Serpent's Tooth (6 page)

“Or maybe nothing’s wrong.”

“Maybe. Either that or my brother hasn’t picked up on
Mom’s nuances. He’s not a font of sensitivity.”

“Peter, why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“I don’t know. You have your own parents to deal with…your own problems as well.”

Rina was silent, guilt coursing through her body. “I know I’ve been very upset since—”

“It’s not important.”

Again neither spoke.

“Do you want to go out for a visit, Peter?”

“She wouldn’t like that…me, just popping in. She needs her privacy, I’ve got to respect it.”

“Darling, can you try talking to her? Hiding behind a wall of stoicism isn’t good for either of you.”

“Rina, I respect your culture. You respect mine.”

She counted to ten, told herself to breathe calmly. “How about if I called her up—”

“No—”

“Can you let me finish?”

Decker waited a moment. “Sorry. Go on.”

“I’d like to invite them out here for Thanksgiving.”

“A nice thought, honey, but I’m afraid it would rob her of her dignity. You
know
what Thanksgiving means to her.”

“Yes, I do. But hear me out, okay?”

“Sure.”

“Peter,
I
don’t like making Thanksgiving. It’s no charge for me to make yet another big feast a month after our major holidays are over. And yes, I
do
know what that holiday means to her. Peter, we’ve gone down to Gainesville twice for Thanksgiving. It’s lovely, but it isn’t the kind of holiday she wants. It hurts her tremendously that we can’t eat her beautifully cooked food in
her
house on her
special
china.”

“Why? She says things to you?”

“No, of course not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t notice her wincing when we sit there at her table with fruit and raw vegetables on our paper plates.”

Decker was quiet.

Rina said, “I can’t change the fact that we’re observant,
kosher Jews and they’re Baptist. That’s just life. I can’t take over her kitchen. But she can take over mine. Let me invite her out here to make
her
Thanksgiving with my pots and pans. Cook everything in
my
house in
my
kosher kitchen—”

“Rina—”

“I’ll buy the meat and all the trimmings, but she can have free rein. I’ll even go shopping with her to pick out a set of china of her choice. I have so many sets of dishes, one more won’t hurt. She can cook to her heart’s content. Do all her favorite recipes including her pumpkin pie. Only accommodations she’ll have to
kashrut
is using nondairy margarine and Mocha Mix instead of butter and milk. And, of course, no honey-glazed ham.”

“She won’t do it.”

“She doesn’t even like ham—”

“It’s not the
ham
, Rina, it’s the whole thing. She’ll feel displaced.”

“At least let me try. I think she’ll come out. I think she’d love to cook up a storm, actually have us
eat
her meals. And then there’re the grandchildren—Cindy as well as our Hannalah—”

“That means Randy’s left alone.”

“So I’ll invite Randy and the kids and wife number…”

“It’s still three.”

“Your nieces and nephews will love it here. Disneyland—”

“They’ve got Disney World, Epcot Center, and Universal Studios. Theme parks are no big deal to them.”

“Yes, but we’ve got Las Vegas—”

“Oh, my sister-in-law will love that.”

Rina sighed. “Just
think
about it, okay?”

Decker was quiet. “You’d put up my brother’s family?”

“Absolutely. I find Randy…interesting—”

“I love my brother.”

“I know that.” Rina smiled. Even though Randy worked two jobs—he was a vice cop and moonlighted as a security guard—he was always flat broke. Peter had been sending him cash for years.

Silence. Then Decker said, “I’ll call Mom tomorrow.”

Rina said, “
I’ll
call her tomorrow. She’ll say no to you, but yes to me.”

Decker knew that was all too true. He turned toward his wife, draped an arm around her shoulders, and drew her to his chest. He kissed her mouth, licked her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She kissed him again. “Want to make more out of this?”

“Wish I could.” He laughed. “I’m afraid I’d be arrested on charges of Assault with a Dead Weapon—”

Rina laughed, slapped his shoulder. She kissed him gently, licked his mustache. Her hands snaked around his body, stroked his long muscular back with tender fingertips.

He let out a soft rumble. “Feels good.”

“I think I detect signs of life—”

“That’s not life, that’s just a reflex.”

