“Perhaps I mis-spoke,” Joshua said, backpedaling. “Nicole is Kent’s partner, partner. I’m more like his muse, ya, muse.”
“His muse?”
“Yah,” Joshua said finding his footing again. “I can’t tell you how many times Kent calls me in the middle of the night to go over the case. He’s got his own special ring tone, “Shine Bright Like Diamonds.”
He noticed the surprised and horrified look on Bridget’s face.
“TMI?” Joshua asked.
* * *
Ruben watched as Joshua flailed around. He really had gone off the rails with the whole “muse” thing. Although Ruben feared he hadn’t looked much better today.
Normally he was calm, cool and collected. He seldom spoke out of turn. He actually prided himself on that. The fact that he weighed his words before speaking them. But all of that went out of the window when he was around Kent.
He couldn’t help but poke the bear. It was crazy and even a little sad, but he couldn’t stop himself. It was like he had Kent-specific Tourette’s. There was something about this self-fashioned Rasputin that just got under Ruben’s skin.
It didn’t help that Harbinger had the Mayor and the Police Chief eating out of his palm. Ruben was the one that had a future with the department, yet the only thing the Chief knew about Ruben was who signed the bulk of the crime reports.
Not solving them of course, that would be Kent’s department.
Ruben had also noticed the little tête-à-tête that Kent had with the Captain. Apparently Kent had asked a favor and Glick had agreed. Crap, Ruben couldn’t even get a new stapler out of the captain, let alone an actual favor.
“Ruben?” a voice called behind him.
He turned to find Paggie coming up. “Honey, what are you doing here?”
“I was checking the meters on Robertson and decided to swing by and see if you heard anything else about that poor woman I found.”
With everything happening, Ruben hadn’t even called the morgue yet. He wasn’t about to admit that to his fiancée though. “Sorry, honey, no. They’re backed up at the morgue.”
“No, we aren’t,” Joshua said from Ruben’s left.
Ruben could feel his cheeks burning as he was caught in a lie. “Sorry, that’s what patrol told me.”
Joshua shook his head. “Those guys. Always laying the blame at the morgue. Dr. McGregor showed up on time and dug right in, so to speak. He was even early. And in such a good mood. I think he might have gotten some last night. Not confirmed of course, but just my observation.”
Ah, there was Joshua’s TMI again.
Paggie wrapped her arms around Ruben’s waist and laid her head on his side. Normally Ruben would have felt horribly uncomfortable with such a blatant show of PDA, but somehow Paggie made it feel so natural.
“Did you find anything on that poor prostitute that was found in the Chaser Alley?”
Joshua nodded like he was a bobblehead. “Sure enough. Overdose. And by overdose, I mean, overdose. The purity of the stuff she shot up was like Hong Kong grade. Uncut. Crazy, pure.”
“Do we know where she got it?” Ruben asked, draping his arm over Paggie’s shoulder.
“Nah,” Joshua said. “We haven’t seen anything that pure in a while. I’m guessing by her multiple needle tracts that she must have gotten this stuff as a present and thought she was just going to party hard. Instead of, you know, frothing at the mouth then dying.”
“Joshua,” Ruben reprimanded the morgue attendant.
“Oh, sorry,” Joshua said as he bounced on his tip toes. “Doc ruled it an accidental overdose. I sent the paperwork in earlier today so the case shouldn’t end up on your or any other detective’s desk.”
“Thank you,” Ruben said. He’d kind of meant it as a dismissal, but Joshua didn’t catch the clue.
“Did you guys see that briefing?” Joshua asked, pointing at the murder board. “It was like epic.”
“Yes, yes it was,” Ruben answered glancing over to Nicole and Kent conspiring in the corner. He remembered a time when he and Nicole would be the two plotting out their next move. Although he didn’t think they ever quite rose to the level of conspiring. And Nicole never quite leaned into him like she was Kent. It wasn’t affectionate cuddling that Paggie was doing.
