Deadly Consequences

by Lori Gordon

  Sam turned, walking away from Manny’s protests of innocence. She didn’t want to hear his voice, or see his swarthy face as he was loaded into the van.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. It was done.

  Like most killers, Manny’s belief that he was invincible tripped him up. She wasn’t certain yet that he was a textbook narcissist. Time would tell, but he fit the other criteria of the profile, sadistic and controlling.

  She heard dogs in the distance; the canine unit had finally arrived. The dogs would help them recover the women’s remains if Manny buried them somewhere in the zoo. She could feel the temperature start to rise. Sam brushed the bangs off her forehead, lifting her face towards the slight breeze. The adrenaline rush she felt during the confrontation with Manny and Lombardo vanished, leaving her shaky. She walked along the edge of the lagoon, watching the first streaks of dawn burst through the night sky, painting the horizon brilliant shades of pink and orange. Morning dew glistened on the leaves of swaying tree branches trees, and tickled her feet through her open toes shoes.

  They’d closed the case and a new day was starting. Daylight would make the disheartening job of searching for graves easier as would the canines. She rubbed her arms, wondering why she felt so uneasy.

  It bothered her that they didn’t have a motive. Sam knew she should let it go; Manny’s case was now in the hands of the D.A., but it felt like she was missing an important piece of the puzzle. Maybe she expected too much. People killed, bad things happened. For all they knew the heinous acts might have been part of a gang initiation. Or maybe Manny was just that twisted, and worked his way up from harming small animals to inflicting his madness on women.

  Sam caught sight of Alec heading her way. She kept walking, wishing he would go away. Their earlier conversation still rang in her ears and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with him right now.

  “Hey,” Alec slowed to a stroll beside her. “What were you thinking, giving the bust to Lombardo?”

  “Either I’m forging a truce or I just made a deal with the devil.” She gave him a half-hearted smile, weary to her core. Sam counted on her decision being a win-win. Lombardo got his collar and scored a victory, but it came with a price. She put him on notice, letting him know that she wouldn’t tolerate his behavior any longer, and he’d lost the respect of his colleagues. With any luck, the case would generate enough of the press Lombardo craved, and he’d retire, leaving her in peace.

  “I think you made a mistake. This is your case, should have been your collar.” Alec shoved his hands in his pockets, itching to have his say. “What Lombardo did crossed the line, and he got rewarded for it.”

  “I tossed him a bone, with strings attached.” She rubbed her aching neck, not wanting to be put in the position of second-guessing herself. “Can we drop the subject for now, please? We have hours of work ahead of us, and I don’t want to argue with you. This night has been tough enough already.”

  “Let Lombardo clean up what’s left of the mess. Why should you hang around and do the work for him?”

  “It’s still my case.” She quickened her pace, wishing he would stop talking.

  “Is it? Because to me it looks like you handed it to Lombardo. Hell, you even gift wrapped it for him.”

  “Enough, please.” Her face burned. “I get it. You’re pissed at me.”

  “You know what pisses me off the most?” Alec continued. “Lombardo is going to spin this to make you look incompetent to the lieutenant. You played right into his hands.”

  Jesus. Sam stopped in her tracks, a sliver of doubt snaking into her mind. Was Alec right? Had Lombardo played her? No. She refused to go down that road. Lombardo might have tried to put one over on her, but in the end, she made the decision, and she let him know in no uncertain terms that she was done putting up with his crap. “I’ll have to get to the loot first. She’ll understand.”

  “Will she, Sam? She gave you this case for a reason. Lombardo was on duty, she could have just as easily given it to him.”

  “Fine.” She whirled to face him. “I screwed up. I made a mistake. First, I’m too invested, and now I’m stupid. You’re on a roll, Alec. Anything else you want to throw at me while you’re at it?”

  “Jesus Christ!” Alec ran his hand through his hair. “You’re in a hell of a shitty mood tonight.”

  “Maybe because you’ve been all over me,” she snapped. “Forgive me for not being super cop. We can’t all be you.”