“Whatever it is, it’s good enough for me.”

Waking up before
the sun, Decker showered, shaved, and said his morning prayers alfresco, bathed in the golden light of dawn. Afterward, he let the dog out, pitched fresh hay to his stable of four horses, changed the animals’ water, went through yesterday’s mail, and had coffee brewing by the time Rina roused the crew for school.

Although anxious to get his professional life going, Decker forced himself to make a little time for breakfast and family affairs. The day’s topics included his stepson’s driver’s license, buying a newer car for Rina, and giving Sam his own set of wheels in the form of Rina’s old Volvo. Decker promised they’d hit the car lots on Sunday. And if Rina had the inclination, maybe they’d look at new living-room furniture as well. His wife was surprised, delighted. Immediately bright with ideas. Decker felt good. It had been a long time since he’d seen Rina’s smile.

After the boys left for school on the bus, Decker played zoo with Hannah, her stuffed animals being nefarious creatures of prey, and Ginger, the Irish setter, doubling as Simba the Lion. Then Decker carted his daughter off to school. Hannah threw her pipe stem arms around his neck, kissed him on the cheek with soft little lips. Decker felt an overwhelming desire to cling to her, to lug her into work in a papoose. Instead, he lowered her to the ground and watched her scamper off. The experts talk about separation anxiety. Were they referring to the child or the parent?
Cloaked in wistfulness, Decker left the neon-painted schoolhouse, arriving at the station by half past eight.

All business, he made phone calls, signed papers, went over reports, checked in with his detectives, then buried himself in pathology reports and bullet trajectories for the next four hours. Head buzzing, he finally broke for lunch at one-thirty. At his desk, he opened his brown bag—two chicken sandwiches, two pieces of fruit, two bottles of Martinelli’s sparkling apple juice, and a half dozen cookies. Food that could be easily eaten in a car.

He took his lunch and his briefcase and headed for the Volare. Within minutes, he was on the road, felt his shoulders relax, his face go slack with freedom.

Devonshire division patrolled a varied geographical area—some residential, some small business, some factories, and lots of rolling foothills and fallow acreage waiting for a land boom that was always “just around the corner.” Developers ran scared out here and not without reason. The district had been the center of two major earthquakes, was Saharan hot in the summer, and was situated far from city action. Still, it was God’s green acres in the late autumn—glorious blue skies with long stretches of wildflower fields and oak-dotted hills ribboned with miles of hiking and horse trails. Giant sycamores and menthol-laden eucalyptus swayed in the winds.

The division also contained several million-dollar housing developments—big mama, multiroomed mansions floating in seas of green lawn. The gated communities ran complete with pools, spas, tennis courts, recreation rooms, and banquet facilities. When Greenvale Country Club opened its doors fifteen years ago, Decker wondered why the rich would join a club, paying hefty premiums for amenities available on their own premises.

Yet Greenvale had made itself a known quantity. Though it wasn’t as prestigious as some of the older, established L.A. clubs, it had its own cachet, boasting an elitist membership and hosting its fair share of society weddings and black-tie-only charity events. It seemed that human beings
had an infinite capacity to rate—to separate and segregate into in-or-out crowds.

The club sat on twenty-five acres, the buildings obscured by umbrellas of specimen trees. As the Volare chugged up the long, shaded drive, Decker noticed several gardeners tending the lawns and numerous flower beds. Going into the fall, they were planting jewel-colored pansies. Within moments, the buildings came into view, Tudor in style, but with
L.A.
modifications: thin brick facing over stucco because solid brick crumbled in earthquakes. There were several structures loosely connected to one another, probably built at different times. Lots of stained glass, lots of cross-beams and peaked roofs. A theme park re-creation of the Tower of London.

By the time Decker reached the gatehouse, he had finished his lunch. Displaying his badge, he told uniformed guards that he was there to speak to the manager. And no, he did not have an appointment. His sudden appearance was disruptive to their sleepy flow. The guards conferred, scratched their heads, made phone calls, until one of them decided to lift the booth’s restraining arm, told Decker to handle it at the front desk.

