Bannerman's Law (60 page)

She allowed him by, then followed as he drove past
the Holiday Inn's entrance, giving a thumb's down signal as he did so. Billy caught a glimpse of a police cruiser, lights strobing, in the rear of the parking lot. Elena saw more coming from the opposite direction.

Two blocks farther, Waldo gestured toward the far side
of Sunset and pulled to the curb. Elena saw Paul where
Waldo had pointed. He was speaking on a public phone,
watching their arrival. He straightened as he appeared to
notice that Ca
rl
a was not in sight. Billy made a
“
calm-
down
”
gesture that seemed to reassure him.

“
Looks like we moved out
,”
said Billy.

Ba
nn
e
r
ma
n
, surprised that Molly had not kept that
phone free, used the time to check in with Anton Z
iv
i
c.
Several men and women would be arriving soon from
Westpo
r
t. He needed to be sure that they knew where to
go. He gave Zivic an approximate address. They were to
rent cars and cruise the area until intercepted.

“
They are to call me on arrival in any case
,”
Zivic
told him.
“
Paul, why don't you all simply leave
?”

Bannerman watched as an ambulance passed and
headed for the Holiday Inn.
“
It's tempting, but that won't
end it. I'm afraid it's gone too far
.”

He told Zivic of
Carla's
latest episode as recounted by
the man named Chu
l
o. That
Chulo's
boss, Ma
r
ek, had apparently fled to Sur La Mer. Of Axel St
r
eicher coming
back from the dead and of his involvement with Sur La
Mer. Of the fact that information from a probable FBI
wiretap on the Fene
r
ty girl's phone had been promptly
passed on to Theodore Marek.

Zivic smacked his lips.
“
All this and a benevolent se
rial killer. Do you still intend trying to take him
?”

“
We'll see how the day develops. We may not have
that luxury and, anyway, I don't think it will help us at
this point
.”

“
Tell me that you do not intend going to Sur La Mer in force
.”

“
I'm not suicidal, Anton. But we'll have to see to
Ma
r
ek
.”

Zivic's
grunt said that he was somewhat relieved. Not
in force and certainly not in daylight. Unfamiliar ground,
probably well guarded, no time to prepare and rehearse. Possible interference from Roger Clew. If it were
Zivic's
decision, he would blacken John Waldo's face and send
him in alone, at night, and by morning it would probably
be done.

“
If Marek is indeed Ordynsky, I have some interesting
information. Do you want it now
?”

“
Thank you. Yes
.”

Ba
nn
e
r
man listened to a brief biography. Polish born, studied art at Leipzig, recruited into the Nazi Einsatzg
r
up
pen in 1942, assigned to Group
A—t
he Baltic are
a—s
pecial assistant for art to General Franz Stahlecker. Looted Soviet treasures during the retreat from Leningrad. Stahlecker was either killed by Estonian partisans or else mur
dered by Ordynsk
y—t
ake your choice. Ordynsky surfaced
throughout Europe several times, selling stolen art. He
vanished permanently in the mid-1950s, with the KGB hot
on his trail, and, until now, was thought to have been
caught and executed by them.

“
Anton, could Leo already know this
?”

“
Not likely. Unless you told him that Marek was
Ordynsky
.”

”
I didn't
.”

“
However, the fact that I made inquiries might soon
get back to the KGB. They would want this man very badly. They would like to recover that stolen art even
more. Also, they will want to know why Mama's Boy
is interested
.”

Bannerman shrugged it off. Too remote. He had enough on his mind. Lesko was already on his way to the Fene
r
ty
house and he needed to make that call. Then he needed
Waldo to pick up those Sur La Mer plans from Susan.
And look in on her.

He thanked Anton again and broke the connection. He
tapped out DiDi
Fenerty's
number. DiDi answered, not
Molly.

“
Is my friend there, please
?”

“
Is this
...
?”

“
Yes
.”

“
Oh
.
.
.
wow
.
.
.
she's
...
ah, on the other line
.”
Then she blurted,
“
The dynamite
'
s in the trunk of the blue Chevrolet. It's parked outside 2800 Victory Boulevard in
Burba
n
k
.”

