Part 8 (1/2)
What had kepta schnibble ofconvicted of a er over the fact that soer at the friends and relatives who'd turned their backs on ht out the idea that had been quietly percolating at the back ofout of the storrow on ive myself up? What if I tried to find the person who'd really killed Kip? It hadn't been a randomun? Who benefited from Kip's death?
Naturally, I'd mulled over these questions hundreds of ti in my cell, but I'd never been able to come up with answers Noas only a fewfor theto waste this opportunity?
Labeck had been watching ht ”You look beat,” he said gruffly ”You can stay here tonight, get so every syllable
”Take my bed I'll sleep on the couch”
The couch, right I didn't trust this guy one inch I was going to watch hiht
Escape tip 12: Real woot to see this”
So I was curled up against Labeck's pilloearing his paja in his bed
I stared blearily at the TV on the dresser The Today news anchor was s, ”and in small town Campbellsport, Wisconsin, the scene was the sa up signs”
The ca to a rolling cairls were juns: Run, Mazie, Run!
”It's called Mazie- red-haired male reporter, ”and it seems to have taken over the state”
The scene switched to a tavern Guys on bar stools atching the overhead TV, tuned to the scene where I dive out of the barn They histling and pounding their beerthe Packers trounce the Bears in the playoffs
”Law enforce like it,” the reporter continued excitedly ”Instead of helping police officers capture the wanted fugitive, local citizens seeuire, who escaped froht, has eluded capture for three days, stealing a car, causing an esti display roo pursued by a small army of law enforcement officers”
The ca on a black SUV with federal plates and a forest of antennae The door opened and Marshal Irving Katz erumpy The fil the clothes he'd had on at the farm His pants were smeared with brown stuff He used the curb pave off his shoe soles ”No co into a coffee shop
I laughed out loud
Labeck switched to Good Morning A and looking a world removed from Walmart-lipstick, new hairstyle, whitened teeth ”When I seen ,” Wanda said, nervously licking her lips ”Then the state patrol shows up and tells ured what the heck It's kind of an honor, sort of like being robbed by Bonnie and Clyde, you know? If you're watching this, Mazie, no hard feelings, aina?” She blew a kiss
”Mazie-roaned He switched off the TV He rubbed his neck, probably to de on the sofa had been He earing a T-shi+rt and fresh jeans He'd shaved, showered, and slicked back his wet hair He looked five years younger ”What is it with these people? What is it with itive”
”You have no one to blame but yourself You kidnapped me”
”Well, you're lucky I did or you'd be back in prison by now”
I was hazy on the details of the previous night So le eye The Bush I'd barely been conscious as I'd pulled on a pair of Labeck's pajamas and poured into his bed, asleep before my head hit the pillow Dumb, du?
Labeck looked at me ”You're really a deep sleeper, you know that? You were out so deep I orried you'd died I actually held ain trees and barns”
”I thought ht you'd scram the second I fell asleep Then it occurred toout was the best thing that could happen” He went to his dresser and pulled out a wad of crumpled but clean underwear ”I tossed your undies in the incinerator Wear these”
A wife-beater athletic shi+rt and a pair of tighty-whities
Mazie Maguire, cross-dressing convictedon the floor, rang He picked yesterday's jeans up, pulled out a cellphone, listened ”Yeah, I saw the Mazie- Yeah, uh-huh, unbelievable I'll have the truck back by noon”
He turned and faced me He folded his arht I kept thinking about that nanny ca stinks So here's the deal You've got two hours to convince me you didn't kill your husband After that you're on your own Go find your precious Brenner, who'll turn you over to the cops faster than he can pocket a bribe And if you tell the cops I helped you-”
”I', it's to keep your trap shut
”Good Get dressed”
”Not in front of you, perv”
”Honor systeive you much respect for the honor system But since I didn't have a lot of choice, I turned around Then whipped around again tohis part of the deal He was Which was actually kind of ego-deflating
”So you're saying the woman in the video wasn't you?” Labeck said
”No It looks like me from the back, but the face isn't visible because of the way the caled” I took off the paja straps, no jabbing underwires, just soft, ribbed cotton Men had it so good
”I want to see that video Not the crap version that floated around the Web What happened to the actual nanny tape?”
I thought for a moment Did my lawyer have it? No-it hadn't been a defense item; it had been the DA's slam dunk Maybe I could call the district attorney's office Yeah, that would work Coet here, heh, heh
I pulled on the men's briefs They felt weird-bulky and with flaps where I didn't need venting ”I think inal tape,” I said ”She ive back all Kip's personal items, even the bloody clothes and stuff”
”That's kind of-”
”Freaky? Macabre? Vanessa probably saved Kip's nail clippings and nose pickings He was her baby, her reason for existence”
”What if you phoned her, asked if she had the tape?”
I shuddered ”I think Vanessa can send death rays over the phone wires She kept sending me poisoned cookies when I was in prison”
Labeck was silent for ato decide whether I was serious Then he said, ”Sounds like that wo with only one needle”
Probably another old Canadian expression, I thought, adjusting the waistband of the briefs If Vanessa had a knitting needle, she'd jab it in my eyeball
”What if we show up on her doorstep? Where does she live?”