The Heart Of A Killer Part 21

aOh, wait. Maclinas file.a Roman and Gabe stopped at the front door. aWhat?a Gabe asked.

aI found something in Maclinas file.a They were in the living room now. Anna had drunk a couple beers, so she felt a lot better. Dante insisted she curl up with Rusty and rest. He sat next to hera"really close. She couldnat say she minded all that much.

Roman slid into the recliner. aWhat about Maclinas file?a aI finally read his autopsy report, front to back. Iad read it before, several times, but admittedly I skimmed because it was so unpleasant to relive the ordeal of that night. This time it finally sunk in. I think the connection wasnat there for me because it had been so long since I was in that alley.a aWhat?a Dante asked.

aTony Maclin died of blunt-force trauma to the head. From a brick.a Dante frowned, then looked at Gabe and Roman. aA brick? n.o.body hit him with a brick.a aI donat remember a brick,a Roman said.

Gabe sat on the edge of the recliner and shook his head. aNo, there wasnat a brick.a Anna nodded. aThatas what I thought I remembered, too. I know you guys punched him, but there was no brick. But do you understand what I said? Cause of death was blunt-force trauma to his heada"from the brick.a aWait.a Dante looked at the others, then switched back to Anna. aWe didnat kill him?a She smiled. aNo. You didnat kill him. I think you all hit him until he pa.s.sed out, then when you helped me inside, someone else picked up a brick and hit him over the head. Thatas what killed him.a aSon of a b.i.t.c.h.a Gabe sat there with an incredulous look on his face.

aHuh.a Dante stared at her. aAll these years, we thought wead beat him to death.a aWe didnat kill him.a Roman looked at Dante and Gabe, then turned his attention to Anna. aWhich means the suspect must have done the deed.a aThatas a powerful secret. One heas been holding on to for years,a Gabe said.

aBut is it a good enough secret to want us all dead?a Anna asked. aEspecially now, after all this time.a Dante nodded. aPeople have killed for way less than that. If he has something to lose, and he thinks we might know the truth about what happened that night, then yeah, Iad say head want to eliminate all of us.a Gabe stood. aWell, Iall leave the crime solving to all of you. All I know is thatas one less death Iam responsible for.a Dante stood and slapped him on the back. aMakes you feel all good about yourself now, doesnat it?a Gabe laughed. aYeah. I might even go to church this weekend.a Roman stood, too, slowly made his way over to Anna. aThis doesnat mean weare out of the woods yet.a He kissed her cheek. aBut itas good to know we didnat kill him. Iave carried a lot of guilt over that all these years.a aI know. You watch yourself.a aI have been.a Dante walked Roman and Gabe to the door, closed and locked it, then returned to her.

He scooped Anna up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

aIam capable of walking, you know.a He looked down at her. aAnd I could have lost you tonight. So let me indulge you.a He laid her in bed, helped her undress, then pulled the covers over her. He called Rusty, who lay down on the floor on her side of the bed. Then he undressed and climbed into bed next to her and turned out the lights.

aI could get used to having you here in my bed,a she said.

aI could get used to being here.a That was all either of them said before she drifted off to sleep.

Twenty-Two.

What Dante hadnat told Anna amidst all the chaos that had happened that night was that Gabe had come through with information about Crey Robinsonas drug-dealing past. Robinson had worked for the Bertucci family as a dealer back when he was in college. Though it wasnat information that Anna would be able to verify through any legal channels.

But at least they knew now. Which meant Robinson stayed at the top of the suspect list, alibi or not.

She was back at work a couple days after the attack, ignoring the fatherly looks given to her by Pohanski. The swelling on her face had gone down and she was lucky not to end up with a black eye. She felt fine. A little stiff, but mobile and so ready to end this case and this killer she could taste it.

And still unable to work the case, which made her seethe.

So she worked the other homicides, which had generated very few leads, but they were still murders that needed follow-up. Roman helped her with those and they had interviewed a few suspects and got those out of the way. Unfortunately, the cases were so cold she was getting frostbite in July, so no luck on the newly a.s.signed cases, which left her plenty of time to work on the one case they all wanted to close.

aSo Crey Robinson has an alibi,a she said to Dante as she leaned back in her chair. aMaybe he wasnat the only one in the alley that night. And maybe whoever was with him is doing the killings.a aItas a thought,a Dante said.

aA pretty good one,a Roman added.

