Nothing Is Negotiable (14 page)

Luke left Marinel determined to find the carpet cleaning company and ask them some questions. Inside the grocery store he found a pay phone and telephone book. In the yellow pages, there were half a dozen carpet cleaners were listed, but none in Cardston. All were in Lethbridge. He ripped out the page and stuffed it in his pocket so he could make some calls when he got back to the bunkhouse.

Luke called the next two people on the list. At the first one a kid answered and said no one was home but him and he got an answering machine at the other.

He checked his watch and saw it was getting close to eight. He was starving. For dinner, he’d buy the biggest T-bone he could find. He’d throw it on the pit and sit on the porch and watch the sun go down. It would give him time to think this through.

At the grocery store, it took only a few minutes to find a steak, a premade salad and a twelve pack of beer. Luke left the store and walked to the parking lot on the side of the building. As he walked down the sidewalk he could hear someone coming up behind him. They sounded like they were in a hurry so he stepped over closer to the building for them to pass. Then suddenly he was hit in the back by what felt like the front line of the Dallas Cowboys.

He flew into the brick wall. First his shoulder hit, then his face. His body ricocheted off and he tripped and landed face first, on the pavement. The groceries and beer scattered all around him.

Luke turned to see what hit him. There were two men coming at him; the closest one was Willy Standalone and he had fire in his eyes. The other one was someone Luke had never seen before. He hung back, a cigarette dangling between his lips. He was tall and lanky with long, oily dark hair.

Luke tried to scramble to his feet, but before he could, Willy grabbed him by the neck of the shirt and waistband of his jeans and slung him down the sidewalk. Luke broke the fall with his hands, but skidded along the concrete, the skin scraping off his palms.

Willy kept coming.

“Wait a minute,” Luke said, as he rolled over, gasping for air.

Willy didn’t stop. Luke had been in his share of fights in his life and knew he had to get out in the open. He rolled off the sidewalk and crawled between two cars. Quickly he got to his feet and started backing up.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Willy didn’t speak and Luke kept backing away from him. But the other guy had come around and blocked his escape, so Luke circled one of the cars until he was back on the sidewalk. Now he was trapped. Luke backed up against the wall so he could see both of them. As they closed in on him, Luke bolted. He jumped on the hood of the car in front of him, and scrambled toward the roof. Willy’s hand grabbed his leg and yanked him back onto the hood, off the car, and slammed him against the wall, as easy as if he were a bag of charcoal.

With one hand pressed hard against Luke’s throat, Willy lowered himself to Luke’s height and put his face in Luke’s. “I don’t like you.”

Luke was gagging. He coughed out, “I don’t even
know
you.”

“You told the cops I did something to your wife.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Willy stabbed a finger repeatedly into Luke’s forehead. “Don’t you fucking lie to me, you little piece of shit. I didn’t do nothing to that bitch of yours and now the cops are on my ass. You want to know how much it pisses me off?” Willy tightened his grip, and pushed Luke’s head harder and higher against the wall. His toes barely touched the ground.

Luke’s throat was squeezed shut and he couldn’t breathe. Luke pushed and pulled at Willy’s hands and fingers, trying to break his grip, but it was no use. Willy was too strong.

With his free hand, Willy pointed his finger at Luke’s nose and said, “I don’t know who you are or where you came from, and I don’t really care. All I know is you’re fucking with the wrong Indian.”

Luke sucked hard for a breath. With just enough air he choked out, “I didn’t do anything.”

Suddenly Willy’s grip tightened even more. His fingers dug into Luke’s neck and the pain was unbearable. Luke was afraid he was going to rip out his windpipe.

Luke couldn’t take much more. He couldn’t breathe and though he tried to pry Willy’s hand from his throat he knew it was futile. His arms dropped to his side, things were going dark. Slowly his eyes closed.

Whack!
Out of nowhere, something crashed into Willy’s head. His grip loosened and he fell to the ground. Luke sucked in a lungful of air.

“Let him go, you big fucking douche bag.”

Luke knew that nasally voice. It was Queenie, the homeless woman he had seen the day before in the alley. He hoped she had her friends with her.

Whack!
The attack on Willy continued. This time Luke recognized Doc’s aluminum crutch as it crashed onto Willy’s head.

“Goddamn it,” Willy screamed as he backed up and kicked. “Get off me, you fucking runt.” Queenie was on him like a bulldog on a buffalo. Her legs and arms wrapped around his huge leg and she bit him while he spun around, kicking, like he was trying to shake off a mad Chihuahua. The harder he kicked the harder she bit. Doc drew back the crutch to swing again.

“Joey, get this bitch off of me,” Willy yelled, then noticed his friend had his own problems. The twelve-pack that Luke had bought was strewn across the sidewalk and Griz picked the cans up and threw them at Joey, one after another, with deadly accuracy.

