The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

"Four Three Two West Three Nine Street."

"Tell the respondings I'm on my way. I want to talk to the vic. If they take her to a hospital, let me know which one."

"Will do."

Sachs reported the developments to Rhyme and hurried to her car. Fifteen minutes later Sachs and Haumann's tac teams were parked at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 39th, before a five-story apartment building.

It was unlikely Griffith was anywhere near here but he was obviously unstable, if not psychotic, and he might very well have stayed around after the assault. Hence the firepower.

Two EMTs, a detective and a uniform were standing over a slim woman in her early forties lying on a gurney. Her face was bandaged and bloody. Her eyes were red from crying and she had an expression that Sachs could describe only as sorrowful bewilderment.

"Alicia Morgan?" Sachs asked.

The victim nodded, then winced from the pain.

"I'm Detective Sachs. How're you feeling?"

The woman stared at her. "I... what?"

Sachs displayed her shield. "How are you?"

Her voice was a whisper. "It hurts. Really hurts, I'm dizzy."

A glance at one of the EMTs, a solid African American. "He hit her, with his fist, at least once. Pretty bad. Probably a fracture and a concussion. We'll need X-rays. We'll take her in now."

As they wheeled her to the ambulance Sachs asked, "How did you know Vernon?"

"We went out some. Did he really kill those people?"

"He did, yes."

Alicia cried softly. "He was going to kill me too."

"Do you know why?"

She started to shake her head and then gasped at the pain. "He just showed up and wanted me to go away with him. He told me he was the one who was in the news. Who killed the man in the escalator and burned up that other one in the gas explosion! I thought it was a joke at first. But, no, he meant it. Like it wouldn't matter to me that he was a killer." She closed her eyes and winced. Then carefully wiped tears.

"When I said no, I wouldn't go away, he snapped. He started to beat me, and then got a hammer. He wanted to kill me with it! Sal showed up just in time. The super. He had a baseball bat. He saved my life."

Sachs noticed some scars on the woman's neck and her arm was slightly deformed, as if from a bad break. Maybe the victim of an assault some time ago. Domestic abuse? she wondered.

"Does Vernon own or have access to a car?" Griffith didn't have one registered in New York.

"No, he uses cabs mostly." Wiping tears again.

"And no idea about places he'd go?"

Her wide eyes stared at Sachs. "He was so nice to me. He was so gentle." More tears. "I--"

"Alicia, I'm sorry," Sachs said, pressing. "I need as much information as you can give us. Any other residences or places he'd go?"

"He had a house on Long Island. Manhasset, I think. But I think he sold it. He never mentioned anyplace else. No, I don't know where he'd go."

They arrived at the ambulance. "Detective, we better get her in now."

"Which hospital?"

"We'll do Bellevue."