by Mary Burton
“Give or take,” Jim said as he moved forward, squatting beside the body. He rolled the woman on her back and studied her with a keen intensity. He brushed the hair from her face as he shook his head.
Novak hit the “Pause” button. “He looks at the victim as if he knows her.”
She studied the frame, searching for what Novak saw. “He may have crossed paths with her on the streets. He worked the city for years.”
“It’s more than that.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means his expression reads shock as well as sadness. He knew her well enough to be saddened by her death.”
She challenged Novak as any good cop would. “How can you say that?”
“Come on, you worked undercover,” Novak said. “I bet you read body language better than most.”
Julia leaned into the picture, looking at her father, knowing he was a man of so many secrets. She hit “Play” and watched as he rubbed his temple and slowly blinked. “Maybe he knew her from one of his undercover jobs. Maybe a confidential informant.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say it was more than a professional relationship,” Novak said. “Look at his expression. The way he brushes the hair from her face.”
“CIs are people, Novak. They have hopes and dreams. Cops working with CIs can see the good in them at times.”
“That ever happened to you?”
“Sure.”
But Novak was right. Julia had seen it, too. Jim’s stoic expression didn’t hide the grief the cop had for the victim.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Wednesday, November 1, noon
Novak and Julia found Gene Tanner, the husband of the first victim, in the back office of his sports bar, Touchdown. He was frowning at a wide-screen computer that displayed multiple columns of numbers, mostly red. With glasses perched on his nose, he glared at the numbers.
Julia moved to knock, but when she met Novak’s gaze, she put him to work. “Batter up.”
Nodding, Novak rapped on the door and waited for the man to look up. “Mr. Tanner.”
The man’s face scrunched with annoyance. “You’re cops. What do you want?” He pulled off his glasses and tossed them on his desk. “You all look alike to me. It’s like you go to a school to be trained to stick out.”
Novak had carefully studied Tanner’s profile in the Hangman files. He’d been one of the initial suspects in his wife’s death. The detectives had leaned on him hard until the second victim’s body had been found suspended in a nearby warehouse.
Novak pulled out his badge as Julia held up hers. “We’re here to talk to you about the Hangman case.”
Tanner’s chair squeaked as he leaned back. “Hangman? I haven’t heard that name in years. Why do you guys care about him?”
“We’re reviewing the case,” Julia said. “There’s no statute of limitations on murder.”
Tanner rose and ran his hand through his hair. “So what do you want from me? I was cleared of all charges in my wife’s death when that psycho killer murdered those other women.”
“Bear with us,” Julia said. The strain in her voice suggested making nice wasn’t her talent. “We’re interviewing all those involved in the three 1992 cases.”
“Those involved? Sounds nice the way you put it. You mean suspects, right?” Tanner asked.
Julia didn’t rise to the bait. “Do you remember the last time you saw your wife?”
Tanner eyed her and didn’t respond right away. Realizing the cops weren’t leaving without answers, he sighed his resignation. “Yeah, sure, I remember. She was working at the bar. She was supposed to get off early that night so she could go out with a friend. It was a Tuesday. One of our slowest nights, so I told her to go and enjoy herself. She worked long hours to make the bar a success . . .” The man’s voice trailed off.
“Where were Rene and this friend meeting that night?” Julia asked.
“I didn’t know. Rene was a free spirit, and she didn’t like it when I asked too many questions.” He shifted, straightened his shoulders. “I told all this to the cops a million different times. They were so sure I had done it that they kept asking me the same question over and over again. But the answer was the answer. I didn’t know where she went.”
“You and your wife had a volatile marriage, Mr. Tanner,” Julia said. “The cops responded to a couple of domestic disturbance calls.”
“We had our ups and downs.” He pointed to a scar on his forehead. “She could give as good as she got,” Tanner said.
“Who was the friend she went out with?” Novak asked.
