“Good point,” Luke said. “Either Jordan walked and he was killed there at the spot, or the killer had help.”
“Or the killer had something to transport him in,” Sophie said.
“Yeah,” Luke sighed. “Or that.”
Sophie shook her head. “I don’t understand, though. Why put his body here where it’s sure to be found rather than leaving him in a river or someplace harder to find him?”
“The killer wanted Jordan found,” Luke said. “I mean, it all kind of fits with leaving the suicide note, don’t you think?”
“Of course, but wait a minute,” Sophie said.
“What is it?”
“Just that I think I know why he would put Jordan in that particular place. The killer thought he was being clever. Smart.”
Luke tilted his head. “How so?”
“He had to be watching Jordan. Following him,” she said, her voice low, thoughtful. “How else would he know what time Jordan left his home or that Jordan went running just about every single morning in that particular park?”
“He’d been spying,” Luke said. “You have to be right.”
“If so, then he’s been planning this awhile.” Sophie swallowed, suddenly nauseated at the thought. “Watching and waiting for the opportunity to strike.”
“And when he got it, he took it. By planting the suicide note, then having Jordan found in a place that he was known to love...” She shrugged and swiped a tear from her cheek.
“It would back up the whole idea that he really did kill himself.” His gaze snagged hers. “If you hadn’t caught him planting the note, we might still be considering that it was a suicide.”
“And not looking for a killer,” she whispered.
“Exactly.”
Luke’s phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. “It’s Elena, the medical examiner, I need to take it.”
* * *
Luke stepped into the farthest corner of the small room and pressed the phone to his ear. “Hi, Elena. What have you got?”
“I’ve finished the autopsy. An initial examination of Chief Jameson shows no outward trauma. It looks like there was some damage to his heart, so I’ve sent off samples to be tested for various drugs, et cetera, but those won’t be back for a while.”
“Are you saying he had a heart attack?”
“I’m saying it’s possible. There’s definitely damage, but until I get the results of the tox report back, I can’t say for sure what caused it.”
“You can’t put a rush on those results?”
A sigh reached him. “I knew Jordan, too, Luke,” she said. “I’ll do the best I can to hurry things along, but you know this lab stays backed up.” She paused. “I’ll do my best to get this expedited. He was a good man and served this city well. If he goes to the front of the line, I don’t think anyone’s going to argue about it.”
Luke closed his eyes, grateful for the woman who would get it done even though she made no promises. “Anything you can do would be appreciated.”
“Of course.”
He hung up and rubbed his eyes, then returned to Dani and Sophie, who were watching the footage one more time.
“I don’t see Snapper,” Sophie said.
“No, I noticed that right off,” Dani said. “He could still be in the vehicle at this point, but we won’t be able to know for sure since the camera’s blocked.”
“Anything else?” Luke asked.
“That’s it for now on that one.” Dani clicked a few keys on her keyboard and another file with security footage popped up onto her screen. “Okay, now, this is from the ATM across the street from where Sophie was pulled from the car by the kidnapper. You can’t see the crash, but you can see the guy running away from it.” She played the video. The sedan carrying Sophie and her kidnapper zipped past. A moment later, Luke pulled to a stop just past the ATM.
Dani looked at him. “Good thing you didn’t park in front of it.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that, to be honest. I just wanted to get to Sophie.”
“I know, but we’re fortunate to have this.” She pointed. “Okay, see that? He ran from the car and darted into the store directly across the street.”
“I saw him go in there,” Luke said, “and officers went after him while others traced the plates. The car was stolen, which came as a huge surprise.” He couldn’t help the sarcasm. He could have almost said it had been stolen without the need to run the plates. “Officers covered all the entrances and couldn’t discern how he basically just disappeared.”
“I think I figured that out,” Dani said. She clicked a few more keys. “I looked around for some more cameras and found one inside the store. The owner was gracious enough to email me a copy of the footage. It looks like your kidnapper went into the back where the storage area is and climbed out the window and up the fire escape, then hauled himself onto the roof. I know the place was searched, but by the time officers were in the store, your guy was long gone.”
She switched to another camera. “This camera was on a building opposite the one the guy ran into. Fortunately, it’s at a higher level, aimed down toward the back alley—and it allows us to see a portion of the room along those connected buildings.” She hit Play. “And, there he goes across the rooftops and then down the fire escape when he’s almost to the end. I don’t have any more footage of it, but I called the business in that last building and asked for a description of the place. From the way he described it, it’s not hard to guess that the guy simply swung over the edge of the roof, planted his feet on the wrought-iron ladder and climbed down the fire escape to hit the asphalt running.”
Sophie shook her head. “Well, at least we know how he got away.” She looked at Luke. “So, what now?”
“Now, we bury our boss and friend and find out exactly why and how he died—and who’s responsible.”
