I'm Watching You (26 page)

Mia brightened. „Will you save me some leftovers?“

Abe chuckled. „Let’s go, Mia.“

They followed the sound of the bouncing balls to the court across the street from King High School, the name that was clearly seen on the jacket the kid wore in the picture. Five young boys were on the blacktop. All five stopped when they saw them coming.

„Cops,“ Abe heard one of them hiss.

„Snoopin’ around here yesterday,“ another muttered.

Abe held out his badge. „I’m Detective Reagan and this is Detective Mitchell. We’re looking for a kid who goes to King High. Any of you kids go to King?“

The five looked at one another. They all looked to be about sixteen.
Not too much younger than the punk that shot Debra
. „I asked you a question,“ Abe said, his voice going harder. „Do you go to King?“

They all nodded unwillingly.

Mia drew the picture from her pocket. „We’re looking for this kid. If we don’t find him today, we’ll find him tomorrow when school’s open. If you say today you don’t know him and we find out later you did…“ She let the thought trail off suggestively. „It’ll be better for you guys if you help us out.“

As a group they scowled at each other, and more mutters filled the air. But they looked at the picture, then again at each other.

„You know him,“ Mia said.

One of the boys nodded. „Yeah, we seen him around.“

Abe looked down at the young boy who cradled a basketball under one arm. The young boy stared back, defiantly. „He didn’t do nothing wrong.“

„We didn’t say he did,“ Mia said quietly. „Now, where can we find him?“

The boys looked down at their feet. „Don’t know.“

Abe sighed. „Okay, boys, everybody against the fence. We’re going to call in a couple of cruisers to take you downtown.“

The boy with the ball stomped. „We didn’t do nothin’. Why we gotta go downtown?“

Mia shrugged, her cell phone in her hand. „You’re material witnesses in a murder investigation. Don’t you guys watch
Cops
?“

„Damn,“ one of the others whined. „My momma’s gonna kill me if I go downtown again.“

Abe kept his voice stern. „Then tell us where to find this guy and we’ll go away.“

The boy with the ball scowled. „His name’s Aaron Jenkins. Doesn’t even go to King anymore. Lives three blocks up.“ He pointed a skinny finger. „That way.“

„There’s a lot of buildings three blocks up ‘that way.’“ Mia pointed in the same direction the boy had. „A little more information would be right friendly-like,“ she added, her expression sarcastic and dry.

The boy’s scowl deepened. „It’s the only building on that block with a green stoop. Old lady sits there all damn day, spyin’ on us.“

„Wears a poky-dotted cap, can’t miss her,“ another added, rolling his eyes. „She’s got the evil eye, y’know?“

Mia’s mouth quirked up. „Thanks,“ she said, then held out her hand to the boy with the ball. „Can I?“

Clearly he didn’t believe she could make it. He pushed her the ball and she caught it with one hand. Then from well into three-point range, she closed one eye and sent the ball sailing right through the hoop. The boys stood open-mouthed and Mia just grinned. „Stay outta trouble, boys, okay? I’d hate to take you downtown for real.“

Abe could hear their exclamations as they walked away. „Where did you learn to play?“

„My dad.“ Mia shrugged. „He wanted sons and all he got was daughters.“

Abe thought that was pretty sad, but let it go. They walked in the direction the boys had indicated, Abe remembering the cold look in Kristen’s eyes the night before when she’d revealed her father was still alive and thought the trouble between Kristen and her father was a lot more complicated than a father who really wanted a son.

„Green stoop, old lady with the evil eye…“ Mia muttered as they came up to the building, where sure enough an old lady with a polka-dotted cap sat eyeing them suspiciously. Even Mia’s best smile did nothing to sweeten the old lady’s grimace.

„This looks like the place,“ Abe agreed. „Let’s cross our fingers Aaron Jenkins is home.“

They found the Jenkins apartment and knocked. A woman holding a toddler on one hip opened the door and her eyes widened at the sight of them. „What is it?“

„We’re looking for a young man named Aaron Jenkins, ma’am,“ Mia said politely.

The woman shifted the baby on her hip. „He’s my son. Why? Is Aaron in trouble?“

Mia shook her head. „We just want to talk to him.“

She looked over her shoulder uncertainly. „My husband is at work.“

„This will only take a few minutes,“ Abe reassured her. „Then we’ll be on our way.“

„Aaron!“ she called and the young man in the photo appeared from one of the bedrooms. He took one look at them and started to move backward.

