Code 61 - Donald Harstad [128]
We were going to be getting a late start, but talking to Jessica Hunley was too important to let go for another day or two.
We continued the interviews, to keep the information flowing. I began to suspect that, although they'd cover for Dan, his absence was loosening the bond.
At one point, Melissa asked a probing question that I fielded as well as I could.
“Why don't you go talk to Jessica?” she asked. She looked pleased with herself for asking, and that tripped a warning switch.
“Jessica,” I said, “is out of our jurisdiction right now.” Technically true. I said it in a brush-off tone. It made it more believable.
“Oh. Oh, yeah. She is, isn't she?”
“Yep. Now, like I was saying…. ”
I made a mental note that our replacements couldn't know where we were going. Just so they couldn't spill the beans.
Borman and Sally arrived fairly shortly after I'd called. I briefed them on what we'd accomplished. Sally was a little freaked.
“No shit? He killed her slow, so he could drink her blood, and live her death? Jesus, Dark Shadows, all over.”
Sally liked soap operas, too.
“Yep. That's what he did.”
“Christ,” said Borman. “That's one evil dude.”
“Yeah,” I said, “he's bad all right. So, anyway, what you are going to be doing is obtaining thorough statements, and taking notes. There's another DCI agent headed in, and whoever they send will be helping with the follow-up here, just like you are.”
“So,” said Borman, “what are you guys going to be doing while we do this?” “We have a lead we're going to follow up. Has to be done right away.” True.
“Need to know?” Completely insincere, Borman was developing a way of asking questions that assured he wasn't going to get a complete answer.
“Yeah. Need to know only.” I changed the subject. “I want you two to emphasize the possibility that Peale might return here. I don't want these people endangered in any way. It's their choice,” I explained, “but if you can convince them to be in a safer location, try to do that. Especially Huck.”
“Where?”
“If I knew that, Sally, I'd tell you.” I handed her some of my notes. “Maybe parents? Relatives, friends … just somewhere that they can rely on somebody calling if Peale shows up.”
“I'll try,” she said. “I can transmit fear,” she said, her face crinkling in a smile. “Believe me.”
We were out of the Mansion at 20:20.
“Okay,” said Hester. “It's about eight-thirty. Get me back to my motel, I'll get my car, meet you at your house at, oh, what? Nine-fifteen?”
“I'll try, but it's going to be closer to nine-thirty.
What you think, one night? Two at the most?”
“Two at the very most.”
“Okay,” I said. “Then we pick up Harry, and we're off.” We would each take our separate cars. That was a given, as our bosses could suddenly request our presence, and we'd have to leave at once. In this case, two of us wouldn't want to be pulled out of Lake Geneva just because the other had to leave. It was most likely that the one called would be Hester, and I didn't want to end up stranded a couple of hundred miles south of Nation County, killing time while she went to some unrelated murder scene. It was getting late, and the gas stations in Nation County would be closing around ten. If she needed gas, I was sort of gently reminding her where she was.
“I'll get some before I pick you up.”
“Okay, and if you can't, for some reason, I can get you to the county pumps.”
“I'd prefer real gas,” she said. “If I can get somebody to accept my state card.”
I dropped Hester off at her motel, and headed home.
Sue said, “Welcome home! And before ten, too!”
I kissed her, and broke the news.
“Lake Geneva?”
“Yeah, but you don't know that. Harry and Hester and I are going over to do interviews, and nobody can know that.”
“Okay. I guess.”
“Lamar knows, but nobody else. It's just for a day or two, at the most.”
I kept talking to her as I sat at our computer, and looked up accommodations in Lake Geneva. Several were just too pricey, especially those on the lake, itself. I checked maps and addresses,