“Here’s the problem,” Kellen said. “We don’t know what these numbers mean. This could just be an ID chip. We know Kitty Bergman wanted Beast, but maybe she wanted the water bowl.”
“Maybe I should ask her,” Cate said.
Kellen grinned. “You’re going to call her up and ask her?”
“Yeah.”
“I like it. Do you have her phone number?”
“No. Get her phone number, and I’ll jump in the shower, and I’ll call when I get out.”
“Do you need help in the shower?”
“No! I’m late.”
“You’re not late yet,” Kellen said.
“I will be if you help in the shower.”
Kellen and Beast were waiting in the bedroom when Cate stepped out of the bathroom.
“I got the number,” Kellen said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Truth was, she’d rather cut off her thumb than call Kitty Bergman. Unfortunately, Cate didn’t think Kitty was going to give up on Beast. Kitty was a woman who was used to getting what she wanted. If the necklace in the water bowl was the prize, and Beast was simply incidental, then Cate could keep Beast safe by telling Kitty the necklace had been found and turned over to the police. And that’s why Cate was going to call scary Kitty Bergman.
“Yeah,” Cate said. “Dial her up.”
Kellen punched the number in and handed Cate the headset.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Cate said to Kitty.
“Who is this?”
“Cate Madigan. Beast’s mom. I was wondering if you still wanted Beast now that Marty’s… gone.”
“Of course. Marty would want me to take care of his dog.”
“The thing is, Beast is used to me. We’ve sort of bonded. So I thought it might be best for me to adopt him.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but out of the question.”
“And by the way, the strangest thing happened. His water bowl fell apart and there was a diamond-and- sapphire necklace in it. Can you imagine? Anyway, I gave it over to the police, of course.”
“Of course,” Kitty said.
“Do you still want Beast?”
“It’s really what Marty would want. Marty would want me to have his dog. And if you don’t give him to me I’ll track you down, and when I’m done with you, you will be dust.”
“Okay then. Good conversation,” Cate said. And she hung up.
Kellen was watching Cate. “Well?”
“She wants Beast.”
“Your face turned white at the end there.”
“She said she was going to make me into dust.”
“That’s extreme.”
Cate checked her watch. “Shoot! I have to go.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Kellen said, putting the headset in its cradle. “I don’t want the Wicked Witch turning you into dust.”
Gina and Cate stood side by side looking across the bar at the half-empty room.
“Evian’s going to have to find a Marty substitute real quick,” Gina said. “This place is going to tank.”
“Yeah, it’s amazing how fast everyone jumped ship,” Cate said.
Gina focused on Evian sitting at the end of the bar, head down, fingering a bowl of bar nuts, presumably looking for something special. A cashew maybe. “Poor guy,” Gina said. “He looks real depressed. I guess he’s got real problems.”
Cate had a suspicion Evian’s problems were pale compared to her problems. Evian might lose the bar, but Kitty Bergman was going to turn Cate into dust. The one bright note was that Cate felt confident Kellen would take care of Beast.
Marty’s keyboard guy and bass player were on stage, banging out some songs without Marty. A few people paid attention. Most kept their noses in their drinks. Pugg was on duty, sitting at a high-top table, watching Cate as if she might at any moment vanish in a poof of smoke.
Cate motioned to Pugg to come to the bar.
“Pugg is at your service,” he said, climbing onto a stool.
“I know you have instructions to keep your eye on me, but I’m really okay. It’s nice of you to stay here, but Kellen will be picking me up, and nothing’s going to happen in the bar.”
“Be that as it may, Pugg has promised Julie he would not let you out of his sight. And if Pugg does not fulfill that promise, Pugg won’t get any tonight.”
Cate smiled. He was endearing in a very bizarre way. “Do you like Julie?”
“Julie is a saint. Pugg doesn’t deserve Julie, but he’ll bang her all the same.”
“Is that all you’re interested in? Sex?”
“Defense mechanism,” Pugg said. “The truth is I’m nuts about her, and it scares the bejeezus out of me. How could anyone like that love anyone like me?”
“I have a feeling under all that Pugg stuff you’re really a good guy.”
“I don’t even know what’s under the Pugg stuff anymore.”
“You should take some time to find out,” Cate said.
The bar phone rang at ten o’clock and Gina passed it over to Cate.
“It’s for you,” Gina said. “Didn’t give a name.”
Cate drew another draft for a customer and took the phone.
“Cate?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t faint or anything, but it’s Marty.”
“That’s impossible. Marty’s… you know.”
“I swam to shore. I just lost my wig and a shoe and my purse. That was one of my favorite wigs too. I paid three hundred bucks for that wig. Here, listen to this.” And he sang a couple bars from “Over the Rainbow.”
“Omigod,” Cate said. “You sound just like Marty.”
“I am Marty! And I’m locked out of my condo. What the hell is that thing on the door?”
“People were breaking in, so I changed the lock to something that couldn’t be picked.”
“No shit. Houdini couldn’t crack that lock.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in the alley behind the bar. I’ve been living in a packing crate about a block from Evian’s, trying to be invisible. Being dead has some advantages, it turns out. Mostly that no one wants to kill you again.”
“Maybe you should go to the police.”
“Not an option. I need to get into the condo. If I can get into the condo I can leave the country. And I need to see my dog. He’s in the condo, right?”
“Actually, he’s staying with a friend of mine.”
“How could you do that? I asked
Cate turned her back to the room and lowered her voice. “Marty, I found the necklace in the bowl.”
There was a beat of silence and then a sigh. “Fuck,” Marty said.
“I turned it over to the police.”
“Did you tell them where it came from?”
“No.”
“Cate, you have to help me. I need to get away from Kitty Bergman. The woman is insane. The only way I can get away is to get into the condo. And I need the dog. You need to go get him and bring him to the condo. And please do it now. Tell Evian you got the curse or something. I can’t keep living in this packing crate. I need some decent food. I need a safe place to sleep. I need a manicure.”
