“You think he’ll kill again?”
“He’s arranged it so the police think the killer’s locked up in jail.
That’s his way out. Even so, odds are Robinson must have an alibi for at least one of the murders. But the longer we wait, the less chance we have of nailing the real murderer.”
“If he won’t strike again, why keep Robinson in jail?”
“Because if he gets out, I’m convinced he’ll be found in some alley with a bullet in his brain and a handy note clutched in his cold, dead hand that reads, ‘I did it.’ ”
“So what do we do now?”
King opened the door of her truck. “Now it’s time to take our best shot. And hope to God it’s a knockout.”
CHAPTER
85
HE WAS HALFWAY
through running down the list he’d taken from Junior Deaver’s trailer. The others would take time, but he’d bought himself some breathing space. The police had arrested Harold Robinson. He’d actually been fortunate Tommy had woken up and identified his father as being in the house, as the papers had reported. That plus the discovery of the items belonging to the five victims seemed to confirm Robinson as the perpetrator of the killing spree. Which had been his intent all along. Whether it would hold up he didn’t know. If Robinson had an alibi for at least one of the killings, it might sink the whole ship, but until that time he had room in which to work. And Robinson’s wife, a natural corroborator for her husband’s whereabouts, was dead. That would make the police’s alibi-checking a little more difficult. There was one more killing to do, but he wasn’t concerned about the police connecting it to the previous murders and letting Robinson off the hook. They’d never find the body of his next victim. Indeed, there’d be nothing left to find.
He’d recently gleaned one very intriguing piece of information. When he’d checked the recording from the phone bug planted in King and Maxwell’s office, he’d heard the conversation Michelle had with Billy Edwards. Over three and a half years ago the great Bobby Battle and his imperious wife had had an argument in the car barn. And the Rolls-Royce had been damaged. Over three and a half years ago. The day before Edwards had been let go, in fact.
He sat mulling this over. There was something… If only he could remember what it was. He finally turned back to his list, which showed the people Junior Deaver had done work for in the recent past. He figured that if someone had set up Junior for the burglary, they’d have to have had access to his trailer and personal items. He further deduced that the person who’d committed the burglary had probably killed Bobby Battle. This act had not only stolen his glory but ruined everything he’d worked for. For that sin only the ultimate punishment would do.
Michelle and King were huddled in their office.
“Okay, Sean, no more glib responses, no more bullshit answers. I’m tired of being kept in the dark. You said we had to give this guy our best punch and hope it’s a knockout. I want to know everything you know. And I want to know it right now.”
“Michelle—”
“Everything now, Sean, or you can look for another partner!”
King sat back and sighed heavily. “Okay, I know who killed Bobby Battle. I spoke to a bunch of doctors, did my antique shopping, made some other inquiries and figured out some pieces of the puzzle, and it all holds up.”
“Who is it!”
“Let me just say first that you’re not going to believe it.”
“Fine, I won’t believe it.”
King fiddled with a paper clip on his desk. “Harry Carrick killed Bobby Battle.”
“Are you out of your mind? What possible motivation could Harry—”
King broke in. “The oldest possible one. He’s in love with Remmy. Has been for decades.”
“But are you saying he burglarized the Battles’ house too?”
“Yes. Remember, he’s old friends with the Battles. It would be relatively easy for him to get a key to their house and also obtain the pass code to the security system. Then he just busts the window and makes it look like a break-in. Harry said Junior had done work for him. You saw Junior’s truck. It was full of tools, clothes. Harry could have taken whatever he needed from there to incriminate Junior. And on top of that he was a prosecutor and circuit judge for years, so he’s no neophyte around fingerprints. He could have lifted one of Junior’s and planted it at the Battles’.”
“But why would he steal from the Battles?”
“I believe Bobby had incriminating evidence of their affair in his closet’s secret cache. If so, he’d likely make it look as though Remmy’s secret cupboard was the real target while he was really after what was in Bobby’s.”
“What sort of incriminating evidence would Bobby have had?”
In answer King opened his drawer and pulled out a photo. He turned it around and pointed to the back.