Midnight Rambler_ A Novel of Suspense - James Swain [70]
“Take one,” I said. “ It will make you feel better.”
She changed her mind and took a stick.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
“Human resources. I came about your boys. They're yours, aren't they?”
She ripped the paper off the gum and shoved the stick into her mouth.
“I want to talk to a lawyer,” she said, chewing vigorously.
“You mean Leonard Snook?”
“Whatever his name is, I want to talk to him.”
“He's Cecil's lawyer. Is he your lawyer, too?”
“Damn straight,” she said.
“Trust me, Bonnie, you don't want to talk to him,” I said, pocketing the gum.
“Why the hell not?”
“Leonard Snook won't do those boys any good. Now, whose are they?”
She crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest. “You're violating my civil rights. I'll sue this park and Michael Eisner and Walt Disney if you don't let me talk to my lawyer. Understand that, Mr. Human Resources?”
I casually leaned against the mirror, studying her. She had a perfectly even tan that I guessed had come from a tanning salon, and her eyes were too blue to be anything but contacts. The amazing artificial woman.
“Do you know anything about Leonard Snook?” I asked.
“What's there to know?” she snapped.
“Leonard Snook is a criminal defense attorney who represents serial murderers and career criminals. Call him, and you're all but admitting that you're guilty, and those two boys will get placed in a state foster home. You don't want that to happen, do you?”
“I want to speak with my lawyer.”
“I'm here for the boys' sake,” I said. “If you had an ounce of compassion for their well-being, you'd answer the question.”
Bonnie's face started to crack. Then, just as quickly, her icy demeanor returned.
“Go away,” she said.
I slammed the door behind me. The best way to deal with scum like Bonnie Sizemore was to scream at them while threatening bodily harm. It was the only way to penetrate the callous layer of skin that had wrapped itself around their hearts. But I had promised Sally I wouldn't resort to those tactics, and I was a man of my word.
I went down the hall to the room where Cecil was being held. Sally was working him over, and through the door I could hear Cecil telling her the same things Bonnie had told me. He wanted to speak to Leonard Snook, and he wanted to speak to him now.
I leaned against the wall and listened to Cecil's verbal barrage. He had his answers down pat and didn't sound intimidated by Sally's threats of a lifetime in jail. Eventually, Sally would have to turn him and Bonnie over to the Orange County Sheriff's Department or risk ruining the police's ability to prosecute.
I tore a corner off the Disney newsletter to stick my gum in. On the newsletter's cover was a photograph of a comic/ impersonator named Brian Cox. Cox was headlining at Disney's Islands of Adventure nightclub, and the newsletter urged Disney employees to come out and see the show. It gave me an idea, and I knocked on the door. Sally opened the door with an exasperated look on her face.
“Any luck?” she asked.
“No, but I've got an idea,” I said.
Sally came into the hall and shut the door. I showed her the article about Brian Cox.
“I once used an impersonator to crack a witness in Fort Lauderdale,” I said. “Maybe I can get this guy to help me crack Bonnie. Think you can track him down?”
Sally read the article while studying Cox's photo. Cox had spiked hair, a lopsided grin, and bulging eyes.
“I don't know, Jack. He looks like a lunatic.”
“The article says he does great impressions. It's worth a shot.”
She handed me the newsletter. Her eyes looked tired.
“You don't give up, do you?” she said.
“Never,” I said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Sally made a couple of phone calls and located Brian Cox. He was staying at a hotel on International Drive. I called the hotel, and an operator put me through to his room. Cox answered and sounded dead-asleep. After some gentle persuasion he agreed to help.
Twenty minutes later, Cox pulled into the security area and got out of his rental car. He was unshaven, skinny to the point of being