I'll kill him and put his bones in a bag and bury him under a tree, Tee thought. And be applauded if I'm ever caught.
When he reached his car, he realized that not once when he was envisioning the horror his life would be if McNeil betrayed him did he think about Mrs. Leigh.
"A C L and P worker found it and called it in first thing this morning,"
Metzger said, referring to the power company. Kiwasee's car sat where he had left it, wedged between larger trees, hidden from the road. His path up the clear-cut and into the underbrush was easy to follow, a trail of crushed grass, broken saplings.
"Did you check out the license plate?" Tee asked.
"It's stolen from Bridgeport. Taken around noon yesterday," Metzger said. "I made a preliminary recon in the woods here, thought maybe the driver was still around."
"Doing what?" McNeil asked. "Taking a piss? Taking a nap under a tree?"
"Well…" Metzger shrugged weakly. "I just thought…"
"What did you find?" Tee asked.
"I'll show you." Metzger led them into the woods.
"I spend more time in the woods these days…" McNeil said sourly. "How come all our cops like the woods so damned much?"
"You live pretty close to here, don't you, McNeil?" Tee asked.
"Not too far. You didn't forget where I lived, did you, Chief?" Another smirk, implying just what, Tee could not say. He didn't think McNeil could possibly know that he had been rummaging through his garage two days earlier, but McNeil's attitude implied that he knew everything, always. "Did you want to come over to my place, have a cup of tea" Or were you asking if you could use it one of those rainy days. The wife and I work during the day, you know."
"Use it for what?" Tee asked in a chilly tone.
"Hey, whatever."
"Over here," said Metzger, uncertain what he was interr-upting.
Tee turned very slowly from McNeil, eyeing him dis trustfully before exposing his back, as if the policeman were a snake.
"Blood, I think," said Metzger, pointing to a splotch the color of old rust on a tree trunk.
Tee squatted by the tree. The blood was in the shape of a partial handprint that blurred and vanished at the bottom. As if someone had grabbed the trunk to pull himself up, then slid back to the ground.
There was more blood on the ground, amongst the leaf litter. Tee took a few tentative steps and saw more blood splattered along the ground. The more he looked, the more appeared, until it seemed he stood in the middle of a shower of blood.
"Call Becker," he said to Metzger. "Right now. Ask him if he can come immediately."
"What do we need Becker for?" McNeil said. "Why don't we handle it, this ain't a federal case."
"Do you know what this is already?"
"No, but shit…"
"No, exactly. I want to find out what it is, that's why I'm sending for Becker."
"It's a stolen car, big deal, we can handle that."
"Get the outline tape from the car too, Metzger. We want to seal off the area immediately."
"Christ, Chief, at least let's look around on our own, first," McNeil said. "Some of us are cops too, you know. Becker isn't the only one who knows something about site investigation, even if he is in the FBI. He's supposed to be good at killing people, that doesn't mean we need to call him for every stolen car we find-"
"Shut up."
"What?"
"You heard me. Shut up about Becker. And you'd better hope he doesn't hear you talking about him."
"I'm not afraid of Becker."
"Then you're stupid along with everything else."
"Fuck him."
"Oh, try, McNeil. Please try, I'd love to watch."
"He's getting a little old, if you ask me. I think he's past it.
"He could handle you from a wheelchair."
"Sure, Chief. Whatever you say… But I don't think I'll make a career out of sucking up to him."
"Chief," Metzger interjected deferentially. Ir "What is it?" Tee said angrily, rounding on Metzger.
"Should I bring the dog?"
McNeil snorted. "You and the fucking dog. Learn to work with human beings. We don't need the damned dog."
"Yes, bring the dog," said Tee. "But don't let him out of the car until I tell you." He turned again to McNeil, who was now squatting in front of the tree trunk with the handprint on it. "You, leave that alone."
"What do you mean, leave it alone? I'm examining it."
"Don't. Don't examine anything. Don't touch anything. Don't even look at anything. Go back to the car."
"What kind of shit is that?"
"I don't want you misdirecting another investigation the way you did at the orchard."
"I didn't misdirect anything..
"I want you off this site. I don't want you to touch anything. Go to the car."
"You can't do this to me."
"Go to the car."
"Fuck that! I been on this force for ten years. You can't treat me like a goddamned rookie."
"You hard of hearing? Go to the car."
Metzger stood off several yards, listening, amazed.
"What do you think I'm going to do here?"
"I don't know, McNeil. You're always full of surprises-whatever it is, it won't be helpful, and it may be a lot worse. Now get your ass in the car."
"Fuck you, Chief."
"You want me to put you in the car?"
"I'll tell you what, old Chief, I don't think you can."
"Metzger, what are you standing around for? Get Becker, get your dog.
Go on." Metzger moved off reluctantly. McNeil stood his ground.
"Wait a minute, Metzger," Tee called. "I want you to witness this.
Failure to obey an order is a reason for firing that the union has to accept, but offering violence to the chief of police is even better."
McNeil smirked again and spoke in a voice only Tee could hear. "You better keep him here, Chief. Otherwise you might have to back up your big mouth."
"Do you want to say that loud enough for Metzger to hear, you little mutt? I believe that constitutes an offer of violence."
"It's an offer to kick your ass," McNeil said, still sotto voce.
"Can you hear me clearly, Metzger?"
"Yes, Chief"
"Officer McNeil, I am ordering you to go to the car and stay there until I give you further orders."
"Sure thing, Chief," McNeil said loudly, smiling and winking at Metzger.
"Your slightest wish is my command."
With one last look of insubordination, McNeil turned away from Tee.
Walking with Metzger toward the cars, he put his arm on the other officer's shoulders.
"Your car," Tee called. "Not the stolen one."
"Tell me, Metzger, do you remember this song? 'Mr. Leigh, Mr. Leigh, oh Mr. Leigh, Mr. Leigh, Mr. Leigh.' "I don't think I know that…"
"I may have the tune wrong, but the lyrics are right. Aren't they, Chief You remember it, don't you? It's about your vintage. 'Mr. Leigh, Mr.
Leigh, ohhh Mr. Leigh, Mr. Leigh, Mr. Leigh." I don't remember the rest of it, but that's enough, isn't it?"
Tee could hear McNeil's voice still tauntingly singing the inanity after the woods had hidden him from sight.
"You confined him to the car? What is that, your version of house arrest?"
"I lost it," Tee said. "I had this sudden vision of him running around just ahead of me, removing evidence."
Becker scanned the blood drops that surrounded the tree where the hand had grasped the trunk and fallen away. "There's a lot of evidence. We're not going to have to be backwoodsmen to follow this trail."
"I overreacted. His attitude drives me crazy, I just want to belt him … Now I don't know how to get him out of the car."
Becker laughed.
"It's not funny, John."
"It sounds like it. What's the serious side that I'm missing?"
"I lost it for a reason." Tee hesitated. "John… I've been seeing a woman."
Becker nodded, unsurprised. "Uh-huh."