Instead of parking in the ample lot, Decker used the circular entrance driveway and instructed the valets to keep the car in front. With reticence, a red-coated attendant settled the ten-year-old algae-green Volare between a sleek black Jag and a dowager brown Mercedes.

Through the double doors and into a two-story white-marble-floor rotunda. The walls were wainscoted—walnut panels on the bottom, cream-colored paint on top. A circular band of white rococo molding marked the division between the walls and the ceiling. A giant canopy of crystal lights dangled from an ornate plaster medallion. The rest of the dome was painted with angels and cherubs floating on cotton clouds in a turquoise sky. A winding staircase carpeted with plush peach pile led to a second-floor landing. In front was a short hallway that bled into a paneled library/reading room. Decker strolled to the front desk which was tucked away on the right-hand side. A bespec
tacled thirtysomething blonde sat behind a glass window; she slid it open and smiled.

“Can I help you?”

“Probably.” Decker held up his badge. “Lieutenant Peter Decker, LAPD. Who’s in charge at the moment?”

The blonde’s smile faded, wary brown eyes looking him over. “Let me make a phone call, sir.”

With that, the woman shut the glass window and dialed. Her face was expressive—the wrinkled brow, the down-turned lips. It was clear she was getting bawled out by the person on the other end of the line. She hung up, reopened the window.

“Can I take your name and number and have someone call you back this afternoon?”

Decker smiled. “Why don’t you get back on the phone and tell your boss that I’m getting pushy.”

She closed the window a second time. Reopened it, told him that someone would be coming and he should take a seat. Decker glanced at the satin-covered French-style benches. Looked way too small and very uncomfortable. He elected to stand.

Within minutes, a man jogged through the hallway. Short, stocky, a head of curls and a shadowed face even though he’d recently shaved. He was built like a tank—barrel chest, thick legs creasing his gray slacks, muscle-packed forearms. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled to his elbows. He stuck out a meaty hand but kept walking.

“Barry Fine. Follow me.”

Fine never broke step. Decker kept pace with him through the hallway, into the club’s library/reading room—as big as an arena. More leather here than at a rodeo. Hard to notice any people in the soft lighting. Perhaps it was because they were hidden in the corners or behind the backs of wing chairs. But Decker could ascertain signs of life—the clearing of a throat, the rustle of a newspaper, a hushed conversation between a man and his cellular phone. A uniformed waiter traversed the furniture maze, a tray of drinks balanced on the palm of his hand.

“This way,” Fine said.

Steering him away from the room. The message being: no fraternizing with the elite.

Fine unlocked a piece of paneling which turned out to be a door. He held it open for Decker, who crossed the threshold.

The business offices. No luxury here. Just working space and cramped at that. As Decker’s eyes adjusted to the glare of bright, fluorescent lighting, he noticed stark-white walls, linoleum flooring. A phone was ringing, lots of clicking computer keys. Fine led Decker into his cubicle, shut the glass door. He sat back in his desk chair, thick sausage fingers folded together, resting in his lap.

“Mind if I have a look at your identification?”

Decker showed him his badge, flipped the cover back, and pocketed the billfold after Fine had nodded.

“Please.” Fine pointed to a folding chair and Decker sat. “Must be important to send out a lieutenant.”

“Thanks for seeing me. I have a few questions. Thought that you might be able to help me.”

“Questions about…”

“Harlan Manz.”

Fine’s face remained stoic. “The monster who shot up Estelle’s.”

Decker said, “I understand he worked here for a while.”

Fine said, “You’ve been misinformed.”

Decker rolled his tongue in his mouth. “How long have you worked here, Mr. Fine?”

“Seven years.”

“And you’re saying that Harlan Manz never worked here?”

“To the best of my recollection, that is correct.”

“To the best of your recollection?” Decker waited a beat. “Sir, this isn’t a grand jury.”

Fine didn’t flinch. “I always try to be as specific as possible.”

“Perhaps you knew him under a different name—”

“Don’t think so.” Fine stood. “I’ll walk you out.”

Decker remained seated. “Mr. Fine, are you honestly
telling me that Harlan Manz never worked in this country club?”

“Never heard of the man until he hit the news,” Fine said. “Not that I’m about to do it, but if push came to shove, I’d open my books and show you. Never had a Harlan Manz on the payroll.”

