Дэвид Балдаччи - Walk the Wire

He didn’t head for the bedrooms upstairs. Instead he made a beeline for the laundry room. Hanging there on a peg was a bag marked “dry cleaning.”

He rummaged through it and pulled out the slacks and blouse. “We’re very lucky they haven’t been cleaned yet.”

Later, from a closet shelf, he snagged a pair of pumps off a shelf and checked the size. He nodded to himself.

Kelly said, “Now can you tell me what this is about?”

“As soon as we get these clothes analyzed, you’ll know about as much as me.”

Late that night Decker sat in the SUV in downtown London with Jamison in the passenger seat.

Jamison was shaking her head in disbelief. “It’s still mind-boggling,” she said.

He glanced at her. “You ready to do this?”

She touched her Glock. “Ready.”

The drive out took about an hour. They stopped well short of the property and made the rest of their way on foot. There was one vehicle parked out front. They recognized it. Decker went over to the car and looked at the tires, then hit the treads with his light.

“What are you looking for?” asked Jamison.

“Exactly what I found.”

The one-story farmhouse was old and badly in need of repair, but it was isolated, without another house in sight.

With Decker leading, they made their way to the barn first. The doors were unlocked. They stepped through and looked around with the aid of Decker’s tac light. Flies and mosquitoes were buzzing around, and they had to continually swat them away.

They finally spotted a door set against one wall that had an open padlock on it.

They stepped through and looked around at the straw floor.

Jamison swiped at her face where bugs were swirling. “Yuck. I think I swallowed one.”

Decker seemed unbothered by the insects. He knelt down and ran his light over the straw on the floor. “Looks like some blood there. We can get it checked later.”

“You think this was where Irene Cramer’s body was kept?”

“It would allow bugs in but no animals, so it’s a safe bet. And there would be no one around to hear her scream.”

“That’s certainly true,” said Jamison.

They searched another outbuilding that was behind the barn. Inside was a vehicle covered by a tarp. When Decker lifted it, a small Honda was revealed. “It must be Irene Cramer’s car,” said Jamison.

Before Decker could respond they heard the car approaching. As they watched from out of sight, the yellow Porsche SUV pulled up to the front of the farmhouse. Caroline Dawson got out and walked up to the door and into the farmhouse.

“Okay, that’s an unexpected development,” said Decker.

“So what do we do?”

“We go and do what we came here to do.”

Decker and Jamison crept up to the front door, and Decker whipped it open.

Standing in the front room were Caroline and Liz Southern.

“What the hell?” exclaimed Southern. “What are you doing here?”

Dawson turned around and looked at them blankly.

Decker noted the suitcase on the floor next to Southern.

“Going somewhere?”

Dawson said, “We’re going to Canada for a few days.”

“Just a few days?” said Decker, looking at Southern.

“Yes, Liz thought it would be a good idea to get away.”

“We know about you and Liz,” said Jamison.

Dawson looked taken aback. “What are you talking about. We’re just—”

Southern interjected, “What we are is none of your business. And what are you doing here?”

Decker pointed his gun at them. “We came for the truth, Liz. I think it’s time.”

Southern placed herself between Dawson and Decker. “You can’t come in here and threaten us. I’m calling the police.”

“Not to worry, I already called them” was Decker’s surprising reply.

A moment later there was a noise from outside. “And there they are. Keep them covered,” Decker said to Jamison.

He went to the door and opened it. “Come on in.”

A few moments later Joe Kelly walked through the doorway. He looked at Decker questioningly. “Why’d you want me to come out here?” But when he saw Southern and Dawson, he said, “I saw the Porsche outside. What is going on?”

Decker said, “I thought you’d like to be in on the end of this case.”

Kelly looked even more confused. “What do they have to do with any of it?”

“You mean what does she have to do with it. Well, for starters, Liz killed Maddie Dawson and Alice Pritchard.”

Kelly exclaimed, “What? No, that can’t be right. It was an accident.”

Southern snapped, “I had no cause to kill Maddie or Alice.”

“You love Caroline, and you didn’t want her to move to France. I don’t know how you managed it, but you did.”

Dawson cried out, “What the hell are you talking about?” She shot Southern a glance. “Liz, what is he talking about?”

“I wish I knew, Caroline. These allegations are ludicrous.”

“And, Caroline, with your mother gone, and your brother already dead, Liz only had your father to worry about. But then Liz had another problem.”

“What?” snapped Southern.

“Someone found out about your relationship with Caroline.”

“Your relationship?” said a shocked-looking Kelly.

Dawson shot Kelly a glance. “Yes, Joe. Liz and I have been together.”

Kelly gaped but said nothing.

“But your father didn’t know?” said Decker.

“It was none of his business. I did want to be open about my sexuality, but Liz thought we should keep it secret.”

“But you said someone found out. Who?” asked Kelly.

“Irene Cramer,” replied Decker.

“What are you talking about? How?” said Kelly, his gaze holding on Dawson.

“Liz told me that she and Caroline would sometimes hook up in the apartment above the bar. She and Caroline would leave very late at night, after the bar had closed, and go out the rear entrance. I’m betting that Cramer — who kept late hours, as we know — saw them together. And Cramer lived for a while at Dawson Towers, where Caroline has a condo. Cramer probably saw them there, too.”

Jamison said, “And that might be the reason Cramer moved. Liz might have threatened her.”

Dawson glanced sharply at Southern. “That woman at the condo building who saw us together? That was Irene Cramer? She never told us her name.”

“Maybe it was, so what?” said Southern.

Dawson looked at Decker. “We were sharing a kiss in the doorway of my condo when, I guess, this Cramer person came by. She apologized for intruding. It was no big deal.” She looked at Southern again. “I mean, it was no big deal, Liz.”

“I don’t think Cramer had a problem with it. I think the problem was all Liz’s.”

“What do you mean?” said Dawson.

Decker continued. “Cramer had gotten a note that had disturbed her. That’s what Alex was referring to: a threat from Liz. She was planning to leave town. But before she could get away Cramer was abducted. And she was held out in the barn here. But she must’ve gotten free and found something incriminating and swallowed it.” He turned to Southern. “But you saw her do that because you knew you had to get it back.” He stopped and eyed both her and Dawson’s hands where sat the pinky rings he had seen on each of them before. However, he was seeing them for the first time together .

“Your rings are identical. You two exchanged them, right?”

Dawson rubbed at the ring. “Liz got them both. There are inscriptions inside each.”

“An inscription inside them that would identify you as being a couple?”

“Something like that,” said a perplexed Dawson, while Southern remained quiet.