Patrick and Shamus walked into the room, both of them glancing from Jerry to Andi. “All okay in here?” Patrick asked.
“We’re fine, Patty. Do you have a laptop?”
“Aye, I’ll get it for you.” He left, returning a few minutes later with an old Gateway. “It’s rather old, but it still works.”
Andi took the computer and placed it on the table. As much as she hated sharing anything with Palano, she not only needed to protect her sources—she also had to protect Shamus. “Shamus, pull up the email and let Detective Palano see it.”
Shamus raised an eyebrow but sat next to her, booted up the computer, and inserted the USB drive. “I hope this works.” The room was silent except for the click of keys. “Aye, I got it.” He turned the screen around.
Andi studied Jerry’s face as he read the email. She noted the grey sprinkled through his dark curls and the deep wrinkles on his forehead and around his mouth. Jesus, have I aged that much since the last time I saw him?
His cell rang, and he dug it out of his pocket, not taking his eyes off the email. “Palano.” His jawline hardened as he listened intently, nodding occasionally. “I’m on my way.” He ended the call and stuffed the phone into his jacket pocket. “She said she was going to kill again today. They just found another body in an alley off Third. He was stabbed, and his throat cut. I’ll find out why the cops are at your house, Andi, but in the meantime, you need to stay here. And stay away from this girl. She’s dangerous.”
Andi stood and grabbed her purse. “Come on, Irish, I smell a story that needs covering.”
Jerry blocked her path. “Damn it, stay here. I’ll come back or call and give you everything you need for your morning edition.”
Her cell beeped, and Andi glanced at the text from Sinclair. Call me from a safe phone. Urgent. “All right, Jerry, but I want an exclusive with all the details you normally hide from the press. Deal?”
Jerry pushed his way through the double doors, calling over his shoulder, “Deal.”
“Never thought you’d relent that easy, lass.” Patrick picked up the glasses and took them to the sink.
“Have you got a phone I can use?”
He nodded. “Behind the bar.”
Andi found the phone and dialed Sinclair’s number. This had better be good.
He picked up on the second ring, his voice breathless. “Andi?”
“What’s so urgent, Sinclair? There’s been another murder, and I need to get on it.”
“You got a call from a young girl, somebody named TK. Is that the killer?”
Andi’s hand tightened around the receiver. She needed to be cautious, even with Sinclair. TK’s life depended on it. “I don’t think so, but maybe. What did she say?”
“To go to the library on Third. Check out a book called The History of Snails.”
“Probably a prank, but I’ll get back with you.” Andi hung up the phone, rushed through the double doors and grabbed her purse. “Come on, Irish.”
“Palano told us to stay here. Where are we going?”
“To the library.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jerry stopped outside the alley and flashed his badge to the officer standing guard. He proceeded slowly, searching every inch of the ground in front of him. Beer bottles and cigarette butts littered the walkway, but he doubted any of them had been left behind by the killer. Officers Grange and Cooper knelt beside the body. Grange was at the top of his list as most likely to be involved with the payoffs. He liked Cooper and hoped he wasn’t part of it.
“Any witnesses?”
Grange glanced up, his eyes shadowing.
Anger or fear? Hard to tell with Grange.
“One. Sammons is interviewing him. We’ve got it under control until the ME gets here.”
Sammons was second on his list, and if the witness’s face was any indication, it was more than an interview. “I’ll give him a hand.”
Jerry ignored Grange’s muttered curse as he sidestepped trash and rescued the witness from Sammons. “You can go, Sammons. I’ll take over from here.”
Sammons’s jaws hardened, and his mouth clamped shut, his lips thinning to a hard line before he stalked toward Grange. Jerry studied the witness, who was visibly shaken, his face mottled with red blotches and his eyes darting around the area.
“There’s a coffee shop just around the corner. Let’s go grab a cup and I’ll take your statement.”
The man’s shoulders slumped, and his face relaxed. “Thanks.”
Jerry waited until they were seated and the waitress had brought their coffee before pulling out a small tape recorder. “I’ll try to make this as painless as possible. Finding a body is shocking, to say the least. Let’s start with your name.”
“Donald Gardner.” His hands shook as he lifted the coffee cup. “Scared the shit out of me.”
“Start from the beginning, and tell me everything you can remember.” Jerry picked up his cup and leaned back in the chair. He knew from experience that the more relaxed he appeared, the more relaxed the witness would become.
Gardner nodded. “I was walking down Third when I thought I heard a scream.” He gulped in air, and the spots on his face turned a brighter shade of red. “Thought it might be some poor woman in trouble, so I stopped at the entrance to the alley and glanced in.” His body started to shake, and he plopped the cup on the table. “Never seen anything like that before.”
Jerry waited, giving him a moment to pull himself together. “What exactly did you see, Mr. Gardner?”
“Blood was spurting and this girl was standing there holding the knife and crying and screaming.”
“You didn’t see her kill him?”
“No, but she had the knife. I mean, I didn’t see nobody else there.”
“What happened then?” Jerry coaxed softly.
“She just stood there staring down at the body.” Gardner sighed. “I must have made a noise, because she wiped the knife on his jacket, grabbed his phone, and ran.”
