Ballistic (15 page)

“I need answers, Lina,” he said, hovering over me. He doesn’t care that I have finals or that I have to work a double at the diner. He wanted answers, now.

“I’m doing the best I can,
sir,” I mumble while making notes. “You’re sure this is everything?”

He hands me another file. Opening
it, I see what was missing and was able to exhale finally, now I could give him answers. “Why did you hold out on me?” I ask him, matching up both files.

“I knew you were good,” he
said, taking a seat. “I just wanted to see how good. Most people would make something up to put this to bed, but not you. You won’t rest until you have the truth. That’s what makes you not just good, but damn good.”

Hearing his praise
, I can’t help but puff up a bit. Yes, he’s using me for his own personal gain, but I tell myself that helping him close cases is a noble thing. Something I can be proud of, even if he does take all the credit.

“He was angry,” I tell him
, matching up the photos. “He cut her here and here,” I point to the gashes on her thighs and wrists. “He left her out in the open as a statement. He wanted her to be exposed.”

“Do you believe she is the only one?”

“No,” I tell him, pointing to the victim’s neck. “He cut her, he raped her and then he strangled her. That’s euphoric to him. If there isn’t more yet, there will be.”

“Because?”

“He’s a sick bastard?”

“Yes
, that, but what else do you see?”

“He is very precise,” I tell him
. “He wears gloves, possibly a suit of some kind and of course he bags it up. By cutting her in a shallow manor she would have bled out slowly, taking the fight out of her. The victim was a faithful swimmer, she was young and strong. He feels emasculated, so he cuts to weaken her. He rapes her once she’s out of steam and strangles her as he ejaculates.”

“You’re too young for this,” he says
, looking guilty. “Call it a day, Lina. I’ll see you Wednesday.”

“I can wrap this up
, Captain,” I tell him, not ready to give up. “Just give me more time.”

I was too young to see
it, but he knew exactly how to trap me. I wanted to be noticed and appreciated. I wanted him to be proud of me, and I’d sit here for days if I thought it would please him. For years he pulled me deeper and deeper into his world until the day the evidence brought me to him.

That’s when he turned on me.

Hours. That’s how long I’ve been at it. Reading, taking notes and creating my own timeline. Now I find myself seriously depressed. I knew Venessa’s dad a bit. I didn’t know Anthony’s at all but, I see the children who were left behind without answers. Both of them dedicated their adult lives to getting answers. Instead of peace, Venessa nearly gets killed by Gary. Anthony joined the FBI and secretly kept an eye on Venessa from a distance. No, I can’t separate myself from this especially when I see the aftermath of it all.

Neither of them have
put this behind them, and I don’t blame them. They both had the love of their parents, and Venessa loved her little sister more than life itself. When I ran the database of how many officers are still active since the murders, the numbers plummet. Add the economy, budget cuts, retirement, transfers and death on the job, it would take me years to narrow this down. I think what I need to do is hit the streets and talk to the officers active now.

Ten years ago, their parents were shot execution style
in their own homes. Two days ago, an officer was shot in the same manor. You don’t shoot someone at close range unless it’s personal to you. I don’t think this officer was the first or the last and I agree with Anthony that the past is connected with the future. Because let’s face it, getting shot between the eyes is gruesome for even the most radical of killers. Another big question is how many other cases like this are out there that I don’t know about? Why is this happening again, ten years later? Who’s targeting my friends and why?

Each of them
are linked to this in some way. Right now though, my main concern is Jules. I didn’t need her to tell me Hank was out of commission. I knew the end game when I gave her his location, but now Hank’s out so who’s stepping up to the plate next? I’m not sure, but I do know I’m getting closer if I could just find that missing piece. It’s not Macy’s drug. Hank needed it to make his money trafficking. Trafficking is risky shit. Plus, Macy never shared her data so outside of stolen samples so it’s not being duplicated because Macy is the only person able to do it. No, this is about more than that, much more.

“Lina!” he says
, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Hmm?” I ask
, reaching for my laptop.

“I’ve been calling for you for
five minutes. How did you not hear me?”

“Sorry,” I mumble
. “I was working, what’s up?”

“Jules has been blowing up your phone all day,” he says
, handing it to me. “You need to take a break, call her back in case she needs you.”

Taking the phone then setting it down
, I pick up my pen when suddenly my chair is turned and he’s in my face. “I said take a break. You’ve been up here for almost six hours, call her back then come down for dinner.”

“I missed lunch?”

“Yeah Sherlock,” he says, kissing my forehead. “You missed lunch.”

Smiling to myself at having a nickname,
two actually, I pick up the phone to return her calls.

