Finally, he asked, “So, are we doing this or not? And if yes, am I your guy or not?”
“God save me, but yes, and yes.”
“Good. I’ll be back in a week’s time with a finance manager. I want you to get a haircut and shave your beard and mustache off by then.”
“You want me to shave?” I asked, confused.
“You look like a pirate. Nobody elects pirates,” said Brew.
“Yeah? Checked out the Senate lately?” Actually, life would be a lot more interesting if we did elect pirates, but I suppose that wasn’t going to happen.
“Do you go anywhere for Christmas?”
“Yeah, we have a vacation home in the Bahamas.”
“Well, take your vacation over Christmas, because after that you won’t get one until after November 6,” he ordered.
“You know, the last time I took orders like this I was in the Army,” I said, smiling.
“You think it’s bad now, wait until after we are officially running. Have a check ready next week for a hundred grand, and we’ll start setting up everything officially. We’ll set up a campaign account, and start preparing the paperwork.” He stood up. “We’re going to win this! You won’t be sorry.”
I smiled at him. “I think I already am.”
Chapter 97: The Rottingens
I made a few phone calls that afternoon to the security company we used. I needed an updated profile on Suzie’s situation. Brewster and John had spooked me about the possibility of Suzie being used against me. I also told Marilyn I was going to travel out to Rochester to see her and talk. Marilyn asked if she should go as well, and I simply said that it was better if I made the first visit alone. I didn’t want to overwhelm her. I just didn’t know enough.
The report came back, pretty much the way it had before. Now, after talking to the various lawyers, I realized just how much was available without any kind of effort. It had her address and unlisted phone number, valuations of her home from county tax records, and her salary at the Mayo Clinic. It also had the same information on her husband, a State Police officer, including his work history and a summary of his first marriage and subsequent divorce. It had the names and ages of their children, as well as the schools they went to.
Their work schedules were listed as well, and they were pretty normal day shifts. I packed my bags and ordered a plane gassed up for a flight to Rochester on Friday. Knowing my luck, they would be spending a long weekend camping or something, but I had to take a chance. I needed to do this in person, and not on the phone. On the phone, Suzie could duck me if she wanted to. Before I left the house that morning, Marilyn stopped me and said, “Give your sister my love. Tell her we’d like to see her for a visit.”
I nodded. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
I was booked into the Kahler in downtown Rochester, right next door to the Mayo Clinic. I was tempted for a second to make my visit there, but that would probably just cause problems. No, it was best to do this at her home. I had a secure driver and a small limousine at my service, so after checking in and unpacking, I had a late lunch or early supper, and then we drove out to her home. I was glad I had worn my heavy lined trench coat and gloves! It was cold in Minnesota in the winter! Once again I was reminded of the wisdom in moving back to Maryland and not New York. This place was even colder than upstate New York! Why the hell anybody actually wants to live in the snow is beyond me.
My driver drove us out into the suburbs and eventually turned into a rabbit’s warren of streets. A few minutes later he pulled up to a mid-sized colonial and stopped. Lights were on inside, and I could see a few shadows through the curtains. “We’re here, sir,” commented my driver.
I glanced at the number on the side of the house and it matched the address on the dossier. I tucked that inside my coat and pulled on my gloves. “Thank you. I don’t know how long I’ll be. It could be quite a while.”
“Yes, sir, understood. Do you think there’s any kind of security risk, above the usual, I mean?”
I almost laughed at that. “Probably not. The lady inside is my sister. You have family?”
He did laugh at that. “Yes, sir. That’s the most dangerous type of situation.”
“Very true. Well, if I think I’m going to be awhile, I’ll come out and let you know.” I let myself out of the car and walked up to the front door. “Here goes nothing,” I muttered to myself.
I pressed a button on the side of the door and I could hear a bell ring on the inside. I heard the scamper of very small feet rushing and then a little face peered out of a sidelight at me. “Somebody’s at the door!” cried out loudly.
In response, a much deeper and louder voice said, “Out of the way, I’ll open the door.” The little feet went scampering off again, and a few seconds later the door opened. It was a stocky guy, but shorter than me, with a shaved head and no neck, who looked like a serious weightlifter. “Hello,” he said.
“Hello. Sergeant Rottingen?”
“Yes.”
“Could I see Mrs. Rottingen, please?”
He eyed me curiously, but then half turned down the hallway. I could see the little face who had peeked at me through the window looking around the corner at me. I just smiled at him and he ducked back out of sight. I smiled at that. Bullet-Head called out, “Suzanna!?”
I heard a familiar voice yell back, “Who is it?”
“Somebody for you.”
“Hold on.”
I heard a clatter coming from the rear of the home, and then a woman with short blonde hair was backing down the hallway towards us, scolding a child mildly and drying a sippee cup with a dish towel at the same time. After a moment she turned and looked at her husband, and then, getting closer, turned to face me.
“Long time, no see, Suzie,” I said.
Well, damned if she didn’t drop the cup and drop dead in a faint! Bullet-Head grabbed her from behind and picked her up easily.
I looked at him and said, “I guess I should have called ahead of time.”
He gave me a hard look, and then said, “You must be Carl Buckman.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Well, come on in. I’ve been wondering when we’d be meeting you. Come on in.” He stepped back and I let myself in, closing the doors behind us. He led the way into a front living room, where I found myself being stared at by three boys, the oldest of whom was demanding to know what was going on. Their father ordered them out of the room and laid Suzie down on the couch. He gently tapped her on the cheek a few times until she stirred awake.
She looked around in confusion, and then saw me standing there a few feet away. At that she turned white as a ghost. Her mouth began moving but no coherent words were coming out. “Suzie, why don’t you give me a chance to talk to your husband?” I asked.
Her husband nodded and pulled her upright. “Go upstairs and freshen up. I want to talk to your brother for a bit,” he told her.
She looked at him wildly. “You know?!”
“I’ve known for years, Suzanna. Just give us a few minutes.”
My sister looked at us both wildly, and then left. Her husband pointed at an armchair and ordered, “Sit.” Then he sat down in a matching chair a few feet away.
I sat down and said, “Thank you. You know who I am?”
He shrugged. “The only people who could have caused that reaction in Suzanna would have been her family, and you’re not old enough to be her father, so you have to be her brother. You’re Carl Buckman, right?”
I nodded and repeated, “That’s me. Suzie doesn’t know that you know?”
“Suzie… I’ve always known her as Suzanna. Strange, isn’t it?” I just made a wry smile and shrugged. “My name is John, by the way. I met Suzanna shortly after she moved to Rochester and started at the Mayo Clinic, and we hit it off almost immediately. At the time, she told me she was an only child, and her parents back home had been killed in a car crash. Anyway, we kept seeing each other and it was getting a lot more serious, and I wanted to know more about her, but it was like nothing had happened before she showed up in Rochester. I’d been a cop long enough to know something wasn’t right.”