Doc’s crutch came down on Willy’s head again, but this time Willy grabbed it, ripped it from his grasp, and slung it in the opposite direction. Doc quickly retreated like a cowardly dog, out of Willy’s reach. But Willy was more interested in Queenie.

“Damn it, Queenie. Quit biting me.”

She didn’t. He reached down, pulled her off and held her in the air by one arm like a rag doll.

“Put me down, you fucking asshole,” she screamed while kicking her legs and swinging her other arm at Willy. Finally he dropped her. She confronted him, ready to fight. “He’s my friend. You’d better leave him alone.”

They both turned to look at Luke, who had moved to safer territory by putting a car between him and Willy. Blood oozed from the scrapes on his face and nose where he’d hit the brick wall. He had finally caught his breath and stood massaging his throat. They locked eyes and Luke tried to make him understand. “Listen to me, I didn’t tell the cops you did anything. I told them you talked to my wife at the clinic. That’s all.”

“I didn’t do nothing to your wife.” Willy pulled a wadded-up handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed blood from the top of his head where Doc had nailed him with his crutch. As Willy backed up, Joey got in his pickup and backed out of his parking space. Willy started toward it. When he turned away, Luke noticed he no longer wore the diamond stud earring he had on in the clinic. Now a small gold cross filled the pierce in his left ear. It was a unique design. Ricky Wilson, a friend and jewelry designer in Austin, had made it for Bonnie as a wedding gift. It was one of a kind and she always wore it.

“Hey, wait. Where’d you get that earring?”

“Fuck you!”

Luke was right behind him, following just out of reach, as Joey’s truck pulled up. Willy slid into the passenger seat.

“That’s my wife’s earring,” Luke shouted.

As Willy slammed the door, he turned to Luke and gave him a defiant glare. “Screw you,” he said as the tires spun and the truck raced out of the parking lot.

While Queenie and Doc helped Luke gather his groceries from the sidewalk she asked, “You think that earring Willy was wearing was your wife’s?”

“It looked just like it,” he said as she handed him the steak and the bag with the salad in it. “And Bonnie never takes them off.”

Griz walked up, holding two leaking beer cans in one hand and the rest of the twelve-pack in his other. “Sorry about the brewskis, bud, but I had to do something to keep Joey from helping Willy. These are wasted, but the others are okay—just a little shook up.”

Luke waved him off, “Keep them if you want them.”

“Thanks bud, but we don’t drink.”

“You don’t?” Luke said with a look of disbelief. He had always heard that most of the homeless were alcoholics or drug addicts. “None of you?”

“Hell no,” Queenie said peering up at him from her diminutive height. “No booze and no drugs. Being homeless and unemployed is hard enough without being a drunk, too.”

Luke raised his eyebrows and smiled. “That’s interesting. You guys surprise me.” He tossed his supplies into the Jeep and climbed into the front seat. “Thanks for helping me out back there. I think Willy would have killed me if you hadn’t been here.”

“He was pissed, that’s for sure. I’ve known Willy for a while now. He likes to make people scared of him, but I don’t think he woulda killed you.”

“How do you know Willy?”

“I met him at AA.”

“Wait a second,” Luke said, as he held up a hand. “AA? Like Alcoholics Anonymous?”

“Sure, down at the community center on Mondays and Thursdays. Part of his parole was that he had to go to AA meetings. We go too because they got good food and we can clean up in their bathrooms. We never miss it.”

This homeless trio continued to surprise him.

“He looked mad enough to kill me.”

“He’s not a killer, I don’t care what nobody says. That first guy he killed was an accident. Willy didn’t even start the fight. They say he killed another guy, but who knows. There are all kinds of stories about Willy. You know, like the time he killed a full-grown grizzly with that knife he carries.” Queenie shook her head slowly and looked from Doc to Griz. “But, he’s not a killer, is he?”

“I don’t think so,” said Doc. Griz shook his head.

“But what about the earring?” Luke asked as he cranked up the engine.

“Willy’s not stupid,” Queenie said confidently. “If he had something to do with your wife’s disappearance, he’s not going to run around town wearing her earring unless he wants to get caught.”

“Maybe so. But, I’ve never seen another one like it. I’ve got to get the cops on this right now,” Luke said as the black Jeep started to roll forward. “Thanks again for helping me out.”

***

When Luke walked in the reception area of the RCMP office it was deserted. He yelled down the hall and half a minute later an officer came out wiping his mouth with a paper napkin.

“Sorry, I was eating dinner back in the break room and didn’t hear you come in.”

“I’m Luke Wakefield and I have some important information for Paul.”

“I’ve got a call into him already. When he checks in, I can give him a message if you want me to.”