Head been back on duty longer than her, was recovering from his injuries. His arm was out of the sling and the knife wound was healing. He still walked with a limp but Pohanski put him back on active duty. Anna was just so d.a.m.n happy Roman had escaped the killer she wanted to dance on top of her desk. They were winning. The killer had tried to take both Roman and her down and he hadnat succeeded.

It was only a matter of time and theyad have him.

They still hadnat found Sam Maclin, whoad seemingly gone missing after the night of her attack.

aSam Maclin is still our strongest suspect,a Dante said. aYouare attacked and suddenly he canat be found. We have a BOLO out for him. His photo and license plate number has been sent out to all city and county LEs. Weall find him.a aUnless he skipped town before I was attacked, in which case heas not our suspect.a aWeave alerted his mother and told her itas in his best interest to contact us and clear himself. If he gets in touch with her and he can come up with an alibi for the night of your attack, I canat imagine he wouldnat,a Roman said.

aIf heas innocent,a Dante added, crossing his arms.

aYeah. If heas innocent,a Roman said.

Now that shead discovered that the guys hadnat killed Tony Maclin, the cloud of guilt had lifted. Where once she might have felt sorry about targeting another Maclin, now she didnat. If Sam Maclin was the one doing all the killings, he had to be stopped. And she wouldnat feel guilty about taking another son away from Susan Maclin.

aMy bet is heas going to come home. His art is there, and thatas his pa.s.sion. I donat think he can stay away that long.a Dante nodded. aYou may be right, but itas a big risk for him. He has to know weare watching.a aMaybe. But he thinks heas smarter than we are,a she said.

aHe is a smug b.a.s.t.a.r.d,a Roman said. aHe might think he can outsmart us.a aOr outwait us.a Anna stood. aWhat if we pulled the surveillance crew outside his house? Everyoneas supposed to be out there looking for the killer, anyway.a Danteas lips curled. aGood idea.a aOnly we wonat be outside waiting for himaa Danteas eyes sparkled. aSometimes you have devious ideas. Could have used someone like you out in the field.a She laughed. aNo, thanks. This job is dangerous enough.a It had been difficult getting Susan Maclinas permission to allow them inside her home. She wasnat exactly happy to see them. In fact, her formerly gracious att.i.tude toward them had changed to one of cool disregard. Almost hatred.

But Dante a.s.sured her they were only looking out for Samas welfare and were trying to clear him off the suspect list, and the best way to do that was to bring him in. Hiding out from them only made him look bad.

She agreed with that, but she couldnat get him to answer his phone. She told Dante shead been trying several times a day and he wouldnat answer.

Theyad tried hitting up his cell phone for a location, but got nothing.

They pulled the unmarked car off the street after doing a sweep of the neighborhood, including all the houses. Sam was nowhere in the vicinity.

Anna had stayed behind in the precinct after Dante and Roman left so Pohanski wouldnat think she was going with him. Pohanski was wandering the bull pen, so she got on the phone with a lead on one of her cases, tapping her pen against the desk and counting down every minute. As soon as Pohanski made himself scarce, she ended the call, grabbed her notebook and keys and left.

She met Dante at a convenience store a few miles from the precinct. They parked a block over and went in the back door of the Maclinsa house.

Susan Maclin was already inside with Roman. He took her upstairs, out of sight, in case there was trouble. They wanted to make sure she was safe.

aIall cover the living room and kitchen area,a Dante said.

Anna nodded. aIall take the art studio.a aMic up so we can stay in contact in case anyone spots him,a Dante said.

She took the earpiece and slid it in. aEveryone hear me?a aGot you,a Roman said.

She headed off into the studio. aDante?a aI hear you.a The cool air in the studio came as a relief, even with all the windows streaming in sunlight. The day had started blistering hot and had only gotten worse.

She wandered around to look at the art. What did it take to have this kind of talent? The paintings, the sculpturesa"it was something that was beyond her. She loved art, loved going to the galleries to look at paintings and try to interpret the artistsa messages. To have that level of talent left her in awe.

