Hotline to Murder

Besides, you must be as tired as I am.”
    “I got an extra couple of hours sleep. Remember? And I’m younger.”
    “Call your mother again and tell her you’re still all right.”
    The car was not designed for sleeping. The seats didn’t tilt back. Tony slid down in his seat to try and get comfortable, but his left knee hurt when he bent it. He closed his eyes. At some point Shahla bridged the gap between the seats and placed her head on his shoulder.
    Tony spent a restless night, but every time he woke up he fell asleep again and had dreams with violent but undefined movement. Finally, he opened his eyes and saw that dawn was breaking.

    CHAPTER 21
    Tony didn’t feel up to working on the Hotline Monday evening. His body ached, his wounds had not healed, and his left knee was still stiff, making it difficult for him to shift his Porsche. He had been evasive in telling Josh what had happened to him, admitting that he had gone to Las Vegas, but not that anybody had accompanied him. His injuries had occurred when he tripped on a crack in the sidewalk.
    He told essentially the same story to Mona. She was sympathetic, even offering to make him dinner at her place. He declined, feeling that it wasn’t a good precedent to set, and told her that he was working on the Hotline that evening, knowing that she would respond positively. Rather than turn himself into a liar, he went.
    Tony left his office late and picked up a pizza he had ordered by phone on his way to the Hotline. The door was unlocked when he arrived, which immediately made him feel irritated at Shahla. He would chew her out, especially if she were there alone. She wasn’t. As he walked in the door, he could see Shahla and Nathan in the listening room.
    Nathan was on a call, but Shahla came out when she saw him and asked, in a stage whisper, “How are you feeling?”
    “Like sh… Like I’ve just spent an hour in a clothes dryer with spikes on the tumbler.”
    “I’m sorry. I feel responsible for what happened. I wasn’t sure you were coming tonight.”
    “Were you going to work alone?” He was still looking for a reason to be mad at her.
    “I called Gail, and she said Nathan was signed up to work. I thought it would be a good chance for me to ask him about this church he belongs to.”
    “I don’t want you doing any detective work by yourself.”
    She turned her back on him.
    He was being rather snarly. There was no reason to take his pain out on Shahla. He admitted to himself that he had enjoyed having her along on the trip. If only the climax had been different. And that hadn’t been her fault. He had bought into the idea that Paul was going to push the girl off the cliff. Paul had lied to them about his girlfriend. Or at least not told them the truth. But when you’re committing incest with your sister, what story are you going to tell people?
    Tony said, “I asked Nathan some questions about his church, but he wasn’t very forthcoming. In fact, I made him mad. I’m surprised he’ll even work a shift with me on it.”
    “Let me try.”
    As long as Tony was there, he was willing to let Shahla ask questions. He signed in while Nathan was ending his call and then limped into the listening room.
    Nathan looked up and said, “My God, Tony, what happened to you?”
    In addition to his limp, he had wrapped his hands in white gauze to cover the ugliest scrapes. “I got caught in a cement mixer.”
    “Ha ha. Listen, if you’d like to take the night off, Shahla and I can handle the phones.”
    That was exactly what was not going to happen. Tony sank into the remaining chair and vowed to stay there until the shift ended. He opened the pizza box, selected a piece, and took a big bite out of it. “Have a piece,” he said with his mouth full, including Shahla and Nathan with a gesture.
    Nathan declined; Shahla took a piece. Within a minute, the phone rang. Tony picked it up, figuring that talking to a caller might improve his mood. A repeat caller was on the line who liked to talk sports. Tony could handle this call with half a brain. And eat his pizza at the same time. He pressed the mute button when his chewing was loudest. And he could keep an eye on Nathan and Shahla.
    He wished Shahla weren’t wearing such a short skirt—the shortest one he had seen her wear. Nathan wasn’t just another high school boy. He was older, and older men could be lecherous. Josh was a good example. And, if he was honest, Tony couldn’t exempt