Necessary Evil

by Janelle Taylor

  “I don’t work the cases, Lieutenant. I’m just a secretary. I only type them for the files and make sure Ray looks as good as he can in court and in meetings.”

  “Don’t believe a word she says, Dan. Andi is many things to this office, but never ‘just a secretary’,” Raymond Harris quipped from behind Andrea, then extended his hand to the officer. “Good to see you again. Been a while.”

  Dan looked at the District Attorney. He was at least six feet two with broad shoulders and strong hands, brown hair and green eyes accentuated by a tan. They had worked together a few times on past cases, but mostly saw each other in the Captain’s office or at other social or official functions. But his path had never crossed with Andrea “Andi” Arquette. Twenty wasted months of being alone.

  Raymond looked directly into Dan’s lust shiny eyes as he continued his flattery. “She’s brilliant. She’s helped me write some of my best opening and closing statements. Andi’s thought of things I never would have when reviewing a file. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.”

  Andrea’s face warmed to a bright pink from her boss’s gushing compliments in front of the most handsome and sexy hunk she had seen in a very long time. And if her female intuition was right, he was just as attracted to her as she was to him. Hopefully, he wasn’t married or attached or gay. “Oh, Ray, you give me too much credit. I only pointed out a small detail here and there that no one had thought about looking into or forgot to check out, and now you can’t make it without me?”

  “You betcha, Andi. One of those small details ended up sealing our case against Williams.” He focused on Dan and asked, “You remember that one, don’t you, Mallory? It wasn’t your case, but it was big news, going on when you joined the department. The man who killed the entire family, six people in all, out on Milledge Avenue? Even their two month old baby was shot through the head.” At Dan’s nod of recognition, Raymond continued, “Well, it was Andi’s idea to check the pond that was located near where Williams lived. We’d already been through his car and his house and hadn’t found anything. Andi saw it when she drove by there and thought the pond was a good place for someone to get rid of evidence. Sure enough, we found the gun that had killed that family, with Williams’ fingerprints all over it, the bullet casings and a sliver of skin on the magazine for DNA. If she hadn’t thought of that, he would’ve walked away scot-free. But justice was served.”

  Dan was impressed. As they entered Ray’s reception area, he asked Andrea, “Why did you drive by his house?”

  “I don’t know. I guess from my psychology classes, I wanted to see where and how the monster lived. I was trying to understand what could make a man do something so horrible. Ray was sure Williams had done it, but there wasn’t enough evidence to link him to the crime. We had one witness, but she was a prostitute, so the defense would have torn her to shreds once he got her on the stand. I drove by and heard several kids throwing rocks into the lake. That’s when I suspected what he had done with the gun. I called Ray from my car phone and he sent the team right over. After ballistics matched the bullets and weapon to the ones involved in those killings, his defense attorney had no choice but to enter a guilty plea. I’m just glad he’s locked up and can’t hurt anyone again, unless they parole him.”

  “Maybe you should be on my team,” Dan teased.

  “I thought we were on the same team. You must be thinking of a defense attorney, not the district attorney,” Andrea jested with a smile.

  “Touché,” he replied. Beautiful, intelligent, warm, sexy. She must have a husband or a significant something at home. He’d certainly be waiting for her with eager arms if she belonged to him. Dan tried to discover if she had on a wedding band, but her left hand was still holding the files and he couldn’t see it. Be damned if he was going to leave there without finding out.

  “So, how’s the investigation going?” Raymond asked as he motioned for Dan and Andrea to follow him into his office.

  “Not good. Everybody seems to be cheering this maniac on instead of realizing the danger of his vigilante actions. I hope I can stop him before anyone else gets the same crazy idea or he takes out an innocent person.”

  “Good luck on finding something in these files that’ll be useful. Andi was in charge of the notes in several of those cases, so she can assist you if you need clarification of something. If I can help with anything else, please give me a call. I have to tell you this: I’ll have a bitch of a time prosecuting this Avenger for what he’s done. Even though it’s wrong, he’s gotten several of the worst offenders for us. At least it’s opened a few eyes as to what’s wrong with our judicial system. Now, let’s see what the people do about it. I’m sure the female victims can sleep better with such scum off the streets. Each one I worked with was terrified her attacker would eventually return for revenge. Loopholes, technicalities, and even the Sixth Amendment can be ball busters for us. Lady Justice is strong and smart but damn that blindfold she’s forced to wear.”

