Flame

Chapter 20

McGregor had picked up Carver at the office in his unmarked police car, a pale blue Buick Skyhawk that looked like a family sedan but had a twelve-gauge riot gun mounted sideways out of sight below the dash. They’d headed west, away from the ocean, and now they were driving along Heron Street, through the poorer section of the generally wealthy community of Del Moray. Despite what the travelogues said, Florida wasn’t all Disney World with beaches. Even Mickey Mouse had his dark side. Ask Minnie.

Small, dingy shops lined both sides of Heron, and down the cross streets Carver could see rows of almost identical clapboard houses whose state of disrepair was emphasized by the brilliant morning sun. Though it wasn’t quite eight o’clock, most of the shops were already open. In front of a liquor store, a fat Hispanic man wearing baggy khaki shorts and what looked like a wildly colorful pajama top had tossed a pail of soapy water on the sidewalk and was methodically sweeping the suds toward the gutter. Behind him a sign in the window proclaimed that paychecks could be cashed at the store with a purchase. Quite a contrast, Carver thought, between this neighborhood and the creamy pastel stucco, clean wide streets, white belts, gold chains, and green money of the east side of Del Moray. The nearer the ocean, the higher the net worth.

McGregor slowed the Buick and cruised slowly, baring his long yellow teeth and glaring at a mangy, collarless dog rooting in a ripped plastic trash bag at the curb. Waxed paper and what looked like chicken bones were spread all over the sidewalk. The dog stopped what it was doing and glared back at him. Maybe something passed between them; McGregor shrugged and, if he’d thought about shooing away the dog, changed his mind and drove on. Said, “I checked on your three friends in Atlanta. Walter Ogden’s an officer of Wesley Slaughter and Rendering. Been with the company since the mid-sixties. What exactly he does nobody’s sure, but he wields clout with the company brass. He’s got no police record at all, not even traffic violations, which ain’t surprising for a guy like that. Got him the drag to fix it when he’s pulled over for speeding or DWI.”

Carver said, “It was clear in Atlanta Ogden was the executive type. What about the other two?”

“There’s no sheet at all on the woman, Courtney Romano. Probably not her real name, and nothing in the alias file. Butcher’s Vincent Butcher. That’s right, his real name. From New Orleans originally. He’s got enough of a sheet on him to make up for the other two being clean. Got in trouble when he was a teenager for killing neighborhood dogs and cats with a knife. Didn’t just kill them, though. Tortured them first. The courts decided he was mentally ill. Ain’t that a surprise? They arranged treatment, and after six months, when he was seventeen, he went into the Marines. He wasn’t one of the few good men, so they bounced him out within another six months on a medical discharge. Marines were right to do that. Two years later he tortured and killed a prostitute in Shreveport who tried to up her price on him. Did creative carving on the greedy bitch with a knife. For that one he did five years in prison, then he was paroled and put under the care of a psychiatrist. Get this-after a year the psychiatrist disappeared.” McGregor turned his head and gave Carver his lewd, gap-toothed grin. “The shrink was never found. Authorities finally figured he ran away with his receptionist, who he seemed to be balling after hours, since she disappeared a few days later. Nothing was ever proved, though. Red tape ensued, and the Louisiana parole board decided Butcher had seen enough of doctors and got him a job with Wesley Slaughter and Rendering in their slaughterhouse outside New Orleans. Just the occupation for a fella fascinated by sharp steel, hey? When the company moved to Georgia, Butcher went along. Never had any contact with the Georgia law. So he either underwent a personality transplant or he’s got powerful friends that clean up his messes soon as he makes them.”

“Has to be friends,” Carver said. “I don’t see any change in his personality. And there’s no way he could put together a human-earlobe collection without attracting at least some attention from the law.”

“If what you saw were real earlobes. Those kinda guys like to puff up tough. Mighta been nothing but chunks of cured beef or pork he showed you, not earlobes at all. You said him and his pals were putting on an act for you, trying to scare you shitless so you’d back away from the investigation.”

Carver said, “Think of it in light of his past.”

“Real earlobes,” McGregor said, after only a moment’s hesitation.

He turned the Buick off Heron, onto West Belt Road, and they began driving north to the highway that would take them back to the coast. There was something dead on the pavement, a cat or small dog, directly in the path of the car. McGregor ignored it. Carver winced as a tire made soft impact.

McGregor said, “You had breakfast?”

“Yeah.”

“I was gonna suggest we stop, but I’ll get you back soon as possible instead so I can get at some sausage and eggs. There’s this place on Magellan serves me free in exchange for a little added police protection.” He nudged a few miles per hour more out of the Buick and concentrated on his driving.

Watching McGregor carefully from the corner of his vision, Carver said, “I found out the two guys that were in Wesley’s Fort Lauderdale condo are DEA agents.”

McGregor’s long face didn’t change, but his grip tightened on the steering wheel. “You shittin’ me, Carver?”

