Her Last Word
She ran a hand through the tangle of her hair. More than ever, she wanted to see this podcast to the end.
The four walls of her hospital room seemed to close in around her. She now knew every inch of this room, and it was driving her stir-crazy. She’d watched more television in the last few days than she had in the last five years, and if one more nurse prodded her, she’d go nuts.
The nurses had said no more walking today. She’d pushed herself too hard already. But unable to sit any longer, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, grimacing as her stitches pulled a little. Drawing in a breath, she placed her feet on the floor, stood, and rolled her IV forward a few inches. The discomfort was manageable. She started a slow and steady walk toward the door and the hallway.
Moving more easily, she felt stronger, less vulnerable. She welcomed the buzz of activity at the nurse’s station as family and friends visited loved ones, but the strangers made her uneasy, and she had to remind herself she was safe here. Though tomorrow she’d be back in the real world.
When she made the turn around the corner, the ward doors whooshed open behind her. She turned to see Detective Adler. Relief flooded her, and she had to struggle not to smile.
His tie was neatly tied and his hair combed, but there were dark circles under his eyes. As he approached, his jacket flapped open, revealing his badge and weapon. As soon as their gazes locked, she saw his annoyance and anger. Whatever he had to tell her wouldn’t be good.
“You saw Erika?” she asked.
“I did.” He placed his hand under her elbow and started walking her back toward her room.
Calloused fingers rubbed against her skin, sending energy racing through her body. “Where did you find her?”
“In the city.” His jaw was clenched, and he seemed very aware that there were several people in the hallway watching them. The nurses knew he’d been here shortly after she’d been brought in and he’d sat by her bed for several hours until she had awakened. A few thought they were dating.
“Can you be more specific?” she asked.
“Not here.”
She wondered if he’d heard the nurses’ gossip about them. Either way, he didn’t look pleased by anything right now.
In her room, he closed the door behind them and walked her to the bed. She sat, and he gently helped her into it and then pulled the blanket up to her waist.
“Where is Erika?” Kaitlin asked again.
His expression softened. “She’s dead.”
The air whooshed from her lungs, and her head grew light. “How did she die?”
He pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “I can’t talk about that now.”
“Why not?” Frustration chewed at her. “Jennifer and Erika are dead, and I was stabbed. And you can’t tell me!”
“I would if I could, Kaitlin.” He sounded so damn calm. “But right now I’ve got to put the investigation first.”
Reason cut through her temper and reminded her that he couldn’t keep her in the loop and do his job. “I know. You’re right. Have you spoken to Brad?” she asked.
“I have. But that’s all I can say now.”
Being shut out was frustrating. “When is Hayward taking you to Gina?”
“Friday. Are you up for it?”
“I am.” The statement was more for her benefit than his. “I will be fine.”
He studied her a moment, and she sensed he wanted to say something, but whatever it was, it got shoved to a back burner. Not spoken. But not gone. “Okay.”
When Adler walked through the front door of his home, it was late afternoon. He’d stopped by only to shower, change, and eat a quick meal. However, his gaze was immediately drawn to the light in the dining room. Two sawhorses were balancing a large piece of plywood. The makeshift table was covered with papers and files.
As he shrugged off his jacket, the downstairs toilet flushed, and the sink turned on and off. Logan’s steady, almost rhythmic steps echoed down the hallway. When he rounded the corner, Logan’s hand was on the grip of his 9mm Sig Sauer.
Logan looked at Adler and clicked the safety back on. “Paranoia is my new friend.”
“Really? I thought he was my friend. Fickle bastard.” Adler moved into the kitchen and said a prayer of thanks when he saw the two pizza boxes on top of his newly delivered six-burner stove. “When did the stove arrive?”
“This morning. Countertops come tomorrow.”
He snapped up a piece of cold pepperoni pizza and savoring the flavor, took a bite. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.
“I ordered pepperoni last night knowing it’s your favorite. Wasn’t sure when you were going to get your ass in the house, but figured I’d leave some out for you. You remind me of my pet dog when I was a kid. He would run off for days at a time, too.”
