“Yes.”
“He had that heart attack at the track. According to Zach, he was always at the track. It seems two days before he died he hit big. Over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The ticket was in his safety deposit box. Zach found it. He paid off your father’s bookies and invested the rest. As you could see he did that very well.”
Jake shook his head. “I’d say he did.”
He looked up at Dani. “This is yours. Not mine.”
“You’re his brother. It came from your father. You should have it.”
“Your name is on this statement also. It’s yours.”
“He wanted someone on the account in case something happened to him. I’m sure if he knew about you it would be your name.”
“Nice try. It’s yours.” He threw the paper on the table and returned to the book.
“Maybe I’ll just hold it for Katie.”
“First we have to find her.”
Dani sat down again. “I saw six Jennifers. It could be any of them.”
“Not really.” Jake looked her up and down. “These three are out. Not his type. This one”—he pointed to a picture—“was going out with this guy.” He pointed again. “There’s a picture of them holding hands in the back. So we’re down to two.”
“Can you find their addresses?”
“You really don’t like computers, do you?”
“I’m good at so many other things. Why should I bother?”
Dani smiled for the first time since he met her. It took his breath away. Damn, he didn‘t know how much longer he was going to be able to keep it just friends.
CHAPTER 8
Twenty minutes later Jake looked up from Dani’s computer.
“I got them. One’s a nurse at Metropolitan Hospital in the Bronx. The other is an accountant. Works at Dechert on Avenue of the Americas. I have home addresses also.”
Dani headed for the door. “Let’s go,” she said as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her jacket.
“Whoa, hold on. It’s almost midnight.”
“I don’t know about in California, but here in New York, cops work twenty-four, seven.”
Jake laughed. “We do that in California, too. I just think it is a little late to be calling on these women. One is going through hell and the other has nothing to do with this.”
“The one who has nothing to do with it won’t mind. No woman wants a kid out there alone. The one going through hell will want to know that even though Zach is gone someone is still looking for Katie.”
Dani’s phone rang as she reached for the door.
“Manark, where are you? Don’t move; I’m on my way.” She hung up. “He’s at the shop. Is it okay with you if we go talk to him now?” She held the door open.
Jake laughed as he shook his head. “Yeah, we can talk to him.”
He walked out in front of her.
Jake hit the elevator button for the garage. Dani hit the button for the first floor. “We’re not driving.”
“Why not?”
“How many drinks did you have?”
“Two or three.”
“You had four beers. I had four beers and a glass of wine. Neither one of us should be driving.”
“I don’t know about you, but I can hold my liquor.”
“You may be able to hold it, but your blood alcohol count is still over the limit. In New York we frown on that.”
Again Jake laughed. “We frown on that in California, too.” They continued toward the subway. “So it’s okay in New York to carry a firearm while under the influence?”
“We’ll be fine when we have to draw them. If we have to draw them. We’re going all the way downtown.”
She called to have a squad car meet them. It would be hard to pull him out if they didn’t have a car to put him in.
Forty-five minutes later, they walked up to the shop. Manark owns a motorcycle shop. For the most part, he was the head of the motorcycle club that runs in the tri-state area. They were a club, not a gang, but most of the members were into illegal activities. As long as they don’t hurt innocent people, he was good with it. If a member gets out of hand, he fills us in. We take it from there.
The bay doors were open as they walked up. There must be at least twenty bikes out front. The shop is also a hangout. “Maybe you should stay back. I’ll talk to him.”
“I’m not letting you go in there alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Stay back. The two officers will cover me.”
He grabbed her arm. “Not going to happen, Lieutenant.”
She never had a reason to feel threatened by Manark, but you never know when things could change. “All right, follow my lead.”
Dani released the strap holding her gun in place. With one hand on her gun, she entered the shop. Jake followed close behind.
“Mr. Manark?”
He turned toward the voice. You could see the shock in his eyes as they met Jake’s. “Who wants to know?”
“Lieutenant Castello, NYPD. I’m going to need you to come with us.”
He laughed. “I don’t think so.” He took a step back. Still, his eyes did not leave Jake’s.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and moved closer to Manark in a protective circle. “Don’t make this harder on yourself than it needs to be.”
“What’s this about?” He took his eyes off Jake only long enough to change his expression as if to say “what the hell?” to Dani, before he was staring at Jake again.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about the teenagers that have been killed in the past few weeks. Someone has come forward to say that you may have had a hand in that.”
“That’s bullshit!” was yelled from just about every person in the place.”
“Ronny didn’t kill anyone!” a woman yelled. She walked over to him and took a hold of his arm.
“We’ll see. Mr. Manark, please step forward with your hands in the air.”
He looked from Jake to Dani and back. He took a few steps. The woman grabbed his arm. “He didn’t kill anyone. He was with me.”
Dani and Jake laughed. “He was with you? When was that?”
“Whenever you say he killed those kids. He was with me. He couldn’t have killed them.”
Dani looked at Manark. “Pretty convenient.” He shrugged. “Come on. We’ll figure this out at the station.”
