Pretty In Ink

Chapter 22

Wesley Lambert?

Frank DeBurra had said Charlotte was involved with him, with the “wrong people.” What had she gotten herself into?

Tim interrupted my thoughts.

“How far into the bedroom did you go?” There was an urgency in his voice that I hadn’t heard in a long time. Not since my own trip to the emergency room ten years ago. My boyfriend at the time rode a Harley; I was twenty-two and felt invincible. I did wear a helmet. But it didn’t keep my leg from getting broken in three places when the bike fell on top of me after we got sideswiped by a car on the highway. My boyfriend? He wasn’t so lucky.

“I didn’t go in,” I said, concern in my voice now in response to his. “What, is there a problem?”

The uniforms had managed to rouse a few residents, who were being herded toward the elevators. A busty woman wearing a tight shirt and jeans carried a small white dog that started yapping. A middle-aged couple was still in their pajamas, but the uniforms were telling them they couldn’t go back in; they had to evacuate.

Evacuate?

I caught Tim’s eye, but he was distracted. There was another condo on the other side of the hall, and he strode over to the door and banged on it like there was no tomorrow.

“Police. Ma’am? You have to leave the building,” he shouted after a muffled reply on the other side of the door.

The door opened a crack, and I could see Tim leaning in, talking to someone. Finally, she stepped outside. She was short, dark-Mexican from the look of it. She held a dust rag. Cleaning woman, most likely. Her eyes were wide as Tim hustled her past me.

I didn’t quite know what to do or where to go, but since everyone was leaving, I didn’t want to stick around to see why. Something in that condo wasn’t safe.

I went over to the elevator and tugged on Tim’s sleeve. “I think I’ll go downstairs now,” I said.

Before Tim could answer, we heard the ding of the elevator and Frank DeBurra stepped into the hall. I didn’t have a chance to react, though, because two men and a woman came out behind him. They were all wearing big white hazmat-type suits with booties and gloves. They held face shields and goggles.

“Who’s still in there?” DeBurra asked Tim, ignoring me.

“No one.”

DeBurra looked at his companions. “Go on in,” he growled.

They stuck on their face shields, making them look remarkably like those guys at the end of E.T., and went into the condo. The residents were all on the other elevator now, going down. I wished I were with them, because DeBurra was staring at me. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?” he asked.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“She came here because Charlotte Sampson called and said she wanted to meet her,” Tim volunteered.

I shot him a look, but it was too late now.

“I told you to call me when she contacted you,” he scolded.

I didn’t take well to his tone. “I figured you’d be following me anyway,” I snapped back.

He looked from me to Tim. “She didn’t get anything on herself, did she?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about the Sampson woman?”

“Brett says she wasn’t here.”

“Yes, she was,” I said. “Just not when I got here.”

“How do you know?” Tim asked.

“One of the cops in there found a pink hoodie. Exactly like the one Charlotte has. It can’t be a coincidence. She wanted me to meet her here. She knew what I’d find.”

“Maybe she’s okay,” Tim said hesitantly.

“We’d better hope so,” DeBurra said.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “What’s in there?”

“Why is the air-conditioning still on?” DeBurra growled, but not to me or Tim. He was talking to one of his team, who had just come out to join us.

“The guard is going to get it shut off now. It’s on some sort of main circuit.”

“Now. It needs to be turned off now.” I thought DeBurra was going to have a heart attack; the veins in his neck were bulging, and his face was bright red. He turned back to me. “You have to tell me everything you know.”

“Everything about what?” I asked.

“Did Charlotte Sampson tell you what was going on? What is the extent of her role?” Before I could answer either question, however, he turned back to Tim. “You know, this puts that queen’s death into question now.”

“Trevor?” I asked. “What does this have to do with Trevor’s death?”

DeBurra looked sorry that he’d said anything.

I couldn’t pursue it, though, because the woman who’d come in with DeBurra was coming toward us. She’d pulled off her hood.

DeBurra nodded at Tim. “Leslie’s going down with you. She’ll show you what you have to do.” He turned to me. “This is Detective Holcomb. Do what she tells you.” As if I wouldn’t. DeBurra went into the condo, and Leslie Holcomb indicated that we were to follow her.

More white-clad aliens got off the elevator and headed to the condo. I hesitated, but Tim took my arm and said in my ear, “We need to go outside. DeBurra’s going to need to ask you more questions.”

“I’ve got some questions of my own,” I started, but Tim shook his head.

“This isn’t the time. You’ll know what’s up soon enough. You need to try to think of where Charlotte might have gone; you need to get in touch with her.”

“Is she in danger?” I asked.

“She could get very sick.”

I thought about Trevor getting sick in my shop. And then Wesley Lambert. “Is it some sort of swine flu thing?” I asked. “Who are those guys in there in those suits?”

Tim didn’t answer. We went down in the elevator with Leslie and stepped out into the lobby behind the waterfall. It was pandemonium, condo residents filing outside like it was a school fire drill. Three ambulances had joined the one that had arrived first, their lights joining those of the cop cars that crowded the circular drive. Leslie waved us past the residents and brought us outside, around the side of the building to the delivery entrance, where a large box truck stood. A sort of round contraption had been set up next to it.

She looked at both of us and said, “You’re going to have to disrobe.”

My heart jumped into my throat. “What?” I sputtered, turning to Tim. But he was nodding.

“We have to wash,” he said. “Homeland security regulations.”

Homeland security? What was going on?

“I’m not taking my clothes off here,” I said defiantly.

Leslie did not look pleased with me. “It’s regulation,” she said firmly. “We’ll make sure you have privacy.” She turned to Tim. “Over there.” She pointed to another white-suited person on the other side of the truck. The four uniforms and two paramedics who had gone up to the condo were there, too.