Page 40 of Delusional

Gary looked in the rearview mirror as he addressed me. “When Marks showed up, I was rattled. He wanted to test-drive the Camaro, and I didn’t know what to do. Guess I freaked out a little bit.”

I said, “Don’t worry about it.”

“You sure as shit made Marks mad. I mean really mad.”

I had to smile as I said, “Good. That’s when people make mistakes.”

Gary nodded as he kept driving down the empty road. The van occasionally skidded on a patch of ice, and the heater inside was not particularly effective.

We didn’t even bother going inside Gary’s house once we arrived, though he took a moment to lock up the llama in a pen next to his house. The llama spit at me again and tried to bite me twice. Dogs usually love me, but apparently there was something about me that rubbed Fido the wrong way.

Gary led us to the house next door, where his mother and grandfather lived. Even though I’d met Mona and Chet Trilling only once before, when they were on the East Coast visiting Trilling’s sister, they immediately made me feel right at home.

Chet patted the leather couch next to him. I sat down, assuming he wanted to talk to me. But he was content to sit quietly next to me as he listened to everything that was going on around him: his grandsons trading juvenile barbs, the TV in the next room that was tuned to the weather station, Mona working in the kitchen. But he never said a word. I didn’t get the feeling it had anything to do with his mental decline. I had the distinct impression this had been his personality throughout his long life. It made me understand where Trilling got his quiet personality.

I asked Mona if she needed any help in the kitchen.

She shook her head. “I’m staying busy to try and keep my mind off Lillian. I’m making some dishes for her service. I spent the morning over at Lillian’s apartment with her mother. The poor woman is just devastated, has no idea what to do. I tried to get her to stay here for the evening, but she wouldn’t.”

With that little exchange I also realized where Rob Trilling got his strong sense of duty and compassion. He’d inherited the best traits from his grandfather and mother.

I considered what I had discovered about my partner. I’d never learned so much about someone without them saying a word. Now Trilling was even surprising me when he wasn’t doing anything.

CHAPTER 47

TOM OWENS KNEW he needed to keep moving to avoid being obvious. He turned to look at the list of tenants in the building, where Virtual Spaces was listed as being in the lobby and on the tenth floor.

Owens could tell that the cop, a tall, muscular Black man in his mid-thirties, was wrapping up his conversation. The cop said good-bye to the security guard and turned toward the rear of the lobby, where an exit door was centered in the wall.

That’s when Owens really felt some panic. What if Pry is still in the alley? He didn’t know for a fact, but he didn’t want to risk it either. His mind raced with possible options.

The cop took a few more steps toward the rear exit of the building.

Owens didn’t know what to do. He blurted out, “Excuse me, Officer?”

The cop stopped midstride and turned to see who had called to him.

Owens walked toward him slowly, hoping to give Pry as much time as possible to clear the alley. When he made it all the way to the cop, Owens asked, “How would I get to Columbia University from here?”

The cop thought about it for a moment. “If you’re talking about the main campus, take the 1 train uptown to 116th Street station. The university has offices all over upper Manhattan. Do you have a specific address?”

Owens slowly searched his pockets to use up time. Finally, he said, “I guess I don’t have it with me.”

The cop pointed at Owens’s briefcase and said, “Maybe it’s in there.”

Owens shook his head. “I appreciate it. You’ve been very helpful. I’m going to the office of the registrar. I’m sure it’s on the main campus. Thank you.” He turned back to the directory like he was searching for some office on an upper floor.

He kept standing there, looking up at the names of companies, until he saw the cop turn and speak to a pretty young woman. The young woman seemed to appreciate talking to the cop as well. By now Pry had to be out of the alley.

Owens turned and looked over at the Virtual Spaces reception area. It was completely enclosed by glass. Glass walls and a clear glass door separated it from the building lobby. From the street, tall windows stretched from a few feet off the ground to the second floor. The room literally offered no privacy whatsoever.

From where he was standing, Owens could see there were maybe seven or eight people in the reception area, all talking or waiting to talk with one of the women working at the two desks inside. This was probably as crowded as that room ever got. That meant now was Owens’s best chance to complete this mission.

Owens made certain his scarf covered the majority of his face. He could feel his wool ski cap was still in place. He was hesitating. He’d planned everything out so carefully but hadn’t realized how nerve-racking it would be in person. Finally, he marched directly toward the door of the Virtual Spaces lobby. He switched his briefcase to his left hand for a moment to give his aching right shoulder a break.

As he slipped through the door, the young woman behind the desk on the left looked up and smiled at him. He gave her a little nod. With a hand gesture, she indicated there was a sign-in sheet on the table against the wall. This was perfect. The small table was exactly where he intended to set the case. No one was paying any attention as he stepped up to the table, casually placed the briefcase on the floor, then scooted it against the wall with his foot.

Owens pretended to write on the sign-in sheet, then backed away from the wall and checked that no one would notice his case on the floor. He then casually strolled back through the glass door into the building’s lobby and out onto the busy sidewalk. He felt a wave of excitement. He glanced down the street and saw that Kimmy and Ellis were still in the same spot where he had left them.