Dead Man

“Where are the bonds?”

“Last I heard, in a bus depot coin locker.”

“I have a man at the bus depot.”

Dain gave a short, harsh laugh. “He won’t stop her.” Sudden anger entered his eyes. “A man at the bus depot, huh? You killed Zimmer, made it look like a suicide!” He stood up so abruptly that Nicky’s arm jerked up the gun. “You asshole! You had to come sucking around. Who tipped you off anyway? I’d have had your goddam bonds for you this afternoon, with nobody dead.”

“I don’t believe you,” said Maxton. “Zimmer told me that you and Vangie—”

Dain scooped up the leather-covered Tibetan Book of the Dead from the bedside table and tossed it at Maxton. Maxton caught it, leafed through it, nonplussed.

“There’s nothing in here. What—”

“Exactly.”

Dain was throwing back the covers to show the empty bed. He lifted the mattress to show nothing was under it. Jerked the slips off the pillows to show only pillows were inside. Ran his fingers around the pillow stitching to show they were untouched. Maxton was spluttering.

“What are you...”

But Dain was undressing with the same maniacal speed, throwing each item of clothing in the direction of Nicky. When he was nude, he jumped into the bed and pulled up the sheet.

“I’m going to sleep,” he said. “You do what you want.”

Maxton’s face had suffused with rage. There was also anticipation in his gaze. “Nicky, teach him some manners.”

Dain sat up abruptly under the sheet when Nicky started forward. Dain’s eyes were very cold and very steady.

“Not unless you want one of us dead.”

Their eyes locked, Maxton suddenly realized that Dain’s bone-deep despair was more dangerous than any bluster by men trying to mask their fears. He spoke in a strangled voice.

“That’s all right, Nicky. Just search the room.”

Dain lay back down, turned his back, pulled up the sheet. Maxton moved up between the beds and sat down heavily on the one still made. He had already realized the search was going to turn up nothing.

“You should have told me you were so close.”

“I knew if I did, you’d come busting down and fuck it up. Which you did anyway. How did you know where they were?”

The second bug on Farnsworth’s phone? Dain wanted to lay that question to rest. But Maxton ignored it again.

“My goddamned wife isn’t going to wait much longer, you know!” he said aggrievedly.

“Kill her, you’re good at that.”

“She left a letter with her lawyer.”