A Kettle of Hawks (The Birdwatcher Series Book 3)

by European P. Douglas

  “I’ve been looking over Sarah’s cases for the last couple of years. Your name comes up a lot,” Delgado said.

  “So you have been checking up on her,” Tyler said.

  “I have her best interests at heart,” Delgado said sourly, “Can you say the same?”

  “What is it you think is going on?” Tyler said looking at Delgado a moment before concentrating on the road again. “Do you think I’m a threat or something?” Something stung in Delgado’s eyes at this but it wasn’t that he was interested in Sarah, Tyler felt, but what then?

  “Sarah and I are partners and nothing more,” Delgado said, “I’m in a long, committed relationship!” Tyler heard the hurt in Delgado’s voice and knew it was personal to his own romantic situation.

  “I also have a professional relationship with her,” Tyler said, “As much as she will allow.”

  “You’re not good for her career.”

  “I beg to differ, if it wasn’t for me she wouldn't have half the leads she gets and also she could be dead and the hands of her last partner. Didn’t you read that part of the case?”

  “I read everything,” Delgado’s shot back. He was getting heated now and Tyler was enjoying it, “What isn’t written in those pages is how you come across all of this information. Getting anonymous untraceable calls all the time like that?”

  “That’s how it happened, I can’t control that.”

  “It smells like bullshit.”

  “That sounds like you’re accusing me of something Agent Delgado, care to come out and say what’s on your mind?” Tyler said as he pulled the car over and came to skidding stop on the side verge, a cloud of dust rising around the car that left them completely invisible to the outside for a few seconds. Tyler was enjoying this pantomime and by the look on Delgado’s face it was working.

  “Take it easy, Mr Ford, nobody's accusing you of anything,” Delgado said in his calming voice again. “Now can you please get us back on the road?” Tyler waited a moment, staring straight ahead as though he was doing his best to calm down too. After a few seconds he put the car back in gear and edged back out into the traffic.

  “What is the point of our conversations today?” Tyler asked.

  “I wanted to know who you were, and let you know who I am. I also want to tell you to keep away from Sarah. When you’re involved she gets in trouble and I’ve seen that first hand.”

  “Sarah’s a big girl and more importantly she’s an experienced and excellent agent, she can look after herself.”

  “Everybody needs someone to look out for their best interests,” Delgado said.

  “I’ve always looked out for Sarah’s best interests,” Tyler said, deliberately misinterpreting what he’d said. If it annoyed Delgado he didn’t let it show this time.

  “Well, it’s good we’ve met,” the agent said after another long silence.

  “I’ve a feeling it won’t be the last time,” Tyler said, hoping to poke at him.

  “Only time will tell,” Delgado said. “You can let me out at the lights here if that’s okay?”

  “That’s fine,” Tyler said and he drifted to the curb and stopped the car.

  “Thanks for the lift,” Delgado said as he got out of the car.

  “Think nothing of it,” Tyler said. “You know, if you ever want to make a few extra bucks or you want something to see the light of day that pisses you off in the bureaucratic world, just give me a call. No one ever knows who my sources are, I can keep you safe.” Delgado peered at him through the window for a moment and then stood up straight, his face now out of view and walked away.

  “Thanks again for the lift,” he called back.

  Tyler watched him go for a short time. Rain began to fall and it was a welcome change to that of California. He didn’t quite know what to make of Pedro Delgado. He seemed like a good man. Sarah could do worse for a partner, indeed she had done worse before. One thing was for sure, it wasn’t going to be the last time Tyler and Delgado met.

  Chapter 40

  Sarah heard the call coming in over the police channel as she was on her way to the North Precinct. She couldn't believe her ears. She knew the address, had been there very recently. All she was waiting for now was the confirmation that the man killed was Staines.

  The name came.

  Sarah turned the car around, ignoring the traffic around and the honking horns of those angry by her switchback. She had to get to the scene, immediately. She had to hope that this time there was going to be some clue. The pool of suspect's was diminishing by the day, at this rate, they would all be dead within the week.

  Who the hell was supposed to have been watching this guy? Nobody obviously. She called Delgado,

  "You hearing this?" she asked.

  "I did, I'm on my way out." He was in the Academy, much farther away than she was. It would be over an hour before he arrived.

  Sarah arrived at the scene. Once more she was there before forensics. Once again, after the detective Mike Duggan. She could recall vividly the last time she was here to check off family members. It seemed so odd that death could visit so soon after. She could feel it in the air, had that feeling been there the last time she was here? She didn't think so. But she couldn't say for sure.

  The bathroom scene was the same as the others had been. Sarah looked behind the door for a message on the wall. This time there was nothing, however, so it was different again, at least in that small way.

  “Keep an eye out for any messages,” she said to Mike. He nodded and she knew that he was already doing it. She liked the way he searched the scene in his quiet and particular ways. He was the kind of detective the FBI could always get along with, the kind who’d been in the job for years and knew there was no point fighting and knew the value of the FBI. He was the kind of man who would call in the FBI, before it was fully warranted. Acutely aware of what extra resources could do for a case, especially in those early times when evidence was still fresh, bodies still warm.

