The Hangman (The Forgotten Files 3)

Novak made the introductions. “We’d like to see Lana Ortega’s room. My partner should be here any minute with a search warrant.”

“Yes, I’ve spoken to Detective Riggs. Let me go ahead and escort you upstairs. As he requested, we have not cleaned the room.”

“Good.”

They rode the elevator to the fifth floor, and Mr. Young hurried to room 521. He unlocked the door. “Would you like me to stay?”

“It’s not necessary.”

“I’ll wait in the lobby for your partner.”

“Thank you.”

Novak and Julia watched him glance back at them before he stepped on the elevator.

“The manager was anxious to get us out of the lobby,” Julia said. “Cops aren’t good for business, I suppose.”

“I look like a cop,” he said as he pulled on gloves. “You do not.”

She pulled latex gloves from her leather coat pocket. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He studied the rumpled bed. Lace underwear and a silk slip were tossed carelessly on the floor next to a pair of sparkling Louboutin high heels. A half-dozen dresses hung in the closet. “She liked the nice things,” he said, studying a red dress that still had a $2,000 price tag.

“She was always dressed well. Benny expected her to look her best. One time she wore a sweatshirt and jeans, and Benny hit her. Never again, he told her.”

“How long was Lana with Benny?”

“At least three years. She was eighteen when she met him. Came from a poor family. She was the oldest of six. Her catching Benny’s attention was a coup for her family. The drug dealer and the girl from the projects, a gangster Cinderella story.”

He crouched by the closet and studied the neat line of shoes. “You spend a lot of time with Lana?”

“Some. When she was upset she would sit at the bar and drink her pink cosmos. She wasn’t smart enough to know she shouldn’t have been talking to me or anyone about Benny. I mostly listened.”

“What can you tell me about Lana?”

“She loved Benny, though I wouldn’t describe it as a healthy relationship. He basically bought her from her family and considered her chattel. When a business deal or life wasn’t going well, he liked to hit her. Even Lana didn’t deserve that.”

“What was your relationship with her like?”

“She liked me, believe it or not. She said I was a good listener and understood her problems.”

“Ever consider Benny sent her to test you?”

“I did. I assumed every moment of that assignment was a test. I was so careful. I parsed every word I spoke.” She picked up a silver watch on the nightstand and inspected it before replacing it. “I listened to her when she talked about her hopes and dreams. She always talked about going to school. She wanted respect, and there were moments when I thought if I found the magic words, she’d leave him and go back home to her family. But, of course, that wouldn’t have helped my investigation much, would it? So the loving and beating continued on.”

“Was she involved in his business?”

“No, but she wanted to be. She thought Benny would value her more if she could help him with his business. She was always bugging him about doing more.” She frowned. “She would have done anything for Benny. Loyal to the end.”

“Do you think he blames her for all his troubles?”

“Of course. Benny is a coward and a bully. He doesn’t have the guts to put any of his troubles on himself.”

“And he’d kill her?”

“Benny would boil his own mother in oil if he thought it would benefit him. It would be like Benny to have someone string her up to send a message to me.”

Novak moved into the bathroom, staring at the counter littered with all kinds of beauty products. Bella always had her share of girl crap, but he’d taken it in stride. He’d counted the days until her bathroom wasn’t an ongoing mess. Now that it was sparkling clean, he found the uncluttered counters, polished mirrors, and folded towels lonely and sad. Hard to believe one kid could eat up so much of his life.

“Look what I have here,” Julia said from the other room.

He found her standing by an expensive suitcase, holding up a kilo bag filled with white powder. “Cocaine.”

“Think she was distributing drugs for Benny while he’s away?” Novak asked.

“She wanted to be a part of his business. This was her opportunity to prove herself to him. Show she loved him unconditionally.”

“How would he react to that?”

She set the bag back in the suitcase. “If she didn’t have his permission, not well. With his paranoia, he would see it as betrayal.”

The hotel room door opened, and they found Riggs, dressed in a navy-blue suit, polished black shoes, and a dark silk tie. Riggs smiled as he extended his hand to Julia. “Julia, good to see you again. Any luck on the Hangman case?”

“Just getting into the case when Lana was murdered,” she said. The ease in her tone evaporated as she spoke to his partner. She wasn’t rude, but there was a layer of ice there that he’d heard when she spoke to everyone but her aunt and sometimes him.

