“Paul doesn’t want to see it, who can arguewith denial – who cares?” Beth stopped pacing, drew together all her concernand outrage, and, pointing back over her shoulder to the studio, said, “Thatface in the painting is the worst, Lids.” She wheeled her arm around andpointed toward the front. “Ditto me finding you sprawled in a dead faint in theopen doorway. This thing hurting you has gotten way more serious than thenightmares. You gotta take action. Didn’t we talk about saving yourself?”
Liddy was blinking; staring at nothing,looking startled, almost. “It just hit,” she breathed slowly, “that I’ve had thefeeling all along, deep down, that Carl was somehow involved with Sasha - andmy nightmares, all of it.” She searched Beth’s eyes, almost excited. “The feeling’sbeen there since before last night - it just hit,” she repeated.
“Oh Lids, your memory’s returning.”
“Did I mention I took Carl’s date’s number?She said she knew the person who saw Sasha in Carl’s class, and would vouch forit.”
“This gets better and better.”
“They’ll still know the tip-off came fromme. Think this will lead to divorce?”
“No.” Beth looked around. “Where’s yourphone?”
39
They looked in thefront where Liddy fainted, then through the living room and finally found itunder a chair. The time was 5:05. Liddy took the couch again and Beth hunchedon the ottoman, watching her turn up the sound and call Kerri Blasco.
“Liddy, hello!” Kerri’s voice was welcoming.It sounded as if she was in a street somewhere, moving fast. Traffic blared andother cop voices sounded, blunt and hurried.
Liddy told her. “Carl Finn’s date, Nickisomething. Claims to know someone who remembers Sasha auditing Carl Finn’sclass. Auditing leaves no record. Here’s Nicki’s number.” She dictated it.
“This is huge, big thanks,” Kerri told herover the shout of someone clamoring for EMTs. Then, in spite of what was goingon at her end Kerri said, “How are you, Liddy? How are you feeling?”
A quick glance traded with Beth, and Liddysaid, “Horrible. Seeing ghosts. Definitely losing my mind.”
Not a beat missed at the other end. “I’mnear,” Kerri said. “Would you like me to come over?”
Beth was waving her arms and noddingfuriously, but Liddy hesitated. “Yes, but I don’t want my husband to know.”
Just the thing to catch a cop’s attention. Bethalmost smirked at the slip. Her own phone rang and she rose and walked away,answering.
“What time does he get home?” Kerri asked.
“Late. He usually works late. I don’t knowwhy I said that.”
“No worries, I look like anyone anyway. I’llgive this Nicki’s number to my partner and be there in five minutes, soundgood?”
In that moment, a weight like a boulderlifted from Liddy’s chest. Having Beth there was comfort; having Kerri Blasco comingfelt – hopefully not irrationally – like being rescued.
“Sounds very good,” Liddy said. “Yes,please come.”
She disconnected to the sound of Betharguing on her phone. “Yes, I know when the Asian markets open. Sorry,I’ve been delayed, I’ll be there ASAP.”
Liddy felt bad.
“I’ve made you late,” she said when Bethhung up.
“Tough, this guy’s a jerk. I’ve got theexclusive and he’ll just damn wait.” Beth was pacing near Charlie’s plants,stopping to finger some leaves, then touch the telescope. She took a quick lookthrough it, lost interest and turned. “Besides, I’d like to meet this KerriBlasco. She sounds amazing.”
“She is.”
Beth glanced back to the foliage. “Beenspraying ‘em?”
“Yup, no apparitions.” Liddy came to stand withher friend while they waited. They stared down at the darkening street, busywith people heading for home and the bars. Liddy sighed, “Something elsehappened - before last night at the restaurant I saw the same mournful girl’sface in the shower stall, in the steam on the glass. The mist turned into hertears.”
Beth turned to her, strained. “Jesus, Lids.You didn’t say.”
“Brains fried. Still recovering from thewatercolor.”
The front bell sounded, and they opened to smilingKerri Blasco in black cargo pants and a black, low-scooped T-shirt under a grayblazer. Shoulder-length dark blond hair fell to her shoulders.
Her grip was strong, and she cracked a jokeabout just seeing a man and his poodle with matching pink-dyed hair. “I swearthat dog’s fur was blow-dried.” Her laugh was infectious, confident, and afterintroductions and taking a seat on the couch and punching something pingping ping into her phone, she crossed her legs and got down to it. Her gunwas clearly visible in her ankle holster.
“That Nicki? Grade A intel,” she told Liddy,noting the deep, sleep-deprived shadows under her eyes. “And surprise - ESP orsomething, because minutes after you called, Nicki did too, drunk and crying.She’d probably spent the whole day working up to it, is mad at her now ex whoshe says dumped her after a fight, so she spewed the same thing you said about Sasha.Gave us a name to contact.”
Liddy’s lips parted. The detective smiledand read her thoughts. “Nicki will probably even taunt Carl Finn about what shedid. In any case, there’ll be no one guessing this came from you.”
“Relief,” Liddy said faintly, beyondexcited. “He’s my husband’s partner.”
“I know. Relax, you’re out of the loop.” Kerrigot out her notebook.
Liddy quickly described Carl in therestaurant: his unusual drinking, refusal to look at the Sasha sketch, tensionwhen his date tried to push it at him. Kerri scribbled. Liddy next describedPaul’s upset two nights ago over Kerri’s surprise visit to Carl – “…soundedlike you really shook him and he took it out on Paul.” Just then Beth’s phonerang. She checked it, muttered “jerk again,” and got up to answer.
Curiously, Kerri stopped taking notes tolisten as Beth told the caller, “Yes, yes, I’m on my way. The traffic’sterrible.”
Then she stepped back to the couch to pickup her purse and a tote full of manila folders. Some of the folders had slidout. Kerri nodded approvingly. “Very good. You lie like a cop.”
“Real estate.” Beth made a face, suddenlyhurried and pushing the folders back in. “They give special classes in lying.Okay, I gotta go. Will you be needing my number?” she asked Kerri.
The detective held up her phone. “Alreadyhave it. ‘Find your dream home with BethanyHarms.com, real estate
