The Hammett Hex (22 page)

I tied the little bandanna on Asta. Jaunty. I picked her up, not sure why, but I was awfully glad we had the cuddly, snuffling little creature. We headed into the apartment building pretending to chat in a friendly fashion. An attractive dark-haired woman with a teacup poodle in her arms was just emerging. I gave her my best smile from the Kelly family collection of “fool some of the people some of the time.”

“What an adorable little poochie!” I squealed. Uncle Kev said, “A beauty.”

Her hand went to her hair and her eyes were drawn to Kev's ridiculously blue ones. As they stared at each other, I tried to avoid rolling mine. I said, “We were trying to find a couple of people who just came into this building. I don't know their names, but she dropped this cell phone.” I pulled my own phone out of my orange handbag, still disguised in a plastic sac.

“What's her name?” The woman didn't turn her gaze to me.

Kev beamed at her.
Please, don't open your mouth and ruin everything, Kev
, I thought.

“I don't know but she's about this high . . .”

She turned to note that.

“And pretty with honey-brown hair in a ponytail and some nice highlights. She looks quite athletic and—”

“I don't know their names. I'm new here.”

Kev said, “Too bad, eh.”

I shot him a shut-up glance.

She said, “But I think they're on the third floor.”

“Great. I'll call up to them.” I turned to the panel with the codes for each apartment. I considering ringing bell by
bell until someone let me in. Of course, my plan wasn't going to work with a witness.

The board had a list of occupants' names. None of them looked familiar. Meanwhile Kev made small—and I do mean small—talk with his new friend and her dog. Asta seemed quite happy to be part of it. “Oh well,” I said. “They're not answering. Maybe they went looking for the wallet. Is there another exit?”

“Well, garage and the back door. Both are actually on the side street.” She pointed.

“We should just get a coffee and then try later. Maybe the doggies would like a stroll together,” Kev said. She was quite mesmerized by him or she might have noticed that I already had a coffee.

She said, “I can tell them if I see them.”

Before Kev could agree, I said, “You know, it would be fun to surprise her. She must be very worried about it. What if we let you know when we find them, if you want to be in on the surprise? When are you going home again?”

She glanced at her watch. “Oh. I'm supposed to meet my friend. Here, let me give you my number.” She wrote it quickly on a piece of paper and handed it to Kev.

We both smiled and waved good-bye to her. Kev took great care with the number. That was fine.
We might actually need it
, I thought.

I pointed at one of the names I'd written down. “Kev, I've seen this somewhere.”

Kev was still watching his new flame hurry away.

“Kev!”

“I have to go back to Tyler's grandmother's house. I have to figure out a way. Can you watch the place and let me know if they leave?”

“Course I can, Jordie.”

Right.

“And can you stay in touch with me?”

“Say what?”

“Can you call me if you see them come out? Can you follow them?”

“Follow them?”

I rubbed my temple. “That's correct. Like you were following me. Do you have a phone?”

He beamed and dug in his pocket. “Sure, I have a burner.”

I put his number into my new phone and gave him mine. I watched him enter it in his burner. The next minute, he keyed in the number of his new friend. Oh well, she was an adult and I had more than enough people and dogs already to worry about.

“Can I trust you, Uncle Kev?” I raised my hand to hail a cab and was pleased to see one pull in almost immediately. I hopped in with Asta.

“Sure you can, Jordie. Why wouldn't you be able to?”

Such a long list.

As the taxi pulled away, Uncle Kev said, “That reminds me. There's something I have to tell you.”

“That will have to be for later,” I shouted as the cab shot into the traffic.

No one is who you think they are.

—The Kelly Rules

G
RAM'S PLACE WASN'T
far, maybe a mile down the hill, but timing is everything.

In the cab, I asked myself, belatedly, why Kev would have been in San Francisco and following me. How could he afford a ticket? Who had paid for it? What had he wanted to say? I considered asking the driver to turn around so I could ask him, but by then we'd arrived.

Tyler answered the bell and, after a stunned glance at my “sporty” new outfit, wrapped us in a bear hug. Gram and Zoya responded to my “hello” from the sunroom. Asta did a happy little dance to see Zoya and greeted Gram cordially. She gave Tyler suspicious bug-eyed looks. Maybe because of the hug.

Tyler said, “What is going on? I've been half crazy with worry. There was a shooting at the hotel. No one knew where you were. I've been back to the hotel twice and I still can't get to our suite.”

I leaned into the latest hug and let myself just go limp. “You won't believe the stuff that's happened.”

This time he didn't let me go. I was afraid my ribs would crack. But in a good way.

“I thought something happened to you.”

“I can't breathe.”

He loosened his hold on me but not much. “Why didn't you call me?”

“Sorry,” I said. “I sent you a picture from the hotel, before the shooting started.”

