“Oh come on,” I said, with disbelief.
That netted me a tired smile. “That’s what the lady says.” He held the door open for me and we passed into an L-shaped room, furnished with big wooden desks.
Missing Persons is included in Crimes Against Persons, which in turn is considered part of the Investigations Division, along with Crimes Against Property, Narcotics, and Special Investigations. The room was deserted at the moment, but people came and went at intervals. From the interview room off the inside corridor, I could hear the rise and fall of a shrill female voice and I guessed that an interrogation was under way. Jonah closed the hall door, automatically protective of department business.
He filled two Styrofoam cups with coffee and brought them over, handing me packets of Cremora and Equal. Just what I needed, a cup of hot chemicals. We went through the motions of doctoring the coffee, which smelled like it’d been on the burner too long.
I took a few minutes to lay out the Daggett situation. At this point, we didn’t have the results of the autopsy, so the idea of murder was purely theoretical. Still, I told Jonah what had gone on to date, detailing the principal characters. I was talking to him as a friend instead of a cop and he listened as an interested, but unofficial, party.
“So how long was he up here before he died?” Jonah asked.
“Since Monday presumably,” I said. “It’s possible he went somewhere else first, but Lovella seemed to thinkhe’d head straight for Billy Polo if he needed help.”
“Did that information on Polo do you any good?”
“Not yet, but it will. I’m just waiting to see what we’ve got on our hands before I proceed. Even if the death was accidental, I suspect Barbara Daggett will want me to look into it. I mean, for starters, what was he doing on a boat in a rainstorm? And where has he been all this time?”
“Where have you been?” Jonah asked. I focused on him and realized he’d shifted the subject. “Who, me? I’ve been around.”
He picked up a pencil and began to tap out a beat, like a man auditioning for a tiny blues band. He was giving me a look I’d seen before, full of heat and speculation. “Are you dating anyone?”
I shook my head, smiling slightly. “The only good men I know are married.” I was being flirtatious and he seemed to like that.
His blue eyes locked into mine and the color rose in his face. “What do you do for sex?”
“Jog on the beach. How about you?” He smiled, breaking off eye contact. “In other words, it’s none of my business.”
I laughed. “I’m not avoiding the question. I’m telling the truth.”
“Really? That’s funny. I always pictured you out raising hell.”
“I did some of that years ago, but I can’t stand it these days. Sex is a bonding process. I’m careful who I connect up with. Besides, you don’t know what the marketplace is like. A one-night stand is more like a wrestling match with a couple of quick take-downs. Talk about demoralizing. I’d rather be alone.”
“I know what you mean. I was out there hustling some the year she was gone, but I never got the hang of it. I’d go in a bar and some babe would sidle up to me, but I never made the right moves. Couple of times, women told me I was rude when I just thought I was making small talk.”
“It’s worse if you’re successful at it,” I said. “Be grateful you never learned the gamesmanship. I know a couple of guys on the circuit and they’re hard as nails, you know? Unhappy. Hostile toward women. They get laid, but that’s about all they get.”
Behind him, Lieutenant Becker came in and took a seat at a desk across the room. Jonah’s pencil tapping started again and then stopped. He tossed it aside and rocked back in his chair.
“I wish life were simple,” he said.
I kept my tone of voice mild. “Life is simple. You’re the one making things complex. You were doing great without Camilla, as far as I could see. She crooks her finger, though, and you go running back. And now you can’t figure out what went wrong. Quit acting like a victim when you did it to yourself.”
This time he laughed. “God, Kinsey. Why don’t you just say what’s on your mind.”
“Well, I don’t understand voluntary suffering. If you’re unhappy, change something. If you can’t make it work, then bail out. What’s the big deal?”
“Is that what you did?”
“Not quite. I dumped the first and the second one dumped me. With both, I did my share of suffering, but when I look back on it, I can’t understand why I endured so long. It was dumb. It was a big waste of time and cost me a lot.”
“I’ve never even heard you mention those guys.” “Yeah, well I’ll tell you about them sometime.” “You want to have a drink when I get off work?” I looked at him briefly and then shook my head. “We’d end up in bed, Jonah.”
“That’s the point, isn’t it?” He smiled and did a Groucho Marx wiggle with his eyebrows.
I laughed and turned the subject back to Daggett as I got up. “Call me when Dr. Yee has results on the post.” “I’ll call for more than that.” “Get your life squared away first.” When I left, he was still staring after me, and it was all I could do to get out of there. I had this troubling urge to gallop over and leap onto his lap, laughing while I covered his face with licks, but I didn’t think the department would ever be the same. As I glanced back, I could see Becker giving us a speculative look while he pretended to check his “in” box.
Chapter 7
Daggett’s death was ruled accidental. Jonah called me at home at 4:00 to give me the news. I’d spent the afternoon again wrapped up in a quilt, hoping to finish the book. I’d just put on a fresh pot of coffee and I was scurrying back under the covers as the phone rang. When he told me, I was puzzled, but I wasn’t convinced. I kept waiting for the punchline, but there wasn’t one.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “Does Yee know the background on this?”
“Babe, Daggett’s blood alcohol was point three-five. You’re talking acute ethanol intoxication, almost coma stage.”
“And that was the cause of death?”
“Well no, he drowned, but Yee says there’s no evidence of foul play. None. Daggett went out in a boat, got tangled up in a fishing net, and fell overboard, too drunk to save himself.”
“Bullshit!”
“Kinsey, some people die accidentally. It’s a fact.”
“I don’t believe it. Not this one.”
“The crime scene investigation unit didn’t find a thing. Not even a hint. What can I say? You know these guys. They’re as good as they come. If you think it’s murder, come up with some evidence. In the meantime, we’re calling it an accident. As far as we’re concerned, the case is closed.”
“What was he doing dead drunk in a boat?” I asked. “The man was broke and it was raining cats and dogs. Who’d he rent the boat from?”
I could hear Jonah sigh. “He didn’t. Apparently, he took a little ten-foot skiff from its mooring off the dock at Marina One. The harbor master identified the boat and you can see where the line was cut.”
“Where’d they find it?”
“On the beach near the pier. There weren’t any usable prints.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Look, I know what you’re saying and you’ve got a point. I tend to agree, if that makes you feel any better, but who’s asking us? Look at it as a gift. If the death is ruled a homicide, you can’t get near it. This way, you’ve got carte blanche … within limits, of course.”
“Does Dolan know I’m interested?” Lieutenant Dolan was an assistant division commander and an old antagonist of mine. He hated private investigators getting involved in police business.
“The case is Feldman’s. He won’t give a shit. You want me to talk to him?”
“Yeah, do that,” I said. “And clear it with Dolan, while you’re at it. I’m tired of getting my hand smacked.”
“Okay. I’ll get back to you first thing Monday then,” Jonah said. “In the meantime, let me know if anything turns up.”
“Right. Thanks.”
I put a call through to Barbara Daggett, repeating the information I’d just received. When I finished, she was silent.
“What do you think?” she asked, finally.
“Let’s put it this way. I’m not satisfied, but it’s your money. If you like, I can nose around for a couple of
days and if nothing turns up, we’ll dump the whole business and you’ll just have to live with it.”