'Anyway, Officer Demuniz and I talked to the guy. He identified himself as Peter Lake. He claims he's working on the task force that's looking into the murders of those women. He gave me your name.'
'What time is it?' Nancy asked. The last thing she wanted to do was turn on the light and scorch her eyeballs.
'One-thirty. Sorry about waking you,' Spears said apologetically.
'No, that's okay,' she answered as she located the digital clock and confirmed the time. 'Is Lake there?'
'Right beside me.'
Nancy took a deep breath. 'Put him on.'
Nancy heard Spears talking to someone. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, sat up and rubbed her eyes.
'Nancy?' Lake asked.
'What's going on?'
'Do you want me to explain with the officer standing here?'
'What I want is to go back to bed. Now, what's this about you sitting in a parked car in the middle of the night for three straight nights?'
'It's Waters. I was staking out his house.'
'Oh, fuck. I don't believe this. You were staking him out? Like some goddamn movie? Peter, I want you at Chang's in twenty minutes.'
'But 'Twenty minutes. This is too stupid for words. And put Spears back on.'
Nancy heard Lake calling to the officer. She closed her eyes and turned on the bedside lamp. Then she raised her lids slowly. The light burned and her eyes watered.
'Detective Gordon?'
'Yeah. Look, Spears, he's okay. He is working on the task force. But that was heads-up work,' she added, since he sounded young and eager and the compliment would mean something.
'It sounded suspicious. And, with the murders… 'No, you did the right thing. But I don't want you to mention this to anyone. We don't want what we're doing getting around.'
'No problem.'
'Thanks for calling.'
Nancy hung up. She felt awful, but she had to find out What Lake was up to.
Lake was waiting for her in a booth when Nancy arrived at Chang's. The little cafe stayed open all night for cops, truckers and an occasional college student. It was a safe place to meet. There was a cup of coffee in front of Lake.
Nancy told the waitress to make it two.
'Why don't you clue me in on what you thought you were doing, Peter,'
Nancy said when the waitress left.
'I'm sorry if I was out of line. But I'm certain Waters is the killer.
I've been tailing him for three days. Believe me, I did a great job. He has no idea he was followed.'
'Peter, this isn't how things are done. You don't go running off with some half-baked idea you picked up from 'Magnum, P. I.' The task force is a team. You have to run your ideas by everyone before you make a move.
'More important, you don't know the first thing about surveillance. look how easily you were spotted by the neighbor. If Waters saw you, and it spooked him, he might go to ground and we'd lose him forever. And, if he is the killer, you could have been in danger. Whoever killed your wife and daughter has no conscience and he has no compunction about taking a human life. Remember that.'
'I guess I was foolish.'
'There's no 'guess' about it.'
'You're right. I apologize. I never thought about blowing the case or the danger. All I thought about was…'
Lake paused and looked down at the table.
'I know you want him, Peter. We — all do. But if you don't do this right, you'll ruin the case.' Lake nodded thoughtfully. 'You've gone out of your way to help me, Nancy, and I appreciate it. I'm finally starting to cope with losing Sandy and Melody and you're one of the reasons.' Lake smiled at her. Nancy did not return the smile.
She watched Lake carefully.
'I've decided to go back to work. This little incident tonight has convinced me I'm not very valuable to the investigation. I thought I could really help, but that was ego and desperation. I'm not a cop and I was crazy to think I could do more than you're doing.'.'
'Good sign.
I'm glad to hear you say that. It's a healthy 'That doesn't mean I'm going to abandon the case altogether. I'd like copies of all the police reports sent to my office. I still might spot something you miss or offer a different perspective. But I'll stop haunting the station house.'
'I can have the reports sent, if O'Malley says it's okay. But you'll have to keep them strictly to yourself.
Not even your associates should see them.'
'Of course. You know, you've really taken good care of me,' Lake said, smiling again. 'Do you think we could have dinner sometime? just get together? Nothing to do with the case.'
'We'll see,' she said uneasily.
Lake checked his watch. 'Hey, we'd better get going. We're going to be dead tired in the morning. I'm paying this time, no arguments.'
Nancy slid out of the booth and said good-bye. It was late and she'd had little sleep, but she was wide awake. There was no question about it now.
With his wife dead less than three weeks, Peter Lake was coming on to her. And that wasn't the only thing bothering her. Nancy wanted to know the real reason Peter Lake was tailing Henry Waters.
'Dr. Escalante,' Wayne Turner said to a heavy-set, dark complected man with the sad eyes and weary air of someone who has given up hope, 'I'm one of the detectives working on your wife's disappearance.'
'Is Gloria dead?' Escalante asked, expecting the worst.
They were sitting in the doctor's office at the Wayside Clinic, a modern, two-story building located at the far end of the Wayside Mall.
Escalante was one of several doctors, physical therapists and health care specialists who made up the staff of the clinic. His specialty was cardiology and he had privileges at Hunter's Point Hospital. Everyone spoke highly of Dr. Escalante's skills. They also thought he was one hell of a nice guy who was unfailingly cheerful. Or, at least, he had been until a month and a half ago, when be came home to his Tudor-style house in West Hunter's Point and found a note and a black rose.
'I'm afraid we have no more information about your wife. We assume she's alive, until we learn otherwise.'
'Then why are you here?'
'I have a few questions that may help us with the case.'
Turner read off the names of the other missing women and their spouses, including the Lakes. As he read the names, Turner placed photographs of the victims and their husbands faceup on Escalante's desk.
'Do you or your wife know any of these people in any capacity whatsoever, Doctor?' Turner asked.
Escalante studied the photographs carefully. He picked up one of them.
'This is Simon and Samantha Reardon, isn't it?'
Turner nodded.
'He's a neurosurgeon. I've seen the Reardons at a few Medical Association functions. A few years ago, he spoke at a seminar I attended. I don't recall the topic.'
'That's good. Were you friendly with the Reardons?'
Escalante laughed harshly. 'People with my skin color don't travel in the same social circles as the Reardons, Detective. I don't suppose you were permitted to interview the esteemed doctor at the Delmar Country Club.'
Wayne nodded.
'Yeah. Well, that's the type of guy Simon Reardon is…'
Escalante suddenly remembered why Turner was interested in Samantha Reardon and his wife.
'I'm sorry. I should be more charitable. Simon is probably going through the same hell I am.'
