At Rope's End (A Dr. James Verraday Mystery #1)(53)

Verraday took his briefcase and his beef shawarma inside. He went to the kitchen, found a plastic bag, and took it out to the front steps. He dropped the rat’s body into the bag and placed it in the freezer. If this were anything more than a prank, he would need to preserve the evidence. Even though he had never actually touched the rat directly, he had an urge to wash his hands with soap and water. He retrieved his shawarma, noticing now that it was roughly the same size and proportions as the rat. He felt a wave of revulsion. He put the shawarma in the refrigerator in case his appetite came back later, but suspected it would never happen.

Then he poured himself a brandy. Though the bottle was a deep, almost opaque brown, he could tell by the weight of it that it was nearly empty. He held the bottle up to the overhead kitchen light and confirmed that it only had a few ounces left in it. Verraday had lots of wine in his rack, as well as a nearly full bottle of vodka, and another of gin. But the brandy was a specific part of his nightly winding-down ritual. He made a mental note to stop at the liquor store and get another bottle tomorrow before he came home. He was just heading upstairs to shower off from his workout when he noticed the message light flashing on his phone. It was from Maclean.

“James, I need to speak to you as soon as possible. Doesn’t matter how late it is. Call me, okay?”

He immediately punched the callback button. She answered on the first ring.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“I paid a visit to the limo company. The story that Jason and Cody told us checks out. The dispatcher said they picked up a fare at the hangar around midnight. The address they took her to was Helen’s apartment. They called the driver in. I interviewed him. He said that Helen was the only passenger, and he took her straight to the door of her apartment building. Because it was late, and she was alone, he waited ’til he saw her go through the controlled entrance and into the elevator before he drove away.”

“Can the driver account for his time after that?”

“Yes. It occurred to me that a guy with a limousine would be in a position to meet a lot of call girls. And sure enough, he has. Looks like he was busy all night, shuttling them around to and from hotels. But he can answer for every minute of his time right up to the beginning of his shift the next evening. He’s got witnesses, including his kids and his wife. She vouches that he slept all day until late afternoon when he went to pick his kids up at school.”

“How about Jason and Cody. What did you find out?”

“That’s the interesting part. I ran both of them through the computer just to see what came up. Jason doesn’t have a record.”

“But Cody?”

“Pants on fire. In more ways than one. He’s got quite the rap sheet. And Jason Griffin knew it. Because Cody North is registered with a felon employment program that showed Griffinair as his employer and Jason Griffin as the contact. I was wondering if I brought the files by, would you have time to look at his rap sheet and give me your opinion on him?”

“Sure. I could do that. I just got back from the gym though. I need to shower and get cleaned up. Give me an hour?”

“All right. Have you eaten yet?”

“No. Long story.”

“Then how about dinner courtesy of the SPD?”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll pick something up. You like pizza?”

“Definitely.”

“You want pepperoni or Italian sausage on it?”

“No meat for me, thanks.”

“You’re vegetarian?”

“Not normally. Just tonight. I’ll explain when you get here. Actually, I’ll explain after we eat.”

“Duly noted. Do you like sun-dried tomatoes and black olives?”

“Yes.”

“Goat cheese?”

“No.”

“Good. Me neither. See you in an hour.”





CHAPTER 25


By the time Maclean knocked on the door, Verraday was showered and dried off, and the endorphins from the workout had kicked in. He felt limbered up and refreshed, if still creeped out from the discovery of the dead rat.

“Nice place,” she said as she entered carrying the pizza box.

“Thanks. You haven’t seen the horrible upstairs carpeting yet though. Been meaning to rip it out since I got the place, but you know how it is.”

“I don’t have that problem. I’m back in a rental apartment since I got divorced.”

“What can I get you?” he asked. “Want some wine?”

“Yes. But officially I’m on duty, so no, thanks. I’ll just take some water.”

He prepared a glass with ice and a lemon wedge for Maclean. He was about to uncork the Sicilian wine, which he’d been craving since he got the shawarma. Then he decided against it; he didn’t feel right about enjoying it while Maclean was deprived of the pleasure. So he made a second ice water with lemon for himself.

He led Maclean to the small dining room table at the back of the main floor where he had the place settings waiting. Maclean set the pizza down on the table and Verraday noticed happily that it came from his favorite place in the University District rather than from one of the big chains. He liked Maclean’s taste.

Over dinner they reviewed Cody’s rap sheet together.

“Born twenty-six years ago in Stockton, California,” said Maclean. “Parents were only eighteen years old themselves. Both had drug addiction problems. Been in and out of rehab. Father’s done time for fraud and theft. Mother’s been busted for prostitution.”