Fade Away

Chapter 39

Esperanza was still in the office when the fax machine rang. She crossed the room and watched the machine begin to spew out paper. The facsimile was addressed to her attention, from the FBI:

Re: FIRST CITY NATIONAL BANK—TUCSON, ARIZONA

Subject: Renters of Safe-Deposit Boxes.

She’d been waiting for this transmission all day.

Esperanza’s theory on the blackmail plot had gone something like this: The Raven Brigade robbed the bank. They hit the safe-deposit boxes. People keep all kinds of things in those. Money, jewelry, important documents. That was what hooked the timing together. Simply put, the Raven Brigade had found something in one of those boxes that was damaging to Greg Downing. Then they hatched their little blackmail scheme.

The names came out in alphabetical order. Esperanza read down the list while the paper was still being transmitted. The first page ended in the Ls. No name was familiar. The second page ended in the Ts. No name was familiar. On the third page, when she reached the Ws, her heart leaped into her throat. Her hand fluttered to her mouth, and for a moment she feared that she might scream.

It took several hours to sort through the mess. Statements had to be taken. Explanations made. Myron told Dimonte practically the whole story. He left out the videotape of Thumper and Emily. Again, it was nobody’s business. He also left out the part about meeting up with Cole Whiteman. Myron somehow felt he owed him. For her part, Audrey would not talk at all, except to ask for a lawyer.

“Do you know where Downing is?” Dimonte asked Myron.

“I think so.”

“But you don’t want to tell me.”

Myron shook his head. “He’s not your business.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Dimonte agreed. “Go on. Get out of here.”

They were downtown at One Police Plaza. Myron and Win walked out in the city night. Large municipal structures consumed the neighboring area. Modern bureaucracy in its most extreme and intimidating form. Even this late at night, you could visualize lines of people heading out the door.

“It was a good plan,” Win said.

“Audrey is pregnant.”

“I heard.”

“Her baby will be born in jail.”

“Not your doing.”

“She thought it was her only way out,” Myron said.

Win nodded. “She saw a blackmailer who stood in the way of all her dreams. I’m not so sure I would have behaved any differently.”

“You don’t commit murder to stave off life’s inconveniences,” Myron said.

Win didn’t argue, but he didn’t agree either. They kept walking. When they reached the car, Win said, “So where does that leave us?”

“With Clip Arnstein,” Myron said. “He has some explaining to do.”

“You want me to come along?”

“No. I want to talk to him alone.”