  Delgado arrived after an hour while Sarah was outside, taking some notes and a drawing. She liked to take sketches of the scene even though she knew that somebody more professional would be doing such a thing. But she liked to see the shape of things sooner to look for patterns in her own mind.

  The apartments were all different shapes and not much alike but they were similar in some ways too, and importantly there was always a bathtub.

  How had the killer found this out? How on earth would the killer know that each person that he chose as a victim had a bathtub instead of just shower?

  Was he a plumber perhaps? Someone with access to building records or plans? Sarah shook her head, she was tired.

  “You okay?” Delgado asked with concern. Sarah noticed bags still under his eyes, he wasn't sleeping either still worried about things with Angela. How long was it before she got over Marcus and began sleeping half well again?

  “Yeah, I'm fine,” she replied, “Just thinking the killer knows these guys all have bathtubs.”

  “We need a list of plumbers in the general Baltimore area,” Delgado said.

  “Or people with access to plans for all the buildings used,” Sarah added.

  “We can't do all that,” Delgado said sounding angry, “Have you got any idea how many people that might be?”

  “Well, there's only one way to find out,” Sarah said grimly.

  “Found something!” one of the forensics team called.

  “Over in the kitchen,” Duggan said nodding from the doorway for Saran and Delgado to follow.

  Sarah came over pulling a mask above her mouth and Delgado did the same.

  The guy from forensics stepped back from an open cupboard door under the sink to let them get closer to see.

  On the inside of the door was a message written in blood, just the same as the last-

  You can't catch me- it said

  “Sticking to the same theme,” Delgado said

  “Seems that way,” Sarah said. “I’m the Gingerbread Ma
n.” Did that mean there was one more killing to come? There were three more suspects. One killer two victims, or two killers and one victim to go? There was no way to be sure. Killers like to play games like this, they always had. And unfortunately she felt, they always would.

  “We need to run this blood against the victims. That's the obvious scenario, but this is completely different,” Sarah said, “Keep searching, there still may be more messages.” From the look she got inside the cupboard it may not have been opened for a very long time until the killer did so.

  Sarah went back to the bathroom. It wasn't too often that she saw people dead who she'd seen alive in real life. Normally her first meeting of these people was when they were already dead. It felt strange to know this man's voice, the way his eyes poured out the nervousness within him. What the hell did the suspects know that they were not sharing?

  Whatever it was, it was getting them killed.

  The body was slumped the same way as the others. Not exactly- none of them were; it was an impossible thing to do, to have people slumped in the exact same position- but it was as close to it as possible. People looking at the photographs wouldn't notice any difference.

  “So, you think, one more murder to go?” Delgado asked.

  “Yeah” Sarah said, “if the nursery rhyme is anything to go by.”

  “You think it is?”

  “I have no idea,” Sarah admitted, “Why would he start in the middle of a rhyme? In which case why would he finish at the end, it just doesn't make any sense”.

  “And it also doesn't make sense that these guys are hiding something that's getting them all killed, but that's where we are,” Delgado said letting out a sigh. Sarah felt so glad that he felt the same way she did, but also saw the perplexity in his eyes. He had no more clue than she did about what was happening. No hints, no hunch.

  “I'm beginning to think the immigrant might be real. Not a real immigrant but there is a real person, someone else behind all this,” Sarah said.

  “You’re talking about Spalding?'' Delgado asked. She looked at him a moment trying to read his eyes.

  “Ultimately, yes,” she said, “but no. I think somebody else, a middleman. Someone who has no choice. Spalding has done this before. It's always one step between him, the killer and the victim. I have no doubt in my mind he's orchestrating this whole thing. But I also know we won't ever find any shred of evidence against him for these murders.”

  “So who then? Who could have access to all of these guys?”

  “They must all have something to hide so we just have to find out what it is. Once we do, we’ll find our killer,” Sarah said.

  “We've tried this already. We got nothing, no delivery man, no drug dealers, no missing family or even a work associate, nothing. Absolutely nothing links these men.”

  “Something must,” Sarah said, “We've just missed it. We can't afford to miss it anymore. We need to find it now or someone else is going to get killed.”

  “This feels like it's on us,” Delgado said nodding to Staines’ body. Sarah looked at him, she understood how he felt. These people were dead because they hadn't found a killer. It was an act of failing Sarah was well used to, but something Delgado had no experience of. It was going to be a tough first outing with the unit for him.

  “We're going to need to protect the final suspects, to keep them monitored at all times,” she said.

  “I'm going to want to be part of that,” Delgado said, “I need to feel like I'm doing something more.” Sarah knew what he meant and she would want to be part of the protective detail too for one of the men.

  “I want some skin in the game too,” Mike Duggan said from across the room. They both looked at him. He had the look of a man who was thinking deeply. "This bullshit’s gone on for too long," he said, “The city's name has been dragged through the mud, and much worse my precinct’s name is getting dragged along with it!”