  “There’s no reasoning with you.” He threw up his hands. “For some reason, we’re not seeing eye to eye tonight. I hope to hell it’s not because your fiancé’s shit-ass attitude is rubbing off on you. I don’t know why you can’t see he’s an even bigger prick than Lombardo.”

  Her mouth dropped open in shock. She blinked back the hurt of tears stinging her eyes. Her radio squawked, interrupting them. She yanked it off her belt, turning her back to Alec, and felt her heart leap into her throat.

  They had another missing girl.

  They set up camp at Café Brauer, overlooking the lagoon. Sam paced, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Damn it. How could this happen?

  Hannah helped herself to a bottle of vodka from the bar, and sat slumped at a corner table, pouring a drink into a glass of ice.

  “My head is going to roll.” She raised her eyes to Sam’s, toying with a stack of photos resting on the table in front of her. “I can’t think of another time the zoo was shut down,” Hannah barked out a bitter laugh. “Once upon a time the park was the City Cemetery. I guess it was just a matter of time before some pervert decided to bury body parts here.”

  “What happened tonight has nothing to do with you.” Sam listened with half an ear, pushing the glass of vodka away from Hannah.

  The director snatched the glass back and shoved a stack of photos towards Sam. “These pictures are from two of the events we hosted today. Two class reunions.” Hannah smiled sadly, a faraway look in her eyes. “They were such lovely events. The manager was supposed to choose a few of the photographs to hang on the wall. Guess we won’t be doing that now. None of us will want to remember this day.”

  Sam gave the pictures a cursory glance and hesitated, wanting to offer Hannah some hope, but she couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. She walked away, rolling the kinks from her neck, taking stock of the activity going on around her. The shit hit the fan in the last twenty minutes, forcing her to scramble. Rafe managed to find a huge sheet of cardboard and was busy bracing it against the bar—Alec conferred with the head of the canine unit helping to coordinate the search efforts. Officers filled the café, changing shifts, grabbing a cold drink, reporting back once an area was ready to be crossed off the list.

  Their sole witness huddled at a front table, sobbing hysterically. Lombardo sat by her side, trying calm her down, and doing a damn good job from what Sam could see, revealing a side of him she’d never expected. Sensing her gaze, Lombardo glanced up, waving her over.

  “CeCe, honey,” he wrapped his arm around the back of the girl’s chair. “You remember Detective Black. You think you can tell her your story?”

  Lombardo shook his head, meeting Sam’s eyes. They were both aware the clock was ticking. Almost half an hour had passed since CeCe first raised the alarm that her friend was missing, lessening their chances of finding Cassie alive.

  Sam pulled out a chair, sitting next to her. “CeCe? I know this is difficult, but we need you to tell us what you know so we can find Cassie.”

  CeCe looked up, swiping at her tears. “You all got a Kleenex?”

  Lombardo nudged a passing officer. “Hey, bring us a bunch of napkins, will ya?”

  CeCe stared down at her hands, taking a shuddering breath. “Dis is all my fault on account of me being scared.”

  “Hey,” Lombardo said, passing her a napkin. “It’s okay to be scared, that doesn’t make you stupid.”

  Sam raised her brow, wondering what had gotten into Lombardo. Was it guilt over the missing girl, or di
d he actually have a conscience and a heart behind his crusty exterior.

  The girl blew her nose and nodded. “Am I in trouble?”

  “No, sweetie, I promise, you’re not in trouble,” Sam said.

  She shuddered. “Me and Cassie, we never should have been with those boys, but you know how it go sometimes when you in with a crowd. Manny, he don’t take no for an answer, and he pretty much rules the school. And Cassie, she be so pretty, and being prom queen an’ all, you juz knew Manny had tah git wit her.

  “Anyways, it happen juz like Cassie be tellin’ you, how we hid in the zoo, an’ how we found dat dead woman.” CeCe looked up at them with wide brown eyes. “None a dat wuz a lie.”

  Sam thought of Miguel Sanchez, certain he would tell a different story if the dead could talk. “Tell me about Cassie.”

