07.09.2008 / EP. 21
Scene of the Crime
While Rao, now Lin, was checking into the Excalibur Hotel in downtown Albany,Milly brought her red Carrera GT to a squealing stop outside the Quall Building.She sat in the car to think. She’d had enough of the quiet, decorous Milly. Moreexactly, the strain of maintaining two subservient lives was eroding her energyand confidence. But did she really want to enter the public eye? The centre ofattention attracted attack. It was a maelstrom of flesh and blood, and vulnerableto betrayal. Nor could she act as whistle-blower if she led a department or gang.As she was, low-lying and deferential, Arthur or Carrie could unwittingly act asher scapegoats. Even the Governor would serve that function, in a pinch sheadmitted, because she was fond of him. It was enough to drive her Porsche anddream. Milly would keep her head down. She’d drift among the shadows. Millymeek and mild was the safe bet.
The business of government continued during the day. Milly had put in ninehours for Arthur at the legal department and left at 5:00 pm with employees thathad a home life. Two hours later she was back with a vengeance. Her Porschesteamed lightly against the curb as Milly strode from it.
There were fewer men with guns outside the building than last night. And therehad been fewer last night than the night before. The level of vigilance haddiminished. Milly, wearing a yellow plastic raincoat, was hard to ignore. Shewalked right up to the doors. The senior officer braced himself for an argument.Milly brushed past him. The next officer raised his pistol. The click soundedominously clear in the sudden stillness. Milly retreated to her car where shecursed Carrie thoroughly. The object of her loathing emerged from the buildingand conferred with a guard, who indicated Milly’s car. Carrie wandered over, inno particular hurry. The sky was clear, temperature cool. Milly rolled down thewindow. “Come with me,” Carrie said.
Milly took her cue from Carrie. They strolled into the Quall Building. Male headsswivelled as they passed. Around a corner from the security cameras, Millygathered Carrie’s hair into her fist and pulled her against a marble pillar. “Slipanything else into my coffee and you’re a dead friend. I don’t care what you dofor the Governor. Clear?” Milly smiled as she said it. Strong feelings tipped herinto RED, she guessed. Carrie appeared unimpressed, but in fact she waspuzzled. Physical force wasn’t needed for the message Milly was transmitting.Was Milly short of sleep? Milly normally was – how could Carrie put it? –emotionally abstract, rarefied, a zombie. This was a different side to the woman.Kerry was right to think she was tough. Carrie nodded. “Can we go up now?” sheasked. “We’re wasting time.” She simpered. Milly released her grip. Carriestumbled slightly, but continued toward the elevators as though nothing hadhappened. Was it contempt or indifference Milly read in her eyes? Imposture?Carrie surely could conceal what she felt. Milly couldn’t read her at all. It wouldbe a miracle, Milly thought, if Carrie understood herself. Her emotions were so helter-skelter they were off the planet. Milly felt a surge of anger that took all hereffort to contain. She had no idea of its origins. Perhaps this was how Carriealways felt. Not for the first time, Milly felt strong compassion for this womanwhose emotions and their expression were disjointed. It wouldn’t be too strong tocall them disfigured.
If I toss Milly into an emotional chip machine, thought Carrie, I’d feel better, butthe goal is to get the job done. She stood grimly beside Milly as the elevator rose.
The women seethed. But both were talking and felt better by the time theelevator reached the tenth floor. The doors opened. The guards in the lobby sawtwo beautiful women emerge. Milly attracted most attention, a tall lubriciousblonde, until the men glimpsed Carrie. They were used to seeing her. But whocould resist a smouldering dark-eyed red head? Carrie and Milly had everythingfolklore demanded: tall, short; blonde, red; full curves, agile gymnast. Thesoldiers didn’t know where to look first. So they looked away.
Milly spent that night and the next with Carrie. Together they probed innumerablecluttered desks, examined dusty souvenir pens from last year’s trip to AtlanticCity, studied the obligatory photos of husband and wife that get ripped up whenthe divorce is filed. Why would anyone bother to rob the Quall Building? Whycope with sophisticated alarms just for small change? Carrie and Milly made noheadway. The burglary was an enigma.
