The Next Victim (38 page)

Deena spoke softly. "What's his name, honey? It's important."

She hesitated. "Tony."

"What about his last name?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Deena looked aghast.

"You're dating a boy," Erling asked, "and you don't know his last name?"

"I'm not dating him. We're just friends."

"Where can I find him?"

"You wouldn't!" Mindy looked mortified. "Next time I see him I'll ask him, okay? I'll ask him about your dead...victims." She stormed into her room and slammed the door.

Kali hated to be a pest. It had been only forty-eight hours since she'd talked to Michelle Parker, but she wanted to find out what had happened with Detective Shafer and to pass on her discovery about the smiley face signature. Since she'd raised the issue of the poetry books to begin with, it seemed only fair to let the detectives know she'd been on the wrong track. She should tell Michelle about Hayley's and Olivia's involvement in the adult entertainment business too, but she was still hoping to figure out John's role first.

She finally made the call, bracing herself for a cool reception, even a straightforward "Bug off." So she was surprised when Michelle Parker greeted her pleasantly.

"You will be happy to know," Michelle said, "that we're taking a fresh look at the Winslow and Perez murders."

"There's new information?"

"Well, no...not specifically. Your brother remains our only real suspect, but there are a number of things we're looking into."

Like the fact that the lead detective had been sleeping with the victim
, Kali thought to herself. And now they were covering their tails by taking a "fresh look." She wondered how much effort they were actually putting into it. Maybe she should have gone over their heads in the first place.

"Did you talk to Detective Shafer? What did he say?"

"That's not something I can discuss with you. But I assure you the matter is being dealt with." Michelle hesitated. "That's part of the reason we're taking another look."

"So he
was
involved with Sloane Winslow."

"One of the avenues we're exploring," Michelle continued, ignoring Kali's comment, "is the possible connection between the murders of Olivia Perez and Hayley Hendrix. Don't you think it's odd that your brother knew one of Olivia's friends?"

"He knew where Hayley worked," Kali pointed out. "That doesn't mean he knew
her
." Though silently she concurred that the connection between John and the girl was troublesome.

"His phone number was in her wallet."

"It was the corporate number," Kali said. "Hayley could have been in touch with Sloane Winslow."

"Your brother knew another friend, too," Michelle noted. "Crystal Adams. He asked about her at the Crazy Coyote."

That wasn't the half of it, Kali thought. "Of course he'd talk to people who knew Olivia," she protested. "John knew you suspected him of murder. He was hoping one of her friends might have some idea who killed her."

"Why would he assume Olivia was the target, and not Sloane?"

"We don't know he assumed that," Kali shot back. "Maybe he talked to Sloane's friends, too." Her duplicity was making her testy.

How much easier it would be if she could simply tell the detectives what she knew. But she was afraid that if she did she might be putting a noose around John's neck, so to speak. Carmen Escobar would love it. And Sabrina would never forgive her. Kali wasn't sure she could forgive herself.

"You're missing the point," Michelle said. "It's not surprising John would know Sloane's friends. They worked together, and he was a longtime friend of her brother Reed's. In fact, John and Sloane dated at one time, didn't they?"

"Years ago." Kali wondered briefly if the old flame had been rekindled. Sloane's murder could have been the fallout of a current romance with John. Her ex-husband maybe, except the cops had cleared him. Or Susan Harris, the woman John had been dating.

Or even Detective Erling Shafer.

But Kali had seen no evidence of a renewed romance between John and Sloane. If anything, there were bad feelings between them.

"Anyway," Michelle added, "we've found nothing to indicate that John talked to Sloane's friends after the murders."

"What about the murder of Hayley Hendrix? You must have some leads there."

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

Unless there was something in it for the police. Kali sighed. "That's why I called. It's about the poetry books. I know who inscribed them. At least I think I do. Olivia's brother."

For a moment the detective was speechless. Then she demanded, "How do you know that?"

"He wrote down his name and phone number for me. The handwriting's the same, and his signature has the same smiley face in the loop of the
y
."

