Chapter
33
A
brown bat lay cupped in Ray's hand.
It looked exactly the same as the ones Tim and I had been taking out of people's houses for the past couple of weeks. Something told me I'd stumbled on their source.
“That's a rather odd pet,” I said, aiming for wry.
Ray didn't answer. I guess he wasn't doing banterânot that he ever had.
As I walked over for a closer look I became aware of a cacophony of high-pitched squeakings coming from a cardboard box in the far corner of the van.
“I bet you didn't know that it's illegal to kill bats in England,” I observed pleasantly. “If there's a colony in your attic, you have to apply to the council for permission to move them.” I knew this because I'd researched an article several years ago on rental rights in the United States and England and the fact had stayed in my mind.
Ray glowered. “Who gives a fuck about England?”
“Obviously not you, but it's illegal to kill them in New York State, too.” It wasn't true, but it seemed like a good thing to say.
“No, it's not.”
“Yes, it is,” I insisted.
Ray got a mulish expression on his face. “I ain't killing them.”
“That's good.” I pointed to the bat in his hand. Some people said they were cute, just small cuddly mice with wings, but I couldn't see it. It was probably their teeth that made me feel that way. They were little and jagged and reminded me of the kind of teeth gremlins would haveâif gremlins existed. “Would you mind telling me exactly what you are doing with them?”
Ray took two steps back. I took two steps forward. The bat stayed still.
“This wasn't my idea,” he whined.
“Let me guess, you were just following orders.”
Ray touched his upper lip with the tip of his tongue. “I got bills to pay.”
“Don't we all.” I took out a cigarette and lit it. For some reason the smoke made the smell of chemicals coming from the canisters stored along either side of the van worse. I sighed and scotched the Camel on the floor with my heel. I guess I'd have to wait till later. “You know,” I continued, “when I followed you ...”
The corners of Ray's mouth quivered in suppressed alarm. “You followed me?” he cried.
“Last night.” By now I was close enough to smell his breath. He'd eaten something with garlic and onions not too long ago. I glanced at the bat in Ray's hand again. It looked forlorn. Then suddenly something occurred to me; the droppings I'd seen in the barn earlier in the day were from bats not birds. That was the reason I hadn't spotted any nests in the rafters. “You got that in the barn, didn't you?”
Ray didn't answer. As if roused by my thoughts, the bat in his hands began to shiver.
“Let him go,” I said.
“What if I don't want to?”
I shrugged. “Have it your own way, but it looks to me as if he's getting ready to bite.”
Ray quickly uncupped his hands. The bat flittered around the van. I instinctively ducked. So did Ray. A few seconds later the bat found the opening and disappeared into the night. As I watched him go I wondered if he'd be able to find his way home. Then I turned to Ray.
“I think we have a lot to discuss,” I told him.
Ray briefly touched the top of his hair with an unsteady hand, then brought it back down and brushed a nonexistent speck of dirt off his black T-shirt. “Look, all I know is I was supposed to pick up these bats at the barn, they was supposed to be outside the barn in this carton, but I didn't see no carton. No one was around.”
“That must have been annoying.”
Ray didn't respond to my sarcasm. His glance had turned inward as if he was communing with himself. “I don't like it out there,” he said, more to himself than to me.
“Why not?”
“It's too quiet. It gives me the creeps, especially at night. Merlin thinks it's funny me feeling that way.”
“Anything else?” I prompted.
Ray wiped his hands on his pants. “Well, I thought I heard someone ...” he allowed. Then his voice trailed away.
“Someone where?”
“Inside the barn. But when I called out no one answered.”
“And you didn't get out and investigate?”
“No. I left.”
“In spite of the fact that you hadn't done what you'd come to do?”
“I got nervous.” Ray glared at me, daring me to make a crack. I managed to resist the temptation. “Who the fuck knows what was in there?”
“Maybe it was a ghost.”
“Maybe it was.” Ray sounded defensive. “The place is supposed to be haunted.”
“By who? Casper?”
“No. By this guy that got himself killed out there. They never found the body.”
“Where'd you hear that from?”
“People.”
“What people?”
Ray looked embarrassed. “I'd rather not say.”
“Fine.” I pointed to the bat-filled carton. “So how did those get into the van? Did they just materialize?”
Ray let out a short bark of a laugh. “Very funny. No. Merlin went and got them. He had to 'cause I told him I wasn't going out there no more.”
I reached out my hands. “Give me the box.”
Ray took a step back. “Merlin won't like that.”
“You're right. He won't.”
“What happens if I don't?”
“Then I'll call the police.”
“Go ahead. They won't care about some bats in a box.”
“That's true, but they will care when they find out you've been breaking into people's houses.”
Ray turned even paler. “But I never took anything.”
“It doesn't matter. It's still breaking and entering.”
“But Merlin said it would be all right,” Ray whined.
“You shouldn't believe everything Merlin says.”
“But then he's in trouble, too.”
I painted a half circle in the air with my hand. “I can see it all now. The DA asks Merlin, âDid you tell your employee to do this?' âNo,' Merlin says looking outraged. âI never would suggest anything like that.' What do you think? Does it play for you?”
In answer Ray turned around, walked over and picked up the carton. “Here,” he said, handing it to me. “I guess I'd bet ter start looking for another job now.”
“Well, Merlin never exactly did strike me as the charitable type.” I nodded toward the carton with my chin. “How many bats are in here?”
Ray shrugged. “I'm not sure. Maybe five or six.”
“Whose houses were you supposed to be putting them in?”