“No. They’re the ones set up the impersonation deal. Wesley’s a big-time drug dealer, they say. He was out of the country, probably on a buying expedition, so they hired Bert Renway and went fishing.”

McGregor said, “Some bait.”

“That was my reaction. They took offense.”

McGregor said, “The DEA don’t usually work that way, though these days I wouldn’t put anything past them. Do anything to get credit and publicity; fuckin’ war-on-drugs glory hounds, stomp on people’s rights so kids can grow up to be solid citizens and buy cars and deodorant instead of dope. Keep everybody employed. The U.S. Constitution means nothing to them.”

“I didn’t realize you were a patriot.”

“Me? Hell, yeah. Even got towels look like flags.” He drummed his dirty fingernails on the vinyl-covered wheel. “DEA, huh? Goddammit, I don’t like this even a little bit, Carver!”

Carver said, “Well, there’s nothing to like.”

“This means we been screwing around with a federal investigation. Shit, shit, shit. That kinda thing can get your ass in a sling in a hurry.”

“Ruin a career,” Carver said. “Maybe when this is over we can get on somewhere as night watchmen.”

McGregor glanced over at him. Shot him the same look he’d given the stray dog rooting through the trash. “You actually dumb enough to be enjoying this?”

“Only one aspect of it. The one that puts you behind the eight ball.”

“Well, unless you shot off your mouth, far as the DEA knows, I thought from the beginning and still think the body in the car bombing was Frank Wesley. They don’t know I know, and besides, they’re the ones faked the autopsy report outa Miami. Lawless pricks.” He shook his long head and frowned. “Damn! I shoulda guessed it’d have to be federal agency to put that kinda pressure on and phony up a victim identification. Fuckin’ dental records!” The frown disappeared suddenly; the old gray matter was buzzing. “You know, there has to be something big in the works for the DEA to pull that kinda stunt to preserve their investigation. The attempt on Welsey’s life has gotta be part of a much bigger picture.”

Carver had to admire how McGregor had zeroed in on the one feature of the horrendous situation that might be worked to his benefit. Big pictures might mean big opportunities. The man was a survivor for reasons other than that he was an unprincipled carnivore.

“Thing is,” McGregor said, “if either of us goes down he pulls the other one with him. Both of us been scratching around where we shouldn’t. Been withholding evidence in a homicide.”

“Your idea,” Carver said.

“You can’t prove it, though, asshole.”

But Carver knew McGregor remembered the multipurpose answering machine with its tape recorder in the blast-littered office. No way for him to know for sure whether it was working and turned on when he’d arm-twisted Carver into cooperating with him.

Let him wonder, Carver thought, not answering.

When he got back to his office there was a message on his machine to call Desoto. The only message.

Carver settled down behind his desk and propped his cane against the wall. Phoned the Orlando Police Department and asked to be put through to Lieutenant Desoto.

Desoto had to put him on hold for a minute, then came back on the line and apologized. “Sorry, amigo, looks like a homicide over by Clear Lake. I’m gonna have to hang up and get out there pretty soon. Crime marches on. McGregor get back to you on your three visitors in Atlanta?”

“I just left him.” Carver told Desoto what McGregor had said about Ogden, Butcher, and Courtney Romano.

“That’s all straight stuff,” Desoto said. “Jives with my information. This Butcher looks like the kinda psycho you gotta be awful careful around.”

Carver said, “That came shining through.”

“So you don’t take chances with this one, eh?”

“Not me,” Carver assured him.

Desoto said, “Bullshit. You never knew when to let go of something since I’ve known you. Kinda psycho yourself.”

Carver knew he might be right. “Nice of you to say so.”

“Well, at least I warned you, so I won’t feel so bad if someday you’re found sliced and ground.” Desoto waited for a reaction from Carver. Got none. Said, “There was a reason McGregor got no feedback on the Romano woman. Something he doesn’t know or isn’t sharing.”

Carver waited, actually still thinking about Butcher and that “sliced and ground” remark. He was in Atlanta at the Holiday Inn, seeing Butcher staring intently at him over the blade of the boning knife.

Desoto brought him back, though, when he said, “Courtney Romano’s a DEA agent, too.”

Carver sat thinking about that one. Remembering Romano’s reaction in Atlanta when he’d described the two men he’d talked to in Wesley’s Fort Lauderdale condo. She’d been momentarily shaken. There was no way for her to be sure how the Fort Lauderdale conversation had gone. She was undercover and didn’t like complications that might reveal what she was doing. Not with Butcher in the same room. Carver couldn’t blame her for that. He remembered Butcher’s eyes. Beyond cruel. Psychotic eyes.

Desoto said, “Amigo, you there?”

Carver said, “Me a psycho, huh?”

Desoto said, “I don’t think that’s too strong. Hey, crime calls. I gotta run.”

Carver said, “Run.”