The Wrong Side of Dead

by Jordan Dane

  “Yeah…thanks.” She nodded.

  “Oh and before I forget,” Sam added. “A private investigator, Luís Dante, came in to file a report…said you stole his car. When he heard what happened, he dropped the charges. But he told me to say that you owe him a beer. Does that make sense?”

  “Yeah…sort of,” she muttered. “Thanks, Sam.”

  Rapt in thought, Jess left the observation room with Alexa, heading for the parking lot. Sal Pinzolo walking away clean made her skin crawl. She’d faced him before and witnessed his cruelty, especially when he had the advantage. She’d have to watch her back. Next time, he wouldn’t settle for a beating.

  “Well…one good thing might come of this,” Jess observed with a sideways glance.

  “Oh, yeah. What’s that?”

  “Jake will be out of the gene pool.” She shrugged. “Darwin’s theory is intact.”

  Alexa raised an eyebrow. “I feel better already.”

  Sam walked into the meeting room with Ray, noticing that another man stood in the far corner, waiting for them to arrive. Dressed in uniform, arson investigator Captain Joe Collins, was a tall, lean man with alert blue eyes and short-cropped dark hair, cut military style. By reputation, he was a quiet man and an unconventional thinker with a penchant for details. Good qualities for an investigator.

  “Good morning, Captain. Glad you could make it.” She smiled. “I’m Detective Sam Cooper, and this is Detective Ray Garza.”

  Sam liked him the instant he shook her hand with a firm grip, not the limp grasp some men thought women preferred.

  “Call me, Joe.” A corner of his lip curled into a half smile.

  “First names work for us, too,” she said, offering the man a seat at the conference-room table. They sat as she began. “I know this is much too early in your investigation to make this official, but anything you can tell us might help move our case forward.”

  “Well, bottom line, nothing I found thus far points to arson,” the captain said. “To put out the blaze, fire did their basic surround and drown, lots of water dumped. And as you might imagine, any trace evidence got hit with it, too. I used arson dogs to detect the use of accelerants, and they came up empty. But let me ask you a question…since you were inside.”

  “Yeah…shoot.” She nodded.

  “Was there any room in the house that seemed like the source of the blaze…an area that was more engulfed in flames than the rest of the house?” the man asked.

  “Yeah, toward the back on the first floor, near the room that had been bolted shut.” She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on the arson investigator.

  “In a vacant house with no electricity, fires don’t start by accident, especially if the fire was concentrated the way you describe. That raises a red flag for me as an investigator.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you remember smelling anything unusual at that location?”

  She thought about it a long moment, delving into the horror of last night. When she didn’t answer right away, Ray leaned closer.

  “Sam? What are you thinking? Just spit it out. Say the first thing that comes to mind.”

  “I smelled something”—she wrinkled her nose—“medicinal. But I couldn’t place it.”

  “Could it have been rubbing alcohol?” Collins asked. “Or some other household product?”

  “Yeah, it could have been. Why?”

  “The dogs in our K–9 unit are trained to detect certain types of petroleum-based accelerants, but not the entire range of flammable household products.” He shook his head, his face grim. “Isopropyl alcohol is water soluble and can be washed away. No trace evidence left behind. If your firebug used rubbing alcohol or some other similar product to set that blaze, then I’m afraid we’ll never prove it.”

  “Don’t you have other ways to test…for the presence of rubbing alcohol, at least?” she asked.

  “Dogs can smell the smallest unit of measure better than our electronic detectors can quantify,” Collins explained. “In short, if the dogs fail, then we don’t have much. Plus our K–9 unit is only a tool in our investigation. We confirm anything the dogs find with trace analysis from the crime lab. But in this case, that didn’t happen. We’re still talking to possible witnesses, but I’m afraid arson is a long shot.”

  The captain got to his feet. “That’s all I’ve got, but I’ll call if that changes.”

  “It is what it is, Joe.” Ray stood and shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Anytime,” Collins said as he gripped Sam’s hand.

