Linwood Barclay - Stone Rain

“Katie,” I said, moving toward her and going down on one knee. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

She half-nodded. I put my hands on her shoulders, and she tensed. I pulled them away. “It’s going to be okay,” I told her, but they were only words. If she was here, with Gary Merker and Leo Edgars, there was no way that things were okay.

I looked up at Merker. “What the hell’s going on?”

“You didn’t think her mother would just give us the money, did you?” he asked. “We need a bit of leverage.”

“Are we almost done here, Gary?” Leo asked. “I could really use a bite.”

“Leo, fuck’s sake, I got a situation to deal with here,” Gary said.

Leo, somewhat dimly, took in everyone else present. His eyes bounced off Mrs. Gorkin and then her two daughters. Ludmilla stepped forward, extended a hand. “Hi,” she said, smiling. “I’m Ludmilla. Aren’t you a handsome one?”

Maybe, to someone like Ludmilla, Leo was a prize specimen. Gavrilla insinuated herself between Leo and her sister, extending her hand as well. “I’m Gavrilla, Ludmilla’s younger sister,” she said. By what? Fifteen seconds? Five minutes?

“Hi,” Leo said. “What’s going on, Gary?”

“I’m gonna need you and the kid to stay here with one of the girls while this guy”-he waved his stun gun in my direction-“helps me get that bitch’s money.”

“Why I got to stay here? I need to get something to eat.”

“Fuck, Leo, would you relax? I’ve worked out a deal with the ladies here. You stay here with-which one are you?”

“Ludmilla,” said Ludmilla.

“You stay here with Ludmilla.”

“I could stay,” Gavrilla said. “Why don’t you go back to the restaurant?” she said to her sister.

“I already said I would stay,” Ludmilla said. “Didn’t I, Mom?”

Mrs. Gorkin wasn’t going to tolerate this for a minute. “Gavrilla, you come with me. Ludmilla, you stay, make sure this man stay till this man here comes back with the money. Here.” She handed Ludmilla her gun.

“Hey,” said Leo. “What’s she need a gun for?”

“To shoot you,” Gary said offhandedly. “If you try to leave before I get back with the money.”

“Oh,” said Leo.

Ludmilla took the gun and ran the barrel down the side of Leo’s arm. “Don’t worry, honey. It just keeps everyone honest.”

“I guess,” Leo said. “Why do I have to keep the kid?”

Katie had gone over to our couch, sat down. She looked ahead vacantly. I wondered whether she was in some sort of shock.

“Look at her,” Merker said. “How much trouble can she be?”

“Well, okay. How long you going to be?”

“I don’t know. That depends on shithead here,” he said, pointing at me. “You gotta get us into that jail to see what’s-her-face. You know her as Trixie, right?”

“Yes,” I said.

“So start setting it up.”

“How on earth am I supposed to do that?”

Merker shrugged. “Maybe you should figure something out. If you can’t, we can always have some fun with the kid.”

I swallowed. “Let me think,” I said. Trixie had mentioned the name of her lawyer when she’d been arrested at the Bennet farmhouse. I closed my eyes, tried to think of it. It had something to do with a dog. Something dogs do. Not bite, not sniff, not-

Wag. Wagland. Niles Wagland.

“I have an idea,” I said. “I can call her lawyer. Maybe he can get me in. Let me go check on the computer, I can probably find an office number online-” I stopped myself. “No.”

“What?” asked Merker. “What do you mean, no?”

I tilted my head toward Mrs. Gorkin. “She kind of disabled my computer.”

“What the fuck did you do that for?” Merker asked her.

Mrs. Gorkin, untroubled by Merker’s attacks, shrugged. “Computer was bad.”

“I can check the phone book,” I said. Merker followed me into the kitchen, where I pulled a thick Yellow Pages out of a cupboard below the phone. I thumbed through the pages until I found dozens of pages for law offices.

“Hurry up,” said Merker.

“Just give me a second,” I said. Not taking my eyes off the pages, I asked him, “What about Katie’s folks? The Bennets? Do they know you have her? They must be worried sick about her. You should at least call them. Let me call them. Let me tell them that she’s okay.”

When Merker said nothing, I looked at him. He grinned. “Be kind of hard to reach them now,” he said.

A chill ran through me. “What are you saying?” I asked quietly.

“I’m just saying, they ain’t taking calls anymore.”

“They’re dead? Are you saying they’re dead?”

Merker’s grin disappeared and he leaned in to me, putting his mouth close to my ear. “The kid’ll be joining them, and you too, if you don’t find this fucking lawyer and get in to see her.”

I turned my eyes back to the phone book, and found my hand shaking as I turned the pages. I needed to pull myself together. I was unable to focus. I blinked a couple of times, gave my head a shake.

I could find no listing for Niles Wagland.

“I’m going to have to call information for Oakwood,” I said. “Her lawyer may be out there. It only makes sense she’d pick one in her own town.”

“Just don’t do anything funny,” he said.

I picked up the phone, dialed, got a number for a Wagland law office in Oakwood. Once I had the number, I punched it in, and a woman answered on the fourth ring.

“I need to speak to Mr. Wagland,” I said.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Wagland is in a meeting. Who’s calling?”

“My name is Zack Walker. I’m a friend of Trixie Snelling. Make that Miranda Chicoine.”

“If you’d like to leave your number, I’m sure he’ll get back to you when-”

My voice went up a notch. “This is very important. I must speak to Mr. Wagland right now.”

“I’m sure it is, Mr. Walker, but I’m sure you can understand-”

“No! Right now, you have to understand that I must speak to Mr. Wagland immediately. This is a life-or-death matter concerning his client Ms. Chicoine.”

“I see.” She paused. “Just a moment please.”

I was put on hold. “That was good,” said Merker, who’d been holding his head close enough to the receiver to listen. “You were very good.” I did not acknowledge the compliment.

A click. Then a voice. “Niles Wagland.”

“Mr. Wagland, this is Zack Walker.”

“Yes, Mr. Walker. I’m in the middle of a meeting here, but my secretary indicated your call was very urgent.”

“I need to see Trixie. Miranda.”

“Ms. Chicoine is in custody, Mr. Walker. I would have thought that you’d know that. My understanding, from speaking with her, is that you were present when she was arrested. She’s already indicated to me that if anyone asks, you were trying to persuade her to turn herself in, so I don’t think you have any cause for concern.”

“That’s not what I’m calling about. I need to see her. I don’t even know which facility she’s being held in. But I need to get in and speak with her.”

“What about?”

“It’s very important, to her.”

“I’m her attorney, Mr. Walker. Anything that concerns Ms. Chicoine you can discuss with me.”

Merker shook his head.

“I’d like to, Mr. Wagland, but I have something I must tell Ms. Chicoine, in person. If she decides to share that information with you, I guess that would be up to her.”

“This is highly irregular. And I can’t just pick up the phone and arrange for you to visit someone in a correctional facility.”

“I figured that a call from you to the facility might carry more weight than one from me. Mr. Wagland, I wish I could be more specific, but if you can’t get me in to see Trixie-Miranda-then something very, very awful might happen.”