Compulsion Page 3

“Under the circumstances, I think Anne would go for that.” Vicky pushed her plate away. “I’ll start looking into it as soon as I get back to the office. I need something solid to sink my teeth into. I’ve hit dead ends on Butch and the judge.”

  “Are you still working on that?” Toni knew that Anne Mulhoney had asked Vicky to look into the dealings of both Judge Smith and the defense lawyer, Butch Henley. When they’d been killed two months ago, Anne felt they had both been involved in bribery or something more, but there wasn’t any hard evidence.

  “I’ve found a few things, but nothing concrete,” Vicky said. “Maybe if I work on something else for a while, I can get back to it with a fresh eye.” She drained her glass of iced tea. “But now to more important things, ladies. Tomorrow is Patty’s birthday, as you know, and I reserved a room at Gertrude’s Garage. I would appreciate your help in decorating. I’m counting on your hot air, Boggs, to help fill a crapload of balloons.”

  Boggs rolled her eyes and Toni laughed. Gertrude’s Garage was one of the gay bars in town and was perfect for a party. It had lots of room, pool tables, darts, a dance floor and a small kitchen for food. The four of them had spent many fun evenings there.

  “We can help, but not until about five o’clock.” Boggs was smiling at Vicky.

  “What are you grinning about? What are you two up to?”

  “We’re going house hunting, or rather loft hunting,” Boggs said matter-of-factly.

  “Are you kidding?” Vicky seemed almost beside herself. “That’s fabulous.” She punched Boggs in the arm. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me? You’re such a shit.”

  “We just decided last night,” Toni said, trying to defend Boggs. “And you’re the first to know, so there.”

  Vicky reached over and hugged Toni, then punched Boggs in the arm again. “I’m so happy for you both. When’s the loft-warming party?”

  “Wait until we find a place. Jeez, Vic.” Boggs was shaking her head and rubbing her arm, but she was grinning. “But you’re top on the list of invitees.”

  “This is so exciting. Where are you looking?” Vicky asked.

  “There’s some really cool places in the warehouse district,” Boggs explained. “But some need a lot of work.”

  “Well, sign me up as a helper. I’ve done some plumbing and I can always paint. I’m just so happy for you guys.”

  Boggs reached across the table and squeezed Toni’s hand. “We’re so happy, too.”

  “Ugh. You guys are sickening.” Vicky smirked at both of them. “And I love that.”

  “So how about if we come by the club at around five?” Toni asked. “Is there anything we can bring? And what about ideas for a gift?”

  “No, I’ve got that all under control. As for gifts, I’ve got an idea.” Vicky snickered. She had that look that said she knew a secret.

  “What do you know?” Boggs poked her in the side. “Give it up.”

  “Well, I got the list for the detective’s test,” she whispered. “It won’t be made public until Monday, but Captain Billings said I could tell Patty.”

  “She made it?” Toni asked. An officer for the Fairfield P.D., Patty had taken the detective’s test over a month ago.

  “She sure did. Patty Green’s top in the group.”

  “That’s great,” Boggs said, winking at Toni. “I think some gag gifts are in order.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Vicky said. “We can give them to her privately, so nobody else knows until Monday. I think a Sherlock Holmes-type pipe would be perfect.”

  Toni was giggling. “I’m going to get her a Charlie Chan video. I’m so proud of her. Does she have any idea?”

  “Not a clue. It’ll be perfect.”

  “She won’t be assigned to you as a partner, will she?” Toni asked.

  “No. I’ve already talked to Captain Billings about that. He knows we’re friends. He’ll hook her up with one of the other senior detectives, maybe Frank Parker or Mike Johnson.”

  “Yuck,” Toni said, disgusted. “Frank is such an arrogant son of a bitch.”

  “True,” Vicky said, nodding. “But he’s one of the best. Patty could learn a lot from him, if he’ll give her a chance. But I’m thinking the captain will go for Mike.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met him,” Toni said, trying to remember. “Is he an okay guy?”

