"Just people. And, besides, I dont have any tips for you. Nobody knows nothing about no kiddie racket -- or if they do, they arent telling me."
Rebeccas head turned slightly and her eyes met those of the young girl beside her. The eyes that looked back were the eyes of the street, bitter and old.
"Its not about the chicken business."
Sandy looked surprise for an instant, but quickly recovered with an expression of disinterest.
"That so?"
Rebecca nodded. "A hooker was found dead last night. Her body was found at the Old Vic. Young girl, about thirteen."
Sandy feigned indifference. "So? It isnt the first time. She ODd or what?"
Rebecca shook her head. "Looks like the john did it." She looked directly at Sandy as she said, "I dont want it to happen again. I want this guy -- and I need help."
Sandy remained silent, looking down at her hands, unconsciously picking at a broken nail.
"Sometimes ya cant tell, ya know? A guy looks like Mr. Straightsville, and the next thing you know, he wants you to tie him up or let him piss in your mouth. It happens. You try to be careful, but sometimes you just cant tell." Her voice was flat as she spoke, and she didnt raise her head.
"I know. Thats why Im telling you -- be careful. And tell the other girls, too. I cant give you anything on him. I dont have anything."
Sandy raised her head defiantly. "And if you did, you wouldnt tell us any how, would you? Afraid wed scare him off."
Rebecca shrugged. "Probably not," she said, and wondered if it were true. "Try to find out if any of the other girls have noticed anyone particularly strange lately -- probably fairly young, late twenties, maybe likes ass fucking."
"Yeck," Sandy said. "Most girls stay away from that. Depends on how much, you know. Somell do anything for the right price."
"Yeah, well, see if you can turn up anything."
"And if I dont feel like it?"
"You keep testing, dont you? Then, Ill start visiting you every day, out in public, like youre my new sweetheart."
Sandy sighed. "Had to ask."
"Right," Rebecca said as she pulled the car to the curb. "Go home, Sandy. Youre not gonna retire on what youll make the rest of the night."
As she pulled away she watched the girl in her rear view mirror as she slowly wandered off into the cheerless night.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rebecca returned to her apartment shortly before 5 A.M . The first thing to greet her besides the stale air of a space left too long undisturbed was a pile of junk mail that had been pushed under her door. She kicked it aside and went straight for the kitchen. She emptied the grounds from the basket of her coffee maker and ran water into the appliance. She found half a pound of espresso in the freezer and measured out enough for four cups. She left the coffee brewing and headed for the bathroom. Her jacket and slacks would have to go to the cleaners. They looked like theyd been slept in, she thought ruefully. She laid her gun on the toilet tank, threw her underwear at the over-flowing hamper and turned on the shower. She stood under the pulsing stream for a long time before she lifted her arms to lather some shampoo into her hair. With her eyes closed against the frothing suds, she recalled random images. The dead girl in the hotel room; Jeff lying so quietly on his side, just a trickle of blood behind his earlike reruns of bad movies. And then she thought of Catherine -- serious when discussing a patient, soothingly gentle when Rebecca came to her exhausted in body and soul, vibrant in the throes of passion.
Rebeccas mind rebelled against reason and caution. Catherine could be in danger from this psycho. Rebecca wanted him, no matter what it cost. She twisted the knobs viciously and stepped from the shower, gasping at the chill in the room. Her face in the mirror above the sink appeared lined with fatigue, but her eyes were clear and hard with determination. He had made a mistake killing that hooker. Rebecca had one tiny thread to grasp now, and she would follow it wherever it led until she could get a bigger piece and then another until all the pieces came together.
"Im coming for you," she whispered into the stillness of the room. "Oh, yes, you fucker, Im coming."
Refreshed from her shower, Rebecca drove quickly through the empty streets, just ahead of the rush hour traffic. The medical center, as always, was alive with activity, and she was forced to circle the block several times before she found a parking space near Catherines office. She hurried through the deserted hallways, anxious to reach Catherine. Her knock was answered immediately. Catherine, looking rumpled and weary, greeted her with a smile.
