Pale Kings and Princes

33

When we went back to Caroline’s, we brought Juanita with us. She wasn’t exactly bad. But she sure as hell wasn’t a force for good, and I wanted her where I could see her. She had no objection. She seemed emotionally dehydrated. When we went in, she wouldn’t look at Caroline. She didn’t really look at Susan either when I introduced them. Probably shouldn’t have said Dr. Silverman.

We were all seated in a funereal circle in the living room. It had started to snow again, a little harder. I thought about Scotch with soda and ice in a tall glass. I thought about another one.

I said, “Okay, we know, but we probably can’t prove it, that Bailey killed Eric Valdez because Valdez tried to blackmail Bailey about his affair with Emmy Esteva, and his ties to the coke business. And we know, and might be able to prove, that Esteva killed Bailey after Juanita told him that he was having an affair with Mrs. Esteva. And then he killed Brett to cover his tracks.”

“Because you could connect Brett to the cocaine business,” Susan said.

“Yes, and I’ll bet somebody in the police lab leaked it to him that we were testing the gun that Brett had gotten from him.”

“I don’t understand that,” Caroline said. “Why would he give Brett the gun that killed his own father?”

“This wasn’t a business killing,” Hawk said. “Have the kid get rid of the gun killed his old man.”

“Implicates the kid, too,” I said.

“We’ll ask him about it,” Hawk said.

“Can you make a case out of what you’ve got?” Susan said.

“You mean a legal case,” I said. “I don’t know. If Juanita and Caroline tell the state cops all they know, I think we’ll get their attention. Juanita tells Esteva about Bailey and Emmy, and shortly thereafter Bailey is shot. There’s probable cause there, I think.”

“Will I have to testify,” Juanita said.

“Everybody will,” I said. “Me too.”

“Almost everybody,” Hawk said.

“Almost,” I said.

“And it will all come out,” Caroline said. “Bailey and the woman, Brett, everything.”

I nodded.

“I will be destroyed in my profession,” Juanita said.

I nodded again.

“And Spenser,” Susan said to her, “whom the police are going to kill?”

“I can’t,” Juanita said. “It’s all I have.”

Nobody spoke.

“I’m not attractive. And I’m desperately obsessive about men, and I grew up the only Hispanic in an Anglo school district. Juanita Omelet.”

I thought about a pitcher of margaritas and a thick glass with salt on the rim: two thick glasses and me and Susan having nachos in L.A. at Lucy’s El Adobe out on Melrose Ave. where it would be sunny.

“And now I have two college degrees. I am a professional. I have an office at the hospital. I can’t not be that anymore. I would die.”

“I don’t want anyone to know about Bailey,” Caroline said.

I looked at Susan and then at Hawk.

“Swell,” I said.

“You are not obligated to respect their wishes,” Susan said.

“True,” I said.

“We needing a plan,” Hawk said.

“I’ll say.

“How you feel ’bout whacking them out,” Hawk said.

“The idea has merit,” I said. “Let us consider it.”

There was a pause. Hawk and I both looked at the women.

“Want us to go in the kitchen and boil water?” Susan said.

I grinned at her. “Nope. We’ll step out there. Care to join us?”

Susan shook her head. “I don’t care to know,” she said.

“Wise,” I said, “as well as winsome. When this is over will you get drunk with me?”

“Yes,” Susan said.