Dexter Is Dead (Dexter 8)

“I—I guess so,” he said. “But, Dexter—”

“Gotta go, Vince,” I said quickly, before he could take off again. “Bye!” and I hung up.

Have you ever noticed what a wonderful place the world can be sometimes, on those very rare occasions when Things behave properly and fall into place the way they should? This was just such a time, and to celebrate it with all due ceremony I got up and bought another Mighty Superbo Magnum Yum-Yum. Once again, it tasted a lot like coffee, but that was all good, too. I sipped and waited for my brother.

And mere minutes later Brian was sitting across from me and sipping a Gigundo Fantastica Triple Colossal Cosmic Miracle of his own. “You’re quite sure about this?” he asked me, wiping some whipped cream from his upper lip.

“I am,” I said. “But if I’m wrong, the worst that happens is that nobody shows up.”

He nodded, sipped again. “Well, then,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, as well as the business card that I’d kept in the same pocket. I dialed, waited three rings, and then heard, “Frank Kraunauer.”

“Dexter Morgan, Mr. Kraunauer,” I said. “I think a reporter saw me in the lobby? So I moved to a different hotel, and I wanted to let you know where I am. You know, just in case.”

“I’m sure that’s wise,” Kraunauer said. “Better safe than sorry, after all. Where are you?”

“The Galleon Hotel in South Miami, Room 1221,” I said, thinking that this was the very first time I’d heard him use any phrase as stale as that. Clearly his mind was occupied with other more important matters—like giving Dexter’s new location to his pet killers. Using a cliché wasn’t truly airtight proof of guilt in any legal sense, but it was enough for me.

“All right,” he said. “Be patient, and stay put as much as you can, right there in the room.”

“I rented a movie,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere for two hours, and then I’m going out for something to eat.”

“Terrific,” he said. “I think we’ll have some good news very soon.”

“Wonderful,” I said. “Thanks, Mr. Kraunauer.”

“You’re entirely welcome,” he said, and broke the connection.

Brian was looking at me inquisitively, so I shrugged and said, “He didn’t actually confess.”

“No, he wouldn’t.”

“But I think I’m right,” I said. “And I think it will be soon. Now if only the timing works out.”

“It’s still a bit hard to believe,” Brian said. “He has a very good reputation in certain circles.” He flashed me a quick smile. “You know, the circles I recently left behind.” He frowned at his coffee. “Why would he do this to you? A client?”

“Simple economics,” I said. “I am one case, and with a limited fee. Raul, on the other hand, represents a limitless wellspring of high-cash clients. And,” I said, “Raul would probably kill Kraunauer if he didn’t do this.”

“That can be persuasive,” Brian said.

“And since you learned about Kraunauer from your work with Raul?” I said, and Brian nodded a yes. “We know that there is already a connection. I think it’s pretty close to conclusive.”

“I suppose it is,” he said thoughtfully. He was silent for a moment. Then he sighed and shook his head. “What a world,” he said. “I guess nothing is sacred after all.”

“Only two things,” I said. “Lawyers and money.”

“Amen,” he said. “Well. What do we do next?” he asked.

“We wait,” I said. “Somewhere near the hotel, where we can see without being seen, would be best.”

“Yes,” Brian said. “With an emphasis on Not Being Seen, I think.”

The Galleon was only about a mile from the mall, and we were in place in under a half hour. We found a perfect spot half a block away, in a parking lot that was surrounded by a chain-link fence. A scraggly hedge had been planted right up against the mesh of the fence for extra privacy. It was twilight, and rush hour was starting to die down a little, and we had a clear view of the hotel’s front door through small breaks in the hedge. But no one over there could see us, not through the hedge and our windshield.

We waited, and I had a disturbing thought. “What if they use a bomb again?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Brian said. He smiled a happy little smile. “Raul is very impatient with failure. They’ll want face-to-face confirmation this time.”