by Karen Rose
‘He might have grabbed her and dragged her into the van, but that would have been captured on video too,’ Bishop added. ‘He didn’t want any link to her.’
‘He probably figured he’d know if she came close to the house again.’ But how had the bastard found her? ‘He was going to be ready for her.’
‘But by the time Faith approached,’ Bishop said, ‘our guy had chaos everywhere. The Earl Power tech had surprised him, they fought, and Arianna escaped. The locksmith must have arrived at about the same time that Faith found Arianna. The killer had to cut and run.’
‘Wait a second.’ Deacon looked through his notes, frowning. ‘Adam, you called Earl Power. Didn’t the tech’s supervisor say that he texted when he got there?’
‘He did.’ Adam checked his notes. ‘It was at three fifteen. But that leaves a gap. If the locksmith arrived at five, what was the killer doing all that time? Why didn’t he go searching for Arianna?’
‘Because the Earl Power tech drugged him,’ Deacon said. ‘You found the dart, Adam.’
‘We need to know how he knew where Faith was,’ Bishop said. ‘If he followed her to the bank, he had to know she worked there. So that makes her boss a suspect, plus anyone who saw an organizational announcement that she was joining the company.’ She groaned. ‘Does anybody know how big the bank is?’
‘Three hundred people,’ Adam said. ‘It’s their headquarters.’ He looked at Deacon. ‘I called her boss and told him she was involved in an investigation, that I needed to confirm her employment. He confirmed that she did work there, that she’d started Monday morning.’
Deacon stared at him. ‘You informed her boss? Why would you do that?’
‘Because I didn’t trust her. I wanted to be sure she was who she said she was.’ And he didn’t appear sorry in the least. ‘You weren’t asking the right questions. Somebody needed to.’
‘And so you decided to take that on yourself.’ Deacon dropped his gaze to the table for a long moment, arranging his thoughts and trying very, very hard not to lose his temper. ‘She wasn’t a suspect, Adam.’ He managed to say it evenly, conscious of everyone at the table watching his response. ‘How long do you think it will take for a rumor to start that she is?’
‘We question people’s alibis all the time,’ Adam said, no fluctuation in his tone. ‘We probably start rumors that impact people’s lives. It’s part of the job.’
Part of the job. But it wasn’t the job. It was Faith.
Deacon listened to himself, to what he’d just thought. Okay, maybe – in the absence of data – Adam had a point. He hadn’t treated Faith like a suspect when he probably should have.
Because he’d known she hadn’t done anything wrong. No, you hoped. But he knew that wasn’t true. He’d known. From the moment he’d laid eyes on Faith Corcoran, he’d known.
But Adam hadn’t known. Like Greg, Adam’s reasons were good. But he had made a choice to act off-script, and that couldn’t be ignored. Put this confrontation off till later. Then decide what to do. And when he did act, he’d be doing so because Adam wasn’t respecting the chain of command. Not because he’d threatened Faith. Deacon only hoped Adam’s query hadn’t caused her to lose her job.
‘You supervised the crime scene in the grocery store parking lot, correct?’ he asked Adam. ‘What did you find there?’
Surprise crackled through Adam’s eyes, as if he’d expected to be rebuked. ‘What we knew. Caucasian woman, thirty-five. No purse or other ID found around the body. No security tapes. The cams in that area weren’t working.’
‘Just like the cameras at King’s College. And the lights,’ Bishop said. ‘He might have found out about the college security issues from the blog run by that student, but how did he know about the parking lot?’
‘It was common knowledge,’ Adam said. ‘Several of the cashiers said they’d complained about it in the past.’
‘They complained to the newspaper,’ Tanaka said. ‘One of my guys did a search for other crimes in that same parking lot and came up with two, both within the last three months. Both articles quote the cashiers as saying the store had “shoddy security” and broken cameras. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to know it was a safe place for him to go.’
‘Were either of those earlier crimes against blondes who went to college?’ Deacon asked.
‘No,’ Tanaka said. ‘Common muggings, nobody injured. Unrelated to this crime.’
‘The white van,’ Adam said, ‘was found with several bags of dog food in the back. We figured he put her purchases in the van, then stole her vehicle. I questioned the cashiers who were on duty last night, and one of them remembers her but said she paid cash.’
