by E. E. Borton
“I know,” said Grey, feeling his phone vibrate on his hip. “Excuse me. I need to take this call.”
Grey walked into the hallway to answer his phone, “Hey, Chief. A little past your bedtime, isn’t it?”
“Can it, hotshot. You’d be surprised what I can do when properly motivated. And for the record, I’ve been properly motivated. Do you have any plans tomorrow morning?”
“Not in the morning, but I have a plane to catch tomorrow night back to Atlanta. I’m due in court this week for an old case. Why do you ask?”
“How would you like to take a peek in Mr. Kirsk’s house?”
“You know I’d like that very much. How did you swing it?”
“You’re seriously going to ask me that?”
“Ask you what?”
“That’s better. I’m in town and have been since lunch. I’ve been doing some digging into Kirsk’s life and found nothing of interest. The idea that he did this on his own isn’t holding water. I’ll fill you in on the details when I see you in the morning. Would you mind if we met up at the hospital? I’d like to see Mrs. Freeman if that’s okay.”
“Sure, Chief. I don’t think anyone would have a problem with that. I’ll see you in the morning,” said Grey, ending the call.
“Chief Hill from the Sugarloaf Police Department would like to stop by and see Kate in the morning. He was one of the first responders at the villa. Would you and your family mind?”
“No, of course not,” replied Abby.
“The chief and I are going to spend some time together tomorrow talking about the case. I may not be back before my flight home.”
Abby stood, walked over to Grey, and took his hand in hers. The gesture surprised him, and he looked down at her fingers wrapped around his. He raised his eyes to hers when she spoke. “I want you to promise me you’ll come back as soon as possible. If she wakes up, I want you to be here when I have to tell her.”
“I promise I’ll try, Abby.”
14
The Boot
CHIEF TONY HILL SAT QUIETLY behind the wheel as Grey typed a message on his phone. Today was the first time Chief had seen Kate since the day of the attack. When the medics had passed him with Kate on the stretcher at the villa, her face was covered by trauma dressings. In her hospital room, the dressings had been removed and the full impact of the damage was startling. Grey finished his message and noticed the car was running, but Chief Hill hadn’t put it in gear.
“It’s hard to believe she survived,” said Grey, reading his thoughts. “But you’ll learn soon enough she’s as tough as they come.”
“I’ve been a cop for a long time, Grey. I’ve seen some pretty horrific things in my time, but this one I can’t shake. I’ll do whatever it takes to find the sonofabitch who did this.”
Chief Hill handed Grey a thick folder. It contained photos and reports from the motel where Gregory Kirsk was found dead. “How did you…never mind.”
“Thanks for not asking,” said Chief Hill. “You can keep that. They’re all copies.”
Grey flipped through a few of the photographs until he saw one that piqued his interest. It was the photo of Kate and Caleb’s fingers in the music box. “Did they find her wedding ring?”
“No, they didn’t,” answered Chief. “But I figured we’d hit a few of the pawn shops along the route he took to the motel.”
“Don’t bother,” said Grey. “We won’t find it in a pawn shop.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the unsub still has it.”
“Unkown subject, right?”
“You do pay attention to me,” said Grey.
“Only when I’m interested,” said Chief Hill with a smile.
“He took it as a trophy,” explained Grey. “He wanted us to believe the fingers were the real trophies. So when they were found with Kirsk, it would guarantee he’d fit the profile. Throw in the murder weapons, Taser, and bloody trooper uniform, and they have everything they need to close the case.”
“Everything but the guy who did it,” said Chief Hill.
“What I don’t get is why it’s so hard convincing everyone else.” said Grey.
“Tourism,” said Chief Hill. “Plain and fucking simple. Tourism.”
“So the faster Sheriff Doyle closes the case, the faster the fat wallets return to the beaches,” said Grey. “What a dick.”
“He has his moments, that’s for sure,” said Chief Hill. “But I have to give credit where it’s due. He’s not the only one looking to put this thing in the rearview mirror. He’s as much of a puppet as I am. The only difference is, the people pulling his strings can end all of our careers. Sheriff Doyle is an effective cop. If he wasn’t under their thumbs, he’d be in the car with us right now.”
“You know him that well?” asked Grey.
“Yeah, I do. But that doesn’t mean he’ll cut me any slack when he finds out what I’m doing.”
“What are you doing, Chief?”
“Not giving a shit anymore.”
“I can respect that,” said Grey. “I do, but I need you to at least act like you give a shit. You get yourself pinched for running around with me and we’re both done with this case. What you’ve given me so far is invaluable, but I’m going to need more. When we finish today, I have to ask you to head back to Sugarloaf and play their game for a little longer.”
“I don’t do well playing games, Grey.”
“The games will be over once we get our hands on the bad guy.”
Chief Hill parked the car against a curb in front of the home of Gregory Kirsk. He popped the trunk and pulled out a pair of bolt cutters. “My search warrant.”
“I wasn’t going to ask, Chief,” said Grey.
He cut the padlock that was installed on the outside of the door after Miami SWAT rendered the knob useless. When they walked inside, they were surprised to find everything intact. Investigators had removed all the evidence discovered in the room where Kirsk planned the attack, but nothing else was touched.
