Читать книгу Serpent’s Tooth - Faye Kellerman - Страница 8

A microsecond flash of yesteryear as images too frighteningly clear burst from the hidden recesses of Decker’s brain. A familiar scene with familiar sounds and smells. Charlie’s discards. Twisted corpses. Moans of the wounded echoing through a gripping fog of panic. Medics worked frantically, hands and arms bathed in blood and flesh. The metallic odor of spilled blood mixed with the stink of emptied bowels. Surreal. The magnitude of death and destruction. It destroyed faith in a hand clap.

Decker swallowed, trying to lubricate a parched throat. Rationally, he knew Nam was over. So what was this? An instant replay? Except the surroundings were off. Confusion reigned. But only for a moment.

Because there was work to be done.

Instantly, he rolled up his jacket and shirt sleeves, gloved his hands. Saw a woman whose leg had been turned into Swiss cheese by dime-sized bullet holes. Lying in a pool of crimson. Her complexion pasty … clammy. Pushing aside debris with his foot, Decker made room for himself … knelt at her side.

Stop the bleeding, treat ’em for shock, get ’em to a chopper.

Scratch the chopper, make it an ambulance.

“You’re going to be all right,” Decker spoke soothingly as he worked. Perspiration had soaked through his jacket from his armpits. His crotch was as hot and humid as an Orlando summer. Sweat was dripping off his hair, off his face and brow. He turned away from his patient, shook off the water like a drooling mastiff. He said, “Just hang in there.”

Lots of bleeding, some of it arterial. Rhythmic squirts of bright red blood. Decker put pressure on the leaking area as the woman screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He bit his upper lip, nibbling on his ginger mustache, trying to keep his own breathing slow and steady. He examined her torn tissue, working through bits of bone. Femoral artery appeared to be intact … the other major arteries as well. Arteriole bleeding, probably from one of their branches. She didn’t realize it, but she had been a very lucky pup. Much better than her male companion, who’d never again see the light of day.

“I need a blanket, STAT!” Decker shouted.

“We’re out!” someone shouted back.

“Then get me a tablecloth, napkins … something!” Decker screamed back. “I got shock settling in!”

“You and half the room! Get it yourself!”

“For Chrissakes—”

“Here!” A tiny female paramedic with green eyes threw Decker a tablecloth. She was bent over a bearded man, wrapping a bandage around his neck. Instantly, the starched white linen turned tomato-colored. Her eyes glanced at Decker, at his shoulder holster peeking out from under his jacket. “What ambulance company are you from?”

“LAPD. Lieutenant Peter Decker.”

The paramedic raised her brows. “Celia Brown. Need anything, just ask.”

“Thanks.” Spreading out the tablecloth as best he could, Decker raised the woman’s good leg, dabbing her forehead and face as she sobbed and spoke. She told him her name was Tess. She had heard popping noises. Then everyone had started screaming, running for cover. Her leg exploded as she dived under her table.

Taking mental notes.

The victim wore a thick gold chain around her neck; her purse was still at her side. A horrific crime but robbery didn’t appear to be a motive. Or maybe the gunman just didn’t bother with her. She wasn’t decked in diamonds and pearls, not like some of the other patrons. She wore a loud print dress that appeared to be a couple of sizes too big for her body. She asked Decker if her leg was still there. She couldn’t wiggle her toes. All she felt were throbs of agony.

“Your leg is there.” Again Decker checked for bleeding. “You’re doing great.”

“My husband …”

Decker was quiet.

“He’s dead?”

Again there was silence.

“I want to know,” Tess whispered.

Decker took a deep breath. “The dark-haired man wearing a blue serge suit?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. He’s gone.”

Tess said nothing, looked away with tears in her eyes.

“Just keep as still as you can.” To the paramedic, Decker said, “Got any spare wound gel, topical, and bandage?”

Celia gave him some equipment. “You need a shot of coagulant?”

“Bleeding’s subsided. Besides, I’d prefer if one of you administered the meds.”

“Fine.” Celia thought a moment, then said, “You’re a lieutenant … as in a cop?”

“Yes.”

“Calling in the big shots for this one.”

Muted by the enormity of destruction, Decker couldn’t make chitchat.

Celia said, “They must be training you guys pretty well in ER services.”

“I was a medic in the army.”

“Ah, now it makes sense. Vietnam?”

“Yes.”

“Betcha had lots of experience.”

Too much, Decker thought. He applied the salves, unfurled a roll of gauze. “She’s going to need a neck brace and a hip and leg splint. Can you finish her up for me when you’re done?”

“No problem. Thanks for helping. We need it.”

They both worked quickly and quietly. When she was done with her man and his bloodied neck, she yelled out. “Gurney and transport.”

Within seconds, she ungloved and regloved. Walked on her knees over to Decker’s patient. “Unbelievable.”

“Truly.”

“I’ll finish her up now.”

“Thanks. Her name is Tess. She’s doing great.”

“Hey, Tess,” the paramedic said. “We’re taking good care of you.”

Decker stood. A dozen doctors charged through the door, scattering themselves about where needed.

Trampling on evidence.

As if that were important at the moment. But down the line it would make his job harder. As yet, no one was in charge. Since there seemed to be enough medical staff, he figured he might as well take control. He called over some officers, flashed his badge.

“We need to secure the area. I want a fifty-yard radius around the place, two officers stationed at every entrance. No one will be allowed in, no one will be allowed out unless it’s medical personnel or Homicide detectives. And I mean no one. Not even survivors of this mayhem may leave until it’s cleared with me. As hard as it will be, don’t let in any family members. Be polite and sympathetic, but firm. Tell them I’ll come out, speak to them, tell them what’s going on. I’ll inform them of … of their loved ones’ conditions just as soon as we make identifications. Certainly no one from the press corps will be permitted on the premises. If they start asking questions—which they will—tell them someone from the department will hold a conference later. Reporters who break the rules get arrested. Go.”

