Chasing a Blond Moon(133)
“Friends or strangers?” Service asked.
“Both.”
“What friends?”
“Colliver for one.”
“She did Colliver and you two remained friends?”
“It wasn’t his fault. I forgave him. Him and me go way back.” So too had Outi Ranta and Honeypat Allerdyce, Service thought.
Sandy Tavolacci was not happy about being dragged down to Wisconsin again.
“Hey, Sandy,” Service said. “You’re looking spiffy.”
“Up your ass,” the attorney said.
Colliver was seated behind a table, looking sullen.
Service stood over him and pointed a finger like a sword. “Why’d you and Charley go after Kitella?”
Tavolacci said, “My client is charged with an illegal deer. This is a buncha bullshit and you have no jurisdiction here.”
Warden Les Reynolds said, “The deer put him inside, counselor, but it’s the bears and other stuff keeping him here.”
“We’re just trying to have a friendly chat with your client,” Service said.
Colliver had crossed his arms, his hands clenched into fists under his arms.
Uptight, pissed, defensive, Service thought. “I asked you a question, Mr. Colliver.”
“I don’t know no Kitella.”
Service said, “He beat the shit out of you and Charley.”
“Don’t usually get no name from some asshole when you’re in a fight.”
Service sat down to bring himself to Colliver’s level, a calculated move to even the ground and go eye to eye. “Your payback sort of backfired.”
“What payback?” Colliver asked, looking over Service’s shoulder.
“There’s all kinds of payback,” Service said. “Charley’s told us a lot, said he’s had too much on his chest, like how you balled his old lady.”
Colliver couldn’t hide his surprise. “She threw it on me.”
“And then she told Charley.”
“Why’d she do that?” Colliver asked.
“This interview is concluded,” Tavolacci shouted. “This is over—finito!”
“She wanted to hurt him. Payback, right?”
Colliver looked sullen.
“How do you think we got to you? Mary Ellen gave up her old man and Charley gave us you, how you set him up with Hannah and the old man to get Kitella.”
Colliver sneered. “Charley never met the man,” he said.
“I’m telling youse to remain silent,” Tavolacci said, grabbing Colliver’s arm.
Colliver jerked free and flashed a nasty look at his attorney.
“Charley can’t testify to what he don’t know,” Colliver said.
“Are you saying he lied?”
“Damn straight.”
“Okay,” Service said, leaning back to break tension. He looked up at Reynolds. “Let’s scratch that off. Charley never met an old man.” Service bent forward suddenly. “Who is he?”
“Fuck off,” Colliver said, looking away.
“This just gets deeper,” Service said. “Poaching, assault against Kitella, theft, homicide.”
“Nobody got killed,” Tavolacci said, his voice turning shrill.
“Mary Ellen Fahrenheit,” Service said. “And Outi Ranta.”
“Car wreck. Mary Ellen was a lush, eh?” Colliver said. “Been busted for it. I don’t know no Ranta.”
“A car wreck after she shot Outi Ranta,” Les Reynolds said, looking down on Colliver and sounding like the voice of God.
Colliver looked confused.
Service said, “She drove up to Michigan and shot Ranta. Outi Ranta was Hannah, the woman who worked with the old man, and you worked with the old man. We’re looking at conspiracy here at the least.”
Colliver smirked. “Who’s she gonna tell now?” His voice was icy.
“The old man’s free,” Service said. “You and Charley are in lockup and it looks to me like it’s all gonna land on the two of you. And I can tell you right now, Charley wants company.”
Tavolacci sprang to his feet. “Shut up!”
Service asked, “Did the old man have one leg?”
He saw in Colliver’s eyes that he had no idea what Service meant, so he pressed on. “The theory is that the old man set up Mary Ellen. Ranta’s dead, Mary Ellen’s dead, you two are inside, and the old man’s out there laughing at you both. What’s his name, Mr. Colliver?”
“Wasn’t no old man,” Colliver said. “I just told Charley that shit. Man was my age and he never give no name. He had a streak of white hair right here.” He reached to show them. “Like a skunk or something.”
“You gave the cable to him?”