“If he’s worried about Parker and the school,” said Renders, “he may side with Kenney.”
“Or kill him,” said Santopietro.“And once he gets started—”
“Does Teal have it in him?He likes killing tethered women, but could he kill a man?”
“I wouldn’t want to bet my life on it,” said Santopietro.
In Santopietro’s experience, it never paid to misjudge weak individuals because their weakness made them vicious.When he and Teal played the Game together, they egged each other on.Santopietro was crueler when he played it with Teal, and vice versa.Teal contained hidden depths, and what swam in them had long, sharp teeth.
Santopietro said: “Curiously, Teal was wondering if we might consider abducting a woman for him.”
“In the middle of this?”Renders asked.
“It’s Berrien, the one who set Parker on him.She’s gotten under Teal’s skin.He’d like to hurt her, but he also fears she may have material that could be used against both of us.Mostly, though, it’s about the hurting.”
“It would be madness.”
“It’s all madness,” said Santopietro.“Mallory Norton was madness.The Game is madness.”
Renders thought about it.
“Is Berrien good-looking?”
“Teal says not.”
“Pity.But in the dark, who can tell?”
“She doesn’t need to be good-looking,” said Santopietro, “not for bait.In fact, we don’t even have to take her.”
“We just tell Teal we did?”
“That’s right.Kenney too.We call her a goodwill offering.”
“And then?”
“Then,” said Santopietro, “we kill them.”
Chapter 76
Louis did not like acting faster than he judged prudent, and without groundwork.But if Southwood was correct, the chances of gaining access to Sturgis’s property unobserved, and more importantly leaving it the same way, were set to decrease dramatically by morning.Southwood asked if Louis could source an untraceable burner at short notice, but Louis said he didn’t know many people in Massachusetts because, well, #Massachusetts and #NobodysFriendButTheirOwn.Southwood told him to stay put, and an hour later a call from the front desk advised Louis that a package had arrived.The envelope, when it was delivered to his room, contained a flip phone manufactured by a company Louis had never heard of, and which probably no longer existed.As per Southwood’s instructions, he did not turn it on but slipped it into his pocket.The phone was to be activated only when he was within sight of Sturgis’s home.
Louis left the hotel shortly after nine p.m.This time, he didn’t go to the T station but instead walked to Newbury Street, where he browsed for ten minutes before hailing a cab.He directed the driver to take him to Captain Marden’s Seafoods on Linden Street in Wellesley, which was walking distance from the target.When he reached Sturgis’s house, lights were on downstairs as well as on the top floor, and a porch lamp was burning.Louis powered up the flip phone, inserted the earpiece that had come with it, and waited.Seconds later, Southwood’s voice was in his ear.
“A male left the house an hour ago,” said Southwood.“No suitcase or bag, and he didn’t take a vehicle, so he may not have been going too far, or for too long.The alarm was activated before he left and the cameras are motion sensitive.Are you proceeding?”
“Yes,” said Louis.
“Okay, then I’m killing the systems: one, two, three—now.If you want me to stay with you once you’re inside, I will, and I won’t even charge you extra for my company.But if you think I might be a distraction, keep the earpiece in place and be sure to answer if I call.”
Louis took the second option, because any potential for distraction aside, he wasn’t convinced that Southwood’s company was preferable to no company at all.He didn’t bother double-checking with Southwood before entering Sturgis’s property through the open gate, Southwood not appreciating doubters.At the rear of the house, he placed a folded newspaper against a windowpane and used the butt of his pistol to break the glass.When he was sure that no jagged edges remained, he reached in, twisted the latch, and raised the window.Once inside, he used the newspaper to stuff the hole in the glass; he didn’t want an unexpected night breeze to warn Sturgis of an intruder.
Louis was standing in a large formal dining room that didn’t look like it had been used to entertain in years.Even by moonlight, he could make out a patina of dust on the table, chairs, sideboard, and mantel.He turned on a slim Fenix Tactical Penlight, allowing him to take a closer look at the paintings on the wall, which comprised works from the first and second generation of Hudson River School artists: Cole, Durand, Church, Kensett, and more.These, too, had not been dusted in some time.
The dining room door was closed, but thankfully, not locked from the outside.It led into a dreary hallway, furnished with a sideboard and coat stand, and a Persian carpet so worn it could only have been expensive.The rest of the floor comprised a living room—again, more paintings, more dust; a library, which showed signs of use; and a huge kitchen, with a four-seater table, an island, and bright Le Creuset kitchenware in orange and yellow.The cupboards and refrigerator were well stocked and the EuroCave cabinet against the far wall was dominated by European wines, mainly Spanish and Portuguese.Sturgis might not have held many parties, but either he knew a lot about dining or employed someone who did.Louis inclined toward the formerbecause of the dust elsewhere; this was the home of a very solitary man.
On the second floor were the bedrooms, two with master bathrooms and all with bare mattresses on the beds.Only the main bathroom showed signs of use.At the end of the hallway was a staircase to the third floor, and it was here that the lights burned.Louis ascended carefully, even though Southwood had assured him the house was unoccupied.For Louis, old habits died hard, in the hope that by embracing them, killing him might prove similarly difficult.
The top level of the house, which might once have been a high-ceilinged attic space, was now a single living area, with the exception of a small room containing a toilet, shower, and sink.The room smelled stale and sour, like male seed spilled and left to fester.One corner held a single bed, unmade.Open shelves, and a long steel rack on wheels, were used to store clothing that was exclusively male.Against the shorter wall was a large-screen TV, with an easy chair in front and a small side table nearby.To the left was a desk with a computer and high-end printer.On the floor, a trash can overflowed with scraps of paper.
