Dead In The Water (Rebecca Schwartz Mystery #4) (The Rebecca Schwartz Series)

can’t remember; I’ve seen so many pictures of it… .”
    “Good enough. It’s down there. And you’re going to get it.”
    “That’s what all the killing is about? That’s what you’re threatening us for right now? That ugly thing?”
    “No,” said Warren. “That isn’t what it’s about at all. It’s just a loose end I have to tie up. We don’t want any loose ends, do we?”
    Julio sighed. “Could we have some light, please?”
    “I’m afraid not. That wouldn’t be keeping a very low profile. But Libby and Rebecca have seen it. They’ll tell you where it is.”
    Libby said, “Near the round window. You know that little sandy place? Near the back.”
    “Can you manage okay?” I said.
    “That area’s small. I can just rake it with my hands till I find it.” He spoke to Warren. “But it’s a long way down. You’ll have to give me plenty of time.”
    “Just remember one thing. I’m up here with Rebecca, Libby, and a gun. And these.” He displayed the nail scissors.
    With a soft splash, Julio went over the side. Warren took us into the rooftop lab to wait. I knew he’d taken us inside because he didn’t want to encounter a guard. He could explain our presence with no trouble—after all, he was acting head of the institution. But I knew he didn’t want to be the last person seen with us.
    He drummed his fingers. “Rebecca, you got any more cough drops?”
    I shook my head.
    “I’m starving.” He started to range about the lab, opening cabinets. I feared for the baby invertebrates—he might decide to eat them raw. But he didn’t lapse into such lack of professionalism, though he seemed to have dropped his pedantic speech mode.
    I was glad he’d found something to occupy his mind. With the sadistic streak he had, I was afraid he’d decide to pull Julio up too fast just to watch him get the bends. In fact, I was very much afraid of that.
    I sat down and took Libby in my lap, an action Warren allowed, I surmised, because it occupied both of us and guaranteed neither would make sudden moves.
    “Did you kill Sadie for the pearl?” I asked, more to keep him occupied than anything else.
    “Of course not. Why would I care about the damned pearl?”
    I could see it was going to be one of those conversations. Fortunately, Julio began to climb out of the tank, the creature from twenty thousand leagues, dark and alien in the moonlight.
    Warren had me take the pearl and hand it over. He put Libby and me in front of him as Julio resumed his street clothes.
    It had been a weird evening, but it got a lot weirder. Warren had Julio put water from the tank in the plastic bag we’d brought.
    “Now,” he said, “Let’s get the puffers.”
    Julio stared.
    “Don’t just stand there, goddammit. Let’s go get the puffers.”
    It still didn’t seem to compute. “We’re kidnapping the puffers?”
    “Yeah. Maybe we’ll hold them for ransom.”
    So we all trooped to the third floor while Julio got a net and transferred the fish to the bag. I could grasp the theory, sort of like the goldfish you buy in Baggies, but puffers were weird pets.

CHAPTER TWENTY
     
    When we’d put away the diving equipment, Warren retied Julio and forced him in the front seat again, but, wonder of wonders, he untied Libby. She was to have custody of the fish. Julio, who was supposed to be such a pal of marine animals, had been all for putting them in the trunk, but Warren was afraid they might get bruised. He was awfully particular about the damn puffers—and I had a bad feeling I knew what he wanted them for.
    Warren said, “Rebecca, find a supermarket, will you? I could eat a Doberman.” The guy was almost comical if you didn’t know how dangerous he was.
    All we could find was a 7-Eleven, but Warren went for it (after first making sure Julio already had the ingredients for
huevos rancheros
).
    He took me with him, the gun out of sight in a coat pocket, digging into my hip. He’d issued one of his standard warnings. “Julio and Libby, leave the car or make a disturbance and your friend’s a former lawyer. Got it?”
    We got two six-packs of Pepsi, chips, bean dip, jalapeno-and-cheese dip, cookies, and salsa in a jar, Warren complaining like a kid that they didn’t have the fresh kind.
    As we paid, I looked out at the two in the car, hoping for signs of activity. Surely they could see what I could see:
This is it
,
guys
.
Probably our only chance
.
He’s never going to kill me in here
.
The worst