  Vicky shrugged. “I used to hear that he was on the take when he was a beat cop, but I haven’t heard anything like that for a number of years. He’s mostly in narcotics now, and organized crime. Patty will be okay. She’s a good kid.” She then gave them a few more details on the party and then left to go back to work.

  Toni finished her iced tea. “I guess we better get back to work ourselves.”

  “Or we could have a little afternoon delight,” Boggs suggested with a wink.

  “I would love that, but unfortunately I’ve got a hearing in a half-hour.” Toni pushed her chair back to leave. “Rain check?”

  “Try and stop me,” Boggs whispered.

  Chapter 4

  The woman sat in her study on Friday afternoon. She’d just checked her bank balance again, and was satisfied that it was correct. She was grateful that when she reached the age of fifty, she was able to work at her “normal” job only part-time. She kept working because her job allowed her to keep a hand in things. Money was not an issue. She’d made enough money providing “escorts” and drugs to idiots to keep her living handsomely for the rest of her life.

  She put three ice cubes in a lead crystal tumbler and added a healthy amount of Famous Grouse. She put her left index finger in the mixture and circled the glass three times. She tapped her finger twice on the rim and licked the amber liquid. She placed the tumbler on the square coaster. It wasn’t exactly centered. She stared at it.

  It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. She continued to stare at the tumbler and then willed herself to look away. She took out her mechanical pencil and held it poised above her yellow legal pad. Just write the words, she told herself. To Do. Just write it. She held the pencil so tightly that the tips of her fingers turned white. She forced herself to put the tip of the pencil to the paper. Her hand was shaking and the lead tip broke. She clicked until the lead reappeared and looked back at her drink. She knew if she didn’t center that tumbler that the rest of the day would go wrong. Very wrong. The urge was so strong that she finally reached over and moved the glass. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now everything would be fine. Better than fine. She ran her fingers through her hair on the right side three times and felt better. She quickly wrote To Do on the top of her pad and underlined it twice. She added several items to her list and then crossed off the ones she’d already completed earlier. Accidentally, she crossed off an item she hadn’t completed.

  She stared at the pad of paper as though she’d never seen it before. Disbelief filled her and she felt her heart beat faster. Fuck. Her eyes darted back and forth and her hands began to shake. How did that happen? She stared at the pad again. It was completely ruined now. She pushed back her tall, dark leather chair, feeling the need to get away. Her fists were clenched tightly and she began slowly rocking back and forth. Her breathing was fast and shallow. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The list is ruined. The list is ruined. The list is ruined. True panic was setting in. The yellow pad was taunting her. She ran her fingers through her hair three times. That helped, but not much.

  After several minutes she was able to gain a little more control. She gingerly tore off the top page of the pad, barely letting her fingers touch the paper, as though it might burn her. She held it on the very corner and carried it to the trash can and let it go. As it fluttered down, it almost missed and she felt her heart skip a beat. When she finally saw it land on the bottom of the trash can, she breathed a little easier. She returned to her desk and again picked up her pencil, repeating the process of writing the heading, underlining it twice and listing all the items. This time she was careful in crossing off what she’d already ac
complished. Perfect. I won’t make that mistake again.

  She took a healthy swallow of her drink and smiled as she set it down exactly in the center of the coaster without looking. She glanced at her watch. It would be at least twenty minutes until Jan arrived. She emptied the glass and made herself another. Again she stirred it three times with her left index finger and tapped it twice on the rim. As she put her finger in her mouth, she realized this was always the best taste. After another sip, she replaced the heavy tumbler and leaned back in her chair.

  She reviewed the events of the last few months in her mind. Things hadn’t been going as well as she’d hoped. First Judge Smith was killed, then Butch Henley. This had affected her bottom line. Her clients paid big bucks to have their lawsuits decided in their favor, or to keep them from doing any jail time. It would take a while to find reliable replacements. Then her girlfriend had left her. It wasn’t as though she’d been madly in love with her, but it was comfortable. In fact, she’d never let her girlfriend in on her real business, but still, it was a loss nonetheless. It had caused her to be distracted from her business. And finally, one of her best dealers, Kevin Tucker, had been killed. She’d met Kevin only one time, but she liked him and he’d been doing a great job of getting new clients. He’d operated in most of the gay bars and now he was gone.

