Bloodlines

He hesitated, then said, “The baby’s missing. Little Maxwell Ducane. Kidnapped, looks like. But we don’t know where the Ducanes are-any of them.”

“What?”

“They went out on the Ducanes’ new boat, but haven’t come back-they were only supposed to be gone for a couple of hours, but there was fog late last night and this storm came in right behind it, so who knows what they ended up doing? Could be over on Catalina Island, waiting it out. Tried to get them by radio, but no luck. The Coast Guard will look for them, but in this weather-anyway, that’s it in a nutshell. Now sit tight, and I’ll tell you more when I can.”

So O’Co

The coroner’s van left. Who was she, he wondered, that poor soul who’d been killed just because she worked here?

He caught a glimpse of movement in his rearview mirror, someone coming up the sidewalk. He waited, watching, but no one passed the car. He looked back, but the rear window was fogging up, and between that and the rain, he wondered if he had seen anything more than shadows.

O’Co

He divided his attention between watching the street and glancing in the rearview mirror, but other than shifting shadows from the windblown branches of the trees, he saw nothing.

Suddenly there was a change in the pattern of the patrolmen’s movements. One of the wooden barricades was moved aside as Lillian Vanderveer Linworth’s chauffeured Rolls pulled up to it.

The Silver Cloud moved slowly past O’Co

The chauffeur stepped out of the car, holding a large umbrella. The wind didn’t make it of much use to him. He was a young man, younger than O’Co

“Mr. O’Co

“I’m waiting for someone. May I come by the house later on instead?”

The chauffeur hurried back to ask. O’Co

The chauffeur hurried back.

“Yes, sir, she would appreciate that very much. She said not to regard the hour, sir-to come at any time, day or night. I’m to impress upon you-”

“You have,” O’Co

He saw a look of determination on the man’s face and wondered at it, until he heard him say, “Mrs. Linworth asks if you have need of an umbrella.”

“Is she offering yours to me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah, Lily…” He shook his head. “You may tell her, with my compliments, thanks all the same, but I only use umbrellas when it’s raining.”

“But, sir, it is raining.”

O’Co

“Thank you, sir.” He hesitated, then added, “If I may say so, sir-she meant well.”

“Not a doubt of it.”

A few minutes later he saw Norton motioning to him. He reached for the slightly soggy copy of the Express again and held it over his hat as he hurried toward the barricade.

Norton again shared his umbrella. “Mind your ma

They walked quickly toward the sheltered entryway of the house.

“I saw the T-Bird,” O’Co

“The department sedan’s in the shop. Should have it back tomorrow. Listen…about Jack, I’m damned sorry, O’Co

“Not really. He seems-a little mixed up.”

“Strange how that works. Some son of a bitch tries to crack your head open, you feel confused for a time. Don’t let it worry you, Co

The officer smiled. “Sure thing, Detective Norton-if you’ll do the paperwork on it.”

Dan turned to O’Co

O’Co

“You’ve been here before?” Dan asked, looking back at him.

“Yes,” O’Co

“Katy. I like that better than Kathleen. She owned the house before she married Todd?”

“Far as I know, her mother-Lillian Linworth-still owns it.” O’Co

“Would have thought they could have afforded a place of their own.”

“Together they’re in line to inherit something like three fortunes,” O’Co

“Parents foot all the bills?”

“The Linworths pay most of them.”

Dan said, “Why the Linworths and not the Ducanes-the older Ducanes, I mean-Todd’s parents?”

“Rumor has it the Ducanes haven’t given a pe

“Well, why should they, right? Last I looked, nobody gave you or me a nickel we didn’t earn.”

Someone gave me a silver dollar once, O’Co

He recalled comments he had heard others make here and there about the coldness of the Ducanes toward their sons. More than just a matter of withholding money. Even the other swells thought the Ducanes were lousy parents. “You talked to Warren Ducane-Todd’s brother?”

“Hasn’t returned home yet this evening.” He gave O’Co

“Sure, I’ve a few ideas. I’d like to know what happened to the child first, though.”

“Wouldn’t we all. But okay, fair is fair. Come upstairs with me,” Norton said. “Most of the place appears to be untouched. A back door leading to the kitchen was damaged, that’s all. Point of entry, it seems. Fingerprint men are working on all of that area, just in case these assholes got careless. I wouldn’t lay any bets on that, though.”

“More than one murderer, then?”

“Maybe not. Come and have a look. Don’t touch the handrail.”

O’Co