Maybe

“I don’t know. If I knew, I’d love to listen in. Wouldn’t you?”

“Hell yes.”

We’re quiet a minute. Eventually he says, “So, are you going to let me live?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

He nods slowly. Then says, “You’re familiar with the saying Live and let live?”

I’m not happy about the phone tapping. I also don’t like the fact he knew about Kimberly and Sam and didn’t tell me. Of course, telling me would expose him as Darwin, so I understand it. I also don’t like Doc and Ethel Howard being killed just so Dr. P. can retire peacefully. On the other hand, killing Dr. P. won’t bring them back.

“Are you out of the phone tapping business?” I say.

“Yes, effective immediately. I’m sick of all the subterfuge. The killing. If you allow the world to believe Doc Howard was Darwin, I can make a clean break. I want nothing more than to run your plastic surgery center. I want to help people.”

He looks at me. “I know you understand this, Donovan. I can tell you’re getting close to retiring. I only hope you do it before you get to be my age.”

“I’d have more money available for my retirement if I don’t have to pay your protection fee,” I say.

“Yes, of course. If you allow me to live, I would expect the monthly payments to stop.”

I think about the women and children at Jeff Memorial in Louisville, whose faces and hands we promised to restore. Dr. P.’s the only surgeon in the world I’d trust to fulfill that promise. Not only that, but running a plastic surgery center in Las Vegas? The breast implant capital of the world? I can’t imagine a better way to meet young, beautiful women.

“I’m okay with Live and let live,” I say.

He smiles. “Excellent.”

“But that doesn’t apply to Sam Case.”

“I would think not,” Dr. P. says.

“I want you to keep monitoring his activities, and report them to me.”

“Even the calls between Sam and Kimberly?”

I think about that a minute, and decide Kimberly’s entitled to her privacy. I hope to hell she’s not sleeping with Sam Case, because if she is, it’s a pure manipulation play to punish me. And if she somehow cares for him, it’ll be that much harder on her when she learns the truth. I want to know what Sam’s up to, but I don’t want to intrude on my daughter’s private conversations.

Dr. P.’s waiting for my answer. I give it to him.

“Forget about Sam and his activities. I’ll deal with him in my own way. You want to make a clean break? Make it. No more wiretaps, listening devices or monitoring of any kind. No more clandestine activities. I’ll let you retire in peace. You’ll run the surgical center. We’ll help those moms and kids from the Derby City Fair attack, and anyone else who comes to us in need.”

“Including Las Vegas showgirls?” he says, with a wink.

“Especially them.”

25

I LEAVE DR. P.-slash-Darwin with his thoughts and take the elevator to our room. Miranda lets me in and I dig through my duffel until I find a disposable cell phone. After putting it in my pocket, I get some hotel stationery and a pen from the desk drawer.

I put my finger to my lips and write, I need a favor. Then hand Miranda the pen.

She writes, Name it.

Use my phone to call your mother. Chat till I come back.

She frowns. How long will you be? You know my mom makes me crazy.

Ten minues.

Okay.

You’re probably thinking this business with the phone suggests I don’t trust Darwin. In general, I do trust him. Not only that, I’m pulling for him to make it. I mean, how wonderful would it be if Darwin becomes the test case, proving it’s possible to eventually retire from this business and live a normal life? On the other hand, he’s been keeping tabs on a lot of people for a lot of years, and old habits are hard to break. I have a sensitive call to make, and don’t want to take a chance Darwin might monitor it.

I wait till Miranda has her mom on the line, and smile at what she’s written on the stationery.

You owe me!

I blow her a kiss and head out the door, down the elevator, and find a quiet spot near an outdoor fountain.

Then I call Callie and ask, “Is Maybe with you?”

“Nope. You called it. She bolted.”

“Were you able to follow her?”

Callie laughs. “You really need to teach her the basics. She asked to borrow my Jag.”

“And didn’t stop to consider it might be rigged?”

“Nope. GPS intact, all cameras functional.”

I shake my head. “Where is she now?”

“Room 228, second floor, Vega Rouge Hotel.”

“Who’s she with?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re sure about the room number?”

“I watched her elevator go to the second floor and stop. Then I had to run the length of the hall to get to the stairs. I made it to the second floor landing and peeked around the corner just in time to see her enter room 228. From that angle I couldn’t see who let her in.”

“Good job.”

“More lucky than good. If she’d gone to the third floor, I might’ve missed her.”

“Put me on hold and call the front desk. Ask them to connect you to Sam Case.”

“You’re shitting me!”

“I wish.”

“How would he-oh, God, Donovan. You should’ve let me kill him when I had the chance.”

“Tell me about it.”

Callie sighs. “I’ll call. Hold on.”

A minute later she says, “There’s no record of Sam Case at the Vega Rouge.”

“I didn’t expect him to use his real name,” I say, “but we had to try.”

“I thought he was in the bunker at Mount Weather.”

“I thought so too.”

“Working on a synthetic cure for the Spanish Flu,” she adds.

“He might be there. But as it turns out, he’s Maybe’s employer.”

“Sam Case? He’s a computer nerd!”

“A computer nerd who’s goal in life is to pay me back for destroying his marriage and business.”

“So you think they’re meeting about a hit?”

“I’d like to think so, compared to what else I’m thinking. But according to Darwin, all the contracts for murder were arranged by phone.”

“Did you say Darwin?”

“Yeah. Darwin’s alive and well.”

“So I was right? Lou Kelly is Darwin?”

“Try Dr. Petrovsky.”