Code 61 - Donald Harstad [99]
“Cookie?” she asked Huck.
We all had one.
“You guys,” said Huck, with her mouth half full of Oreo, “travel in style.”
The ice broken, Hester turned to the backseat. “What did William Chester have to say?”
“Was that the last dude I talked to?”
“Yes.”
“That man is weird. Really. Scary weird. He said that I was going to have to atone for all the evil, and that he would see that I went back to my grave.”
“No shit?” Hester sounded angry.
“Yeah.” She paused. “You happen to know what he does for a living?”
“He hunts vampires, as far as I can tell,” I said.
I could see Huck in the rearview mirror as she hugged herself, as if she were very cold. “Yeah. That's kinda what he said he did.”
TWENTY-ONE
Monday, October 9, 2000
18:45
We got Huck to the office and interviewed her at length. She seemed to be in that semi-euphoric state you reach after some heavy emotions, and was pretty frank and cooperative.
I'd given the new spelling of Daniel Peale to Sally as soon as we got in the door. She produced the basics in a few seconds. I put on my reading glasses, and read the descriptors to Huck.
“Okay, closest one we get, from the national computers, is this.” I held up the torn-off perforated sheet. “It says here that Daniel Gordon Peale is a white male, thirty-five, six feet one, one eighty-three pounds, black and brown.” I glanced up. “That would be black hair and brown eyes.” I purposely left out the address information and put the paper down. “That sound like him?”
“Yes it does.” She mused, “Gordon? Gordon. Never knew that.”
“And … we have a black '96 Lexus, and a green '81 Dodge four-door. Ever seen either of these cars?”
“He doesn't own cars here,” she said. “He either gets a rental car when he gets into O'Hare, or we go pick him up in Dubuque when he gets a commuter connection.” In answer to the question of who transported him, she said that it was often Toby, and sometimes Kevin. This last time it had been Toby.
“Why does he fly?” I asked.
“Well,” she said, “it's a really long swim from London.”
“London?” asked Hester.
“Well, yeah. He's an Englishman, after all.” Huck looked perplexed.
“How about this,” I said. “He lives in Moline, Illinois.”
“Oh, no,” said Huck. “No, that's not the right man. Dan lives in London. England.”
“Well,” I said, trying to sound immensely competent, “we'll check that.” I picked up the phone and got Sally. “I need a really fast check, U.K., London. For the same dude. Dan Peale.”
“This one is gonna cost you big,” said Sally. “How soon is really fast?”
“Five or ten minutes or less.”
“Shit, Houseman…. I can't be any quicker than the machines. Okay. Lemme see what I can get…. ” And her voice trailed off as she began concentrating. I hung up.
“So,” I said, “while we check that out, what can you tell us about Dan Peale?”
Even now, Huck was a little reluctant. I honestly think that it was William Chester who had disturbed her the most. Well, with a boost from seeing Edie in her coffin, and the death of Randy Baumhagen. But Chester had dropped in a dollop of fear from an unknown and unexpected source. I decided it was time to push her over the top.
“Oh,” I said, almost as an afterthought. “Before you start, did you know that Alicia Meyer was reported missing last night, over in Conception County?”
“What?” said Hester. “When did we get that?”
“That's what Byng was telling me up at the funeral home,” I said, watching Huck. “I was interrupted just as I was going to tell you.”
Huck took a deep breath, and said, “I can't go with this. Not anymore. This is just so over. So damn over.”
We both looked at her expectantly.
“What is it you want? All the sordid little details, I suppose. Right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I'm afraid so. Start wherever you need to.”
At that point, Sally knocked at the door, stuck in her head and one arm, and held out a computer printout. “For you.”
I was impressed.
I read it to Hester and Huck.
“This is from a