“That I do remember. Rita. I never got Rita’s last name. She worked at another bar up the street.”
“Rita?” Novak asked. A connection between the two women underscored his belief that the Hangman had killed Rita. “You sure about that name?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Rita was coming around. She and Rene hit it off. It was hard to forget Rita. The woman had tits that could make a man sit up and beg for more.”
“What can you tell us about Rita?” Julia asked.
“Is she the newest suspect?” Tanner challenged.
“She’s a part of the picture,” Julia said. “She might have been the last person to see Rene.”
“Why aren’t you talking to her, then?” Tanner asked.
Novak ignored the question. “What do you remember about Rita?”
“Other than the tits? Reddish hair. Big laugh. Easy on the eyes. Always good for business to have a hot working girl hanging around. She wasn’t always so smart. Probably why she was arrested so much that summer.”
“I don’t remember you mentioning Rita’s name in the initial interview,” Novak said.
“I told ’em,” he said. “I can’t help it if they didn’t write her name in the files. They wrote everything else down that I said.”
Novak kept his expression blank. “The distance between Stella’s and Billy’s is eight blocks?” Novak asked.
“Stella’s. I haven’t heard that name in a long time. I sold the place a year after Rene died. Too many memories. But yeah, eight blocks is right. The area was different then. Rough. But the rent was cheap and it was a chance for Rene and me to get a start.”
“You were partners with Rene in the bar, right?” Novak asked.
“Yeah. Half and half. And yes, I did inherit her half when she died. It was the motive the cops focused on over and over. And for the record, I sold the bar at a loss.”
“Did anyone see her and Rita walking in the area that night?” Julia challenged.
“I asked around, but no one really noticed. Read the old case files. Those two detectives talked to everyone on the street. Acted like it was their personal vendetta to catch the killer.”
“Isn’t that what cops are supposed to do?” Novak asked.
“That’s what happens in the nice neighborhoods, but it didn’t happen around here much. Everybody knew this area was the Wild West back in the day when I first came here. Park a car too far down the hill and expect to lose hubcaps or tires. Walk alone at night, odds were you’d get mugged.”
“So Rene leaves here about when?”
“Eight o’clock on a Tuesday night,” Tanner said.
“And she doesn’t make it home. What happened next?” Julia asked.
“When I woke up, I didn’t notice she wasn’t there right away.”
“Why? She was your wife,” Julia said.
“We weren’t sleeping in the same room at the time. I’ve never slept well. Getting up and lying down all the time was driving her crazy. She moved into the guest room in our loft. It was supposed to be for a night or two, but by the time she died, it had been months. Honestly, I think she liked it that way. Rene wanted her privacy.”
“So you wake up, get your coffee, and go on about your day?” Novak asked.
“Yeah. I almost looked in on her, but I had to get to the bar. We were expecting a delivery. The workday started, and I lost track of time. It wasn’
t until she didn’t show up for her shift that I got worried.”
“What did you do?” Julia asked.
“Called the apartment. The answering machine kept picking up. By the time I left the third message, I was pissed.”
“You made nasty threats on that tape,” Julia said. “I remember, I’m going to mess you up if you don’t haul your ass over here.”
“How do you remember shit like that?” Tanner asked.
“I read the transcripts in the files a few times,” she said.
Tanner shrugged. “I could talk rough to Rene when I was mad, but she could be the same way with me. Like I said, she gave as good as she got. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest way, but it’s all we knew.”
“So she wasn’t answering the phone,” Novak prompted.
“Yeah. So I went by our apartment, and she wasn’t there. I thought she was sleeping one off. I called Rita at her work.”
“Billy’s?” Julia prompted.
“Yeah. Rita said she hadn’t seen Rene since about midnight. They shared drinks and laughs, and then Rita met up with her boyfriend. Again, I thought it was a Girls Gone Wild kind of scenario. But when Rene didn’t show after a few days, I called the police. They sent a beat cop to take my missing persons report. The cop didn’t look too worried. He figured my wife would probably show up when she was good and ready.”
