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Nash whistled softly.
“If I catch you panhandling, I’ll make you wait in the car.”
“As this day progresses, I find myself regretting I didn’t wear a nicer suit,” Nash admitted. “This is a very different world than the one we putt around in, Sam.”
“Do you play?”
“The last time I held a golf club, I couldn’t get past the windmill. This here is big-boy golf. I don’t have the patience for it,” Nash replied.
A young woman sat at a desk near the center of the lobby. As they approached, she glanced up from her laptop and smiled. “Good morning, gentlemen. Welcome to the Chicago Golf Club. How may I help you?”
Behind her gleaming white smile, Porter could sense her sizing them up. She hadn’t asked if they had a reservation, and he doubted that was an oversight. He pulled out his badge and held it up to her. “We’re looking for Arthur Talbot. His wife said he was playing today.”
Her smile faded as her eyes darted from the badge to Porter, then Nash. She picked up the receiver on her desk and dialed an extension, spoke softly, then disconnected. “Please take a seat. Someone will be with you in a moment.” She gestured toward a couch in the far corner.
“We’re fine, thank you,” Porter told her.
The smile again. She returned to her computer, slim, manicured fingers bouncing across the keys.
Porter checked his watch. Nearly 9:00 a.m.
A man in his mid-fifties entered the lobby from a door to their left. His salt-and-pepper hair was combed neatly back, his dark-blue suit pressed to perfection. As he approached, he extended his hand to Porter. “Detective. I’ve been told you’re here to see Mr. Talbot?” His grip was soft. Porter’s father had called it a dead fish shake. “I’m Douglas Prescott, senior manager.”
Porter flashed his badge. “I’m Detective Porter, and this is Detective Nash with Chicago Metro. This is extremely urgent. Do you know where we can find Mr. Talbot?”
The blond woman was watching them. When Prescott glanced at her, she turned back to her laptop. His gaze returned to Porter. “I believe Mr. Talbot’s party had a seven-thirty tee time, so they’re out on the course. You’re more than welcome to wait for him. You’ll find a fine complimentary breakfast in the dining room. If you like cigars, our humidor is top-notch.”
“This can’t wait.”
Prescott frowned. “We don’t disturb our guests during play, gentlemen.”
“We don’t?” Nash said.
“We do not,” Prescott insisted.
Porter rolled his eyes. Why did everyone seem to go out of their way to make things difficult? “Mr. Prescott, we don’t have the time or patience for this. The way I see it, you’ve got two choices. You can take us to Mr. Talbot, or my partner here will arrest you for obstruction, handcuff you to that desk, and start shouting Talbot’s name until he comes to us. I’ve seen him do it — the man is loud. It’s your choice, but I honestly think option A will prove least disruptive to your business.”
The receptionist stifled a chuckle.
Prescott shot her an angry glance, then stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Mr. Talbot is a substantial contributor and personal friends with your boss, the mayor. They played together just two weeks ago. I don’t think either would be happy to learn two officers were willing to blemish the record of Chicago Metro by threatening civilians simply for doing their job. If I were to call him right now and tell him you were here, preparing to make a scene, he would no doubt refer you to his attorney before he would consider taking the time to speak with you.”
Nash pulled the handcuffs from his belt. “I’m arresting this little shit, Sam. I want to see how well he holds up in the tank surrounded by crackheads and bangers. I’m sure Ms.” — he glanced down at the blond woman’s name tag — “Piper will be more than willing to help us out.”
Prescott’s face grew red.
“Take a deep breath and think carefully about the next thing you say, Mr. Prescott,” Porter warned.
Prescott rolled his eyes, then turned to Ms. Piper. “Where is Mr. Talbot’s party now?”
She pointed a pink-shellacked finger at her monitor. “They just pulled up to the sixth hole.”
“You have video?” Nash asked.
She shook her head. “Our golf carts are equipped with GPS trackers. It allows us to watch for bottlenecks and keep everyone’s game moving efficiently.”
“So if someone is playing slow, you pluck them off the course and take them to the kiddy range?”
“Nothing that drastic. We may send a pro out to give them a few tips. Help them move along,” she explained.
“Can you give us a ride out there?”
She eyed Prescott. He raised both hands in defeat. “Just go.”
Ms. Piper plucked her purse from beneath her desk and gestured toward a hallway at the west end of the building. “This way, gentlemen.”
A moment later they were in a golf cart heading down a cobblestone path. Ms. Piper was driving, with Porter beside her and Nash on a small bench behind them. He cursed as they hit a bump, bouncing him in the seat.
Porter shoved his hands into his pockets. It was cold out here in the open.
“I apologize for my boss. He can be a little …” She paused, searching for the right word. “A bit of a mucker sometimes.”
“What the hell is a mucker?” Nash asked.
“Someone you wouldn’t want at your bachelor party,” Porter said.
Nash snickered. “I’m not walking down the aisle anytime soon, unless Ms. Piper has a friend in search of a civil servant who makes a low wage for getting shot at on a fairly regular basis. I also tend to work long hours and hit the bottle far more often than I’m willing to admit to someone I just met.”
Porter turned back to Ms. Piper. “Ignore him, miss. You’re under no legal obligation to set up members of law enforcement with attractive friends.”
She glanced up at the rearview mirror. “You sound like quite the catch, Detective. I’ll reach out to my sorority sisters the moment I get back to my desk.”
“That would be much appreciated,” Nash said.
Porter couldn’t help but marvel at the landscaping. The grass was short and lush, not a single weed or blade out of place. Tiny ponds dotted the course on either side of the cart path. Large oaks loomed over the sides of the fairway, their branches shielding the players from the sun and wind.
