Claire held my gaze for a moment then stared into her coffee cup. “You think this man killed your brother?”
“I don’t know, but he’s involved. Kyle stole or found something, and these people are looking for it. They think I have it or that our witness knows where it is. They won’t stop until they find him or whatever it is Kyle took.”
She raised her head and smiled at me. “Because of you, I’m not a victim anymore. Not because you arrested my husband and saved my life, but because you came back, helped me to find the right therapy, a good job, and get on my feet. Three years ago, I couldn’t have pulled that trigger. I would have huddled in a corner until he killed me.” Claire reached across the table and took my hand again. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re a good person, and I’m glad I killed him. Anytime you need my help, I’ll be there.”
Dave stopped his pacing and came to stand beside my chair. “I’m hope she listens to you. I’ve been telling her that all day.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and, unsure what to say, changed the subject. “Do you have a place to stay tonight? Family or someone you can call?”
“I called my mom earlier. Dad’s on his way to get me. He should be here any minute now.”
As if on cue, the front door opened, and a voice called out, “Claire? Honey, are you here?”
Claire rushed from her chair and into the living room, straight into her father’s arms, where once again, the sobs started.
“There, there, honey. I got you.”
The scene opened an ache inside that would never be filled. “Let’s go, Dave.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Have good news for you.” Dave broke the silence that had permeated the car since we’d left Claire’s.
“I could use a little good news right now.”
“Talked to the vet earlier. Kiser is making a full recovery.”
“Mrs. Anderson will be thrilled.”
“Martha and the girls left for South Dakota today.”
“Is that why you’ve been driving around aimlessly for the last thirty minutes?”
He chuckled. “You got me. I hate going home to an empty house. Arlene’s is a block away. What say we stop for a coffee and hash this thing out?”
I usually liked being alone, but tonight, I hated the thought of going home to an empty house too. I’d thought Kurt was being nice when he offered to send in a cleaning crew, but now I realized he wanted to make sure the first crew hadn’t missed something. “Arlene’s sounds great.”
“You eat anything today?”
“Not since breakfast.”
Dave turned to gape at me. “You were at my house this morning, and you didn’t eat breakfast.”
Has it only been a day since Kyle’s murder? It seems like weeks have passed. “Watch the road. I guess I forgot. It’s not like I haven’t been up to my armpits in shit the last two days.”
“Arlene makes a great roast beef and mashed potatoes with baby carrots. If we’re lucky, she’ll have two plates left.”
“Don’t placate me, Capello. The reason we have all those solved cases is we both say what we think and do what has to be done. Since Kyle’s body was found last night, we’ve been tiptoeing around people and each other. I screwed up the interview with Kurt and Katherine. There were serious questions that needed to be asked, and I blew it.”
Dave stopped in front of Arlene’s and cut the motor. “Now that you’ve got your head out of your ass, let’s go eat and figure out how your parents are involved in this and then go get the evidence to prove it.”
“So you think they’re involved too?”
“Your mother said Kyle wanted a million dollars. Not that he needed a million dollars to get out of trouble, but he wanted it. Sounds like he had something to trade.”
I clicked off my seat belt, my appetite returning for the first time since I stared down at Kyle’s mutilated body. “Now we know where he took it from. We still need to know what and why. Let’s go. I’m starving.”
Dave followed me from the car, and I slipped an arm through his. “I can’t believe you said ‘head out of my ass.’ I must be growing on you.”
“I’ll ask for forgiveness before I go to sleep.”
Most people would think Dave was joking, but I knew he was telling the truth. Hanging out with me, he spent a lot of time asking for forgiveness. We took our seats and ordered before Dave started his questions. “Tell me about Kyle.”
The question startled me and I almost dropped the soda I was holding. “What do you want to know?”
“Something ain’t adding up. He lived with a hooker, and his best friend is a druggie scared of his own shadow. Whatever he was holding on to, he thought it was important enough to die for. A man don’t go through the torture he went through for money.”
