Tonight I Said Goodbye

Author:Michael Koryta [Koryta, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Private Investigators
ISBN: 9781429906210
Google: PAyc9KH3QCcC
Amazon: B001JJWI56
Barnesnoble: B001JJWI56
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2004-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

WE STAYED on the balcony for another hour, but I could tell she was fatigued, so around midnight I told her I would leave so she could sleep. She stopped me at the door, though, and asked me to sleep on the couch.

“I can stay,” I said, surprised by the request but not unhappy. I’d had a slight fear I might wake up in the morning to find they’d checked out of the hotel and disappeared. Then I’d get the pleasure of calling Joe. Yeah, good news, Pritchard. I found Julie and Betsy Weston. Where are they? Well, um, that’s a good question. You see, they kind of slipped away while I was asleep.

I told Julie I’d be right back, and then I went down to my own room. It was nice to have a moment alone. It had been only a few hours since I’d left, but it seemed as if it had been days. I closed the door to the balcony and then found my bag. The Glock was inside with a full clip and one spare. I checked the load in the gun and put it back in the bag. It was a Glock 26, known as a “Baby Glock” because of its short barrel, but still outfitted with a ten-shot clip. The gun was small enough to conceal easily in a spine holster and powerful enough to do some serious damage in a short amount of time. It was the first handgun I’d ever bought. An old friend now. I had no reason to believe I was going to need a weapon, but I still felt better knowing it was there. The last man who had tried to help Julie Weston was Randy Hartwick, and I’d watched him die in front of me. Before that, someone had killed her husband. I had no desire to repeat the pattern.

Before going back upstairs, I used my cell phone to call Joe again. This time, I called him at home, knowing he would be there, likely asleep. Joe didn’t have an answering machine, and the phone rang eight times without being picked up. I let it keep going, though, trusting he’d be pissed off enough to get it eventually.

“Hello?” He finally answered, and he definitely sounded unhappy.

“Greetings from the beautiful beaches of South Carolina,” I said. “Are we having an enjoyable evening, Mr. Pritchard?”

“What the hell do you want?” Testy.

“I found Julie and Betsy Weston. They’re here in the hotel where Hartwick worked. I just spent the last two hours talking to Julie.” I could hear him take in his breath sharply, but he didn’t speak.

I summarized everything Julie had told me, but I didn’t mention she had the murder tape. When he spoke again, he was wide awake and all the irritation was gone from his voice.

“When did he shoot the tape of the murder?”

“I don’t know.”

“Does she?”

“Maybe. I didn’t ask.”

“Ask.”

“All right.”

He exhaled loudly. “Nice work, Lincoln. I guess the case is closed, eh?”

“I guess so,” I said slowly.

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