A Killing in China Basin - Kirk Russell [76]
‘Obviously, I don’t know where she is.’
He thought about her last three responses and asking to have her hand freed. He’d thrown her on the deck, taped her mouth, and handcuffed her, but she didn’t seem scared enough. He leaned over. ‘I’m offering you a chance to live.’
‘OK, she’s come back asking for a lot more money. Either that or she’ll make sure it gets known that I’ve traveled under a false passport and credit cards and all the things that have a good explanation but that people wouldn’t understand, particularly my directors. I’d have to step down.’
‘She’s contacted you.’
‘Yes, through the foundation website. I have a phone number I’m supposed to call no later than midnight tonight. You don’t have to kill me and I don’t care that the police are after you. Police have never done me any favors. We both want her found. We want the same thing, so why can’t we work together on this? I have plenty of money; I can help you.’
‘Where’s the number?’
‘I need my phone.’
Stoltz handed her the phone and she asked, ‘Do I say I’ll pay and set up a meeting?’
He had to think about that. She was bluffing, lying, somehow manipulating him, but he let her call. When no one answered she left a message and he steered the boat under the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. Twilight came and still no call back, and Stoltz realized that if a call did come from Erin, and Erin agreed to meet, then he was done with this woman here. An hour later he said, ‘I don’t believe that was her number.’
And then the phone rang and on the screen was the number. He handed her the phone and heard Erin’s voice, scratchy but her.
‘I’ll agree to your terms,’ Lafaye said. ‘But I want to meet and know it’s never going to happen again.’
‘No meeting,’ he heard Erin say. Definitely her, and it affected him in ways he didn’t know it could. He turned Lafaye’s head with his hand and mouthed, tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, he knew she understood but instead she said, ‘I’ll double the offer if we meet. It can be anywhere you want, but if we don’t meet I’m not going through with it. I’ll take my story to the press. I don’t care what happens at that point. If I lose my foundation, I’ll start another one. I’ll point the finger at you.’
He heard Erin agree and then name the meeting time and place. When Lafaye hung up, he told her, ‘I’m going to let you go now. That’s all I want. It was never you. I don’t want anything from you. Take your clothes off. I want you to leave your clothes.’
‘What do you mean?’
He aimed the gun at her head. ‘You’re going to swim in.’
‘I can’t swim well enough, I’ll drown.’
‘I have a way for you. You’ll be fine.’
‘No, please, I did what you asked. I got her to call, I set up the meeting, but I can’t swim well.’
She took her clothes off and he had her throw them over the side. Under a bench seat were life preservers and Stoltz pulled one out.
‘Please don’t do this. I don’t care what happens to her. I’ll never say anything.’
He threw a life vest at her.
‘Put it on. It’ll keep you afloat and it’s not that cold. Swim toward those lights. The tide will help you. You just float in the vest and kick.’
‘Why can’t you drop me near the shore somewhere?’
He stopped listening and watched her cinch the vest tight. Its reflective stripes would be easy to locate. The vest would keep her bobbing on the surface. He shoved her and her leg slapped against the railing as she fell into the water. Right away, she started thrashing and he heard her cry, ‘Help, help, please, help me.’
Stoltz found her in the water with one of the boat’s lights, then went to the cabin and brought the heavy boat around. He wanted good speed but as he accelerated he saw the vest floating but not her. The boat went over the vest and he swung around again. He risked using the searchlight, found the vest bobbing and began a methodical search. The straps were tight when she went in. It couldn’t slip off her, could it? Where is she?
His circling