„We only want to talk to you,“ Mia said and he paused.

„I didn’t do nothin’.“

„Aaron,“ his mother snapped. „Get over here.“ Feet dragging, he complied.

„You delivered a package Friday afternoon,“ Abe said.

Aaron frowned. „So what? I didn’t do nothin’ illegal.“

„We didn’t say you did. Where’d you get the package, Aaron?“ Mia asked.

„From some white guy. He gave me a hundred bucks to deliver the box.“

„What did he look like?“ Abe asked.

Aaron shrugged. „I don’ know. He had a jacket with a hood, so I couldn’t see his face.“

„Was he old? Young?“ Mia pressed.

Aaron huffed impatiently. „I said he was wearin’ a hood. I couldn’t see his face.“

„Was he in a car?“ Abe asked.

„Nope, a van. A white one. Had a sign on the side. Had a little plug on it“

Abe frowned. „A plug?“

„Yeah, like you plug in the wall. Had a cute little happy face on it. The sign said… Banner Electronics.“ Aaron nodded, pleased with himself. „That’s all I know.“

Abe frowned harder. It wasn’t the same van. Mia looked up at Abe, troubled. Then she turned her attention back to Aaron. „How did you know where to deliver the box?“

Aaron shrugged. „He gave me the address, then told me to tear it up, so I did. Listen, that’s all I know.“ He looked at his mother. „Can I go now?“

Mrs. Jenkins jiggled the baby on her hip. „Can he?“

Mia nodded. „Yeah, sure.“ She was quiet until they’d reached the street. „That equipment that sandblasts stone? It can also make rubber signs.“

„Magnetized to stick on a van.“ Abe blew a bream up his forehead. „Dammit.“

Mia rolled her eyes. „I spent hours looking at florists. He’s no florist. That’s why Jack didn’t find any flowers or pollen in the van. He can be anything he wants to be. Shit“

Abe’s cell phone trilled. A look at the caller ID had the hairs rising on the back of his neck. „What’s wrong, Kristen?“

Kristen’s voice was shaky. „I got another box, Abe. Mclntyre’s caught the boy who dropped it off. He’s holding him until you get here.“

„We’ll be right there,“ Abe said grimly, then turned to Mia. „Call Jack and tell him to meet us at Kristen’s. I’ll give Spinnelli the heads up. Our humble servant’s hit again.“

Sunday, February 22,

10:00 am.

„Oh, my God.“ Kristen’s face drained of color as Jack slid the contents of the envelope onto her kitchen table. „It’s Angelo Conti.“

Mia put a comforting arm around her shoulders. „Don’t faint on us now.“

„I never faint“

Abe remembered she’d said the same thing the night they met at the elevator, after he’d scared her nearly senseless. But she’d shown them she was made of sterner stuff and Abe felt pride at her strength. Keeping his distance was costing him, but he knew she wanted to maintain her professional persona. Her hair was neatly tucked and pinned, although the pins he’d removed the night before were still scattered on the countertop where he’d left them.

„There aren’t any Polaroids,“ Jack commented. „Just Conti’s student ID card from Northwestern University. Why?“

„I don’t know.“ Abe reached for the letter. „ ‘My dearest Kristen. Angelo Conti is dead. His crime was initially one of depraved indifference, crashing into Paula Garcia’s car while intoxicated. But his blatant disregard for human life led him to beat the poor woman to death. His father’s blatant disregard for the United States legal system caused Jacob Conti to taint the jury. Angelo Conti walked away a free man, at least until you would have tried him again. But if his original crimes weren’t enough, he compounded them by publicly assassinating your character, and that could not be allowed. I hope his death is a signal to all who would make a mockery of the judicial system and its servants. As always, I remain Your Humble Servant’“

Abe looked up to find Kristen gingerly lowering herself into a chair. „What’s the P.S.?“

„It’s a license plate number.“ Abe passed her the letter and her brows knit in confusion.

„It’s not mine,“ she said. „That doesn’t make any sense.“

„I think we need to talk to the delivery boy,“ Mia said and Abe nodded.

He and Mia went out to Mclntyre’s cruiser where the boy waited in the backseat.

„His name is Tyrone Yates,“ Mclntyre offered. „His parents are on their way.“

„I didn’t do nothin’,“ Yates growled.