Adler chuckled and moved to the coffee maker that had gurgled out a fresh pot. “I needed a little time to clear my head.” He sipped the brew, remembering that Logan always liked it strong and bitter. “How’s it going with the case?”
“So far, she’s not telling me too much. Trying to get her to whisper her secrets, but she won’t.”
“You listen to the interviews Kaitlin Roe made?” Adler asked.
“Most of them. She’s got twenty hours of conversation. I can tell you not everyone was glad to hear from her. But no matter what they hurled at her, she stayed on task. She’s like a dog with a bone.”
“What’re your impressions of her during the recent interviews with Detective North?” Adler asked.
“There’s a calm steadiness about her. Her voice trembled a little during the initial questions, but after a few minutes she sounded steady.”
Adler ran his hand over his head. “She’s smart and determined. Times when I think she should be a cop.”
“John, you sound like you want her to really trust you.”
“Don’t all detectives want total trust?”
“Sure. But you and I were partners for over a year. I’ve seen more emotion aimed at Kaitlin than at your ex-wife.”
Adler agreed. There was something about Kaitlin. She’d gotten under his skin the moment he’d first met her. And the more he was around her, the more he wanted to be with her.
Logan sipped his coffee and changed gears. “Has Hayward’s attorney called you?”
“He has. The deal is simple. He tells us what happened to Gina Mason and no charges will be filed on her case, and he gets reduced charges on the one pending.”
Adler shifted his thoughts back to the case and the files Logan had been studying almost nonstop. “What do you think went down on that road with Kaitlin, Gina, and the masked man?”
“Hayward killed her.”
“Did he plan out the abduction and murder, or was it a crime of opportunity?”
“I’d have said opportunity if not for the drugs spiking the booze the girls were drinking. I think Randy had a grudge against Kaitlin and he got Brad to put his girlfriend up to spiking it. All Randy had to do was wait by the river. But he got bored and decided to steal some silver from his mother because he was always cash strapped. He grabbed the silver and waited for the girls. He’d had an obsession with Gina and wanted to hurt Kaitlin, and in one act of violence got everything he wanted.”
“What did he do with Gina?”
“His mother had a garden shed that ‘burned’ to the ground just days after Gina vanished. No one thought much of it at the time, but I think that’s where he stashed her until he could take her wherever he took her. Once she was taken care of, all he had to do was sit back and watch Kaitlin suffer.”
“Shit.” Kaitlin had been a lost, confused kid when she crossed Hayward’s path, and she’d spent the last fourteen years paying for her association with him.
“So, is the DA going to take the deal?”
“Yes, with my blessings as well as the police commissioner’s. It’ll be null and void if Hayward doesn’t show us Gina’s body.”
Logan balled his fingers into a
tight fist. “Jesus, that sucks. That piece of shit is getting away with Gina’s murder as well as the convenience store killing.”
“Yes, he is.”
“When does this go down?” Logan asked.
“Friday morning.” He ate another slice of pizza. “Whoever killed Jennifer and Erika was invested in Gina’s case. There was a heart painted at both the Ralston and Crowley murder scenes. One was in blood and the other in red marker. Kaitlin said it reminded her of the logo used for Gina’s search updates.”
Logan crossed to his papers on the sawhorse table and flipped through the case file until he found a copy of a handout. “This flyer and others like it were posted all over Richmond after Gina went missing.”
“Kaitlin said the heart was her idea.”
“Interesting. It’s lopsided and off balance.”
“Like the girl she was.”
Logan held up the flyer. “This particular search was organized by Gina’s church. Dozens of search teams walked along the river and surrounding areas for weeks.”
“Kaitlin said there were also lots of unauthorized searchers.”
“She’s correct. There was a tremendous outpouring of search volunteers. And I’d bet money Jennifer’s and Erika’s killer was on one of the teams.”
“Are there any records of the team members?”
“There are names of the sponsoring organizations but not individual members.”
“So why after all this time did Jennifer’s and Erika’s killer decide to act?”
“You know how it goes. The fuse never really goes out on the crazy ones,” Logan said.
“A trigger could have been a job loss, an angry wife or girlfriend, or what I think happened, Kaitlin returned to Richmond and reawakened all his old demons.”
“What about Steven Marcus? He might have information we’re not seeing.”