Breaking Bad

by Karin Tabke

  “Are you his slave then, Mrs. Welsh?” Stevie asked.

  “I let him believe that I would accept his collar if he chose to honor me with one.”

  “So you lied to him.”

  “I was afraid he wouldn’t want me again if I didn’t agree.”

  “Does Mr. Spoltori know about you and Mayor Dyer?”

  “Absolutely not. No one knows except the mayor and the people in this room.” Her eyes narrowed. “I expect it to stay that way.”

  Stevie took a card from her pocket and handed it to her along with a pen. “I’d like the name of the chat room you met The Edge in, I’d also like the e-mail address he used, and while I know this is highly personal, I’d like your permission to read the texts and e-mails between you and The Edge.”

  Mrs. Welsh shook her head. “No.”

  “I can always get a warrant,” Stevie threatened.

  “Knock yourself out, Detective,” she said her superiority flaring. “I’ve told you too much already.”

  “You do understand we believe you may be his next victim?”

  “He has no reason to kill me.”

  Stupid woman. Stevie looked to Jack for some help.

  “Mrs. Welsh.” Jack’s voice was so deep and comforting, Stevie found herself leaning toward him along with Mrs. Welsh. “His triggers are beyond us at the moment. I want to protect you. But to do that I need to get into Mr. Spoltori’s head. If you allow us to read the texts and e-mails it will help tremendously.”

  “I—can’t.”

  Since the Jack attack failed, Stevie jumped back into bitch cop mode. “Fine, then give us the chat room and e-mail addresses.”

  Mrs. Welsh hastily wrote down the information and handed the card back to Stevie, who gave her a fresh one. “Stay away from Mr. Spoltori. If he calls or shows up, call me immediately. He’s extremely dangerous.”

  Jack handed her his card as well. “My cell number is on the back. Call me if you have any questions or need assistance.”

  Once they were on their way back to the PD, Stevie said, “I don’t get it. How could a woman with her social standing, married to a man who might one day run for president, jeopardize all of that for sex?”

  “You heard her, ‘he was bold and beautiful and he wanted me.’ She’s a lonely political wife. From what I gather, her relationship with the senator is purely superficial. She’s old east coast money. He’s new west coast money. She gives him a sophisticated gloss, at the same time opening doors for him he could never get an invite to. He gets her family name to the top of the political food chain. I’m sure if we dug a little, we’d find a mistress or two locked away.”

  “A high society bored housewife?”

  “Exactly.”

  They drove in silence for a few minutes, each processing the interview. “We know the Cain killer is a misogynist,” Stevie mused out loud. “Spoltori’s insistence that Mrs. Welsh use such derogatory terms with regards to female genitalia suggests that he also has misogynistic tendencies. It confirms my suspicions about why he couldn’t get an erection for her, but he could when she spewed hateful words regarding women.”

  “I’m no expert, but it seems to me this type of behavior stems from some sort of early childhood trauma.”

  “Which goes straight back to his cousin, Jessica, and her death. Maybe she sexually abused him and when he’d finally had enough, he lashed out and killed her.”

  “I’m thinking the same thing.”

  Jack’s cell phone chirped that he had a text. Handing her his cell, he asked, “Would you see who that’s from, please?”

  Probably one of his paramours. She scowled, taking the phone, not wanting more proof of Jack’s spicy past. “It’s from Flynn, no sign of Spoltori or the driver of the truck. They’re widening the perimeter.”

  “I’m convinced Spoltori was the driver,” Jack said. “He’s gone underground for now. I want you to pack a week’s worth of clothing and come to my place until he surfaces. When he does, I’m going to arrest him.”

  He was so bossy! “Are you asking me or telling me, Jack?”

  He glanced over at her. “I’m telling you.”

  And some things about Jack would never change.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “You think we’ll have enough to charge him when he surfaces?” Stevie asked.

  “Assault deadly weapon is a start.”

