“Yes, already asked her to,” she said, coming to hug me around the waist. “I knew you’d go over there.” She was smiling now and the leftover tears in her eyes made them glitter like huge green diamonds.
“I imagine you want to go with me?” I asked, knowing her answer.
“You know it, let me grab my jacket.”
“Get ready, then. We’re meeting Bill there in an hour.
***
We drove to the Hilton and left our car with the attendant. Bill was already standing in the lobby, waiting for us. He was a stocky man in his late fifties, gray hair cropped closely to his head and was in his typical military stance. There was no doubt, despite his heavy leather jacket that he was armed. We shook hands before I went up to the desk.
“I’d like to speak to a guest here, please. Linc LaViere.” Even as I said his name, my stomach churned with dread.
“Yes, sir, and you are?” the young lady behind the counter prompted me. From the way her uniform fit, it was obvious she’d intentionally worn one a size too small. Her breasts were straining the buttons and she was highly proficient at bending forward. I wasn’t remotely interested. That was a new sensation for me.
“I’m Dr. Worthington LaViere,” I answered, using my credentials in case it made a difference.
“Yes, Dr. LaViere. He said you may be coming,” she said with a secretive smile. You’ll find him in the Back Stretch.” She bent forward and pointed to the bar entrance at the edge of the lobby.
I motioned with a nod of my head toward Bill and Auggie, and they followed me. We stepped just inside the door of the bar and that familiar smell of stale liquor and the sound of clinking glasses brought back the reasons I liked my personal bar beneath the Third Street Bridge much better. At Joe’s, men could be men — smoking, cussing liberally and making their world go round. This place might as well be a vending machine.
I bent and whispered in Auggie’s ear, “Do you spot him?”
Auggie looked around and then froze, her eyes growing larger. She nodded toward a table in the corner near the back. I kept her behind me and let Bill approach him first while we waited by the door.
“Mr. LaViere?” Bill queried and the man in the corner turned to look at him.
“You’re Worth?” The man’s eyes narrowed as he looked for some recognizable feature.
“No, sir, he’ll be along shortly. In the meantime, I’m representing him and with your permission, I’d like to make sure you’re not carrying a weapon.” Bill flashed his police badge. As a former Louisville detective, Bill had remained an auxiliary with full police privileges even though he’d long ago started his own investigation firm.
“Sure, no problem.” The man stood, holding his arms out at an angle while Bill quickly ran his hands down the man’s body.
“You’re clean, sir. May I see some identification?” Bill examined the driver’s license he was given. “If you’ll excuse me for a few moments?” The man nodded and turned back to his drink as Bill came in our direction.
Bill held out the license. “It says that’s his name, Worth.”
I checked it out. “Did he say what he wants?” I asked Bill, who shook his head. “What do you think?”
Bill shrugged. “He’s clean and this is a public place. I don’t imagine you’ll take my advice and go home, so you might as well get it over with. I’ll be at the next table where I can hear, but I’m going to run this license. I also want to get my hands on one of his empty glasses, so keep him drinking and I’ll have a chat with Charlie behind the bar. I’ll be right there.”
What the hell am I going to say? I started toward the table and as we drew close, the guy turned to look at me. He looked at Auggie and his mouth took on a well-rehearsed smirk. “Yeah, that’s more like it. Couldn’t believe when she opened the door that you were actually married. Shit, but that made it easier.”
He hadn’t held out his hand. There was no hug; not even an attitude that made him look decently glad to see us. I had to keep from staring, though. It was like looking at myself with Auggie’s eyes. It shook me up.
The guy indicated the remaining chairs at his table. “Plant yourselves, let’s talk,” he said, lifting his glass and downing the second half. “What can I get you?”
I didn’t want a drink but remembered Bill’s request. I motioned to the waitress and ordered a beer and a soft drink for Auggie. She was a nursing mother and had sworn off alcohol for the time being.
I glimpsed Bill taking a chair behind the man who called himself Linc. He nodded in approval and busied himself with a newspaper. I put Auggie in the chair furthest away and sat next to the guy.
“Who are you?” What else was there to say? I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask about the weather or if he’d had a good trip.
He laughed, taking the drink from the waitress and downing a sizable gulp before saying, “Hell, get right to the point, why don’t ya?”
Auggie’s back was rod straight, her knees pressed together as she sat on her hands. She hadn’t even removed her shoulder bag or opened her jacket. Her body language was fearfully anticipatory. I wanted to get her out of there, but she had as much right to sit in on the conversation as I did.
“Well?” I asked him again, not allowing him to control the conversation.
“Your ol’ buddy there,” he pointed over his shoulder at Bill, “is having me checked out as we speak.” With a great show, he picked up his two drink glasses, sandwiched them firmly between this hands, then turned and set them on Bill’s table. “For the prints, ol’ man,” he said with a smarmy smile. “And this,” he plucked some hair from his scalp, “is for the DNA test.” Bill’s eyes grew thin beneath his frown.
Was this a show to put us off the trail? There could be no other explanation. “You’re not Linc. He’s dead. I saw his body myself,” I challenged him.
The man laughed, but it was a wicked sound, and held up his finger, wagging it in my face. The waft of liquor between us was nauseating. “Ahhh, you think you saw Linc, but since I’m sitting here next to you, I’d say you were mistaken, wouldn’t you?” he challenged me back.
I grabbed his finger to push his hand out of my face and the electricity between us shot through to my feet. It was as if two pieces of steel, once severed, had been forged together again — but made a Cain and Abel connection. Even Auggie must have felt it for I heard her sudden intake of breath.
“Talk!” I ordered him, but he didn’t flinch. He continued to smile as if he owned the world and I was begging to become a part of it.