  After the arson investigator left, Sam stood and stared out the window, disappointment setting in. Ray shut the conference-room door to give them privacy.

  “What now?” he asked, his voice low. “We got nothing on Sal Pinzolo. I can still work Jake under the radar of his lawyer if you want. But with Pinzolo on the loose, I know you must be concerned for Jessie.”

  “Yeah, I am. Real concerned.”

  Harper was free to go, and Jess was very satisfied with that even though Mandy’s murder case was far from over. Despite the uncertainty in the police investigation, she was pleased that her trip home would include a stop at the hospital with good news for Seth. She couldn’t wait to deliver it personally. But as they stepped outside heading for their cars, Alexa surprised her.

  “So tell me. Is Seth seeing anyone?”

  “What?” She shot her a sideways glance, wrapping her head around the abrupt question. “He’s a little young, isn’t he?”

  “Young for what? And are we talking about the same man?” Her friend laughed. “Besides, young is the whole point. You have to admit there’s something about a younger lover that appeals to…an experienced woman. There’s no pretense. There’s only need. And don’t you think he’s gorgeous with a capital G?”

  “I hadn’t noticed,” she lied.

  “Then you haven’t staked a claim, right? Because if you’re interested in him, I’ll back off. He’s all yours.”

  “No…no claim.” A pang of jealousy hit hard, confusing her. “But you don’t live here. Why would you…?”

  “I’m not talking about setting up house. I just want to…have a little taste.” The woman smiled, her eyes glazing over as if she were somewhere else. And Jess had a pretty good notion where.

  “TMI, my friend.” She raised a hand. “Whatever you two decide to do is none of my business.”

  But as she came to the blue van—still disturbed by their conversation and her reaction to it—she noticed that her vehicle had a flat tire.

  “What the hell…?” She walked around the van and corrected her count to two flat tires. And with only one spare, that meant she had a bigger problem. Damn it!

  “Oh, wow. Not good,” Alexa commiserated, dropping to a knee for a better look. “I’ve got my rental around the corner. I can give you a lift wherever you need to go to get this fixed.”

  “Why me?” She shook her head and knelt beside her friend.

  But a voice coming from behind brought Jess to her feet.

  “Maybe because you don’t know how to mind your own business. You’re thickheaded. And unlucky things can happen to stupid people.”

  She turned to see Sal Pinzolo leaning against a brick wall near an alley. A broad-shouldered mammoth, the guy blocked the sun when he stepped closer. He had cleaned up since the fire, but no one could wash away the smell of mean. And with him here, she knew one thing.

  Her flat tires were no accident.

  Her mind reeled with what to say, and anger got the better of her. Being a woman who’d eaten tough for breakfast ever since she was a kid, Jess didn’t hesitate to go for his jugular.

  “What’s so special about you, Sal? I mean, really.” She eyed him up and down. “Without Beladi, who the hell are you? You’re just hired muscle. That’s it.”

  Pinzolo glared at her, his eye twitching. This time she took his facial tic as a sign she had hit her target dead center and kept going.

  “And news flash, stud, you’re
not as young as you used to be. I sure hope you have a retirement plan.” She stopped and narrowed her eyes, hitting on a different tack. “Or did Jake ruin that for you?”

  When he didn’t ask what she meant and kept his silence, she kept talking.

  “I bet you two had your own 401(k) plan operating under Beladi’s radar. And you covered it up…kept the big boss in the dark. Now that’s stupid.”

  She let her mouth run and had thrown out anything she knew would rile the guy. But when she alluded to him and Jake working together—without his boss’s knowledge—Sal’s facial tic got worse. And her speculation made sense, even if she had made it up on the fly. She had stumbled on the truth but had no proof to back it up, only Sal’s unexpected reaction.

  “You got a big mouth. And you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. That asshole killed two hookers. That would have shamed my boss. He’s got pride. And I was only protecting his interests.”

