Answering the Call

by Ali Vali

  “The parking lot between the Hilton and the convention center,” Sharon said.

  “Shit,” she said, calling her father. “We need all the video from the Hilton parking lot and anything that leads to the lot next door.”

  “We’re already working on that because of this damn explosion that thankfully didn’t kill anyone on the ground when the damn wall fell. What do you need with it?”

  The group around her looked on as she talked and tried to put her thoughts in order. “We’ve got a stolen car at our scene that came from the lot next to your scene. This guy’s smart, but there’s no way he was able to disable every lens aimed at the path he had to take from one lot to the other.”

  “I’ll get it done, but we’ve found a body in the rubble, so give me a few hours.”

  “Do you mind if Gustave and Sharon go over there and wait? I want to make sure the footage doesn’t get erased.” Gustave lifted his thumb and seemed anxious to get going. “I bet these two events are related.”

  “Call me if he has a problem.”

  “I texted Jacques to see what they have,” Gustave said, holding up his phone. “They found a body in the car the bomb was set in, but it’s going to be a while before we have an ID, since the fire and explosion did their job.”

  “We need to wrap up here and have a meeting first thing in the morning. From what happened and when, we can put together a good timeline of what went on yesterday,” she said, seeing that George and Jennifer’s team was ready to start loading up. “It’s as good a thing for us that can happen, since there are too many scenes for something not to have gone wrong for this perp, but a bad thing it had to come at the expense of the people who got killed today.”

  “We’ll get what we need,” Sharon said.

  “Where are you headed?” Gustave asked.

  “Uncle George said there’s another love letter in that St. Norbert statue, so we’re going to the lab to read it. Unless something else comes up, I’ll see you guys at nine. I’m going to find out if Gavin has any luck with Jacques’s body.”

  “Sept, they cued up the call you wanted to listen to,” an officer said. It was another dead end. Even though the voice wasn’t covered by any type of manipulation, it still could have been anyone, given the harsh whisper and the quiet behind them.

  “Have a copy of this sent over to the lab and see if they can filter something out,” she said to Jennifer.

  “Both of you keep your eyes open. The addition of explosives makes Perlis look like an amateur,” Gustave said.

  “You too.” She put her arms around Gustave when he hugged her and kissed his cheek. “If something happens to any of us, Mama will kick our asses, and then our beautiful women will do the same thing.”

  “Marjorie’s used to me, but Keegan’s still feisty, so keep her on your good side.”

  “I do that like it’s my job.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Anabel Hicks excused herself from the conference room next to her office, tired of listening to Brian Voles go on about all the things he could do to lend his big brain to her city. The fact that he’d brought his daughter with him had kept her side of the conversation to a minimum and seemed fishy, but he wasn’t biting on her subtle hints to end the meeting.

  She faced bizarre situations all the time, but Brian Voles was a different breed of animal altogether because of his bragging that seemed only for the benefit of impressing his daughter, so she couldn’t figure out his end game.

  “Ma’am.” Agent Catalina Silva was waiting in the hall for her, holding a sheet of paper.

  “In my office,” she said to Catalina and her partner Ivan Mora. “What did you find before I ask you to shoot me to put me out of my misery?”

  “He’s slated for retirement, not his idea,” Catalina said, making Anabel chuckle. “He’s the head of the fraud division, but it sounds like seniority had more to do with the promotion than merit. DC sent down some wunderkind, and they’re grooming him to take over.”

  “I talked to a friend in LA, ma’am,” Ivan said, “and it sounds like they’re leaning hard on Voles to retire. They don’t know what he’s doing here asking to butt in on the NOPD’s case.”

  “It’s called going out in a blaze of glory, and it happens to the best of us. Hell. Cain Casey might drive me to do something this obnoxious eventually, but God save me from that,” she said, and her new agents laughed. “What’s NOPD got that this guy wants in on so bad?”

