I'm Watching You (35 page)

„Did he get anywhere with them?“

„No. Nobody saw anything, and there aren’t any cameras in the nursing home.“

„What about the note and the flower?“

„Abe tried to get them to agree to ship it here, but they politely declined. They said they’d send it to their own crime lab in Topeka.“

„If it was Conti, they won’t find anything,“ Kyle said quietly.

„I know.“

He slipped his hand in his pocket and brought out a deck of cards. „I’ll stay here if you want to sleep. But if you can’t…“ He waved the deck.

Kristen knew she wouldn’t sleep a wink until Abe came back with news on the latest shooting. „I don’t know many card games,“ she said. „My dad didn’t allow cards. But I need to get some work done anyway.“

„Anything I can do to help?“

„Do you know anything about databases?“

He grimaced. „About as much as you know about cards.“

Kristen smiled. „Then just keep me company?“

He dealt himself a hand of solitaire. „That I can do.“

Tuesday, February 24,

12:05 A.M.

Red lights flashed, creating a strobe effect as they reflected against no fewer than five police cars, six unmarked cars, a CSU van, and two ambulances.

Mia was crouching by one of the two men. When she saw Abe, she stood up and beckoned him closer.

„Sorry I’m late,“ he apologized. „I had to find somebody to stay with Kristen.“

„No problem. This is Rafe Munoz,“ she said, pointing to the big man lying on a stretcher, encased in an unzipped bodybag. „He’s a bodyguard. Was, anyway. That“ – she pointed at the stretcher being loaded into an ambulance – „is William Carson.“

Abe grimaced. He knew the name. He’d been unfortunate enough to be cross-examined by Carson when he was still in uniform, years before. „Another defense attorney. What’s Carson’s status?“

„Iffy. May make it, may not. He was conscious for a few minutes after the first cruiser arrived. He ID’d Munoz before he passed out. They’re taking him to Rush. Munoz has a bullet hole in his head. Looks like he was kneeling next to Carson when he was hit. But Carson…“ Even in the darkness Abe could see Mia’s eyes gleam. „The first shot hit him here, barely grazed him.“ She tapped the top of her skull. „Second shot hit him square in the chest. We got an entry wound, but no exit.“

Abe’s pulse spiked. „The bullet’s still in him.“

„With any luck, before dawn we’ll have a maker’s mark to show Diana Givens.“

„Where did the bullet come from?“

Mia turned and pointed to the four-story building across the street. „He was waiting for Carson up there. Let’s go take a look.“

Armed with a bright searchlight, they climbed the fire escape to the roof and gingerly crossed to where their sniper would have lain in wait.

Mia whistled softly. „Do my eyes deceive me? Could I possibly be looking at what I think I’m looking at?“

Abe looked at the cup with the plastic lid, his own heart doing a little victory dance. Still he felt compelled to keep them from getting their hopes up. „It might not be his.“

Mia bent down, sniffed at it, pressed her latex gloved fingers to the side of the cup. „It’s coffee and it’s still lukewarm.“ She grinned up at him. „Jack will be pleased.“

Tuesday, February 24,

12:30 A.M.

He sat at his kitchen table, his hands still shaking uncontrollably. He’d missed.

He’d missed
. And then he’d panicked and killed an innocent man.

Well, he reasoned, the man was probably not that innocent. He was hanging around Carson, after all. Carson was a dirty lawyer who represented murderers and drug dealers and rapists. Anyone accompanying such a pariah couldn’t be entirely innocent.

But it was a regrettable loss, he had to admit. Worse yet, he’d run without making sure both men were dead. He’d turned tail and run down the fire escape like a common criminal, like a thug with the police at his heels.

The police still didn’t know who he was. Not yet. But perhaps it was time to be considering the end. He picked up the three cards he hadn’t added to the fishbowl. They were special names. He’d put off their executions, because as soon as all three were dead, the police would put two and two together and know exactly where to find him. He’d wanted to empty the fishbowl first, but time was growing shorter.

He stood, feeling the ache deep in his bones. It hurt to swallow and his head throbbed. Hours of waiting in the cold, digging graves and hauling bodies were taking its toll. He’d barely been able to hold on at his day job. Things had to come to an end, and soon. He began making coffee, hoping to return some warmth to his body. He peeled back the lid from the can, then froze when the aroma of ground coffee met his nostrils.

