by Lori Gordon
Lombardo rocked back on his heels, a pained expression on his face. Snooty Sam Black, and her circle of buddies huddled together, treating the latest discovery like they’d landed on the frickin’ moon.
From where he stood, he saw a lot of jaws flapping. What he didn’t see was any good old fashion police work. He missed the old days and the old rules when a cop could do his job the way he saw fit, and he didn’t have to worry about offending every jerk that came down the pike. What about his frickin’ God given right to use his brains and his balls to bust the assholes who belonged behind bars?
His lips curled. He could almost hear Sam spouting her psychobabble, working up her profile of the UNSUB and how the devils in his past drove him to whack off the victim’s legs. Fat lot of good her psychology background did her. Her fancy degree sure as hell didn’t help her find her missing sister.
Lombardo poked Rafe with his elbow. “Go see what they’re talking about,” he said jerking his chin towards Sam, Alec, and Matsuda.
Rafe leaned over and sniffed him. “You been smokin’ some of the funny stuff? Thanks to you, I’m persona non gratis. Besides, last time I checked your legs were working fine.”
“Real funny,” Lombardo pretended to chuckle, and then scowled. “Come on, don’t be a jackass. You know if I go over there, Sam is going to be skimpy with details.”
“Maybe because it’s her case.” Rafe’s words belied his curiosity. He craned his neck, watching Matsuda examine the leg. “I’ll tell you something, though. This is some sick, twisted shit, man. You really think a bunch of kids could pull this off?”
“Hell, yeah, I do. These days, you hear about kids whacking their parents and siblings for cripes sake. Ain’t a real big stretch to think kids did these two women.”
Lombardo watched forensics prepare to clear the area, standard procedure once the remains had been properly dealt with. Sam didn’t have a clue what was really going on with the case, and Rafe was too much of a boy scout to be a willing participant in subterfuge. Meanwhile, there was no time left to waste. He had to appeal to Rafe on another level.
“I don’t need a frickin’ baby sitter,” Lombardo said, “and you’re chomping at the bit to be in on the action. Go. I won’t think any less of you for it.”
“You sure?” Rafe asked.
“Tell you the truth, I’d like some time to myself. I’ve got some thinking to do.”
Rafe took a few steps, stopped, and pointed at Lombardo. “Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.”
“Who me?” Lombardo spread his arms. “What kind of trouble could I possibly get into?”
Rafe shook his head and laughed. “You be cool, Spaghetti man.”
“You’re looking at Mr. Cool, asswipe. Now go on, get the hell outta here.”
Lombardo shifted from foot to foot, waiting until Rafe’s back was to him. He approached the forensics team and withdrew the plastic evidence bag. “I need you guys to turn the dirt over a couple more times. We’re looking for something specific, a match to this garter.”
“Where did you find that?” One of the diggers wiped his brow. “We examined the last area thoroughly.”
Not wanting to alienate them, Lombardo lied. “This is evidence from another case but there are certain similarities we need to explore. Right now, we’re looking for a link, which is why we need you to dig a few inches deeper. We’ve got five suspects on ice, and Detective Black needs to know if we have enough to hang them for both crimes.”
“Sure, no problem. Anything that will help nail this bastard.” He grabbed his trowel. “Should only take a few minutes.”
Beads of sweat formed on Lombardo’s upper lip as the man started to dig. He cast an anxious glance towards the others, hoping Rafe or Sam didn’t look his way.
“Detective,” the man called. “You were right, I’ve got something.”
Lombardo grunted, lowering himself to his knees to peer into the hole. He extracted a pair of tweezers and an empty plastic bag from his pocket, leaned over, and clamped a small piece of lace between the tongs. Lifting gently, a garter emerged from the dirt.
Hot damn. This night kept getting better and better.
He dropped it in the plastic bag, and sat back on his haunches with a wide grin.
“Gentleman.” He braced a hand on his knee, hauling himself up.” It’s been a pleasure.”
“Glad we could help,” the man said.
He saluted them, tucked the evidence in his pocket, and with a jaunty step, went to join the others.