  “Voles’s daughter is Nicole Voles, the crime writer, and she’s working on a book about Alex Perlis,” Catalina said, and Anabel closed her eyes, imagining how cooperative Sept Savoie was being. That case had sent a cold stab of memory through the middle of her skull, since she knew full well the ramifications of having someone dirty in your department. “From what little Fritz is saying, they might be working a copycat scenario, but Detective Savoie and the department have done a good job of plugging any leaks on this one.”

  “Let me get rid of this guy once and for all so we can take a ride to see Fritz and Sebastian.” She stood and waved them back to their seats. “Call and see where they are. Now that I know the score, this won’t take long.”

  She shook her head as she headed next door and took a breath to release her impatience before she entered. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Agent Voles.”

  “I realize you’ve got things to do, considering what you’re facing here, but all I need is for you to talk to Fritz Jernigan and get me access. If the FBI needs to be brought in, I’ll call you.”

  “I’m planning to talk with Fritz, but I’m not going to force the issue. We’ve got a good working relationship with the locals, and I don’t want to jeopardize that.” She didn’t sit and left the door open, all hospitality gone. “I’ll call you with Fritz’s answer, but if you’ll excuse me, I’ll have someone escort you out.”

  She turned and left as Brian opened his mouth, but he’d have to tackle her to get her to stay and listen to anything else he had to say. An entire career of putting up with overbearing and condescending men telling her how to do her job was enough.

  “Well?” she asked her agents when they entered the elevator that descended below street level to the parking garage. “Where is he?”

  “Sebastian Savoie is actually with Chief Jernigan at the Hilton scene, ma’am. They said they’d wait for you since some of our guys are over there as part of the investigation,” Ivan said as Catalina unlocked the black sedan.

  “Good.” She sat in the back, knowing it wasn’t far to where they were headed. “Check in with our team, and I’ll join you when I’m done with the NOPD brass.”

  They made their way through the media line and the people who appeared to be waiting to start the cleanup. “The animals are rattling the cage bars over this,” Catalina said as she blew the horn to get a news van to move.

  “This is a little out of the ordinary, even for New Orleans, and two bombs in such a short time seems suspicious,” she said, waving to one of the detectives she’d met before and following him into the parking structure. “Fritz…Sebastian,” she said, joining them at the table that had been set up. “What do we have?”

  “We must rate if we got you to leave the building, Special Agent Hicks,” Sebastian said, smiling at her. She’d met the chief of detectives the first week she’d arrived in New Orleans, and he’d proved himself a good friend from that first day.

  “Maybe I missed you, so tell me what happened before I change my mind about that.”

  “The older model there,” Sebastian said, pointing to the car second from the wall, “is where the blast originated. It damaged everything around it, but your people and ours both agree it was planted in that car.”

  “It’s the only one with a body in it as well, so this was a hell of a way to cover up a murder,” Fritz said, straightening his tie. “I hate to ask, but can you rush the tests? We need to know if this is the same kind of device that almost killed one of our people.”

  “I hear
d about Sept. Is she okay?” she asked, placing her hand on Sebastian’s forearm.

  “She’s back at work, so she’s fine, and I just got off the phone with her. She might’ve found something.”

  “What?” Fritz asked, his voice rising at the end of the word.

  “We need to collect the video feeds from every camera in this place all the way next door and beyond,” Sebastian said and explained why. “It is too much of a coincidence not to check out.”

  “We’ve already requested the ones from the hotel,” Fritz said.

  “We can help you with the rest, and you have my word this is your investigation. That’s a given, but that’s not why I’m here.”

  “Have we missed something?” Fritz asked.

  “Agent Brian Voles and his daughter Nicole came to see me about twisting your arm to allow him access to your investigation into the recent murders. They obviously met with Sept and her partner, and she cooled his jets on any illusions he had.” Both men seemed to puff up with anger.

  “Are you asking us for that?” Sebastian asked, sounding cautious.

  “Not in this lifetime, but this guy isn’t the type of person to simply let go.”

