Marked Man

“I need to stop you there, Max,” I said. “Mom made a fabulous three-bean salad. And who among us doesn’t love a three-bean salad?”

“I want you out of here, Victor,” said Je

“We’re still visiting.”

“Now,” she said, and there was something in her eyes, both angry and fearful, that stopped me from prevaricating further.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Max,” I said, “but I suppose we have to go.”

“It was so nice seeing you,” said Monica.

“You’ll come again?” said Max.

“When I’m in town,” said Monica.

“Good luck, then, in San Francisco and with your boyfriend. Tell him I give my regards, one numbers man to another.”

“I will,” she said, standing now.

“And next time you come,” said Max, “bring a bissel of that three-bean salad.”

When we were out in the hallway, Je

“Are you sure that’s necessary?” I said.

“Oh, yes, I am. I’m going to pull your ticket for this.” She turned her head toward Monica. “And who the hell are you?”

“Now, where are my ma

Je

39

“It’s been like this for about a year,” said Je

“It’s been like what?” said Monica.

“My father doesn’t recognize anyone anymore. Not my mother, not his old friends. I’m just the woman who comes in every other day to say hello. It’s as if all the names in his life have slipped away from him, all but one.”

“Your sister,” I said to Monica.

Monica nodded without surprise, as if obsession with her sister Chantal were only to be expected, and, seeing the company she was in, maybe she had a point.

“Each detective has an unsolved case that haunts him,” said Je

I could see it right off during my brief visit behind the curtain. That was the first unpleasant surprise I mentioned before. I had come to Detective Hathaway with a series of questions, but he was the only one who did the asking. Have you seen her? Do you know what happened to her? She was just here, and then she was gone. His eyes were unfocused, his jaw trembling. Chantal. Where is Chantal?

“I don’t know,” I said.

“I have to get out of here. I have to find her. Will you help me?”

“I don’t think I can, Detective.”

“You have to, you must. I need to find her.”

“We all need to find her,” I had said.

“After a while my mother couldn’t take it anymore,” said Je

“But you’re still trying, aren’t you?” I said.

Something changed in her just then. Her back straightened, her eyes flashed anger, she was no longer Je

“I thought maybe learning the truth might help,” she said. “Maybe if he found out what really happened to Chantal, he’d find another name to replace hers in his memory.”

Monica reached over and took hold of Je

“So how’d you light on Charlie?” I said.

“There was a task force formed to try to deal once and for all with the remnants of the Warrick gang. It wasn’t my usual turf, but they brought me in to see if there were any tax charges that could be leveled at the leaders.”

“The Al Capone strategy,” I said. Despite all his thieving and murders, it was a tax charge that finally sent old Scarface to Alcatraz.

“During one of the meetings,” said Je

“And why you’ve been such a hard-ass about giving him a deal.”

“I just want to find out what he knows.”

“But you’re not willing to give him immunity.”

“If he’s responsible for what happened to that girl, he has to pay a price. And if you have a problem with that, maybe you should ask Monica.”

We both looked at Monica.

“I’m with her,” she said, edging closer to Je

“Thanks for the support,” I said. “Okay, how about this? Why don’t I draft up a cooperation agreement for my client? I’ll send it to you, and you can put in the provisions you want regarding Chantal’s disappearance. I’ll give a look-see to what you have in mind.”

She stared at me for a moment and then turned her head with suspicion. “That sounds almost reasonable. What’s the catch?”

“No catch. But I’d appreciate you hand-delivering it to me so we can talk it over. I’ll be ru

“What?”

“I’ll tell you then. But you won’t be disappointed.”

She looked at me again, trying to figure what the hell I was doing, and then she looked at Monica. “How did you guys end up together, anyway?” said Je

“I began looking into the Chantal situation myself,” I said, “and found Monica. Let me ask you, before he drifted away, what did your father tell you about the case?”

“Just that he was sure there was a co