Island of Bones(34)
Landeta’s hand paused over the ashtray. “You know about profiling?”
Louis nodded as he sipped the beer. “I worked with a Miami FBI agent once who was into it. She taught me a lot.”
“Tell me about this Woods guy,” Landeta said.
“He’s not your classic suspect,” Louis said. “Older, intelligent, has a family, a steady job where he’s respected. He’s just not your standard loser.”
“Neither was Ted Bundy.”
“Woods has a whole library in his house.”
“What kind of books?”
“Academic shit on language origins, Roman history...”
Landeta took a drag on the cigarette. “The guy do anything strange while you were following him?”
Louis shook his head.
“What about the daughter? Why would she have you tailing her old man?”
“I told you. She found the articles and the ring.” But Louis knew that was not what Landeta meant. He was wondering what kind of daughter would suspect her own father. He had been wondering the same thing since the start of all this.
“You can do better than that,” Landeta said.
Louis stared at him. “What?”
“I said you can do better than that. Come on, Rocky boy.” Landeta smiled and started humming The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon.”
Louis raised his beer, finished it in one gulp, and slammed it down.
“Fuck this, man,” he said, rising.
“You leaving?” Landeta asked.
Louis didn’t answer. He pulled out his wallet. He only had a twenty. But he’d be damned if he was going to leave without paying for his beer. He went up to the bar and asked for change.
“Hey, hon, bring me a Jack Daniels on the rocks.”
Louis glanced back at Landeta. He was waving to the waitress. He saw Louis staring at him.
“Thought you were leaving, Rocky,” he called out. “Well, go on, get out of here. Just go.”
Louis looked back at Landeta. He was just sitting there, looking off into space. Then, in one sudden liquid movement of his long hand Landeta raised the shot to his lips and sucked it down.
Louis hesitated, hand on the glass door.
No. I don’t need to be dragged into his shit.
He pushed open the door and went out into the sun.
CHAPTER 16
Louis waited until eight p.m. before hitting the library. It was a Saturday and he figured the place would be fairly empty an hour before closing, giving him more privacy to search through Frank’s work area.
Fort Myers uniforms had already been through the library earlier. Horton had dispatched his men there and to Frank’s home but nothing had been found.
Including Diane Woods herself, Horton told him. She wasn’t home and her car was gone. Horton said he was putting a cruiser out front to watch for her.
Louis paused inside the library door. He knew this was a long shot. If there was anything worth confiscating here, Horton’s men already had it.
Louis spotted a girl at the front desk. She was checking out books for a teenage boy with a backpack. Louis walked up, standing a few feet away while she finished.
The girl’s small brown eyes drifted to Louis’s face. She was plump, maybe eighteen, her pretty round face set off with glossy brown hair. She was chewing gum, working it hard.
“Can I help you?” she asked. Her voice was small and childlike.
Louis gave her a smile. “I’m a private investigator working with the Fort Myers police.” He was hoping she wasn’t smart enough to ask for a badge or something. Horton had told him he wasn’t even going to get a police ID.
“I don’t know where Mr. Woods is,” she whispered, glancing around as if she were expecting Frank to appear out of the shelves.
“I know you don’t, but I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about him.”
“I saw the news tonight.” She made an odd face, as if she smelled something burning. “Did Mr. Woods kill that girl they found?”
“We don’t know anything yet, Miss —-” Louis tried a smile. “What’s your name?”
“Holly. Holly Russell. Mr. Woods was the one who hired me. Is he gonna be like arrested or something?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think it will hurt for you to talk to me.”
She shrugged and snapped her gum. “Okay.”
“So what can you tell me about him?”
“Well, he was always looking at my boobs.”
Louis stared at her. “Why would you tell me that?”
She shrugged again. “Isn’t he, you know, like a pervert or something?”
“Not exactly. Did you ever notice Mr. Woods doing anything strange while he worked here?”
“You mean besides looking at my boobs?”