“Yeah. I got that. That scared me too. Were those the guys who did the shooting?”

“Yes. They were after me. I sent that photo to Officer Martinez as well.”

“She told me. She also filled me in on some of what happened. They'll want to talk to you. The cops don't know if you're dead or alive. And like I said, no call.”

“I lost my phone somewhere in the hotel when I was trying to get away. I was in a panic. I picked up this little, um, inexpensive phone when I got away from the hotel. I couldn't remember your new number.”

“I was going crazy. I've been to the police and to the hotel and back here and—”

“I knew you'd be worried and . . . a lot has happened, including finding Asta.”

“And where were you hiding, you wicked little creature?” Gram said.

Zoya gasped. “Not vicked!”

I said, “Right, Zoya, not wicked at all, abducted.”

Tyler said, “What?”

Gram said, “Oh, come now.”

Zoya sniffed. “I knew. Not vicked. Kidnepped.”

I said, “She was being held not far from here.”

Tyler said, “Abducted? Held? Don't leave it like that.”

“I'll fill you in but I have to check something out upstairs.”

“Check what?” Gram said.

“A clue. Please just give me a minute, and I think I can explain everything.”

Not everything, of course. There was still the business of Uncle Kev following me. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Tyler he was here, not until I found out what he was up to. Tyler was still a cop, after all. And a Kelly is a Kelly, i.e. usually up to no good.

*   *   *

IN THE LARGE
front bedroom with Tyler standing behind me breathing hard, I looked up from the photos in the box.

He said, “What is going on, Jordan? Why are you pawing through photos at a time like this? It doesn't make—”

“We need to find out a little more about your new step-relatives. Something very weird is going on.”

He practically crackled with impatience. “I know that. Tell me what you're talking about and stop being vague.”

“I think they're behind what's been going on.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. But I just need a bit of proof.”

“Yeah, you do. That's a serious allegation.”

“So it's worth a couple more minutes for me to sort it out. You wouldn't want me to make a mistake.”

“Do it fast. This is making me buggy. I'm calling Martinez to tell her you're alive.”

“Yeah, that's good.”

Sure enough, in the photos I found some familiar features if not faces. I tried to calm myself long enough to think clearly. Sure enough, that tall fair man looked familiar although he was probably long gone. William's brother, Howard, his name on the back. There was enough of a resemblance to the photo of Gram's husband. I plucked that photo and the one with the toddlers and put them on top of the box. I checked the writing on the back of some the loose photos, but didn't find the name I was looking for.

When Smiley finished leaving a message for Martinez, I said, “Bear with me just a bit longer. We need to talk to Gram again.”

Back in the sunroom, there was much partying going on with Asta being alternately cuddled and fed treats. Gram was fussing as much as Zoya. The birds chirped their disapproval. Smiley plunked the photo box on the ottoman closest to Gram.

I said, “We need a bit of help with names, Gram.”

“Of course, my dear,” she said, dropping a liver crisp into Asta's open mouth.

“These children,” I said, pointing to the picture of the two toddlers. “Who are they?”

“My late husband's great-niece and -nephew,” she said. “They were so cute. The children of his nieces.”

“So their name would not be Huddy.”

“No, my dear. There aren't any Huddys left except me.”

She shook her pale curls and closed her eyes. “Oh, I really can't remember. They were the children of William's nieces. The nieces were Clara and Janet Huddy, pretty girls, good-looking like Howard. I remember their husbands before they divorced, but just now I can't recall their married names. They were grown up and married before I even met William.”

I said, “Okay. And this man?” I pointed to a tall, slender, fair-haired man.

“That was my husband's older brother, Howard. Wasn't he handsome? A lovely man too. He's long gone, dear.”

“Was he the father of the nieces?”

“He was. Once William and I married and came out here, they visited a couple of times and then we drifted apart after Howard died, except for the odd letter and card. I think they might have been a bit miffed about something. Probably money, if my family is anything to go by.”

Cards? Cards meant envelopes. “Would you have any cards or envelopes?”

“No dear. I got rid of a lot of that when William passed. I didn't get around to clearing out the photos. He was sentimental about them. He would have kept any envelopes. I'm not really keen on that kind of, well, junk. William wrote names on the backs of lots of photos. Why is this important?”

Tyler gave me a suspicious look.

I didn't answer but instead asked, “So you haven't heard from them in years?”

“It's funny you should ask. I
hadn't
heard from any of them for ages, then a few months ago, I got a call from Clara. Or maybe it was Janet. No, it was Clara. She's the friendlier of the two. One of the kids—can't remember which one—was thinking of a vacation in California in the fall and wondered if they could visit me. We had a nice long chat. It was very pleasant. I'd like to see them. But not as much as I'm enjoying your visit. You know, now that you're back and the sun is definitely over the yardarm, I think a G and T would be just the ticket.”

