“I need you to do something else, Detective. Get a search warrant for Paul Ensdorf’s home and business.”
“On what grounds?”
“If he’s guilty, he has a heart-half that belonged to Hannah. He left the chain for me in my case at the club.”
“How do you know it was him?”
“She was wearing it the night she went missing. I saw it on her myself. And before you ask, yes, I’m absolutely positive it was hers.”
“But you haven’t seen the chain or heart in Ensdorf’s possession.”
“No.”
“Sorry. I need probable cause to go before a judge.”
“I was afraid you would say that.” Lilith sounded discouraged, but she wasn’t finished. “One more thing. What about Rudy Barnes?”
Pucinski started. Sounded like she’d been a busy amateur sleuth. “You want a search warrant on his place, too?”
“Is Barnes a suspect?”
“He’s a person of interest.”
“If you have a folder on him, I need to know. He figured out what I was doing at the club. Challenged me over it last night. Said he didn’t want to see any more dead girls. So what do you have on him? Is he someone I should be watching or not?”
“You shouldn’t be doing any of this.”
“A little late for a lecture!” she snapped. “If we’re lucky, we have a matter of a few days left to find my sister. And who knows about Carmen since he’s not taken two together before. Now what about Barnes?”
Pucinski couldn’t see a reason not to tell her. All she had to do was get on the Internet, and she would find it. “Barnes lived with his family in a far suburb until a couple of years ago. A cousin lived with them, too. She disappeared. A couple weeks later, her body was found in the nearby woods. Her neck was broken. Barnes was a suspect, but there was no proof. The case is still unsolved.”
“Wait! A girl dead in the woods. Isn’t that awfully like the victims killed in the forest preserve? And you haven’t arrested him?”
“I have no proof. I can’t arrest him on a hunch. But he’s being watched.”
“You think he’s the one, then.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just covering all my bases.”
DEPRESSED ANEW AFTER LEAVING Pucinski, Lilith stopped for some fast food on the way home. It was nearly two, and she hadn’t eaten yet. Not that she was hungry. But she needed energy to meet the demands of the rest of her day, and forcing herself to eat would help provide that.
As she approached the entrance to Hannah’s place, she saw a brightly wrapped package leaning against the door. Her heart began to thunder. Had someone left something for Hannah? She brought the package inside and saw LILITH scrawled on an envelope.
Her hand shook as she pulled the card free from the wrapping and opened it.
FOR A CLASS ACT. WEAR THIS DRESS TO DINNER AT GRANDMOTHER’S TONIGHT. SIX SHARP. DON’T BE LATE AGAIN, OR YOU’LL BE SORRY.
The message was followed by an address.
Lilith tore open the package, muttering, “Oh, God, dinner.” And pulled out a long, flowing flower-print dress that seemed vaguely familiar. “Paul Ensdorf is crazy.”
She went to the closet and, rummaging through the dresses on the rack, pulled out the one she’d considered wearing to the tea.
The two dresses were almost identical.
Any appetite she’d had was gone.
Could she really do it? Go to the home of a potential killer?
And then, later, dance for him?
She would do anything, she reminded herself.
Anything to save Hannah and Carmen.
Chapter 18
LILITH ARRIVED at the Ensdorf Funeral Home building exactly on time. It was the old kind of setup, a century old business with the apartment on the second floor. She rang the doorbell and within seconds was buzzed up. Climbing up the dimly lit stairwell, the weird, musty smell made her think of death. Her anxiety rose with each step.
The door opened before she could knock. “I knew that was you.” Wearing a dark suit and tie, Paul held the door open for Lilith and indicated she should come inside. “You wore the dress. It looks perfect on you.”
Perfect fifty years ago, she thought. “Thank you. It was so thoughtful of you to buy it for me.”
His hair slicked down around his face, Paul beamed at her. “Come, come. Grandmother is anxiously waiting to meet you.”
Paul put a hand at her waist and pushed her forward. She tried not to shiver in response. He took her straight through the living room, filled with an ancient stuffed sofa and chairs, all with doilies on the arms to keep them protected. The equally old-fashioned dining room was growing dark, but the overhead crystal chandelier remained unlit.
Already sitting at the head of a massive wooden table with carved legs with animal feet, Paul’s grandmother wore an even more matronly version of Lilith’s dress. In the shadows, the old woman looked spooky, with tufts of white hair sticking out from little twists surrounding her head.
“Lilith, this is Grandmother Ensdorf. Grandmother, this is Lilith. Now isn’t she everything I promised.”
“We’ll see,” the old woman said in an unnaturally strident voice. “The food is getting cold, and I’m hungry. Sit.”
On their plates already set before their chairs: peas, lumpy-looking mashed potatoes and what looked like overcooked liver. Despite the fact that she’d only eaten a single piece of chicken earlier, Lilith’s stomach turned over at the rank smell.
“Here, Lilith,” Paul said, pulling a chair back for her.
Lilith sat and gave him a little nod. He took the seat across from her.
“Thank the Lord first, then eat,” Grandmother said.
Paul bowed his head and did as she ordered, ending with, “Thanks for these and all the gifts you give us. Amen.”
Grandmother forked a piece of meat and stuck it in her mouth with enthusiasm. “I’ve always been fond of organ meat.” She smacked appreciatively.
Paul looked straight at Lilith. “Everyone involved in the family business is.”
Grandmother and Paul giggled together. Lilith’s stomach churned. The smell of the liver getting to her, she pushed away her plate while Paul and Grandmother ate with relish.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Paul asked.
“Humph.” Grandmother pouted. “Probably hates my cooking.”
Paul reached over and patted her hand. “Impossible.”
Lilith used the first excuse that came to her — she didn’t want to be asked to leave before she had the opportunity to do what she came for. “I have to watch my calories or I won’t be able to fit in my uniform — one of the downsides of my job.”
“Girls, these days.” Grandmother made a tsk-tsk-tsk of disapproval. “Always starving themselves.”
“Lilith won’t have to worry about that much longer if I have my way with her.”
Lilith hid her revulsion behind her linen napkin and wondered how long it would be before she could escape this place of death.
LILITH BROUGHT IN a stack of dirty dishes and piled them on the counter next to the sink. She checked to make sure she wasn’t followed. Listened intently to the murmur of voices from the other room.
Going to the back door, she stealthily unlocked it and winced at the sound of the dead bolt sliding open. When she heard footsteps, she hurried to the sink and set the dishes in a pan of soapy water. No dishwasher here. This place hadn’t been remodeled in the last half-century. The cabinets were all metal, the refrigerator and stove avocado green. Wanting to orient herself, she quickly checked out the window so she would be certain of where to find the back entrance just before Paul joined her.