinkled again.

There was no anger in Roberta’s eyes as she looked at him across the counter. Fatigue maybe. Or relief. But the anger was gone.

“Evening,” he said.

She came around the counter. “I see you got my message.”

Louis nodded.

Roberta hollered toward the back. “Levon!”

Levon came around a corner. “Yeah?”

“Levon, you remember Mr. Kincaid, don’t you?”

Levon came forward slowly, an apron around his waist, a price-punch in his hand. His eyes settled on Louis’s bruised face. “Did I do that to you?”

Louis shook his head. “No.”

Levon sighed. “Good.”

Roberta tapped him on the arm. “Tell the man.”

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I got my meds back now.”

Louis nodded slightly. “I hope not.”

Roberta turned toward the cash register. “Watch the front, Levon. I’ll be right back.”

Roberta motioned for Louis to follow her to the back. She led him to an office that was so small he could barely get the door closed behind him.

“Sorry for the mess. Today’s delivery day.” She sat down at a desk and opened her checkbook.

“You look like shit,” she said, writing. “You doing okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” he said.

She scribbled her name with elaborate curves and ripped the check from the book, holding it out to him.

“There you go.”

He looked down at it. All the way over here he had thought about what he would do with the money. He had told himself it was his, fair and square. But now it wasn’t that easy. He lifted his gaze to her face and let out a small sigh.

She heard it and narrowed her eyes. “Take it.”

Louis hesitated. “Mrs. Tatum. .”

She stood and slapped it in his hand. “Don’t be stupid. Somebody offers you money, you take it.”

He fingered it, then met her eyes. “It just doesn’t seem right to take money from you when you’ve lost. . your husband.”

Roberta put her hands on her hips. “You had nothing to do with me losing Walter. But you have a whole lot to do with how I get past it. Put the damn money in your pocket.”

She reached for the door, then looked at him. “I can afford it. Does that make you feel better?”

Louis smiled. “I guess. Thank you.”

She pulled open the door. “Now get out of here. I got a shitload of stuff to get out on those shelves out there.”

He followed her out, toward the front, putting the check in his pocket. She moved to a box of canned peas and he paused to watch her. She bent to rip open the box and started stacking the cans on the shelf. If she knew he was still there, she wasn’t going to say anything. Life was moving forward, he was now a part of her past.

“Excuse me, please.”

He turned to see a woman standing behind him. Her round body was draped in a bright muumuu, her eyes hidden behind black sunglasses. Silver bracelets tinkled on her wrists like the bell above the door.

“I just want to get to those,” she said, pointing.

Louis moved so she could get to the shelf of plastic trinkets.

“What do you think about this?” the woman said, holding out an ugly bird made out of shells.

“Very nice,” Louis said.

“I want to get a souvenir of this place,” the woman said. “I’ve enjoyed it so. It’s so nice and peaceful here.”

She put the bird back and plucked out a conch shell instead. She stared at it, heaving a heavy sigh.

“It’s so hard to go back to Wisconsin. All that snow and everything.” She looked up at him. “You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do,” he said.