“I saw the crime-scene photos,” Riggs said. “Looks like the same guy, but makes no sense why he’d go dark for twenty-five years. Novak, I did get information on Alexi Popov. The old file hit my desk an hour ago,” Riggs said.

“And?” Novak asked.

“Popov really was a nasty son of a bitch. He was convicted of drug trafficking, and thanks to Jim Vargas, the guy was sentenced to life in prison. He would have been looking at a death sentence, but the key witness refused to testify.”

Julia straightened. “Who was it?”

“Rene Tanner,” Riggs said.

Novak felt a rush as the pieces of a case fell into place. “Were the names Vicky Wayne, Tamara Brown, or Rita Gallagher mentioned in the files at all?”

“I haven’t had time to read the entire file, but I don’t remember any other Hangman victims on Popov’s witness list,” Riggs said.

“We have reason to believe Rene and Tamara were confidential informants for Jim Vargas,” Novak said. “Rita worked at Billy’s and was Rene’s friend. The only one without a direct connection to Jim Vargas is Vicky Wayne.”

“Popov was in jail at the time of the Hangman murders,” Julia said. “He died in his sleep ten years later in his prison cell.”

“Guy like that had a long reach,” Riggs said. “So after Rene decides not to testify, Popov decides to have her killed?”

“If he wanted to make a public statement, it was the way to do it. Anyone thinking about testifying would think twice,” Novak said.

“The Hangman murders also were an opportunity to pull in Jim, who’d transferred to homicide. They all occurred in his jurisdiction,” Julia said.

“Logical,” Novak said. “But why Lana?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Benny took a page from Popov’s playbook and is killing two birds with one stone,” Julia said.

“When you were undercover, did you ever find a connection between Benny and Popov’s family operation?” Novak asked.

“No, but I know the Popov family still controls a large part of the drug trade. Benny wasn’t the big fish. I was just using him to get up the food chain.”

Riggs nodded. “Benny kills a potential witness and also sends a message to Agent Vargas that he’s not forgotten her.”

“It’s time I paid Benny a visit,” Novak said.

Novak kept a tight hold on his emotions as he and Julia showed their badges to the guard at the front desk of the Richmond Correctional Facility. They crossed from the carpeted reception area through the double doors that led onto tile floor, a clear signal they were now on the incarceration side. Standing in front of a set of small lockers, Novak opened one of the doors and stowed his gun inside. Julia did the same.

“I’m talking to Benny alone,” Novak said.

Julia hesitated. “I’m not afraid to face him. And I can keep my temp

er in check.”

“I didn’t say you were afraid or unable to control yourself. But you’ll be a distraction. Better I’m alone. He doesn’t know me, and that might throw him off.”

Her jaw tensed. “I’ll wait.”

He moved down the hallway and into a small visiting room furnished with one table and two simple chairs. He selected the seat away from the door and sat with his back to the wall.

He leaned back and unbuttoned his coat as he watched the door and waited for Benny Santiago to enter. He was struggling with his temper. This guy had hurt Julia. She’d dodged Novak’s rape question when he’d asked her straight up, but he’d seen the tension rippling through her body. He knew exactly what had happened to her. And it now was his personal mission to make sure this animal never walked the streets again.

Outside the room, he heard the rattle of cuffs mingle with footsteps before a deputy opened the door. Benny was dressed in a loose-fitting jumpsuit that hung on his lean frame. His dark hair was slicked back, and a stubbled beard covered his face.

As another deputy stood behind him, Benny raised his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Novak. He waited while the deputy sat him in the chair across from Novak and cuffed his hands to the table. The deputy motioned for his partner to shut the door while he took several steps back.

“Who are you?” Benny asked.

“Detective Novak,” he said.

Benny looked bored. “I don’t know you. What do you want with me?”

Ignoring the statement, Novak addressed Benny’s question. “Wanted to see what you look like.” He let the answer soak in while he stared with no expression.

A nervous smirk lifted the corner of Benny’s mouth. “Why the fuck would you care what I look like?”

“Like to know who I’m going to be coming after.” His voice was calm, no hint of anger.

Benny slouched back in his seat. “You’re really scaring me, Detective. Really. Why do I suddenly deserve your attention, Detective Novak? If you haven’t heard, I’m headed to prison for a long time.”

“When’s the last time you saw your girlfriend?”

Benny grinned. “Which one? I got about five or six of ’em right now.”