Chasing Darkness

I picked up the picture of Yvo

“Is this Jo

“I don’t talk about that one. That’s the bad one. She was always bad, and her bad ways caught up. I wouldn’t even keep it up there if it wasn’t for Jo

“Her name was Yvo

Sara Hill was surprised.

“You knew her?”

“I worked on the case.”

“She was a tramp. Wasn’t no better than a cat in heat from when she was little.”

My right eye ticked and I fought to control it. I put the picture back in its place.

“They had different fathers to go with the different last names?”

“The good one and the bad one, just like the girls, and the good one wasn’t worth too damn much, either. He left like they all left, off to take up with tramps. Vo

Pike reappeared. He shook his head, telling me he hadn’t found anything. I sat beside Mrs. Hill.

“We need to find Jo

“Don’t tell me she’s turned into a whore. Jo

“Remember Lionel Byrd?”

“I never heard of him.”

“Lionel Byrd was charged with Yvo

She twitched her cane as if she didn’t give a damn either way.

“I washed my hands of all that. She was always bad, and her bad ways caught up to her. We parted company long before she was punished.”

I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“You washed your hands.”

“When the police called I told’m I wanted nothing to do with it. It liked to kill Jo

Pike said, “I’ll wait outside.”

Mrs. Hill frowned as he left.

I said, “Did Jo

She waved the cane again.

“Don’t be silly. She got over all that, got herself a good job, and she’s doing just fine, thank you very much. Jo

“Where is she?”

“I guess she’s at home.”

“We just left her place. It looked like she moved out.”

Mrs. Hill seemed confused.

“Maybe she thought you were from the credit. She was here just a little while ago, and told me she was going right home.”

Something in her casual certainty made me wonder if we were talking about the same thing.

“She went back to Hollywood?”

“What’s down in Hollywood?”

“Her apartment.”

“She doesn’t live in Hollywood. She lives right over here by the reservoir.”

I could see it in the clarity of her eyes. Sara Hill was telling me the absolute truth as she knew it. Her daughter had successfully lied to everyone.

Then her eyes grew smaller and blinked.

“You’re not from the credit, are you? She was so afraid someone would come after her she thought she might have to hide.”

I gave her a smile I did not feel.

“I’m not from the credit. Tell me where Jo

39

JONNA HILL had rented a small bungalow not much larger than Angel Tomaso’s garage, less than a half-mile from her mother. Pike stayed with Sara to prevent her from warning her daughter, so I drove to Jo

The white Neon was parked at the side of the house with its trunk open like a hungry mouth. The woman I knew as Ivy Casik was carrying an armful of clothes toward the car when I pulled into her drive. She didn’t recognize me at first because she stood with the clothes, staring, and then I got out.

“Hi, Jo

She dropped the clothes and ran toward her door. I closed on her fast, but she reached the door, and for no reason I knew then or now, she turned hard for the street. Maybe she was so scared all she thought was to run and keep ru

I tackled her in the front yard, and the two of us tumbled into the baked earth and dead grass. She punched and gouged, pumping her knees to get away until I locked her elbow.

“Stop it, Jo

“I told the police about you! I’ll call them again!”

“C’mon. I know you’re Yvo

She finally stopped, sucking air with a whimpering sound that wasn’t quite crying.

I pulled her to her feet, then brought her inside, where she sat with her face in her hands. Several pictures of Yvo

“Who helped you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Who helped you kill him?”

She shook her head.

“All I knew was Lo

“So Yvo

“Shit happens.”

“Where’d you get the pictures?”

“I don’t know anything. I’m going to call the police.”

Someone had given her the pictures. Someone had told her where to find Lionel Byrd and had put the plan in her head and convinced her she could finally make the man who murdered her sister pay. Someone had used her, and I thought it might be Wilts. If Wilts wanted to set up Byrd to stop the Repko investigation, it had to be Wilts, but I didn’t have proof.

“Was it Wilts?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did Wilts give you the pictures?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her eyes were clear and unafraid, and I knew she wasn’t going to admit to any of it. I called Pike on my cell.

“She’s here. I have her.”

“I’m on my way.”

I put away the phone, then looked through Jo

I held them up to show her.

“This is what we call evidence.”

She raised her middle finger.

“This is what we call the finger. You don’t have shit.”

Her wallet, keys, sunglasses, and two cell phones were on the kitchenette counter. I didn’t pay attention to the phones at first, but one was familiar. It was a clunky, inexpensive knockoff, exactly the same phone pictured on the spec sheet I found in Marx’s file.

When I picked up the phone, Jo

“I don’t know why you’re doing this to me, but I’m going to have you arrested. That’s no bullshit.”

I touched a finger to my lips. “Shh.”

“That isn’t my phone. I found it.”

“Shh.”

The more I examined the phone, the more certain I became. Jo

Pike turned into the drive behind the Neon and let himself through the door. He nodded when he entered, but said nothing. Jo

“Look familiar?”

“The disposable.”