  Dan knew Raymond was referring to the tall statue on City Hall grounds: a sword in her right hand, a scale in her left and a blindfold over her eyes. He wasn’t surprised when Raymond admitted his support of the Avenger, a feeling that pervaded most homes right now. However, he hoped that the District Attorney would be able to do his job prosecuting this killer when he was arrested. No foul-ups this time, Ray. I hope I can follow my own advice if I ever do catch him. When I catch him, Dan corrected himself.

  “Maybe this will get someone to put his actions where his mouth is and do something about it,” Andrea chimed in. “Instead of griping on television and in the papers, maybe somebody in power will make a plan and follow it through, change the laws and system. Meanwhile, the public and media shouldn’t beat up on the law enforcers who are doing the best they can with what they’ve been given to work with.”

  Is this woman for real? Dan didn’t sense any hesitation or deception in her speech. He wanted this woman bad. Maybe Lady Luck would be on his side and she’d agree to have dinner with him one night. To go over the cases, of course. Later, they’d see what developed. As his mind wandered in that direction, he realized Raymond was speaking to him. “What? I’m sorry, my mind must have wandered for a minute.”

  “That’s all right. You’ve got a tough case to crack. I have a dinner meeting starting in an hour and have to leave soon, so Andi can help you with any questions you might have. If that’s all for me, I’ll leave you in her capable hands.” Raymond knew as he spoke those words that Dan was eager to have just such an opportunity.

  “Great. I’ll tell Martin how helpful you’ve been.” Dan knew putting a word in the Sheriff’s ear, since he was a powerful man in both the city and the county, would please Raymond immensely, and he was right.

  “Thanks, Dan, I’d really appreciate that. I’ll see you tomorrow, Andi. Would you lock up before you leave? Everyone else bolted at five.”

  “Sure, Ray. I’m usually the last to leave anyway. See you tomorrow. And don’t forget you have a meeting with the Mayor at ten tomorrow morning,” Andrea called after him. “Let’s go to my office and we can sit down with the files.”

  “You have your own office? I thought secretaries just sat outside their boss’s.”

  “I handle sensitive cases. It wouldn’t be good for someone to walk by my desk and read anything over my shoulder. When one of the paralegals left, Ray gave me her space next to his. It’s about the size of a closet, but I love it. And I can get more work done out of the circle.” Andrea pointed to the desks that were set around the large area in between the office doors. Each had computers and telephones with many lines.

  Dan imagined it must be tough to work with several people sitting that close. Even the office he and Mory shared was loud and difficult to concentrate in when both of them were working on separate things. Privacy was a big problem. He noticed there weren’t any partitions separating the work areas and saw one person still at her computer. A brass plate said Cindi Summers and he thought t
he name fit her perfectly. Her light blond hair and tan face spoke of many hours in the sun or on a tanning bed. A radiant smile lit up her face as they approached her location.

  “Cindi, this is Lieutenant Dan Mallory from the homicide division. He’s the one who’s after that monster slayer. He wants to look at Ray’s files on those cases.”

  “Hi, Lieutenant. So you’re the one,” Cindi stood as they reached her and shook the detective’s extended hand.

  “Hi, Cindi. Yes, I’m your man, and call me Dan.”

  “Hey, that rhymes: Dan, the man,” Cindi chirped and grinned. She noticed that Andrea’s face was flushed and guessed he was the reason, a fine specimen of the male sex. They had been best friends for a long time, and Cindi had learned to read her like a book. Andrea didn’t date much, so Cindi hoped something was happening between the two of them.

  “We’ll be here for a while. Are you leaving soon?” Andrea asked her.

  “Yes, Brian called a few minutes ago and he’s taking me to dinner tonight.” Andi’s going to kill me for this, but what the hell? “Have you found a date for the Comedy Theater yet? Don’t you dare beg a headache and miss Brian’s birthday. He’d never forgive you.” To Dan she said, “My fiancé’s birthday is this weekend and he got twelve free passes to the Comedy Theater. There’s still the two-drink minimum, but at least the tickets are free for everyone. Have you ever been?” Andrea was frowning at her, but Cindi didn’t care.