There was something so very public about their relationship that still seemed to hold its fair share of secrets. Like they knew something the rest of them didn’t. Or could ever comprehend.
“Don’t forget to ask them,” Paggie said, patting his belly. How long had he been staring at the couple? “Meters are rolling over on Birch, so I’ve got to get going.”
Ruben gave her one last hug, “I will. Promise.”
Paggie got up on her tip toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Okay, so here’s to not finding any more bodies today. For both of us.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Ruben said.
“Hey, I do need some job security,” Joshua piped up.
Ruben looked to the murder board. “I seriously doubt if you have any worries there.”
* * *
Kent wanted out. He was none too thrilled with hanging around the police station. He far preferred working out in the field. And especially with Bridget sniffing around, interviewing anyone who was stupid enough to still be in the bullpen. It was only a matter of time before she made her way around to Kent and Nicole.
And he was not about to live through that experience again.
“Let’s head out,” Kent suggested.
“But I’ve still got the shooting team interview.”
“Too bad for you,” Kent said. “I’m out.”
Nicole didn’t even fuss. She knew there was no way in hell he was going to hang out here for another hour waiting for her. It wasn’t a question of how much he loved her, but of how much he loathed the station.
She entwined her fingers in his. Giving them a squeeze. “I’ll call you after I’m done.”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 6
Nicole tried to keep from rolling her eyes at the interview panel. These shooting team interviews were tedious at best. And knowing that Kent was out hunting Buzz Kill and Lucky 37? That thought made the interview nearly unbearable.
“I’m sorry,” Nicole said, interrupting one of the droning voices, “But what exactly did you expect me to do in the face of nearly a dozen gang bangers, shooting at Harbinger?”
She shied away from using the profiler’s first name. Everyone in the room knew that they were engaged, but she didn’t need to rub it in their face.
“You mean while he was using one of them as a human shield?” the chubby man on the left asked.
Nicole didn’t back down. “You mean, the one that had nearly broken the profiler’s hyoid bone while choking him out? That fine, upstanding citizen?”
The chubby man who spoke, leaned back, his face turning bright red.
Perhaps she should have had her union rep here. The gangland incident clearly was a good shoot scenario. Why were they pressing so hard? Was this a vendetta against Kent? Or her?
The door opened and Glick stuck his head. “Just checking in.”
“I’m thinking we’re done here,” Nicole said rising. Perhaps on her own they might have argued with her concluding the interview, but with her Captain standing at the door, urging her out? The panel didn’t make a peep.
“Great,” Glick said. “We’ll have your verdict in twenty four hours?”
There was a slight fluttering around the table. No one wanted to admit to an exact timetable. Which again was weird. Usually the shooting team decided within hours if a shooting was legitimate. Why were they dragging their feet?
Glick ignored the lack of response. “I’ll be hearing from you tomorrow then.”
Nicole grinned as she stepped out into the hallway and Glick shut the door behind her.
“Thanks, Captain.”
Glick waved off her gratitude. “That was getting a little long in the tooth by a
ny standards.”
“Has Kent checked in?”
Her Captain raised an eyebrow. “When does Harbinger ever check in?”
Good point.
Arriving at her desk, she instinctively unlocked her drawer and fished around for her gun. Of course it wasn’t there. She was still under review.
Feeling a bit naked without it, Nicole turned to the door. “I’ll call once I find him.”
“Try not to shoot up a warehouse, okay?” Glick asked.
She was going to remind him she didn’t have her gun, but then of course he knew about the piece at her ankle.
“I’ll try,” Nicole said.
“All I can ask,” Glick responded.
* * *
Kent stood over Jimmi and Joshua. They were both getting their geek on, which wasn’t helping at the moment.
He’d said they had broken the case wide open, now they actually had to break it wide open. And he couldn’t do it by himself, as much as he wished he could.
Unfortunately they needed to data mine. Turn this poor Tanya woman’s life upside down. Explore every nook and cranny to find the connection between her and the killer.
