Muller, Marcia - [10] The Shape of Dread (v1.0) (html) by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Format: epub
Tags: Literature&Fiction
ISBN: urn:uuid:123456
Published: 2012-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

"According to Larkey, Mclntyre worked at the club the night that Kostakos disappeared. She was scheduled to have Friday and Saturday off that week, and they're not open Sundays, so her next shift was Monday night. She never showed, never picked up her last check. In my book that's a big coincidence… Sharon, are you listening to me?"

I was, but with only half my attention. The rest of it was turned inward, focused on Marc Emmons. I'd called Detective Gurski that morning and relayed the information about Harbour's visit to the cottage and Emmons's counseling her not to go to the authorities. Gurski had said he'd request the SFPD to pick them up and hold them for questioning. But when I'd called him again after returning from San Quentin and told him Tracy might have been on her way to Emmons's apartment the night she disappeared, he said neither had been located yet. That probably meant I'd panicked them into running, and I was now regretting my poor handling of the situation.

In response to Rae's plaintive query I said, "A big coincidence. You're right. Did anyone at the club make an attempt to locate Mclntyre?"

"Larkey got worried and sent his partner's wife around to her apartment later that week, but she'd vanished."

I'd been turned toward the bay window of my office, watching dusk fall over the monotonous expanse of the Outer Mission district, but now I swiveled to face Rae. She was pacing on the old oriental carpet, following its geometric pattern in precise steps. She often did that when we talked about a case; I assumed it was her way of slowing down and ordering thoughts that were frequently rapid-fire and chaotic.

"What do you mean, 'vanished'?" I asked. "Had she moved out?"

"Apparently. Most of her stuff was gone. The manager told Kathy Soriano that she didn't give advance notice and nobody saw her go."

"Interesting. The police should have been told about that. I want you to look into it more thoroughly. Talk to the manager, and to Kathy. Were you able to get any leads on where Mclntyre went?"

"No. There's not much to go on. She'd recently moved here from out of state—she was originally from Oklahoma, Larkey thought—and hadn't bothered to get a California driver's license. I got the impression he wasn't too surprised by her just up and going. He said a lot of would-be comedians drift from place to place."

"Mclntyre wanted to be a comedian?"

"That's what he implied."

"Well, keep on it."

"Sure. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment." I glanced at the silent phone, then at my watch. A few minutes before five. Gurski hadn't yet received confirmation that the remains I'd found were Tracy's when I'd talked with him earlier; he'd said he'd call me as soon as he heard. When I'd phoned George, I'd gotten his answering machine. Wait for the beep; So-and-so will get back to you. That, and doorbells ringing in empty residences: sometimes it seemed they were all my days consisted of.

Rae had stopped on the central block of the rug's pattern and was looking hesitantly at me.

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