“It’s possible. I think I went to the bathroom at some point while I was waiting for my food. But I wasn’t in there very long.”
Treach makes another note. “What did you do after you spoke to room service?”
The way he asks his question, I realize Treach has something up his sleeve. It must be the family I ran into on the elevator. He’s probably talked to them. I’ll have to admit to leaving the hotel, which I hate to do. It looks odd.
“Well, I was still hungry so I went out to get a bite.”
“Where did you go?”
“I don’t know, somewhere local. A deli a few blocks from here.”
“Do you remember the name of it?”
“No.”
“Was it two blocks from here? Or three or four?”
“I’m not sure. It could have been as many as five or six blocks away. I don’t know the area. I just went walking.”
“How come you didn’t eat at the hotel?”
“Well, as far as I could tell, their service wasn’t very good.”
“How did you pay for your meal?”
“With cash.”
“Do you do that often?”
“What? Eat?”
“Pay for your dinner with cash. Most people use a card these days.”
“I had some cash on me and I just bought a sandwich so I used it.”
“I try to use cash when I can,” Astor says.
Treach gives him a hard look before he continues, and I realize I’ve underestimated the detective. He’s experienced and my story does not ring true to his ears. The more we talk, the greater his suspicions grow. I wish he was alone and I could try using the hypnotic power of my eyes on him. Unsure of my abilities, I don’t dare try it with both of them in the room. I realize that I have to end the interrogation soon.
“Teri, when you were leaving the hotel, you ran into a family that’s staying here. They said they tried to talk to you but you were rude to them. They also said—”
“I wasn’t rude.” I interrupt. “They thought I worked for the hotel and kept asking me directions to the Pepsi Center. Even after I explained that I didn’t know the area, they kept bugging me, especially the wife.”
“The husband and the wife said you had a room service cart with you. Is that true?”
“Why would I be walking around with a room service cart? It was in the elevator when I stepped inside. I had nothing to do with it.”
“The couple’s youngest boy thought he saw a man’s body stuffed beneath the cart.”
I stare at Treach. “You’ve got to be joking.”
The man shrugs. “It’s what the boy told us.”
I laugh softly. “That’s cute. I mean, it would be cute if Ken wasn’t missing. But no, Detective Treach, I can assure you I didn’t kill Ken after he delivered my steak to my room. And I certainly didn’t stuff his body in a room service cart.”
“It’s not like any of us really believe that,” Astor says.
I smile. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“Did you get out of the elevator with the family?” Treach asks.
“I waited until they left. Then I got off.”
“Why did you wait?”
“I think I already explained why. They kept asking me questions I couldn’t answer. And the wife seemed to get mad I couldn’t answer them.”
“Did you by any chance ride the elevator down to the garage?”
“No.”
“The Johnsons said you remained in the elevator,” Treach says.
“Who are the Johnsons?”
“The family you bumped into.”
“I’m sorry, they didn’t introduce themselves. No, I didn’t stay in the elevator. I got off at the lobby. But I waited a minute until the Johnsons left the area.”
“I would have done the same thing,” Astor says.
“Lieutenant,” Treach says, annoyed.
Astor is not quite the puppy dog he appears. “With all due respect, I think Ms. Raine has explained her actions extremely well. I believe her.”
“Thank you,” I say.
“I’m not saying I don’t,” Treach continues. “I just have a few more questions and I’ll be done. Would that be okay, Teri?”
“Sure. I know you have a job to do.”
“The reason I ask about the garage is because a Camry was stolen from the lower level about the same time Ken went missing. Furthermore, the cart Ken took to your room was found abandoned beside the parking spot where the Camry was parked.”
I nod, act interested. “That sounds like an important clue. How do you know the cart belonged to Ken?”
“We found samples of his hair attached to the cart tablecloth.”
“Wow. That’s kind of scary. Maybe the boy was right. Maybe we were all standing together in that elevator and his body was crammed inside the cart.”
Astor shakes his head. “It’s doubtful. Ken’s a big guy. To squeeze him into that kind of space, it would take an awfully strong person.”
“But the scenario is not out of the question,” Treach says.
“I know this is none of my business, but have you guys managed to locate the Camry?” I ask. I worry about them finding samples of hair on the driver’s seat.
Treach shakes his head. “It’s disappeared.”
He’s lying! Damn, they found the car already. His people are probably going over it with a fine-tooth comb as we speak. I assumed I would have had more time to get out of town.
“That’s too bad,” I say casually.
Treach appears to have run out of questions. He gives me his card and heads for the door. But he suddenly stops and faces me and there’s no mistaking the suspicion in his voice and expression.
“Will you be staying in Denver the next few days?” he asks.
“We plan to leave tomorrow,” I say.
“Where are you headed?”
“Nowhere in particular. We’re just going to get in the car and drive.”
“So you do have a car?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a rental or does it belong to you?”
“It’s a rental. Matt got it at the airport.”
Treach nods. “Please, Teri, before leaving, let us know where you’re heading next.”
I give him a cold smile. “I’ll try.”
When they’re gone, I feel like I need a nap, or at least to lie down and rest. It’s clear to me that I’ve made an enemy, and that Treach is going to dog my steps in the coming days. True, I don’t possess my usual power, but deep inside I’m still ancient Sita. I still have a pretty sharp intuition and it’s telling me my best bet is to kill him.
I need to drink. I’m not feeling psycho or anything but my thirst is starting to aggravate me. It’s probably one of the reasons I was so short with the police.
I call an old private-eye friend of mine who is up in years and hard of hearing so he doesn’t notice anything odd about my change of voice. I ask him to get me Lieutenant William Treach’s personal information and the PI calls back within the hour with the cop’s home address and other assorted details.
Matt told me before leaving that afternoon that he would help me hunt that evening but I’m in no mood to wait for his return. Also, I want to make it clear that I don’t need his help. Otherwise, he’ll try to stop me from going off with the others when they travel to the Bay Area. I leave him a brief note saying I’ve gone out and not to worry.
Matt’s rented me a car and I drive to Lieutenant Treach’s neighborhood and park two houses down from his residence. The sun has recently set and the shadows are lengthening. Rolling down the window, I sit quietly with my eyes closed. Before entering Teri’s body, my hearing was my most potent sense, the one tool I could always rely on when things got tough. Although Teri’s ears are not nearly as keen as my originals, I’m relieved that I’m able to hear what’s going on in the Treach household.
Treach is not home yet. I listen as Mrs. Sandra Treach talks on the phone with her sister in New York. From the conversation I’m able to discern that Sandy, as her sister calls her, is the head of surgery at a nearby hospital. This interests me because surgeons often do transfusions during operations, and the head of the department would probably have relatively easy access to the clinic’s blood bank.
From experience I know about blood banks and the quality of blood that can be found in such places. In the past, for the most part, I’ve stayed away from that source of nourishment. It’s not merely the components of blood that feed a vampire, but the life essence itself in the blood.
What this essence is would be difficult to describe scientifically. In the West, they don’t have words for it. A Chinese acupuncturist might call it chi. A yogi from India would refer to it as prana. Whatever it is, it exists, and blood that has been stored for several weeks usually has a low charge. However, it is better than nothing and if I can get ahold of a few gallons it could save me a lot of grief while we travel to California. I hate the thought of constantly having to put my life on hold to satisfy my thirst.