Meeting over.
Chapter 10
It was just after 8:00 p.m. when I walked into the apartment where Julie and I live. It’s on Lake Street, not too far from the park.
Mrs. Rose, Julie’s nanny, was snoozing on the big leather sofa, and our HDTV was on mute. Martha, my border collie and dear old friend, jumped to her feet and charged at me, woofing and leaping, overcome with joy.
Mrs. Rose swung her feet to the floor, and Julie let out a wail from her little room.
There was no place like home.
I spent a good hour cuddling with my little girl, chowing down on Gloria Rose’s famous three-protein meat loaf, downing a couple of glasses of Pinot Noir, and giving Martha a back rub.
Once the place was tidy, the baby was asleep, and Mrs. Rose had left for the night, I opened my computer and e-mail.
First up, Charlie Clapper’s ballistics report.
“Three guns recovered, all snubbies,” he wrote, meaning short-barreled .38 Saturday night specials. “Bullets used were soft lead. Squashed to putty, every one of them, no striations. Fingerprints on the guns and shells match the two dead men and the man you booked, identity uncertain. Tats on the dead men are the usual prison-ink variety, with death heads and so forth, and they have both the Los Toros bull insignia and lettering saying Mala Sangre. Photos on file.”
Charlie’s report went on.
“Blood on the clothing of the dead men and your suspect is a match to the blood of the victims positively identified as Cameron Whittaker, white, twenty-five, grade-school substitute teacher, and Lucille Stone, white, twenty-eight. ID says she was VP of marketing at Solar Juice, a software firm in the city of Sunnyvale.
“That’s all I’ve got, Lindsay. Sorry I don’t have better news. Chas.”
I phoned Richie, and Cindy picked up.
My reporter friend was a cross between an adorable, girly journalist and a pit bull, so she said, “I want to work on this Kingfisher story, Linds. Tell Rich it’s okay for him to share with me.”
I snorted a laugh, then said, “May I speak with him?”
“Will you? Share?”
“Not yet. We’ll see.”
“Fine,” Cindy huffed. “Thanks.”
Richie got on the phone.
He said, “I’ve got something that could lead to motive.”
“Tell me.”
“I spoke with the girlfriend’s mother. She says Lucy was seeing Sierra but broke it off with him about a month ago. Right after that Lucy believed that Sierra was dead. I mean, we all did, right?”
“Correct.”
“According to Lucy Stone’s mother, Sierra went to Lucy’s apartment yesterday and Lucy wouldn’t let him in. Mrs. Stone said her daughter called her and told her that Sierra was angry and threatening. Apparently, Lucy was afraid.”
“He could have staked her out. Followed her to the Vault.”
“Probably, yeah. I asked Mrs. Stone if she could ID Sierra. And she said—”
“Let me guess. ‘No.’”
“Bingo. However…”
“Don’t tease me, Richie.”