“Oh, until about three in the morning.”
“Three?”
“Bernard’s an amateur astronomer. We’re both night owls. Fortunately, I’m able to schedule my clients late in the day. In any case, you’re welcome to come by this evening. I’ll give you my address, and if we don’t answer the bell, just come through the gate and into the backyard. You’ll see the tower. That’s where we’ll be.”
“Thanks.” I wrote the address and directions. “You’re outside the city.”
“Away from the lights,” she said.
“You’ll forgive me, but I wasn’t expecting this to be so easy.”
“Bret and Sam were favorites of mine. And they very wisely enclosed signed releases. But do you mind telling me what this is all about?”
“Perhaps that would be best explained in person.”
“What time should I expect you?”
I thought this over. “Do you watch the eleven o’clock news?”
“Sometimes.”
“Watch it tonight. I’ll be over sometime after midnight.”
“How very mysterious. But all right, we’ll see you after midnight.”
I checked the phone book for a listing for Eva Ryan or Francine Neukirk. There were no Neukirks at all and, although there were plenty of Ryans, nothing for Eva. On a whim, I looked for John Oakhurst. Zero.
I wasn’t surprised to discover that Cecilia Parker’s number was unlisted. I turned to Bea. “Could I get Cecilia’s phone number from you?”
“Just autodial number seven from the kitchen phone,” she said.
Autodial? I thought. I tried not to let myself get too steamed over that.
Cassidy came into the kitchen then, so I didn’t make the call.
“How you doing?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said.
He smiled. He knew I was up to something. I knew he knew. I was hoping he was going to be sleepy before midnight.
20
AFTER DINNER, while Cassidy was busy preparing a report to send to Hank Freeman, I again asked Bea for Cecilia’s number. “I need to make the call from a pay phone,” I explained, not wanting Cassidy to be able to overhear — or tape — the call. Belatedly I realized he could have taped the conversation with Regina Szal, although I didn’t think he had.
When Bea raised her eyebrows I said, “Cassidy will need to use the phone line for his fax. And I don’t want to tie up the line here.”
There was no loss of skepticism in her expression, but she wrote down Cecilia’s number, then went to her purse. She came back with the car keys and handed them to me. “Be careful,” she said.
Surprised, I hesitated.
“A down payment on an apology,” she said. “But that’s something we can talk about later.”
“I’ll be right back,” I said.
Although the patrolman from the Bakersfield PD was waiting outside, I didn’t see the reporter. I got into Bea’s Plymouth sedan, adjusted the seat and mirrors, and started the car. As I turned the corner I saw Cassidy coming out onto the front porch.
I drove to the second-nearest pay phone, hoping Cassidy would look for me at the nearest. The one I chose was at the dark end of a gas station parking lot. I dialed Cecilia Parker’s number.
Once I had identified myself she said, “Have they found him?”
“No. But we know who has him. I’ll get to that. Look, I may only have a few minutes here, so I’m going to make this quick. Are you working tomorrow?”
“No,” she said. “I have the day off. Why?”
“I’d like to meet you for breakfast.”
She hesitated. “Look, I’m not sure this is such a great idea….”
“This isn’t about your relationship with Frank,” I said. “But for his sake, I need to talk to you.”
“I don’t see what good it’s going to do him to have the two of us talk,” she said.
“What are you afraid of, Cecilia?”
“Not you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Then meet me at the Hill House Cafe at seven o’clock.”
“Seven o’clock? On my day off?”
“Under the circumstances, I don’t have a lot of free time. Besides, we may need to do some traveling together.”
“Now, wait a minute — I don’t get it. Frank is missing and you want to waste time meeting with me?”
“Because I think you might be able to help me save his life. If that wasn’t true, I wouldn’t have gone sneaking out of Bea Harriman’s house to make this call.”
