Exacting Justice

by TG Wolff

  All eyes went to Chen. “The boy doesn’t fit the pattern the suspect demonstrated. It puzzles me that he took the boy at all. We cannot dismiss a scenario in which a new player has the boy. A neighbor. An aunt.”

  “We are exploring those options,” Cruz said flatly, no hint of censure or impatience. Just a cop, going by the book. “So far, nothing has panned out.”

  “I don’t like where this heading,” Ramsey said.

  “We are continuing to investigate. Roger McCormick, who we first interviewed during the spring, is currently under doctor’s care for depression. Felix Sidowski sold his business a few months ago, and, according to the man who bought the business, has been traveling. Research further back into past crimes identified six new names. Four of those are promising.”

  Chen sighed, resignedly accepting a concept. “Clearly, it is important for the boy’s sake that we get him back. But we have to consider a new problem. Based on his letter, the suspect has shifted the reality of the archangel to you, Detective. He may have expectations of you. He may have a new role, one in which we do not know the rules, once again.”

  Ramsey stood, walked from behind his desk to look out his window. “Detective De La Cruz, is this chapter in our history over?”

  Cruz walked to the window, standing next to the man he followed as life continued on in the city below. “History is a story told through the lens of time. We have no option but to wait and see.”

  Epilogue

  Friday, July 27

  It was another sad, unnecessary death. Mrs. Teresa Aguilar, eighty-five, lived alone in a home with no air conditioning. There was no one to notice the symptoms of dehydration and heat stroke. She died in her favorite chair five days prior.

  In his car, air conditioning blasting, Cruz typed in the information he had as he drank from his go cup. The coffee was hotter now than when he left it.

  He’d gotten three calls while he’d been in the house.

  His commander. Call when able.

  Yablonski. Information on another case.

  A number with no caller ID. He played the voicemail.

  “…a real horse. I’m not allowed to give him candy but he loves apples. I named him Cruz because he has long black hair twisted together, just like you. I’m getting good at riding. I’m not allowed to make him run yet but really soon we are going to go super-fast. And then we can run with barrels and go on camping trips and I get to learn how to rope calves. I really like it here. Maybe you can come and see him and ride him.” A soft voice whispered in the background, then Jace’s voice shouted in his ear. “I do! I want ice cream! I want ice cream!”

  The phone hit the floor with a crash. The recording captured the sound of a resilient boy’s laughter and the close of a final door.

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The expertise of many people went into creating this manuscript. Any mistakes in this story are wholly my own. I am indebted to Vinnie for your help understanding mental illness and drawing it into this storyline and to Kara for advice given on DNA and witnesses. A big thank you to Trey R. Barker for help with terminology. Thanks to Denise for coaching me through policing and to Kristen B for acting as our interpreter. Deepest respect and appreciation to Mike for sharing his experiences with alcoholism. You inspire me. Finally, many thanks (and apologies for the typos) to my reading team Matt, Traci, Denny, Elaine and Karen.

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  TG Wolff writes thrillers and mysteries that play within the gray area between good and bad, right and wrong. Cause and effect drive the stories, drawing from twenty-plus years’ experience in civil engineering, where “cause” is more often a symptom of a bigger, more challenging problem. Diverse characters mirror the complexities of real life and real people, balanced with a healthy dose of entertainment. TG Wolff holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering and is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

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