Bill Pronzini: Scenarios

She asked me to go over again, in detail, what had happened earlier. When I was done, she said, "So Kennett didn't go around to the opposite catwalk before he went downstairs. That means he couldn't have hidden the disc in his own office."

"Right."

"And you had him in sight the whole time, except for those few seconds in the crowd. How many seconds, would you say?"

"No more than fifteen. That's probably when he got rid of the disc. First thing that occurs to me is that he passed it to someone else."

"Not likely. This feels like a one-man operation to me."

"Besides," Ted said, "I know all the other people at Chandler amp; Santos. He's the only one I wouldn't trust."

"Let's eliminate one other unlikely possibility," I said. "That Kennett hid the disc somewhere in here before I came in. The old purloined letter trick."

McCone shook her head. "He didn't expect to get caught and he'd be a fool to risk sneaking into my office another time. He had to've had it on him when he left."

"Okay. Next thing is whether he had any chance at all to hide it while I had him in sight. I'd say no, but I can't be a hundred percent certain. He did walk close to the railing all the way to the stairs. It's remotely possible he slipped the disc in among the decorations."

"I doubt it. All the ones on this side are ours, so again, he couldn't be sure of getting his hands on it later. Ted, go check and make sure."

As Ted went out, I said, "Something else I just remembered. Kennett had one hand in his pocket when I surprised him. It was still in his pocket on the catwalk, on the stairs, and when I lost sight of him. But when I picked him up again, the hand was out-he made a gesture with it when he joined the group by the trophy. That's another point in favor of a hiding place somewhere on the pier floor."

"Did he turn straight into the crowd when he came off the stairs?"

"Hard left turn, yeah."

"That means he passed right by the Model T Ford display."

"Good possibility. And right next to the Ford..

Charlotte Keim said, "The ecological nonprofit display."

"Also possible. Among the branches of one of the fir trees."

"The only problem with that is, the way the little forest is set up, he'd have had to go into the display itself. That would be inviting attention."

"Have a look anyway."

Ted came in just then, shaking his head. "Nothing among the galactic decorations."

"Check the Model T next. Inside and out."

Neal said, "I'll go with him."

The three of them left together. I said to Kerry, "You also lost sight of Kennett for a time. Where was he when you spotted him again?"

"Over by Santa's Village, on his way toward the loving cup.,

"The village is too small to hide anything," Sharon said, "even something as small as a computer disc."

"What about the cup? If it's hollow, he could've dropped it inside."

"It's hollow, but Kennett isn't very tall and the way the cup sits on the pedestal, he'd've had to stretch up on his toes. Too conspicuous. People would've noticed and wondered."

"Then it's got to be either the Model T or the fir trees."

But it was neither one. We waited restlessly until first Charlotte and then Ted and Neal returned empty-handed. Neal said, "I even got down on my hands and knees and checked underneath the car, just in case. You should've seen the looks I got."

I'd been ruminating. Now I said, "We've been going on the assumption that if I hadn't come in unexpectedly and caught him, Kennett would've kept the disc on his person until the party ended. But remember how he's dressed. If he'd had it in his pocket, as tight as those leather pants are, the outline would've showed."

"You're right," McCone said. "He wouldn't run that kind of risk. If he'd intended to keep it on him, he'd've worn looser clothing."

"Which means he planned to hide it all along. Someplace he'd picked out in advance, someplace he'd be sure to have easy access to later." I looked at Kerry. "You said Kennett was walking by Santa's Village. Straight past it toward the trophy?"

"… Come to think of it, no. He was moving at an angle."

"From which direction, left or right?"

"Right. An angle from the right."

"So he didn't go more or less on a straight line through the crowd. He veered off to the right first, then veered back again."

"The bar and buffet are in the center, but farther back. What else is over that way?"

"Nothing, except-"

Mick said, "Home for the Holidays."

I said, "Be generous."

Ted said, "And this year it's Chandler amp; Santos' turn to disperse the donations."

McCone said, "That's it! That's where the disc has to be."

That was where, all right. Kennett's unfunny private joke, his own personal donation to the homeless. Right through that little slot into the Season of Sharing Fund barrel as he passed by.

McCone

I wanted to go straight down and retrieve the disc, but Wolf persuaded me not to. This was a highly sensitive matter, and it wouldn't do to bring it to the attention of everyone in the pier. In the end I sent Ted, Charlotte and Neal out to keep an eye on Kennett, and Wolf, Kerry, and I settled down to wait till the end of the party.

The minutes, and then the hours, dragged by. Kerry went downstairs to fetch us food from the buffet, but after nibbling on a canape, I pushed my portion aside and let Wolf finish it off. He is one of the calmest men I know in tense situations, patiently waiting it out until the proper time to take action. He once told me how he chafes while on long surveillances, but from his manner that night I never would have guessed it. Of course, the current situation had given him the perfect excuse not to mingle with the crowd..

Neal stuck his head through the door at a few minutes after eleven. "The pier's locked down and the clean-up crews're assembling."

Downstairs, party wreckage was everywhere: dirty plates and glasses, a sprinkling of confetti, balled up napkins, spills and splotches. The decorations-even Santa's Village, next to which the trophy sat-looked as tired as the people who had volunteered to remain to deal with the mess. I spotted Nat Chandler and Harvey Santos, partners in the architectural firm, hauling a barrel full of canned goods up the stairs to their offices. Tony Kennett wasn't in sight.

Mick was leaning casually on the cash-donations barrel-standing guard without being too obvious about it. I went over to him, asked, "Where's Kennett?"

"He went up to Chandler amp; Santos' offices about ten minutes ago. Probably waiting inside, planning to liberate the disc after the partners lock up and go home."

Nat and Harvey were coming back downstairs now. I signaled to them.

"I want you to witness this," I said when they came over.

Wolf lifted the slotted lid of the barrel. It was three-quarters full of cash, coins, and checks. I plunged my hand into the donations and felt around.

"What're you doing?" Harvey asked.

"You'll see."

My fingers touched a flat, round object encased in a thin plastic pouch. "Got it!" I said to Wolf and pulled it from the barrel.

As Nat and Harvey exchanged puzzled glances, I looked up at the catwalk in front of their offices. Kennett stood at the rail watching us. I held up the disc. Even at that distance I could see his shoulders sag and his face crumple.

"WOLF"

A fter the police had been summoned and Tony Kennett hauled off to jail, McCone invited her staff and Neal and Kerry and me back up to her office for a celebratory libation. I'd forgotten all about my Christmas present, which Sharon had slipped into a desk drawer during our earlier session. But she and the others hadn't forgotten. She brought the package out and handed it to me with a little flourish.

"With thanks and love from all of us," she said.