It was through her, the archetype that they would have the best chance at finding Buzz Kill.
“Sorry, dude,” Joshua said, “But this chick is possibly the most boring person in the world. No family. No husband. No kids. Boring clerical job. Her most evolved relationship seems to be with the DSW customer service staff.”
“So she was a shoe-aholic?”
“No,” Joshua said, shaking his head, making his pointy spiked hair, shake. “That would be way too exciting. She returned as many as she bought, hence her interaction with the website’s customer service staff.”
Kent was getting sick of all the excuses. This woman must have had a direct connection to Buzz Kill. She died of cancer though, so she didn’t seem to be the first victim, but the trigger that got Buzz Kill rolling.
“No will? Or life insurance claims?” Kent prompted.
It was Jimmi’s turn to shake his head. But with this shaved scalp there was no hair to shake. “Nope. With no clear heirs, her estate has been put into probate.”
“Estate?” Kent asked. “What estate?”
“She’s got a modest house, a compact car and some small bank accounts and IRAs.”
“No one had claimed them?”
“Nah, that’s why it’s probate. More than likely unless someone comes forward, it will all go to the state.”
Kent leaned back. That was a lonely life. Fighting cancer and not even having someone to leave your estate to? She knew she was dying. From the medical records she had been fighting the pancreas cancer for over a year. Why hadn’t she left a will? Even just to leave everything to charity? Or did she just love her state that much that she wanted everything she had worked for to go to the government?
No one loved their state that much.
Something was amiss.
“You said she had a house?” Kent asked.
“Yeah, it’s about twenty minutes from here.”
“And it was never searched or processed?”
Jimmi shook his head again. “There was no reason to. There wasn’t even an autopsy. She was under a doctor’s care, as a matter of fact when she died she was in a chemotherapy infusion unit when she passed. It was considered a natural death from the get go.
Of course it was. It was always 20/20 hindsight. No one could suspect this quiet woman’s death to trigger a rash of chainsaw murders.
“I’m heading over to her house,” Kent said.
Both Jimmi and Joshua seemed pretty stoked by that idea. He was probably bugging them more than he was encouraging them at this point.
“Call me if you get anything?”
“You know it!” Joshua nearly shouted. His unbridled enthusiasm nearly infectious. Nearly.
Kent left the CSU office and headed to the parking lot. There was Nicole’s Mustang. She didn’t need it today, did she?
He got in and fired up the engine. It nearly purred. Nicole kept the classic muscle car in fighting shape. Pulling out into traffic, Kent watched the city flow by. Buzz Kill was probably hunting. Lucky 37 was probably still sleeping off the night before’s bender. He wouldn’t be up until later, probably hunting once the sun went down.
Kent had to shed that idea. There were probably 2-3 other serial killers they hadn’t even identified yet hunting the city as well. Urban predators. Kent could only put one foot in front of the other.
This was the slow, boring part of the job. Actually going out and finding clues. This was more in Ruben’s wheelhouse, but without an accurate victim profile, Kent couldn’t stalk Buzz Kill and he’d have to wait until tonight to go after Lucky 37.
The drive across town wasn’t too bad. He wasn’t all that fond of driving, but he certainly couldn’t wait for Nicole. Plus he was getting tired of trying to field questions that he didn’t have the answers to.
Kent pulled up in front of Tanya’s house. It was as unassuming as the woman had been. It looked like it had been built in the fifties. All boxy and small. The power lines ran above ground, coming from a pole at the street. A low chain link fence surrounded the small front yard.
The lawn was short and burnt.
The scene was more than a little depressing. In a probate without a will like this, the house might sit in limbo for over a year. Then the state would try to sell it, but it might be another year before it actually got a new owner. Until then it would be a blight on the block.
Kent opened the gate which squeaked its complaint. He followed the concrete path to the porch. A rather small porch. Again fifties proportions. The door was a tacky hollow one. There wasn’t a doorbell. Which he didn’t need anyway.