Sam groaned. Lombardo swaggered towards them, a shit-eating grin on his face, like a cat that’d lapped up every last drop of cream.
“You ready to admit I’m right yet, Sam –I-am? Those punks did it.”
“Nobody’s in the mood for your bullshit, Lombardo. Give it a rest,” she said.
He cocked his head to one side. “What about you, Alec? You gonna sit back and watch while she tanks the case? Anybody here knows better, it’s you.”
Alec shot to his feet. “It’s her case. Leave it alone.” He yanked Lombardo by his shirt collar, pulling him off to the side. “What is wrong with you? Why are you riding Sam’s ass so hard?”
“Odd choice of words.” Lombardo flicked his wrist, knocking Alec’s hand off him. “Maybe you want to ride her so bad, you can’t see that she’s fucking up.”
“You sonofabitch.” A thunderous expression crossed Alec’s face. He pulled his arm back, ready to punch Lombardo in the face.
Rafe leapt between them before Alec could strike the first blow. “Enough.” He pushed Alec aside and rammed his chest against Lombardo’s. “You’re crossing the line, man, and I’m getting a little tired of dealing with your bullshit.”
“Back off.” Lombardo’s face tightened.”
“No.” Rafe stood firm. “You back off. You back off. You hear what I’m saying, partner?”
Lombardo’s face twisted in anger. “Twenty years, I gave my heart and soul to this job. This is what I get in return?”
“Stop it.” Sam’s voice rang out through the night. She stepped up to face Lombardo. “I don’t give a damn what you think about me, but we have a case to work.” She turned towards Alec and Rafe. “I appreciate the two of you coming to my defense, but I’m a big girl and can handle myself.”
She drew a shaky breath. “We think the UNSUB is still on the premises. Back up hasn’t arrived yet, so we’re stretched thin, even with all the uniforms we have. Alec, Rafe, we need to make sure all the buildings are secure. I need men at all the entrances and exits.
“Alec, grab a radio from Officer Becker. I’m going to keep him and his partner at the barn. The director should be here any minute. I need to wait here so I can brief him, and I need to have someone review the security tapes. Check back with me when all the buildings are secured.” She paused, looking at Lombardo. “I don’t give a damn what you do. Stay, leave, just stay the hell out of my way.”
Sam slapped her arm, killing a mosquito, punctuating the sound by letting her gaze linger on each of the men’s faces. She was tired, and the case had taken another grizzly turn. She wasn’t in the mood for bruised ego’s or Lombardo’s moronic games. A monster roamed the zoo tonight, more terrifying than any of the beasts who called the park home, and it was her job to find him.
Satisfied that no one had anything else to say, she took a step back, ready to return to work.
“You better tell her, man,” Rafe brushed past Lombardo, hitting him with his shoulder.
Lombardo flexed his arm, swinging his jacket to his left shoulder. “What the hell do you think I’m sticking around for? I’ll tell her.”
“You do that,” Rafe warned. “Because if you don’t, I will.”
Sam folded her arms, waiting until the men were out of earshot. “Tell me what Lombardo? What was Rafe talking about?”
Lombardo picked at a nonexistent stain on his tie. He hesitated long enough for Sam to know he wasn’t going to tell her the truth.
“I don’t have time for this.” Sam walked away, afraid she’d explode otherwise. Lombardo had a way of getting under her skin, and she wasn’t going to stoop to his level by begging him to talk or by playing his game. She didn’t understand why he was too stubborn to realize that by doing her job she wasn’t trying to compete with him.
She reached Matsuda as he closed the back doors of the coroner’s van. The M.E gazed behind her at Lombardo. “He’s threatened by you.”
Sam leaned against the van. “I know, but for God’s sake, he has no reason to be. I’ve done nothing to him.”
Matsuda gave her a small smile. “You’re on the way up; he’s on the way down. For Lombardo, that’s reason enough.”
