She actually changed expression slightly. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
'The hell you don't! The whole thing is over an investigation of whether Ray Christman is dead or alive. Lon will want to talk to me. He wanted to so badly earlier, he had me kidnaped. Now get him on the goddamn screen or we'll go to the LAPD with everything we've learned. We've already got an investigation contract with them.'
The stone face slipped a little more. 'Just a moment,' she said, and put me on hold. I glanced at Tuuli; she looked impressed and—proud.
I winked at her, and she grinned. 'Thanks for saving my ass, babe,' I told her. 'It's all yours now.' It was my version of Bogart as Sam Spade. Of course, in those ancient movies they'd never have said
It took a few minutes before Thomas came on the screen. He looked like hell. I suppose I didn't look too good either. I spoke first. 'Thomas,' I said, 'I want to do two things for you.'
He stared.
'First I need to tell you that this conversation is being recorded. I want you to know that I and the two witnesses who picked me up have just recorded and safe-stored our separate statements of what each of us saw and experienced tonight. They've been covering me since I left my office—actually since the bombing. They witnessed the assault on me outside Canter's Restaurant, and followed my kidnapers.
'Your people didn't do that bad a job of searching me, incidentally. It's just that my shirt is an ultrawave transmitter. When your goons got me down in the meat-cutting room and Miller told me what they were going to do to me— Well, it's all in the net now, in triplicate safe-files, along with your interrogation.'
Thomas' face had looked a little puffy when he'd come on. It had shrunk since then. 'We don't particularly want to bust the church,' I went on. 'Like I said a couple weeks ago, I have an uncle who swears it turned his life around, even though he quit it years ago. Probably saved him from cirrhosis of the liver. All we want to do is find out what happened to Ray Christman. And we want your cooperation. If you did nothing criminal to him, you're clear.
'On the other hand, if you try to interfere, your ass is in the fire, along with the church. Our depositions are coded to several keeper keys in the law enforcement net. If anything happens, the LAPD, the county prosecutor, and the FBI will have them, and you know how they'd love that. Incidentally, those statements also cover what we know about the bombing of the Hollywood Boulevard apartment and the murder of the Boghosians.'
He was still staring haggardly at my image on his screen. 'I'll tell you something else,' I said. 'Yesterday we were a little afraid of you people. Now we've got you by the balls. But we don't particularly want you scared of us; we just want you to act rationally, and cooperate.
'I'm going to ask you a question now. But I'll preface it by reminding you of your rights: you don't have to talk. Anything you say may be held against you in a court of law. So. What do you know about the disappearance of Ray Christman?'
There was a long pause; when he spoke, his voice was husky. 'Nothing,' he said at last. 'If I did, I'd probably tell you. But I really honest to God don't know.'
'All right, Mr. Thomas, I'll let it go for now. Where have you taken the two goons who were going to murder me?'
Another long pause. 'Presbyterian Hospital.'
'What names are they under? I'll be checking with Presbyterian.'
'Their own names: Collins and Miller.'
'What first names?'
'Miller is—Clark Miller, I think. And James Collins.'
'Thank you, Mr. Thomas. We'll be getting in touch with you from time to time. Make sure your people put us through. And Mr. Thomas—I am not a vengeful person. Only one with a professional responsibility.'
I broke the connection then and sat back, feeling I'd handled an awful lot awfully well. Carlos shook his head. 'My what marvels our radio people have come up with! A shirt-transmitter! And ultrawave yet!'
'Make you a bet,' I said. 'I'll bet he doesn't check it out to see if it's possible.'
* * *
After she and Carlos had recorded their statements, Tuuli and I drove home. Actually she drove; we used her car. An investigative assistant would pick mine up at Canter's. We felt pretty confident that Thomas wouldn't try to hit any of us now. That had been a major purpose in calling him and saying what I'd said. Meanwhile, Carlos had told me to take the day off, and the next day if I wanted to.
At that hour, Tuuli and I had Laurel Canyon Boulevard almost to ourselves. Dawn was graying the sky, and a cool green smell blew in on us through my open window.
'What was it like, your premonition?' I asked.
'Just a realization. A realization that you were in danger.'
'No voice? No vision?'
She shook her head. 'Would you still like to spend a week in Arizona?'
'I would, but it can wait a couple of days. Or longer if you want.'
'Not today?'
'You and I are going to spend today alone,' she purred, and put her hand on my leg. 'I suppose you're so tired, you'll want to go straight to sleep when we get home.'
I laughed. 'Not to sleep. Only to bed. After a hot shower.'
'Good,' she said. 'That shower is going to be crowded though.'
19
SHOPPING PSYCHICS
