Her Last Word

by Mary Burton

  She ran a hand through the tangle of her hair. More than ever, she wanted to see this podcast to the end.

  The four walls of her hospital room seemed to close in around her. She now knew every inch of this room, and it was driving her stir-crazy. She’d watched more television in the last few days than she had in the last five years, and if one more nurse prodded her, she’d go nuts.

  The nurses had said no more walking today. She’d pushed herself too hard already. But unable to sit any longer, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, grimacing as her stitches pulled a little. Drawing in a breath, she placed her feet on the floor, stood, and rolled her IV forward a few inches. The discomfort was manageable. She started a slow and steady walk toward the door and the hallway.

  Moving more easily, she felt stronger, less vulnerable. She welcomed the buzz of activity at the nurse’s station as family and friends visited loved ones, but the strangers made her uneasy, and she had to remind herself she was safe here. Though tomorrow she’d be back in the real world.

  When she made the turn around the corner, the ward doors whooshed open behind her. She turned to see Detective Adler. Relief flooded her, and she had to struggle not to smile.

  His tie was neatly tied and his hair combed, but there were dark circles under his eyes. As he approached, his jacket flapped open, revealing his badge and weapon. As soon as their gazes locked, she saw his annoyance and anger. Whatever he had to tell her wouldn’t be good.

  “You saw Erika?” she asked.

  “I did.” He placed his hand under her elbow and started walking her back toward her room.

  Calloused fingers rubbed against her skin, sending energy racing through her body. “Where did you find her?”

  “In the city.” His jaw was clenched, and he seemed very aware that there were several people in the hallway watching them. The nurses knew he’d been here shortly after she’d been brought in and he’d sat by her bed for several hours until she had awakened. A few thought they were dating.

  “Can you be more specific?” she asked.

  “Not here.”

  She wondered if he’d heard the nurses’ gossip about them. Either way, he didn’t look pleased by anything right now.

  In her room, he closed the door behind them and walked her to the bed. She sat, and he gently helped her into it and then pulled the blanket up to her waist.

  “Where is Erika?” Kaitlin asked again.

  His expression softened. “She’s dead.”

  The air whooshed from her lungs, and her head grew light. “How did she die?”

  He pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “I can’t talk about that now.”

  “Why not?” Frustration chewed at her. “Jennifer and Erika are dead, and I was stabbed. And you can’t tell me!”

  “I would if I could, Kaitlin.” He sounded so damn calm. “But right now I’ve got to put the investigation first.”

  Reason cut through her temper and reminded her that he couldn’t keep her in the loop and do his job. “I know. You’re right. Have you spoken to Brad?” she asked.

  “I have. But that’s all I can say now.”

  Being shut out was frustrating. “When is Hayward taking you to Gina?”

  “Friday. Are you up for it?”

  “I am.” The statement was more for her benefit than his. “I will be fine.”

  He studied her a moment, and she sensed he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, it got shoved to a back burner. Not spoken. But not gone. “Okay.”

  When Adler walked through the front door of his home, it was late afternoon. He’d stopped by only to shower, change, and eat a quick meal. However, his gaze was immediately drawn to the light in the dining room. Two sawhorses were balancing a large piece of plywood. The makeshift table was covered with papers and files.

  As he shrugged off his jacket, the downstairs toilet flushed, and the sink turned on and off. Logan’s steady, almost rhythmic steps echoed down the hallway. When he rounded the corner, Logan’s hand was on the grip of his 9mm Sig Sauer.

  Logan looked at Adler and clicked the safety back on. “Paranoia is my new friend.”

  “Really? I thought he was my friend. Fickle bastard.” Adler moved into the kitchen and said a prayer of thanks when he saw the two pizza boxes on top of his newly delivered six-burner stove. “When did the stove arrive?”

  “This morning. Countertops come tomorrow.”

  He snapped up a piece of cold pepperoni pizza and savoring the flavor, took a bite. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

  “I ordered pepperoni last night knowing it’s your favorite. Wasn’t sure when you were going to get your ass in the house, but figured I’d leave some out for you. You remind me of my pet dog when I was a kid. He would run off for days at a time, too.”

  Adler chuckled and moved to the coffee maker that had gurgled out a fresh pot. “I needed a little time to clear my head.” He sipped the brew, remembering that Logan always liked it strong and bitter. “How’s it going with the case?”

  “So far, she’s not telling me too much. Trying to get her to whisper her secrets, but she won’t.”

  “You listen to the interviews Kaitlin Roe made?” Adler asked.

  “Most of them. She’s got twenty hours of conversation. I can tell you not everyone was glad to hear from her. But no matter what they hurled at her, she stayed on task. She’s like a dog with a bone.”

  “What’re your impressions of her during the recent interviews with Detective North?” Adler asked.

  “There’s a calm steadiness about her. Her voice trembled a little during the initial questions, but after a few minutes she sounded steady.”

  Adler ran his hand over his head. “She’s smart and determined. Times when I think she should be a cop.”

  “John, you sound like you want her to really trust you.”

  “Don’t all detectives want total trust?”

  “Sure. But you and I were partners for over a year. I’ve seen more emotion aimed at Kaitlin than at your ex-wife.”