Banne
r
man, startled, heard Molly's whispered voice
correcting her.
“
Se
m
tex. In the spare tire
.”

”
I heard
,”
he said.
“
Thank you. Please hang up the
phone and get out of there
.”

“
Well
.
.
.
she really wants you to call back. She's
.
.
.
u
m
, you know when you go bowling? And what unions
do sometimes
?”

“
I'll call back. But not there
.”
He broke that connection as well.

Bowling. Unions. Strikes. Streicher.

Bannerman couldn't help but smile.

₄₈

Susan's heart jumped when the telephone rang.

Now that it had, she was afraid to touch it. She gathered
herself, then picked it up and said hello, grimacing at the
catch in her throat.

The line was silent. Hollow.

“
Is someone there
?”
she said, more strongly.

No answer. Then a click.

She held the phone to her ear, to no purpose, and felt
her legs go weak. She sat down on the bed, feeling the
hardness of the Beretta under her.

Damn.

It could have been almost anyone, she told herself. A
simple wrong number. But she knew better. She could feel
him in the hollowness, the emptiness, of the line.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

”
I have had
.
.
.
many thoughts of you, Molly. It
'
s
been
...
six years
?”

“
More like eight
.”

“‘
Yes. Eight. I know that I should have
.
.
.
”

“
Axel
.
.
.
you didn't owe me anything
.”
Except,
she
said in her mind,
you might have told me about you and
Bonnie, face-to-face.
“
Except
,”
she said aloud,
“
you
might have let me know you were okay
.”

“
It seemed easier this way, for all concerned
.”

“
That phone was wired, Axel. Someone else knows
you're not dead
.”

“
Ma
r
ek, you think
?”

“
FBI, I think. But it looks like they told Marek
.”

A long silence. Then,
“
It doesn't matter. We have a
new life
.”

”
I don
'
t suppose you'd tell me where
.”

“
Molly

”
I
understand, Axel
.”

“
I've told Bonnie about you. About us. Her response
was that I have very good taste
.”

“
Axel
.
.
.”
A different response sprung to mind. She
thought better of it.
“
Why did you call DiDi again
?”

“
To make sure that my message was passed on. There
is nothing for you at Sur La Mer. Nothing for Ca
rl
a
.”

“
There's Marek, apparently. He's got people out look
ing for us. He's tried twice to hit us
.”

“
And Ba
nn
e
r
ma
n
feels he must hit back. Ba
nn
e
r
ma
n
's
law
.”

“
Axel
.
.
.
what's your stake in this
?”

“
Would you believe
.
.
.
protection of the innocent
?’'

“
I'd believe covering your trail
.”

“
I
'
ve left no trail. Trust me on that
.”

“
You remember Roger Clew? He doesn't want us
going there either. Why, Axel
?”

A surprised silence. ”I
.
.
.
don't know. I can only
guess that he knows what it is. I won't explain, Molly,
because it is truly none of your business. But Roger, be
lieve it or not, might be protecting the innocent as well
.”

“
Well
.
.
.
I'll talk t
o
Paul
.”

“
Where can I reach him
?”

“
Where can he reach you, Axel
?”
she asked dryly.

“
Very well. Please ask him that he take no action before
noon today. He has my word that no advantage will be
lost
.”

“
I'll tell him
.”

“
Molly
.
.
.
make him believe me
.”

”
I said I'll tell him
.”

Su
mn
er Domme
ri
ch was so tired.

He knew that he wasn't thinking properly. The voice
should not have taken him by surprise. It was probably
the tall one with the brown hair. Named Molly. Maybe
Ca
rl
a was right there.

Except that if Carla read the note, she knew he'd be
calling about now. She would have answered the phone
herself. Unless, maybe, she was on the toilet or something.

He was tempted to call again and ask. Like, are you Molly? But that wouldn't do any good because he didn't
know Molly's voice. She could be anyone, pretending to be Molly. It could be a trap. Maybe Carla was there but
she was tied to a chair and gagged. Maybe men were
waiting outside in the bushes again.

No. Wait.

Don't get all upset.

Just go look, maybe.

Think of ways to get her to open the door so you can
see if it's Molly.