"You have no business looking so damn good when I know you havent slept all night," Catherine said, relieved to see that Rebecca, although obviously tired, seemed alert and controlled. She reached for Rebeccas hand and pulled her into the room. Impulsively she kissed her, slipping her arms around her waist.
"Im glad youre here," Catherine sighed, not adding that she was also relieved to find her safe.
Rebecca held her gently for a moment, savoring the nearness of her. She felt somehow anchored in Catherines presence, as if there actually were someplace where the world had meaning. Here, in this womans embrace, Rebecca felt at home.
"Are you all right?" Rebecca said at length, not loosening her hold, not wanting the moment to pass.
"Ive had better nights," Catherine said, her head resting on Rebeccas shoulder, "but the morning looks pretty good right now."
Rebecca grinned at the womans resiliency, hugged her briefly and stepped back. "Id better get you home."
Catherine nodded resolutely and moved away to gather her briefcase and papers.
As Rebecca maneuvered her car through the now congested streets, her mind returned to the case. She was desperately trying to weave a tapestry from an assortment of disconnected threads. Somewhere there was a pattern, some detail, she had overlooked or failed to recognize that would begin to make a whole of the scattered pieces. Catherine recognized the distant look in Rebeccas eyes and left her alone with her thoughts. She was startled when Rebeccas voice broke the stillness.
"How is Janet Ryan doing?"
"Physically shes making good progress. She would actually be ready for discharge if it werent for her psychological state. Shes still terrified, and the assault has triggered flashbacks which are difficult for her to deal with now."
"Flashbacks?" Rebecca queried.
"Traumatic events will often provoke memories of similar occurrences in an individuals past," Catherine answered, intentionally avoiding making direct reference to Janets specific case.
"Similar occurrences," Rebecca echoed. "Like rape?"
"Sometimes," Catherine stated.
Rebeccas jaw tightened, a sign Catherine was coming to recognize as Rebeccas response to anger. She waited, knowing that Rebecca would continue when her feelings were once again manageable.
"No wonder Janet cant remember what happened out there," Rebecca said, her voice carefully concealing the rage she felt at the brutality visited on so many women by this maniac. Her fingers tightened on the wheel, the only sign of her inner turmoil. She had to remain objective if she hoped to stop him. She would somehow have to view this as just another case.
"Would she be able to look at a police sketch of a possible suspect?" Rebecca asked.
Catherine considered her answer carefully.
"Im not sure," she answered truthfully. "Janet feels a tremendous responsibility to remember what she saw. That kind of pressure can actually make it more difficult for the amnesia victim to regain their memory for the event. Id like to reserve judgment on that until I can speak with her again. Can you give me until tonight?"
"Do I have a choice?" Rebecca said, her frustration evident.
"Rebecca," Catherine responded cautiously, "your responsibilities and mine dont have to be at odds here. I know you need Janets statement, and believe me, I want to see this man caught as much as you do. I simply cant place her in psychological jeopardy to do that."
"Even if it means another woman is rape
d and murdered?"
"Even then, Rebecca," Catherine answered quietly.
Rebecca heard the pain in Catherines voice and knew suddenly how agonizing that decision was for Catherine.
"Im sorry," she said, reaching across the seat to grasp Catherines hand.
"Dont be. You have to use everything you can to put an end to this madness. And I have to take care of the people who put their trust in me."
And now those people include me , Rebecca thought.
Rebecca followed Catherine silently to the steps of her building, searching the streets for any sign of someone who seemed out of place. The sidewalks were crowded with people hurrying to work, but no one took particular notice of them.
"Let me have your key," Rebecca said at the top of the steps, her eyes scanning the heavy oak door for signs of tampering. She led the way inside and made a quick search of the rooms, checking the windows and patio as she went. Satisfied that everything was in order, she turned to face Catherine.
