Unnatural Acts (22 page)

“That’s because they’re wireless—we didn’t have to hide a lot of wiring.” He pointed. “You’ve got four cameras in here, one at roughly each corner of the living room. Nothing can happen here that we can’t see.” He led them into the bedroom. “We’ve got one in the light fixture here and one in that basket on the chest of drawers.”

“Don’t worry,” Rosie said, “we’re not going to get this far.”

The techie shrugged. “Whatever. Each camera has a microphone, too. We’ll be in the second bedroom, down the hall. There’s a lock on the door, so he won’t walk in on us by mistake. When are you guys going to start the ball rolling?”

“You may not have noticed this, Albie,” Viv said, “but we’re not guys.”

“I hope your mark notices that,” Albie said. He handed Rosie a wristwatch. “I’ve only got one of these, so you’ll have to decide who wears it.”

“What does it do?” Viv asked.

“Two things: it’s got a GPS chip, so if we should lose you in the street, we can still keep track, and if you press the stem, it’s a panic button. It sets off an alarm that flares your location on the screen and buzzes loud, in case somebody’s in the john.”

“You’re going to have two cops in there with you, so don’t all go to the john at the same time,” Rosie said.

VIV AND ROSIE
sat in an unmarked car on West Forty-fourth Street and watched the entrance to the building that housed the Bright Lights, Ink, agency. It was raining. Viv’s cell rang. “DeCarlo.”

“It’s Bacchetti. I see you on West Forty-fourth on my laptop screen.”

“Shall I wave?” Viv asked.

“Just watch your ass,” Dino said. “I’m not up for wearing my uniform to your funeral.”

“Don’t worry, Lieutenant, there’ll be three guys in the second bedroom, and when one of us is in the apartment with him, the other will be outside the door with a key. What could go wrong?”

“Are you armed?”

“One of us will be. If the one in the apartment is packing, it might be a tip-off. And Albie gave us a panic button, and the one who’s doing the tailing will have the radio.”

“I’ll feel a lot better when this is over,” Dino said. “Be careful, Viv, goddammit!” He hung up.

“I think Dino cares,” Rosie said. “About you, I mean.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“He didn’t tell
me
to be careful.”

“That’s because he wasn’t talking to you.”

“He didn’t call me, either.”

“He couldn’t call both of us at the same time.”

“I’ve seen him watching your ass,” Rosie said. “Believe me, he wants your body.”

“Rosie, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to shoot you, I swear to God!”

“You’re not going to have time to shoot me,” Rosie said.

“What?”

“There’s our boy.”

Ed Abney came out of his office building, wearing a tan raincoat and a black hat, and hurried up West Forty-fourth, hunching his shoulders against the rain. It was a little before seven.

“He’s headed for Sardi’s, I bet,” Rosie said.

“That’s the intel we’ve got on him. He’s old-school Broadway.”

Abney turned into the restaurant, and they could see him taking off his raincoat.

“Let’s go,” Viv said. She started the car and drove slowly to within a few yards of Sardi’s’ door, then she flipped down the sun visor, which had an official-looking card attached to it, reading Physician On Call.

The two women got out of the car and hurried into Sardi’s in time to see Abney walking up the steps to the upstairs bar. They checked their coats and followed.

“You got our story straight?” Viv asked.

“We’re two girls fresh off the farm who want to be on the stage, right?”

“I don’t know why I partner with you.”

They climbed the steps, then stopped, looking around. Abney was talking with the bartender. A headwaiter appeared and told the couple sitting next to him that their table was ready.

“Lucky so far,” Rosie said. They hurried to grab the seats.

Abney was served a martini as they sat down, and he took due notice of them. “Good evening, ladies,” he said, raising his glass. “Can I get you two a drink?” He was a little over six feet, heavyset with pale red hair and a smooth, pink complexion, maybe fifty.

“Thank you, I’ll have a Tom Collins,” said Rosie, who was sitting next to him.