“How about Ernest?”

“I think they’re together because I tried him, too.”

Luke left a message and then headed back to the ranch.

Back at the bunkhouse he dropped the groceries on the table then stepped in the bathroom to look at his face. Where Willy had smashed him into the wall his cheek, nose, and forehead were skinned and his neck was still red where the huge hands tried to strangle him. In the medicine cabinet behind the mirror he found some hydrogen peroxide and dabbed it on the wounds to clean them.

Back in the kitchen he grabbed a beer then went out back where the Elvis and Buddy were waiting for him. After he cleaned up the old barbecue pit he started a fire. It would take at least twenty minutes before the coals were ready so he headed for the barn.

Lauren’s father’s small office was unlocked, and he stepped inside and flipped on the light. In the middle of the desk he saw a stack of unopened mail beside a dusty black telephone. From underneath it he retrieved a thin directory for Cardston. He thumbed through it looking for Dr. Duncan’s name. He wasn’t expecting to find it since most doctors don’t list their home phone numbers, but there is was,
Duncan R.C.
After he dialed the number, he checked his watch. It was almost nine. The phone rang five times before he answered.

“Dr. Duncan, this is Luke Wakefield. I hate to bother you at home this late but I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.

“Luke Wakefield?”

“Yes, sir. I’m the guy from Texas whose wife disappeared. You saw her Tuesday morning. She had a sprained thumb. I came in and told you she had disappeared.”

“Oh, yes. She’s still missing?”

“Yes, sir. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”

“No, not at all.”

“I spoke to someone who was at the clinic at the same time my wife was there. She said that my wife came out and paid her bill just before noon, but before she left, a nurse told her you wanted to see her before she left, so she took her back again. You didn’t mention that earlier when I talked to you.”

“No, she didn’t bring her back to see me, because I wasn’t there. I left right after I saw her—men’s bible study every Tuesday at noon. Rita knows that. I’ll bet she had a question or needed some more information.”

“That’s interesting, because they said the nurse said
you
wanted to see her.”

“Not me. I imagine someone got things mixed up.”

Luke knew he wasn’t mixed up, but he continued. “Okay, one other thing: I understand you have an apartment connected to your office.”

“Yes, I do. How’d you find that out?”

“It came up when I was asking questions around town.”

“I see. I haven’t used it in years. Lately it’s become somewhat of a junk room. Why? Do you think I hid you wife in there?” Luke noted a defensive tone in the doctor’s voice.

“No, sir,” Luke said with a light chuckle. “The person I talked to said she thought she saw some people carry a rolled-up carpet out the back door and put it in a white van. Maybe a carpet cleaner’s van.”

“Who’s the person that told you this?”

“Marinel Hayes. Do you know her?”

“Marinel? Sure, known her all her life.”

“Can I believe what she tells me?”

“I guess so, but, in this case, I’m sure she’s mistaken. If she was driving past the alley, she probably didn’t get a good look at the truck. I bet it was the linen service we use. They bring us sheets, lab coats, gowns, and towels several times a week. That’s probably what she saw.” There was a pause and he continued, “And none of my employees would have been in my apartment without my permission.”

“And no one else would have been in there?”

“No, I’ve got the only key.” He cleared his throat and said, “Son, I’m sure you’re doing everything you can to find your wife, but I don’t think anything happened to her at the clinic, or in my old apartment.”

“But Marinel said she saw a rolled-up rug being carried out of your apartment.”

“No one’s been in there for months. Lately it’s become a bit of a storeroom, a junk room. But, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. First thing tomorrow, I’ll check with my staff and see what I can find out. Call me about ten and I’ll let you know what they say.”

Luke thanked the doctor and hung up.

When he got back to the pit, the coals were perfect so he put the steak on the grill. He brought the salad out and munched on it while the steak cooked. When he finished he nursed his beer as he watched the cattle graze beyond the fence.

When the steak was ready the dogs watched closely as Luke used his pocketknife to cut his first bite. He savored the beef and for the first time all day, he relaxed.

But his enjoyment was short-lived. He had barely taken his second bite when he heard a car door slam on the other side of the bunkhouse.
Probably Lauren coming over for the rental papers on the Jeep
, he thought. But then another door slammed. He stood and walked over to the side of the building and saw a black-and-white police cruiser in front of the bunkhouse. Paul was standing on the driver’s side and Ernest was on the passenger side.

“Did you get my message?” Luke said as he chewed on his steak.

As they walked closer, Ernest focused on Luke’s face. “What in the world happened to you?”

“I ran into Willy at the grocery store,” Luke said, gently touching his forehead, “and he wasn’t too happy that I talked to you.”

Ernest examined the raw skin a little closer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Did you get my message?”

“Yeah, we did. Tell me about this earring.”