  “Oh…the drug dealer? In his organization, I thought murder would be grounds for promotion.” She smiled and placed her hand over her heart. “But sorry, Sal. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive. I’d hate to besmirch your employer’s sterling reputation.”

  “You’re a regular smart-ass, but the cops got nothin’, and neither do you. Jake killed those whores. End of story. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let it go.”

  “That sounds like a threat, Sal.”

  “Whatever works for you, bitch,” he spat.

  When Alexa closed ranks, Pinzolo nudged his chin in challenge and waved her on.

  “You got somethin’ to say?” he asked.

  Alexa smiled with a slow easy curve to her lips.

  “Yeah, indulge me,” she replied in a low, throaty voice. “You see, I made you a promise when we met…when I warned you to let it go. Apparently, listening isn’t a strong suit of yours, but I’m a girl who keeps her promises.”

  “Sounds like trash talk, but you’re on my list, blondie.” He grinned. “You better have eyes in the back of your head.”

  “Oh I do, Sal.” She smiled and cocked her head. “And please…make me number one. I tend to be an overachiever.”

  By the look of Sal’s pulsing facial tic, her cavalier attitude really pissed him off—no doubt exactly what Alexa had in mind. Bullies always expected to dish it out, but never knew how to take it. Pinzolo was no different. And being confronted by women had probably never happened to him before.

  “Be careful what you ask for.” Pinzolo pointed at Alexa, then glared at Jess before he walked away, an iron-fisted hulking load of badass.

  She knew big talking was a weapon in her arsenal—a pure defense mechanism. Her bluster made it look as if she weren’t afraid of the bastard, but Jess knew the man posed a real threat. And it wouldn’t end here.

  “Flaunting is a highly unattractive quality, don’t you think?” Alexa stared at the man as he turned a corner. “And guys like Sal never know when to leave well enough alone.”

  “Yeah, unless they learn the hard way.” Jess chewed the inside corner of her lip.

  “Honey, I doubt the hard way would make an impression on Sal, but he’ll get what’s coming to him. I can assure you.”

  “Yeah, that’s a sure bet. And I’d pay serious coin to be there when it happened.”

  Midnight

  Nadir Beladi opened his eyes and stared into the dark shadows of his bedroom, not recognizing where he was at first. It took him a moment to get his bearings. With alcohol on his breath and the smell of sex on his sheets, he remembered the hooker he had brought to his room earlier, but she had been taken away after he was done with her. His men had seen to that.

  But something had awakened him. He was sure of it.

  And as he held his breath to listen, he felt a presence in the room. He remained still—his body taut—and peered through the dark for any signs of movement. Nothing. When he raised his head off the pillow, he heard a chilling sound. Someone had racked the slide of a gun and shoved the muzzle next to his ear, pressing it hard to the back of his skull.

  When the trespasser didn’t shoot, he dared to take a breath.

  “Who are you?” he asked. “And how did you get in here?” Not waiting for a reply, he ventured the real question on his mind. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

  “I know exactly who you are, Nadir.” A woman’s voice.

  She barely spoke above a whisper. And he did not detect an accent. He looked for any reflection of her face in a mirror. There was none. And he tried to place the voice, but nothing came.

  “If this is your idea of foreplay, I must say it is working. My cock is hard for you. Please…let me see your face.” He tried flattery, anything to keep her talking.

  She nudged the gun and thumped his head.

  “Ah.” He winced, but kept still. “What do you want?”

  The bitch had dared to injure him. Surely he would have a bruise by morning, if he survived.

  “Let’s get one thing straight,” the woman whispered. “I’ve got nothing but contempt for men like you. And I can only pray that you learn from your parents’ mistake and use birth control.”

  “Surely you did not come here merely to insult me.”

  “Why is that hard to believe?” She hesitated, then added, “But you’re right. And insulting a man like you is too easy. I’m here about justice. And believe me, you’ll want to hear what I’ve got to say.”