  “Okay, so we wuz all in dat van, Cassie pissed as hell dat Manny ruined prom night, an’ Manny, he couldn’t give a shit.” CeCe shook her head. “It wuz bad. Cassie got a nervous stomach and had to go to da bathroom. She be knockin’ on dat van door bunch a times, but dem cops you had watchin’ never came by. We saw dat one sneak off through the window so when the door opened, Cassie ran off to find a place to go cuz we knew no one be watchin’.”

  Sam’s expression hardened. One of the officers should have checked the van when Cassie banged on the door.

  “When Cassie be gone too long, I got scared, ‘specially when saw I Cassie wit dat security guard.”

  Sam’s eyes narrowed. “What security guard?”

  “I didn’t get a good look at him. They wuz pretty far away.” She took a minute to blow her nose. “I saw him cuff Cassie’s hands behind her back, an’ snatch the tiara off her head. He grabbed her arm and forced her to walk wit him.”

  “Did you see anything else?” Sam asked gently.

  “No. By dat time you all was arresting Manny and those other jerks. I didn’t want to be in trouble, so I ran. I kept running until Detective Lombardo here caught me.”

  Sam exchanged a look with Lombardo. “Do you have anything of Cassie’s?” She didn’t want to add that a personal belonging would help the dogs pick up the girl’s scent.

  “CeCe leaned down, picking a clutch bag from the floor, and handing it to Sam. “I got dis. Cassie left her bag wit me.”

  Sam grabbed it, holding on to it like a lifeline. Right now, the canines were their best chance of finding Cassie alive. “Thank you, CeCe, I’ll make sure we get this back to you. I need to ask you one more favor, okay?”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  “Can you show Detective Lombardo the spot you last saw Cassie?”

  “I can do dat,” she said.

  Sam forced a smile and squeezed the girl’s hand, handing the clutch purse to Lombardo. “You did good, CeCe.” She raised her eyes to Lombardo. “So did you.”

  He grunted, jerking his head towards CeCe. “She was the one thing I got right tonight. Thanks to me, we got the wrong guys.”

  Sam was stunned by his admission. Maybe they could coexist after all. “Hey, Lombardo?”

  He swung his jacket over his shoulder. “What?”

  “Take the dogs with you.”

  Sam rested her elbows on the table, dropping her head in her hands. Manny didn’t do it. From the start, she thought the kids were innocent, until they learned of Manny’s connection to Miguel.

  Alec pulled a chair out from the table and sat down beside her. “Did the girl tell you anything we can use?”

  “Go away, please,” she said without looking up. “I can’t handle another argument right now.”

  “I come in peace.” He picked up one of the unused napkins waving it like a white flag. “Come on, Sam, we’re partners, we fight, hell, sometimes we even bicker like an old married couple, but at the end of the day, we have each other’s back.” He held out his hand for a fist bump. “Together, we rock.”

  “No, screwing around, Alec, I’m not in the mood.” She slapped the table. “Sonofabitch. I liked Manny for this.”

  “And now you don’t.” Keeping his expression, neutral, Alec braced his arms in the back of the chair, and leaned in closer. “What changed?”

  “A zoo security guard took Cassie. Damn it, Alec, he handcuffed her.”

  Alec digested the news, letting out a low whistle. “Inside job?”

  “It’s looking that way.” Sam rubbed her temples. They’d messed up by arresting Manny too soon. If something happened to Cassie, it was on her. “Why take the girl?” she asked. “Why take Cassie? We made an arrest. The UNSUB was off the hook, why risk it?”

  “The obvious question is did she fit the profile of the other victims? Considering we only recovered limbs so far, we don’t have much to go on.”

  “Not necessarily.” Sam’s eyes narrowed. “There was something about Cassie that made her irresistible to the UNSUB, something that made her worth the risk.” She clenched her fist, pounding it on the table. “Damn it “

  “What?”

  Sam tapped her forehead. “It’s in my head, I know what it is…but I can’t put it together.”

  Alec stood, pushing his chair back. “Take a breather, clear your head, maybe it will come to you. I’ll get us a list of the security guards who’ve been on duty.”

  Sam nodded, too tired to argue. “Keep the reason quiet. We don’t want to tip our hand.”