“She took his phone?”
Gardner nodded. “Yeah, it was lying on the ground next to him. Who kills somebody for a freaking phone?”
Jerry sipped his coffee, urging his body to relax. “Did you tell Officer Sammons about the phone?”
“Nah, all he was interested in was the girl. Wanted to know how tall she was and if she had brown hair.” His lips pulled down at the corners. “Bastard asked me if I’d seen her around here before, and if I liked young girls.”
The hair on Jerry’s neck stood up, and a vein in his right temple started to twitch. It was beginning to look like this was one of the cases for which officers were being paid to look the other way. He wouldn’t have to search too hard to find out who had put the officers in front of Andi’s house. Once the news hit that the killer was talking to her, Andi wouldn’t be safe anywhere. “Can you describe the girl, Mr. Gardner?”
“Like I told him, I didn’t really see her all that well. Too many shadows in the alley, and to be honest with you, I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood dripping from that knife. Thought I was gonna puke, piss, and crap my pants right there in front of everybody.”
Jerry turned off the tape recorder and pulled a card from his pocket. “You’ve been a great help, Mr. Gardner. If you remember anything else, would you call me?”
Gardner nodded. “What about that officer? Sammons or whatever his name was. Wasn’t right the way he treated me.”
Jerry ignored the question. If Gardner filed a complaint on Sammons, and he and Grange were somehow involved in this, then Gardner wouldn’t be safe either. “Are you married, Mr. Gardner?”
“No.”
“Any friends or family that you can visit, or spend a few days with?”
“My brother lives in Riverdale.” His eyes enlarged. “Do you think I need to leave town?”
“Something like this can be a huge shock. Having someone to talk to can help you get through it.”
Gardner gave him a trembling sm
ile. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go visit my brother and his family for a few days.”
Jerry stood and stuck out his hand. “Don’t worry about Officer Sammons, and don’t forget to call me if you remember anything else, even if you don’t think it’s important.”
“Will do.”
Jerry said goodbye to the witness and left the diner.
He strolled back to the crime scene. Normally, he would have worked it first, but Gardner had looked terrified, and he could see why. He entered the alley and watched as the ME rolled the body over, and a photographer continued to take pictures.
“Hey, Frank. Have we got an ID yet?”
“Gary Marconi.” Frank Devers looked up at him. “I don’t guess you need the cause of death.”
The gaping wound just below Marconi’s chin was already turning a purplish color, and Jerry chuckled, but only because it was what Frank expected him to do. His job came with a lot of fake grins and chuckles. It was the only way most of them knew to deal with the horror of the things they saw daily. “Don’t guess I do. Anything else of significance I need to know?”
“Not until I get him to the morgue. I’ll bag up the clothes and have them ready for you.”
“What happened to the three officers here?”
Frank lifted one shoulder and let it drop before placing plastic bags over Marconi’s hands. “Got a call and rushed out of here. Hope it’s not another body. This makes my third one this week.”
“Give me a call as soon as you’ve finished your autopsy. And Frank?”
“Yeah.”
“Compare the knife wounds to those on Barnsworth.”
Frank finalized his preparations and nodded to the crew, who waited with a body bag. “Doubt it’s the same killer. Barnsworth looked like an act of desperation. Whoever killed Marconi committed a crime of passion. The stab wounds in his back left huge bruises.”
“Thanks, Frank.” Jerry headed to the street, scanning the area for any signs of Grange or Sammons. First priority was to get a trace started on Marconi’s phone. Sammons knew more about the girl than he was letting on, and Jerry was pretty sure that they’d be looking at another body unless he found the girl first.
He pulled out his phone to call Andi.
~ ~ ~
“Maybe you should park on Second, and we’ll walk around.” Shamus nodded toward the traffic jam one block down. “Palano may still be at the scene, and if he spots us, we’re gonna be toast.”
“That’s not how it works here, Irish. Don’t ever be scared of the cops. You’re a reporter. If you step on a few toes, it will only make them respect you more.” Andi shot him a grin and turned down an unmarked side street. “But parking on Second is a great idea.” She whipped into a parking spot and turned off the engine. “And just so you know, Palano is the least of my worries.”
“Someday, you’ll have to tell me the history behind you two.” Shamus unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out. “Might make a bestselling novel.”
Andi slammed her door. “There is no history, so just forget it, Shamus. I have.” With that, she stomped toward the intersection. She stopped as she turned the corner to scour the street. She wasn’t afraid of Jerry, but she didn’t want to have to explain what they were doing there, either. Fortunately for her, the library was only half a block down, and the crime scene was at least a block away, if the crowd was any indication. Shamus walked up beside her, and she gave him a brief smile to indicate all was forgiven. “Do you have a library card?”
“Aye, doesn’t everyone?”
Andi laughed and slipped her arm through his as they made their way down the block and up the library steps. “No, Irish, just the studious ones.”
“Do you know what you’re looking for?” Shamus asked, opening the door for her.
Andi nodded, taking in the vast expanse of wall-to-wall books. She hadn’t been to a library in years. “The History of Snails. Where’s the card catalogue?”
