The Hangman (The Forgotten Files 3)

He grabbed Monroe’s body and dragged it toward an SUV. Hefting the dead weight, he loaded her in the back and covered her with a tarp. “He never took a bribe. Not once. Dedicated son of a bitch. Nothing would stop him from putting Popov behind bars. I used to tell him that he needed to bend and learn to look the other way. But he wouldn’t listen.”

“That arrest made both your careers.”

“And would have ended my life if I hadn’t learned to bend.”

She twisted her hands, trying to free them from the ropes. “What did you do?”

“I saved Popov’s ass. If not for me, I think the old bastard would have gotten the death penalty.”

All the victims had worked with Jim as confidential informants. Rene gave up information that led to Popov’s arrest, but before his trial she refused to testify. “Did you see to it Rene didn’t testify?”

“I had a chat with her. She was smart and knew when to back off. Popov got life in prison, but that wasn’t enough for Jim. He was working on Rene, trying to get her to testify in another case against Popov.”

“But she was murdered by a serial killer.”

“What are the chances of that?”

The chances were almost zero. “You are the Hangman.”

He touched the tip of his nose and grinned. “Good guess.”

“And you killed the others to cover up her murder?”

“I did.” He studied her, genuine curiosity glistening in his dark eyes. “How did you figure out to come here and look for Delany? I was careful.”

“Rita Gallagher.” Her throat was dry, and her jaw ached. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d broken it.

He looked sincerely interested. “What did little Rita tell you?”

“Delany’s Church Hill neighbor saw him with a redhead the night her mother died. It was November 2.”

“That was twenty-five years ago. How could anyone remember that?”

A wave of pain rocketed through her jaw. She blinked, clearing her vision. “Delany and Rita showed up at the house just as the ambulance arrived for her mother. Her mother died that night, and she never forgot. So Jim couldn’t have killed her.”

He shook his head. “And to think I went out of my way to make sure she was found.”

“You set the fire?”

“I did.” He seemed to enjoy discussing secrets that he’d carried for over twenty years.

“Delany brought her to you. You were waiting at the Church Hill house.” Etta remembered seeing Delany, but on the night her mother died, she’d missed seeing Unger slip inside.

Unger moved over to Delany’s body and kicked it. “He owed Popov a big favor. The old guy bailed Delany’s ass out after he lost his shirt in the real estate market. His payback was the house in Church Hill. What a pile of junk, but real estate is all about location. We ran a lot of drugs there with no interference, and of course made it Rita’s final resting place. Delany was told never to sell it, but I guess he thought enough time had passed and he could do what he wanted. He was wrong.”

She shook her head, wincing with pain and trying to stay conscious. Her mouth was dry, her throat raw. The cold metal of the buckle dug into her palm. “Rita was having an affair with Jim.”

“She was Popov’s little handmaiden. Her job was to lure those women to the warehouse and seduce Jim. She said, by the way, that he was an easy lay. He was bored and restless. Domestic life didn’t suit him so well.”

“Did she kill Jim?”

He nodded. “She was supposed to bring him to the last warehouse, but he wouldn’t go. He was waiting on you and your mother.” He pouted. “Poor Jim wanted to be good, but it just wasn’t in him.”

“How could she shoot him with his own gun? Jim wasn’t a fool.”

“She said since he’d gotten back from the firing range, he had cleaned the gun and reloaded it. He’d stepped away, and when he came back into the kitchen she’d come through the back door. She was holding the gun and pointing it at her temple. He lunged to stop her and she turned the gun on him. He staggered, and she lowered him to the chair and staged it to look like a suicide. You should have seen her. She was so proud of herself. She had no idea she had messed up my plans.”

Jim had not shot himself. The news was too much to absorb right now. “His partner said there was a note.”

“Rita wrote it. She was good at copying handwriting. But good old Ken came to the rescue and took it. Loyalty between partners is very touching.”