“When we got married, a friend in Austin made some earrings especially for Bonnie and said he wouldn’t use that design again. They are simple gold crosses but the workmanship is unique. I can’t describe it, but his initials are on the back: RW. If you want me to, I’ll call Ricky and have him send you a picture of them. And you can compare it to the one Willy’s wearing.”

“I’ll let you know if I need that,” Ernest said as he glanced at his partner. “But Paul’s got some information that has changed our investigation.”

“You have? What is it?” Luke asked inquisitively.

Paul pulled a small spiral notebook out of his shirt pocket and flipped it open. “We’ve come up with some more information and we’ve concluded your wife left of her own free will.”

Luke stepped back and with a confused expression. “What are you talking about?”

“When you filled out the missing persons report, we asked for all of your credit cards. You didn’t mention a Discover card.”

“A Discover card? Oh shit, I forgot about that one. Bonnie just got that one a couple of months ago so she could separate her business expenses from our personal stuff. I don’t even carry one.”

“We found that she bought a bus ticket to Calgary about noon on Tuesday. The bus left at twelve-fifty. The ticket agent said she remembers selling a ticket to a lady with red hair and a brace on her arm.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Luke spit out vehemently.

“There was also an airline ticket, Calgary to Dallas, bought with the same credit card. And the airline confirms that Bonnie Wakefield was on the plane that left at six forty-five Tuesday night,” Paul said, glancing at Ernest.

Luke listened as Paul rattled off more information from his little notebook, “We’ve been in touch with the bus company and they contacted the driver of that run, Olin Carnell. He’s been driving for Greyhound for twenty-six years. We faxed them a photo and he said he’s pretty sure it was her. He said the bus had only about a dozen passengers on it from here to Fort Macleod and he remembers her sitting alone near the back of the bus.”

Regardless of how much it sounded like her, Luke refused to believe it. He backed away and shook his head. “It wasn’t her.”

Paul continued. “I talked to the driver. He remembers her because she was in the back and keeping to herself. She never took off the big sunglasses she had on.”

“She didn’t have her sunglasses. I found them in the alley, remember?”

“Yeah, I know that’s what you said,” Paul said, glancing at Ernest.

“Anyway, the driver said that at Fort Macleod the bus filled up and he couldn’t tell us much more about her, other than she did get off in Calgary, and she didn’t have any luggage.”

“It’s not her! He’s wrong, you’re all wrong. There’s no reason Bonnie would do that.”

Ernest said, “Paul’s going to Calgary tomorrow morning to meet Mr. Carnell and get his statement. We’ve already taken a statement from the girl at the bus station. We have no reason to doubt what she has told us.”

“This is insane. Bonnie and I haven’t had any problems since we got back together.” He looked from Ernest to Paul for confirmation. Both watched him without expressions. “You’ve got to believe me.”

“You said you have only been back together since February, that’s only five months. Don’t you think it’s possible she changed her mind and just decided to go home?”

“Absolutely not. If there was a problem she would have talked to me about it.” He ran his fingers through his hair and commanded them, “You can’t quit looking for her.”

“Luke you haven’t been honest with us since this whole thing started,” Ernest said. “Time after time, your version of the truth in reality has been lies. You need to be honest with yourself now.”

“No. You’re wrong. You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

Luke couldn’t stand to hear any more bull shit about Bonnie. They didn’t know her or him or anything about their relationship. All he wanted now was for them to be gone. The information he got from Marinel didn’t matter anymore. Their minds were made up, and regardless of what he told them, it wasn’t going to change anything.

Ernest took a step closer to Luke and pointed a finger at him. “We do know what we’re talking about and the facts don’t lie. Here’s the truth as I see it: You hit her one too many times and she finally did the right thing and left you. I’d bet that by the time you get back to Texas you’ll find that she’s already moved out.” Luke saw a vein in Ernest neck throbbing and his face was getting redder. “Women like her are used to being beat up. She covered for you because she knew if she didn’t, she’d pay for it later.”

“I’ve never hit her,” Luke said through gritted teeth.

“I know your type, Luke. You are every woman’s worse nightmare. I’ll bet you can’t wait to find her so you can beat the tar out of her again.” Ernest inhaled deeply and stepped back. He held his chin high and said, “Now, we’re done here. This case is closed.”

Luke watched as Ernest turned and started walking away. Then he stopped and turned back to Luke. “And, one more thing: We’d appreciate it if you’d leave Cardston as soon as you can. We don’t need your type here.”

Paul hesitated as Ernest walked away, then said, “If you’d like I’ll let you know what the bus driver says after I talk to him tomorrow.”

It was over. It was no use. Luke gave him a cold stare and said, “Don’t bother.”

Paul gave a half shrug and said, “I’m sorry, Luke.”