Our food arrived, giving me a moment to consider my answer, but the truth was—I had nothing. “What would a man endure that kind of torture for?”
Dave had already stuffed his mouth, and he nodded until he’d swallowed. “I’d do it for Martha and the girls. Might even do it for you, depending on the situation.”
“But he asked for money. Which means he needed it for someone else. Someone he cared enough about to die for.”
“And I don’t think it’s Simon.” Dave scooped up another spoonful of mashed potatoes. “Besides you, who would that be?” He pointed his spoon at my plate. “You ain’t eating.”
“How can I eat when you keep asking me questions?” I toyed with the roast beef, took a bite, and washed it down with water. “If there was anyone in Kyle’s life, I didn’t know it, and he wouldn’t have shared it with Kurt and Katherine.”
“Which is why they’re desperate to find Simon.” Dave sopped up the last of the gravy on his plate and eyed mine. “You gonna finish that?”
I shoved the plate across the table. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to eat after other people?”
“Years of practice cleaning up after the kids. Do that for a while, and you can eat after anybody.”
“Ewww.” My head was aching, and I desperately needed sleep, but thoughts kept running through my mind until they culminated into one that made me catch my breath on a gasp. “How reliable is your CI?”
Dave’s spoon stopped in midair, and he dropped it on the plate, wiped his mouth, and pushed back his chair. “He can be bought.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“He’s not answering his phone.” Dave tossed his cell on the dash and turned his attention to the snow-covered road. A half inch had fallen in the last hour, and the forecast was predicting another three inches before morning.
“Do you know where to find him?” I glanced behind us to make sure no one was following.
Dave slammed on his brakes and fought the spin as a car pulled out from a side road. “If I had time, I’d arrest that idiot.”
The tension in the car was palpable. Dave was worried he’d sent Simon to his death. So was I. He parked in front of a bar on Winchester. “Stay here.”
The bar was one of those seedy types where the wretched and hopeless hung out, spending their money on watered-down booze because it was all they could afford. I used the time to study the area, picking up on the blue Honda parked to our left one block up. There must be thousands of those around. It doesn’t have to be the guys we’re looking for. My fingers were seized by an intolerable itch as a tingle ran up my spine. “It doesn’t have to be, but there’s a damn good chance it is.”
The wind was howling and snow flying as I leapt out of the car, Glock in hand, and raced toward the Honda. I made it half a block before a shot rang out and a figure emerged from the alleyway between the buildings. A sinking feeling hit the pit of my stomach as I yelled, “Police, stop!”
Lights flickered, the Honda’s engine roared, and the figure ran for the passenger door.
My lungs were burning from the bitterly cold temperature as I picked up speed. “Police, stop, or I’ll shoot!”
; The car sped off before the passenger door was closed, and I unloaded my clip into the back window. I was positive I hadn’t hit anyone. I hope the bastards freeze before they get wherever they’re going.
“Kacy!” Dave was slipping and sliding toward me on the icy street.
“I’m all right, Dave.” I made my way to the entrance of the alley and loaded the flashlight app on my cell phone. A body lay a few feet away. I didn’t need to hear Dave’s “ah, Jesus” to guess I was looking at his CI. “They’re going after Simon. Do we know where he is?”
“New Way Halfway House. They run the detox center out of the basement.”
“Let’s go. I’ll call this one in on the way.”
A cruiser skidded to a stop in front of the bar.
“Or maybe I won’t have to.” I flashed my badge, and Dave did the same as we streaked by the officer. “Dead body in the alley. Killers are in a blue Honda with back windshield shot out. Call it in.”
I desperately wanted to be behind the wheel, but under the current conditions, Dave was a better driver.
He flipped on the sirens and lights and headed east. “Figure they’ve got a ten-minute head start, but if I take Madison, we can cut that to five.”