“
You know what I think
?”

Katz.

Lesko tried to shake him away. His own thoughts were
dancing between what might happen when this cab pulled
up to that Chevrolet and Elena, and Susan, and the strange
behavior of Molly Fa
rr
ell.

No question she had something on her mind. Usually,
she's the most laid-back of the whole bunch, very together,
but now she looked like someone just slapped her.

For a minute there he thought she might have heard
how he squeezed that
greaseball's
neck a little too long. But that wouldn't have bothered her any more than it
bothered Waldo. It only bothered him.

'
7
think some guy dumped her
.''

What?

”
I seen it a hundred times.
”

You've seen what?

“
Like when a guy's wife or girl
f
riend tells him to take
a walk. I remember when you looked l
i
ke that
.”

Lesko curled his lip. Right. With everything else going
on here, sh
i
t-for-bra
in
s thinks Molly's worried about her love life.

Ahead, he saw a service station. He asked the driver to pull in while he made a quick call. He wished there
was a way he could reach Elena, make sure they all got
back okay, but at least he could check in with Susan, get
that much off his mind.

She answered on the second ring.
“
Claude
?”

“
No, it's me. You okay
?”

Heavy breathing.
”
I guess. Sure. Daddy, I have to keep
this line open
.”

“
You got the doo
r
bolted? The windows
?”

“
Yes, I'v
e—w
ait
.
.
.
someone's here
.”

Lesko's
stomach knotted.

“
Daddy, it's Elena and John Waldo. I have to give
them a package
.”

“
Wait. You're sure it's them
?”

”
I see them. They're
.
.
.
u
m
, checking things out
.”

“
You don't open that door for anyone else, you under
stand
?”

“
Daddy
.
.
.”

“
Nor for the chamber maids, the bellboys, room
service
.
.
.”

”
I really have to go
.”

“
Susan
!”
he snapped.

Exhaled breath.
“
Yes
?”

“
No
.
.
.
pizzas, either. Don't send out for a pizza
.”

“
Good-bye, Daddy
.”

Lesko listened to the dead line. He knew how dumb
that must have sounded. A part of his mind dared Katz to
open his mouth about it
.
The other part saw Elena through
Susan's window. He was glad he called.

Ca
rl
a, her scraped knees bleeding through her jeans,
sat sullenly in the back of Waldo's car as it headed south
toward Culver City on the San Diego Freeway. Banne
rm
an
sat in front of her. Billy and Elena followed in the second
car. Carla saw the road signs leading to the airport.

“
Are you putting me on a plane
?”
she asked. ”I
won't go
.”

He shook his head.
”
I wish I could
.”

“
Then where are we going
?”

“
To an address Leo gave us. Be still, Carla
.”

That was the most he'd sai
d
to her.

He had left her in Billy's trunk until they were well
away from the Holiday Inn. Then he stopped to call Molly
again. Only after that had he freed her, taking her arm,
leading her to Waldo's car as she struggled against him
trying to get at Billy. She quit struggling when he appeared
to be eyeing the other trunk.

She sat alone with him then, Billy covering on foot,
while Waldo and Elena drove off to pick up a package from Susan. He wouldn't eve
n
tell her what it was.

She had tried to apologize, in her fashion. Or, rather,
to explain: Fear is a weapon, she said. Bannerman himself
had taught her that. Now Marek would be terrified. He'd
care more about saving his own ass than moving against
them. But Bannerman had turned the radio on, as if to
drown her out. He listened to news broadcasts until Waldo
and Elena returned.

He was being a prick, she thought. And he was hurt
ing her.

Worse than not talking, worse than the anger for which
she had prepared herself, was the look in his eyes. She
saw mistrust, even dismissal.

She felt her throat begin to thicken and grow hot. Oh,
no. She was damned if she would let him see her cry
again. She tried focusing on the radio news. It
was a
ll
about Claude. Did he or didn't he? That didn't help be
cause it brought thoughts of Lisa. She tried thinking of
Yuri, yesterday, in her bed, later telling her about his
Maria. That was a mistake. The tears came hard.

They seemed to soften him a bit. She hated herself for
it nonetheless.

“
Carla