  “I’ve heard about it, but haven’t caught a show yet. Sounds like fun,” Dan answered. So, Andrea was single. And available and needed a date for Friday. Maybe my luck has changed.

  “Gary Conrad, the hypnotist, is going to be there. We’ve seen him every time he comes to town. He’s usually here for two weeks, he’s so popular. It’s hysterical what Gary can make people do. You should catch his show while he’s here. I promise it’s one you won’t soon forget,” Cindi told him.

  Dan caught the playful, mischievous twinkle in her hazel eyes. He’d have to thank her later if things worked out with Andrea. “Maybe I’ll get invited someday. Tell Brian I said happy birthday and you guys have a drink for me.”

  While Dan spoke, Cindi looked pointedly at Andrea as if to say, There’s your cue, girl. Ask him.

  But Andrea looked directly at Cindi and countered with another question of her own, one certain to cause Cindi to forget her matchmaking for a while. “What have you gotten Brian for his birthday?”

  Cindi flustered at that point. “Shit! I have no idea what to get him and his birthday’s Friday. I haven’t come up with a single thing. Nada. His dad got him the tool set I was thinking about and his mom got him a golf glove. The man has everything he could possibly need. Including me,” she jested and grinned. “What do you think, Dan. You’re a man. What would you want for your birthday?”

  A loaded question there, woman. I’d like to get to know Andrea. She makes a tantalizing first impression. “What about a wallet? Or a pocketknife? My mom gave me an engraved one for my last birthday and I’ve carried it ever since. Every man should have one.” Dan pulled the knife from his pocket and showed it to the two women. A golf scene was carved into one side with the date and Love Mom on the other.

  “Dan, I owe you big. Brian will love one. I would’ve never thought of it. He still carries one his high school sweetheart gave him, so I wouldn’t mind getting rid of that. You’re a genius. If Andi doesn’t find a date by Friday, maybe you can fill the extra slot. You just solved a major crisis for me”—so she didn’t mind if Andrea got miffed, which wouldn’t last long—“so I’ll even spring for your drinks.”

  “Cindi! Lieutenant Mallory doesn’t need you to help fill his weekend calendar. I’m sure he already has other plans. And thanks a lot for your vote on my ability to find a date,” Andrea exclaimed, her face pinkening, a vexing trait she detested.

  “When’s the last one you had? 1988? Just kidding. Sorry, Dan. I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn. It’s Andi’s decision whom she wants to invite.” She couldn’t help but add, “But you’re still welcome to come, as my guest. And bring a date if you want.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone I’d want to bring, but I appreciate your offer. Good luck on the pocketknife. I’m sure he’ll love it.” Dan whispered, “Check Peppermint Patty’s on Washington Road. They have a great selection there.”

  “Thanks, Dan.”

  “You’re welcome. And thank you,” he said with a wink.

  “Cindi, please lock the door when you leave. I have to finish Ray’s notes from this morning, so I’ll be here late. I’ll let Dan out when we’re finished. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Dan. It was really nice meeting you. Bye, Andi. Don’t work too late. And let me know by tomorrow, if you can, about Friday.”

  Andrea glowered at her. Cindi couldn’t have been more obvious! Now Dan was probably going to think she was on the prowl. Or worse, that she was desperate. You’re going to get it in the morning, girlfriend. But you were right about one thing: I was planning to engineer a headache to miss the Friday activities. At times it was hard sitting with and watching the five other couples as they performed the Friday Night Mating Ritual, as she called it. Knowing she would be going home to a television set and ice cream didn’t soothe her loneliness. She didn’t have any reservations about asking a man out, but she liked to do it in her own time and her own way. Hell, Dan could be married with six kids and another one on the way for all she knew! He probably didn’t appreciate Cindi’s meddling and matchmaking, either. The first nice man to come along in years and Cindi had to open her trap! Andrea promised to shut it for her the next day, then recalled Dan’s previous remark about not having anyone he would want to bring. Unattached. Available. Interested. Is as sexy and enticing as the hero on the cover of a romance novel. Perfect body. Perfect features. Perfect manners. Idiot, stop staring at him!