  “I’ll talk to him and tell him to go fuck himself, nicely, of course,” Fritz said. “I, or anyone else on the force, don’t have time for this.”

  “Let me know if you need any help burning the tick off,” she said, and shook Fritz’s hand when he had to leave to give a statement.

  “Let’s go get those videos,” she said to Sebastian. Her bomb experts were still working, so they headed to the security office. “Is Sept really okay?”

  “She and her partner Nathan caught Perlis, but we have a copycat on our hands, and she’s running that investigation as well. So far we have two of these ritual killings and two dead cops.” Sebastian stopped, not wanting to share their conversation with anyone else. “She thinks today and what we have here are connected to the scene she’s working now.”

  “I know your kid, and she’s not an embellisher. If she thinks that, it’s probably right. Let’s get what she needs to prove her theory.”

  It took an hour, but they had copies of all the footage from a three-block radius that could’ve caught something on their security cameras. The casino was their best bet, so she hoped it wasn’t too far away to make out anything.

  “Thanks, Anabel,” Sebastian said, holding the CDs.

  “Our enhancement capabilities are pretty good, so let me know if you need our resources,” she said, now curious about the case herself. But she wouldn’t worm her way into the middle of it to take the credit at the conclusion.

  “You’ll be my first call, and if this Voles character contacts me, I’ll send him back to you.”

  “I thought we were friends,” she said and winked. “Thanks for trusting me, Sebastian, and I meant what I said. I’m a call away, and that goes for Sept or anyone else in the department. We can’t afford any more of the bad press that comes with this kind of murder spree, so our agencies need to work together.”

  “Thanks, and I’m sure Sept will be in touch if there’s a chance our perp’s on video.”

  “With the bomb angle, if it’s someone we’re looking for on a federal level, it’s a win-win.”

  “No one’s that lucky,” Sebastian said and walked her back outside. “Take care, and try not to feed the animals on the way out.”

  The reporters shouted questions, but she got into the vehicle again, ready to go. “I want a report on what they find up there,” she said to Ivan. “Sept Savoie is a good friend to us, so I don’t want to miss anything.”

  “If anyone can find the answers, ma’am, it’s Sept,” Catalina said.

  “Let’s hope so, and before this nutcase burns down the whole city.”

  * * *

  “Hey, honey,” Keegan said, and her voice made Sept close her eyes and smile when she answered on the third ring. “Are you okay?”

  “You’re supposed to be sleeping,” she said, opening her eyes when she heard some noise and saw the coroner loading up the body in the backyard.

  “The bed isn’t the same without you, and my bedmate at the moment has horrible kibble breath. I couldn’t sleep, so stop trying to change the subject and answer my question.”

  “It’s not good, but I’ll tell you about it later. I’d rather be sitting with Della giving me a hard time instead of here.”

  They’d spent two hours checking the trajectories of where the shots had been taken and established that the killer had stood on the opposite side of the house to kill the two teenagers. The young woman had, from the drag marks, been taken from the car to the spot in the yard that was a good twenty feet from the place Perlis had used when he’d brought Erica out here. “This guy is using the same concept, but he’s off.”

  “I’m sorry this is happening to you again, baby.” Keegan’s voice sounded like honey and silk, and it beat back the horrors of her night. “Are you mad at me for talking you out of the desk job?”

  “Right this second, I’m sick that someone is capable of this, but I’m where I’m supposed to be,” she said softly, wanting to put Keegan at ease. “At least Nathan’s getting better than me, so my chances of getting hit by friendly fire are decreasing dramatically.”

  Keegan laughed and groaned at the same time. “Don’t even joke about that, and I’m sure he’s got a way to go before he catches up to you, Batman.”

  “Go to sleep, baby. I’m fine, but I probably won’t see you until late. We’ve got to do a lot of follow-up.” Nathan nodded, and she held her hand up to put him off for a moment longer. “I’ll call you if it’s sooner than that so I don’t scare you coming in.”