“Baby, don’t go with them. You saw what happened to Freddy when he went with them. He’s doing five years now.”
“It’s okay. I’ll go straighten this out. Don’t worry.” He kissed her before walking over to Dani. “You know damn well I didn’t kill anyone. Let alone some kids.”
“Maybe, but we need to follow all leads. Turn around. Put your hands behind your back.”
Everyone took another step forward. Jake stepped in front of Dani and Manark with his gun drawn. “Step back. Don’t make me have to arrest anyone else.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be back in an hour. Charlie, finish Mr. Hampton’s bike. He’ll be in for it tomorrow morning.”
He let Dani cuff him and pull him out.
She helped him into the car. “Meet us behind the 7/11 on Hamilton,” she said to the officers. “Take the cuffs off as soon as you get there.”
They looked at her as if she had two heads, before nodding. “Yes, ma’am.”
Dani and Jake walked around the corner. “He thinks he saw a ghost. I told you not to come in. We’re lucky if he can even talk now.”
“He did look like he was going to wet his pants,” Jake laughed. “Why didn’t you just introduce me?”
“I need a stress relief. His face was priceless.” She smiled and kept walking.
Manark was drinking a cup of coffee while leaning against the squad car. He dropped the cup as soon as he saw them walking up to him.
“You’re dead. I went to your funeral. I saw them put you in the ground.” He stepped back.
“This is not Zach. It’s his twin brother, Detective Jake Santos.”
“Long story. Trust me, you are not talking to a ghost.”
Manark walked over to Jake. He gave him a good once-over. “Damn, man, you almost gave me a heart attack. I really did think I was seeing a ghost.”
Jake extended his hand. “Yeah, I’m getting that a lot lately.”
He shook his hand and turned back to Dani. “What did you want to talk to me about? And what is with the life-and-death threat? I’ve never held back on you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m a little testy these days.”
“I understand. I’m sorry for your loss. He was a good man. I really did go pay my respects.”
“Thanks. I’m sure he appreciates you taking the time.”
“Can we move this along?” Jake asked.
Dani gave him a sideways glance before turning back to Manark. “Zach had you looking for a girl named Katie. Have you found her?”
“What makes you think I was doing anything for Zach?”
“Now’s not the time to play games, Ronny. I need to know what Zach had you working on.”
“I can’t tell you.”
“What do you mean you can’t tell me?” Dani said, louder than she should have.
“Zach said I was the only one to know about Katie. If the lieutenant finds out, he would make sure all the others and me did time.”
“Zach is not here to take you down. Besides, we threaten you with that all the time. Why would this time be different?”
“I don’t know. He really seemed to be worried about this Katie girl. He said he had to find her, but the lieutenant can’t know anything about it. He stressed that if I found her I was not to tell you if I couldn’t get in touch with him.”
Dani turned her back. Jake spoke up.
“I appreciate you being loyal to Detective Danato, but he’s not here now. We are trying to find out who killed him. This girl may know something. If you know where we can find her I would advise you to speak up.”
Manark paced up to the end of the building and back. “The night he died, I saw her. She was being pulled into a van outside the café on 6th Street. My bike was right out front, so I followed the van. They stopped at an old warehouse on the west side. Right by the river. I called Zach. He told me he was on his way and not to move. He wanted me to keep watch until he got there.”
“Did you?” Dani asked.
“Yes. When he got there he handed me three hundred and told me to take a hike.”
“Did you?” Jake asked.
“Not right away. I took off after the first shot.”
She spun around. “The first shot? How many were there?”
“I heard two. Maybe three. There might have been more.”
“I can’t believe you left him. You are more than just a CI to him. You could have helped him.”
“Come on, Dani. Zach would have killed me if I followed him in. You know he would have. Besides, I have to think of my daughter. I won‘t let her grow up without a father. I’m sorry.”
Jake spoke up. “What happened after the shots?”
“As I said, I took off. When I got around the corner, I called 911. I was waiting for them to show when I saw a bunch of people coming out of the warehouse.”
“How many?”
“I didn’t really count, but I’d say there was at least thirty.”
“All men?”
“It was dark, so I’m not positive, but a few may have been women. Katie was one of them.”
“And you didn’t stop her?”
“I heard the sirens. I had to get out of there. I’ve been trying to find her again. You know, for Zach. I want to do one last thing for him, but I haven’t seen her again.”
Dani paced back and forth. “I need you to keep looking.”
“Zach didn’t want you to know about her. Even if I find her, I’m not sure I should tell you.”
Dani took a calculated risk. “Katie is Zach’s daughter. She ran away. From what you just said, she saw her father’s murder. What would your daughter do if she saw someone kill you?”
“She’d be scared. She would run. Okay. I’ll look. I’ll let you know.”
“Can you get the rest of your club to look?”
“Sure. We’ll be out there. We’ll find her.”
“You’ll call me?”
“Yeah, for Zach. I’ll call you.”
“Thanks. I’ll owe you big time.”