From the middle of the restaurant, Decker surveyed the room—the disheveled tables, the knocked-over chairs, the pocked walls, and shattered window glass. Graceful wallpaper had been turned into Rorschachs of blood and food, gleaming parquet-wood floors were now deadly seas of spilled fluids, broken crystal, and pottery shards. His eyes scanned across the bar, the kitchen doors, the hallway leading to the rest rooms, the windows, and the front entrance. He took out a notebook, began dividing the area into grids. He heard someone call his name—or rather, his rank. He turned around, waved Oliver over.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” the detective said.

Decker regarded him. Scott Oliver’s naturally dark complexion had paled even through his six o’clock shadow; his normally wiseass eyes were filled with dread.

“We’ve got to ID the dead.” Decker ran a hand through sweat-soaked, pumpkin-colored hair. “Let’s start a purse and pocket search.” He showed Oliver his sketch. “I’ll take the left side, you do the right. When the rest of the team comes in, we’ll divide up the room accordingly.”

“There’s Marge.” Oliver beckoned her near with frantic hand gestures. She arrived ashen and shaking, her shoulders hunched, taking a good inch off her five-foot-eight frame.

“This is horrible.” She touched her mouth with trembling fingers, then pushed thin blond hair off her face. “What happened? Someone just started shooting?”

Oliver shrugged ignorance. “We’re doing a pocket and purse search for ID of the dead. Loo, what about interviewing the survivors?”

Decker said, “Scott, you do the search. Marge, you start interviewing on Scott’s side—Bert, over here!”

Martinez pivoted, jogged over to his team. “Mary Mother of God, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Take a deep breath,” Decker said. “Bathrooms are in the back.”

Martinez covered his face with his hands, inhaled, then let it out slowly. “It’s just the putrid smell. Actually, it’s … everything. God, I’m …”

No one spoke.

Then Decker said, “Scott and Marge are working the right side. You work with me on the left.”

“Doing what?” Martinez picked at the hairs of his thick black mustache.

“Interviewing the survivors or IDing the dead. Take your pick.”

“I’ll do the survivors,” Martinez said. “Tom’s on his way. You heard from Farrell?”

“Got hold of his wife. He’s coming down.”

“Think that’s a good idea, Loo? Man’s got a heart condition.”

“Gaynor’s survived close to thirty years on the force, he’ll survive this. Besides, he’s a wonder at detail work … which is what we’re going to need … lots of detail work.”

“And the captain?”

“He was at a meeting in Van Nuys when this went down. Should be here momentarily.”

Decker started in the far left corner of the room, at a large round table for twelve. Two Asian men lay crumpled and unattended on the floor, spangled with bits of china and slivers of crystal. Loose flowers had fallen upon their torsos as if marking the grave site.

Decker did a once-over of the area. About fifty feet away sat a huddle of business-suited Asian males. Nearby were two Caucasians—one female and one male wrapped in blankets and bandages. He nodded to the woman, she nodded back. Her hands and face appeared cat-scratched, probably scored by flying glass. Decker shook off anxiety, gloved, and carefully kneeled down. He checked the bodies’ pulses.

Nothing.

He went through one of the men’s pants pockets. A portly man shot several times in the face and chest. He pulled out a wallet. Carefully, he wrote down the deceased’s vitals from his driver’s license.

Hidai Takamine from Encino. Black hair, brown eyes, married, and forty-six years old.

Decker winced. His own age.

He glanced up. Martinez hadn’t moved, was looking down, staring at the bodies with vacant eyes.

Gently, Decker prodded him. “Get to work, Bert.”

Martinez blinked rapidly. He said, “You in Nam, Loo?”

“Yep.”

“So was I. Sixty-eight to seventy.”

Decker said, “Sixty-nine to seventy-one.”

Silence.

Martinez took a swipe at his eyes, then got to work.

By the time Strapp showed up, Decker had finished identifying the bodies on his side of the restaurant. The captain had given up the pretense of maintaining a calm demeanor. His thin features were screwed up in anger, his complexion wan. Decker brought him up to date as Strapp tapped his toes, his right hand balled into a fist that continuously pounded his left palm.

“Seven dead on my side.” Decker rolled his massive shoulders, stretched his oversized legs as his kneecaps made popping sounds. The bending was doing wonders for his floating patellas. “I’ve identified the victims from driver’s licenses. I’ll go out and inform the next of kin just as soon as I get a body count and names from the other side.”

He looked around, saw that Tom Webster and Farrell Gaynor had arrived. Tom was interviewing survivors along with Bert. Farrell was going through the pockets of the corpses on the right side as Marge and Scott attempted to calm the distraught.

Strapp shook his head, mumbled something.

“Sir?” Decker asked.

“Nothing,” Strapp said. “Just cursing to myself. At last count, there’s something like twenty-eight over at Valley Memorial’s ER. This is just … I’ve got a slew of shrinks outside for support groups … some ER docs as well … in case someone has a heart attack or faints when the news hits.”

“Shall I do it now, Captain?”

Strapp was still hitting his palm with his fist. “We’ll do the dirty work together.”

“What about the press?”

“Okay, okay.” Strapp started bouncing on his toes. “You handle the press, I stay with the family members. Keep the vultures behind the ropes. No announcements until I’ve finished dealing with the next of kin.”

Decker said, “Here’s a partial list of the dead. I’ll bring you the completed list as soon as I can.”

Both of them stalled for a moment; then they went their separate ways.