56 

DAX DROVE FROM the police station back to his house, showered and changed clothes, then drove to his office.

“Morning, boss,” Chita said brightly. “Good trip to Santa Fe?”

“Very good,” Dax replied. “Hal Palmer is coming in at noon to work on a screenplay with me. Order us a good lunch from the commissary.”

“Okay, boss.”

•   •   •

TEDDY GOT A call from the LAPD later in the morning, saying that a Mercedes convertible registered in his name that had been reported stolen had been found at a trailer park on the Pacific Coast Highway, undamaged. He was told where he could recover it. He hung up. “They found your car,” he said.

“I didn’t know it was lost.”

“I forgot to tell you. Somebody stole it last night. We’ll pick it up later today at the police pound.” He called the office and told them he would be out a couple more days. “If anyone calls, say that I’m not at work and you don’t know when to expect me.”

•   •   •

RIVERA GOT A CALL from Captain Fitzhugh later in the morning. “You’ll be happy to know that the bullet found in Kasov matches your gun’s ballistics on file.”

“Thank you, sir, that’s good news.”

“The LAPD is very impressed with you, Carlos.”

“Oh?”

“Well, in a matter of days you solved the shooting of their two detectives and shot their assailant. It was intimated to me that if you’d like to go work over there, they’d be glad to have you.”

“That’s very flattering, sir.”

“On the other hand, Lieutenant Goodwin is up for retirement in a few months, and if you’d like to continue working here, I’d be disposed to promoting you to head of the squad.”

“That sounds great, sir.”

“Then you’d better start studying for the lieutenant’s exam, which happens in three months.”

“I’ll do that, sir.”

“When they release you, take a week and rest up. There’ll be an inspector’s funeral for Joe Rossi next week. I’ll let you know the day and time.”

“Thank you, sir.” They hung up.

•   •   •

DAX BAXTER SAT at his desk. For some reason, he didn’t feel as relieved as he thought he should. He Googled Centurion Studios and called the Barrington unit. “Billy Barnett, please,” he said to the woman who answered.

“I’m afraid Mr. Barnett is not working today,” she said, “and we don’t know when he’ll be in. May I take a message?”

Baxter hung up. He felt better now.

•   •   •

TEDDY AND SALLY drove to the LAPD pound and rescued her car, then Sally said she’d like to do some shopping, and they’d meet back at the Arrington in time for drinks. Teddy watched her drive away, then drove up to Mulholland Drive. He found Dax’s house, a very large establishment, nestled on the mountainside, overlooking the city. He parked along the drive and took a stroll, taking with him a pair of binoculars from his glove compartment.

There were people there: servants, workmen, a pool guy, but he got the lay of the land. There was the large house with an attached garage, then two outer buildings that looked like guesthouses, or maybe servants’ quarters. He found a deer trail that led down from the road to the property and disturbed a large rattlesnake there.

As the sun approached the horizon, people began leaving the Baxter property, and soon the place was deserted. Bill walked down to the house and toured the perimeter. High up on a wall he found the junction box installed by the security company. It was nice of them to label it so visibly, he thought. He found a workman’s ladder and climbed up to it. Twenty minutes of careful work with his Swiss Army Knife and he had the system rigged. When Baxter entered his code, the system would shut down and not come up again.

Using a pair of lock picks he had made from a hacksaw blade and tucked away in his wallet, he picked the lock of a rear door to the house and had a look around. He found the master suite and went into the dressing room and took a pair of socks from a drawer, drawing one onto each hand, then he searched the master bedroom until he found a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol in a bedside drawer. There was a round in the chamber, and the hammer was back. Dax wasn’t taking any chances. He replaced the weapon exactly as he had found it, returned the socks to their drawer, and let himself out again.

•   •   •

BACK AT THE ARRINGTON he went into the kitchen of the cottage and found a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves under the sink, along with a box of large garbage bags. He tucked both items behind a book in the library, and he was having a swim when Sally arrived home, bearing shopping bags, and joined him.

“What’s going to happen now?” she asked.

“We’re going to take a couple of days off, then go back to work,” Teddy replied.

“I take it I’m not supposed to ask.”

“You shouldn’t ask, if you think you wouldn’t like the answer.”

“Once the Dax thing is over, then you’ll be done? We can live normal lives then?”

“When Dax is no longer our concern, we won’t have a care in the world.”

“I’ll look forward to that,” she said.

“I’ll look forward to it, too,” Teddy said.

“Have you always been like this?”

“Like what?”

“Concerned with revenge?”

“I’m not concerned with revenge in the least—only with our safety, particularly yours.”

“I’m glad.”

“It was careless of me to allow us to be taken so easily last time,” Teddy said. “I’ll see that it doesn’t happen again.”

“Why do I have the feeling this isn’t finished?” she asked.

Teddy laughed and kissed her. “Once in a while, a woman’s intuition works overtime and comes up with the improbable.”

“Mine doesn’t do that,” she said. “I’m practically psychic.”

“Sweetheart,” he said, “switch it off for a little while—we’ll both be happier.”