  Adler agreed. There was something about Kaitlin. She’d gotten under his skin the moment he’d first met her. And the more he was around her, the more he wanted to be with her.

  Logan sipped his coffee and changed gears. “Has Hayward’s attorney called you?”

  “He has. The deal is simple. He tells us what happened to Gina Mason and no charges will be filed on her case, and he gets reduced charges on the one pending.”

  Adler shifted his thoughts back to the case and the files Logan had been studying almost nonstop. “What do you think went down on that road with Kaitlin, Gina, and the masked man?”

  “Hayward killed her.”

  “Did he plan out the abduction and murder, or was it a crime of opportunity?”

  “I’d have said opportunity if not for the drugs spiking the booze the girls were drinking. I think Randy had a grudge against Kaitlin and he got Brad to put his girlfriend up to spiking it. All Randy had to do was wait by the river. But he got bored and decided to steal some silver from his mother because he was always cash strapped. He grabbed the silver and waited for the girls. He’d had an obsession with Gina and wanted to hurt Kaitlin, and in one act of violence got everything he wanted.”

  “What did he do with Gina?”

  “His mother had a garden shed that ‘burned’ to the ground just days after Gina vanished. No one thought much of it at the time, but I think that’s where he stashed her until he could take her wherever he took her. Once she was taken care of, all he had to do was sit back and watch Kaitlin suffer.”

  “Shit.” Kaitlin had been a lost, confused kid when she crossed Hayward’s path, and she’d spent the last fourteen years paying for her association with him.

  “So, is the DA going to take the deal?”

  “Yes, with my blessings as well as the police commissioner’s. It’ll be null and void if Hayward doesn’t show us Gina’s body.”

  Logan balled his fingers into a
tight fist. “Jesus, that sucks. That piece of shit is getting away with Gina’s murder as well as the convenience store killing.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “When does this go down?” Logan asked.

  “Friday morning.” He ate another slice of pizza. “Whoever killed Jennifer and Erika was invested in Gina’s case. There was a heart painted at both the Ralston and Crowley murder scenes. One was in blood and the other in red marker. Kaitlin said it reminded her of the logo used for Gina’s search updates.”

  Logan crossed to his papers on the sawhorse table and flipped through the case file until he found a copy of a handout. “This flyer and others like it were posted all over Richmond after Gina went missing.”

  “Kaitlin said the heart was her idea.”

  “Interesting. It’s lopsided and off balance.”

  “Like the girl she was.”

  Logan held up the flyer. “This particular search was organized by Gina’s church. Dozens of search teams walked along the river and surrounding areas for weeks.”

  “Kaitlin said there were also lots of unauthorized searchers.”

  “She’s correct. There was a tremendous outpouring of search volunteers. And I’d bet money Jennifer’s and Erika’s killer was on one of the teams.”

  “Are there any records of the team members?”

  “There are names of the sponsoring organizations but not individual members.”

  “So why after all this time did Jennifer’s and Erika’s killer decide to act?”

  “You know how it goes. The fuse never really goes out on the crazy ones,” Logan said.

  “A trigger could have been a job loss, an angry wife or girlfriend, or what I think happened, Kaitlin returned to Richmond and reawakened all his old demons.”

  “What about Steven Marcus? He might have information we’re not seeing.”

  “I’m meeting with Kaitlin and him on Saturday. Join us.”

  “I’m not technically on the homicide unit.”

  Adler shrugged. “We’ve bent a few rules before. Come with us. You have good instincts.”

  “Am I gonna make Quinn jealous?”

  Adler laughed. “She’ll survive.”

  INTERVIEW FILE #21

  THE DEAL

  Friday, June 1, 2018

  Trey Ricker of the Commonwealth Attorney’s office is a tall, lean man with a face too weathered for someone in his late thirties. He frowns when I ask him about the deal with Hayward. The arrangement between the Commonwealth and Hayward remains under bitter media scrutiny, and many of Ricker’s critics are calling foul.

  “No one wants to deal with the devil.” Ricker’s voice is rough and deep. “And I was prepared to take the heat for it if it went sideways.”

  “Would you do it again?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Thursday, March 22, 2018; 10:00 a.m.

  With discharge papers and instructions in hand, Kaitlin could not wait to be sprung. Freshly showered, she’d gingerly slid on a loose T-shirt, sweats, and canvas slip-on shoes. Certainly not the most attractive look, but it was progress. A knock on the door had her turning. “Come in.”

  A nurse appeared with a wheelchair. “Ready to go home?”

  “More than you know,” she said, smiling. She bundled up the plastic bag of her belongings with her backpack and lowered into the wheelchair.

  “Do you have someone to drive you home?” the nurse asked.

  She fished her cell from her backpack. “Taxi.”

  The nursed hesitated. “You don’t have anyone?”

  “Friends offered, but it’s simpler this way. It’s not a big deal. A short car ride home, and then I’ll go straight to the couch and put my feet up.”

  The nurse unlocked the brakes. “Who’s going to take care of you at home?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll order a few pizzas and just chill. Honestly, it’s going to be a vacation.” She kept her smile fixed as if she were pitching to a big client. “Any more flower deliveries?”

