Sue Grafton - V is for Vengeance

I made a right turn onto State and drove the half mile to Marvin’s neighborhood. I parked and trotted up the walk to his front door. I knocked and waited. Nothing. I knocked again. Still nothing. I peered in the windows along the front of the house and saw no indication that he was home. I returned to my car and drove the additional block to the Hatch, parking on the side street as I had before.

It felt odd to be walking into a bar at such an early hour on a Sunday. Apparently, others felt fine about it because the place was doing a lively business. All four television sets were turned on. The jukebox blared, and there were ten or twelve patrons congregated at the bar where Ollie, the owner, seemed to be making drinks with both hands. The air was already hazy with cigarette smoke, and I could feel my eyes cross at the notion of particulate matter settling on my clothes.

Marvin was among those gathered, talking to one of the two women who were part of his inner circle-Earldeen Somebody-or-Other, if memory served. He toted a bourbon on the rocks as dark as strong iced tea. He put a fresh cigarette between his lips and extended a light to Earldeen before he applied it to his own. I tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and when he realized it was me, his expression downshifted ever so slightly from relaxed to disengaged. “Hey. Look who’s here. What’s up?”

His tone was flat and that should have been a clue, but it went right over my head. I saw the flicker in his eyes but thought he was embarrassed I’d caught him smoking again. That’s how far off track I was.

“I’ve updated my report,” I said. “If you have a second, I’ll tell you what I’ve learned since I saw you last.”

“Yeah, well, you caught me in the middle of something, so it might be better if we talk another time,” he said. His gaze drifted to one side.

By now it was apparent he was angry about something and I realized I’d have to stop and deal with his pissy mood before I went on.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think you’d be interested. You don’t take kindly to anyone challenging your point of view.”

“Come on, Marvin. You’re obviously frosted about something. You want to fill me in?”

“Just what I said. It’s your way or the highway.”

I glanced at Earldeen, who was avidly watching the exchange. She didn’t seem perplexed by his attitude, which suggested this was something he’d discussed with her previously.

“Can we go somewhere and talk?”

“This is good enough right here.”

“Then tell me what’s happened.” In my experience, when people like Marvin get mad, it doesn’t take much coaxing before they unload.

“I’ll be happy to, as long as I’m not on the receiving end of an argument.”

“I’m not arguing,” I said argumentatively.

“Word on the grapevine has it that an ex-con was seen in the area right about the time Audrey went off the bridge. This is a guy just out of prison with dangerous associates. It’s possible she came across information that would have put him away, so he threw her over the rail.”

“What information?”

“Sorry, but I can’t say. This was told to me in confidence, so you’ll have to take my word for it. If you’ll remember, she was in jail for a couple of hours before I arrived with the bail. Speculation has it she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.”

“Such as what?”

“I already told you I can’t get into it. Point is, if she’d blown the whistle on the guy, he’d have gone back in the slammer. Might have been more to it. Cops are not above tampering with evidence. Maybe that’s what she got wind of.”

“You’re saying she was murdered because of something she found out.”

“At the station. That’s what I just said.”

“So she wasn’t affiliated with a retail-theft ring.”

“Would you quit harping on that? Right from day one, you’ve exaggerated the whole incident. She pilfered a few items. Big deal.”

“What about the booster gear?”

“There’s no proof she wore booster gear. That’s all part of the attempt to discredit her. Did you see it yourself? I doubt it.”

“Of course not. I didn’t know Audrey at that point, so how would I know anything about her underwear?”

“Just stick to the facts. Did you or did you not see booster gear? The answer is no. The entire time I knew her, did I ever see this alleged gear? No, again. Just because some cop put it in the police report doesn’t make it true.”

I stood and stared at him, processing what he’d said. I was about to remind him I hadn’t read the police report, but that was beside the point. He’d reverted to whitewashing Audrey’s character, but what had caused the shift? I glanced over at Earldeen, who’d propped her chin on her fist, fascinated by the discussion. I wanted to slap her face but thought better of it.

He said, “This is refreshing. For once, you’re at a loss for words.”

“Because what I’m hearing you say is you now believe Audrey was the victim of a conspiracy that originated with the police.”

“Makes a lot more sense to me than your theory.”

“What prompted your change of heart?”

“There’s no change of heart. I said from the get-go she was innocent. So what if she snitched a teddy? For cripes sake, that doesn’t make her a hard-core criminal.”

I shut my mouth and let him run on.

“You know what your problem is?” he asked. He pointed with his cigarette, which came perilously close to my face. “You want to believe the worst about people. Doesn’t matter to you if there’s proof or not.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You were married to a police officer accused of beating a guy to death, right?”

“I told you about that.”

“No, you did not. You mentioned you were married to a cop who was a friend of Detective Priddy’s and you said Priddy was a creep. What you didn’t say was your ex-husband was exonerated. Interesting you elected to leave that part out.”

“I don’t see the relevance.”

“You don’t? Well, think about it. You were so sure you were right, you abandoned the guy when he needed you most.” He dropped his cigarette on the floor and stepped on it.

“It didn’t happen that way,” I said.

“You can quibble all you like, but I’m close enough, am I correct?”

“Marvin, you’re trying to draw a parallel between my relationship with my ex and my belief in Audrey’s guilt. You’re saying Mickey was eventually cleared and therefore she will be too. Is that it?”

“Right. And she’s dead, same as the guy you were married to.” He looked skyward and tapped his chin like a cartoon character. “Hmmm. Let’s see. What do these two stories have in common?”

I said, “Those two situations are so different I can’t even begin to set you straight.”

“Don’t be so defensive. I’m just telling you what I was told.”

“By Len Priddy.”

“I didn’t say it was him.”

“Of course it was.”

He shrugged. “You don’t like the guy, that doesn’t mean he’s trying to do you in,” he said. “At any rate, I apologize for being rude. I should have asked why you’re here. Let me guess. You used up the balance of the retainer and you’re hoping to hit me up for more.”

“That’s true, but the game has changed, hasn’t it?” I said mildly. I was keeping my voice low because my rage was rising to a white-hot peak and I didn’t dare give vent to it.

“Oh, geez. Now you’re pissed off. I hope you’re not telling me you quit,” he said facetiously.

“Quit? No, sweetheart. I’m in this for the long haul whether you pay me or not.”