Blood Red

She shook her head in an instant. “No. I mean I used to joke about them both being lawyers, but I don’t think either of them ever really got into the sorts of cases where they would make enemies.”

“Doesn’t take much. Do you remember if either of them were working on big cases?”

“The only thing they talked about since . . . since Teddy disappeared was going after the hospital. They wanted to make them suffer for losing their baby.” She looked away and had to fight hard to stop the tears. Damn, it was supposed to get easier, not harder.

Boyd moved closer and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. She was touched, because she really didn’t think he was the type to do that with too many people.

“I know it’s hard, but I just want to make sure we’ve got our bases covered.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“What for?” His voice was gruff when he asked. “For having feelings? Please. Even Danny over here has feelings and believe me, he’s very superficial.”

“My ass, your face. A match, Richie.”

Kelli laughed. Both of the detectives smiled. Holdstedter winked at her. “I knew there was a smile in there somewhere. Now and then you have to dig for ’em.”

“How about new people in their lives? New neighbors around here or new coworkers?”

Kelli looked over at Jason’s place. “Only one I know of is Jason Soulis.” She pointed to the great gray house across the street.

Boyd looked, and for just an instant she saw a shark’s smile on his face. “Now, that ain’t his car, is it?”

“Oh, please. No, that’s Tom Pardue’s car.” He said the name at the same time that she did, and she looked back at the detective. “You know him?”

“Oh yeah. We’re old friends. We’ve been buddies for years.”

Holdstedter chuckled and shook his head. “You know, I think you should put him on your Christmas card list, Richie.”

Boyd’s eyes narrowed for a second and he nodded. “Or maybe we could pay him a visit sometime.” Then he shook himself and looked back at her. “So, does Pardue visit this Soulis guy a lot?”

“No. I’ve never seen him over there before.”

“Bet he ain’t selling Girl Scout cookies.” Holdstedter crossed his arms and looked at the car as if it were guilty of a dozen crimes, merely by being associated with Pardue.

“How long has Soulis been in town, Ms. Entwhistle?”

“If you’re Boyd, I’m Kelli.”

“How long, Kelli?”

“Around two weeks, I guess. Since the early part of October.”

The two detectives nodded in unison. “Well, isn’t that interesting.” Boyd’s question was rhetorical. He reached into his coat and pulled out a cigar. “You mind?”

She shook her head. “I like the smell of a good cigar.”

“How do you figure?” Holdstedter was looking at Boyd, his smooth brow wrinkled in thought.

Boyd lit his cigar, filling the foggy air with plumes of the aromatic tobacco. “Two weeks. We’ve had a lot of things happening around here for the last two weeks.”

Thinking back on that gave Kelli a case of the heebie-jeebies. A lot really had happened in the last fourteen or so days. Enough that she found herself wondering what had happened to her entire world in that amount of time.

Boyd and Holdstedter stared at the Camaro and nodded, saying nothing for several moments.

“Would you guys like some coffee or something?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. But thanks.” Boyd looked at her. “Listen, not that you’re a nosy neighbor or anything, but have you met that Soulis guy?”

“What the hell kind of name is Soulis, anyway?” Holdstedter scratched idly at his chiseled chin. “Sounds like a stage name for a bad magician.”

Kelli laughed again. She thought it was weird herself.

“Scottish, I think. I read about a castle over there where they burned a Lord Soulis for witchcraft.”

Holdstedter looked at Boyd as he answered; a smile grew on the taller detective’s face. “Since when do you read?”

“Since your mother stopped putting out.” Then Boyd got a horrified look on his face and looked toward Kelli. She was too busy laughing to pay much attention.

“I can’t believe I said that in front of you.” His eyes were wide and his face plastered with apology and shame.

“No, please,” she waved aside his horrified look. “I needed that.”

“Yeah, so did Danny’s mom.”

“You’re a bad man, Boyd.”

He nodded and smiled. He had a nice smile under all that gruff. “That’s what Danny’s mom always said.”

“Okay, one more mom joke and I’m gonna open up with the Whalen comments.”

“Okay, okay. You win. I’ll leave your mom out of this.”

“Smart move.”

“Besides, your sister’s better in bed anyway.”

Kelli laughed again. It was good to laugh. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

VI

Tom walked around the side of the mansion and shook his head. He was proud of his house. He had a damned nice place. He could have fit about seven just like it inside the place he was circling.

Jason Soulis said he wanted to see him, and so here he was. Soulis was his favorite kind of client; he didn’t make demands and he always paid upfront. So now and then he could make a house call for that sort of customer.