Footsteps of the Hawk

AIDS, you know. George always said he wasn't gonna let one of those cunts kill him from her grave. So I used the red ribbon. It wasn't that hard. To do it, I mean.' She had her hands clasped in front of her, still looking down. All of a sudden she dropped to her knees. Dropped hard— I could hear the dull thud when her knees hit the wood. She reached her right hand behind her. When she brought it back around, a long red ribbon trailed from her fingers.

'I did it for love,' she said, bowing her head again.

I sat there, strapped in place, working on calm, watching. I had one shot— one thing that might spin her. But the one shot was like a bullet in a derringer— the target had to be close. Her head came up slowly, a tiny bit at a time, her eyes going slowly over me, climbing until she was looking into my face. Now…

'You have no love, Eunice,' I said softly.

She rocked back on her heels like she'd been slapped, face a mottled red–and–white. 'You…' she whisper– snarled.

'Eunice Melody Moran,' I said, moving into the rhythm, trying to wash over her with words, get her spinning, keep her against the ropes, then…'You changed your name. Easy enough to do. Just like Barbara Thomchuk did. I don't know about the woman on University Place…I guess George did that one on his own, huh?'

'How could you…?'

'I'm not a cop,' I said, pushing her, working fast, closing in now. 'I'm a criminal. A professional. Just like you thought. Just like Morales told you. There were seven people on the list. In that pyramid trust, yes? George was first, so he gets the money until he's gone. You're way down…last. By the time you got your hands on that money, you'd be an old woman. I don't blame you. It was brilliant, the way you did it. And I know why you really want George out of prison. You tried to have him hit inside. That was a pretty good plan, but you didn't know who you were dealing with. I do. I know those guys. I can make it happen. Right in his PC cell. One word to the right guys and he's charcoal. I'm no problem for you, girl. We can do this. Together, you and me. All I want is some money Just a fair price for a piece of work. You were seventh on the list, right? Five people ahead of you, not counting George. And George, he's as good as dead right now. He stays, he escapes, he wins his appeal— it all comes out the same. That's down to five. You did three of them….at least three of them, right?'

'Four,' she said. 'There's only one left now. A man. I just made that up…about the red ribbon. I got the idea from George. I mean, he didn't know why I was doing it. But he said, if I made them look like sex murders, they'd never suspect a woman did it. You didn't suspect it, did you? You're just a man. A weak, stupid man. Chasing shadows, and scared of them too. There never were any red ribbons. But the last one, a man…I can't make it look like a rape, so…'

'…so that's perfect,' I finished for her. 'That's the kind of work I do— you said so yourself. A hundred grand flat and I'll do them both, George and the other guy.'

'You do think I'm crazy, don't you?' she said, a bright smile on her face. 'I let you go and you'd run right to your pal Morales, wouldn't you? You're no killer. I asked around— that was all bullshit street gossip. You're a con man, that's what you are.'

'I can get it done,' I told her. 'Why don't you just— ?'

'What, just listen to you? You're lying. You'd say anything to stay alive. Do anything too. I know about that. That's what I did. Did…did anything. That old man…'

'Capshaw?' I asked, trying to get her talking again, trying to catch her in a loop, anything…

'Capshaw? Oh yes. Capshaw. He's still making us play. Even dead, he can do that. He has the power. Money, that's the power. He told us. He showed us. And I was the last.'

'What's this foundation thing?'

'The Adelnaws Foundation? That's his. And his friends' too. He told us about it. In his will, but it only happens if he dies of natural causes. He knew what we were. He knew what we'd do. So he made us wait. Spell it backwards.'

I tried to do it in my head….SWANLEDA— didn't make sense. 'I don't get it,' I told her.

'Swan Leda,' she said, offhand, the way you give someone your phone number. 'It's from Greek mythology. Zeus turned himself into a swan. So he could rape Leda. Capshaw turned himself into…I don't know, whatever he was. Rich, I guess. He turned himself rich, so he could rape us. I was the last one. He called me, and I went up there to visit him. Just before he died. And he told me, about the will and all. I was last on the list.'

'But if he told you— '

'Yes! You understand. You really do. That was my gift. Not the list— we all knew about the list— but the names, the real names…I was the only one who had that list.'

'He knew what would happen…?'

'Of course he knew. He was my family, like he was my father. In my family, we know what to do. We all knew it, but I was the only one who knew it all.'

My spine shuddered. I took a shallow breath, tried again, 'Look, all you have to do is— '

'Here's what I'm going to do, Mr. Burke.' She stepped on my words, focused now, her voice clipped and precise. 'Listen good. And see if you still think I'm crazy. I'm leaving here soon. I'm going to meet Morales. One–on–one, I told him. And he's too macho–stupid to ever tell anybody else. He's coming to the loft, the one on Van Dam. That's where you're going to kill him.'

'Okay, sure. I'm with you…'

'Sure you are, honey. Believe me, you are going to kill him. Morales has his notes. Somewhere, I don't know where, he's got his notes. He's an old harness bull, he'll have notes. He's been tracking you for a good while now. Lots of guys on the job know about it.'

'Bullshit,' I said. 'Morales has no friends.'

'That's right. That's why you thought he was the one shooting at you. At that gym in the Bronx. That was me— I'm a very good shot— qualified Expert every year at the range. I missed on purpose…and it worked. See, Morales doesn't need friends for this one,' she said, a wide smile on her face. 'Because you're going to kill him. Bang–bang, he's dead. And then you're going to come after me. Come right here. You were waiting for me. No sign of forced entry— you must have picked the locks. I bet they'll even find a set of picks in your jacket. And here's your gun,' she said, waving the automatic. 'Silencer and all. A real pro outfit. But I was too fast for you. I got the gun away from you and shot you. Right between the eyes. At close range, as we fought over the gun.'

'It'll never fly,' I said. 'Who's gonna believe I was waiting— '

'Oh, everybody will believe it all right,' she said. 'Why, look! Here's a cigarette butt. And I don't smoke. Maybe they should check the saliva, see if they can make a DNA match. They'll have plenty to work with— head wounds don't hardly bleed at all.'

'Anyone can take a— '

'I know. I just did. See, the problem isn't really you, Burke. It's Morales. That stupid grunt, he's been chasing me for a long, long time. Only he didn't know it, I don't think. He knew something was wrong with a couple of those murders, but nobody would listen. Any other cop, he'd have gone on with his life. But Morales, he doesn't have a life. Sooner or later, he was going to…Ah, it doesn't matter, does it? You and Morales, you're both going to solve my problems. All my problems.'

'It won't work. Why don't you— ?'

'Shut up!' she snapped. 'You're done talking. The only reason I'm not killing you right this second is maybe Morales won't show up on time. He could get in an accident, have a flat tire— I don't know. But I have to do him before I do you, just to make sure.'

'It won't help,' I said. 'What I know, what I just told you— it's all written down. If anything happens to me— '

'Liar!' she hissed out at me. 'Dirty liar. You don't have anybody. Just other…people like you. Thieves. Even if you did leave something, they'd only want money. I'll have money.'

'What if Morales doesn't show up at all?' I tried. 'Or what if he has backup? You could talk your way out of a lot of things, but not a dead body in your apartment.'

'He'll show,' Belinda said. 'I got everything I need from you. Well, maybe everything. We'll see….'