Long Lost - By Harlan Coben Page 0,52

connection went through.

When I heard the faint chime of Mario's cell phone through the door-the landline had been loud; this was not-dread flooded my chest. True, it may be nothing, but most people nowadays do not travel even the shortest of distances, including bathroom visits, without the ubiquitous cell phone clipped or carried upon their person. You can bemoan this fact, but the chances that a guy working in television news would leave his cell phone behind while heading to his office seemed remote.

"Mario?" I shouted.

I started pounding on the door.

"Mario?"

I didn't expect him to answer, of course. I pressed my ear against the door again, listening for I'm not sure what-a groan maybe. A grunt. Calling out. Something.

No sound.

I wondered about my options. Not many. I reared back, lifted my heel, and kicked the door. It didn't budge.

"Steel-enforced, mate. You'll never kick it down."

I turned toward the voice. The man wore a black leather vest without any sort of shirt underneath, and sadly, he didn't have the build to pull it off. His physique, on too clear a display, managed to be both scrawny and soft. He had a cattle-ring piercing in his nose. He was balding but the little hair he had left was done up in what might be called a comb-over Mohawk. I placed his age at early fifties. It looked like he had gone out to a gay bar in 1979 and had just gotten home.

"Do you know the Contuzzis?" I asked.

The man smiled. I expected another dental nightmare, but while the rest of him might be in various stages of decay, his teeth were gleaming. "Ah," he said. "You're an American."

"Yes."

"Friends with Mario, are we?"

No reason to go into a long answer here: "Yes."

"Well, what can I tell you, mate? Normally they're a quiet couple, but you know what they say-when the wife's away, the mouse will play."

"What do you mean?"

"Had a girl in there, he did. Must have hired her out, you know what I'm saying? The music was loud too. And bloody awful. The Eagles. God, you Americans should be ashamed."

"Tell me about the girl."

"Why?"

I didn't have time for this. I took out my gun. I didn't point it at him. I just took it out. "I'm with the American police," I said. "I'm worried Mario may be in serious danger."

If my gun or pleas ruffled the Billy Idol wannabe, I couldn't see it. He shrugged his bony shoulders. "What can I tell you? Young, blond, I didn't get a good look. Came around last night as I was heading out."

Young, blond. My heart started thumping. "I need to get into that apartment."

"You can't kick it in, mate. You'll break your foot."

I aimed my gun at the lock.

"Whoa, hold up. You really think he's in danger?"

"I do."

He sighed. "There's a spare key above the door. On the ledge there."

I reached up and felt along the small edge of the door frame. Sure enough, a key. I put it in the lock. Billy Idol moved next to me. The stench of cigarette smoke came off him as though he'd been used as an ashtray. I opened the door and started inside. Billy Idol was right behind me. We both took two steps in and froze.

"Oh, sweet Jesus..."

I said nothing. I stood and stared, unable to move. The first thing I saw was Mario's feet. They were strapped to the coffee table with duct tape. The baby booster and plush tot toys I had seen yesterday had been strewn to the side. I wonder if Mario had looked at them in his last moments.

His feet were bare. Next to them lay a power drill. There were small neat holes, perfect tiny circles of maroon red, through his toes and deep into his heel. The holes had come, I knew, from the drill. I found my legs and managed to move closer. There were other drill marks. Through the kneecaps. The rib cage. My eyes slowly traveled up toward his face. There were drill marks beneath the nose, through the cheekbone and into the mouth, another in the chin. Mario's thin face stared up at me, his eyes twisted. He had died in horrible pain.

Billy Idol again whispered: "Oh, sweet Jesus..."

"What time did you hear the loud music?"

"Huh?"

I didn't have the strength to say it again, but he caught on. "Five in the morning."

Tortured. The music had been used to cover the screams. I didn't want to touch anything, but the blood looked fresh enough.