Kyle looked on fearfully as she turned over his paralyzed arm, pulled up his sleeve, put a rubber tourniquet around his forearm to pop up his veins, found a good one and plunged the syringe contents into it. She quickly undid the strap and placed it and the syringe on the nightstand next to the bed.
As Kyle lay twitching on the bed, she stared down at him. What she’d shot into him was already taking effect. He was starting to convulse more, but it wasn’t enough. She took the pillow, held it over his face and pressed down. Two minutes later it was over. She removed the pillow and looked down at him again. She felt for a pulse and found none. Kyle was dead.
Despite appearing to be naked, she was actually wearing panties and a bra. She pulled a sweat suit from her bag, donned it quickly, grabbed the money, searched Kyle’s pockets and found the note she’d written to him. She stuffed the note and the bedsheet she’d wrapped around her into the bag. She made sure she’d left nothing behind other than the syringe and rubber tourniquet and left the building.
As she sped away from the dead man’s apartment, she took comfort in the fact that she now had one less problem to deal with.
CHAPTER
56
KING AND MICHELLE
drove over to see Remmy the next morning.
King filled in Michelle on his conversation with Sylvia. “I spoke with Todd earlier this morning. He’s going to pick Kyle up today.”
“Any idea who the mystery woman is?”
“I guess the easiest thing to do is go to the club and ask. If she’s a regular there, or works there, someone has to know about it.”
In turn, Michelle filled in King on the reenactment. “It was amazing, hundreds of people with so much going on all the time. I mean, it was utter chaos, like watching a real battle. Eddie thinks they may show some of the film they took on the local PBS station,” she said.
“I’ve actually been to a couple of those. A woman I used to date when I was in the Service had a brother who was big into them. Had a whole museum of memorabilia and stuff from the Civil War. Muskets, uniforms, swords, even an amputation kit.”
“Eddie did a great job. The man has amazing skills and yet his self-esteem is rock-bottom.”
“Well, his father’s a hard act to follow.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like he hasn’t accomplished anything in his life. And as physical as he is, you should have seen him when he was talking about his twin brother. In fact in some ways he may very well be the most exceptional Battle of them all.”
King stared at her with a questioning expression. “And you said he drove you home? Just the two of you?”
“Will you stop with the insinuations? Nothing happened, and nothing is going to happen, between us.”
“That’s good to hear because the last thing we need is Dorothea or, God forbid, Remmy Battle gunning for us,” King shot back.
Eddie met them at the front door of the mansion.
“I’ve spent the last hour trying to get her to tell me what was in that secret drawer, and getting absolutely nowhere,” he reported.
“Well, if she won’t tell you, I don’t think we’re going to crack her,” said King.
“Maybe I softened her up some. She’s on the rear terrace and expecting you. The coffee’s hot; Mason just brought it out along with some ham biscuits.”
Eddie walked out to the terrace with them. Remmy closed what looked like a diary that she was writing in. It was an old-fashioned kind with a clasp and lock across it. Remmy placed the journal inside the pocket of her jacket.
As King was greeting Remmy, Eddie motioned Michelle toward him and whispered, “When you’re done here, come on by my studio; it’s right behind the carriage house. I’ve got something to show you.”
He walked off, and Michelle turned to see Remmy’s keen gaze on her.
“I understand you watched Eddie playing soldier,” she said slowly.
Michelle joined them at the table. King poured out coffees.
“He’s certainly good at it,” remarked Michelle. “I had no idea it was so involved.”
“Eddie got into it because his father was interested in it. I don’t think he really cares for it all that much.”