She rested a hand on her hip, shaking her head. “How far up does he think I’m going to go? Honestly, he treats me like I’m a child. I had a good run as a psychologist before I joined the force. For all Lombardo’s bluster there can’t be more than a twelve year age difference between us, and there’s no law that says he has to retire now that he’s put in his twenty. I don’t understand his need to compete with me, or his reasons for trying to show me up on my own cases.”
Matsuda slapped his hand on the back of the van. “He wants to be Alec’s partner.”
“Which is ridiculous. He’d hate being Alec’s partner because he wouldn’t be top dog.” Sam rubbed her face, and pressed her hand against the van. “Enough about Lombardo. I need answers so we can work on identifying the victims.”
“I’ll make this my top priority.” Matsuda said.
She gave him a tired smile. “I know. Thanks.”
Matsuda headed to the front of the vehicle. “You have your work cut out for you. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can with my findings.”
Sam nodded her thanks. “Maybe you should stick around awhile —just in case.”
“Whatever you need,” his eyes were weary. “I’ll be in the van.”
“Thanks.” She watched Matsuda climb into the van, and glanced at her watch, surprised by how little time had passed. Not that it mattered; she couldn’t afford to waste a minute. She radioed Alec letting him know she was heading down to the security office.
Lombardo caught up to her before she made it past the barn. “You ain’t the boss of me.” Lombardo hitched a thumb in his belt loop. “But we got a job to do and I’m thinking that security would be more comfortable talking things with a man.”
Sam stopped in her tracks, tired of his bullshit. She was tempted to throw the case in his lap, and be done with it until she remembered the victims. He wouldn’t fight as hard for them. She also suspected that if she gave in this once, he’d only push harder the next time. Instead, she decided to toss him a bone, hoping he’d stop hounding her. “Tell you what, Lombardo, why don’t we try working together on this?”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Whaddya mean?”
“Team up, work together, it’s not a novel concept. I’m willing to call a truce if you are.”
“We share credit fifty-fifty?” he looked dubious.
Sam threw up her hands in disbelief. “Jesus, do you have to turn everything into a competition?”
“All right. Wait.” He stalled by taking out his handkerchief and wiping his face. “How about this?” He tucked the hankie away, fingering the plastic evidence bags in his pocket. “I do things you’re way, but if it turns out I’m right and the kids are good for it I get the collar.”
She brushed past him, gritting her teeth. “They didn’t do it.”
“Then you got nothing to lose by agreeing, do you?” He said.
Damn him, he’d painted her into a corner. She tilted her head to the right, trying to figure him out. There had to be a reason behind his suggestion. “What angle are…” she stopped short, catching sight of a middle-aged man racing towards them. Two officers jogged after him, ordering him to stop.
He ignored them both, zig zagging on the path in an effort to elude them. Under different circumstances, the sight might have been comical.
Sam raised a hand to the uniforms, signaling them to let him pass. Heat splotches reddened his pudgy cheeks, his crisp blue dress shirt, stained with sweat. He came to an abrupt halt, panting for breath.
She waited until he composed himself. “Can I help you?”
“Help me?” he shouted, expression livid. “Don’t you people have any sense?”
Sam raised her brow, resting her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?”
“Do you hear that?” He waved towards the barn, looking like he was on the verge of a coronary. “You’re disturbing the animals, and, Oh God,” he cradled his head in his hands. “Look what you’ve done to the landscaping.”
She shot him an incredulous look. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Mr.…?”
Her patience reached the limit when he failed to answer. “Are you the zoo’s director?”
“No.” He pulled a red bandana from his pocket and wiped his face. “But I’m not saying another word until I know who’s in charge.”
“I am,” Sam and Lombardo answered in unison.
His eyes darted between the two of them. “Very well. I’m William Thorpe, the zoo’s curator. I was told that a body was discovered near the lagoon tonight. A vagrant.”
Sam had been on the verge of walking away and letting Lombardo deal with Thorpe, but his dismissive tone irked her. “Are you saying if the body belonged to a vagrant, her death doesn’t count?”