“The letters to Vicky?” she asked, more to herself. “Rita wrote them to trick Vicky.”

“Yes.”

Her jaw throbbed. “So Rita came to you?”

“Like a good little girl hoping for a reward.”

“Why did you kill her?”

“Because she was there to tape each of the Hangman murders for Popov to see. But most importantly because she shot Jim. That was my job. Popov had been clear about what my job was. And I thought he’d skin me alive. I lost my temper and hit her hard with the butt of my gun. She dropped to her knees. She was barely breathing, but I hit her again, and when she fell I pressed my hand over her nose and mouth.”

“And you left her in that room?”

“I wasn’t sure what to do at first. Then I thought I’d leave her. I knew one day I would have to double back for you. If you’d not reopened the case, her body would have.”

The download of information was almost too much to process, but she kept talking. Andrews would figure out where she was. She had to believe that this time help would arrive before it was too late. “You were hired to kill those women, but why come after me?”

He stepped forward, the overhead light accentuating the hard angles of his face framed by white hair. “It was part of the deal with Popov. But the old man was dead and the family didn’t seem to care, so I was almost tempted to let this part of the deal slide, until Elizabeth Monroe came to me.”

“She knew all the details of the original deal. She told you to murder Lana,” Julia said.

He wagged his finger at the woman’s dead body. “She wanted to resurrect the Hangman. She needed a loose end snipped. She said she’d pay me if I said yes and tell the Popovs I was going to the cops if I said no.”

She moistened her dried lips as she pushed through the pain throbbing in her ears.

He picked up a water bottle, twisted the top off, and moved toward her. He held the bottle up to her mouth. She staggered back a step. She needed to buy time. Feed his ego. Listen to him talk. Anything.

“Why the public displays?” Warm blood oozed under the ropes as she twisted.

“Hide in plain sight. If I murdered Rene and the others with no style, it would have looked like Popov ordered the hit. Women murdered in a fetish style would create sensation and divert attention. Sad for poor Rene, but no one cared she was dead.”

He was right. The media coverage had been sparse after Rene’s body was found. He stood a few steps from Julia. His gaze sparked with delight. “I waited a couple of weeks before I strung up Tamara. Frankly, I was a bit annoyed no one had paid attention to Rene. I worked hard on my display of her body. I took even more time with Tamara. I wanted people to pay attention, and I needed Jim to wonder if Rene’s death was attached to him.”

“Rita led them to where you wanted to murder them.”

“She was an eager little helper. She was devoted to me and to the idea that she was helping Popov. And you know, I got used to having her around, and I missed her after she was gone. She was fun.”

She tried to turn the buckle blade upward so she could saw it against the ropes. “Was this all about the money?”

His gaze sharpened. “You sound like your father.”

“Did he know you worked for Popov?”

“He was smart as hell. It was a matter of time before he put the pieces together. You remind me so much of Jim. Smart and determined.”

“Did you kill those women for the money?”

“Popov’s people came

to me. Threatened to skin my mother and siblings alive if I didn’t take the money and do the job. I knew he meant it, so it was an easy choice.”

“You could have gone to your superiors. You didn’t have to kill for him.”

He shook his head. “You don’t say no to a family who will cut your family to pieces and mail them back to you bit by bit.”

“But now?” She was feeling steadier on her feet. She purposefully let her shoulders slump and rocked back and forth as if unsteady.

“As I said, Monroe opened it all back up. And I couldn’t trust that she hadn’t spoken to the Popov family. Killing you will mean something to them and maybe earn me a little goodwill in the face of whatever Monroe might have said to them.”

“Kill Jim’s only child. It’s something Popov would have ordered if he were alive.”

“Something like that.” He shrugged. “Frankly, I enjoy all this far more than I should.” He put down the water bottle and tested the length of rope with a tug. “I always thought it interesting that you became a cop and did undercover work like your old man and me. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“So what happens next? Do you string me up and watch me suffocate?”