“Did they even dust for prints?” asked Grey.
“I doubt it,” replied Chief Hill. “Everything they needed to make Kirsk their prime suspect was in that back room.”
Grey walked into the bedroom and found the bed made and nothing lying on the floor. In the bathroom the vanity was neat and the tub was scrubbed clean. The living room had a few items misplaced, but he attributed that to the search by police. There were no dishes in the sink, and the counters were free of clutter. Grey opened the folder and reviewed Kirsk’s arrest record.
“Does this place look like the house of a junkie?” asked Grey.
“I’ve seen worse,” said Chief Hill. “But no. This wouldn’t raise any flags with me.”
“He was arrested for possession of meth with intent to distribute, but he passed every one of his drug tests given by his parole officer. In fact, his last drug test was given two months ago and he was clean. There’s no mention of heroin use anywhere in his record.”
“You think someone made it look like an overdose?”
“Don’t you?”
“I do now,” said Chief Hill. “Damn.”
“What?”
“I bet they didn’t even dust the syringe in Kirsk’s arm,” said Chief Hill. “The unsub probably left prints all over this place and the motel, but we wouldn’t know it. Hell, even if he did leave a print, there’s no way we could get to the items they took for processing.”
“No, Chief,” said Grey. “Our guy wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. I’ll bet you the first time Kirsk ever laid eyes on the unsub was when he came to the motel room to kill him. There’s a link somewhere, but it’s not going to be in plain sight. We need to figure out where the first contact took place.”
“Like an email message or phone call?” asked Chief Hill.
“Whatever it is, I guarantee you we’re going to find another dead body attached to the other end of it,” said Grey. “The unsub erased everyone who knew anything
about him. We need to retrace Gregory Kirsk’s every step for at least the past three months. That includes any financial transactions and travel. Do you think you could help me with that?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.”
Both men heard the footsteps on the front porch. They were expecting uniforms and a few questions about the severed padlock on the ground. They didn’t expect a man to peek around the door and then take off running.
Chief Hill was the first out of the house in pursuit, but was overtaken by Grey before he reached the sidewalk. The man they were chasing turned a corner one house over and ran into a long alley with high walls. The only way the man could escape was to outrun Grey.
He saw the opportunity to end the chase and accelerated in the alley. The man turned his head to see how far he was behind him. His eyes opened wide with surprise as Grey kicked his legs out from underneath him. The man violently smashed into the concrete wall and tumbled several times before coming to a stop face down on the ground. The small handgun he had concealed underneath his shirt skidded to a stop thirty feet away. Before the thought entered his head to recover it, Grey slammed his knee into the back of his neck and cuffed him.
“I di..didn’t know you were a cop,” wheezed the man, trying to catch his breath.
Grey left the bleeding man on the ground and picked up the gun he lost in the tumble. As he cleared it, Chief Hill’s car turned the corner and stopped a few feet from the downed man’s face. He exited the vehicle in no rush and kicked him in the ribs.
“I think you got him, Chief,” said Grey.
“Everyone gets the boot when they run from me.”
“You can’t do that,” said the man, writhing in pain. “I have my rights.”
Chief Hill dragged the man across the alley and propped him against the wall. “The only right you have at the moment is to bleed.”
“What’s your name?” asked Grey.
“My name is the right to remain silent,” said the man in defiance.
A tooth ricocheted off the wall after Chief Hill caught him square with a heavy punch. The man grimaced and shook his head to escape Chief Hill’s reloaded arm. “Scott! Scott Logan!”
“Thank you, Scott,” said Grey. “Obviously, I don’t have to explain what will happen if you try that smartass routine again.”
Two young men entered the alley and stopped when they saw the commotion. “We need to move him, Chief.”
“I know the perfect place where we can talk in private.”
*****
Abby raised her head from the armrest of the chair. She had drifted off to sleep after spending the entire night in the hospital room. For a moment, she thought she might have imagined hearing Kate’s voice. She sat up straight when she heard a low murmur. She jumped out of the chair and put her ear close to Kate’s lips.
“I can hear you, sis,” whispered Abby. “I can hear you. You’re going to be okay.”
The moans continued as Evan entered the room, confused by Abby’s position. “Is she okay?”
“Shhh,” said Abby, raising her hand for Evan to be quiet.
“Kate, can you hear me? I’m right here. Squeeze my hand. Please, just squeeze my hand.”
“Should I call a nurse?”
“Evan!” said Abby, followed by a stern look.
“Sorry.”
“Squeeze my hand, Kate.”
Abby sat motionless inches away from Kate’s face. After a few minutes, she sank back into her chair. “She was trying to talk, Evan. That’s why I wanted you to be quiet. Sorry.”
“Oh, no, Abby. Don’t apologize,” said Evan, taking the seat next to her. “That’s really good news.”
“I just wish I knew if she could hear me; if she knew I was here at all.”
“She knows, Abby.”
“Don’t patronize me, Evan. I’m being serious.”
“Hey, what’s with the crappy attitude? I am serious. She probably knows.”
