Code 61 - Donald Harstad [94]
“In Wisconsin … that makes sense,” I said. It did. It also made sense that it was out of my jurisdiction and I wanted to see it. “When did you see that?”
“The blueprints? Oh,” he said, “maybe ten, fifteen years back, I think. When Emma and I went in to Madison for her mother's funeral. Maybe twelve?” He nodded vigorously. “Twelve. Yep, twelve. We took a swing down to the lake afterward, you know. Might as well get some use out of the mileage, see.”
“Absolutely.” Luck smiles sometimes.
“I see that the crew from the Mansion came,” he said.
“Yep.”
“You think they're weird, Carl?”
“No weirder than anybody else.”
“Some of 'em seem nice. But I don't know why they dress like that. Just to make people look?”
“Making a statement. Nothing else.”
“I think they do it just to aggravate people.” He stared across the room to where Toby and Kevin were still talking to the girls. “The darkhaired kid with the thing through his nose, see him? That's what I mean.”
“Pretty harmless, I think. Really. Remember, not too long ago, burning the campus down? The sixties and seventies?”
“Yeah.”
“Which you rather have? That, or these kids?” I suppressed a smile. “Or, back in your day, the agitators who wanted to go against the King?”
He looked at me squarely. “You ain't too big for me to whip.”
I almost missed what he said, because my eye had settled on the figure of William Chester, standing near the coffin. I drew Knockle's attention to him.
“What's he doing here?”
Old Knockle stared for a second. “Oh. Uh, well, I know what you said, but he had the bond money right with him, and since I had to bring him back up this way, and I was comin' right here anyway, I thought it'd be okay if I left him in the car.” He cleared his throat. “Looks like he got out.”
“That it does.”
“I'm really sorry, Carl. He said he'd stay in the car.”
“I just bet he did.” I didn't want to draw too much attention to Chester, but for two cents I would have just walked up and knocked the idiot over the head.
After taking some of the sting out for Knockle by getting him another cookie, I went looking for Hester. I saw her two rooms away, but before I could get to her, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Byng, in uniform. He looked very concerned.
“Carl, you got a second?” he asked in a low voice.
“Sure.”
He motioned me toward the hall, and I followed.
“I got a call from Harry,” he said. “They got a missing persons report on Alicia Meyer. She's been having a real rough time over her boyfriend and all, a'course. She was at a friend's house over in Conception County last night. They went out to eat at Gourmet Georges'. She went to the john, never came back. Guess her friends spent most of the night lookin' for her. Can't find her. She's just disappeared.”
“What time, any idea?”
“Not sure, but it had to be before one A.M. That's when Gourmet Georges' closes for the night.”
“So, like what? Somebody snatched her right out of the women's room?” That was spooky.
“Oh, no. No, I forgot. Her car was gone, too. Like she just drove off.”
That put a completely different complexion on the case. I was relieved. “Ah. So, maybe she just wants to get away for a while?”
“It's not like her, they say.”
“They always say that, don't they? I mean, if it was like her, they wouldn't have reported it.”
He let that sink in. “Well, sure.”
“I'll bet Harry finds her before supper,” I said.
“Hope so,” he said. He looked around. “Lamar's here? I really ought to express myself to him before I leave.”
“Good idea.” I pointed out the receiving line. “Don't forget to sign the register.”
I found Hester in another anteroom, talking with the funeral director and two older gentlemen I recognized as teachers from Freiberg High. I motioned, and she got away fairly quickly. I told her, quickly and quietly, about the cable car, and about the blueprints. I also mentioned William Chester. She'd already seen him.
“I hope he's not