“You’re showing your age, lass. Haven’t had those in years.” He pointed to a computer. “Come on. I’ll show you how to use the electronic card catalogue.” Shamus chuckled, booted up the computer, and entered the name. “Okay, see these numbers?”
“Come on, Irish, just show me where the damn book is. The library is going to close in a few minutes.”
“You’re no fun, Andi.” Shamus turned off the computer and walked down the aisles, checking the labels on the end of each shelf. “Should be here.”
Andi hurried down the row of books and spotted the book she was looking for. She pulled it off the shelf and flipped through the pages. “There’s a bookmark here.” Scrawled across the margins of the bookmark was a message that made her blood pump fast, and her rage at a system where rich men did whatever they wanted rose. “Let’s get out of here.” She shoved the book back on the shelf and the bookmark into her jacket pocket.
Shamus followed her under the watchful eye of the older woman at the desk.
“Couldn’t find what you were looking for?” the desk clerk asked.
Andi stopped. An idea formed as she walked to the desk, giving the clerk what she hoped was her most amicable smile. She pulled out the picture Jasmine had given her and placed it on the counter. “Have you seen this girl in here lately?”
The older woman pushed her glasses up on her nose and squinted at the picture. “Yes, she was in here earlier this afternoon. Trashy little piece. Probably riddled with disease and drugs.” She smiled at Shamus. “Are you the police? That one had the look of someone who belongs behind bars.”
Andi felt her fingers starting to curl inward. She snatched up the photo, and her lips opened just as Shamus grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. “Just concerned citizens, ma’am,” he said.
He let go of her when the door closed behind them. “Calm down, lass. Beating an old woman won’t help our cause. And where did you get that picture?”
“Jasmine gave it to me.” Andi took off toward the corner at a fast pace. “There’s a ten-thousand-dollar reward out for her from unknown sources. Gambini is looking for her too, but for other reasons.”
“So why show it to the librarian?”
“There’s something horrible happening here, Shamus. I wanted to be sure the person who left the note really was TK.”
“So you think the girl in the photo is TK?”
“I suspected it was her.”
Shamus picked up his pace to catch up with her. “What did the note say?”
“She’s running out of places to hide, and she’s starving. She needs money for food and a hiding place.” Andi sighed. “And she told me to be careful with businessmen or professionals. There are three more men involved in killing the girls, plus someone they all call the boss. We need to find a safe drop site to exchange information.”
“Why does she think they’re businessmen and professionals?”
“If Barnsworth was involved in this—and clearly he was—then whoever else is involved is probably also high up the food chain.”
They reached the car, and Andi glanced behind her, her brows knitting together. She had some sources on the street, but for ten thousand dollars, most of them would turn their own mothers in. If there really were twelve bodies out there, that reward would probably go up substantially over time. “Did you find anything on those names?”
Shamus shook his head. “No, but there wasn’t a lot of time before the Gar—cops showed up. I’ll try again when I get home. So where to now?”
Andi started the car and sighed. “Now, we twist Sinclair’s arm and see if he’ll part with some cash.”
“Forgot to tell you. I traced the IP on the email to a cheap motel near the Strip.”
“Even if you use motel internet, don’t you have to have your own email address?”
“Aye, traced that too. Belonged to a David Singles in Boulder, Colorado. Tried tracing it further, but all I could find was an obituary for Mr. Singles.”
“Obits usually list family names. Did
he have a daughter?”
“Oddly, no family was listed in the obit.”
“Well, if the email is still active it has to be attached to someone’s internet account, which means someone has to be paying the bill. We may have to make a trip to Colorado.”
“Or we could just turn it over to Palano. He’d get the information quicker.”
“I hate it when you say something that actually makes sense. That’s the last thing in the world I want to do.”
Shamus punched the air. “One for O’Conner, and zero for Carter.”
“The fight isn’t over until the final round, and I’ve got a knockout punch. Have you got a name for that motel?”
“American something or another.”
“I know the place.” Andi took a sharp right turn, and horns blared behind her. “It’s on the way, so we’ll swing by and see if anyone recognizes the picture.”
“I don’ think you should do that, Andi.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re tired and not really thinking clearly. The librarian identified her, and if you show it around, eventually it will get back to whoever is looking for her, or to Palano. Besides that, we need to catch Sinclair before he leaves for the day.”
Andi turned right again and headed toward her office. “Damn it, that’s two for O’Conner and zero for Carter. And if you punch the air again, I swear I’ll put you out, and you can walk.”
Shamus did his victory punch and chuckled. “It’s a lovely day, and I’m not worried. You need me to help you twist Sinclair’s arm.”
Andi parked in front of the building and exited the vehicle. They were asking for money from one of the tightest bastards in the world. It was going to take more than arm-twisting.
CHAPTER NINE
Sinclair read the bookmark and the email again. A light flush crept up his neck, and a distinct glitter shined in his pale-grey eyes.
The old bastard is about to drool.
“Shamus, I need to talk to Andi alone. Close the door on your way out.”
She waited until the door closed then pounced. “Don’t you dare tell me you don’t want to run this story, because if you do, I swear I’ll take it to another paper.”
The 13th Victim Page 5