  “Probable cause?”

  “The driver fit Spoltori’s height and weight perimeters and was limping pretty badly when he bailed. He won’t be able to hide it when he surfaces. And he will surface. He has to.”

  He reached over and grabbed Stevie’s hand, squeezing it. “We’ll get the arrest warrant for assault deadly weapon and we’ll get a search warrant to tap his home, office, and cell phone, as well as retrieving all his phone records.”

  Stevie smiled, enjoying the feel of his big hand on hers. “Might as well shoot for his computers, too.”

  “Absolutely. We have the best cyber lab in the world just across the bay. When they get hold of Spoltori’s stuff they’ll have a field day with it.”

  “Do you think we have enough PC for all of that?”

  “I do.” The confident tone of his voice gave her hope that they would finally get what they needed to arrest Spoltori for the three murders before he killed again.

  “We have ten days until the next full moon.” She pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket and said, “I programmed Spoltori’s cell number into my phone, let’s see if I can get a cell tower hit for the records.” Then she dialed him.

  It went straight to voice mail.

  “You’ve reached Mario, please leave a message and I’ll return your call within twenty-four hours.”

  “Hi, Mario, it’s Stephanie, we met last night at the mayor’s fundraiser. I called my girl at Nici’s and she said she has my Valentino suit at her LA store and that if you want it, she can ship it. It’s a size seven, same as I was wearing, it’s pricey, twenty-five hundred, but she said she won’t charge you for shipping. Call or text me at this number if you’re still interested in the suit, and still call or text me if you’re not.” Stevie hit End and looked over at Jack’s tight face.

  “It gave me the creeps, too, Jack, but if he calls from his cell we can get a ping off the tower nearest him.”

  “I want your solemn promise you will not agree to meet with him alone.”

  “Why not? With you and the team as backup—”

  “It’s too risky.” Being bossy was one thing; telling her she was incapable of doing her job was a whole other issue. One she would not stand for. “You don’t think I can handle myself?”

  “I think you can handle yourself just fine. Better than fine, but he’s a serial killer with an agenda. That gives him an ‘I-don’t-give-a-fuck, Geronimo’ mentality.”

  Stevie shivered. “I thought the same thing last night.”

  “Listen to your gut, Stevie. It never lies.”

  “You sound like my father.”

  “He was a smart man.”

  Yes, he was. Also a hard, unyielding man.

  “I heard of his passing. I’m sorry.”

  Stevie swallowed hard. It had taken years to get used the fact that her father was gone. He had always been there, never wavering in his role. Not only did he inspire her with his indomitable spirit, he was the only person who understood her drive and need for control. They were mirror images in that regard, but Stevie realized that if she ever had a child, she would never dictate what their future would be. That was theirs to carve out.

  “Thank you.”

  “How’s your mom?”

  “She’s great, never better,” Stevie said trying to keep the bitterness from her voice. “Dad’s death opened her gilded cage door. She flew off three months after he died. She checks in periodically
.”

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you had no one to call.”

  She shrugged it off, she’d learned to long ago. “I’ve always been self-sufficient. It doesn’t bother me. It is what it is.”

  Jack nodded and pulled off a side street, slowed the car to a stop, and turned to her. Sliding his fingers into her hair, he pulled her across the console. His actions caught her completely off guard, but she didn’t resist. His lips hovered above hers. “The only way you’re going to get rid of me is to shoot me.”

  Then he kissed her.

  Cupping her hands behind his head, she smiled against his lips. “Then I guess you had better behave.”

  His fingers dug into her scalp as his lips forced hers further open. The blend of his spicy cologne, his natural clean body scent, and his body heat stirred into a heady cocktail. His simple possession of her at every turn turned her on, on so many levels, when it shouldn’t have. She was a contemporary woman, not a cavewoman. But she loved how he took control, and it thrilled her beyond her wildest imagination.

