The Collectors

Chapter 42

Very early the next morning Reuben reported to Stone that nothing had happened the previous night at DeHaven’s; this was a repeat of the report he’d given the night before.

“Nothing?” Stone said skeptically.

“No action in the bedroom, if that’s what you’re implying. I saw Behan and his wife come home around midnight. But apparently, they don’t use that bedroom, because the light never came on. Maybe that venue’s reserved for the strippers.”

“Did you see anything else? The white van, for instance?”

“No, and I think I got in and out of the place without anyone seeing me the last two nights. A ten-foot hedge runs all the way around the rear area. There’s an alarm pad right inside the back door, so that was easy enough.”

“Are you sure you didn’t notice anything that could help us?”

Reuben looked uncertain. “Well, it might be nothing, but around one in the morning I thought I saw a glint of something in a window of the house across the street.”

“Maybe the owners were up and about.”

“That’s the thing. It doesn’t look like anybody’s living there. No car and no trash cans out front. And today’s trash day because all the other houses had them out on the curb last night.”

Stone stared at him curiously. “That is interesting. Could the glint have been an optics signature?”

“Not from a gun, I don’t think. But maybe a pair of binoculars.”

“Keep an eye on that place as well. What about the call to the police?”

“I did it from a pay phone like you said. I took it as a bad sign when the woman told me to stop making crank calls to the police.”

“Okay, call me with your next report tomorrow morning.”

“Great, but when exactly am I supposed to sleep, Oliver? I’m leaving for the loading dock right now, and I’ve been up all night.”

“When do you get off work?”

“Two.”

“Sleep then. You won’t have to be at DeHaven’s until ten or so.”

“Thanks a lot. Can I at least eat the man’s food?”

“Yes, so long as you replace it.”

Reuben snorted. “Man, living in a mansion ain’t what it’s cracked up to be.”

“See, you haven’t missed anything.”

“And while I’m out here busting my ass, what’s Your Highness doing?”

“Your Highness is still thinking.”

“Have you heard from Susan?” Reuben added hopefully.

“Not a word.”

A half hour later Stone was out working in the graveyard when a taxi pulled up by the gates and Milton climbed out. Stone rose, dusted off his hands, and the two went in the cottage together. While Stone poured out some lemonade, Milton opened his laptop and a paper file he’d brought with him.

“I’ve found out a lot about Cornelius Behan and Robert Bradley,” he said. “I just don’t know how helpful it’ll be.”

Stone sat down at his desk and pulled the file toward him. Twenty minutes later he looked up from the pages. “It does not appear that Behan and Bradley were friends at all.”

“Enemies, more accurately. Although Behan’s company won those two big government contracts, Bradley thwarted him on three others, in part by floating allegations that Behan was into buying influence. I got that last bit from a couple of Hill staffers I know. They wouldn’t come out and say it, of course, but it was pretty clear that Bradley went out of his way to spearhead the attack on Behan. And it’s also clear he thought Behan was corrupt. It doesn’t sound like they’re part of a spy ring.”

“No, it doesn’t, unless it’s a cover. But I agree with the late Speaker. I believe Behan is corrupt too. Is he corrupt enough to kill? In DeHaven’s case I would say yes.”

“So maybe Behan had Bradley killed too. He’d have a clear motive if the man was interfering with his business.”

Stone said, “We’ve established that DeHaven was killed by CO₂ poisoning and that the lethal cylinder came from one of Behan’s companies. Caleb called me yesterday. He went into the vault and checked behind the bent air vent. There was a small screw hole in the wall of the duct that could have been used to secure the camera. And he also reported that the grille screws came out very easily, as though they had been taken out recently. But it’s not enough to prove a camera was ever there.”

“So if Bradley and Behan weren’t in cahoots together, Jonathan couldn’t have seen them at Behan’s house. So why kill Jonathan?”

Stone shook his head. “I simply don’t know, Milton.”

After Milton had left, Stone went back to work in the cemetery. He hauled a lawn mower out of a small storage shed, cranked it up and ran it over a patch of grass in a field to the left of the cottage. When he finished and cut the motor, he turned to find her watching him. She had on a big floppy hat, sunglasses and a three-quarter-length brown leather coat over her short skirt. Behind her he saw the rental car parked just outside the gates.

He wiped his face with a rag and pushed the lawn mower over to the cottage’s front porch, where Annabelle was standing. She slipped off her glasses.

“How’s it going, Oliver?”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments. “You look dressed to go somewhere.”

“Actually, that’s why I came by. To let you know of a change in plan. I have to leave town. My flight heads out in a couple hours. I won’t be back.”

“Is that right?”

“That’s right,” she said, her tone more firm.

“Well, I can’t blame you; things are getting a little dangerous.”

Her gaze went to his face. “If you believe that’s why I’m bugging out, you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were.”

He studied her for another moment. “Whoever’s after you must be pretty dangerous.”

“You strike me as a man who has his enemies too.”

“I don’t go looking to make mine. They just seem to find me.”

“I wish I could relate. I tend to make my enemies.”

“Are you going to tell the others?”

She shook her head. “I thought you could do it for me.”

“They’ll be disappointed. Especially Reuben. And I haven’t seen Milton this happy in years. And of course, Caleb won’t admit that he likes having you around, but he will pout for the longest time.”

“And how about you?” she said, her gaze downcast.

He used his boot to scrape the grass off the lawn mower’s wheels. “You certainly have some remarkable skills.”

“Speaking of, you caught me picking your pocket. That hadn’t happened since I was eight years old.” She looked at him questioningly.

“I’m sure you were a very precocious child,” he said.

She gave him a tiny smirk. “Anyway, it’s been fun. And you guys look out for yourselves. Like you said, enemies tend to find you.”

She turned to leave.

“Uh, Susan, if we do figure this all out, do you want us to contact you, let you know about Jonathan?”

She faced him. “I think I should let the past stay right where it is. In the past.”

“I just thought you’d like to know. Losing a spouse that way, you don’t really get over it.”

“You sound like you speak from experience?”

“My wife. It was a long time ago.”

“Had you two divorced?”

“No.”

“It wasn’t the same with me and Jonathan. He decided to end our marriage. I’m not sure why I even came here.”

“I see. Well, could I have the picture back, then?”

“What?” she said, appearing startled.

“The picture of Jonathan. I wanted to return it to his home.”

“Oh, I... I don’t have it with me.”

“Well, when you get to wherever you’re going, you can send it along.”

“You’re far too trusting, Oliver. There’s nothing to make me send it back to you.”

“That’s right. Nothing at all.”

She gazed at him curiously. “You’re one of the most unusual people I’ve ever met, and let me tell you that’s saying something.”

“You should get going, don’t want to miss your flight.”

She glanced around at the tombstones. “You’re surrounded by death here. Way too depressing. You really might want to think about getting another job.”

“You see death and sadness in these sunken patches of dirt, I see lives lived fully and the good deeds of past generations influencing the future ones.”

“That’s way too altruistic for me.”

“I thought that once too.”

“Good luck.” She turned to leave.

“If you ever need a friend, you know where to find me.”

Her shoulders tensed for an instant as he said this. Then she was gone.

Stone put the lawn mower away and sat on the porch gazing solemnly at his tombstones as a chilly wind started to sweep across.