Deacon sighed. ‘Of course she did. No cameras in the store, I take it.’
‘Yes, but they don’t show anything that could tell us who she is.’
‘Did you get the bullet?’
‘We did,’ Tanaka said. ‘Nine mil, ballistics match for all the others.’
‘As of thirty minutes ago, no missing persons report had been filed in the entire tri-state area,’ Adam added. ‘By the amount of dog food in the van, she either has a houseful of normal-sized dogs or a few St Bernards. I sent her photo to some of the local vets asking if she was a client. So far, no replies.’
‘The vet angle is a good idea,’ Deacon said. ‘Hopefully someone will either recognize her or will have missed her by tomorrow. Carrie, what can you tell us about Agent Pope?’
‘I personally examined Agent Pope’s body when it was first brought in. The damage done by the knife was extensive. The knife wounds might have been enough to cover the bullet entry wound if the bullet hadn’t ricocheted off one of Agent Pope’s ribs.’
Someone had shot at Pope. That was news, and strengthened Deacon’s argument that the serial and not the high-school student had done the killing. ‘Did you find the bullet?’ he asked tightly.
‘Not yet. But there’s no exit wound, so if it’s still in there, we’ll find it.’
‘So he shot him first,’ Bishop said. ‘That’s how he got the drop on a former special ops soldier. Then he used the knife to try to hide what he’d done.’
‘He was attempting to draw Faith out into the open. Just like with the bellman.’ Deacon set his teeth against a sudden wave of rage at the callous disregard for life, and for the guilt Faith was going to feel when she found out.
Adam’s cheeks had gone dark, whether from fury or embarrassment Deacon wasn’t sure. ‘Still, how did he get the knife from that kid?’ he asked. ‘How would he know to? How would he know this one high-school kid was a threat to our family?’
‘I don’t know yet.’ Deacon rubbed his forehead. ‘The kid is a loudmouth, a bully. He’s got a posse who heard him threaten Dani before. If they knew, the whole school knew. Maybe this killer overheard them trash-talking. We can question the kids tomorrow, but first we need to find the gunman. He’s driving whatever he stole from the parking lot victim – or at least he drove it for a little while. Lynda, can we get photos of this victim to the squad cars and have them visit all the veterinarians in the area?’
Isenberg nodded. ‘I’ve freed up personnel. They can start when the offices open.’
‘Thanks. Are you done with the basement, Vince?’ Deacon asked Tanaka.
‘Not yet. Dr Johannsen still has to examine the basement floor. I’ve borrowed X-ray equipment to see inside the walls, but it won’t be here until tomorrow morning.’
‘Corinne could be dead by morning, dammit,’ Adam said, his jaw tense.
‘I know,’ Deacon said quietly. ‘We all know, Adam.’
Adam jerked a nod, slouching in his chair. ‘Sorry, Vince.’
Tanaka’s nod was weary. ‘It’s okay. We’re all running on fumes.’
That was God’s truth. ‘We’ll start ripping out walls when we get the go-ahead from Vince. Carrie, anything else?’ Deacon asked.
‘That was it. If you don’t need me anymore, I’m going home.’ Carrie
gathered her things and reached for the door, only to step back when it opened on its own. ‘Oh.’
Faith came through the door and Deacon automatically rose to his feet. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Excuse me,’ Faith said, ‘but you have visitors, Agent Novak. Your family is here.’
Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday 5 November, 1.20 A.M.
Faith stepped further into the conference room, giving Deacon room to pass. He stopped in the doorway.
‘Fucking hell,’ he muttered.
Tammy stood in front of Jim, his big hands covering her shoulders with a gentleness that was at odds with his scowl. On the other side of Deacon’s desk was Greg, fists still clenched.
Isenberg frowned. ‘Get this little family circus out of my bullpen, Agent Novak,’ she snapped. ‘Now.’ She went into her office, closing the door with a small slam.
‘Excuse me, Faith,’ Deacon said wearily and crossed to his desk, his stride so long that she had to almost skip to keep up with him. There is no way I’m missing a word of this, she thought. Not considering how grim Greg had become. She wasn’t sure that she believed the boy when he’d said he wasn’t being hurt by his uncle.
Adam brought up the rear, surprising Faith by standing shoulder to shoulder with Deacon.
