When I got the Diamond Head file I felt a stab of frustration, and a sweep of irrational anger. The only name given was their registered agent, Jonas Carver, at an address on South Dearborn. Perfectly aboveboard, since they weren’t a publicly held company, but I’d been expecting great things from the computer. I’d imagined finding some close associate of Daraugh Graham, who would quickly put pressure on Chamfers to talk to me.

Technology had failed me. I was going to have to do my detecting the old-fashioned way, by breaking and entering.

24

The Labors of Hercules

I phoned Mr. Contreras again from Murray’s desk before leaving the paper. He still didn’t answer. I tried not to worry about it—what could be wrong with him, after all? But he’d made such a point of my calling him at one, and anyway, he wouldn’t leave Peppy alone for so long. Maybe he forgot he had a doctor’s appointment when he was talking to me. Maybe Peppy had had some kind of veterinary emergency. He wouldn’t have slipped and fallen, be lying helpless on the bathroom floor like Mrs. Frizell. Certainly not. I took the stairs from Michigan to the service road beneath it two at a time.

I’d parked the car illegally on underground Wacker, hoping the location was too remote for the traffic detail. Pulling one of the city’s new orange missives from the Impala’s wipers, I realized I should have known better: when the dice are rolling against you, the traffic cops will always find you. I’d have to pay it too—Luke’s histrionics if the Impala got booted didn’t bear imagining.

I pushed my failing luck on the Drive going home, but managed to make it to Belmont without a blue-and-white pulling me over—the Impala didn’t attract the same kind of attention the Trans Am got. Once on Belmont I had to take it easy because of the traffic. I drummed impatiently on the wheel at lights and took stupid risks around double-parked delivery trucks.

It wasn’t until I got to Racine that I remembered to look for tails. At this point I couldn’t be sure I didn’t have one, although I didn’t think anyone had followed me to Luke’s to begin with. I certainly didn’t want to make their job easy by parking near the building where they could see what car I was driving. I found a space on Barry and sprinted the two blocks home.