Frenzy

“Is my aunt Lucille in trouble?” Her voice was tremulous.

“I think so,” Pearl said. “Please do as I instructed.”

Jesse promised she would, and seemed eager to meet some authority at the house.

After Pearl hung up, she told Lido about Lucille De

“Doesn’t sound like much,” Lido said.

“But better than you know what.”

Pearl called Qui

Qui

Pearl stayed on point and kept the conversation brief.

Qui

Renz hung up the landline phone at almost the same time Qui

“Mi

“Pearl,” Qui

Renz crossed his arms, waiting, so Qui

“You’re right,” Renz said. “Probably some crackpot with a worthless family heirloom. You’ll probably find a bust of Carrie Nation.”

“I might not recognize her,” Qui

“Weaver.”

“You referred to her as Mi

Renz put on his i

Qui

“What did Weaver want?” Qui

“She said people have told her Mi

“You go

“She mighta just gotten more valuable right where she is,” Renz said. Knowing Qui

“Make sure she’s covered every second,” Qui

Renz gave him a look. “You know we will. She’s one of ours.”

Qui

“I’ll give Weaver the word,” Renz said. “Make sure she knows what’s going on.”

And reassure her it’s safe, so she won’t back out.

Qui

Weaver answered on the third ring, and acknowledged that she and Renz had discussed the Mi

“You okay with this, Nancy?” Qui

“I’ve been bait before,” Weaver said. “Even did a stint with Vice for a while. And we know this killer already has me in his sights. I wouldn’t mind a chance to get back at him. This might be fun.”

Qui

He told Weaver about the ad in the Teaneck Tattler in New Jersey, and how he and Pearl were going to drive there and check it out. He thought it would be a good idea to keep Weaver clued in from this point on. They owed her that for the odds she was about to accept.

“Could be nothing,” Qui

“Good leads or bad leads, they teach us something even if we don’t always know it,” Weaver said.

Must be scared, if she’s philosophizing.

“I’ll let you know if anything unusual goes on here at the castle,” Weaver said. “Or anything other than the usual unusual.”

“Be careful at that place, Nancy. The play acting could become serious.”

“Surely you joust,” she said. “And don’t forget I’ve got my knights in shining armor.”

Qui

“Don’t take any chances,” he reminded Weaver.

The phone pressed to his ear, he listened to nothing. The co

63

Qui

Most of the houses on the block were small, built in the flurry of construction not long after the Second World War. Additions had increased the size of some of them as the families within them had grown. De

Qui

He and Pearl got out of the car and walked up onto the low wooden porch that was painted the same brown as the shutters. Qui

He knocked on the front door several times, and wasn’t surprised when he got no response. Pearl moved over on the porch and tried to peer behind almost-closed drapes but could see nothing inside but darkness. She stayed on the porch while Qui

Again no response.

He returned through thick grass to the front yard.

“I’m here,” a woman’s voice said.

They turned to see a middle-aged woman, obviously once shapely but now with a thickened waist and neck. She had long graying hair combed to hang straight down, like shutters she was peering between. Qui

“Jesse?” Pearl asked.

“Yes. I decided to stand down the street behind a tree and see who arrived at my aunt’s house.” She gave an embarrassed smile that showed crooked teeth. “You two passed inspection.”

“Did you get away from the house immediately when I told you?” Pearl asked.

“Yes. As soon as we got off the phone.”

“Very good,” Qui

Jesse said she had a key and fitted it to the knob lock. It worked with a low and hesitant clatter, as if it might be as old as the house and hadn’t been used often. If there was any other kind of lock on the door, it wasn’t fastened.

Qui

He found himself in a small but well-furnished living room.

Pearl gave Jesse a slight, reassuring smile and said, “You better wait here and we’ll call you.”

Jesse looked dubious but nodded her assent. Now that there were two more people here, people with authority who would know how to handle things, she wasn’t so frightened.