Merciless (7 page)

“Lulu’s mom is great. But she’s not well.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know for sure. But she has that sick, pale look like Mom had before she was diagnosed.”

After Frank had divorced Angie’s mother, Marian, he’d sued for and won custody. The agreement dictated that Angie only saw her mother one Saturday a month. She’d not been around her mother and Eva much, and by the time her mother had gotten sick she’d already left for college. Her father had not told Angie about her mother’s illness until she was dying.

As a kid, she’d wanted her mother so much at times. Too many nights, she’d cried herself to sleep.

Angie cleared her throat. “I’m not making any promises, Eva. I can’t make any decision until I see Lulu.”

Eva’s eyes brightened. “But you will see her.”

Angie rose, moved to her briefcase, and pulled out a black leather-bound calendar. She flipped a couple of pages. “You said the hearing is tomorrow?”

Eva rose. “Yes. Thursday. Twelve noon.”

“We don’t have much time.”

“No.”

“I’ve got time today at one p.m. Have her come by the office. And tell her not to be late, Eva. Because at this point I’m looking for an excuse to say no to her.”

Eva nodded. “I will tell her.” She hoisted her backpack on her shoulder. “Thanks, Angie. I know you’re doing this for me.”

“I am.”

“I appreciate it.”

Satisfaction elbowed its way through the nagging mixed feelings. “You are welcome.”

“I better get going. I’ve got an early class and then the lunch shift at King’s.”

“Why do you still work at King’s? With your brains you could work anywhere.”

Eva shrugged, no hint of doubt in her gaze. “I like King and his kid, Bobby. Feels like family there. And that’s worth more to me than anything.”

Angie understood. “What about that boyfriend of yours, Garrison?”

“What about Deacon?”

No need to mention that Garrison had helped Kier track Angie down this morning. He’d been doing his job. “He’s got to feel like family.”

“Sure, when we’re together. But there is a lot to keep us apart. School. His work. My work. And we fought last night.”

What wasn’t she saying? “Trouble?”

“No.” She hesitated. “Just busy.”

Angie didn’t press. She wasn’t crazy about the fact that her sister had jumped into a serious relationship. Eva should be focused solely on herself. But as much as she wanted to share her more candid opinions, the time and distance they’d spent apart had created a chasm they’d not fully bridged. Some moments she just didn’t feel like she had the right to push.

“You’ll let me know if I can help?”

“Always.”

Wednesday, October 5, 11
A.M.

Malcolm and Garrison arrived at the Commonwealth’s Northern District medical examiner’s office. Though the center was located in the neighboring county, the office served the entire Northern Virginia area, which included Alexandria.

They pushed through the metal doors on Dr. Henson’s floor. Immediately, the strong scent of bleach greeted them as they moved down the tiled hallway. Fluorescent bulbs cast a bright, if not antiseptic light on the entire floor.

Malcolm hated this place. He hated the smell, the gray tones, and the feel of death that hovered here. This place was a necessary evil that he would endure for the case.

He checked his watch. “Henson has had the bones seven hours. She said she’d get right on them.”

Autopsies often required a twenty-four to forty-eight-hour turnaround at best, but if Henson said a case rose to the top of her list, it did.

They reached the last set of doors and pushed through. They found Dr. Henson in Examining Room Three. She wore green scrubs, a mask with an eye guard, and a cap. She leaned over a stainless-steel exam table that now held the bones laid out in anatomical order. Her assistant Bruce, also dressed in scrubs, stood with a clipboard in hand.

“Dr. Henson,” Malcolm said.

She glanced up. “Detectives.”

“Thought we’d swing by and see if you’ve made progress.”

“I only just received the dental records from Ms. Day’s dentist and was preparing to compare them to the teeth in Jane Doe’s mouth. It might take me another few hours before I can get to it.”

“Anything you can tell us so far?”

“My earlier assumptions were correct. Female. Mid-twenties. She had healthy bones. Didn’t suffer from malnutrition, and she did have good dental care. She had veneers put in fairly recently.”

“Sierra’s husband said he paid for his wife’s veneers,” Malcolm said.

She cocked a brow. “Really?”

Moving to a desk, she picked up a manila file, pulled x-rays, and stuck them on a light box. “Might as well have a look now.”

Henson leaned into the film. “Sierra did have veneers. And also she had two fillings. Both in the back right molar.”

She turned to the skull and examined the teeth. “Veneers and right back molar with two fillings.”

Malcolm leaned in. “So you’re saying this is Sierra Day?”

“I’ll run DNA on the marrow to be one hundred percent certain.”

“You and I both know that will take weeks or months.”

“She has very distinctive teeth. If I had to call it now, I’d say this was Sierra Day.”

“Sierra Day has only been missing ten days. That’s not enough time for Mother Nature to strip the bones.”

Henson nodded. “Not given the current climate. Too cold.” She picked up a bone. “No trauma to the bones at all. In fact, I see no signs of saw marks or ax marks that would suggest she’d been hacked apart.”