Abney turned to the bartender. “Eddie, is there still such a thing as a Tom Collins in the world?”

“There is,” Eddie replied, then went to work.

“And you?” he said to Viv.

“I’ll have a vodka martini, straight up,” she said.

“Eddie? You heard that?”

“I did.”

“Only one of them is from the sticks.” Abney laughed at his own joke.

“We’re both from the sticks,” Viv said. “Cleveland.”

“Ah, Cleveland,” Abney said.

“Don’t say it like that,” Rosie said. “It’s not nice.”

“No insult intended,” Abney said. “I haven’t been there for twenty years. I stage-managed a national tour of
Charley
’
s Aunt
, and we played a week there.”

“Oh, you’re in show business?” Viv asked.

“My dear, you’re looking at the hottest press agent in the Big Apple.”

“Wow,” Rosie said without irony. “You must know a lot of show business people.”

“I’m afraid that, in my trade, I’m not able to avoid that.” He was listening to Rosie, but he was looking at Viv. “I’m Ed,” he said.

“This is Rosie, and I’m Viv.”

“Short for Vivian?”

“You’re psychic.”

Abney laughed. “I like you,” he said.

“Then let’s switch seats,” Rosie said, hopping off her stool. Viv moved over and gave her a glare when her back was turned to Abney.

“Anybody hungry?” Abney asked.

“I’ve got a date,” Rosie said, “but Viv is free.”

“Rosie!”

“Viv, I know an excellent French restaurant over on the East Side, and my car is waiting outside.”

“What’s wrong with eating here?” Viv asked.

“The food isn’t so hot,” Abney said. “Trust me on this.”

Rosie tossed off her drink and got off her stool. “I gotta run,” she said. “You two kids have a good time.” She kissed Viv on the cheek and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.” She stopped, took off the alarm wristwatch, and handed it to Viv. “Thanks for the loan of your watch. I’d have been late!”

Viv buckled the watch onto her wrist.

“Another martini before we go?” Abney asked.

“Not on your life. One’s my limit before dinner. It’s nice that you’ve got a car—it’s nasty out tonight.”

“Well, let’s get started with the evening,” Abney said. He signed their check, and they went downstairs and got their coats.

“Right this way,” Abney said, opening the door for her.

A black Lincoln sat idling at the curb, and a driver in a black raincoat opened the door for them.

“Antoine’s, please, Ricardo,” Abney said, resting his hand on Viv’s knee.

Her impulse was to break his wrist, but Viv sat still for it.

ROSIE WAS
at the wheel of the squad car, staying a little back from the black Lincoln, when the radio on the seat beside her came alive. “Viv? It’s Bacchetti.”

She picked it up. “It’s Rosie, Lieutenant. Abney went for Viv, no surprise.”

“Where is she?”

“In a chauffeured town car just ahead of me, going to a restaurant called Antoine’s.”

“Restaurant? That wasn’t part of the deal!”

“I guess our man feels that he owes a girl a good dinner before molesting her.”

“She won’t be safe.”

“Relax, boss, it’s a public restaurant.”

“I want you inside, where you can see them.”

“I can’t do that. He already knows what I look like, and I told him I had a date when I left Sardi’s.”

“Then you’ll be on them when they leave for the apartment.”

“I will, boss, don’t worry.”

VIV WALKED
into Antoine’s with Abney and looked around.
It must be good
, she thought,
because it’s packed.
“Looks like we’re not going to get a table,” she said.

“Not to worry,” Abney said, as a headwaiter approached.

“Good evening, Mr. Abney,” the man said. “Your usual table is ready upstairs.”

Abney took Viv’s arm and steered her toward the stairs. “It’s nicer up there,” he said.

“I need the ladies’ room,” Viv said, not sure what to do.

“There’s one upstairs.”

At the top of the stairs they turned left, and she could see a room ahead. They walked into it, and it seemed to be a comfortable sitting room. Their table had been set at the center, and behind it was a large sofa.
Uh-oh
, she thought. “And where is the ladies’?”