  The woman spoke and he listened. At first he was reluctant to believe what she had to say about Sal Pinzolo, his number one man. Even she admitted her conjectures were only speculative, but what she told him eventually made sense in light of his own observations. In the end she had planted a fertile seed of doubt and made him a believer.

  In America, a man was presumed innocent until proven guilty, a noble belief that had served him well in his many brushes with the local police. But in his world he could not afford such idealistic sentimentality. Such a view would be a weakness, to be sure. And men like Sal Pinzolo could be easily dealt with and replaced. The way he saw it, he had nothing to lose by ridding his house of a suspected traitor.

  Nothing.

  CHAPTER 30

  Two days later

  “Glad you could meet me on such short notice.” Sam shoved into a corner booth in the back of the Funky Buddha Lounge, hitting the bar for an early drink before it got crowded. It was a trendy metro watering hole with mural-covered walls and antique lighting that was more her friend’s style. Sam waited until the waitress brought their drink orders before she gave Jess the news.

  “Earlier today someone at the Adler Planetarium called to report a body floating in Lake Michigan off Lakeshore Drive. The medical examiner ID’d the body as Sal Pinzolo. He was capped twice in the back of the head, but not before someone carved him up. And the fish of Lake Michigan had their fill of Sal…like the rest of us. Can’t say I’m sorry he’s gone, for your sake.”

  Jess narrowed her eyes and stared at Sam before she took a long swig of her single malt scotch. In her world, mustering sympathy for anyone like Pinzolo wasn’t going to happen. The guy lived by the knife and died by it. Beladi must have found out what Sal had done. Or maybe his suspicions were enough reason to torture him for a real confession. But she had no doubt, the murder of Sal Pinzolo would end up a cold case with no leads.

  “I gave Jake Cordell the news, too. I think he had thoughts about recanting his story, but he’s probably even more afraid of Beladi with Sal not being his safety net, if he ever was.” Sam looked up from her drink. “You don’t seem too surprised.”

  Jess shook her head. “In my gut I know that Sal was the one who tortured those women, Sam. Their knife wounds had his signature all over them. He got what he deserved.” She downed the rest of her drink and gestured for the waitress to bring another. “And if Jake served Harper the Mickey, I doubt he was there when Sal killed Mandy. Jake was an ass, but I couldn’t see him standing by and watching that girl die, not like that.”

&nbs
p; Sam nodded, a grim look on her face. “I bet Jake was the anonymous caller, but he’s never admitted it.”

  “My gut tells me he was the driver who tailed me out to the murder scene the night I first met him at Dirty Monty’s, too.” She narrowed her eyes. “He got someone to cover for him, then waited until I drove away. That had to be him. I left Pinzolo and Beladi kissing the pavement.”

  “Kissing the pavement?”

  She’d never told Sam about the stun grenade, and now was not the time for true confessions.

  “Just a figure of speech.” She waggled her finger at Sam to change the subject. “But you know, there was a time I would have pegged Jason Burke as a killer.”

  Sam stared at her for a long moment but eventually went with the flow. No questions asked. “Yeah, me too. But get this. That jerk was fencing stolen merchandise on eBay.”

  “No, say it ain’t so.” Jess had to laugh. “Him sitting behind a computer would be a stretch, but having the balls to sell online is real chutzpah.”

  “Kind of creative, actually. With the anonymity of the Internet and the lack of online controls to monitor that kind of thing, Jason Burke was living on the cutting edge of technology…until we arrested him.”

  “Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.” Jess grinned. “Speaking of a real nice guy, how’s Ray?”

  “Ray is damned fine, sista.” Sam crooked her lip into a lazy smile and lowered her eyes, lost in a memory. And Jess couldn’t be happier for her childhood friend.

  “Yeah, I’d second that,” she agreed. “And whatever came of that bet you two had? Now that Harper’s a free man, you have to spill the details.”

  “Ray acknowledged that I won, but I think he knew I tag teamed him by using your help and Alexa’s. But the way I worked it, we’ll both win.”