After the second night, exhausted, Milly took the measure of yet anothergovernment corridor, the same width and colour as the 20 before. In the corridorstretched offices that looked exactly alike. “Why bother?” Milly asked. “They’re allthe same.”
“Good coffee helps,” replied Carrie. She doubled over with laughter. As timepassed, Milly found it both easier and more difficult to cope with Carrie. Sheignored Carrie’s feelings. That made it easy. But she held her temper on a shortrein. At some point it would snap.
“I’ve tried your coffee. No thanks.”
“Get over it,” said Carrie. Tears flowed. “We had to see where you stood. You’dhave done the same. And you and I aren’t searching the building for fun. Wehave to stay ahead of the police.”
“I don’t get it. Why aren’t you cooperating?”
There was a flurry of excitement at the elevator. A tall man, lean as a fence post,wove a path through Carrie’s guards. “You can do better,” he told Carrie.Switching his gaze to Milly: “Brendan Shea,” he said. “You’re…?”
“Princess Charlotte of Monaco,” said Milly.
“Also known as…,” Brendan turned to Carrie.
Carrie: “I forget.” She twittered.
Brendan asked Milly who she worked for. Carrie put a palm against Brendan’schest and shoved. Hard. Brendan might have stepped back an inch. “She’s withme. What are you doing here?” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Anyone would think you had something to hide, Carrie. Good thing I’m notsuspicious.” He beamed an admiring smile at Milly. “You work for Carrie?”
“Not so’s you’d notice,” Milly replied.
“Good. She’s shoved a security blanket down hard and put the whole buildingunder the microscope ever since the burglary.” Brendan photoed Milly with acamera he took from a pocket. “Never leave home without it,” he patted thecamera. “Amazing how often it comes in handy.”
Not a stupid man, Milly figured. He’d get her name sooner or later and likelyknow more about her than she did. “Milly Troie,” she said.
“I like a woman who draws logical conclusions and acts on them.”
“Know any?” Milly asked. She distrusted flattery. It hung like a pall over theconversation.
“You weren’t invited to the party, Brendan.” Carrie snickered.
“Last time I looked, I had a murder file with no clues and you had a theft youweren’t reporting. In the same night, same area. The two are maybe connected,which makes you obstructing a murder investigation. Want to make astatement?”
“When you have evidence that links the two, let me know. Till then, don’t blockmy light.”
Milly stared at Carrie. She’d sounded angry, which was appropriate to thesituation and her utterance. No, it’s random, Milly thought to herself. Likemonkeys typing Shakespeare, given enough time Carrie’s words would matchthe circumstances and feelings.
“Jail time.” Brendan had blathered on. “That’s what you get for obstruction. Notyou,” he pointed at Milly. He took off his hat – beautiful hair, thought Milly – and rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe the Governor wants you to cooperate,” hetold Carrie.
“And maybe I know my job,” she answered. “I’ll cooperate if there’s a connectionbetween the murder and burglary. When you have one, come back.”
“What makes you think I don’t have one?” asked Brendan.
“You’re acting like children,” Milly snapped. “Carrie says she doesn’t knowanything. That’s a line in the sand. When she hears something, she’ll tell you orshe won’t. If you can prove she’s lying about something, you’ll tell her or youwon’t. End of story. Meanwhile go away.” Milly fluttered her hand dismissively. “Ihaven’t slept for two days and I wasn’t patient to begin with. Don’t threaten us,and we won’t tell the Governor about Albany detectives tramping through hisoffice.”
“I say you’re hiding something.”
Milly brought out a gun. “I say you’re trespassing.”
“But I don’t know what.” Brendan’s chin reached forward like the prow of adestroyer.
“Until you do, get out,” Milly said.