“Merlin was going to call me up and tell me.”
“Do you know how he gets the names?”
“I think out of the phone book.” Ray scratched his cheek. “I got a sister out in Phoenix. Maybe I should go visit her.”
“Maybe you should.”
“I hear they got lots of bugs down there.”
“Not to mention scorpions and snakes.”
Ray chewed on his cheek. “I wonder how much I'd get paid for killing them?”
“You like killing things?”
“I like killing stuff like this. It's fun watching them scurrying around trying to get away.”
“I prefer video games myself.”
Ray paused to scratch his chin. “I wonder if that's the way God feels?”
“I sincerely hope not.”
Ray grinned. “I bet he does.”
Suddenly I thought of something else. “Did Estrella know about the bats in the barn?” I asked, changing the subject to something a little less metaphysical.
The grin vanished from Ray's face. “Why?”
“I was just curious. You took her up to the house ...”
“To visit her mother ...”
“Exactly. And now her mother is gone and she's dead. It makes me wonder.”
“What are you saying?” Ray demanded.
“I'm asking what the connection is.”
“There isn't any.”
“Are you so sure? Did Estrella know Merlin?”
“I think they met a few times,” Ray stuttered.
I raised an eyebrow. “You think?”
Ray looked at the floor. “Sometimes she'd do stuff for him to earn a little extra cash.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Stuff. Like answering the phones.”
“Did she know about the bats?” I repeated.
Ray shook his head. “I don't think so.”
“Does the farm belong to Merlin?”
“Maybe. I don't know.” Ray turned his back to me. He was finished talking.
“You want my advice,” I told him as I left “Get on that bus to Phoenix.”
When I got into the cab Ray was still standing where I'd left him. I had the feeling he'd stay that way for a while.
The squeaking of the bats filled the cab as I drove over to Merlin's house. He wasn't home, so I continued on to Shirley's place. I cruised around the complex's parking lot till I spotted his car; then I drove over to Shirley's town house, parked the car out front and got out. I was humming as I rang the bell. Merlin answered the door. He didn't look pleased to see me. Shirley joined him a moment later. She looked even less happy than he did.
“You again,” she snarled.
I allowed as to how it was.
“Go away.”
“I'm afraid I can't do that.”
Standing there together in the door they reminded me of a pair of trolls guarding the bridge to the castle.
“This time I'm calling the police,” Shirley threatened. The house light was shining down, and I could see patches of scalp under her frizzy hair. “You can't come in here and bother us anytime you feel like it. That's harassment.”
“Go ahead and call,” I told her, “but I think your boyfriend here may be interested in what I have to say.”
Merlin jabbed his finger in my direction. “Nothing you say could interest me.”
“That's too bad, because I have something of yours.”
“What's that?”
“I'll show you.” I went back to the cab, got the box I'd taken from Ray, and held it out to him. “A carton full of bats.”
Merlin's eyelids began twitching so fast they looked as if they were sending out semaphore signals. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“They were in the company van. I just got them from Ray Diamond.”
“You can't hold me responsible for what that kid does,” he told me. The tics had stopped. He'd gotten hold of himself again.
“He said he got them from you.”
Merlin made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “The kid smokes too much dope. He's delusional.”
“I wonder if the DA will think that.”
“The DA won't believe anything that kid says. He's got a record. I was being a nice guy hiring him.” Merlin's smile was smug. He did smug well.
“Tell me, do you own the farm or do you just trespass when you get the bats?”
“Screw you.”
“I can find out easily enough,” I told Merlin while I watched Shirley out of the corner of my eye to see what her reaction was.
She looked confused. “Sweetie,” she asked him, “what's this all about?”
“Nothing. It's about nothing. She”âhe pointed to meâ“is making a big deal about nothing.”
“Why don't you tell her what you're doing,” I urged.
“Tell me what?” Shirley asked. Her eyes were bright with worry.
Merlin nodded toward me. “Don't pay any attention to her. She's crazy.”
I turned to Shirley. “Your boyfriend has been having his help break into people's homes and put bats in them. Then he comes and charges them about a thousand dollars to bat proof their house.”
Merlin shrugged. “You got a complaint, take it up with the Better Business Bureau. Don't bother me with it.”
I leaned forward. “Tell me, did Marsha find out about what you were doing? Did she try and blackmail you?”
Merlin sniggered. “Blackmail me for something like this? Don't be stupid.”
He was right. What he was engaged in was penny-ante stuff, really not worth anybody's while. But then I thought of the papers Marsha had found, the ones she'd wanted to show me. Those could be a different matter. “Actually I was thinking more of the second set of books you've been keeping,” I said, playing a hunch.
Merlin's eyelids twitched again and I knew I'd hit home.
Shirley looked at him with consternation. “You haven't been doing anything like that, have you?” she asked anxiously. “You told me Marsha wasâ”
Merlin turned on her before she could say anything else. “Keep your yap shut,” he snarled.
“You said she was lying,” Shirley bleated.
“I told you to shut the fuck up.” He raised his hand to hit her.
Shirley flinched in anticipation of the blow to come. Evidently the two of them had played this scene before. Why wasn't I surprised?
“Don't do it,” I warned Merlin.
He whirled around and faced me. His lips were pulled back, showing his teeth. I was thinking he needed to see a good dentist when the blow came. I caught his wrist in midair.
“I'm just going to say this once,” I told him. “I'm not Shirley and I'm not Marsha. Hit me and I'll hurt you.”
We stood there locked together, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Shirley tugging on Merlin's shirt.