“Just over there,” Abney said, pointing at a door.

Viv let herself into the powder room and locked the door behind her. She fished her cell phone out of her bag and pressed the speed dial button for Rosie’s phone. Nothing happened. “No signal,” Viv muttered to herself. She stood on the toilet. Still no signal. No part of the small room would produce one. Well, she thought, she still had the panic button on her wristwatch. She peed, flushed the toilet, then looked at herself in the mirror.

“You dead in there?” Abney shouted.

Viv opened the door. Abney had opened a bottle of champagne and was holding out a flute to her.

“To new friends,” Abney said. He sipped from his glass, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Viv tried not to flinch. “I’m starved,” she said. She reached for her cell phone. “Mind if I make a quick call?”

“It won’t work here,” Abney said. “Antoine has the place electronically blocked. He hates cell phones.”

“Well, I guess that makes for a quieter dinner,” she said, wondering if it would block the panic button, too.

“Have a seat,” Abney said. “I’ve already ordered for us.”

“How nice of you,” Viv said as he pushed her chair under her.

Dinner was three courses, and it was good. Abney kept filling her champagne glass.

“So, Viv, what brings you to the big city?”

“Just a vacation,” she replied. “A friend of mine lent me her very nice apartment while she’s on a European vacation.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It is. I’ll give you a nightcap there when we’ve finished dinner.”

“Maybe,” Abney replied.

She had thought that he would jump at the opportunity. Maybe this was going nowhere.

THEY FINISHED DESSERT
, and Viv began to wonder if she had drunk too much. “You have a heavy hand with the champagne,” she managed to say, but she slurred her words.

“You’ve had only one glass,” Abney replied. “And half a martini at Sardi’s.”

“Then why am I so …” She couldn’t seem to get the words out.

Abney got up, took her by her left wrist, and led her toward the sofa. “Let’s get comfortable,” he said, then he pushed her arm behind her, pulled her to him, and planted a big kiss on her lips, grinding his crotch into hers.

Viv could stand up, but she didn’t seem able to resist him. Then she felt a hand under her dress, and, in one strong motion, Abney ripped off her panties. She tried to protest, but the words wouldn’t come. Then she was on her back on the sofa. He kept the grip on her left wrist, over the watch, and undid his trousers with the other hand. Viv’s right hand was pinned under her own body, and she couldn’t get it out. She wanted to scream.

IN THE CAR
, Rosie got on the radio. “Lieutenant Bacchetti?”

“I’m here, Rosie. What’s happening?”

“They’ve been in there a long time. Have you got a male detective nearby? I want to go in, but I ought to be with a date, in case Abney sees me. I don’t want to blow this.”

“I’m two blocks away, in my car, and I’m on the way.”

“I read you,” she said.

VIV’S ANKLES
were over Abney’s shoulders, now, and he was fumbling to get inside her. She made a monumental effort to move and managed to get one foot against his shoulder and push.

“Hold still!” Abney snarled. “Don’t worry, you’re going to enjoy it.” His face was flushed, and he was breathing hard.

Viv started to struggle again, and he put his free arm across her throat and pressed hard. She couldn’t breathe, and she thought she felt something in her throat snap. Then she passed out.

ABNEY FELT
her go limp. “Shit!” he said aloud. He didn’t want a rag doll; he liked the resistance. Then he froze. She wasn’t moving,
didn’t seem to be breathing, either. He reached for her throat to get a pulse and found nothing. Swearing, he got up and pulled up his trousers, then went to the rear door of the room and looked down the stairs. It was clear.

He went back to the table, slung her handbag over his arm, then went to the sofa, pulled her up into a fireman’s carry, and left through the back door, down the stairs to the alley.

DINO PULLED UP
, and Rosie was out of the car, waiting for him.

“Let’s go,” Dino said.

“Don’t rush,” she said. “We don’t want to call attention to ourselves.”