Coffee. He’d had a cup of coffee.
And he’d left it behind
.

Jerking himself back into motion, he continued his task, scooping the coffee into the filter basket. The police were not fools. Reagan and Mitchell would find the coffee cup and they’d be able to get his DNA. It was bound to have happened sooner or later. He was bound to leave some physical evidence behind at some point, no matter how careful he was. Now he had, and he would pay. He had to take care of the three key players before the police figured out who he was. He owed it to Leah.

Chapter Seventeen

Tuesday, February 24,

8:30 a.m.

Jack was pleased. „We got more than a DNA sample from the lid of that coffee cup,“ he announced. „Our guy’s got a sore throat. We found traces of mentholyptis in the coffee, like he’d been sucking a cough drop at the same time he was drinking.“

„Oh joy,“ Mia said sarcastically. „It’s flu season. Let’s round up everybody with a sniffle.“

„It might be why he missed,“ Abe mused. „He’s not feeling well.“

„Poor baby,“ Kristen said unfeelingly. „My heart bleeds for him.“

„Regardless, he might screw up again.“ Mia held up a plastic bag. „And now we’ve got a maker’s mark. Hot off the press.“

Spinnelli took the bag and held it up to the light. „It’s in good shape this time.“

„They recovered it from Carson’s right lung,“ Abe offered. „The surgeon was able to get it out just a few hours ago.“

„I’m glad we were there,“ Mia growled. „He almost threw it away.“

„But he felt so bad about it he asked Mia out to dinner to apologize,“ Abe added with a grin and after another second of growling, Mia grinned, too.

„A doctor this time. I’m movin’ up in the world.“

Spinnelli shook his head with an unwilling smile. „So what’s next, people?“

„Julia will autopsy Arthur Monroe today,“ Mia offered. „It’s strange, you know? Conti’s death was so brutal and Monroe…“ She lifted a shoulder. „Just a pop to the head and he’s done. Not what I would have expected him to do to a guy who molested a little girl.“

„Conti was an aberration,“ Jack said. „He got so riled when Conti – what was it – ’publicly assassinated’ Kristen. That was… personal. Now he’s back to business.“

„Maybe he’s rattled,“ Kristen said thoughtfully. „He lost control with Conti.“

„Which could be another reason he missed Carson last night,“ Abe said. „I want to know how he lured Carson to the ambush. We know Skinner got a delivery the day he was murdered. Let’s find out if Carson did, too.“

Spinnelli frowned. „Ask him.“

Mia shook her head. „We waited around after the surgery, just to see if he’d come to, but he didn’t. The hospital’s supposed to call us when he regains consciousness.“

„What about Munoz?“ Spinnelli pressed. „How does he connect to Carson?“

Mia shrugged. „Carson told the guys at the scene he’d hired him as his bodyguard.“

„Apparently a lot of the defense attorneys are doing that,“ Kristen said dryly. „One of them faxed me his bill just before I left the office yesterday afternoon.“

„Hell of a bodyguard,“ Jack muttered. „Guy didn’t even have a gun.“

Mia frowned. „You didn’t find a gun? He had a holster. I remember seeing it when they zipped up the body bag.“

„We didn’t take it,“ Jack said. „The only thing we got from Munoz’s body was his phone.“

„Then somebody else took it,“ Abe said. „Somebody saw the shooting go down and took the gun before the cops got there.“

„Maybe the killer took it,“ Jack said.

Mia shook her head. „Then why didn’t he take Munoz’s cell phone, too? That’s how we knew where to find them – the cell phone.“

„GPS again,“ Jack said. „You’re right, Mia. If he’d had the presence of mind to take the gun, he should have seen the cell phone, too. It was clutched in Munoz’s hand.“

„That means we have a witness,“ Abe said.

„Who saw a van with a fictitious magnetic sign,“ Kristen sighed. „So what?“

„One of these days we’re going to have a witness who actually sees something worthwhile,“ Abe insisted. „Marc, can you get somebody to sweep the pawnshops? My bet is that Munoz’s gun wasn’t cheap, and whoever stole it will hock it.“

Spinnelli wrote himself a note. „I’ll ask Murphy to do it. He just closed a big case.“

„Whoever took it probably has a couple guns of his own already,“ Mia muttered.