  She felt sluggish, her mind refusing to fire on all cylinders. She’d worked all night in the smothering heat, by now she was probably dehydrated. She headed towards the bar for a Coke, hoping a cold drink laced with caffeine would help clear the cobwebs from her brain.

  William Thorpe pressed up against the bar beside her. “Detective, a word please?”

  She’d forgotten about the curator, assuming he’d gone home hours ago. Grabbing a chilled can, she popped the tab and took a swallow. “This really isn’t a good time.”

  “It’s rather important.” His eyes implored her to speak with him.

  Sam sighed heavily, wishing she could pawn him off on someone else. She wasn’t in the mood to listen to a tirade about the animals. Keeping her tone crisp she asked, “What do you need?”

  He grabbed hold of her arm, steering her out of the café. Once outside, Thorpe cast a wary look at their surroundings. “I have some concerns,” he whispered, voice barely audible.

  The heat scorched her face, making her feel as if she’d stepped into an inferno. Blinking the sweat from her eyes, she waited for Thorpe to continue, but he stood there, looking at her expectantly .Stifling her frustration, she took a deep breath. “Would you care to share them with me?”

  “Yes, yes, of course.” His head bobbed up and down. “I’ve held my tongue as long as I can, and frankly I was relieved when you made an arrest. I thought that would be the end of all the commotion, but I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part.”

  He lapsed into silence, waiting for her to acknowledge him. “Go on,” she prodded.

  “Your officers have searched all night and come up with no new…discoveries. Is it really necessary to have brought in those dogs?” He shivered delicately. “This is not a situation we’re equipped to deal with.”

  “By dogs you mean our canine unit?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, yes, exactly. The barking and growling is upsetting to our animals, as is this entire search, to be blunt. I’m afraid I must ask you to call off the dogs, so to speak, no pun intended.” Thorpe thrust out his chest, perhaps to suggest he had the authority to make the demand.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Mr. Thorpe. The investigation is still ongoing. The canine unit will help us expedite the search, and,” she added, anticipating his objection, “get us out of your hair that much sooner, which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is the best case scenario for your animals.”

  Thorpe sighed heavily and began pacing. “Yes, yes, of course.” He extracted the wrinkled bandana from his pocket, dabbing at his upper lip. His gaze traveled to the officers moving in and out of the café before
settling on a nearby tree, inclining his head in that direction. “May we speak more privately?”

  Sam ground her teeth, wanting to be done with him. “Five minutes, Mr. Thorpe, that’s all the time I can spare.”

  She followed him towards an elegant shade tree, just off the path. Thorpe’s eyes darted back and forth before he nervously licked his lips. “I need a moment,” he apologized, glancing at his sweaty palms. “I hesitate to speak ill of a zoo employee, but under the circumstances…”

  He’d finally piqued her interest. “If you have suspicions, it’s your duty to report them, she said.”

  “Yes, yes…I realize.” He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. “I would have come forward immediately but I’d heard from Detective Lombardo that you’d made an arrest.”

  “Go on, Mr. Thorpe.” Sam wanted to throttle the man for his annoying tendency of not continuing his end of the conversation until prompted.

  He covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. “What to do, what to do.”

  “You already know the answer or we wouldn’t be standing here.”

  He ran his hand over thinning hair, bobbing his head. “Yes, yes, you’re right. As I was making my rounds, I noticed a man near the reptile house. He stayed in the shadows for the longest time. When he finally stepped out into the open, I could see his clothes seemed to be covered in mud, and he looked like he’d been in a fight. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. I’d assumed he was part of the search, and the heat accounted for his appearance.”

  Sam’s lips tightened as she listened. “Is there a point to this?”

  “Yes, yes.” Thorpe twisted his hands together. “You have to understand, since the man was wearing a zoo security jacket, I’m hesitant to point a finger, but in retrospect…it’s possible some of the stains I saw may have been blood.”

  Sam’s head jerked up. “Did you recognize him?”

  “I did.” Thorpe exhaled slowly, meeting her gaze. “The man I saw in the shadows was Victor Vasquez.”