And to have an entire family with that kind of talenta"she wondered how Tony would have ended up if he had lived. It was a shame head traded his talent for drugs and craziness. But they said some artists lived on the edge of madness. Was that what Tony had done? Had his talent driven him to the brink, and head dealt with it by turning to drugs?

And why had Maclin attacked her that night? Crime of opportunity, maybe. Shead been in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the attempted rapea"that had come out of nowhere. She blamed his high for that. Or maybe head had the predilection for it all along. She supposed theyad never know.

She moved over to the sculpture in process, the one Sam had been working on when she and Dante had come to talk to him before. Head made some progress on it. It was a bust, mostly finished now, of a young woman with flowing, wavy hair that cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a locket that dipped between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

The intricacy of the sculpture was amazing. How did he do something like that? The time it took to chip away at each piece, then mold it to make it look like an actual person must take hours of painstaking work.

She leaned in to examine the workmanship, and something caught her eye.

Her breath caught.

Above the breast, Sam had carved a heart.

Coincidence.

She backed away and moved to some of his finished pieces. They were all women, some full bodies.

And on each of them were carvings of a heart above the left breast, some so small they were barely noticeable. But they were there, on every piece.

aNo.a aAnna?a Danteas voice, concerned.

aAnna. Answer,a he said again.

aIam fine. Just checking something out.a aYou see him?a aNo.a She examined the paintings, some done by Tony long ago, judging by his name written in the right-hand corner of the canvas. Most by his mother. In every one there were hearts. Some near the signature, some on the people.

How had she missed it before?

aYou like the art?a She whirled around and saw Sam facing her. He had a gun in his hand. She reached for hers.

aDonat.a She dropped her hand, but didnat relax, ready at any time to draw her weapon.

aHow did you get in here?a she asked.

aIave been here the whole time.a aSo your mother knew all along?a He smiled. aNo. She never knew about the hideaway.a aWhat hideaway?a He cracked a smile. aWall s.p.a.ce in the house that connects rooms. Tony and I found it years ago. It was our secret. We never told Mom and Dad.a She swallowed, watched him casually hold the gun. He wasnat exactly pointing it at her. He was looking at all the art, zeroing in on his sculpture.

aI really need to get back to work.a aThen tell me everything. Did you kill all those people?a His gaze shot to hers. Anger. aNo.a aDid you come after me at my house the other night?a He frowned. aWhat? No.a aThen tell me how Iam supposed to believe you.a aWhy didnat you ever tell anyone about what happened to my brother that night?a A cold chill shivered down her spine. aYou were there.a aYeah. I was there.a He lifted the gun. aI saw it all.a She wondered if he had really seen it all.

aDo you know what Tony did that night?a His gaze didnat waver, not even when Sam and Roman came running in, guns drawn. She lifted her hand to stay them.

aYeah. My brother died.a aDo you know what else he did that night?a He c.o.c.ked his head to the side. He didnat know.

Anna unb.u.t.toned the top two b.u.t.tons of her shirt and showed him the heart.

aDid you see him do this to me?a Samas gaze bored into the scar on her chest. His eyes filled with tears and he stepped forward, his hand out as if he wanted to touch her.

aMaclin, donat.a Dante took a step forward.

aItas okay, Dante.a Sam didnat touch her, just drew closer. aJesus Christ. I didnat know he cut you like that.a aYou were there. You saw.a He started rocking back and forth on his heels, the gun still aimed at her, but his hand was more relaxed now. aWe were home alone together and he told me he was going out. I told him I was old enough to go along. He said fine, so he took me with him, said wead go play laser tag, but he had a stop to make first. He drove to the alley, told me to wait in the car for him, that head be right back. Said he had to buy some blow and I was supposed to stay in the car.a aYou didnat stay in the car, did you?a Anna asked.

aNo. I wanted to see. I was scared for him. I wanted to make sure he was gonna be okay, so I got out of the car and followed him into the alley, but I hid. He was waiting for the guy, then youayou showed up. He was already high. Really high. Thatas why I was worried about him, afraid head do something stupid. And he did. He jumped you and I didnat know what to do. I didnat know what to do.a Tears rolled down his cheeks.