Abby leaned over and hugged Evan. “I’m sorry, Evan. I am. I’m just tired and angry and hopeful and –”
“It’s okay. I understand. Did you stay here all night?”
“Yes. I couldn’t leave her. I couldn’t stand the thought of her waking up in the middle of the night and nobody being here.”
“Nobody, or just you?” asked Evan. “Listen, you’re going to have to get some rest. I can’t handle both you and Grey sleep deprived. I’ll stay here, and I promise I won’t leave her side. You should follow Grey’s lead and hit the sack for a while.”
“He’s already up and gone,” said Abby. “He came by earlier with the police chief from Sugarloaf Key and then they took off together.”
“Chief Hill was here? With Grey?”
“Yeah, why do you say it like that?”
“Chief Hill didn’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon for him at the villa,” explained Evan. “And now you tell me they’re hanging out together. It just seems a little odd.”
“Well, they are,” said Abby. “And Grey probably won’t be back. He’s catching a plane to Atlanta this afternoon when they finish whatever it is they’re doing.”
“Really? He didn’t even tell me he was leaving.”
“Are you gonna break up with him?” asked Abby with a chuckle.
“Funny girl. No, it’s just that –”
They both turned to face Kate when they heard a quick series of deep breaths as if she were having a nightmare.
“Oh, my God, Evan,” whispered Abby.
“I’m gonna go get the doctor,” said Evan, standing.
Kate began to mumble, but with a stronger tone. Abby didn’t need to put her ear up to Kate’s lips to hear the next word. It stopped Evan in his tracks before he reached the door.
“Caleb.”
15
Pansies
IT WAS A SHORT DRIVE to the quiet spot where Grey and the Chief could talk with Scott. Grey turned around to see him in the backseat, knowing that he was trying to figure out why they weren’t pulling up to a police station. Scott was only seeing dense foliage and water as they parked underneath a highway bridge spanning a local river. He could hear the traffic crossing overhead when Chief Hill shut off the engine and he and Grey exited the vehicle. They turned their backs to Scott and spoke for a moment before opening his door.
“Get out, you little turd,” barked Chief Hill.
“What the fuck is going on?” said Scott, forgetting about his lesson in the alley.
“In the name of everything holy, if you don’t get your ass out of that car in two seconds…” Scott remembered and complied.
“You guys are cops, right?” asked Scott in a quavering voice.
“Why do you keep asking us that?” said Chief Hill, walking to the back of the car and opening the trunk.
“You’re not cops?”
“Do cops carry this in their trunk?” asked Chief Hill, producing a short handle shovel.
“No, we’re not cops. But in a few minutes, you’re gonna wish we were.”
Chief Hill handed Grey the shovel and grabbed Scott by the ear, leading him down a narrow path to an opening in the brush. Grey followed, looking around to make sure no one was watching from across the river or above on the bridge. When he was satisfied they were alone, he nodded to his new partner.
“On your knees, turd,” ordered Chief Hill, pulling his weapon and tapping it on the side of his leg. Grey walked several feet behind their prisoner and stopped. He started digging.
The sound of the shovel breaking the ground startled Scott, who tried to turn around. Chief Hill grabbed him by his jaw so he couldn’t see what was going on behind him. Scott began to hyperventilate as the Chief stared at him with a crooked smile. “You need to pay attention to me right now. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about what’s going on behind you.”
“What do you want?” asked Scott, out of breath.
“What were you doing at Gregory Kirsk’s house?’ asked the Chief. “And if you lie to me, my par
tner is gonna dig faster.”
“I-I was looking for Gre –”
Chief Hill raised his gun and settled it between Scott’s eyes. “You knew he was dead. Make your peace, jackass. I’m through with you.”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, God! I’m sorry!” cried Scott, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m fucking scared! I don’t know what you want!”
“I want you to answer my question,” said Chief Hill. “What were you doing at the late Gregory Kirsk’s house?”
“He owed me three grand for two ounces of meth I dropped off before he disappeared,” said Scott. “When I found out he was dead, I figured I’d take whatever I could find in his house. Losing two ounces is no joke with the people I deal with.”
“Two ounces,” said Chief Hill. “So he was dealing?”
“Yeah, he was dealing. Had been for years.”
“Did he ever use?”
“Not that I know of. Well, never in front of me. Meth, that is. I’ve seen him do a couple lines of coke, but that was pretty rare. His thing was whiskey; a lot of whiskey.”
“He died of a heroin overdose,” said Chief Hill.
“I’ve known him for ten years,” said Scott. “He never touched that shit.”
“You guys were that close?”
“We weren’t best friends,” said Scott, “but I knew him pretty well. Can you please tell him to stop digging? I’m being straight up with you. I knew him pretty well, but not well enough to end up in a grave because of him.” Scott flinched when he heard the shovel hit the ground by his feet.
“Did you notice anything odd about his behavior over the past few months?” asked Grey from behind.
“Now, that sounds like a cop question,” said Scott, recognizing he had just made a mistake.
“You’re not very smart, are you?” asked Chief Hill, tapping him on his head with his gun.
“No, I’m not,” said Scott, trying to recover. “I swear I’ll tell you anything you wanna know about him.”