* * *
Luke escorted Sophie and Bruno to the Tahoe, then climbed into the driver’s seat. Something niggled at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was bothering him.
“You said something that I think we need an answer to,” he said.
She turned to him. “What?”
“About Jordan and how someone managed to haul his body out to the spot where he was left. And using something to transport him.”
“Yes. I can’t see Jordan just walking in there and having a seat against the tree.”
“He didn’t.”
She raised a brow and he sighed. “He’d been dead for a while by the time we found him.”
“How do you know?”
“Rigor had already left his body. He wasn’t stiff.”
“Maybe it hadn’t set in yet.”
Luke shook his head. “He had on short sleeves,” he said softly. “Blood had pooled under the arm that I got a good look at. That means he’d been gone awhile.”
She bit her lip and looked away. “I wanted to believe we could have saved him.”
“I know. We all did.” He drew in a deep breath and refocused. “But what I was getting at is this. When we found Jordan, I noticed a long groove in the dirt, like someone had pulled a heavy stick through the area.”
“Okay.” She frowned at him. “What are you getting at?”
“What if someone used a wheelbarrow to get Jordan from his vehicle to that spot in the woods?”
Sophie tilted her head, studying him. Then gave a slow nod. “That makes sense, but there was no wheelbarrow sitting around the scene that I saw. Did you notice one?”
“No.”
“And Dani showed us where the guy walked out of the area later. What did he do with the wheelbarrow?”
“Good question.”
“And if he had it in the back of Jordan’s vehicle, I would have thought you and Finn would have found some evidence that it had be
en there.”
“And we didn’t. Then again, the Tahoe was practically spotless except for that bit of blood and few dog hairs, which most likely belong to Snapper.”
“True.”
“So where would the wheelbarrow have come from and where did it go after he used it?”
They fell silent, still sitting in the running vehicle outside of headquarters. Bruno shifted so he could place his head on her shoulder with a sigh. She reached back to scratch his head and his eyes closed halfway. “He’s such a good-natured dog.”
“Yeah. And I made a huge goof with him the other day.”
“What was that?”
“I didn’t reward him for finding Jordan,” he said, his voice gruff. “I didn’t even think about it.”
“You had other matters on your mind.”
“I’ve never, in all my years of training and working with dogs, forgotten to reward one.” Her hand closed over his and Luke let the comfort of her presence wash over him. He liked having her with him. She made the burden lighter.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Luke. It’s not going to ruin Bruno.”
“I know, I just...” He shook his head, then met her gaze. “This has thrown me, Sophie, I’ll admit it.”
She nodded. “I think this has thrown everyone. I know I feel like I’ve been sucker punched and haven’t been able to get my breath back.”
“That’s the most accurate description I’ve heard someone come up with. You’re right. That’s exactly how I feel. Like I haven’t been able to take a deep breath since finding Jordan in the—” A memory flashed. “The vehicle at the entrance to the parkway.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Maybe nothing, but I’m going to give it a shot.” He grabbed his phone and called Dani while Sophie frowned her confusion. “Can you get me the number for whoever’s in charge of the park maintenance and operations vehicles?”
“Vanderbilt Parkway?” Dani asked.
“Yes.”
“Hold on a sec.” Her keyboard clicked. “Walter Love. I’ll text you the number.”
His phone chimed. “Got it. Thanks.”
“You think the person in that vehicle had something to do with Jordan’s death?” Sophie asked.
“I don’t know, but do you remember seeing it on the surveillance video?”
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s because it was parked away from the parking lot, almost behind the camera.” He dialed the number Dani had texted him, identified himself to the person who answered the phone and was put directly through to Walter Love.
“Mr. Love, this is Officer Luke Hathaway. I’m investigating an incident that happened with one of our other officers out at the Vanderbilt Parkway. This morning, there was a maintenance and operations vehicle with a trailer out there and I was wondering if you could tell me who was driving it. I’d like to question him and see if he saw anything that might help us out.”
“The guy who was driving it this morning was sent out to get it because it disappeared from a work site day before yesterday.”
“Disappeared?”
Sophie’s gaze swiveled to his, her expression questioning.
“Yep. One of my other workers was spreading mulch and took a quick break to run to the restroom. When he came back, the truck and trailer were gone.”
Luke raised a brow. “He left the keys in the ignition?”
The man coughed and cleared his throat. “Well, yeah, he did. They’re not supposed to, but sometimes our guys leave them running when they’re only going to be a couple of minutes—whether it’s to grab a snack from a machine or whatever. I have a feeling that things are going to be changing around here after this theft incident—the only one that’s ever happened, by the way. Anyway, we looked all over for it and then someone spotted it this morning, so I sent my guy out to get it about the time the cops were pulling in.”
“Yeah, I remember seeing him. Listen, can you tell me if there was a wheelbarrow in the back of it?”
“Yep, sure was.”