  “I’m going to do bad things to you tonight, Detective Cavanaugh,” he breathed. “Very bad things.”

  Warm wet anticipation dampened her panties. She wanted that. “I can’t wait,” she said breathlessly. He pulled away from her, holding her face between his big hands. Fire sparked in his eyes. “Be patient with me, sweetheart. I’ve never gone down this road before.”

  Sliding her hands over his, she pressed him tighter to her. “Neither have I.”

  Twenty minutes later they strode into the Oakland PD detectives’ squad room. Save for Donna and two other suits, the room was quiet. Captain Russo nodded as they passed his office, heading to the room dedicated to the Cain killer case.

  Stevie opened the door to the small room and asked Jack, “How do you want to divide this up?”

  “I’ll start on the warrant while you update the case files,” Jack said, sitting down at one of the three laptops. As he waited for it to boot up, he continued, “By the time these are written it might be late. Would you find out who the on-call judge is?”

  Stevie nodded, picked up the phone, and dialed Donna’s extension.

  “This is Donna.”

  “It’s Cavanaugh; I need the name of today’s judge on call.”

  “Just a minute.”

  Thirty seconds later, Donna said, “Judge Rincon, but beginning at midnight tonight, it’s Judge Halpert.”

  “Thanks, Donna.” Stevie hung up.

  “Judge Rincon until midnight. He’s tough. Then Judge Halpern at midnight. She and my dad went to law school together.”

  “Does that give us a better shot?” Jack asked.

  “Yes, but only if we have solid PC, which I think we do.”

  “That means we put off our trip a day.”

  “I know, but don’t you think getting our hands on Spoltori’s devices and phone records will give us what we need to nail him sooner than what we can dig up back east?”

  “I agree one hundred percent. Here and now is what is most relevant to the case.”

  “Whatever you think is best, Jack,” Stevie said, and as the last word left her mouth she laughed. Jack looked up from the keyboard and smiled.

  “Who’da thunk?” As he said the words, his cell phone chirped that he had a text. He tapped the screen and as he read the text, he grinned.

  Stevie stiffened. Probably a nice titty shot from one of his exes. It took everything she had not to ask who it was when he set his cell down on the desk without responding to it or offering her an explanation.

  Seething, she booted up the laptop in front of her and kept an eye on Jack’s cell phone. When it chirped again ten minutes later, she kept her head down and focused on entering the new case data.

  Jack tapped the screen again, and from her angle she could see it was a picture. This time he scowled, texted something, and tapped the screen closed.

  Stevie kept her head down, dying to know if it was a woman sexting him. Several moments later, she realized Jack was staring at her. Lifting her head from the keyboard, she said, “What?”

  The edge of his handsome lips twitched. “The first text was from Simon razzing me, the second was a picture from a woman who I just blocked.”

  Stevie smiled inside. Outside she shrugged. “I’m not your keeper, Jack. That’s your business.”

  Brows drawn tight, he leaned toward her. “Make it your business, because if I catch some asshole texting you crotch shots, I’m going to make that my business.”

  Despite his chest-beating, Stevie laughed. Call her a women’s lib sellout, but she loved caveman Jack. “Okay, Jack, not that you have to worry about random guys texting me penis shots.”

  “Don’t even say it,” he grumbled, turning back to his screen.

  Giggling like a schoolgirl, Stevie shook her head and got back to work.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Five tedious hours later, Stevie and Jack had the warrant affidavit written. Exhaling, Stevie sat back in her chair and rubbed her tired eyes. Her head throbbed, not, she told herself from the bump on the temple, but from the relentless screen time. She’d never liked writing warrants and this one was the mother of all warrants.