  Sarah could see he was angry, she remembered being where he was and feeling attacked. Being a detective wasn't an easy life. You're on the ground with these types of cases, day in, day out, seeing the scene, seeing bodies, seeing the murders. Feeling the pressure of everyone watching and criticizing every move you make.

  “We better set up round the clock surveillance for the suspects straight away,” Sarah said. “Every second they are not protected is a chance of death for them.”

  “I already got my men checking on them,” Duggan said, “I should hear back any minute now.”

  “Let’s hope we don’t hear back about any more dead bodies,” Sarah said.

  Chapter 41

  Tyler was surprised when he discovered it was Sarah calling him again. They had only spoken yesterday when she wanted to make sure they had their stories agreed in case someone from the FBI or police wanted to ask Tyler about the meeting in the woods. She had sounded rattled and they’d agreed to get their stories straight in advance in future.

  “Have you heard about the murder of Staines?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Tyler said, “I’ve been looking at some police dispatches about it just now.” It was enjoyable for him to tell her about his access to police information knowing she couldn’t do anything about it without causing herself great trouble.

  “Yeah,” she ignored him, “It’s so sad. Some kick in the teeth.”

  “They are still playing gingerbread man?”

  “Still playing,” she replied.

  “Have you got any suspects other than the guys who are going to be killed?” He said this in such an offhand way that it took them both by surprise. A little mistake, but it was the first time he’d ever let the mask slip, even a faction. Sarah wouldn't see it as such. If she had suspicions she might see it as such. But there was no way she had suspicions on the one person that she could talk to.

  “We know there's another person. We just have no clue who it might be. I'm assuming it’s the same for you or I would have read about in the paper, or you would have come to me with that?” Sarah said

  “I would have come to you,” Tyler said, “I've got nothing. I've been trying. I'm tired. I was in California for the Spekler thing. That took a few days out of me with the travel back and forth. I thought I must be coming down with something.”

  “That's a long flight,” Sarah said, “and seeing someone die like that is a harrowing ordeal. Not suitable for anybody, especially not in a work setting.”

  “But that's just what it was,” Tyler said though at that moment, he didn't know why.

  Tyler had a flash image of himself, standing over Sarah’s body, removing her eyelids in the forest. Her eyes gazing up at him, though in this fantasy the eyes smiled when they saw him and he was happy.

  “I got a visit from your partner” he said; he wanted to change the subject of both the conversation and his thoughts.

  “Delgado?” she asked, surprised.

  “Yeah. He came on pretty heavy with me. Like an ex-boyfriend telling me to stay away from you. He didn't want me near you, nothing too crazy. He just thinks whenever I'm around you, you get in trouble.”

  “He's not wrong on that score,” Sarah said.

  “We both know that’s not down to me,” Tyler said, “but our mutual friend.” He wondered how she would feel at that name to describe Spalding.

  “Well, I guess Delgado is having a bit of a tough time at the moment,” she said.

  “Though moving up to the proper FBI?”

  “Yes. Something like that. His marriage just broke down too, that's never good for anybody.”

  “No,” Tyler agreed absently. He saw the seething anger in Delgado’s eyes and understood now it wasn't for him. Talking to Tyler like that was something he could feel in control of, that was all it was. “Maybe they’ll get back together,” Tyler finished. He thought of Sarah's loss of her relationship just then of how fragile she’d been when she came over that night and she had slept with him. Was she thinking of that too right now? Could he turn her thoughts that way?


  “Maybe,” she replied to his comment.

  “You don’t sound yourself,” he said, “Are you still upset about getting chewed out yesterday by Daniels?”

  “I guess so,” Sarah replied. She didn’t say anything immediately after but Tyler waited for a moment. “I’m tired too. I ‘ve been dreaming about a vacation in the short blinks that qualify as sleep each night lately.”

  “Why don’t you come over here?” Tyler said, “Get away from everything for a while?”

  “To your place?” she asked and in her voice he heard both surprise at the offer but also deeper in there a happiness to be asked and perhaps a desire to. If not a desire for him or for sex then at least a desire to be for companionship with someone she could be completely honest with.

  “Why not, I can cook something for you?”

  “I don’t know that would be such a good idea right now,” Sarah said, her voice like that of someone doing their best not to say yes to something.

  “Really? Why not?” he asked.

  “It’s just the idea of the drive and I’m tired and,” she stalled a moment, “You know.”

  “I guess I do know,” he said. Tyler felt he would have been able to talk her into coming over with only a couple more sentences but he decided against it. The image of killing her was a little unsettling, especially so soon after his last kill, and scarier still was the image of her seeing him for who he really was. If she came over and they had some drinks and ended up in bed would he want to tell her who he was? Did he still want to save her as he did when he first heard about her case?

  “I was calling to see if you had any information I didn’t know about the case, but it doesn’t seem like you do,” Sarah said after a short pause.

  “No, I’m back on it today, though, so maybe I’ll get something. If I do I’ll let you know right away.”

  “Thanks Tyler.”

  “You should go home and get some sleep,” he suggested.