He pulled out his lock pick kit from his jacket pocket. The door opened within seconds.
Who needed keys?
* * *
Ruben sat in front of the shooting committee. He didn’t have much to report. He’d pretty much showed up after all the action. It was unusual for him to be called in under these circumstances.
The panel was calling in everyone who had even stepped onto the crime scene. Something odd was going on. Ruben was sensitive to the political mechanisms of the department.
There was a witch-hunt going on. But who was their designated target?
“Do you think that Detective Usher’s relationship with Harbinger affected how she responded to the situation?”
Ah, that’s where they were going. Nicole had the hexen brand on her forehead. Ruben noticed that they weren’t going after Kent. Since he wasn’t with the department or even the FBI anymore, he was rogue in the worst sense of the word.
The profiler was nearly untouchable. So they went after the next best thing. His fiancée. How many times had he warned her that Kent was going to end her career and now it looked like they were only a few steps away from that happening?
This shooting panel could sink her. They could throw her to the dogs. Open her up to personal, civil suits against her. Forget her career. She could lose her house, her pension.
“Nicole would have reacted the same if I had been in the warehouse,” Ruben stated.
“But then again, you were her lover as well,” The guy with the slicked back hair and expensive suit said.
Ruben did not rise to the bait. He had nothing to hide. And neither did Nicole.
“You’re from the mayor’s office?” Ruben asked.
The man didn’t seem quite so cocky any more. Like a snake who had been noticed under a rock. “Yes. It is completely legitimate for a civilian to sit on this panel.”
Funny thing about people, they told you exactly who they were right away. Anyone who used the word legitimate to explain their presence was anything but legitimate.
“Yes, but normally it’s a neighborhood outreach representative.” Ruben looked around the room. “As a matter of fact, for such a racially charged incident as this I find a disturbing lack of Latinos on
the panel.”
The men sitting behind the desk squirmed a little. Ruben also noted not a single female sat on the panel. Interesting.
“I believe this shooting panel, by mandate of the state must have at least one victim’s rights representative present.”
He knew that Kent disdained Ruben’s nearly encyclopedic bureaucratic knowledge, but sometimes it came in handy. Sometimes. Like now.
Ruben cocked his head to the side. “I would be very interested to know who authorized this political figure to fill in for a victim’s rep.”
More squirming. At least they were off the subject of his and Nicole’s romantic past.
“This panel is supposed to be apolitical,” Ruben explained. “I’m sure the Latino representatives would like to know why the mayor has more say here than their community?
The head of the panel. A retired police chief cleared his throat. “This is a closed inquiry.”
Ruben smiled. Again, regulations were his friend. “That is true but the make-up of the committee is not. I would be breaking no laws by discussing the members of the panel to say, MALI,”
Oh, that made them squirm. No one, but no one wanted the Mexican American Leadership Institute involved. Hell, Ruben was Latino and didn’t want them sniffing around the station.
The mention of them got the desired effect though.
“No, no,” the head of the panel murmured.
“Then I can assume this panel has finished its inquiry? That Nicole will be cleared?”
No one seemed happy around the table. There were a bunch of frowns and tight-lipped pouting. Served them right. And now the mayor had tipped his hand. He had been all BFF with Kent early, but clearly the man had a grudge against him.
No great surprise of course. Nearly everyone up and down the food chain had a grudge against Kent.
It made Ruben feel less guilty about his own.
Ruben pushed off the table and rose. “That will be all then.”
He didn’t wait for a response, Ruben simply headed for the door. Not unsurprisingly no one stopped him.
Outside the meeting room, the bullpen was its noisy, barely contained chaos. Especially when they were on a high profile serial killer case. He headed to Glick’s office which was open. The Captain liked to keep an eye on things.
The Harbinger Collection: Hard-boiled Mysteries Not for the Faint of Heart (A McCray Crime Collection) Page 66