  “No, just the one. Such a pretty arrangement. Someone thinks a lot of you.”

  That’s what she was afraid of. “Yes, he certainly does.”

  The nurse turned the chair around, pushed it out the door and toward the elevator. When the doors opened, Detective Adler stepped off. He wore jeans, a white shirt with sleeves rolled up above thick wrists to muscled forearms dusted with hair, and no tie today.

  “Good, I caught you,” he said, holding the door open with his arm.

  “What’re you doing here?”

  “Taking you home,” Adler said.

  “I have a taxi.”

  “You did. I sent the taxi on his way.”

  Aware the nurse was watching, she kept her tone even. “I had it worked out.”

  He shrugged. “The best-laid plans.”

  The nurse pushed Kaitlin past him onto the elevator. “I was worried she’d be on her own. I’m glad she has you.”

  Kaitlin didn’t have John Adler. He wasn’t here for her. He was here to monitor her because she was a key component of Hayward’s deal.

  The challenge in his gaze dared her to get into an argument in front of the nurse. She swallowed her pride as well as a few choice words for Adler until she was actually free of the hospital.

  She tossed another winning smile at the nurse. The nurse gave her a thumbs-up.

  The three rode the elevator down in silence. When the doors opened, the nurse wheeled her through the automatic doors toward a black SUV. Adler moved past them and opened the passenger door. He took her backpack and bag and set them inside. As she rose, he supported her weight with his hand. She didn’t fight it. When she’d settled into the seat and snapped the seat belt, he closed the door, moved around the front of the car, and slid behind the wheel.

  “I appreciate the lift,” she said.

  “Sure.” He slipped on dark sunglasses.

  Absently she glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following. It was a habit that she’d finally broken until recently.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  “Like a million bucks. Ready to get back to work.”

  He frowned. “Your plan is to rest, correct?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Feet up. Lift nothing heavier than a book for two weeks.”

  “And you’re going to do that?”

  “Sure. Don’t worry about me.”

  She’d been going it alone for a long time, but it was nice to have someone in her corner even if it was just for a little while. “What else have you learned about Erika?” she asked.

  “Not much. Her autopsy is today.” He was silent for a moment, tightening and releasing his hands on the steering wheel.

  Neither spoke as they crossed the river and hooked a left down a side street that led them to an industrial building converted into apartments. A patch of asphalt dotted with cracks and potholes surrounded the brick exterior. The front entryway was made of metal. There was a security pad to the right.

  He parked by the front entrance and came around to her side of the car as she opened the door. He pulled it open the rest of the way and held out his hand for her. It was another moment of pride versus practicality. Like it or not, pride was a luxury she could not afford. She laid her hand in his and allowed him to support her as she gingerly stood. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll see you up.” He collected her backpack and bag of personal belongings.

  “Not necessary. It’s a few steps inside and then a short elevator ride. I’ll take it from here.” She looked toward her parking spot and spotted her SUV.

  She walked slowly toward the front entrance. Adler followed behind and appeared content to move at her pace, as if he had all the time in the world. She punched four numbers into the keypad. The lock on the door clicked open. He reached around her, his arm brushing her shoulder, and opened the door. He waited for her to pass.

  She walked down the hallway toward a lobby mirror that tossed b
ack their reflections. She was shocked how pale and thin she’d become. Haggard was a better description, especially compared to Adler’s olive complexion and toned body.

  They rode the elevator to the fifth floor and walked the long corridor to her apartment. Fumbling with her keys, she had trouble supporting the backpack’s weight and her hand began to shake very slightly. She let her pack slide down her arm to the floor and finally jammed the key in her door.

  Without the strength to lean over and pick up the discarded pack, she nudged it over the threshold like it were a football goal line score.

  “Please, let me pick it up,” he said.

  “It’s inside. That’s all that counts.” She held out her hand for her plastic bag. “I’ve got it from here.”

  He scooped up the backpack and moved past her. He set her belongings on a large worktable filled with her case notes on Gina. When she’d been in public relations and responsible for multiple projects, she’d been organized to the point of OCD. Now everything was in such a jumble, only she could make sense of it.

  The apartment with its high ceilings was large, and noise traveled easily through it. There was a tall bank of windows that faced the river and the city skyline. The walls were brick, and the black ceiling ductwork was exposed. Hints of family money showed in a four-poster bed, a dining set, and a twelve-piece set of china, silver, and crystal that had all been inherited from her aunt. However, her couch was a secondhand purchase, as were the coffee table made from shipping pallets and rustic desk holding audio equipment and computers.

  She could almost hear his mind clicking: Who the hell was this woman?

  She faced him. “I felt like myself when I left the hospital, but now, I’m beat.”

  Less than a foot separated them, and she could feel energy radiating from him.

  “What’re your plans for today, Kaitlin?”

  “Other than crawling into bed?”

  “Good. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.” He studied her as if he wanted to say something else, but only said, “Watch your six.”

  “Always.” She walked him to the door.

  He inspected the line of locks.

  “A girl can’t be too careful,” she said.