Judging Time (32 page)

"Well, I hope tomorrow you'll keep me informed."

"Yeah, sure," April said and hung up. Sure she would. Today she'd kept him informed and where had it gotten her? She moved her tired limbs into her bedroom and contemplated her bed. The phone rang again almost immediately. April hadn't had dinner. At this point she was so tired all she wanted to do was sleep. She was afraid it was Kiang calling back to torture her some more, so she let the phone ring four times before she answered it.
"Wei,"
she said cautiously.

"I got a call, April. What's up?"

"Mike." April exhaled with relief. "Where've you been?"

"I could ask you that, but I gather you're busy getting us transferred to Siberia."

"Look, I just asked a question or two. I wanted to be sure about Petersen's cause of death. How could I know Dr. Washington would be so cranky about it?"

"You accused her of fourteen different kinds of misconduct as well as every fuckup in the book. What did you expect?"

"Mike, that's not true. I didn't mention the lack of ultraviolets that bothered Ducci so much. I didn't say anything about any kind of misconduct." April paused. "I did remind her of one mistake in a cause of death that came out of her office. That's all I did. And you know what?"

"You love me, you miss me. You're hot for my body."

"You don't give up, do you?" April laughed.

"Yeah, I do in fact give up. I was just kidding. What about the tox report?"

"I asked Washington about the leak to Petersen's widow and she said no one in her shop would give out information before the detectives on the case got it. But you know Daphne called her, we heard the secretary take the message. Maybe they made friends. Washington did confirm that Petersen was such a cokehead he needed a new nose. Has Merrill Liberty's report come in?"

"Due tomorrow."

"Did you talk to Patrice Paul?"

"Yes, but there's not much there. Guy's a closet queen. His boyfriend lives with him. They're health nuts so the three of us had jasmine tea." Mike sighed. "That was a treat."

"Very nice. I take it he's not our coke source then."

"Patrice told me he used to be pretty wild, but when a lover died of AIDS at twenty-seven, he flushed the weed, the coke, and all the alcohol down the toilet. He swears he's been clean ever since."

"What about Liberty? Does Patrice know where he might be?"

"Patrice claims he doesn't know. Petersen was Liberty's closest friend. Patrice had no idea who Liberty would turn to with Petersen out of the picture. He was upset because he'd always thought he was next in the friendship line."

"Maybe someone from Liberty's office is hiding him out."

"Patrice didn't think so. He said Liberty's partners reacted to Merrill's death in a way that disturbed Liberty."

' How was that?"

"Patrice didn't say."

"What about the gay thing?" April asked.

"Patrice said he would have known if Liberty was gay. How about your friend Jason?"

"He came into the station around six for a little meeting with the lieutenant. Jason told us his profile indicated Liberty is as gentle as a lamb, and that neither he nor Emma knows where Liberty is. The lieutenant was skeptical about both items."

"What do you think?"

"I don't think Jason lies," April said slowly. "But I'll tackle them both again."

"Isn't it great to work together again, April? Did you miss me?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I missed you," April admitted. It was now 11:27. Fully dressed, she was stretched out on her bed trying hard to stay focused on the case and not stray into the dangerous territory of love. "What about Jefferson ?"

"He's got no priors, but it looks like he was some kind of mule, moving drugs around in the borrowed limos of his bosses. Maybe Petersen found out and threatened him, triggering the incident at the restaurant. Someone died in Liberty's car. Maybe someone can finger him. Oh, and Jefferson was a medic in the army, so he knows anatomy."

"Wow, you had a full day."

"Yeah, but it's not adding up yet. How about you?"

"I feel the same, but it will," April said more confidently than she felt.

"I'm glad you're so sure, April. But there's a lot going on here. Next time look before you leap, okay?"

April made a face at the phone as she hung up, then yawned a few times to summon sleep. By now, though, she was all wound up and beginning to panic about loss of face and every possibility for advancement. Just then her mother started pounding on her door.