"You can go ahead and change; Ill wait."
Catherine smiled at her, appreciating once again the presence of this intense, driven woman in her life, wishing she could somehow reach into that barricaded soul and comfort her. Instead she contented herself with a soft kiss, rewarded by the instant melding of Rebeccas lean body against her own. In this way at least Catherine knew she could reach her, and she accepted sadly that for now that was all she could do.
Rebecca arrived at the station just after nine A.M. and was surprised to find Watts already at his desk, nursing a hot cup of coffee and a danish. He looked up when Rebecca sat down across from him with her own caffeine infusion.
His eyes scanned her face, giving no indication that he noticed the dark circles under her eyes or the fatigue lines etched in her finely chiseled features. Nor did he comment on the slight tremor in the long fingers that held the paper cup of coffee.
"Everything okay with the shrink?"
Rebecca looked for some hidden meaning behind his words but was met with his usual blank stare.
"Yes." She turned to the pile of papers on her desk in an effort to avoid conversation.
"I think its about time we went over what we got and figure out where to go from here before this creep bangs another broad."
Rebecca stared at him, astonishment evident on her face. She leaned forward on her elbows, and said softly, "Watts, you are a crude bastard, and I dont give a good goddamn what you think. Im in charge here, and well do things my way."
Watts simply shrugged. "Dont think the Captains as patient as I am. He wants a status report so he can meet with the media this morning."
"Shit, just what we need. More media people nosing around." She looked at Watts and had the feeling they finally agreed on something. "Did the artist get anything out of Baileys description?"
Watts grimaced. "Its pretty general, but Im having copies run off and distributed to all the precincts."
Rebecca was surprised, as she always was, when she discovered that Watts was actually thinking about his work.
She stood abruptly. "Come on, lets get out of here."
Watts raised an eyebrow. "What about the Captain?"
"We cant give him a status report if were not here. And then the media wont have anything to tip our boy off with. Who knows what little tidbit might send him under cover?"
Watts grunted noncommittally, but he rose to his feet to follow her, grabbing a stack of photocopied sketches as he went.
He handed the police sketch to Rebecca as they pulled away from the station. She glanced at it quickly and felt her hopes plummet when she saw how nonspecific the rendering was.
"Just what we need," she sighed. "Everyman."
"Yeah," Watts agreed. "Aint life a bitch."
Rebecca ignored him, her mind sifting through possible courses of action, trying to come up with something they had failed to do.
"Have the homicide boys come up with any assaults or murders of prostitutes that might tie in with this case?"
Watts pulled out his tattered notebook and made an entry. "I dont know. Ill check it out. I suppose we ought to start interviewing all the hookers and find out if anybody knows anything."
"Im working on that. Leave a bunch of those fliers in the back. For what its worth, Ill hand them around."
"Yeah, and tell them about his bag of tricks."
"What did you say?" Rebecca asked quickly.
"You know, his gym bag. Maybe if they cant remember his face, theyll remember the bag."
"Or what he brings in the bag," Rebecca mused. "Watts, all three victims on the drive have been runners, all wearing running shorts. The dead prostitute was found with running shorts that she wasnt wearing when she went upstairs with him. Maybe he needs them to get turned on."
"Yeah, well, Ive heard of weirder stuff, but so what. You want we should put out a bulletin that no broads wear shorts outside the house?"
Rebecca sighed. "No, but at least I can get the word out on the streets. Maybe one of the girls will know something."
Watts grunted. "We dont even know for sure its the same guy. We wont have a DNA match for another week. Could be were chasing our tails for nothing."
"Right now we dont have anything else to chase," Rebecca replied dispiritedly.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rebecca dropped Watts off to follow up on one of their other open cases and tracked down the homicide detectives working on Jeffs murder. They were obviously hassled, but they took the time to fill her in. They had no new leads, but the rumor on the streets was that Jeffs undercover man was getting too close to a major crime lord and that the two men were executed as a warning. A warning to both the police and anyone who might be thinking of providing the police with information.