  “I love you, so be careful and take care of Nathan. Know you’re missed. Even Mike looks mopey without you here.”

  “I love you too, and make sure the dog knows I’m coming back eventually so he won’t get too comfortable in my spot.” She disconnected the call and took one more glance around the yard. They did have plenty of follow-up, but she needed to find out exactly who Lee was and if she was, like she suspected, one of Brandi’s girls.

  “Did you get a chance to call the number?” she asked Nathan about the card in Lee’s purse.

  “It connected me to FIOG Enterprises,” he said and smiled. “When I identified myself, the receptionist asked if I was interested in vinyl siding for my house. If the salespeople all look like Lee, I might consider it.”

  “It’s Brandi’s idea of a twisted joke. FIOG Enterprises stands for fucking is our game, and all the saleswomen do look like that. You might want to put it in your contacts for when you save enough of your lunch money, Skippy.”

  “I might have enough in my savings already.”

  “Don’t make it a habit, then. The price tag on Brandi’s kind of fun can get overwhelmingly expensive and quick.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Captain Savoie has the video from the Hilton and is on his way back to the precinct. You want to go there first?” he asked, holding up his middle finger.

  “He’ll wait for us, so let’s go by Brandi’s before we head back and see if Lee’s one of hers, and who her date was. If this is like Tameka, it happened after her official date, but we need to know where she started. We know where she ended up, so it’ll be easier to fill in the middle.”

  “George said he’d call when he was ready for us.”

  “Let’s go. Follow me, because I’m not leaving Keegan’s car out here.” She walked to the front as Gavin’s crew did their best to place Lee in a body bag without doing any more damage. John was directing his guys to keep the small number of news crews that had arrived back from the house. “John,” she called out, getting the reporters to come to life and start shouting questions. She ignored them all and waited for him to reach them to ask for a reassignment for some of his men.

  “You guys done?” John asked, taking his cap off and stuffing it under his arm.

  “Gavin’s guys are almost done, so leav
e enough of a presence out here to keep the curious folks over there out of the yard. I want our team to check out the perimeter in daylight and before it’s on the morning news.”

  “You got it. Don’t worry. Anything else?”

  “Think you can get the cadaver dogs out in that trash pile in the park?” She had a hunch that the perpetrator had chosen this spot for more than an homage to Perlis’s crimes.

  “You think this son of a bitch did two in one night like this?” John appeared shocked.

  “I don’t know if it was two in one night, but not like this for sure. If you find anything in there, it’s going to be a dump job.”

  “This is fucking crazy,” John said, and she nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you.”

  “Who do you think is in there?” Nathan asked as Gustave and Sharon joined them after delivering the warrant to Sebastian and making it back.

  “I’ve got two candidates, since our guy has two loose ends. Bonnie’s boyfriend and Crazy Nick are still at large, and our killer doesn’t seem like the type to let two idiots trip him up.”

  “You going back to the precinct?” Gustave asked.

  “We’re stopping at Brandi’s first, but we still have plenty to do, so see if we can get everyone together. We can check out all this stuff while it might lead us somewhere.”

  “You got it, and don’t let Nathan linger,” Sharon said, teasing Nathan.

  “If any of you need any ideas for his birthday, he wouldn’t turn down a gift certificate.”

  “Fuck all of you,” Nathan said.

  “Not on your life, but I’m sure Brandi’s got someone who’ll be happy to do that,” she said and rubbed her knuckles along the top of Nathan’s head. “Come on, and I’ll drive slow so your blush will calm down before we have to face your crush.”

  She drove the coupe and glanced back a few times, and Nathan was right behind her. The sense of déjà vu hit her, as she’d come to Brandi’s door before to tell her one of her girls had been brutally murdered, and Keegan had called her right after that. That call and that she’d gone to Keegan after leaving Brandi had been a turning point in her life, and she’d stopped running. Now she’d instead rush toward the life she wanted with Keegan.