The Hangman (The Forgotten Files 3)

“You remember much about her?” Julia asked.

“Rita was hard to forget,” Cindy said. “Are you saying she’s dead?”

“Her body was found last night,” Novak said. “She’s been dead at least twenty-five years.”

“That’s about the time she took off. She worked here about six months and then, without a word to anyone, didn’t show again. Where did you find her?” Cindy asked.

“I can’t really discuss it. What do you remember about Rita? You said she was hard to forget.”

Cindy studied Rita’s face. “Same smile. And the red hair caught a lot of attention.” She handed the phone back. “Friendly with the customers but terrible with numbers. Always screwing up the cash register. Couldn’t count to save her life. But she could make people laugh, and she could sell drinks. I used to say she could peddle a truckload of ice to an Eskimo in winter.”

“She ever say what she did on her off-hours?” Novak asked.

“I don’t remember that, but I do recall she left unexpectedly right around the time Julia’s father died. The family was in turmoil. Amy was a wreck. There was also a big convention in town, and Rita’s disappearing act left me in one hell of a bind. I worked nonstop for a week until I could hire someone else.”

“They found a picture of Jim and me in her purse,” Julia said as she pulled up the image on her phone. “It was taken on my team’s soccer field before he died.”

Cindy’s frown deepened with confusion. “Why would she have a picture of you and your father?”

“That’s the mystery,” Julia said.

“The fact that Rita worked here fills in several pieces,” Novak said. “I’m assuming she had access to the bar’s office.”

“Yeah. And upstairs. She seemed like a good kid.” Cindy studied the picture of Julia and Jim. “I do remember the day this picture was taken. Julia was seven.” She smiled up at her niece. “You were so excited about playing in the game. You were champing at the bit to get to the field that day.”

“Mom came along that day, right?”

“She did. I held down the fort at the bar so Amy and Jim could enjoy the day with you. She was so excited to have your dad back in your lives again.” Her smile faded a fraction. “He’d been gone so often. The loneliness was hard on your mom. She kept saying it was for a good cause. Never complained once. But it bothered her when he wouldn’t call her.”

“Cindy, Mom and Jim were separated when Jim died in November. Why’d they separate?” Julia asked.

“Amy never said what it was, but she was upset.”

Julia had resented her father. He’d left them again and again, and in the end, used a bullet to take himself away for good. “Do you have any guesses as to who took the picture?”

“I suppose your mother took it, but couldn’t say for sure.” She handed Novak back the phone.

“Could Rita have stolen the picture from upstairs?” Julia asked.

“Sure, it’s possible.”

“When I cleaned out the attic in the spring, I didn’t see any pictures of Mom and Jim.”

“There are a few more closets to clean out back at my house,” Cindy said. “I’ll look.”

“Anything else you remember about Rita?” Novak asked.

“She dated a guy named Jack,” Cindy said. “I gather from what she said about him, he was a solid fellow and was nice to her. She worked hard. Took off a little too much sometimes. She liked to party. I always thought she had another guy on the side besides Jack.”

“Why do you say that?” Novak asked.

“I’d catch her talking on the phone. When she saw me, she’d hang up. Not my place to judge as long as she did the work.”

“And she vanished?” Julia asked.

Cindy shrugged. “One day here, happy and laughing. And the next she was gone.”

“What about Jack?” Novak asked. “Did he ask about her?”

Cindy frowned. “I’m pretty sure I never saw him again.”

“You remember his last name?”

“Afraid not. How did she die?” Cindy asked.

“I don’t know for certain yet,” Novak said. “The medical examiner’s office has her remains now, and they’ll be doing an autopsy in the morning.”

Cindy shook her head. “Damn shame.”

“If you think of anything else, will you let me know?” Novak handed her one of his cards.

“Yeah, sure.” Cindy glanced at the clock. “Listen, if I don’t get going now, I’ll never get my work finished.”

Novak smiled. “I know where to find you.”

Cindy kissed Julia on the cheek. “Thanks again, doll.”

“Sure.”

After Cindy had left, Novak asked, “When are you going to tell her about the Hangman case?”

“Soon.”

“You hold a lot inside, Julia.”

“Hazard of the business.” Julia’s phone rang. It was Garrett Andrews. “Excuse me a second. It’s Shield Security.”

“Sure.” He appeared in no rush to leave.

She turned and faced the line of liquor bottles. “Julia Vargas.”

“My apologies, Agent Vargas,” Andrews said. “I couldn’t break away to call you by five.”

Julia held her breath. “No worries.”

“Shield Security has agreed to work with you on the Hangman case.”

Relief washed away the tension gripping her gut. “I’m very glad to hear it.”

“We’ll provide all the lab testing and computer analysis. To start, I’ll do a data search on the key parties involved in the case. Current address, police records, et cetera. I’ll have a list of current addresses by tomorrow. Get me the DNA samples from the lab and I’ll have them retested.”

“That’s great. Thank you.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Andrews hung up.

She stared at the phone, allowing a grin over this victory.

“Looks like good news,” Novak said.

“Yeah. It might be.”

“Shield is taking the case.”

“They are. Their help will save legwork.”

He tapped his fingers on the bar. “The Hangman was high profile. Ken and your father would have been working nonstop.”

“It was an election year, and when the media learned of the story, the powers that be put big pressure on the cops. Ken said the entire department was involved.” Novak studied her, listening, watching. She liked the kind of distraction he offered. “I’m hoping fresh eyes will do the trick.”

“You have nothing to prove.”

His words hinted at unspoken emotions that had her ducking her head toward a lime in need of slicing. “I owe it to Mom, more than anyone. That last day we were driving home to see Jim, she was happy. Excited. Said a couple of times how much she loved him. And then, he was dead. The rumors about him being the Hangman always bothered her.”

Even now, if she closed her eyes, she could picture her mom’s smile while the wind blew her dark hair as they drove across town. “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi had been playing on the radio, and her mother had been singing along.

Seeing her father’s blood had tainted that memory along with so many others.

Novak frowned. “You okay?”

Julia shook her head. “Don’t worry about me; I always land on my feet. I know what I’m doing.”

Novak’s gaze didn’t waver. “The case took a toll on your father, according to Ken. And from what he said, you’re like him.”

She tipped her chin up. “I’m not going to crack, Novak. I’m not going anywhere. What I’m going to do is catch this killer.”

Again, he was quiet. Peeling off layers as fast as she piled them on. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the medical examiner’s office.”

“I’ll be there.” She watched as he walked out of the bar. Broad shoulders. A subtle swagger she’d noticed the first night he’d found her in the stairwell avoiding the loud crowds.

She’d broken her number-

one rule when she’d slept with him: don’t date cops. Though dating wasn’t the right word. At least they’d not worked together. But now that they had a professional relationship, the sex would have to end. Her focus had to be on this case. Maybe that was for the best. She’d sensed that the last time they’d slept together, he wanted to get closer, get to know her better. Maybe if she was a different kind of person, a better person, she might let him. But she wasn’t.

It was past eight when Andrews entered Bowman’s office. He should have called it a night, but the Hangman case had already gotten under his skin. He hated the idea of a killer escaping justice.

A need to right the world’s wrongs had prompted him to join the army after he graduated college. His physical and mental quickness had caught the attention of his superiors. He’d moved up through the enlisted ranks and, within four years, was enrolled at OCS in Fort Benning, Georgia. He served for fifteen years on active duty until an IED explosion in Iraq ended his military career.

He couldn’t change what happened in Iraq, but he could help Vargas catch the Hangman.

“I delivered the news,” Andrews said. “Julia Vargas is ready to get started.”