went upstairs, changed into a T-shirt, then returned to the deck to fire up his Weber. The sky was a beautiful sangria by then, and inspired him to have another beer.
When Cole went in, Joe Pike was in the kitchen. Unannounced and silent as a ghost. The cat was twined between his ankles, purring. Pike was the only person besides Cole the cat would abide.
Cole tipped his empty toward the vegetables.
“White bean salad with grilled veggies we can share. Maybe a little couscous. Carne asada for me. Sound good?”
“Good.”
Sure.
Notice how the loyal friend prepares his subject for the evening’s festivities.
“I’m having a beer. Get one, then you can fill me in while I’m prepping the coals.”
Pike took a beer from the fridge. Cole grabbed a third, and followed him out. The cat trailed behind them. He liked to watch the slope for field mice and gophers.
Cole pushed at the coals, which was a completely unnecessary act. Notice the immaculate technique as the World’s Greatest Best Friend stalls the moment of truth.
“You go first, then I’ll go. What happened with Mendoza and Gomer?”
Pike related what he knew about Mendoza, then moved on to Gomer. At first Cole only pretended to listen, but the graphic nature of their murders drew him in. Gomer’s body was found behind the wheel of a car parked near the north end of Grand Canal. The blood in the vehicle suggested Gomer was killed at the scene. The first cut was likely a downward stab wound on the left side of the neck that sliced through the carotid artery, the esophagus, most of the surrounding musculature down to visible bone, and into the upper thorax. The second cut was drawn from the right ear across the throat to the base of the left ear, also exposing visible bone.
Pike said, “They didn’t have a good time-of-death on Mendoza, but Gomer probably died between eleven P.M. and one A.M. this morning. When the cops cut me free, I checked the spot where they found him. He had a head-on view of Wilson’s house. Mendoza was probably set up on the other side.”
When Cole realized what Pike was saying, he held up a hand.
“Waitaminute. Are you telling me these guys were watching the house?”
“Yes.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. If they grabbed Wilson and Dru this morning, why go back to the house? What did they want?”
“Maybe someone Wilson and Dru told them about, but that’s only a guess. It was probably the man who killed them. The light I saw in the upstairs bedroom when I called you this morning, that was probably the killer. The same man who jimmied the kitchen window.”
Cole didn’t like it, or what it might mean.
“Mendoza and Gomer came back for this guy, but he was already there. He saw them first, and took them out?”
Pike cocked his head the other way, and the tangerine sunset gleamed on his glasses.
“Yes. I think he was still watching the house when I was there this morning. I could feel him.”
Cole prodded the coals, and watched firefly embers swirl in the heat. Everything had changed in the space of a day. A neighborhood shakedown had become an illusion. Vandalism and assault were a sleight-of-hand trick to hide something worse, and now Cole knew the magicians were liars. None of it was real, and probably never had been.
Pike’s voice came from the embers.
“Now you.”
Cole looked at his friend.
“I spoke with Steve Brown today, the man who owns Smith’s house, and I had another talk with Jared. I have to tell you some things, and you’re not going to like it. I don’t think Dru has been honest with you.”
Cole paused for Pike to react, but Pike gave him no more reaction than a department store mannequin. The cat left the edge of the deck, twined once through Pike’s legs, then sat, its eyes narrow and watchful.
Cole put his bottle on the rail.
“Brown has never met Wilson Smith or heard of him. He let Dru use the house because they had a relationship. She was supposed to be there alone, and Brown was furious when he found out someone was living with her. He knew nothing about her uncle, or Dru working at Wilson’s food place, or any of it. He believed she was living on alimony. Until we spoke this morning, he expected to resume their relationship when he returns.”
Pike remained motionless, floating at the edge of the deck. Cole wished he could see behind the black glasses, but