He was driving fast, taking the curves without touching the brakes. That should have kept my attention focused, but the images in my mind were driving me insane. My chest throbbed, making it hard to breathe. The hammering finally subsided, and he laughed. “I’ve got a song for you, Lang. When it’s finished, I’m gonna spit on your grave.” He started to sing, and dirt rattled down on the box. “Ninety-nine shovels of dirt in the grave. Ninety-nine shovels of dirt… “Talk to me, Dave.”
“Martha wants to buy a new house.” He grunted as he took another sharp right and the car spun. “Wants another kid too. Told her we were too old for that.”
“The girls are—what? Five and three?”
“Mary Elizabeth would bite you for that. She’s five and a half or, according to her, six. Tina Fae is three.”
“You need a boy.” The pain was easing off slowly. “You could take him fishing on the weekends.”
“And give up all this excitement?” He turned on Madison and gunned it. “We’ll be coming up on Georgetown any minute now. Keep your eyes peeled for that Honda.”
I ejected the empty clip from my Glock and inserted a new one. Sirens blared in the distance. “Damn it!”
Dave slid to a stop in the middle of the road as residents of the halfway house ran up and down the sidewalk, screaming. I exited the car with Dave close on my heels, and we shoved our way through the mass of bodies. I grabbed one wearing a medic’s coat as he scooted past. “Where are they?”
“Downstairs.”
“Is there an outside entrance?”
“No.” He wrenched his arm from my grasp and rushed for the door.
Dave and I stood on opposite sides of the doorway leading downstairs. Going down those steps with guns below was a surefire way of getting your legs shot out from under you. Simon’s down there.
“Don’t do it, Kacy. There’s no way out for them, except up these stairs. We’ll wait for backup and gas them out.”
An image of Kyle’s missing fingers and torched face flashed through my mind, mutating into Simon’s features. I couldn’t let him die that way. “I’m sorry, Dave.” I took the stairs two at a time, shutting out the sounds around me as I concentrated on reaching the bottom. A bullet struck my left arm, but I ignored the pain, swiveled, and fired as I jumped the last few feet before rolling to the left. Bullets struck where I’d stood only a moment before, and I heard a gunshot above me. The room went silent, and a white-coated medic rushed to kneel beside the small body crumpled on the floor. Blood was spurting from a jagged neck wound.
“You’re bleeding.” Dave helped me to my feet.
“Flesh wound.” I started toward Simon.
“Who’s Kacy?” the medic called out.
“I am.”
He glanced at me, the compassion in his eyes creating a deep throbbing ache that started in my stomach and worked its way up. “He’s asking for you.”
I knelt beside Simon and brushed the hair out of the eyes. “I’m here, Simon.”
“I didn’t tell them.”
His voice was fading, and I leaned in close to his lips. “Tell them what, Simon?”
“Didn’t tell them about Yoshe.”
“Who’s Yoshe?” The light was fading from his eyes. “Simon, please tell me—who’s Yoshe?”
“Kyle’s… little… girl.”
His head lolled to the side, and the medic placed a hand on my shoulder. “I tried to stop him.”
“Stop him?” I couldn’t take my eyes off Simon. For the first time in his life, he looked peaceful. His lips were curved in a smile.
“When they came in and went for him, he grabbed the scalpel I was using to drain another patient’s leg wound. He slit his throat before I could stop him.”
The ache became a devastating physical pain, and I bit down on my lower lip to keep from screaming as my tears fell onto Simon’s face. He’d been loyal to Kyle to the death. He’d known he couldn’t withstand torture, and rather than betray his friend, he’d taken his own life. Raising my right hand, I gently closed Simon’s eyes and leaned close to his ear. I whispered the words I was positive no one had ever said to him. “Thank you, Simon. I’m proud of you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I’ll give you two pain pills to get you through the night, but you should see your doctor in the morning.” The paramedic finished bandaging my arm.
