Bill Pronzini - Zigzag

“Who’d he have helping him, impersonating Vok? Vinson’s the one who made the nine-one-one call.”

“What did the report say she was doing at the Erskine house at that time of night?”

“Delivering some business papers.”

“Pretty thin excuse, given that his business is in the dumper.”

“Yeah, but she still tried to save Mrs. Erskine’s life with the nine-one-one call.”

“Maybe not,” Runyon said. “Maybe she was supposed to make sure the woman was dead before making the call and misdiagnosed. Even doctors get fooled sometimes.”

“So then she could be in it with Erskine. She does the dirty work while he’s off establishing an alibi for himself, just in case.”

A clutch of frustrated anger made me say, “Dammit, I should have put this together sooner. Gone down there to see her last night instead of waiting. I might have been able to forestall what happened, convince her she was the real target.”

Runyon said, “And you might not have been able to do either. Don’t blame yourself. You were on the case less than two days — that’s little enough time to wade through misdirection and subterfuge.” The calm voice of reason, as usual with him.

“It’s still galling. I hate like hell being used.”

“Don’t we all.”

“What bites my ass,” Tamara said, “is that Erskine’s probably gonna get away with it.”

I said, “Not if I have anything to say about it. There has to be a way to expose him.”

“What way? There’s no proof.”

“None yet. Doesn’t mean we can’t find some.”

“How?”

“You could try rattling his cage a little,” Runyon said. “Let him know you’re on to him, see if you can get him to self-incriminate.”

“Pretty difficult to manage if I’m reading him right,” I said. “But it’ll do for starters.”

I rang up the Erskine home. No answer. Peter Erskine’s cell number next. Straight to voice mail. The message I left made no mention of his wife’s death; let him think I hadn’t heard about it yet. I said I had uncovered some information about Antanas Vok that he should know about and requested a callback ASAP. If he was checking his messages today, it shouldn’t be too long before I heard from him.

An idea occurred to me — a long shot but worth taking a chance on. I went into Tamara’s office, asked her to find out which fire department’s emergency response team had answered Melanie Vinson’s 911 call. And if possible, the name or names of the individuals manning the EMT units, as well as the names of the ER doctors at Peninsula General who’d attended to Marian Erskine.

Tall order, and only partially successful. No luck on IDing the ER doctors. But it was the Menlo Park Fire Protection District that served Atherton and its Station 4 had responded with an Advanced Life Support engine manned by a fireman and a licensed paramedic. Their names were also unavailable, but I ought to be able to find that out by a visit to Station 4.

It was past noon, and the office routine was wearing on me, when Peter Erskine returned my call. He said in slow, sepulchral tones, “I’m afraid I have terrible news. My wife passed away last night. Her poor heart finally gave out.”

“Yes,” I said, “I just heard. My condolences.”

“Thank you. It wasn’t unexpected — she had a severe coronary three months ago — but I’m still in shock.”

“Sure you are. She was alone at the time, I understand.”

“Yes, and I blame myself for that. I had a business dinner scheduled in Palo Alto and Marian insisted I go. She said she’d be all right, she’d keep a pistol close at hand in case that Vok crazy showed up again.”

“Did he?”

“I don’t know. How would I know? There was no sign of anyone on the grounds.” Erskine sighed heavily. “I wish to God I’d stayed home. I may have been able to save her if I’d been there when it happened.”

“Or if your assistant had gotten there a little sooner.”

“Yes. It was too late by then. Neither the paramedics nor the hospital ER doctors could do anything to revive her.”

“How did Ms. Vinson happen to come to your home?”

“Miscommunication between us,” Erskine said. “She brought some documents she’d been working on, thinking I needed them right away and that I’d be home. I completely forgot to tell her about the business dinner.”

I said, “Why did she go around to the back terrace? That’s where she found your wife, isn’t it?”

“All the lights were on and there was no answer to the bell. My dear Marian was just lying there.”

My dear Marian. Jesus. “And Ms. Vinson assumed she was already dead.”

“She couldn’t find a pulse and Marian didn’t seem to be breathing.”

“Big mistake on her part.”

“Mistake?” Pause. “No, I can’t fault her for that. She’s had no medical training, doesn’t know CPR.”

“How come the gates were open, if she wasn’t expected?”

“... The gates?”

“She couldn’t have driven onto the property otherwise. They open by remote control, so they must’ve been unlocked.”

Longer pause this time, while he manufactured an answer. “You’re right, of course,” he said when he had one. “I must have released the lock button too soon after I drove out.”

“I’d have thought you’d be more careful, under the circumstances.”

“I should’ve been, yes. But locked gates didn’t prevent that Vok lunatic from getting onto the property before.”

“So it’s a good possibility he did show up again last night. That he was the cause of your wife’s attack.”

“I suppose that’s possible. But I’m the one he’s after.”

“Maybe he changed his tactics. Went after her instead.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Could be she was a target, too. All along.”

“I don’t believe that.” Stiffly, warily now. “No.”

“In any case,” I said, “another of those sudden appearances would have terrified her. And we both know how effective a weapon fear can be. As powerful and deadly a weapon as a gun or a knife.”

No response for several beats. Then, “But we don’t know he came again last night, do we.”

“Did your wife have the pistol in her possession when Ms. Vinson found her?”

“The pistol? No, it was on the table near where she fell.”

“Fired?”

“No.” Pause. “You’ve kept all that Marian and I told you about Vok and the devil worshippers in confidence, haven’t you?”

“Of course. You didn’t tell the authorities about it, either, I take it.”

“Hardly. This is a painful enough time for me. If the media got hold of that crazy business... well, you understand.”

“All too well,” I said.

Erskine made a tight little throat-clearing sound. “Why did you call me? Something to do with your investigation?”

“That’s right. I picked up a pretty good lead. A couple of strangers showed up and cleaned out the Voks’ apartment the morning after Vok died. Creepy types, according to the building manager.”

“Members of that damned devil cult.”

“If there is a devil cult.”

“There has to be. Did you get their names?”

“Not yet. You want me to keep working on it?”

He was ready for that one. “Certainly. Why wouldn’t I? As far as I know my life is still in danger.”

“Sure it is.” Clever bastard, all right. Keep up the pretense a while longer, let me run around chasing devil cultists that had nothing to do with him, then find a way to ease me out of the picture.

“I can’t talk anymore right now,” he said. “I’m due at the funeral home to make burial arrangements.”

“One thing before you go. Whose decision was it to hire a detective, yours or your wife’s?”