Luke nodded, his pulse pounding a bit faster. “Great. I’m going to have officers who are in close proximity come out there and secure it. Until they get there, I’m going to need you to keep that truck and trailer under lock and key. Make sure no one touches it or uses it anymore.”
“Carlos brought it back and parked it before his shift ended this morning. I’ll have it secured. No one will touch it until your officers arrive.”
“I’ll need to speak to Carlos. Is he available?”
“I can have him in the office when you get here, or you can find him at home.”
“Are you willing to give me an address over the phone?”
“If it can help catch a killer.” Walter rattled it off. Then added Carlos’s cell number. “See if he’s home. You’ll probably wake him up. But if he’s not there, he’s at the gym.”
“Thank you so much.” Luke hung up and made the arrangements for local officers and the forensics team to head out to the maintenance garage. He touched base with the other detectives working the case and filled them in. They promised to keep him in the loop if anything was discovered. When he hung up, he turned to Sophie. “I need to make a quick stop before we head back to my place.”
“Of course. What’s going on?”
He told her everything Walter Love had said.
“And you think Carlos might have seen something?”
“Only one way to find out.”
NINE
Carlos had said he’d be home and to come on over. As she and Luke pulled to the curb of an apartment complex, Sophie sighed and rubbed her arms.
The neighborhood park across the street sat empty, devoid of children’s laughter and running feet thanks to the recent surge of gang violence in the area. She’d recognized the street name from the case files sitting on Jordan’s desk. Sophie shook her head and pursed her lips. Sometimes it seemed as if all of their efforts to fight crime and keep the city safe for the residents were for naught. Then again, what else were they going to do? Sit back and let the bad guys win?
Not hardly. It was an uphill battle, but one that was worth fighting.
Luke let Bruno out of his area and paused to scan his surroundings before coming around to the passenger side and opening her door.
“You see anything?” she asked.
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
He hovered close as he led the way to the glass front door. Since there was no buzzer or gate, he pulled the door open and ushered her inside with a glance back over his shoulder.
“What is it?” she asked. “You’re acting nervous.”
“Not nervous, just aware. And it’s a feeling.”
“Of?”
“Being watched, but I don’t see anyone.”
He’d had a feeling about Jordan, too. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the day and didn’t want to admit she was almost surprised no bullets had come their way.
The interior door that led to the elevator required a tenant buzz them in. Luke pressed it. “Officer Luke Hathaway here to see Mr. Hernandez,” he said in answer to the greeting.
The door clicked, and Luke pulled it open.
They rode the elevator to the twelfth floor and found apartment 12B. Luke knocked. Footsteps sounded, and the door opened.
“Carlos Hernandez?” Luke asked.
“Sí.” Mr. Hernandez stood around six feet tall and had a dark complexion and kind eyes. His jet-black hair was neatly combed, and the pleasant scent of some kind of spicy soap wafted toward her.
Luke introduced them, and Carlos stepped back. “Come in,” he said. His light accent held a warm welcome even as his brows dipped in concern. “I am so sorry to hear of the death of Chief Jameson. It’s terrible.”
“Thank you,” Sophie said.
/> Once they were seated on the sofa under the window, Carlos settled into the recliner opposite them. “What can I do for you?”
“You work the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, right?” Luke asked.
“Yes, I work on any vehicles that need repairs for the next day.”
“Did you see anything last night near the parkway?”
Carlos shook his head. “No, I was in the building all night like usual.”
“What about when you went to pick up the truck this morning? The one that had been stolen?”
“No, nothing. I was told the truck was there and to go pick it up and examine it to make sure no damage had been done to it. I got there shortly before the police officers arrived and the keys were in the ignition. I checked the truck over and all seemed to be in order. Then the police started arriving, and I was told to leave the area. So, I did.”
Sophie wanted to let out a huge sigh. She hated dead ends.
“But,” Carlos said, “the worker who was driving the truck when it was stolen said he searched everywhere for it and couldn’t find it. We watched the security footage and saw how the thief left but didn’t see how the truck was returned to the property.”
“We’ll get those pulled and see if our technical analyst can find something. Anything else you can think of?”
“Nothing, I’m sorry. I’m not much help, am I?”
“It’s not your fault,” Sophie said. “Thank you for speaking with us.”
“Of course.”
Carlos saw them out of the apartment and they made their way to the elevator once more. Sophie pressed the down button and pointed to the Out of Order sign on the second elevator. “Was that there earlier?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Me either.” She sighed. And it really didn’t matter. “Do you think we’ll really find who killed Jordan?” Sophie asked softly. “Time is passing quickly. Just like the longer Jordan was missing, the less likely it was to find him alive. And we didn’t. Now, the more time that passes and his killer isn’t caught, the more likely it is that he won’t be.”
“Don’t think like that, Sophie. You can’t.”
Justice Mission Page 10