„We didn’t say you did,“ Mia growled back. Yates provided a story almost identical to the one told by Aaron Jenkins. Except this time the white van bore the name of a carpet store. By the time the boy was done, his parents had arrived to take him home.

Kristen was making tea when Abe and Mia came back in, followed by Mclntyre. Mia dropped into a chair while Abe paced to the one window that looked out over the frozen backyard. Mclntyre just stood in the kitchen doorway, his young face troubled.

„What did you find?“ Kristen asked.

Abe tossed a frustrated look over his shoulder. „Not a whole hell of a lot.“

Mclntyre shifted uneasily. „About the white van – “

„The florist van?“ Kristen asked and Mia shook her head.

„We think he uses different magnetic signs,“ she said. „The kid from King High swears it was an electrical contractor’s van. This last kid says it was a carpet installer.“

„That’s why I didn’t find any evidence of flowers or pollen on the crates,“ Jack said angrily, smacking the table. „Dammit. He can change the van at will.“

Abe turned from the window, his face sober. „What about the white van, Mclntyre?“

„The night Miss Mayhew was run off the road, I was moving traffic along. People stop to gawk, you know. One of the vehicles was a white van with an electrical contractor’s sign.“

Kristen’s stomach churned. She knew what the P.S. meant now. She grabbed the letter on the table and showed it to Mclntyre. „Do you recognize this number, Officer?“

Mclntyre nodded. „That’s the car that hit you. It had been stolen earlier that day.“

Kristen set the letter on the table, her hands surprisingly steady. „I thought so.“

Jack hissed a curse. „He was there.“

Abe chuckled mirthlessly. „I was probably close enough to touch him. Do you remember what he looked like, Mclntyre?“

Mclntyre shook his head. „He had on one of those hats with the earflaps. Covered up most of his face. It was so cold that night, I didn’t think anything about it. He was very polite, I remember that.“

„Age?“ Mia asked sharply.

Mclntyre shrugged helplessly. „I don’t know. Maybe forty? He didn’t say much of anything, just nodded when I asked him to move along. I just figured he was embarrassed to be caught staring.“

Nobody said anything for a long moment, then Jack stood up. „I’ve got to call my team to the spot on this map. And I’ll call Julia to meet us there. You guys coming?“

„Wouldn’t miss it,“ Abe said grimly. „Let’s go.“

Kristen started to follow, but Abe stopped her. „Stay here. Please.“

„I want to be there,“ she said in a low voice, conscious of the others watching.

Abe looked at Jack, Mia, and Mclntyre. „Give us a minute, okay?“

Mclntyre bowed out instantly. „Got to get back on watch.“

Mia raised her brows, eyeing them with open curiosity. „Okay.“

Kristen felt her cheeks burn. „Reagan, please.“

Jack gave her a hard look. „He’s right. You’ve already had one accident this weekend. I don’t want to see you get hurt.“ Then he followed Mia from the kitchen, leaving them alone.

Abe looked down at her with conviction. „Stay here.“

Kristen felt frustration simmer. „Don’t shut me out. Please. I need to be there.“

His hands rose to cover her shoulders, kneading convulsively. „Do you know what will happen when Jacob Conti finds out his son has been murdered?“ His blue eyes flashed. „Do you, Kristen? If you’re at the site and the press shows up, your face will be all over the news, especially if it comes out that Angelo was killed because he verbally attacked you. Conti will strike out at you, and he isn’t someone you want after you. Please, stay here for me.“

His eyes were compelling, but in the end it was the emotion in his voice that won her acquiescence. „All right. I’ll stay here.“

His relief tangible, his hands loosened their grip. „I’ll be back to get you for dinner.“

„At four.“

He leaned down and covered her lips with his in a hard kiss that left her mind reeling. „Call me if you need me.“

Kristen sighed at the sound of her front door slamming. She’d become accustomed to doing just that. Calling him when she needed him. And in a flash of clarity his sister-in-law’s words made sense. Ruth said Abe needed to take care of her. It didn’t take a psychiatrist to pull the pieces together. Abe Reagan had watched his wife shot and had been able to do nothing. He, a man paid to keep the public safe, had not been able to keep his own wife alive.

Now he’s keeping me safe
. And even as the thought brought comfort, she wondered what would happen when this whole nightmare was over and she no longer needed to be kept safe any more. She pressed her fingertips to her mouth, still tender from his hard kiss.

I’ll take what I can get and be grateful while it lasts
. But for right now, there was a pile of half-sewn curtains she needed to finish.