"I've got your dinner," Sai yelled in Chinese.

Groaning, April got up and went into the living room to open the door to her mother, who was carrying a tray with two dishes on it. Skinny Dragon, true to form, had managed to find some cold rice and two of April's least favorite foods, no doubt saved especially to torture her on this of all nights. The plate was piled high with cold shredded jellied eel. Serving as garnish to this gourmet treat were three black and smelly ten-thousand-year-old eggs. It was then that April realized that Mike wasn't calling her
querida
anymore.

34

L
iberty checked his E-mail and read a message from Jason, telling him they urgently needed to talk. He didn't want to talk to Jason right now, so he didn't reply. There were also E-mails from his partners, telling him that he was being self-destructive and demanding that he surface and deal with his situation. He ignored those, too. As he was shutting down, a news flash came up on America Online:
LIBERTY FLEES AFTER POLICE QUESTION HIM ON THE MURRDER OF HIS WIFE.
A story followed about the reappearance of his Lincoln after he'd reported it stolen upon his return from a holiday in England. Police reports revealed that the car was blood-spattered, and traces of a white powder believed to be cocaine were found in the trunk.

Rick was stunned. He shut down the computer so he could use the phone to call Marvin on his private line.

Marvin picked up almost immediately. "Hello."

"It's Rick," he said warily. "You sure your phone isn't tapped?"

"We sweep for bugs every day. How you doin', man?" Marvin's voice was neutral.

"You're in the media business. You know how I am. My car turned up."

"Yeah, I was one of the first to know. I have a friend with the police, you know."

"If you have so many friends, why don't you tell me what the hell's going on?"

"I'm in the dark, man, same as you. Just trying to keep my head above water." "What about my head?"

"Hey, you watch your own head. This is what you wanted, friend."

"Oh, no, this is not what I wanted. I want to be off the hook here. I want this over with. Of all the places I could be, Marv. Why did you want me up here in Harlem, with this crazy sister?"

"I thought you'd want to be where the action is, man. Have a look at your people. What could be better than to hide in plain sight?"

"I'm not hiding, man. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, that's as may be, brotha."

Rick heaved a bitter sigh. "Marv, I think my people are setting me up. You have any thoughts on why?"

"No, brotha," Marvin said smoothly. "Course not. I don't know who killed Merrill. If I did, the black bastard'd be in jail right now."

"How do you know the killer's a black man?"

"Did I say that?"

"Yeah, you said the black bastard and so did Belle, earlier today. For God's sake, man, don't fuck with me about this."

"I'm sorry. It was a slip, a slip of the tongue. I have no idea who it was, white or black. No idea, man."

"Sweet Jesus. You're fucking with me. You know that crazy sister of yours said that cocaine killed Tor. Was Merrill caught in the middle of some cocaine buy?"

"Could be that's what happened. But Belle's no crazy sister. She's one of my best people. What's the matter? Don't you like her?"

Who could like a person like that? "What do you mean, your best people?"

"Didn't she tell you? She works with the kids, with the borough. She's one of our community liaisons with the police, with the DA's office. She goes to family court when innocent young folk are arrested. Helps battered women find safe houses. You couldn't find better people than Belle."

"Fine, I'll take your word for it. Who's the cocaine source then?"

"The word is it's Wally Jefferson, Petersen's driver, the man you been wanting to see. You hit the nail on the head with that one. I hear he used Petersen's car for buys. Maybe he got the idea to use yours and forgot to put it back. What do you think, man?"

Rick was silent.

"Hey, these things happen, you know that. It's best you get yourself out in the open, man. I get the feeling you're a little scared, a little agitated. Why don't you relax, go out in the hood and take a look round. See the people, have a little chat with Wally if you happen to see him around. Know what I mean? Just watch out for those Dominicans, okay? They can be mean."

"You know where Jefferson is? No one is picking up at his house."