aI was going to stop him, but I was scared. When we first got there he told me if the dealer found me head kill me, so I stayed where I was. And then your friends came and they beat up Tony, and I was even more scared that theyad find me and hurt me, too. So I just stayed hiding, trying not to make any noise.a aWhat happened after the guys left with me?a aI was going to go get Tony and get the h.e.l.l out of there, right? Because Tony was starting to get up. But then this guy came, and Tony asked for help, said some guys beat him up. And the guy was p.i.s.sed, man. Really p.i.s.sed. Said Tony blew it for him. And he took a brick and slammed it on Tonyas head, hard.a Sam really started to cry then. Anna forced herself to stay composed, trying not to relive that night, the same night Sam had had to live through.

He could have stopped it, could have stopped it from the beginning. He chose not to.

aThen what happened?a aI was afraid. I ran. I ran for blocks until I couldnat breathe anymore. I caught a taxi home and never told anyone what I saw. I saw my brother get killed and I never said anything to anyone. All these years Iave felt weak and ashamed because I didnat do anything. I didnat stop him when he didathatato you, and I didnat stop my brother from getting killed.a Sam lowered the gun and turned to face the sculpture. aAll I could do was make beautiful things. The beautiful things to erase all that ugliness.a Dante rushed in and grabbed the gun from Sam. Roman cuffed him.

Susan Maclin had seen it all, heard it all, her eyes wide and tear filled as Anna walked by.

She stopped Anna. aMy Tony did that to you?a Anna nodded.

She lifted a fisted hand to her lips and began to sob. aIam sorry. Iam so sorry.a They took Sam into the station. Dante got Pohanski and he led the interview.

In interrogation, Sam told him everything that went down twelve years ago, informed them that Tony told him his dealer was a medical student whoad gone to the same high school. Based on their suspicions about Crey Robinson, they gave Sam a photo lineup and he picked Robinson right away as the one whoad hit Tony with the brick.

It had given Anna a great sense of satisfaction when the arrogant Dr. Robinson was arrested for Tony Maclinas murder.

Now that their involvement in the Maclin case was out in the open, Pohanski called them all into the office.

aJesus Christ,a Pohanski said, pacing his office. aYou didnat think to mention any of this to me before now?a Anna didnat say a word. Neither did Dante or Roman.

aAll this time. All these years. You were all involved in a murder and a cover-up. And Annaa"your father?a aDid what he thought was best, sir.a Pohanski rubbed his hand over his bald head. aWhat am I supposed to do about this now?a She didnat think he was really asking any of them to answer that question.

aSon of a b.i.t.c.h. You were all kids then. And what Maclin did to you that night. G.o.dd.a.m.n, Anna. Iam sorry about that. Itas no wonder you decided to become a cop. And a d.a.m.n good one.a aThank you, sir.a He shot her a glare. aDonat thank me yet. I have to figure out what Iam going to do about this. About all of you.a aThereas still a killer out there,a Dante said.

aDonat remind me. My departmentas stretched thin as it is. And the fact the three of you were involved in solving a cold case isa"s.h.i.t, this is f.u.c.ked up.a That was an understatement. aThe guys saved my life that night, Captain. And everyone around me is dying because of it. Please let us figure out why and put a stop to it before everyone else around me dies.a He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it, continuing to pace and rub his head. aGive me a G.o.dd.a.m.n minute to think, Pallino.a She did, though it was difficult not to throw herself on his mercy and plead her casea"all their cases. He had to see reason.

aYou were all juveniles then, and Anna was a victim of a violent crime. And what was done to you, Anna, by Maclina"whose killer has now been founda"I donat think a prosecutor is going to want to mess with any of you. Robinson will be prosecuted for murder, heall probably pull a plea deal and weall be able to get out of this messy business with our skins intact.a aAnd the other murders?a He gave her a straight look. aYou canat investigate your fatheras murder, Anna.a aI can, though,a Dante said.