"Her brother, huh."

"So the books probably aren't significant after all. He gave one to his sister and one to her friend. It's not unusual that he'd know his sister's friends. The only odd part is that when I asked him if he knew Hayley, he denied it."

"You asked him about her? Why?" Michelle's interest was clearly piqued.

"I told you, I'm dealing with a wrongful death suit."

Silence stretched between them. Finally, the detective asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?"

Even though she was alone in John's study, Kali felt the detective's eyes on her, sharp and suspicious. Deceit was damn uncomfortable. "Like what?" she croaked.

"You knew about Hayley. You knew she and Olivia had similar books of poetry. You know something about another of Olivia's friends, Crystal Adams. At a minimum, you recognized her name. Seems to me you know a lot for someone who supposedly knows nothing."

"I've told you what I know," Kali insisted.

"Then why don't you tell us about your brother's connection to these girls?"

"Because I don't know what it was."

That at least was the truth.

Erling felt like shit. He'd spent a second sleepless night on the living room sofa. After his confrontation with Mindy, Deena had spoken to him only in monosyllables, and Mindy not at all. And then this morning, he'd really done it. Now neither one was speaking to him.

He'd waited until Mindy had arrived at the breakfast table, then tried to reason with her. Just tell him how to get in touch with the boy, that was all. Erling had promised he wouldn't make a scene. The more he'd pleaded, the more adamant Mindy had become that it was none of his business.

Finally, Erling had lost his temper. "It is too my business," he'd thundered, hammering the tabletop with his palm and sloshing his cornflakes. "You're living in my house, eating my food, taking my money."

"That doesn't mean you own me."

"You want to be in charge of your own life or not? You can't have it both ways."

"We love you, honey," Deena had interjected with a warning glance at Erling. "We're worried. We just want to know about the boy. I'm sure it's all a big mistake, but--"

"If you're sure it's a mistake, then why the inquisition?"

"Inquisition?" Erling had barked. "If we're supporting you, you're going to follow our rules, understand? Now tell me how to find this so-called friend of yours, or else."

Deena had thrown up her hands. "Erling, you're being a jerk."

"Fine," Mindy had yelled. "I'll move out if that's what you want." She had pushed away from the table and run to her room.

Eyes shooting daggers in his direction, Deena had run after their daughter. Erling's apology, shouted through the closed bedroom door, had gone unacknowledged.

Finally, he'd left the house and come to work.

But not before he'd called Norm Giff, who'd been his partner before Michelle. He had explained the situation and asked Norm to keep an eye on Mindy.

Now he headed to the break room for an aspirin, and that's where he ran into Michelle.

"Another rough night?" she inquired, giving him the once-over.

"Rough night. Rougher morning." He filled his cup with water from the cooler and popped two aspirin. "You know the poetry books inscribed to Olivia Perez and Hayley Hendrix?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to you about--"

"Mindy's got one just like it."

Michelle's face registered surprise, and something else Erling had trouble reading. Worry, maybe. "What?" she asked. "Are you sure?"

"Same inscription. Same signature. She's met some new guy but she won't tell me who he is."

"Tony Perez," Michelle said, rocking back on her heels. "Olivia's brother. That's his signature. At least according to the oddly knowledgeable Kali O'Brien."

Erling's mind was racing almost as fast as his heart. He wasn't sure which name caused him the most aggravation, Kali or Tony. But Tony was the immediate problem.

"Remind me," Erling said. "Was there anything that sparked suspicion when we interviewed him?" He had a vague recollection of a slender, dark-haired man in his twenties. But Erling's mind had been on other things. Yet another example of how easily he'd let himself become distracted during the investigation.

"He was present when we spoke with the girl's parents," Michelle said. "His statement's in the file. He's a couple of years older than Olivia. Not the high achiever she was. In fact, he had some trouble with the law when he was younger."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Petty stuff, as I recall. Shoplifting, vandalism. None of it recent."

Recent or not, that wasn't the sort of guy Erling envisioned for his daughter.

