Killing the Blues - Michael Brandman [48]
The devastation was total. Everything that could possibly have been broken, was. He stepped over shattered glass and overturned furniture. Nothing was as it had been.
He stepped onto the patio. The love seat had been cut open and its innards strewn about.
He went upstairs and found the remains of his bedroom. The mattress had been slashed. The furniture lay splintered on the floor.
He called for Mildred Memory, but she didn’t appear, which alarmed him. He righted one of his kitchen chairs and sat down heavily, his head in his hands.
He knew it was Rollo Nurse.
He phoned Molly. Dawn was just breaking. She told him she’d be right over.
After having examined the wreckage, Molly sat down alongside Jesse.
“We can fix this,” she said.
He shrugged.
“You’re worried about the cat,” she said.
“I am.”
“She’ll turn up. Cats have away of doing that.”
He didn’t say anything.
Because Jesse’s phone had been ripped from the wall, Molly used her cell to make several calls. One was to Captain Healy.
Healy stopped by on his way to Boston.
“Rollo Nurse,” he said.
“Be my guess,” Jesse said.
“He’s getting bolder,” Healy said.
“He is,” Jesse said.
“What’s next?”
“I have to find him.”
“He could be anywhere.”
“He could.”
Healy didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to put more boots on the ground. Ratchet up the surveillance. He’s bound to slip up,” Jesse said.
“He hasn’t yet.”
The two men didn’t speak for a while.
Then Jesse said, “Mildred Memory is missing.”
“She’s missing?”
“I haven’t found her.”
Healy considered this for a while.
“Have you looked under the furniture,” he said.
“Under what furniture? It’s all ruined.”
Healy went onto the porch. Although the love seat had been decimated, it still stood upright. He knelt down and looked beneath it.
“Come here, Jesse,” he said.
Jesse stepped outside.
“Look under the love seat,” Healy said.
Jesse knelt down and looked.
The first thing he saw were the eyes. They squarely met his gaze. When he reached for her, the cat began to inch its way from her cramped hiding place. When she emerged, Jesse picked her up and held her.
“How did you know,” Jesse said.
“Cat Whisperer,” Healy said.
52
Jesse left Molly to look after the house and drove to the station. Suitcase was waiting for him when he pulled his cruiser into his parking spot.
“I’m sorry about your house, Jesse,” Suitcase said.
“At least it’s still standing,” Jesse said.
“There’s that,” Suitcase said.
When they went inside, Jesse found three visitors waiting to see him. One was Eleanor Nelson, the junior high school principal. There was an older woman whom he didn’t recognize. The third was Robert Lopresti.
He acknowledged them all, then went to his office. Suit brought him some fresh coffee.
“I’ll see them one by one,” Jesse said. “Ask Mrs. Nelson to step in, and let the other two know I’ll be with them shortly. Thanks for the coffee.”
“Are you as tired as me,” Suit said.
“At the very least,” Jesse said.
“I made the coffee strong.”
“Maybe there’s a God after all,” Jesse said.
Suitcase smiled.
“How’d things go with Debby,” Jesse said.
“Why do you think I’m so tired?”
“I’m sorry I asked.”
“What do you think Lopresti wants,” Suitcase said.
“Beats me,” Jesse said. “Took balls for him to show up, though. Tell him I’ll see him as soon as I can. Who’s the old lady?”
“Don’t know. She said she needed to speak directly to you.”
Jesse sighed.
Suitcase left, and Mrs. Nelson came in.
“Thank you for seeing me, Chief Stone.”
“Sit down, please,” Jesse said.
She did.
“I wanted you to know that I’ve decided to resign my position.”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“At the end of the day,” Mrs. Nelson said, “I believe you were right. I’ve been negligent in the performance of my duties.”
Jesse remained silent.
“I became aware of that fact when you arrested Mr. Tauber. I should have known about him, but somehow . . .” Mrs. Nelson said.
Jesse still didn’t say anything.
“I’m not trying to make excuses for myself. Upon reflection, I came to realize that over time