“She ever take off for a couple of days?” Novak asked.
“Sure. Sometimes. But she always came back.”
“They found Rene four days later in a warehouse three blocks from your bar,” Julia said.
“Yeah. That’s when the two detectives took over the case. They were so damn sure I was the one who killed her. But when they told me she was strung up by her neck and bound in ropes . . . shit. That was pure evil.”
“Whatever happened to Rita? Did you tell the cops about her?”
Tanner shook his head. “Yeah, I told the detectives. At first, one of ’em thought I was making up the Rita story. They wouldn’t quit. Kept asking me what I really did with my wife. But I kept telling them to ask Rita.”
“And did they?” Novak asked.
“They said they did. They told me Rita lost track of Rene after that night.”
There was no mention of any interview with a Rita or similar person in the notes. Ken didn’t remember Rita, but that didn’t mean he’d not known her.
“I never hated cops until then,” Tanner said.
Novak ran his hand along his tie. “They established fairly quickly that you had an alibi when the second victim was found.”
“Yeah. They told me I shouldn’t leave town, but that was bullshit. I took off with a couple of buddies, and we went to Atlantic City to blow off steam for the weekend. That’s when the second woman vanished and was found. I was off the hook.” Tanner’s eyes narrowed. “I saw your badges, but I didn’t catch your names.”
“Detective Tobias Novak, Richmond City Police.”
“Julia Vargas. Virginia State Police.”
Tanner cocked his head. “Vargas. Shit. I thought you looked familiar. There can’t be too many of you running around. How did you know the detective?”
“He was my father.”
Tanner shook his head. “Well, if you want me to make nice about the guy, I won’t. He was a real son of a bitch. I didn’t like him during the murder investigation or before.”
“Before?” Novak asked.
“He worked in narcotics as an undercover in this area. I didn’t recognize him at first when he and his sidekick interviewed me about Rene. He was all clean-shaven and wearing a suit. But when he spoke, I recognized the voice. Sounded like gravel.” He cocked his head as he studied Julia with newfound interest. “You have his eyes. How old were you when he offed himself?”
“Young.”
Novak heard the sharp tension in her response and sensed she needed a second to process. “So Jim Vargas was around the bar a lot before Rene died?” Novak asked.
“Yeah. I mentioned I’d seen him before, but he and his partner shrugged it off. Your old man was too wrapped up in the investigation. He pressed me hard to confess, and was relentless. It was like he was looking for a way to deflect the attention from himself.”
“What did he do when he came by Stella’s before Rene died?” Julia asked.
“Sat at one of the corner tables and drank. Guy could pound the booze. People would come by and meet with him. They’d talk in low voices so no one would hear. I knew he was up to some shit, but he didn’t bother my customers, so I let it go. Not my business.”
“Did Jim Vargas know Rene?”
“Sure. She served him drinks. And a couple of times I saw him chatting her up. He could make her laugh, which was a rare sight.”
“You ever think something was going on between them?” Novak asked. Tension rolled off Julia, but she understood no question was off the table.
“I never had proof,” Tanner said. “But Rene could keep her secrets.”
“What kind?”
“If I knew that, then they wouldn’t be secret.” He shook his head. “Look, I don’t want to speak against her. She’s been gone twenty-five years, and she was my wife. I still did love her.” He looked at Julia. “And sorry for what I said about your old man. I thought all those old emotions were dead and buried, but I guess they’re still there. You were a kid. None of it was your fault.”
Julia’s smile held little warmth. “Convenient for you to be in Atlantic City when Tamara Brown was murdered.”
“What’s that mean?” Tanner asked.
“What’s it, a five-hour drive?” Julia asked.
“Sure, without traffic, which is never,” Tanner said.
“A small plane could do the trick,” Julia said.
“That’s enough,” Tanner said.