‘What’s this all about?’ Deacon asked quietly.
‘We came to get Greg,’ the uncle said, his voice booming. His scowl deepened.
Greg shook his head. ‘I said no. I want to stay with you, Deacon. I’m not going back.’
‘You can’t stay with Deacon,’ the aunt implored. ‘Please, Greg, come with us.’
Somehow that was the last thing Faith had expected them to say. She thought they’d thrown Greg out of their house because of the trouble he’d gotten into at school.
‘You can’t stay with Deacon,’ the uncle reiterated. ‘His house isn’t safe.’ He aimed a cool glance at Deacon. ‘We’ll have to take him back until you fix this problem.’
‘Please, D. Let me stay with you. I won’t be any trouble. I promise.’
Deacon straightened his spine and turned to his aunt. ‘Please sit down, Aunt Tammy. You can use Bishop’s chair. How did you know Greg was here?’ He looked at Adam when he asked the question. Adam just shook his head.
‘Dani told us,’ Tammy said, slumping into the chair. ‘But we had to call her first.’ Her eyes were red and swollen when she lifted them to Deacon. ‘We saw your house on the news. There was a murder there. And you didn’t tell us.’ Her voice broke. ‘You didn’t even think to tell us Greg was all right.’
Deacon rubbed his forehead. ‘I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have called you.’
‘He’s been a little busy, Mom,’ Adam said quietly, coming to Deacon’s defense.
Tammy whipped a furious gaze at her son. ‘Don’t you talk to me, Adam,’ she whispered fiercely. ‘You haven’t called or come by in a month. I’ve gone whole weeks worrying if you were alive or dead. You don’t get to talk to me right now.’
Adam nodded, stoically taking her temper. The twitch of the muscle in his jaw was the only sign that he was affected at all. ‘I’m sorry too, Mom. I didn’t mean for you to worry.’
‘Well, I did.’ Tears now streaked down her cheeks, her nearly transparent hands coming up to cover her mouth. ‘I did. I do. I have done every night for forty-five years. I worried every night that your father didn’t come home, that I’d have to bury him in his uniform. And now you two boys.’ She glared at Deacon. ‘I had to hear that you got shot on the news. So yes, I called Dani. Thank God she has more common sense than the lot of you put together. She told us that Greg would need a place to stay until you get your house back.’
Greg’s panicked eyes shot to Deacon’s face. ‘I can’t stay there,’ he pleaded. ‘You know what will happen,’ he added through clenched teeth. ‘They don’t know.’
Faith suddenly understood Greg’s predicament, but it didn’t look like Deacon did yet. She tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Can I talk to you for a minute?’ she whispered. ‘It’s important.’
‘This is a family matter,’ Jim said loudly when Deacon turned to walk with her.
Deacon sighed. ‘Jim, nobody wants a fight tonight. Just be patient.’ He took Faith into the conference room, where Tanaka and Bishop looked uncomfortable. Faith knew how they felt.
He closed the door and leaned against it. ‘What?’ he said wearily, suddenly looking just like a man who hadn’t slept in two days.
‘Your aunt and uncle don’t know what happened at Greg’s school, do they?’ He shook his head and she pressed forward. ‘Then they don’t know that Dani had been threatened. Greg still thinks he drew Pope’s murderer to your house – which he also can’t tell them about, because then he’d have to tell them about the threat to Dani. He thinks he’s going to get them killed if he goes with them. If you know for sure that Pope was killed because of me, you have to take Greg aside and tell him the truth. Don’t let him suffer another minute, please.’
‘You’re right. Thank you.’ He scrubbed his palms over his face. ‘I think I hit the wall the minute I saw Jim standing there. I wasn’t thinking clearly.’
Deacon returned to Greg and Faith’s heart sank. Then it was me, not Greg. Pope was killed to draw me out.
From the open doorway, she watched Deacon take Greg aside, his hands on the boy’s shoulders. He leaned forward until their remarkable eyes were locked together – and so that Greg could watch his mouth. Because Deacon wasn’t making any audible sound. He was mouthing the words so that Greg could read his lips.
Greg’s face went slack with shock and he began to cry. Deacon put his arms around the boy and held on. Just like he’s done with me. Her heart cracked a little more.
