Abandon - Carla Neggers [71]
After T.J. and Rook left, Mackenzie returned to the lobby of Cal’s building, where the doorman, who had to be at least seventy, gave a low whistle. “You better take a few minutes and cool off.”
“I’m red?”
“Tomato-red.”
She made a face, although she wasn’t surprised. During training, she was known for getting red and splotchy during physical exertion. No matter how fit she was, heat had a way of turning her red. “It’s about a million degrees out there.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He seemed untroubled. “Need some water?”
“I’ve got some in the car.” She opened up the sketch and smoothed it out on the desk in front of him. “Any chance you’ve seen this man?”
He studied the drawing. “I don’t think so. Maybe.”
“Take your time,” Mac said.
“Does he live here?”
“You tell me.”
But the doorman frowned, straightening. “Are you a cop?”
“I’m a federal agent.” She showed him her credentials and gave him her name. “You’re…”
“Charlie. Charlie West, ma’am.” He glanced back at the sketch, rubbing his chin with one hand. “What’d he do?”
“He knifed two women in New Hampshire.”
His hand dropped from his chin. “We don’t have anyone like that around here, Agent Stewart.”
“Deputy Stewart, sir. Just focus on the face. Is it familiar?”
“I don’t know.” He held up the paper. “Mind if I keep this?”
“Not at all. But if you see this man, don’t approach him. Call the police. You should consider him armed and dangerous.” She handed him her card. “If you have any questions or think of anything, call me, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am, I will.”
“Do you know why Cal Benton insisted on meeting me in the sweltering courtyard instead of up in his condo?”
The doorman grinned, but quickly turned serious. “He had painters coming this morning, but he canceled them. I was supposed to let them into his place. They were on my list.”
“When did he cancel them?”
“I found out this morning—early. Right after I got in at seven.”
“He called you?”
“He came down here.”
“Was he alone?” Mackenzie asked.
“Yes, ma’am, he was alone.”
She thanked Charlie West for his time and headed out into the heat, just as thunder cracked and lightning flashed over the river. She ducked into her car, leaving the door open to the breeze, and dialed Joe Delvecchio’s number. When he answered, she told him everything that had transpired since her arrival at the condominium complex, leaving out only her exchange with Rook about the room with the bats.
“I figured I’d call you first,” she said.
“You didn’t call me first, Stewart. You called me last. You’ve already talked to Benton, Rook, Kowalski and the damn doorman.”
“I haven’t talked to Detective Mooney in New Hampshire yet.”
“Don’t let me hold you up,” he said.
She ignored his sarcasm. “Someone should show the sketch to other people in Cal’s building, just in case the doorman did recognize him but isn’t sure. Another worker or resident might be more certain, one way or another. I’d do it, but I’m personally involved.”
“You think?” He sighed. “I’m on it.”
“For the record, Cal Benton’s flings might not have anything at all to do with the attack on me.”
“Deputy, don’t second-guess yourself. The more pieces we have, the better. They won’t all have a place in the puzzle. That’s nothing new. Are you on your way back here?”
“Give me an hour,” she said, fastening her seat belt.
“It’s a ten-minute drive.”
“Traffic.”
One beat, two beats.
Mackenzie pulled her car door shut. “I need to make a stop. It’s personal.”
“It was personal when you went to see Benton, too.” But Delvechhio relented. “All right. An hour.”
She didn’t know if his modest acquiescence was a sign of trust or if he was just giving her enough rope to hang herself. Either way, she was committed now. She started her car, cranked up the air-conditioning and headed toward Massachusetts Avenue just as a fat raindrop hit her windshield.
Twenty-Five
Mackenzie had her own key to Bernadette’s house off Embassy Row. She’d had it