“You checked the hospitals?”
“Of course. Murray Hamilton was brought to Community Hospital North and died of a gunshot wound to the chest this afternoon. Kevin Hamilton and Miss Jensen left before they could be questioned by the police.”
“And we have no idea where they are now.” It was a statement rather than a question since Lobec was now here instead of out searching for them.
“That is correct.”
Tarnwell threw his hands up in disgust. “Well, you just fucked this up all the way around, haven’t you?”
“Failure is not something I prize.”
“What now?”
“We continue our operation as planned. We’ve tapped both of their phones in case they try to retrieve messages from their answering machines. Their known friends are under surveillance, and we are still searching for other people with whom they may seek refuge. Tomorrow I will return to LuminOptics and determine why they were there.”
“Have you questioned their friends?”
“We have discreetly attempted to find out if they have knowledge of Mr. Hamilton and Miss Jensen’s whereabouts, but we did not want to raise undue suspicion. I believe that the lower profile we maintain, the better.”
“There’s no time for that. Question all of them. I want you to see to it personally. Tell them you’re the police and that their friends are wanted for questioning. Something like that. I really don’t care. But we need to find them now. If I don’t have the formula for that process by next week, I’m ruined.”
“In the long run, it is best that we try to be as discreet as possible. If for some reason I am connected to them, it may prove difficult to explain, particularly since I am an employee of yours.”
“I said I don’t care. That’s your problem. We have to find them.”
Lobec continued to protest. “In addition, our resources could be applied better elsewhere…”
Tarnwell banged on the Pontiac’s dashboard. “Maybe I’ve been sending the wrong message to you, David. This is not a partnership. You do what I say. As my chief of security, you can give your advice, once. I’ll listen. But I am the boss. I make the decision. Is that perfectly clear?”
“Of course, Mr. Tarnwell.” Lobec pulled to a stop inside the Ladies Inc. car port, which glittered with light. Porsches and Mercedes lined the most visible valet parking spots.
A doorman opened Tarnwell’s door and welcomed him by name. Tarnwell didn’t acknowledge the man or get out.
“David, I bought you because you produce results. Therefore, I expect results. You’re too much of a professional for all of these excuses. In fact, you should feel a little degraded.”
Another embarrassed look from Lobec, but this time almost controlled. Tarnwell smiled inwardly.
“You can be assured,” Lobec said, “that Mr. Hamilton and Adamas will not elude me again.”
Tarnwell clapped him on the shoulder. “You sure know how to sweet talk me.” He unfolded his towering frame from the Pontiac and saw the posters advertising this week’s main attraction, a nightly performance by Diedre and Pauline. Even though Adamas wasn’t in the bag, at least he had something to look forward to. Again, Tarnwell felt an overwhelming urge to smile. This time, he did.
CHAPTER 25
Erica turned up the truck’s fan, hoping to speed up the evaporation of water from the truck’s upholstery. The first thing she and Kevin had done after leaving the hospital was to head for a self-service car wash and spray the blood out of the interior with a high pressure hose. Even though they had vacuumed up most of the water, and after 18 hours of drying, the seats were still squishy.
Since the car wash, they had been driving toward Ted Ishio’s house in Blacksburg, Virginia, stopping only to gas up the thirsty Chevy pickup. Most of the drive had been spent with one of them driving while the other slept. It was Erica’s turn at the wheel now, and Kevin dozed, his head against a pillow they had bought for the trip. Meals consisted of fast food sandwiches, fries, and soft drinks dispensed from drive-through windows. Erica grew tired of the greasy fare, but like Kevin, she wanted to put as much mileage between them and Texas as they could. The prospect of getting a more balanced meal at Ted and Janice Ishio’s home almost made her drool.
As they crossed the border from Tennessee into Virginia, a sign on I-81 indicated only 105 miles to Roanoke. Kevin had told her earlier that Blacksburg was about 45 minutes southwest of Roanoke. Out of their 16 hour trip, they had about an hour and half to go.
Erica looked at the fuel gauge. The 30-gallon tank was still half full; she’d be able to drive the rest of the way there easily.
She didn’t want to disturb Kevin, who had been unusually silent during the parts of the trip when they’d both been awake. His silence was beginning to worry her because she didn’t know how to gauge his reaction to his father’s death. She had spent more time with him in the last four days than anyone else since her ex, and in that time they had become quite close. Even when they had been hiding out on Sunday, they had laughed a lot, telling jokes to pass the time. Now he was withdrawn, retreating from her contact.
Which made her wonder about something else. Why he hadn’t tried to make a pass at her during one of the motel stays? Lord knows, she’d given him enough opportunity. Maybe she was being too subtle, although in med school she had never been accused of that. She finally decided that he really was just being a gentleman, and that if the situation arose again, she’d have to make her intentions clear.
A semi came up fast behind them, moving into the passing lane. The minivan in front of it wouldn’t yield, and the truck blasted its air horn. Kevin jerked. In one fluid motion, he opened the glove compartment with his left hand and plucked the pistol from its interior with his right. He looked around wild-eyed, ready to shoot.
“What the hell?” he said.
“It’s okay! It’s just a truck. Put that away before you shoot me by mistake.”
He calmed almost immediately, sitting back in his seat. “I was dreaming about Barnett and his friend. They began shooting at us. I had the pistol in my hand, but I couldn’t raise it fast enough to shoot back. It just moved inch by inch. It was taking forever. I was so…frustrated. I didn’t know what else to do. All I could do was look at my damn hand not responding.”
She patted his knee, not knowing what to say.
“I want you to learn how to use this,” Kevin said.
Erica was taken aback. “I couldn’t…”
“Yes, you can. It’s easy. You slide the chamber back like this.” He demonstrated the maneuver, popping a bullet out onto the seat next to him. “There's no safety, so all you have to do is pull the trigger.”
“Will you be careful with that,” Erica said, realizing the gun was now ready to fire. “Just put it away.”
Kevin pushed a button with his thumb and the ammunition clip dropped into his lap. It was the full spare his father had kept in the glove compartment. After removing the round from the chamber and reloading the clip with the two ejected bullets, he inserted the clip into the pistol grip, and put the Glock back in the glove compartment.
“We’ll do it tomorrow,” he said.
“No. I don’t care if I never hold a gun. I’ve seen what they do every day for the past three months in the ER. If you want to keep it for protection, fine. But I’m not touching it.”
“Fine.” He rubbed his eyes. “Where are we?”
“We just crossed the Virginia border. How do you feel?”
“Like my neck has been in a vise. Have you got any aspirin?”
“I think so. In my purse.”
Kevin rummaged around until he found a small bottle of Tylenol. “Close enough,” he said and washed down two tablets with the melted ice from a McDonald’s cup.