She thanked them, knowing that they were doing what they could. Her beeper went off as she was leaving the building. She considered not answering it. She didnt want to hear that the Captain was waiting for his status report. Something made her stop and call in.
"Watts wanted us to run you down," the dispatcher said when she identified herself. "Said youd want to know that some doctor received an interesting package this morning. That make any sense to you?"
Rebecca slammed the phone down and was out the door before the dispatcher registered the dial tone at the end of his line. She went lights and sirens all the way across town to the hospital and left the car in the emergency zone outside. She stormed into the lobby and nearly collided with a woman pushing a baby stroller.
"Sorry," she muttered as she pushed her way to the elevator. The ride up to the psychiatric floor seemed to take forever. As soon as the doors opened, she saw Watts leaning against the counter in the nurses station conversing with a woman in white.
"Watts!" she shouted. "Wheres Catherine? Is she all right?"
He intercepted her and turned her away from the curious eyes of the people gathered around. "Yes, shes fine. I took the call because I was in the squad room. When I heard what it was, I figured youd want to know."
"What what was?"
"Your doctor friend is pretty smart. Someone sent her a dozen roses -- and since it wasnt her birthday, she thought she should tell you before she opened the card. I guess she figured you didnt send them."
"Damn it, Watts, just tell me where she is, and what the hell is going on."
"I am telling you. Im waiting for the lab boys to pick up the flowers now. The card reads, `Thank you for last night. Ill see you soon."
"Jesus Christ." Rebecca turned away, her face grim. "Im going to talk to Catherine. We need to put a guard on her."
"I dont think thats such a great idea," Watts stated flatly. "Might scare him away."
Rebecca rounded on him, her temper finally snapping. "Listen to me, Watts! We are not using Catherine Rawlings for bait. You understand me? We are going to cover her like the Pope until this guy is caught."
"Hey, I know how you feel --" Watts began.
"No, you dont know how I feel, and you never wil
l know how I feel! So drop it. Now." Rebecca could never remember being so frightened. She had been shot at, maced, and ambushed by street punks, but she had never felt the panic that threatened her now. All she knew was that Catherine was being drawn further into a very dangerous game, and she felt powerless to stop it. She set her jaw and took a deep breath. It was time for her to take charge of the situation, and that was exactly what she intended to do. Catherine, as it turned out, had different ideas.
**********
"Rebecca, you must understand. For any number of reasons I cant let you assign me to protective custody. One very important reason is that I may be able to establish a relationship with this man. At the very least, well have some idea of the state of his mind. Please, darling, think of how important that might be!"
Rebecca stood with her back to the room, staring out into the streets below without seeing. Watts had left them at her request once it became clear that Catherine was not willing to be assigned a guard. All of Catherines arguments made sense, and at any other time Rebecca would have accepted the logic of maintaining contact with this unknown psychopath. But she couldnt accept it now.
"Theres a big part of me that knows youre right," she said softly, her voice hollow. "As a cop, if I were a good cop, I should be elated that we have some conduit to this guy --" Her voice trailed off.
Catherine went to her, put her arms around her, leaned her cheek against Rebeccas rigid back. Rebeccas strain and tension were transmitted to her through the unyielding muscles under her hands. Catherine knew the rejection was not of her, but of the weakness that Rebecca perceived in herself because of Catherine. Rebeccas inner struggle now was one that Catherine knew would need to be fought again and again -- the conflict between Rebeccas need for absolute emotional distance and the disruption of that control caused by her involvement with Catherine. Catherine was determined neither to ignore the problem nor to allow Rebecca to face it alone. The outcome of that battle would determine just how much the two of them could share, and Catherine found that that meant a great deal to her.
Radclyffe - Justice 01 - Shield Of Justice Page 10