Show of Evil

hunches under m'belt and I ain't often wrong.'

One of the divers, dressed in a black wet suit and a face mask, slipped over the side of the big boat. The water was waist-deep.

'Hell, Sheriff, I doubt we'll need the drag lines. Bottom's a little murky, but we oughtta be able to tread it out. Somebody hand me a light.'

He took the waterproof lamp, adjusted his face mask, and went under, joined a minute or two later by the other diver. Everybody settled back and waited. Nobody said anything. The only sound was the wind rattling the weeds.

Half an hour crept by. The sheriff gnawed on the remains of a cigar. St Claire spat freely into the wind-rippled water. Stenner said nothing. All eyes gazed out over the reeds. Then the muddy swamp churned a bit and a woman's head suddenly broke the surface, rising up out of the water. Wet-dark hair streaked down over a bloated, blue-grey face, partially covering a gaping mouth filled with mud. Black links of chain were gnarled around her throat. Water dribbled from her glassy eyes and for just a moment or two she appeared to be weeping. Poppy Palmer had danced her last striptease.

'Ah, Jesus,' St Claire said.

'Yes,' Stenner said, almost inaudibly. 'I was hoping we were wrong, too.'

Twenty-Eight

Vail was behind the closed door of his office, a signal to the rest of the staff that he wanted to be left alone. Naomi called it 'diving'. It was as if Vail were underwater, in a different world, one without sound or distraction, one in which all the data and facts of the case were jumbled together. He sought to categorize them, to rearrange them into a logical chronology until they formed a picture that made sense to him. Like a legal jigsaw puzzle, the picture would eventually become clear even though some of the pieces were missing. Only one thing was on his mind: Aaron Stampler - or Raymond Vulpes - one and the same, unchanged, he was certain.

Vail had not yet broached the problem of Stampler/ Vulpes with the staff and would not until he had analysed his meeting with Vulpes and Woodward and formed a beginning strategy for dealing with the situation. He was wearing earphones, listening to the tape he had made of the interview with the psychiatrist and his 'creation'. He knew that somewhere in that tape Vulpes had revealed himself - purposely - to taunt Vail. Somewhere on that tape was a clue that Vail would recognize. Nothing incriminating, just Vulpes letting Vail know that he was still Aaron Stampler and that he had successfully scammed them all. If Vail knew anything he knew that Stampler's ego would ultimately be his undoing.

He had been behind his closed doors for hours when he got the call from Stenner. He and St Claire would be in the office momentarily with details, but they wanted Vail to know that Darby was in custody and that they had discovered Poppy Palmer's body. Vail had to put Stampler/Vulpes aside for now and deal with the Darby case. Twenty minutes later Stenner and St Claire blew into the office like a March wind.

My God, Vail thought, did I just see Stenner smile?

Vail waved Parver into his office and leaned back in his chair. 'Okay,' he said to his two chief investigators, 'let's hear it.'

'He spilled his guts,' St Claire said. 'We had him pegged right on his wife's murder, Shana, the old lady's hearing was perfect. Thing is, Rainey never got hold of Darby, so he didn't know we were after his ass. He thought he was home free except for Poppy Palmer.'

Stenner picked up the story: 'Stretched his luck. Picked her up, told her he was taking her to the airport, drove to his barn, strangled her on the spot.'

'Then the miserable son-bitch threw her in the boot and drove around for the better part of a day with her body,' St Claire continued. 'Spent the night in a motel outside Rockford, and this mornin' he wrapped her up in an anchor chain and dropped her in the marsh up along the Pecatonica.'

'Congratulations,' Vail said. 'You two did a great job.'

'We had some luck,' said Stenner. 'We were actually so close to him, we heard him drop her body in the water.' He turned to Shana Parver. 'But now you've got him.' He held up two fingers. 'Twice.'

'Rainey was waitin' at county jail when we brought him down,' said St Claire. 'Says he wants't'talk.'

Vail laughed. 'Sure he does. Well, the hell with Rainey, it's too late now.' He turned to Shana Parver. 'Okay, Shana, you got your way. Darby's all yours. I assume you'll want to max him out?'

She looked up and smiled, but there was little mirth in the grin. 'Of course…' she said.