Certain Prey

highly regarded criminal attorneys in the state. Have you lost a case to Carmel? What is there in your past . . . ?”
    “I don’t have anything against Carmel,” Lucas said, injecting a little steel into his voice. “I always kind of admired her. She’s a tough attorney. I stopped admiring her when Rolando D’Aquila used his fingernails to carve Carmel’s name into the back of his hand while he was being tortured and then executed.”
    Carlton showed a thin smile: “That is . . . one of the more amazing things I’ve ever heard.”
    “You’ll be even more amazed when you see the scratches. Or gouges; doing it had to be almost as painful as getting the holes drilled in his knees. And he didn’t just carve her initials. He carved her name: C. Loan.
    Quarterinch grooves in the back of his hand . . .”
    Carlton glanced at Carmel, who’d frozen in place when she heard D’Aquila’s name. “I just don’t believe it,” Carlton said finally.
    “Well, we’ve got D’Aquila’s body on ice in St. Paul, along with the blood that dried on his hands and arms while he was carving her name out. So you all can go over and look at it. I’m sure you’ll find your own pathologist to examine the body . . .”
    Carmel started to interject something, but Carlton waved her down, and turned to Lucas with a slightly warmer tone of voice. Lucas knew what he was doing: he was looking for information, anything that might someday help a defense. “We will challenge it, of course; because whatever might be carved on Mr. D’Aquila’s hand, it isn’t Carmel’s name.”
    “You can say that without seeing it?” Lucas’s eyebrows went up.
    “Of course: because it can’t be Carmel’s name.”
    “Okay,” Lucas said, mildly. “If that’s your story.”
    “It is, and we’re sticking to it,” Carlton said. T HE SEARCH CONTINUED: Sloan, one of the more mild-mannered of the homicide cops, mentioned to Carmel, in passing, that they knew about her connection with Clark at law school. Lucas, outside the bedroom when Sloan and Carmel were talking, heard Carmel spluttering, “She was a secretary, for Christ’s sake.”
    And Sloan answered, “C’mon, Carmel, we know she took that legal writing course the same time you did.”
    “If she did, I didn’t know about it.”
    “Ah, c’mon,” Sloan said. “You guys go way back. You even did that Halloween Ball together. It’s right on the program.”
    “Jesus . . . you guys.” But she was scared now. More angry than scared, but scared nevertheless. A T SIX O’CLOCK, with Carlton glancing at his watch every two minutes, the search team began breaking up. A crimescene crew had been brought in to take samples from Carmel’s bed, the guestroom bed, and to dust the guestroom for fingerprints. They began packing their gear, and Sloan told Lucas he was heading home. Then two more detectives checked out, and Carlton asked Lucas, “I assume you’re not planning anything else dramatic? No new papers to serve . . .”
    Lucas shook his head: “No. We’re about done. I’m gonna take one last cruise through the place.”
    Carlton went to Carmel and said, “I’m chairing a bar meeting at seven o’clock. Will you be all right here?”
    “Sure. It’s all over.”
    And Sherrill, her voice low, asked Lucas, “Got the shell?”
    “Yeah: take off as soon as Carlton’s out of here.”
    “I’ll be across the street with Sloan. Franklin and Del are headed for your house.” C ARLTON LEFT, Sherrill looked at her watch: “You want me to stay?” she asked Lucas. “I’m kind of in a rush.”
    “Take off,” Lucas said. “I’ll say good-bye to Carmel, make sure nobody left anything behind.”
    Carmel shouted at Sherrill, as she left, “Good riddance to all of ya. Fuck ya. Fuck ya . . .”
    Sherrill flashed her the finger over her shoulder, and Carmel’s eyes widened and she took a step after Sherrill, and Lucas stepped between them and said, “Hey, hey . . .” Then, to Sherrill, “Knock it off, okay?” At the same time, he winked at her.
    “Yeah, yeah . . .” And she was gone, too, and Lucas and Carmel were left alone in the fabulous apartment.

TWENTY-SEVEN

    Carmel asked, “Are you wearing a wire?” They were still standing in the living room, by the open door to the hallway.
    “No. Should I be?” Lucas stepped over to the door and pushed it shut.
    “When I think about it, I don’t really care,” Carmel said. “I’m gonna get you for this, Davenport, I