Pohanski shrugged. aI have no jurisdiction over you, Dante. But you have to work within our guidelines. And if you happen to bring Anna or Roman along to a.s.sist in an unofficial capacity, thatas up to you.a aBut youad better have another detective sign off on everything, and dot every i and cross every G.o.dd.a.m.n t so our a.s.ses are covered.a After Pohanski left them, Anna breathed a sigh of relief and the three of them regrouped to figure out the next steps. Sam was still a suspect in the other murders, but Anna didnat see it.

aHe was focused on all of us, but afraid, mostly,a she argued.

aHe doesnat have alibis,a Roman argued. aWe canat clear him. He stays a suspect.a aRomanas right,a Dante said. aYouare letting your personal feelings get in the way.a She lifted her chin. aI donat have personal feelings. If heas guilty, he goes down. But other than him being a little dark and twisty, we donat have anything on him. He just has no alibis for the nights of the murders. And when he found out he was a suspect, he bolted and hid, which meant the night I was attacked he was hiding in his own house.a aSo he claims,a Dante said.

aThe bad thing is we donat have him for anything, so he walks unless we can come up with some solid evidence,a Roman said with a grimace.

Anna dragged her fingers through her hair. aThen weall have to keep at him until we break him, or find the real killer.a aWeall take turns,a Roman said. aHeall get so tired of talking heall eventually give up.a Anna nodded. aSounds like a plan.a aYou look irritated,a Dante said.

Anna slid on the sofa next to him. Theyad worked well into the night and had finally gone home to take a break. Theyad just finished a late dinner of takeout tacos. aI have no killer locked up, thatas why Iam irritated.a Theyad gotten nothing from Maclin. Theyad leaned on him for hours. Besides that night in the alley twelve years ago, he claimed to have nothing to do with the current murders. And his attorney was locking him up tight.

aBut at least you have Tony Maclinas killer.a aOne down.a aThereas still Crey Robinson to think about as a suspect in the other murders.a She leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. aIam still considering it. Hard to prove.a aNot really. We investigate his money, look at cash withdrawals and when he made them, then track his movements, see if he met with any shady characters at the hospital, since thatas where residents spend almost all their time anyway. Hospitals are notorious for gossip. The staff see everything that goes on.a She turned her head to face him. aYouad make a good cop. How do you do that?a He laughed. aI donat just walk into an a.s.signment without running background on the target. I need to know everything about a situation. I pay attention to the small details. Keeps me alive that way.a aYour life is dangerous.a aIt can be. So can yours.a aNot like yours, I imagine.a She swept her hand across his jaw. aDo you have to go back to it?a The look he gave her was so intense it made her breath catch.

aAre you asking me not to?a She paused, not sure how to answer him. Shead never ask anyone to give up the job they loved. She wouldnat ask it of Dante, not even if she wanted to keep him safe. If he loved what he did, just like she loved her job, shead never ask him to walk away from it.

But the doorbell rang, followed by several fast knocks, and she couldnat answer his question.

aItas, like, two in the morning,a she said.

Dante sprang off the sofa and peered through the peephole. aItas Roman.a He opened the door and Roman rushed in. He was drenched in sweat.

aWhatas wrong?a Anna rushed to him.

aGabe took a shot at me.a Annaas eyes widened. aWhat? Are you hurt?a She didnat see any blood, but she ran her hands over him anyway.

He shook her off. aIam fine. p.i.s.sed off, mainly because my G.o.dd.a.m.n brother tried to kill me and I donat know why.a aWhat the h.e.l.l happened?a Dante asked as Anna led them into the living room to sit.

aI was on my way home from the station, about two blocks from home. Suddenly the right-rear window on my car explodes. I knew right away it was a bullet, because another shot was fired into the car. So of course Iam shocked as h.e.l.l and I duck down to avoid being shot at again and trying to get my bearings at the same time so I can get a six on the shooter.

aI swerved, pulled the car over to the side of the road and grabbed my gun. When I popped up to return fire, thatas when I saw his bike speed away.a aAre you sure it was Gabe?a Dante asked.

Roman gave them a look. aI know his bike. I know Gabe. It was him.a Anna shook her head, unable to believe Gabe would do that. aWhy would he shoot at you?a aI donat know.a aDid you call it in?a Anna asked.