Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #3: Books 9-12 (A Dead Cold Box Set), Blake Banner [reading in the dark TXT] 📗

“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to sound flippant, but you take my meaning. It is reprehensible, but not life threatening.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, stared out the window a moment, then looked back at him. “All I am asking is for a little more time.”

He shook his head. “It’s no longer in my hands, John. It’s with the DA. The decision will be taken, in all probability this afternoon, by the state. It is out of our hands.” I made to stand. “John, I know your track record and there is not another detective whom I respect more than you, but you should know that the DA is adamant that we need this deal, and he has asked me to form a task force to go through all the Jane Does found in the river in the last five years, to see how many we can attribute to this killer. When the press get a hold of it, it could blow up in our faces, accusations of negligence, of racial bias, if they had been white girls this would not have happened…” He gestured at me. “I don’t need to tell you. You know the way it goes. They want it wrapped up before any of that happens. If Wayne is on the level, he will get his deal this afternoon.”

I knew he was right. I nodded. “OK, thank you, sir.”

I left his office and went slowly down the stairs. I sat for twenty minutes at my desk staring at empty space and going over every aspect of the case in my mind. It was like a jigsaw where you have all the corners and the edges, but the stuff in the middle belongs to a different puzzle. Three such similar girls, each from a different state, come together in such a small geographical area, all murdered one Saturday after another. Most serial killers are stalkers, but this didn’t seem to be the result of stalking. What was it the result of?

Dehan came in, dropped into her chair, put her feet on the desk and tossed me my keys. “Nothing more than what she told you already. She was at home with her husband and her kid. She works from home, he’s a househusband, and the kid is…well, remind me not to have kids unless either they are mute or I go deaf.” She sighed. “They promised to discuss it tonight when little Izamu Augustus Itani-Walters, with a hyphen, was asleep. They will then open a bottle of French wine and talk about Angela’s visit and see if anything comes to mind. We are grateful to them, Stone. Be grateful.”

I nodded, but didn’t smile. “I am.”

“You still worried?”

I did more nodding. “Yup, and the more I go over it in my mind, the more worried I become. We are rats in a maze, Dehan. We are being driven down a path to an unavoidable conclusion.”

“I don’t know what to say, Stone. We have to follow the evidence and right now Wayne Harris’ testimony is part of the evidence. It’s practically the only evidence we’ve got that we can follow. I don’t see we have much choice.”

“My point exactly, Dehan. I couldn’t have put it better myself.” She frowned at me, hard, like she thought I was losing my grip. Just to compound her doubts I added, “I have a very bad feeling. Something bad is going to happen, and I don’t know how to stop it. We are sitting here with a triple homicide—at least—and not a single clue to go on until the DA gives us the go ahead with Wayne.”

She made a face that said she didn’t know what the hell had got into me. “So, thank heavens for Wayne, right?”

“Yeah, precisely.”

“C’mon, Stone! If the information is bad he gets no deal. If it’s good, we have nothing to worry about. Stop worrying for crying out loud!”

Before I could answer the internal phone rang.

“John, it’s me, the Inspector. We have the go ahead from the DA. I have had the deal printed and I’m sending it down to you now. She stressed upon me that this is something that needs to be cleared up in short order.”

I tried to smile and failed. “With all due respect to the Powers that Be, sir, I am more motivated by the next potential victim than by their political anxieties.”

“Of course, of course, I agree with you. John, about your own personal anxieties, if you want somebody else… Perhaps Detective Dehan…”

“No. I can handle it, sir.”

“Good. Good. Glad to hear it. You know where we stand.”

“I am very clear on that, sir.”

“Good, good,” he said again. “Well, go get ’em!”

He hung up. I sighed noisily at Dehan. “We have the green light. The deal is on its way down.”

She shrugged. “I’m sorry, Stone, but I’m glad. Let’s get this son of a bitch and put him away.”

A uniform came in with a manila folder and handed it to me. “From the inspector, Detective Stone.”

I thanked him and he went away. I had just started to read when the internal phone buzzed again. Dehan picked it up. She was very quiet and that made me look up. She was making a note on a piece of paper. After a moment she said, “OK, thanks,” and hung up. She looked at me and there was something almost apologetic in her expression. “They found another body.”

I threw the file on the desk. I had a hot knot of anger burning in my belly. “God dammit!” I grabbed my keys and stood. “Where is it? Ferry Point Park?”

She was half way to her feet and froze. “How could you possibly know that?”

“It’s called common sense!” I said savagely and stormed out of the station.

She grabbed her jacket and the folder and came running