“There they are.” Ms. Piper nodded toward a group of four men standing around something that resembled a tall, skinny water fountain.
“What is that thing?” Nash asked.
“What thing?”
Ms. Piper smiled. “That, gentlemen, is a ball washer.”
Nash massaged his temple and closed his eyes. “So many jokes just popped into my head, it actually hurts.”
Ms. Piper pulled to a stop behind Talbot’s cart and locked the brake. “Would you like me to wait for you?”
Porter smiled. “That would be nice, thank you.”
Nash jumped off the back. “I’m calling shotgun for the ride back. The rumble seat is all yours.”
Porter walked over to the four men preparing to tee off and showed his badge. “Morning, gentlemen. I’m Detective Sam Porter with Chicago Metro. This is my partner, Detective Nash. I’m sorry to interrupt your game, but we have a situation that simply couldn’t wait. Which one of you is Arthur Talbot?”
A tall man in his early fifties with short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair cocked his head slightly and offered what Nash liked to call a politician’s grin. “I’m Arthur Talbot.”
Porter lowered his voice. “Could we speak to you alone for a moment?”
Talbot was dressed in a brown windbreaker over a white golf shirt, brown belt, and khakis. He shook his head. “No need, Detective. These guys are my business partners. I don’t keep secrets from these men.”
The older man to his left pushed his wireframe glasses up the bridge of his nose and flattened what was a promising start to a comb-over against the thin breeze. Anxious eyes locked on Porter. “We can play on, Arty. You can catch up if you need a minute.”
Talbot raised a hand, silencing him. “What can I do for you, Detective?”
“You seem very familiar,” Nash said to the man on Talbot’s right.
Porter thought so too but couldn’t place him. About six feet tall. Thick, dark hair. Fit. Mid-forties.
“Louis Fischman. We met a few years ago. You were working the Elle Borton case, and I was with the district attorney’s office. I’m in the private sector now.”
Talbot frowned. “Elle Borton. Why do I recognize that name?”
“She was one of the Monkey Killer’s victims, wasn’t she?” the third man chimed in. He had begun fiddling with the ball washer.
Porter nodded. “His second.”
“Right.”
“Fucking crazy bastard,” the man with glasses muttered. “Any leads?”
“City transit may have clipped him this morning,” Nash said.
“City transit? A cabdriver turned him in?” Fischman asked.
Porter shook his head and explained.
“And you believe it’s the Monkey Killer?”
“Looks like it.”
Arthur Talbot frowned. “Why are you here to see me?”
Porter took a deep breath. He hated this part of his job. “The man who was killed, we believe he was trying to cross the street to get to a mailbox.”
“Oh?”
“The package had your home address on it, Mr. Talbot.”
His face went pale. Like most of Chicago, he was familiar with the Monkey Killer’s MO.
Fischman put his hand on Talbot’s shoulder. “What was in the package, Detective?”
“An ear.”
“Oh no. Carnegie —”
“It’s not Carnegie, Mr. Talbot. It’s not Patricia, either. They’re both safe. We stopped at your residence before driving out here. Your wife told us where to find you,” Porter said as quickly as he could, then lowered his voice in an attempt to calm the man down. “We need your help, Mr. Talbot. We need you to help us determine who he took.”
“I’ve got to sit down,” Talbot said. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
Fischman glanced at Porter, then tightened his grip on the man’s shoulder. “Arty, let’s get you back to the cart.” Moving away from the tee box, he guided a white-faced Talbot to the golf cart and lowered him into the seat.
Porter motioned for Nash to stay put and followed the other two men back to the vehicle. He sat beside Talbot so he could speak quietly. “You know how he operates, don’t you? His pattern?”
Talbot nodded. “Do no evil,” he whispered.
“That’s right. He finds someone who has done something wrong, something he feels is wrong, and he takes someone close to them. Someone they care about.”
“I di-didn’t …” Talbot stammered.
Fischman dropped into lawyer mode. “Arty, I don’t think you should say another word until we have a moment to talk.”
Talbot’s breathing was heavy. “My address? You’re sure?”
“It’s 1547 Dearborn Parkway,” Porter told him. “We’re sure.”
“Arty …” Fischman muttered under his breath.
“We need to figure out who it is, who he took.” Porter hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Do you have a mistress, Mr. Talbot?” He leaned in close. “If it’s another woman, you can tell us. We’ll be discreet. You’ve got my word. We only want to find whomever he has taken.”
“It’s not like that,” said Talbot.
Porter put a hand on Talbot’s shoulder. “Do you know who he has?”
Talbot shook him off and stood. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, crossed to the other side of the cart path, and hammered in a number. “Come on, answer. Please pick up …”
Porter stood and slowly approached him. “Who are you calling, Mr. Talbot?”
Arthur Talbot swore and disconnected the call.
Fischman walked over to him. “If you tell them, you can’t untell them. You understand? Once it’s out there, the press could get wind. Your wife. Your shareholders. You have obligations. This is bigger than you. You need to think this through. Maybe talk to one of your other attorneys, if you’re not comfortable discussing this matter with me.”
Talbot shot him an angry glance. “I’m not going to wait for a stock analysis while some psycho has —”
“Arty!” Fischman interjected. “Let’s at least confirm it on our own first. Let’s be sure.”
“That sounds like a great way to get this person killed,” Porter said.
Arthur Talbot waved a frustrated hand at him and hit Redial on his phone, the anxiety growing on his face. When he disconnected the call, he tapped the screen so hard that Porter wondered if he had broken it.