“She didn’t just fall apart, Doc.”

Wisps of red hair peeked out from the edges of Henson’s cap. “Well, if you strip the flesh and tendons from the bones, then there is nothing to hold them together, and they do fall apart.”

“How do you do something like that? Acid?”

“I don’t think acid was used. Acid would have left marks on the bones. If I had to guess I’d say the flesh was soaked off.”

“Soaked?”

“It’s a common process.”

Malcolm rested his hands on his hips. “For who?”

“Companies that process animal bones for museums. You ever been to an exhibit and seen a display with an animal skeleton?”

“Sure.”

“Well, I can promise you that those bones did not arrive from nature all clean, white, and odor free.”

Garrison glanced at the bones on the table, which had a yellowish hue. There was no stench or sign of flesh. “These are not pristine by any stretch of the imagination.”

“Well, there are a few more steps. Next is the beetle
tank. The bones are laid in a tank full of flesh-eating beetles, which eat remaining traces of flesh from the bones. These bones are clean of flesh so likely made it through step two. Then there is the whitening and bleaching process. These bones have a dull cast, so I’d say they haven’t been bleached.”

Malcolm shook his head. “How do you know this?”

“I worked a summer in a bone-processing plant out west. We handled thousands of bones just like this. Of course they were animal bones.” She lifted a forearm bone. “Whoever did this, I think, did not finish the job.”

The process had soured Malcolm’s stomach, but Garrison stared at the bones with a vague curiosity sparking in his eyes. “Got any theories why the killer didn’t finish?”

“Maybe the only goal was to strip evidence. I don’t pretend to understand why anyone would do this.” She adjusted her eye gear. “I can tell you that the victim’s right femur is missing.”

“His idea of a souvenir?” Malcolm said.

Henson shrugged. “You’re the detective, not me.”

Malcolm laughed. “Yep, that’s why they pay us the big bucks. Call us when you’ve thoroughly checked those dental records.”

At one minute to one, Angie glanced at the small gold ivory-framed clock on her desk. It had belonged to her father, and it was one of the few things of his she’d kept. She thought about her promise to represent Lulu Sweet as she tapped her pencil on her desk and watched the seconds tick. Regret nagged her.

A part of Angie hoped Lulu wouldn’t show, or would be terribly late or even would show up high. Any one of
those reasons would be excuse enough to banish Lulu from her thoughts and confirm that Angie’s courtroom character assassination of the woman had been just.

Angie had left the courtroom that day satisfied that she’d shattered the prosecution’s case. She’d not expected Lulu to be waiting outside the courthouse. She’d not expected the girl’s outrage or anger.

You twisted my words well enough, but that man you are defending is evil.

The memory had Angie straightening. That day in the courtroom Angie had been defending the justice system and a defendant’s right to representation. She needed to be the one who believed in the system and what it represented. She needed to provide Dixon the defense that Eva had been denied so many years ago.

Her phone buzzed.

She pressed intercom. “Yes?”

“There is a Ms. Lulu Sweet to see you.” The voice belonged to Iris Stanford. Iris had run the offices of Wellington and James since the days the doors had opened—six years ago. A paralegal/administrator/mom, she kept Charlotte and Angie organized. The other named partner was overseeing a murder defense trial in Texas now and had been out of the office for two months. She wasn’t expected back until the first of November.

The clock chimed once, signaling Lulu’s punctual arrival. “Bring her back.”

Rising, she smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt and pulled the jacket off her chair. She slipped it on and fastened the middle button just as Iris appeared.

Iris had short, neatly trimmed hair with a subtle black headband. Her blue preppy dress and patent leather flats always gave Angie the sense that the woman had been plucked from the 1950s.

Right on her heels was Lulu Sweet. To Angie’s amazement the young woman had lost the pink spiked tips on her blond hair, the nose ring, and dark black eye shadow. A long-sleeved turtleneck covered her tattooed arms and chest. New jeans hugged her figure, which had filled out to a healthy weight. Even her scent had changed from dark and spicy to a clean soapy aroma. Without the hooker getup, Lulu looked a decade younger, reminding Angie that she couldn’t be more than twenty-one.

Angie extended a hand and a cool smile. “Lulu, you look great.”

The young girl’s grip was firm and her gaze direct. “That was the plan. I need to look the part if I’m going to get my son back.”

Iris slipped away, vanishing down the hallway.

Angie released Lulu’s grip. “So is this just an act for the court? Because I can tell you right now, I won’t represent you if you aren’t completely serious.”

Lulu’s fingers tightened around the strap of her purse, but her gaze didn’t waver. “I’m very serious. I want my kid back.”

“Kids are a lot of work, Lulu. And you’re young. From what Eva tells me you barely have gotten your life back on track.”

“I know I’m not the perfect anything. I know I’ve made more mistakes than I should have. But I love my kid, and I want to be his mother. He is the only really great thing I’ve ever done.”

