Ken Kuhlken_Hickey Family Mystery 02 by The Venus Deal

Author:The Venus Deal [Deal, The Venus]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General
ISBN: 9780312089184
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Published: 1993-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Hickey left the girl at Rudy’s, having charged Leo to keep her away from any silver limos. He left his Chevy in the lot behind Rudy’s, hustled the four blocks to his and Leo’s office. Amid the litter on his desk was the itinerary for Venus and the master, which he’d gotten from Katherine at the Black Forest.

Tonight they were due to arrive in Denver. Tomorrow evening they’d lecture. Hickey made a few calls, learned that commercial flights to Denver left at 6:50 every morning. Tomorrow’s was booked full, as was every other flight through January 5. No Katoulis or any other Greek name appeared on tomorrow’s boarding list.

Hickey phoned Rudy’s, asked Phil if Castillo’d come in yet. Phil said no. Hickey asked him to page an army colonel named Creaser, a regular, who by this time of night was merry enough so he might’ve loaned out an airplane if anybody’d asked. All Hickey sought was a lift to Denver. Creaser told him the fellow to call, said to drop his name. Ten minutes later Hickey was booked on a military hop to Lowry Army Air Force Base, departing at 2:30 A.M.

He stuffed the change of clothes he kept at the office into an overnight bag, along with shaving gear, Cynthia’s ledgers, and two guns, a Browning .45 automatic revolver and a Smith & Wesson .38. Finally, at 11:25—with hands sweating like those of a fat guy drinking beer at noon, in August, in the Sahara—he called Madeline.

If she answered, he didn’t know whether he’d bawl her out or sigh and murmur how he loved her. After seven rings Elizabeth picked up the phone and yawned into it. “’Lo?”

“Sorry to wake you, babe.”

“Hi, dad.”

“Your mom ever come home?”

“No, I guess she’s still at the club.” She yawned again. “Why don’t you call her there?”

Swell, Hickey thought. If he caught her there, fearing she was with Castillo, he probably couldn’t smother his anger any longer. He’d snarl the wrong words, and she’d snap. He’d yell. Then she’d march back to Castillo with another excuse to ignore her conscience, if she still had one. If all she’d done with Castillo so far was flirt and pal around, now, in spite, she’d lead him to the honeymoon suite. Or so Hickey would imagine and fret over, squandering his concentration, while he took off after Donny Katoulis, a mission about as safe as trying to infiltrate the Gestapo.

“Babe,” he said, “I’m going somewhere, probably won’t be able to call until late tomorrow night.” If ever, he mused. “When I get back, this job’s gonna be over. Ask your mom to make reservations at the Cedar Cove Lodge in Arrowhead. See if she can get one of the cabins with a fireplace, two bedrooms, no phone. Tell her…” His throat felt clogged with a thick, steamy vapor, on account of the thought that had gripped him—he might be speaking his last words to his daughter, giving his last message to Madeline.

“Dad? You there?”

“Sure. Tell her I see what went wrong.

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