  They’d sat side by side, thigh to thigh, compiling their probable cause case and cross-checking their facts. They were requesting permission to tap all of Spoltori’s phone lines at his apartment and place of work, to get copies of the records for those phones, and to seize and search all of Spoltori’s electronic devices in both his residence and his place of work. They wanted access to his financials, including any and all credit or debit cards in his name or cards he had usage rights to. They also requested a wholesale search of his Oakland apartment, his car, and his place of business. And last but not least, they gave a summary of what they intended to find in each and every device, record, and location. It was a sweeping all-inclusive warrant. They’d done a damn good job.

  “What do you think our chances are?” she asked, looking up at Jack. Despite her fatigue, desire for him flashed deep within her. It was a given that his physical attributes could melt an iceberg, but what had her engines revving at the moment was his steel trap brain. He was not only brilliant, but his instinct was spot on. He was a shrewd strategist who looked ahead three plays while executing the play at hand.

  Jack stretched, extending his long legs. As his arm came down along the back of her chair, he said, “I like our chances for fifty percent of what we asked for.”

  “Let’s hope we get his electronic devices.”

  Squeezing her shoulder, he looked over at her with tired eyes.

  “You look beat, Thorn.”

  He flashed her a wicked grin and tugged her ponytail. “I’m not that tired.”

  Yanking her hair from his hand, hiding a smile, she swatted at him and stood. “I’m hungry.”

  Taking his time, Jack stood as he rubbed his chest. “Me, too.”

  Hands on hips, she winced as her sore muscles protested the action. Between her bumps and bruises from last night and the hours crouched over the keyboard she was an achy mess. “For food,” she said. The man had a one-track mind.

  His brows rose. “Me, too,” he said, not convincing her. “What did you think I meant?”

  “Never mind. Let’s just get something before we pass out.”

  Jack looked at his watch and said, “It’s almost five. Since we can’t deliver this until midnight, let’s go back to your place so you can pack a bag, then we’ll stop at Val’s on our way back to my place.”

  “I don’t recall agreeing to stay at your place, Jack.”

  “I don’t recall asking.”

  Grrr. “You can’t boss me around like I’m a kid.”

  He grinned and flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. “Trust me; kid is the last thing I think of when I look a
t you.”

  Just as Stevie was about to tell him to stop with the innuendo, Jack’s cell phone rang.

  “Thornton,” he answered, the deep vibration of his voice shimmering through her.

  His head snapped back and he nodded as his eyes caught hers. “Yes, Miss Schillner, I’m so glad you called.”

  Stevie heard her talking, but couldn’t quite make out her words.

  “Absolutely,” Jack said. “Your mother and daughter will be taken into protective custody immediately, and I give you my word I will do the same for you.”

  More from the other end.

  “Of course I can meet you. Where? Time?” He grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down a Fremont address and 9:30. “I’d rather speak to you sooner than later, I’m free now.”

  He scowled. “Okay, nine thirty it is. See you then. And thank you.”

  Jack tapped the End icon and smiled a shit-eating grin at Stevie. “Looks like you’re buying at Val’s.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said she wanted to talk to me about her boss, but only if I guaranteed protection for her and her family, which I did. She sounded scared. I hope she doesn’t change her mind between now and then.”

  “Or hope Spoltori doesn’t get to her. Why couldn’t she meet you sooner?”

  “She said she had things to do before we met, but didn’t go into detail. Most likely packing and tying up loose ends.”

  Stevie shook her head. “I don’t like it. Too much time between now and then for shit to happen.”

  “We’ll get there early and wait for her.”

  Stevie plugged the addy into her cell phone and said, “It’s a day care center.” She scowled. “It will be closed at nine thirty. Can you call back and confirm the address?”

  “It came up ‘private caller,’ and that is the address she gave me.”

  “Just seems strange to me.”

  Jack grabbed his suit jacket and slid it on, then handed Stevie her bag. Not overly concerned, he said, “A little. I’ll give Fremont a heads-up and ask for a drive-by.” As they walked to the car, Jack contacted the agent who would coordinate with the Bangor authorities and the FBI field office there to take the mom and daughter into protective custody.