Suddenly feeling like an interloper, Faith shut the conference room door and joined Bishop and Tanaka at the table. Sinking into a hard plastic chair, she rested her eyes, her head pillowed on her folded arms. She must have dozed off, because the sound of the door opening had her head jerking up.
Disoriented, she blinked, bringing Isenberg into focus. ‘Oh, Lieutenant. I’m sorry. I’ll leave.’ She started to stand, but Isenberg waved her back down.
‘They seem to be wrapping up the family meeting out there,’ she said dryly. ‘It’s probably better for you to stay here until Jim Kimble’s gone.’
‘Yeah, he didn’t like me very much.’
Isenberg put a folder on the table and began sorting through photos. ‘Jim Kimble is an old-school cop.’
Bishop rolled her eyes. ‘Which is code for Neanderthal.’
‘But his views are commonly shared,’ Isenberg said. ‘I have to admit that I’ve thought the same way as Adam and his father at points during my career.’
‘So have I,’ Faith said quietly.
‘I believe that.’ Isenberg tilted her head. ‘I’ve always been curious about something. Did you ever treat sex offenders that you thought really wouldn’t reoffend?’
‘Yes. I did meet a few that I thought would be able to stay straight. Most people in this country think that reoffending is a fait accompli. I don’t necessarily believe that. The statistics say it’s fifteen percent, twelve with counseling.’
‘You can set up a test to give you any numbers you want,’ Tanaka said derisively.
‘I agree,’ Faith said. ‘Those stats assume that successive crimes are reported and only take into account the reoffenders who get caught. The truth lies somewhere between fifteen and a hundred percent. I worked with offenders for years and I can count on two hands how many I was confident wouldn’t hurt another child, and a few of those were simply too old. If they’d been young and healthy, they would have been back out there, hunting the helpless.’
‘Just like the man we’re looking for.’ Isenberg pinned one of the photos in her stack to the left-hand side of the bulletin board, labeled VICTIMS. The photo was Agent Pope’s, and it filled Faith with a sense of despair. No one is safe around me. Not until the bastard is dead.
&
nbsp; Deacon and Adam filed back into the room and took their seats tiredly. ‘Sorry, Lynda,’ Deacon said. ‘We all agreed it was best for Jim and Tammy to take Greg home. If he stays with me, he could draw the killer’s attention.’
Because Deacon would be with me. And I have the killer’s attention. Lucky me.
Faith looked up, her eyes darting away from the victims’ side of the bulletin board to focus on the right, where the card said SUSPECTS, unsurprised to see a photo of her uncle Jeremy. She’d led them right to him, after all. But her eyes narrowed at the photo below Jeremy’s. ‘You suspect my cousin Stone?’
‘He looks a lot like Combs,’ Deacon said. ‘Similar size, weight and coloring. You could have mistaken him coming through your window. And his behavior has been suspicious.’
‘Details of which you’re not going to tell me about,’ Faith muttered, then sat back, shocked to recognize the photo of Herbert Henson the Third that she’d seen on the attorneys’ lobby wall. ‘You think the attorney’s grandson could be involved?’ But when she thought about it, it made a sick kind of sense. ‘He could have known I’d inherit the house even before Grandmother died,’ she said quietly. ‘And he would have had access to the house. For years. Has his behavior been suspicious too?’
‘And how,’ Bishop said dryly.
‘Why haven’t we brought the lawyer in yet?’ Adam demanded.
‘Because we can’t find him,’ Bishop said glumly. ‘Not at home or the office. He could have skipped the country by now. Did Crandall have any luck finding video of the mystery woman who got the key from Herbie Three?’
‘What mystery woman?’ Faith asked.
‘She showed up at the firm your lawyer hired to do the maintenance on your house and took the key from Herbie Three,’ Bishop answered. ‘I’m getting the witness in with a sketch artist tomorrow.’
Mystery woman. Roza’s mother. Dammit. ‘Deacon, had any of the victims given birth?’ Faith asked. ‘Because Arianna said that Roza wouldn’t leave with her because her mother was there, that she couldn’t leave her. I just remembered it now. It was one of the things Arianna said before Detective Bishop came in the room. Either her mother was taken away alive, or she’s dead. Arianna thought that Roza was about twelve years old. Were any of the victims old enough to have a twelve-year-old daughter?’