  She took another sip of her drink just as she heard Jan come in the front door. She appeared in her study a moment later and the woman gestured toward the bar. Jan fixed herself a rum and Coke, grabbed the ashtray and sat down in one of the leather club chairs.

  “What did you find out?” the woman said without any preliminary niceties.

  “Doug Bradley is going to take over Kevin’s turf,” Jan said as she lit a cigarette. “He helped Kevin a few times and should have no trouble fitting into the bar scene. Our other dealers are doing okay with their own clientele.”

  “And Judge Wilson?”

  “I was in his courtroom this morning. Our client got straight probation. No problems. And I talked to Mike this morning. He’s got everything set up with Bill Hogan, so that should take care of the attorney problem. Mike wants to go a little slow at first, just to make sure.”

  The woman nodded. “Tell Mike to do what he thinks is best.”

  “Mike said he’d need to be a little careful for about a month. He’s going to have a new partner for a while. Some newly crowned detective. It shouldn’t be a problem, though.”

  The woman nodded again and finished off her drink. Jan immediately rose to get her another one. After carefully setting it down in the center of the coaster, she returned to her chair.

  “Thanks. Now what about that dyke lawyer?” She almost spit out the question.

  “I don’t have a lot yet.”

  The woman glared at Jan. She didn’t like sloppy work.

  “She’s been at Metro for almost a year,” Jan said quickly, opening her notebook. “She was a therapist or social worker or something like that before she went to law school. Oh, and she’s prosecuting the guy who killed Kevin.”

  “At least that’s something.” She took a sip of her drink after completing her routine. “What about her personal life? Is she living with anyone? Where does she socialize? Does she have any hobbies? I want to know more about the bitch who screwed up my organization.”

  “As far as I know, she’s single. She lives alone.” Jan put her notebook away. “Do you want her hurt?”

  She thought for a moment. “No, not yet. Maybe we’ll set her up. Ruin her career. Or maybe just kill her. I’ll have to think about that.”

  Jan nodded her understanding. “I picked up some samples from Davey on my way here. They look good. If it’s okay with you, I’ll drop them off to Doug.”

  “That’s fine.” She dismissed Jan with a wave of her hand. She needed to think about what she wanted to do. It seemed like all of her troubles began and ended with Toni Barston, and she didn’t like that at all.

  Chapter 5

  On Saturday morning Toni and Boggs sat at the dining room table, drinking coffee and looking at several property information sheets that the realtor had printed for them. Their realtor, Francine Winburn, was going to show them five different lofts in the warehouse district. The cheapest one would definitely need quite a bit of work, but it was in a good area. The middle three all needed some work. The priciest one was not only in a great area, it had been completely renovated.

  “I think this one is really out of our league,” Toni said, pointing to the last sheet. “But it’ll be fun to look at, and maybe it’ll give us some ideas on how we can fix our place.” She grinned.

  “What?” Boggs asked, apparently noticing her smile.

  “It just sounds so good to say that. ‘Our place.’ I like the sound of that.”

  “Me, too,” Boggs said as she kissed Toni’s cheek. “Need a refill or should I just fill our go cups.”

  Toni glanced at her watch. “Francine said she’d pick us up at nine, right?”

  Before Boggs could respond, the doorbell rang and she let Francine inside. “Thanks for coming to get us.” She pointed to Toni. “I’d like you to meet Toni.”

  Toni got up and shook Francine’s outstretched hand. It was soft and warm. Francine was about five feet two inches tall and rather round. She had short, bushy white hair and wore bright red-framed glasses. Like Sally Jesse Raphael’s.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Francine,” Toni said, smiling. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “Got some in the car,” she answered in a deep voice that seemed full of life. “Are you girls ready? I’ve got some great places to show you.”

  Toni had never seen someone so full of energy, especially at her age of sixty or so. “Just need to fill our coffee cups and we’re ready.” She went into the kitchen while Boggs gathered up the sheets from the table and a notebook. They were out the door in minutes and Francine ushered them into her bright yellow PT Cruiser.

