church are fleecing the members?”
Nathan’s look was more hostile than ever. Tony figured he had said enough. They finished out the shift in almost complete silence, except when they were on the phones.
CHAPTER 17
It wasn’t until Tony had arrived at the Hotline on Friday and saw Shahla that he remembered that they had sent an e-mail to Paul the Poet from Shahla’s address. Other challenges had crowded that out of his mind.
She was looking as fetching as ever in a skirt and top combination that bared her midriff and a few other things. But he had learned that the girls didn’t dress to look sexy to others. They dressed for themselves.
Before he had a chance to ask her whether she had received a reply to her e-mail, she said, “Can we go to Las Vegas tomorrow?”
“We? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?”
“I have to go. I’m the poet, remember? Or at least I can talk about poetry in a way that he won’t throw me out on my ear.”
“If you received an e-mail, why didn’t you forward it to me?”
Shahla looked calculating. “Because I knew what you’d say about me going.”
“And now I’m saying it.”
“Yes, but at least I can counter it in person. Give me a chance to explain, Tony. Here, I’ll show you the e- mails.”
“Plural? How many are there?”
“Oh, we’ve had quite a conversation.”
And she had done all this behind his back. Of course, he had been doing a few things behind her back, but that was different. Shahla had printouts of the e-mails. Paul had responded to her first one by saying that he would be glad to meet her. He suggested that they meet at his house, which, Tony recalled, was really his parents’ house.
Shahla had very sensibly replied that she would like to meet him in a public place. She had suggested a casino. Paul said that the Tortoise Club was a downtown casino with a nice coffee shop, and that they could meet there. Shahla asked how she would know him. Paul said he was six feet, two inches tall and would wear a T-shirt with a limerick on the front.
Tony finished reading the correspondence and tried to marshal his thoughts. He glanced at Shahla. She was sitting on pins and needles and not looking at him. If he met Paul alone, there was no telling what the man would do. He might bolt. Callers to the Hotline often had very fragile egos and the slightest thing could make them go ballistic. Having Shahla with him would be a big advantage in that respect. No, the whole thing was impossible. He would go by himself. If Paul wouldn’t talk to him, he would do some gambling. He needed a mini-vacation. “You have to be twenty-one to enter a casino,” Tony said.
Shahla shrugged. “Even to go in a coffee shop?”
“No, not a coffee shop. But you can’t go with me. There’s a law against taking a girl across a state line for immoral purposes.”
“We’re not going for immoral purposes,” Shahla said indignantly. “We’re trying to solve a murder. Remember?”
“Your mother won’t permit you to do it. And you told me you always communicate with your mother.”
Shahla considered that. After spinning herself around on her chair a few times, she said, “I’ll make you a deal. After we finish here, we’ll go talk to my mother and tell her what we’re going to do. I’ll live with her decision. If she says I can’t go, I won’t go. If she says yes, then you’ve got to take me.”
Tony was astonished. “You’re willing to do that? Introduce me to your mother and abide by her decision? There’s no way she is going to say yes.”
“Then you’re off the hook.”
“All right.” Tony found that he was looking forward to meeting Shahla’s mother. And being a mother, of course she wouldn’t let Shahla go. What kind of a mother would she be if she did? So it was settled. Curiously, Tony found that he wasn’t completely happy with the result. While he was wondering about that, the phone rang.
“Central Hotline. Tony speaking.”
“Hi, Tony, this is Rick. I don’t know if I talked to you before. I called about three months ago.”
“I’m not sure, Rick.” Of course he hadn’t been on the line three months ago, but he didn’t want to sound negative.
“Anyway, whoever I talked to helped me. I had just come here from Nebraska and needed a job bad. He told me to go to this place in Santa Monica called Chrysalis. They help homeless people get back in the job market. Well, I wasn’t homeless, but close to it. So, anyway, I went there. I walked in and hadn’t even registered when I met a guy in the lobby. He said he was looking for heavy equipment operators. Man, that’s what I do.”
“So he gave you a job?”
“Yeah. Now I’m making more money than I ever made in my life. I brought my wife and kids here. Now we’re going to take a trip back to Nebraska to visit the family.”
“That’s wonderful, Rick.” It was nice to get positive feedback from a caller.
“My wife said I should show my appreciation by donating some money to a good cause. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Well, you can make a donation to the Hotline. We rely on donations to keep us operating.”
Tony gave the address of the Hotline post office box to Rick. When he hung up, he was elated. He told Shahla, “I’m going to write this up and put it on the board so everyone can see it.”
Several hang ups and several calls later, Shahla signaled that she had the Chameleon on the line. Tony knew from checking the call reports of other listeners that the Chameleon was still calling the Hotline on a regular basis, using different aliases, but nothing new had been learned about him. And as far as Tony knew, Detective Croyden hadn’t been able to track him down.
Shahla put him on the speaker. He was saying, “…step-mom just circumcised me. She’s a doctor.”
“How old are you?” Shahla asked. She was playing along with him.
“Fifteen. But when she did, I got an erection.”
The voice could be that of a teenager. Or of somebody impersonating a teenager. But Shahla was sure it was the Chameleon.
“That must have been embarrassing for you.”
“Yes, of course it was. She’s married to my dad.”
There was a pause. Tony had discussed the Chameleon with Shahla and she had agreed not to attempt to meet him. She would stick to trying to pinpoint his location. The dead air continued. He wasn’t exactly voluble tonight.
Shahla broke the silence saying, “For our records, could you tell me where you’re calling from?”
More silence. Then, “El Segundo.”
At least he was consistent in that regard. Shahla said, “I love El Segundo. There’s a cute little shop on Main Street that sells imported knickknacks. I bought some dolls there that nest, one inside the other.”
Shahla had probably never stopped in El Segundo in her life. She had just driven through it to points north. El Segundo wasn’t a destination. Tony had told her about it, in case this very situation occurred.
“They’re called matroshka,” the Chameleon said. “That means ‘little mother.’”
“You are so lucky to live in a place like El Segundo. Do you live near that store?”
Silence. Tony and Shahla looked at each other. Tony put his finger to his lips. Outwait him. Maybe he would give something away.
“I pass it on my walks.”
“When do you walk?”
“In the afternoon.”
“After school?”
“When I… Listen, I have to go.”