“No, no, of course not.” He twisted the bandana between his hands. “This is a public park, we don’t charge an admittance fee. Many of the city’s homeless pass the time here on a daily basis. As long as they don’t cause trouble or frighten the children or animals, they are welcome. I was simply pointing out that while it is extremely unfortunate a poor soul passed on, I fail to understand why the entire facility is in an uproar.” His voice softened, begging them to understand. “We go to great lengths to ensure the well-being of our animals, and this is most unsettling for them.”
Sam glanced at Lombardo. “Do you want to answer or should I?”
Lombardo held up his hands. “It’s your case.”
“So much for teamwork,” she muttered under her breath. “Mr. Thorpe, you were misinformed. Two amputated legs were discovered in shallow graves in separate areas of the zoo. We haven’t recovered the rest of the bodies.”
William Thorpe blanched, the color draining from his face. “My God! What are you saying? Someone ‘s been murdered here?”
“It’s an ongoing investigation, Mr. Thorpe. At this point, all I can say is that we’ve recovered the limbs of two women.”
His hands flew to his face. “Oh my God. Oh my God,” he repeated, walking in a circle. When he finally came to a stop, he dropped his hands, whispering, “Has the director been informed?”
“He’s been called. I was told he was on his way, but that was some time ago,” Sam said.
Thorpe fumbled in his pocket for his phone. “Let me try and reach her. Dear Lord, it’s possible she was given the same misinformation that I was.”
Sam kneaded the muscles on the back of her neck. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”
Lombardo nudged her with his elbow, and muttered, “What do you make of this clown?”
“If he gets the director here, I’ll love him for the rest of my life,” she answered, covering her mouth with her hand.
“This is tragic, simply tragic.” Thorpe shook his head, scrolling through his list of contacts. His finger froze in mid-air, gaze flying to meet Sam’s. His mouth flapped open and shut several times before he gathered his words. “You said the limbs of two women were recovered? Where are the bodies?”
“We don’t know yet,” she said.
“And the person who did this? He’s been caught?”
Sam shook her head. “Perhaps now you understand why your zoo is in an uproar.” She couldn’t resist quoting his words back to him.
“Yes, yes, yes.” His head bobbed up and down. “I’ll get the director for you
, posthaste.” He swiveled on his heel to make the call, caught sight of the coroners van, and froze, eyes widening. He gagged, the phone slipping through his fingers as he darted to the nearest gate, bending over to vomit.
The director met them outside one of the zoo’s historic buildings. Many of the structures in the park dated back to the late 1800s. William Thorpe guzzled his second bottle of water as they waited. Lombardo begged off the interview, excusing himself by volunteering to coordinate the search efforts as soon as additional officers and the canine unit arrived.
Sam suspected correctly that Lombardo didn’t want to listen to Thorpe’s endless chatter any longer than he had to. No matter what the reason, Sam felt a surge of gratitude that Lombardo was temporarily, at least, working with her, rather than trying to undermine the investigation.
“Hannah Phillips.” The director extended her hand to Sam after Thorpe mumbled the introductions. Hannah was an attractive woman in her forties, with short, stylish ash blond hair, impeccably dressed in a navy blue designer suit and low-heeled nude pumps. Sam immediately felt disheveled in her presence.
“So sorry to keep you waiting, Detective Black. William briefed me over the phone.” Her perfectly manicured hand fluttered to her chest. “Needless to say, I’m shocked. I can’t believe something like this could happen here.”
“We’re going to need to go over your security tapes, and I’d like to speak to the guards who were on duty earlier today.”
“Yes, of course.” Hannah shuddered delicately. “Let’s go inside. Perhaps we can sit while you bring me up to speed. William, would you get the detective something to drink? We’ll be downstairs.”
Sam followed them into a cool, dark building, surprised to find herself in the Primate House.
“The security office is in the basement,” Hannah explained. “I know that may seem a bit odd to you, but we like to make use of the space available rather than build modern facilities that take away from the Zoo’s architectural charm. The former director actually had his offices below the café.”
Hannah led her to a back door, heels clicking on concrete stairs leading to the basement. “Forgive me for saying so, Detective, but you look exhausted. The heat’s been horrendous, hasn’t it?”