“Ah…” Decker licked his lips. “You paid him in cash.”

Fine’s smile turned hard. “Lieutenant, I don’t have to talk to you. You get pushy, I call the owners. The owners get upset and they call their lawyers. The lawyers get upset, they call your captain. Gets you a black mark on your record.”

Decker stared him down. “Are you threatening me, sir?”

The tip of Fine’s nose turned red. He stammered, “No, I’m just pointing out a logical chain of events.”

Decker lied straight-faced. “Harlan Manz had listed income from Greenvale Country Club on his 1040 federal tax forms—”

“You’re bluffing,” Fine busted in.

“As well as state—”

“What is this? A shakedown?”

“No, Mr. Fine, this is a simple fact-finding mission. Quiet, discreet, friendly. Be a shame if damaging information was leaked to the press, that an insane mass murderer once worked here as staff.”

Fine raised his voice. “He was never on staff!”

“You explain that distinction to the press.”

“Now who’s threatening whom?”

“I’m not threatening you, I’m
telling
you. Press wants information about Harlan, I’m more than happy to oblige. You want to sue me for false allegations, go right ahead. Only in court, you can’t bluff. Because if you do, that’s perjury.”

Fine started to protest, but turned quiet. He buried his head in his hands. “The stupid
idiot
! I told him it was strictly off the record. He promised me…” He looked up at Decker. “I can’t read your face. Ever play poker?”

Decker took out a notebook and pen. “Tell me about Harlan.”

Fine let out a gush of air. “Worked here about two years ago. Used the name Hart Mansfield…supposedly his
stage
name, though I’ve never seen him on any sort of a screen. A summer fill-in. All cash. Nothing on the books. That’s it.”

“What were his assignments?”

“Not much. Which was why he wasn’t on staff. He taught tennis when we were short-staffed. In the summertime, our regular instructors go on vacation.”

“I was told he tended bar as well.”

“He was an extra pair of hands when we had a big event.”

“And you paid him in cash for bartending as well?”

“Yep.” Fine bit his lip, ran a hand through his curly hair. “Not that I was doing funny business with the books. The cash-out was listed under miscellaneous expenses. I just never bothered to put him on the payroll.”

“Owners know he worked here?”

Fine rubbed his face. “Hasn’t come up…yet.”

“You haven’t received phone calls from some of the membership?”

“Sure I got a few phone calls. People asking ‘Was that asshole at Estelle’s the guy who used to work here?’ kind of thing. Names were different. I told them no.”

“You lied?”

“If it should come back to haunt me, I simply made a mistake because the names were different.”

Fine grimaced.

“You want to know something, Lieutenant? The people who called me…far from being squeamish…they hung up from the conversation
disappointed
. It was an exciting notion to them…a safe brush with the dark side. Personally, I think it’s sick. But then again, I just cater to the rich. I don’t really understand them.”

“They accepted your denials?”

“I tell them it’s not the same guy, they don’t have the conviction of character to debate me.”

“And the owners don’t know about Harlan working here?”

“No. Owners know a great deal about the membership, but not too much about staff. They don’t want to be bothered with business details. That’s what they pay me for. And like I said before, I’ve accounted for Harlan’s expenses. Just not on the payroll—”

“Avoiding taxes and Social Security—”

“Hired him as freelance. Club’s only responsible for the taxes and Social Security of its full-time employees. And Harlan never worked enough hours to warrant putting him on the payroll. Our books are clean. You find cause to subpoena our books, you won’t find a hint of an irregularity.”

“Owners won’t be happy if Harlan’s alias is publicized.”

“No, they won’t be. I’ll probably be blamed. And I’ll probably lose my job.”

“That’s not my goal, sir.”

“But it still may be an end result.” Fine blew out air. “Hell with it. What else do you want to know, Lieutenant?”

“Harlan taught tennis?”

“Yes.”

“Groups? Individuals?”

“Mostly private lessons.”

“How was Harlan with his tennis students?”

“Never had a complaint. If I had, Harlan would have been out on his ass.” Fine smiled, but it lacked warmth. “I wish someone had complained. It would play a lot better with the bosses if I had
fired
the guy.”