“Tamara Brown’s bindings were not as intricate as Rene’s,” she added. “Cops assumed the killer was in a rush.”
Tanner jabbed a fat finger at her. “I’m trying to be nice, but I’ve had enough. I’m not doing this again.”
“What?” she asked.
“Being strung up for a crime I didn’t do.”
“Did I hit a nerve?” Julia asked.
“I’m calling my attorney.”
“Bad idea,” she said. “No statute of limitations on murder even with the best lawyer.”
Tanner cursed. “You need to leave now.”
Novak didn’t move. He sensed Julia wanted a pound of flesh. She wanted to find the Hangman so badly; he bet she could almost taste it. He’d had cases that had done the same to him. But at this stage it was better they both back off and regroup. “If we have more questions, we’ll be back, Mr. Tanner.”
Julia turned to leave, and he followed her along the hallway and through the empty bar. Outside, she stopped and stood staring at the bright sky. He sensed her irritation.
“What do you think?” he asked.
She shoved out a breath. “Other than the bombshell that Rene knew Rita? Hell if I know. His story checked out twenty-five years ago.”
“That comment you made about Tamara Brown. That wasn’t true. Her bindings were more intricate than Rene’s.”
“I know.” A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. “But I was betting Tanner didn’t have the full case details. Thought I’d throw a line in the water.”
Novak grinned. “Interesting Rita was the last person Rene was seen with. Do you believe Tanner told Jim and Ken about her?”
“I didn’t see Rita mentioned once in the files. And I made a careful list of witness names for Shield. No Rita on the list. What would the motive be for Tanner to now introduce Rita?”
“Maybe he told Jim and Ken about her during the initial investigation. Maybe Jim kept her out of the files intentionally. If she’d been a CI, he might have wanted her involvement and connection to him kept quiet.”
“Sure, it’s possible.” She looked up at him. “Rita died within weeks of the other Hangman victims. We know she knew at leas
t one of them. The Hangman could have been very aware of Rita, who fit his victim profile. Maybe he saw her with Rene that last night.”
“Why hit Rita over the head? Why hide her body and not display it like the others?” he asked.
“Maybe she knew who he was. If he saw her with Rene, she might have also seen him. Maybe her relationship with Jim was also known. She could have been a loose end.”
“All good theories now.”
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the display before holding the phone to her ear. “Say again,” she said into it after listening a moment.
After she hung up, he said, “What’s going on?”
“Benny Santiago’s transport has been delayed an additional month. He’s complaining of chest pains,” she said.
“What do you think his angle is?”
“He’s buying time. Scheming.”
“You think it has to do with you?”
“Yep,” Julia said. “I cracked open Pandora’s box, and there’ll be hell to pay if he wins on appeal. The good news is he won’t win on appeal, and if he does kill me, he’ll do it himself. I betrayed him, so my death is personal to him. So I’m on layaway for two decades.” Julia checked her watch. “We have time to speak with Tamara Brown’s sister.”
His gaze lingered on her.
“According to Andrews, Jocelyn Brown Smith works as a receptionist for a security office in the Far West End,” she said. “She’ll be getting off work soon. Care to join me?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Julia didn’t speak while he drove, but he sensed she was chewing on what she’d learned about Benny Santiago. He only hoped she was right and Benny would insist on killing her himself.
Novak couldn’t stop thinking about her last night of undercover and the beating she’d taken. What Benny had done to her did not affect his case or his agenda, but still, because Julia was in the mix, he wasn’t afraid to stick his nose in where it might not belong.
Ken had said the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Riggs had hinted that Benny had sexually assaulted her. If she was this good at hiding that secret, what kind of secrets had her old man been able to keep?
It was after two when they arrived at the security office as Mrs. Smith was leaving through the front door. She was dressed in her blue-and-white uniform and carried a small lunch box. Dark hair was twisted into a tight bun, and heavy-rimmed glasses sat atop her head.
