The Prodigal Son(88)

“Who has an old manual typewriter?” Tony asked.

“No one we know of, and we’ll never find it,” Abe answered positively. “It’s sitting somewhere belonging to someone entirely unconnected to the case.” He squared his shoulders. “I’m going to find Carmine.”

Carmine returned with Abe to inspect the find. “Well, it’s hard evidence,” he said, “and you could make a case involving the death of Emily Tunbull. Do you want to try?”

“If the full ampoule contains tetrodotoxin and the empty one used to contain it, I think the D.A. will want to try Uda for Emily’s murder. You know Horrie better than I do, Carmine, but that’s how it strikes me.”

“You’re right, Horrie will prosecute for Emily Tunbull, not John Hall. If the ampoule contains an oral dose, and I’m betting it does, then Emily’s the right charge.” Carmine grimaced. “The only trouble is that the defendant should be Davina, not Uda.”

“Right on!” Abe gave a wry laugh. “That means we cops will be working to undermine Horrie’s chances of success. We can’t see the wrong woman convicted.”



“What I don’t get,” said Donny, “is why Uda ever kept the evidence. That’s why I don’t think it was Davina — she’s too smart to hide evidence in her own home, even if she were fool enough to have kept it. The Imaginexa premises would have been safer. I mean, why this elaborate business with paint tubes? A clear, colorless solution could have been hidden in plain view.”

“That implies it could have been safely removed from the ampoule,” said Carmine, “and I don’t think either woman had the confidence to do that. It’s not their poison. Some vegetable alkaloid would have seen them comfortable. This stuff? No.”

“Solution does indicate that this stuff doesn’t go off after it’s dissolved,” Abe said. “Even so, our mastermind didn’t trust the women to do it, he sent them solution. I don’t think he had a time frame in mind, he was just hedging his bets against the moment when pressure on the Savovich sisters built up to murder as a desirable end result.”

“I agree,” Carmine said.

Abe sighed. “I’m arresting Uda for the murder of Emily. Do we oppose bail?”

“What do you think, Abe?”

“The opposite. Ask for bail, and hint that we’re not worried about other murders in the Tunbull household. Bail should be set at an affordable sum.”

“Then we arrest and arraign her tomorrow morning.”





THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1969


The Tunbulls were still at breakfast when Abe Goldberg arrived, followed by a squad car with a woman cop in its back. Protesting her innocence in shrill broken English that worsened the more agitated she became, Uda Savovich was put into the squad car and driven off, handcuffed and alone.

“I suggest you find a lawyer capable of arguing for bail when Miss Savovich is arraigned later today. As you can testify, she was cautioned in the proper manner.”

“You’re very helpful, Lieutenant,” Max said, skin ashen.

“Not at all, sir. I simply understand that news like this is a shock and you may not think of what has to be done.” Abe gave Max a businesslike nod and went to his car, drove off.

“Savovich?” Max asked the stunned and stricken Davina. “He called her Savovich.”

“She is my twin sister,” Davina said, regained the use of her legs and marched to the nursery. What would she do without Uda? Was there more formula mixed and refrigerated?



She was greeted by a hungry, cranky Alexis, his routines disrupted, and already missing Uda. Her witch’s eyes blazed at Max, who instinctively backed away. For long moments she forgot him, even managed to shut out the noises coming from her baby, all her being concentrated on this disaster. Oh, Uda, Uda, fool that you are! I told you to get rid of all of it, but obviously you didn’t. Those clever cops have found it among your things … What do I do, what do I do?

The years rolled back, they were a pair of starving kids again, fleeing to some kinder place where the rule of men was less bestial if still a reality … Always looking out for Uda, always thinking of what she would do, how she would go about attaining her objective, which was to be safe, warm, lapped in luxury yet permitted to carve a career. Without Uda she was infinitely diminished, without Uda she was half a person. Now here was Uda threatened with prison, and that could not be let come to pass. Chez Derzinsky, as much devil as twisted angel: torturing Uda to make her obey his commands, yet lending her, Davina, the money to found Imaginexa. Putting her under the control of Emily — had Chez told Emily his secrets about her and Uda for the sake of ongoing control, or a simple malice? Not that it mattered. Emily knew too much, yet luckily was the type who had to drop broad hints, not concrete events. Well, Em had been afraid for Chez as well as intent upon making mischief for her, Davina. Always mysterious, until after that last veiled threat when she came in her blue dress and her blue shoes implying knowledge of — what? It was only when she, Davina, visited her in her studio shed that Em dribbled her poison about Chez and the New York City years. Bolstered by her pussycats and her horses’ heads, the new Michelangelo …