He smiled. “A lieutenant of NYPD will owe me.” He looked at Jake. “How bad can that be?” He laughed.
“Did Zach happen to give you a last name for Katie?”
“No, sorry, he didn’t.”
“A picture to work from?”
Manark shook his head. “No. He showed me one, but wouldn’t let me keep it.”
“Are you sure the girl you saw was Katie?”
“I have a good memory. I got a good enough look at the picture. I’d say it was her.”
Jake shook his hand. “You can’t go back for a few hours. Can we drop you somewhere?”
“Ah, Jake, we don’t have a car.” Dani laughed.
“Oh, right. I forgot. We’ve got to be the only cops in the world that would go out without a car.”
They all laughed. “I’ll be okay. Don’t worry, Dani. We’ll find her.” He started to walk away.
Jake held him up. “You don’t by some chance know anything about an old biker gang called the Falling Angels, do you?”
“Seventies club. Not a gang—a club. They did a lot of good. I’m trying to get my guys to be more like them.”
“Do you know any of them?”
“Old guy comes in once in a while. His name’s Trotter. Not sure of his real name. Everyone calls him Trotter. Guy must be almost eighty and still rides better than half the guys that hang out at the shop.”
“Do you have an address? Phone number?”
“Probably back at the shop. I’ll get back with you in the morning.” He turned away again, then back. “Why them?”
“I can’t tell you, but it’s important we get in touch with them.”
“Will I find out on the news one day?”
“Yeah, you will.”
“That’s good enough for me. I’ll call you in the morning.”
He walked away.
Dani and Jake headed out in the opposite direction.
“Not your normal CI,” Jake commented as he caught up to Dani.
“He’s become more of a friend, but we still throw him some money for the information. He’s saving for his daughter’s college.”
“What’s his deal?”
“Nothing much. Just a guy who knows everybody. He owns the bike shop. Stays out of trouble. Helps us out.”
They were quiet for a few blocks before Jake spoke up again. “So where to now?”
“You can go home. Meet me at the car at six-thirty. I want to be at the first Jennifer before seven.”
“We’re not going to knock on Jennifer’s door now?”
“Since you didn’t think it was a good idea at midnight I’m pretty sure you think it’s a worse idea at two in the morning.”
“Since when does what I think count?”
Dani gave him a sideways look. “I guess Zach didn’t tell you everything about me after all.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that I always listen to the detective under me. I may not always agree, but I listen. In this case, I don’t agree, but you seem to think we have time to wait. I’ve decided to go with you on this one.”
Jake laughed. “Should I be honored?”
“Yes. Now go home.”
“Are you going home?”
“Eventually.”
“But not yet?”
“No. Not yet. I’ll see you later.”
“Maybe I’ll just tag along.”
“Not necessary. Goodnight, Detective.” Dani headed into the subway.
Jake hung back, but he wasn’t going to go home without her. She
’s hurting. She’s in a fog. Walking around the city alone is not a good idea at two in the morning when you are not thinking straight. When he saw her jump on a train, he followed in the car behind.
Jake watched as Dani walked up to Zach’s grave. It was the last place he thought she would go, but it was also the first place he thought she would go. He could tell from the way she reamed out Wilson yesterday she is the type that needs to blow off steam when she is pissed. Right now, she is pissed at Zach. Can you blame her?
“Okay, this is the way I see it,” Dani said as she sat in front of Zach’s grave. “You didn’t trust my love for you.”
“I get that you were hurt by love when you were young, but it wasn’t by me. I am so mad at you. No wait, mad is too simple a word. I am furious with you. I am disappointed in you. That is the hardest to handle. I never thought you could disappoint me. In fact, I’m so disappointed in you that if you weren’t gone I’m not sure we would have made it.
“I know about Jake. You’re right; he does seem to be a great guy. His ex-wife and partner both rave about him. You’re also right when you said he was good-looking. His chest is broader then I usually like though.” She laughed. “I could see myself going for him. No, wait, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. He is like you in many ways, but he is not you, Zach. I love you. I will always love you, but I have to wonder now if you really loved me.
“I also know about Katie. I’m sorry. I had her. I sat down across from her. I played her wrong and she got away. If I had known she was your daughter and that she ran away from home, I would have never let her get away from me. You didn’t trust me to know about her either. I could have helped you. I would have helped you.
“I’ll find her again. I will do everything in my power to bring her home. I will tell her all about you. I will make sure she doesn’t hate you. I promise you she will not hate you.”
She pulled the ring out of her pocket. “I was going to say yes. You knew I would need a few days, but I was going to say yes. Now I’m not so sure if it would have been the right thing to do. You didn’t trust me, Zach. Now I have to doubt your love for me.”
She closed the box and put it back in her pocket.
“I’m hurt, Zach. I will get over it in time, but I am hurting. Jake and I will find Katie for you. We’ll find the person responsible for putting you in that grave.” She got up. “When that’s done, I’ll decide if I can forgive you… or if I’ll forget you.”
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