V is for Vengeance (Kinsey Millhone 22)

“Audrey’s accomplice? So far, no, and that’s what worries me. If she walks in now, she’ll spot me right off the bat. I don’t see how she could fail to recognize me.”

“That’s not a problem. She’ll sign in and by the time she sees you, her name and address will be recorded in the book. You’ll have all the relevant data you need to pursue her without further effort on your part.”

“She wouldn’t necessarily give her home address. I left that line blank myself.”

“Matters not. You’ll have her name. You can take that and run with it.”

“But she’ll have my name too. If she checks directory assistance, the only reference she’ll find is Millhone Investigations, which will give her my business address and phone number. She’s bound to figure out I’m onto her. Why else would a private detective come to Audrey’s visitation?”

“There are four women here. Five, once Marvin’s older daughter arrives. She won’t know which of you is which. And why do you care?”

“She tried to kill me.”

“I doubt she was serious. She probably saw the opportunity and acted on impulse.”

“But suppose she tells Marvin I’m a PI?”

“He already knows.”

“He does? How did that come up?”

“It didn’t. I told him outright.”

I stood and blinked at him. “William, you shouldn’t have done that. What in the world did you say?”

“I didn’t go into any detail, Kinsey. That would have been indiscreet. All I said was you watched Audrey steal hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise, after which her accomplice tried to run you down in the parking garage before she made good her escape.”

9

I arrived at my office at 9:00 the next morning, unlocked the door, and gathered up the pile of mail the postman had shoved through the slot the day before. I tossed the stack on my desk and went down the hall to the kitchenette, where I put on a pot of coffee. When the machine had gurgled to a finish, I filled my mug. I was pleased to discover the milk was still fresh when I subjected it to the sniff test. I added a dollop to my coffee. Life is good, I thought. Then I returned to my office to find Marvin Striker standing by the window, looking out at the street.

I only slopped the tiniest bit of coffee on my hand as I cycled through alarm, uneasiness, and guilt, wondering if he meant to take me to task for crashing Audrey’s visitation. I said, “Ah! Mr. Striker. I didn’t hear you come in.”

He turned to look at me with brown eyes that in happier times might have held an impish light. His smile was subdued but at least suggested he wasn’t feeling churlish. “The door was unlocked. I knocked a couple of times and then let myself in. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. You want coffee? It’s fresh.”

“I’m not much for coffee, but thank you. I’d hoped to talk to you after the service, but you were gone by then.”

“I shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I never met Audrey . . .”

“No need to apologize. William said he talked you into it. He didn’t know her either, but I appreciated his being there. He’s a good man.”

“He is,” I said. “How are you holding up? It’s been a rough few days.”

He shook his head. “The worst! I can’t believe this is happening. If you’d told me a week ago my fiancée would take a dive off a bridge, I’d have laughed in your face.”

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” I said, wincing at my choice of words. “The police haven’t made a determination yet, at least as far as I’ve heard.”

“None of this makes sense to me. Does it make sense to you?”

“Not at this point, no, but I don’t know the whole story.”

“Neither do I, which puts us in the same boat.”

I sat down at my desk, expecting him to take the chair across from me. Instead, he remained on his feet, hands in his trouser pockets. He was short and compact, wearing a navy pinstripe suit and a pale blue dress shirt. The knot in his tie had been pulled loose and the top button of his shirt was undone, as though he’d dressed properly that morning and then found himself impatient with the necessity. “You have another appointment or something? I don’t want to hold you up. I know you’re a busy lady.”

“This is fine. Take as much time as you need.”

“William said you were at Nordstrom’s when Audrey was . . . you know, picked up or whatever it’s called.”