Whatever Lulu’s motivations were in the past or whatever they’d be in the future she couldn’t see. What she could see was that right now Lulu was willing to move heaven and earth for her son.

Angie held out a hand toward an empty chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat.”

Lulu moved toward it but didn’t sit. “You’ve got to be wondering why I chose you.”

Angie arched a brow. “Eva told me you needed a mean bitch like me.”

Lulu didn’t flinch or appear remotely embarrassed. “That is true. My mom’s got a good attorney, and I need a better one. I know you’re good. But I know it’s more than just that.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t even have my son if it weren’t for you. The path I was headed on when I took that witness stand was a bad one. I was using a lot. David would have been messed up good even before he was born if you hadn’t torn me apart on that stand.”

“I don’t follow.”

“I was so pissed.”

“I remember.”

“So pissed that I could have been made to feel so low. Even when I was with a john, I always felt in control. Even when Dixon did his worst I thought I’d find a way out of the fix. But with you there was no escape. You brought me down lower than anyone ever had.”

Angie raised her chin. She’d done her job. She hadn’t seen Lulu as a person. She’d been an obstacle to be overcome. Now, she couldn’t dismiss the woman so easily. “Okay.”

“If I hadn’t hit rock bottom that day, I’d have stayed on the same path. I was so mad at you I wanted to show you I could be a better person.”

Angie knitted her fingers in front of her, not sure why she didn’t trust her voice at that point.

Lulu dug a picture out of her purse and set it on
Angie’s desk. “That’s the last picture I took of David. It was taken last week. Mom only let me visit for a half hour with him.”

Angie picked up the picture. The boy was staring up at Lulu. His smile and eyes were bright in his mother’s presence. Angie suffered a twinge of jealousy for the girl who had given birth to such a perfect child. She wanted to trace the curls framing his face. Instead, she laid the picture down. “Why did your mother limit the visit?”

“The court said I only get a half hour at a time. Mom plays by the rules.”

“She’s trying to protect this child—your son.”

“I know. I see that.”

Angie picked up a Montblanc pen and pushed a legal pad in front of her. “I’ll help you, but I need to know if you are using.”

“I am not.”

“So I could drug test you right now.”

Lulu lifted her chin. “Sure. Bring it on.”

Angie stared at her a long moment. Instinct whispered Lulu was on the level. “I’ve got a list of things I’m going to need you to do.”

Lulu scooted forward in her seat, her eyes anxious and ready. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

“First, if you’re still hanging with people who are using you need to dump them. They can drag you into trouble in the blink of an eye, and if that happens your case will be damaged.”

“Sure.”

“You do have a place to live?”

“Yes. An apartment. It’s small, but there’s room for a crib.” Lulu rattled off the address.

“And a job?”

“I work for a cleaning service by day. And I waitress at night.”

“Who is going to watch the baby when you work?”

“My neighbor. She said he could sleep at her place at night while I work.”

“What about during the day?”

“I’ve just got the day gig to make extra money now. When David comes to live with me, I’ll quit.”

Lulu had thought through the details, but Angie still worried. So much could go wrong.

“What if the baby gets sick?”

“I’ve got other friends. They have kids. I’ve helped them. They will help me.”

“They’re responsible?”

“Yes.”

Angie’s gaze narrowed. “And if you get sick?”

“Those friends will help me too.” Lulu leaned forward. “Why are you grilling me?”

“I’m asking all the questions the judge is going to ask.”

“You sound mad.”

“I’m not.”

Lulu rubbed her hand over her arm. “You don’t like me.”

“I never said that.”

“A good hooker learns to read people well.”

Angie leaned forward. “My job is to prepare you for court, to press any weakness and see if you will break. Because if you break here and now, the chances are good you’ll break in the courtroom.”

“I doubt any judge can dish out anything worse than what you did during the Dixon trial.”

“Don’t bet on it.”

Lulu’s fingers tightened on the chair arms. “What else could the judge ask?”

“Dixon paid you extra so he could brutalize you. What kind of decent mother does that?”

Her gaze thinned. “I needed a hit and the money to buy it. The drugs made me desperate. No more drugs. No more desperation.”

“You’re sure?” Her own struggles had shown her that sobriety could be as fragile as crystal. One slip and it all shattered. “Raising a kid can be stressful.”

“I’ll manage.”

“You sound glib.”

“Just determined.” She sat back in her chair and ran fingers through blond, spiked hair. “You’re hoping to find a flaw.”

“It’s my job to find and fix the flaws.”

“Yeah, but you’re really hoping you can find some reason to ditch me.”

The observation hit near to the truth. “I told Eva I’d help and I will.”

The mention of Eva’s name softened Lulu’s anger a fraction. “She’s good people.”

“Yeah.” Angie shoved out a sigh. She had told Eva she’d help Lulu. “I have a friend who owns a dress shop. I want you to stop by. I’ll call her and let her know you are coming to borrow a dress.”

Lulu frowned and glanced down at what she was wearing. “I thought this was the kind of outfit the judge would want to see.”