  “Sorry about Cindi. She’s a great friend and I love her dearly, but she shouldn’t have said the things she did. I’m sorry if she embarrassed you.” Though not nearly as much as she embarrassed me, or I’m doing for myself.

  As Andrea guided him to her office, Dan said, “I thought Cindi was nice. I’m sure she has your best interests at heart. Besides, I thought it sounded like fun. I’ve heard of the hypnotist, but never made it to any of his shows. I’ll have to see if I can make it to one before he leaves,” Dan hinted.

  Andrea changed the subject and spoke quickly so as not to alert him to her nervousness. Dan Mallory was standing too darn close, smelling too good, and sending off too many sexual sparks, more than enough to inflame her from head to toes. Clear your wits, Andi, this man is going to be a huge challenge. “You really should; his performance is something else. Now, let’s get seated and down to business. I’ve pulled the three files that you requested: Silverman’s, Crouch’s and Truman’s. I didn’t notice a correlation between any of them. It’s been almost two-ish years for two of them, and I only worked hands on with Truman’s case. We couldn’t get an indictment to go to trial. His victim was too young and terrified to help us convict him. But I have scanned the other two after I pulled them for our meeting. I had already added Ray’s current notes and newspaper clippings after they were slain. Since the Avenger is copying their prior crimes, Ray thought we might need updated files if a new trial comes up. Is there anything specific that you’re looking for? Since I’m familiar with these three cases, maybe I can help.”

  “At this point, I’ll take all the help I can get.” Dan took a chair opposite hers and went over the facts concerning the three male victims and their female victims. It was clear that Henrietta and the Captain were keeping the DA. well informed on facts as they came in. There were even notations about Karen’s suicide and Lisa’s flight. “Is there any indication that these women are related in any way? Is there someone who could’ve known all three of them?” Dan asked.

  “Not that I could find from my or the past paralegals work. Each is from a different neighborhood and area o
f the county. I doubt the male victims knew each other either. From what you’ve told me so far, I think you’ve got someone out there who’s seeking his own justice. Maybe his sister, mother, girlfriend or wife was raped, and the attacker got off scot-free. Could be the provoking crime was never reported, and that thug is still on the loose, maybe his identity unknown to this Avenger. So he’s going after the most violent rapists he can find.”

  “You could be right,” Dan concurred, but was having a tough time concentrating on “business”, as she called it. “I just want to stop him before he kills anyone else, especially someone innocent. You can add a note to Truman’s file: Susan and her mother left for Florida to escape another media feeding frenzy. Reporters like James Starr act like hungry piranhas; they show no mercy for crime victims. Frankly, I don’t trust Starr at all.”

  “I’m glad Lisa and the Ames's are gone. This matter has gotten ugly, and may get even worse if you can’t expose and capture our misguided justice seeker. It’s sad and frustrating when victims and their loved ones feel as if we’ve failed them. And it’s infuriating when a guilty thug not only goes free but also laughs in our and victim’s faces. I can understand how a vigilante is created and why the public is rooting for him. I witness how difficult it is for Ray to lose a case, especially a violent one. So much unnecessary evil in our world today. Have you been able to determine anything from the crime scenes? What about fingerprints? Did the rape kits reveal anything you can use? We’re still waiting on full reports from Henri and Harold. Aren’t they a terrific team? You’re lucky the old team is gone.”

  “Yep, been here long enough to know how lucky I am. About twenty months in homicide, so I’m playing catch-up with all these cases. I can see why our paths haven’t crossed: we’ve been traveling in different circles and directions.” He cleared his throat and returned to “business”. “The scenes were wiped clean. So far, no physical evidence we can use. This guy knows what he’s doing and he’s doing it good. How did he discover the details of each of these cases? Why did he choose these particular women to avenge?” Dan continued with other questions he had asked himself all night, and Andrea listened, stopping him at times to add a comment or to pose another query. She had assured him their files were under lock and key, well guarded and well protected.