  Francine showed them the three medium-priced lofts first. After the last one they stopped at Izzy’s coffeehouse. Boggs went inside for the drinks and Toni and Francine sat outside at one of the tables.

  “What do you think so far?”

  “I just can’t get over the amount of space they have,” Toni said as she looked at the information sheets. “I’ve never had a place that big. It seems almost overwhelming.”

  “I showed you those three because even though they’re about the same size, the layouts are completely different.” Francine took her iced coffee from Boggs. “Is there a style you prefer?”

  “I like the last one the best,” Boggs said as she sat down next to Toni. She picked up an information sheet. “This one. The kitchen area was big and it had that wonderful island in the middle.”

  “That was my favorite, too. I liked the kitchen and that room on the second floor. It would be a perfect study.”

  “And what about the rooftop area?” Boggs smiled at Francine. “That could be gorgeous with a little work, don’t you think?”

  “I agree.” Francine winked at Boggs. “I’m glad you both liked the layout of the last place. It is basically the same in the next two I’ve got lined up. I’ll show you the fixer-upper first, then the one that’s all decked out.”

  “I’m glad you’re showing us some places that have been redone.” Toni sipped her latté. “It gives us some great ideas, because I think we’re only going to be able to afford the fixer-upper.” She glanced at Boggs. “But that’s okay with me. Just being able to work on our own place will be fabulous.”

  Boggs reached out and squeezed Toni’s hand. “This is great, isn’t it, babe? I can’t wait to get moved in.”

  Francine excused herself to visit the restroom. As soon as she’d left, Toni scooted closer to Boggs and hugged her. “I can’t believe we’re actually looking at lofts. I’m so excited, and, well— I love you.”

  Boggs kissed her lightly. “This is our new beginning. We just need to find the perfect place for us and the kids.”
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  “Kids?” Toni’s eyes widened. Boggs had never mentioned wanting children and the idea terrified her. “Am I missing something?”

  Boggs laughed. “You, me, Mr. Rupert and the fish. And who knows, maybe we’ll add someone new.”

  Relieved, Toni couldn’t help but smile. “The kids. I think Mr. Rupert will be fine with whatever we chose, but do you think the fish will be okay?”

  “I think so.” Boggs laughed again. “Hey, do you think Mr. Rupert will be okay with the fish? I hadn’t even thought about that.”

  “He would love to have his own fish again.” Toni finished her latté. “He had his own fish when he was little. Sadie had a small fishtank, only twenty gallons.”

  “Well, now he can have his very own fifty-five gallon tank.”

  “Perfect.” Toni was in heaven. She had never been so ready to make a change in her life. She knew the new place would take a lot of work, but she was more than ready and she could just picture them sanding the floors and painting the walls. “I think I can come up with about five thousand dollars for our down payment and expenses. I rolled over my retirement fund from when I was a therapist. It’s in an IRA. I can borrow a percentage from it and pay myself back.”

  Boggs was shaking her head. “No way. We’re not going to dip into your retirement fund.”

  “But I’d be paying myself back with interest,” Toni explained. “And I want to do this. It’s our home, hon.”

  “I can’t believe you’d be willing to do that, for us.” Boggs seemed to get a little teary. “I love you more than you know. But let’s just see what we need before we go and rob your retirement, okay? I’ve got some money in my savings that’s just sitting there.”

  “Okay.” Toni kissed her cheek. “But we’ll figure out a way to make this work, okay?”

  Boggs simply nodded.

  Francine appeared at their table. “Are you girls ready? We’ve got two more to go.”

  Within five minutes they were parked outside another loft. “This is the fixer-upper,” Francine said, smiling. “Think potential.” She ushered them inside. The layout was like that of the last loft, but that was where the similarities ended. The place had been gutted. There were no appliances in the kitchen, and the floor in that area had been ripped out, leaving only the subfloor. They stepped over trash in the living area to get to the stairs. The second floor was in worse shape than the first, and the third floor looked like it had been hit by a tornado. After the tour was complete, they returned to the main floor. Toni sat on a five-gallon bucket and Boggs joined her, sitting on the floor. Francine leaned against the wall.