“If you’re doing this to help Carrie, consider her record,” Brendan added. Millynoticed that he had a 5 o’clock shadow. She, at once, began to chastise herself.Am I standing too close to him? She scoffed. Considering the man as a potentialmate? Brendan rubbed his jaw. “Count on her friendship breaking,” he said,”when you need it most.” He saluted with his index finger at his forehead,ambiguous whether out of respect or inviting Milly to reflect on what he’d said.Brendan walked to the elevator. He called over his shoulder, “If you need help,you know who to call.”
“Drop by anytime. But call first, Brendan,” Carrie shouted after him. She chortled.He’s right about one thing, thought Milly. I don’t trust Carrie. That might be theRED or insight into her true intentions. I’ll never know. Maybe nobody will.Whether I can trust Brendan is, she paused in her thinking, something elseagain.
Carrie called to her guards. “Escort this detective out the front door. If he somuch as slows down, arrest him for trespass.”
“Why all your effort here, Carrie?” Brendan asked. “If the problem is insubstantial,you wouldn’t work overtime. If it’s serious, you should disclose it. You see thedilemma I face, don’t you Milly?”
Divide and conquer, Milly thought. But as she secretly agreed with Brendan, shesaid nothing.
The elevator arrived and the guards nudged Brendan inside. Milly guessed hecould easily knock the guards unconscious if he’d wanted.
“Handsome devil, isn’t he?” said Milly. “You see his point. You have an armyhere. The police find a John Doe in the park. They see this brigade and nobody’stalking to them,” Milly stopped cold. A wry grin appeared. Carrie greeted it bysticking her tongue out. Milly: “The conflict with Brendan was a charade. Youwant the police involved, but you can’t cooperate.”
Carrie shook her head. “The dead guy we moved to the park had no ID. He waswearing good quality clothes without labels. Upper middle class or better. GQmaterial, for sure. Nothing in his pockets. Zero. No receipts, no addresses, noscraps of paper, no credit cards. Ever hear of a middle class guy without?”
“A pro,” said Milly.
“Who didn’t want to be found.”
“Or someone didn’t want him found.”
“He was on a job. The question is what job. Or he wasn’t alone and his friendtook his wallet.”
Milly rolled her eyes. “Settle down. A pro carries forged paper and a friend wouldhave no reason to take it. You’ve danced the facts around and got nowhere. Soyou dragged me into this. So I’m in.” She put her arm around Carrie’s shoulders.”You’re past exhaustion.”
“That I am.” Carrie turned the corners of her mouth down then up, which hoistedher freckles into the grim black smudges under her eyes. “I’m sorry about cartingyou away the other night. I didn’t know where you stood. My judgment was off.”
“There was a dead body in my office. How could you trust me? It pointed a fingerat me. Not just a finger, the whole hand.”
“I should have trusted my gut.”
“If your gut didn’t say I was guilty, you’re a fool. And I don’t believe that.” Millyseemed a model of forgiveness and reconciliation. Underneath, however, shewas thinking she’d not soon forget being drugged and tied to a bed. What’s thedifference between RED and what I’m doing, Milly thought. Isn’t it just lies? Theone deliberate, the other not. We pretend consciousness is important. It makes us, the voice inside our heads, seem significant. “The guy you’re looking for ishiding in plain sight,” Milly said. “Or might be. It would be the smart thing to do.I’d look at all the people around you, including me. Forget the kidnapping. Whatbulks larger is that you went after me and nobody else. Think about it. Why justme? And you felt you had to be underhanded. But that’s in the past.” Millyswayed with fatigue. Right, she said to herself. Let Carrie think it’s water underthe bridge till I have an ax in my hand and there’s nobody in sight. “I need sleep.I’ll call when I can think straight.”
Carrie scowled. “Thanks, Milly. Let me think about all this. You might be the onlyfriend I have.” Right, Milly thought impatiently. She began to walk away. Carriecontinued: “Someday I’ll do you a favour back. As to your idea, the only place Ihaven’t looked is in plain sight. And I went after you, as you quaintly describe it,because you were the last person I’d suspect. Underhand and backwards arehow the world works. Not to play that way when everybody else does is likerandom bidding in bridge: you make staggering errors.”
Milly over her shoulder: “You have to lie, cheat and steal.”
“To survive,” Carrie said.