„Everybody does but me,“ Kristen grumbled.

Abe’s lips curved. „You can pick yours up tomorrow, but if you want to visit it first, you can come see Diana Givens with us. Since you’re on an ‘overdue vacation.’“

„What?“ Jack asked openmouthed. „What happened?“

„I got put on administrative leave. The defense attorneys say I’m a menace.“ She said it deadpan and Mia snickered.

Abe’s lips twitched. „We’re punchy, Marc. None of us got any sleep last night.“

Spinnelli looked over at Kristen. „You didn’t go to the scene, did you?“

Kristen shook her head. „No, I but I couldn’t sleep either. I did some research last night while you were at the hospital with Carson.“ She tapped the stack of papers on the table in front of her. „With the exception of the Blade members and Angelo Conti, every one of the attacks has been related to a sexual assault. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern, though. There’s no chronology. He jumps a year forward, back, then forward. There’s no commonality in sentence except that not one did any physical time. Some got off entirely, a few were plead down. He’s got lawyers and defendants. I’d say he’s choosing his victims at random, but that the deck’s stacked with sex crimes.“

„Okay.“ Spinnelli gestured to the papers in front of her. „So what’s in those?“

„All the sexual assaults I prosecuted over the last five years where the perp did no physical time. I don’t think there is a connection
between
the cases. But the killer has a connection to one of these cases, I’m sure of it. It may not be one of the victims he’s already avenged. Maybe it’s still to come. Maybe the others are…“ She shrugged. „Public service.“

„Our humble servant“ Jack blew out a breath.

„Exactly. Anyway, chances are good that the next time he strikes, it will be someone on this list, either a perp or his lawyer.“

Spinnelli recoiled. „Please tell me you’re not suggesting we guard all those people.“

„No, Marc. But remember how Westphalen thought there had been a trauma recently? Well, you’ve investigated all the original victims so far and found no real trauma around the time of the first killing – Anthony Ramey. I thought I’d start calling the victims of these cases and finding out how they are. Find out if any of them have experienced significant trauma.“

„If it’s the killer, they won’t admit to any recent trauma,“ Jack said.

Kristen lifted a brow. „I thought of that. This isn’t going to necessarily be a smoking gun. It may eliminate some of the names on this list. Do you have a better suggestion? You have DNA, one unconscious man, a partial fingerprint and a bullet“

„The man may regain consciousness and the bullet we can trace,“ Abe said.

Kristen shrugged. „So trace it. My looking up old cases shouldn’t affect that.“

„It could help, Abe,“ Mia said slowly. „Besides, Kristen’s on ‘vacation.’ If it were me, I’d be nuts without something to do.“

„There is that,“ Kristen admitted. „Other than finishing my basement mantel, I’d just be twiddling my thumbs and that would drive me crazy. I’m not suspended from John’s office, I’m just not working any active cases. Nobody said anything about archived cases.“

Abe understood the need to keep busy. He’d thrown himself into the job when Debra was shot. Most days, it was the only thing that kept him going. „Do it from here,“ he told her. „I don’t want anyone tracing calls to your house.“

„There are a lot of names here,“ Spinnelli said. „This will take you hours. Days.“

Kristen looked at each one of them sharply. „Look, we’ve got nine bodies. Nine. I don’t plan to go to any of their funerals and cry, but they’re dead nonetheless. Skinner left behind a wife and kids. They deserve justice if nobody else. My life is on hold and my mother was threatened last night. Until we catch this guy, I have all the time in the world.“

Tuesday, February 24,

9:15 A.M.

Mia leaned against the glass countertop, staring at Diana Givens who stared at the bullet through a magnifying glass.

„Well?“ she demanded. „Have you seen it or not?“

Diana glanced up, annoyed. „Keep your pants on.“ She bent her head down, squinting. „Intertwined M’s or W’s. I haven’t seen anything like this, but one of my customers might.“

„So where can we find your customers?“ Mia pressed.

„Well, I told you I was going to invite them over, but I didn’t think you’d be back with a good bullet so soon.“ She passed the bullet back to Mia and grabbed a sheet of paper from under the counter. „Here. I’ll give you their names. You can talk to them if you want.“

Mia gave Diana a smile. „Thanks. We’ll owe you one.“

Tuesday, February 24,