“Thanks. I’ll do that.” I wouldn’t, but there was no reason to burst his bubble. Commander Park and my father were weaving through the crowd and headed my way.
I stepped away from the ambulance, and Dave moved in close. “Park looks furious. Let me handle this.”
“I’m a big girl, partner.”
Park stomped the last few feet. “You two have made a mess. IA will be all over this, and to top it off, you accomplished getting Simon Wilson killed. What the hell were you thinking?”
“Simon killed himself.” I met Park’s gaze. “He didn’t know anything. If he had, he would have told me.”
Park poked a finger at my chest. “Your antics are getting old, Lang. You were under explicit orders to bring him in. I want both your badges on my desk first thing Monday morning. You’re suspended until IA finishes their investigation.”
I reached for my badge, and Kurt’s hand closed over my fingers. “My daughter has been shot, Commander Park. And I don’t appreciate your antics. If you treat all your wounded officers this way, perhaps it’s time this city looked for a new commander. You haven’t even asked them how they knew Simon was here.”
I slid a sideways glance at Dave, who rolled his eyes before answering. “I got a tip from a CI, and we went to meet him. When we got there, he’d been killed in an alley. Detective Lang tried to stop the killers, who were driving a blue Honda. We followed the Honda to this location. By the time we arrived and pushed our way through the mob exiting the halfway house, they were already downstairs. As Detective Lang said, nobody killed Simon. He slit his own throat.”
Park swallowed hard, and I suspected he would have preferred jumping headfirst into the sewer to uttering the words he was about to say. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. Forget what I said and have your report on my desk by noon on Monday.” He turned his back and walked stiffly back to the front of the halfway house.
“Your mother and I would like you to come home with me, Kassandra. That way, we can take care of you and protect you.” I cringed as Kurt placed an arm around my shoulders and hugged me gently. “Please give us another chance. You’re all the family we have left.”
And there it was: after twenty-nine years of coldness, the warmth and concern I’d craved all my life. “Maybe tomorrow, Kurt. Tonight, I want to sleep in my bed.” His arm dropped from my shoulders, and I turned to Dave. “Take me home, partner?”
Dave stuck out his hand, and Kurt gripped it in a firm shake. “Thank you for standing up for us, sir. We appreciate it.”
Kurt nodded and turned away before tossing over his shoulder. “Take good care of my daughter, Capello.”
Dave and I stood together, watching Kurt walk away. “You want to go home, kid? You’re welcome to stay at my place.”
“We both need to rest, and I was telling the truth. I want to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
Dave nodded and placed a hand on my back. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
Once we’d cleared the crime scene, traffic was almost nonexistent, and we made it to Maston in less than half an hour. “Let me go in first and check it out.”
I started to argue, but Dave was a man, and I stepped on his ego more than most men would take. I fished my key from my purse and handed it to him. “Whatever you say, partner.”
He reached into the back seat and grabbed a bag. “Shouldn’t take too long.”
“What is that?”
“Best sweeper on the market. I figure they planted a few bugs in your house.” He winked at me. “I did the car earlier today and again while you were getting patched up.”
My eyelids were heavy, and only the nagging ache of my left arm was keeping me awake. Kyle has a daughter. The chance hadn’t presented itself for me to tell Dave what Simon had whispered before his death. Or maybe it had, and I wanted to treasure the information a little longer before sharing it. Kyle had taken that information to his grave, and so had Simon. If I told anyone or looked for her, I was opening the door for whoever had killed them to find her. Wherever you are, Yoshe, I won’t let them find you.
“Three bugs. Want me to remove them or leave them there?”
Lost in my own thoughts, I hadn’t noticed Dave’s approach. “Leave them for now. We can use it to stop them going after Claire again or coming after me for a few more days.”
Dave nodded and moved around the car to open my door. “Come on. I’ll help you inside. You look like you’re going to fall on your face any minute.”
Honorable Death Page 6