Zoya said glumly, “I vill fix.”

“The kids' names?”

“Oh. Good question. But silly me, I'd need to think, my dear. You can't believe what doesn't stick in your brain once you pass a certain age. Oh, thank you, Zoya. Tyler and Jordan, I'm so sorry. I should have offered you one. Anything you want. Zoya will be happy to mix you a cocktail.”

Tyler and I glanced at Zoya's thunderous expression and then both looked away. I made sure not to make eye contact with him in case we both laughed our heads off. Neither Gram nor Zoya would appreciate that.

“Thanks, but I need a clear head for a bit,” I said.

Smiley grinned. “Maybe later, Gram.”

*   *   *

TYLER AND I
left Gram and Zoya and Asta with the birds and went off to talk again. I had been holding back on him and he was running out of patience. I hadn't figured out a way to tell him about Uncle Kev. And I preferred not to mention that I'd made what the boys in blue call an “unauthorized entry” into the Himmelfarb house.

I smiled and changed the subject. “I always wanted cousins.”

Tyler said, “And I always wanted answers. This would be a good time to get some.”

“Now I don't want cousins. I think your cousins are behind the bizarre stuff that's been going on.”

“Step-cousins. Okay, but why?”

“I'll look on the backs of the photos for clues to who's who. If I can get their names, I may be able to find out where they are. Don't ask me how just yet.”

“Before we do any of that, let's get the right telephone numbers keyed into this phone.”

“Good thinking. I hope I'm not in that situation again.”

He glowered as he keyed in the numbers. “You won't be. I'll be with you the next time. You won't be off on your own taking your life into your hands. After this, I won't let you down.”

I put my arms around him. “You didn't let me down. You were up all night guarding the house so that I could sleep and you stayed here where you were needed.”

“Doesn't matter. Anything could have happened. I should have been at that hotel with you. I should have found a way to be there.”

“And I should have realized that if I'd been attacked at the hotel once, it could happen again. Maybe we should just give each other a hall pass on this.”

He grinned. “A hall pass. Just this once. And that reminds
me, while you are at the hotel, did you have a chance to grab any of the cameras?”

“Everything happened too fast. We'll have to go back and get them.”

“We'll go together and we'll get Officer Martinez to come with us. I don't know who those two guys were, but they looked like they meant business.”

“They did not intend to leave me alive. I can't figure out how they can be connected to—”

“They look like professional thugs. A simple thief has no interest in shooting up a hotel room and terrorizing guests. These are seriously dangerous people.”

“I know that.” And they may be more of your new relatives.

“We'll find out who they are. Officer Martinez is looking into it. She's pretty sharp and she feels connected to this case.”

“That's good.”

Tyler said, “We have Howard's name. I'll see what I can find out online about him and his relatives. New York State. That will be a start to give us names. And Jordan?”

“Mmm?”

“I hope you're going to get it off your chest sooner rather than later. Not only about why you think it's the cousins, but also whatever else it is.”

Of course, he could tell I was keeping something else from him. I just needed a bit more information before I dropped the Uncle Kev bombshell.

I said, “Don't worry. There is something, but it's not related to this and I'll come clean soon. In the meantime, how about I fill you in on everything that happened at the hotel?”

He settled back and folded his arms and I went through the events from the first knock on the door of the suite. I stopped just before I got to the Himmelfarb section. I did put in the part about changing into the shorts, T-shirt and
A's cap in an alley behind a garbage can. I just didn't mention which alley.

Tyler cracked up at that image of me getting changed outside in broad daylight.

I had to laugh too. “I'm glad you see the humor in my changing in an alley.”

“It's just that you always look so—I'm sorry I missed you in the chambermaid's uniform too. You'll have to model it for me.” It lightened the mood between us a bit.

But I fought back a moment's panic. Where was that uniform? Did I have it with me when I got to Gram's? And where was the “evidence” from the Himmelfarb house? “Hang on!”

I headed back to the front door. I found one plastic bag with my orange satchel in it. No uniform. No Starbucks cups and Jolly Rancher wrappers.

“Now that you say that, I seem to have lost it. I stuffed it into one of the plastic bags from the store where I bought my snazzy new outfit.”

The uniform bag was probably sitting behind the Himmelfarb garbage can. Had I left the evidence in the closet?

“Maybe you dropped it when you were ‘changing'?” He made a big deal out of the air quotes.

My mind was still whirling on the location of that bag. Had I dropped one when I surprised Uncle Kev in the alley? That would be the best thing. And easy enough to verify as Uncle Kev was supposed to be watching the Art Deco apartment for signs of Jessica and Josh.

I said, “I'm just going to search the house and see if I can find it. I was pretty stressed and I could have dropped it anywhere.”

I even checked back in the sunroom. “I'm just looking for a plastic shopping bag I misplaced. Did you notice it, Zoya?”