"I know a place he goes."

"Fine, I'll look for him. But call your police friends and get them off my back. Merrill was caught in a drug hit. For God's sake, tell them that."

"You know I can't do that. I don't make no news— I just report it."

"That's a crock. You assholes make pretzels of the truth every fucking day."

"Still, I'm the asshole you came to, brotha." On that note, Marvin hung up.

Rick didn't feel like calling him back. He' opened his E-mail again and sent a panicked message to Jason, then regretted it and tried to unsend it. He realized that Jason might have a similar response to Marvin's. Too late: The message was gone. Then he sat by the window. It was raining. He watched the rain splash on the pavement. No one was hanging out on the stoop across the street now. It looked just like a regular neighborhood on a gloomy winter afternoon.

At 7
P.M.
Belle returned to the apartment. Without taking off the fireman's raincoat she wore over her many layers, she gestured for Rick to follow her. They were going out.

35

I
ason sat at his desk with his clocks ticking all around him and read Rick's latest E-mail. It was clear to him that Rick was becoming disorganized; he was acting crazy and irresponsible. And this crazy behavior made the police want him in custody more and more. Jason would never advise someone to react this way. All his life he'd believed that order was necessary, that people shouldn't run around doing whatever they wanted to do. He believed in taking responsibility for one's acts. And Rick wasn't taking responsibility for himself. He wanted Jason to go over and get Merrill's mink coat from his apartment and give it to Emma. Jason could think of no explanation for such a request except that Rick didn't intend to come back.

After Jason's own experience in the police station with April's boss, he could see why Rick might want to disappear for a while. In his shoes, Jason might feel the same way. Jason wasn't sure if he was right not to strongly advise Rick to return, but he couldn't do it. He could not tell Rick to come back right now.

Jason checked his watch. The day hadn't even begun yet and already he was heavily burdened with anxiety. He dialed April Woo's number at the station. As of last night there had been no warrant out for Rick's arrest. He wanted to see if anything had changed. He wanted to find a safe way to bring Rick home and get him properly represented by a lawyer. Maybe that was stupid.

A sullen-sounding male answered the phone, "Detective Squad, Midtown North."

"I want to leave a message for Sergeant Woo. It's Dr. Frank. Please have her call me." "Your number?"

"She has it," Jason said. Then he printed out Liberty's message and sent his reply.

36

S aturday
was supposed to be April's day off. She had
promised
to take her mother to see Uncle Dai in the hospital, so Skinny Dragon could use her power to rally Dai's spirit and save his life. He was in a coma now, and needed al the help he could get. But April's day off was canceled. Naturally, Skinny had to scream at April and remind her for the ten thousandth time that she had no sense of honor, no sense of duty to her family and ancestors. Skinny had to threaten that every ancestor would send April bad luck every day of her life and afterlife until the end of time as punishment. No offer of taxi money for the trips to the hospital and back, and no amount of April's explaining that there was more than one kind of duty in life and the police department didn't take no for an answer, could stop Sai Woo's rage at her.

April drove into Manhattan with a bad headache. It got worse when she sat down in her office and saw a message from Jason Frank, who no doubt also intended to punish her for the rest of her life for his run-in with Iriarte yesterday. Meanwhile, the lieutenant must have been waiting for her because she hardly had her coat off when he walked by, aimed his finger like a gun at her through the window in her door, and ordered her into his office with his chin.

April didn't think she was afraid of him, generally speaking, but the curse of her ancestors, lasting until the end of time, was no small thing to have hanging over her head. She had no doubt bad luck was on the way, and he was the one who'd deliver it.

Iriarte began in a hurt voice. "What do you think you're doing, Woo?" He looked at her with sad and puzzled eyes.

"What, sir?"

"I asked a simple question." The hurt took a sharp tum to anger fast, the way hurt usually did.

"I'm investigating a homicide, sir." April tried a simple answer.