She breathed deeply as her heart raced.
“Which phone?” he asked.
She took one of them without looking at it. From nowhere, he produced a pistol, a rather large one, and set it beside him on the stool. “You tell her to meet you at the Bayview Motel near Crestview, just off the interstate. Has she ever seen your car?”
“Yes.”
“Good. It’s still there in the parking lot. Tell her to park beside it. Your room was 232. I’ve reserved it for another night, in the same name of Margie Frazier, so when she checks she’ll see you’re staying there. I told the manager not to clean the room. Maybe your stuff is still there.”
“I don’t care.”
“Do you care about your 9 millimeter? It was on the nightstand.”
“I wish I’d grabbed it in time.”
“So do I.”
There was a long pause as she stared at the fire and he stared at the floor. Slowly, he picked up the gun but did not point it at her. “Make the call. You will meet her tonight at nine at the Bayview Motel. And sell it, okay?”
“I’m not a very good liar.”
“Bullshit. You’re a gifted liar, just a lousy poet.”
“Promise me you won’t hurt her.”
“No promises, except that if I return here without Lacy, I’ll use this.” He grabbed a strand of rope and tossed it on her. She shrieked and tried to slap it away.
37
The game began at nine, an awful hour to expect ten-year-old boys to be in uniform, properly stretched, warmed-up, and ready to play. The Royals took the field in the top of the first, and a handful of parents clapped politely from the bleachers. A few shouted words of encouragement that the players didn’t hear. The coaches clapped their hands and tried to create excitement.
Diana Zhang sat alone in a lawn chair on the first-base side, a quilt tucked over her legs, a tall coffee in hand. The morning air was crisp and surprisingly cool for late April in the Panhandle. Across the way, down the third-base line, her ex-husband leaned on the fence and watched their child jog out to center field. Their divorce was too recent for any effort at civility.
From behind her, a female voice said quietly, “Excuse me, Ms. Zhang.”
She glanced to her right and confronted an officious-looking badge in a black leather wallet. A woman held it and said, “Agent Agnes Neff, FBI. Got a minute for a quick word?”
Startled, like anyone would be, Diana said, “Well, I was planning to watch my son play.”
“So are we. Let’s just move down the fence line there and have a word. Won’t take ten minutes.”
Diana stood and looked at the bleachers to make sure no one was watching. She turned around and saw what could only be another agent. He led the way and they stopped near the foul pole.
Neff said, “This is Special Agent Drew Suarez.”
She shot him a look of irritation and he nodded in return.
Neff continued, “We’ll be brief. We’re looking for your boss and can’t find him. Any idea where Judge Bannick might be right now?”
“Well, uh, no. I assume he’s at home on a Saturday morning.”
“He’s not.”
“Well, then, I don’t know. What’s going on?”
“When did you last see him?”
“He stopped by the office Thursday morning, two days ago. Haven’t talked to him since.”
“We understand he’s undergoing treatment.”
“He is. Cancer. Is he in trouble or something?”
“No, not at all. We just have some routine questions regarding allegations from another investigation.”
That was vague enough to mean nothing, cop-speak at its best, but Diana decided this was no time to push. She nodded as if she understood completely. Neff said, “So, no idea where he might be?”
“I’m sure you’ve checked the courthouse. He has a key and comes and goes at all hours.”
“We’re watching it. He’s not there. He’s not at home. Any idea where else he might be?”
Diana watched the game for a few seconds, not sure how much to say. “He has a bungalow at Seaside, though he rarely goes there.”
“We’re watching it too. He’s not there.”
“Okay. You say he’s not in trouble, so why are you watching everywhere?”
“We need to talk to him.”
“Obviously.”
Suarez took a step closer, gave her a hard look, and said, “Ms. Zhang, you are talking to the FBI. May I remind you it’s against the law to be untruthful?”