Della Norman, using a garrotte that was fairly common in Vietnam. I think it was all done by one
person”
Titan pursed his lips and cocked his head to one side. “Not bad for someone who‟s game ain‟t
murder,” he said. “Why?”
“If I knew that, I could give you the killer.”
“Humph,” he snorted.
“Now I‟ve got a question to ask you. Who busted Tony Lukatis on the pot charge?”
“Why?”
“He‟s dead, that‟s why.”
“I know that. „They‟re doing an autopsy down in Glynn County right now. So what does Tony‟s
previous record have to do with anything?”
“Just curious.”
“The drug enforcement boys nailed Lukatis and his buddy.”
“Did they both do time?”
He paused for a second or two and shook his head. “The shrimper turned state‟s and got a suspended
sentence.”
“Was Lukatis running marijuana for Longnose Graves?”
Titan looked shocked. “Hell no,” he stormed. “Graves doesn‟t run dope. He may have a lot of faults
but that ain‟t one of them. Far as I know, Lukatis and his friend were freelancin‟.
“Where were they caught?”
“On Buccaneer Island, where the South River empties into Buccaneer Bay. Why are you so interested
in Lukatis?”
“Just trying to keep all the lines straight,” I said. “He and at least one of Graves‟ men were killed at
the same time. Don‟t you wonder why?”
He leaned forward and said, “I‟ll find out why when it‟s necessary.”
“You know what I think, Mr. Stoney?” I said. “I think you want to neutralize me and I‟m not sure
why. Like I said, I thought we were both on the same side.”
“I told you last night, I enforce the law my own way,” he said. “Be advised.” He turned abruptly,
elbowed his way through the chitchat, paid his respects to Babs, and left. She breezed back over.
“You‟re just the life of the party,” she said. “So far you‟ve talked to Chief Findley, Stoney, and Sam
Donleavy, and all three of them have left the party.”
“I do seem to have that effect on people, don‟t I?”
“Well, darling, Doe is still here. All is not lost.”
“I keep telling you—”
“And I don‟t believe a word of it,” she said, finishing the sentence, and went off to attend to
something.
1 stepped out onto the terrace but the rain had started, its first big drops splattering me, so I stood
under an awning, watched the thunderclouds gather around the penthouse, and listened to the wind
give the chimes a nervous breakdown and the rain grow to a steady downpour.
Doe moved on me slowly, stopping here and there to chat as she came through the room. Finally she
stepped outside and stood there, staring up at me.
“I‟ve called you and called you today,” she said, somewhat sternly.
“I don‟t spend a lot of time around the hotel,” I said.
“Come back to Windsong with me tonight,” she said in a half-whisper.
“You‟re crazy. What do you plan to do about Harry? He‟s—”
“He won‟t come out there. He stays at the townhouse during the racing season. He doesn‟t like to
make that long drive twice a day. Are you going to make me beg you, Jake?”
“Don‟t be silly.”
“I‟m spoiled, Jake,” she said with a laugh. “Nobody‟s ever denied that.”
“Nobody ever complained either.”
“I want to make love to you again I want it tonight. I don‟t want to wait a minute longer.”
“It‟s getting too touchy,” I told her. “Even Titan knows all—”
“I don‟t care about Stoney. He‟s my godfather; he should want what‟s best for me and if he doesn‟t,
the hell with him. We‟re talking about you and me and tonight That‟s all I care about. I want you. I
want to make up for twenty years.”
“In one night?”
She laughed again. “Well, it‟s a start.”
Bolts of lightning were duelling around us and the full fury of the storm lashed rain under the awning.
“Let‟s get inside,” I said.
“Not till you promise.”
“Promise what?”
“When you leave here you‟ll come out to Windsong.”
“I have to make a stop on the way,” I said, thinking about DeeDee Lukatis. I wondered whether Doe
knew that her ex-lover was dead. If she did, she was handling it very well. I decided that if she didn‟t
know, somebody else could tell her.
“How long?” she demanded.
“An hour.”
“Don‟t be late,” she said, wheeled away, and dodged back inside.
I waited for a minute or two before going back in. It was a futile gesture. Babs was watching intently
from across the room, like the linesman at a tennis match. I nodded and smiled my way back to her.
“It‟s not what you think,” I said.
“Please,” she said, rolling her eyes, “you don‟t have to tell me a thing. I have two perfectly good eyes
in my head.”
“Don‟t make it sound like some damn intrigue,” I said.
“Darling, I just love intrigue. It‟s what makes life worth all the trouble.”
61
MIRROR TRICKS
Before I left the hotel, I stopped by my room and called Sam Donleavy. He was pushed for time, he
explained, since Dutch would be calling shortly, but he assured me that he would locate the book and
bring it to lunch the next day. I said that was just fine. Then I dug the company car out of the hotel
garage.
A familiar black Pontiac was crouched under the trees in front of DeeDee‟s house when I got there.
The Stick answered my ring.
“Just the two of you here?” I asked.
“Yeah, I brought over some dinner. Lark needed a little relief. She‟s stretched out there taking a nap.”
“That bench is worse than the rack,” I said.
“She was too tired to notice.”
“How‟s DeeDee?”
“Still out. The doctor must‟ve given her enough Sec to knock an elephant on its ass.”
“Good, the more sleep she gets, the better. I‟m afraid she‟s going to be in for it from the homicide
cops, once they finish the autopsy.”
“She doesn‟t know shit.”
“You know it and I know it,” I said. “But the turkeys from the murder division also don‟t know shit.”
“I‟ll handle them,” he snapped.
“Stop acting like Humphrey Bogart. They‟d be dumber than I think they are if they didn‟t talk to her.
“What do we do about the pictures that came in on the telex? They‟ll be out here flashing them
around.”
“Burn them. She can‟t ever see him, Stick, not the way he looks now. She‟d have nightmares for the
rest of her life.”
“You‟re beginning to sound like a concerned friend.”
“I‟m trying. This is one tombstone I‟m sorry I kicked over. Besides, Tony‟s death isn‟t going to be
handled by the local cops. It‟s out of their jurisdiction.”
“Where‟d he wash up?”
“Saint Solomons Island.”
“That‟s Saint Simons Island.”
“Well, they‟ve got him down there, and it‟s their problem.”
“Five gets you ten they dump it up here anyway.”
“If it relates.”
“If?” Stick said.
“Let‟s wait and see on that one,” I said.
“There‟s something else bothering me,” the Stick said.
“What‟s that?”
“Nance,” he said. “He‟s moving around like a wolf on the prowl. Lange and Zapata are taking turns
with him.”
“I‟ve been keeping my eyes open,” I said.
“Why don‟t we lean on him? We can bust his ass—at least, let the fucker know he can‟t go around