Michelle was biting her lower lip, a habit Erling had noticed she fell into when she was thinking. "I figured Olivia and her friend, no big deal. So what if Tony gave them books. But Mindy--that changes things."

Damn right it did. "She won't tell me anything about him," Erling muttered. "She won't even talk to me."

"Something else Kali said." Michelle kicked her heel back against the wall. "She said Tony denied knowing Hayley Hendrix."

How had they missed this guy? Because Erling had messed up, that's how. Focused on Sloane and John and didn't run the full and open investigation he should have. And now his own daughter was in danger.

As he dumped his paper cup in the trash, Erling gestured to Michelle and they headed back toward the squad room. "Where can we find him?"

"The case has been reassigned, remember? We should let Bob Morgan handle it."

"The case may be Morgan's, but Mindy is
my
daughter."

Michelle nodded. "Where is she? Is she safe?"

"Norm Giff is keeping an eye on her. But I'm going to call and alert him, just in case."

Five minutes later, Michelle was leaning over Erling's desk. "Tony Perez works at a Logan Foods store near campus," she said. "But he called in sick today."

Erling's heart froze. He picked up the phone and punched in Giff's cell number.

"I lost her," Giff told him. "She went into the women's locker room at the gym and that's the last I saw of her. I was just getting ready to call you."

Erling's jaw clenched. Michelle gave him a stricken look. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He covered the mouthpiece. "Giff lost her." He told her about the locker room.

"Maybe she's still there."

Erling shook his head. In his gut, he knew she wasn't. "How long ago was this?" he asked Norm.

"About half an hour ago, maybe a bit longer. I'm sorry. I swear, I was watching the door the entire time."

And realizing that she was being watched, Mindy had no doubt sneaked out a side entrance.

Erling hung up and tried Mindy's cell. It was turned off. He turned to Michelle. "Find out what kind of car Tony drives and put out a BOLO on him. I'll try to reach his parents."

Erling made the call. Tony's father was home and sounded sloshed, though it wasn't yet noon. Hadn't seen his son all day, he said. Erling did get a description of the car, which he handed to Michelle at the very moment she was printing out the license number from the Arizona MVD.

"Don't assume the worst," Michelle said, trying to reassure him.

"Easy for you to say." It was clear she wasn't a parent. Parents had trouble not assuming the worst. "Why was Kali O'Brien talking with Tony anyway?"

"I assume it was about his sister."

Erling muttered to himself. The O'Brien woman was up to her eyeballs in this. She could be the key to the whole thing. They should have put the pressure on her before this.

"I'm going to run Tony's name through the system," Erling said. "Can you monitor the phones? Let me know when they locate the car."

He prayed they wouldn't be too late.

Kali nursed a cup of coffee as she studied the pages spread out on John's dining room table. She'd spent the morning polishing the legal proceedings she'd drafted yesterday. She was feeling frustrated. If only she could figure out what was going on between John and the three girls.

She decided to take one more shot at getting Reed Logan to talk to her. If anyone would know about John's extracurricular activities, it would be Reed. Rather than call, giving him yet another chance to dodge her, this time she'd go and confront him in his office. As she was grabbing her purse, the phone rang.

"This is Ron Silverman," the caller announced.

It took Kali a moment to place the name--the producer whose number she'd gotten from Larissa LaRue. Kali had left a message for him yesterday.

"Sorry it took me so long to return your call," he said. "I've been so busy I've already forgotten the details of your message. Something about our industry event last spring?" Silverman's tone was imbued with the breezy, self-important air of someone who fancied himself a Hollywood mogul.

"Right," Kali told him. "I'm interested in a couple of girls. Larissa LaRue suggested you might be able to tell me if they were at the event and whether they have agents or contracts."

"Hell, Larissa knows everyone in the business, but, yeah, I'd be glad to help. Which studio are you with? Or are you independent?"

Kali realized he'd misunderstood the purpose of her call. She didn't see a lot of advantage in setting him straight. "Uh, pretty much independent."