“Talk,”
Jules growls, answering the phone on the first ring.

“I’m fabulous, how are you?”

“Never been better,” she groans.

“Could you be any shittier of a liar?” I ask her
, shaking my head. It’s like she doesn’t even try to fool me.

“Lina, now is not a good time.”

“With you, it never is,” I say, trying to keep her on track. “Is it time for me to come home yet? I feel like I’m missing out. I hate being left out, you know that.”

“Not yet,” she says
with sadness in her voice. “You bringing him with you? He has a lot of explaining to do and I can’t keep his name out of this much longer. I keep hearing it everywhere I go.”

“We’ll see, how
’s the hubs”

“I’m sitting in his driveway.”

“Why?”

“Good question,” she says
in utter misery. “When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.”

When she disconnects
, I roll my eyes, tossing my phone back on to the desk. Those two need to put the,
I want to save the other one
bullshit aside and just be a couple. The years those two have wasted can never be returned. How am I the only one who gets that? It’s fucking nauseating from where I’m sitting. Maybe that’s foreplay to them? Who the fuck knows.

Diving back into my notes,
I highlight the officers I want to speak with first. My gut tells me that rookies are the most vulnerable. Okay, so that’s step one, step two is…

“Hey!”

“I’m taking you out,” he says, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Jesus my girlfriend is a workaholic.”

“Whoa! I am
not
your girlfriend,” I yell out, despite my head bouncing off his back. I may not be in a power position but, I put my foot down regardless of my circumstances. Covering my ass with his hands as we descend the steps, he sets me down by the back door pushing me up against the counter. “You are, in fact, my girlfriend,” he says and when I try to interrupt, he stops me. “My live-in girlfriend,” he amends, taking my hand. “That I’m taking out to dinner before she starves to death upstairs.”

“I do like to eat,” I say in my best haughty voice
. “Where are we going?”

“To a restaurant.”

“Oh, a restaurant!” I say, clapping. “You really do love me---” catching my error, I slap my hands over my mouth and promptly shut up. He looks over at me and narrows his eyes, but says nothing. Okay, wrong thing to say.

Got it
.

“Jesus, Tony!” she said, rolling her eyes. “All this Lina shit is really creepy. She’s a pint sized profiler, not a mythical creature.”

“She fascinates me,” I tell her
, honestly. “I’ve never heard of anyone with skills like hers before.”

“Probably because there isn’t anyone else like her,” she
said, trying to walk away. “Okay fine, since you’re going to follow me like a puppy until I tell you another story we’ll make this one quick.”

Crossing my arms over my chest I try portraying the look of boredom when I’m actually elated on the inside. “Last year she had a case that made the news. She did a joint venture with Allen Park police, the killer in the end
, was actually a woman. But the APD refused to listen to Lina, saying there was no way a woman could cause that kind of damage to a man. So Lina being slightly off anyway, attacks the lead detective in the same manor the killer did, thus proving to him and the APD that women are indeed bad asses with tits.”

“Why did the woman kill the man?”

“He beat her, cheated on her, took all of her money and she finally snapped.”

“Is she in prison?”

“Well, yeah last I heard but, you can’t blame her. The guy held a knife to her throat. I’d go a little loca too if some cock sucker worked me over, fished in the local pond and stole my flow.”

“What happened to the man?”

“This is the good part,” she said, rubbing her hands together. “Lina worked her magic and had him arrested on a whole list of charges, right? He did some time but got out and guess what he did when he got his freedom?”

“Came after Lina.”

“Bingo!” she said. “But it gets better.”

“I don’t see how.”

“You wouldn’t because you have a penis,” she said. “As a woman though, it’s fucking hilarious. He followed her, found her at a bar where she was drinking with her friend Kelly. He waited until she went outside to smoke to come at her. But Kelly smokes too, so when she walked out and saw him getting his ass kicked by Lina she made a video and posted it to YouTube.”

“You’re serious?”

“Where do you think I got the idea from?”

“Then what happened?”

“Kelly shut off the camera, went to Lina’s truck and got her gun and Lina shot him.”

“Did she kill him?”

“Nope,” she laughed. “Shot him between the legs.”

Wincing and crossing my own legs carefully Venessa
noticed and bent over with laughter. “Look it up,” she said, walking away. “Eugene the Eunuch is serving twenty to life.”

“Lina was
responsible for Eugene the Eunuch?”

“Yep,” she
said. “She wanted to make sure every time he took it up the ass he thought of her. I bet he thinks of her a lot, don’t you?”

Cracking herself up
, she walked away and the compulsion I felt to find Lina goes up another notch. If it wasn’t for my promise to keep Venessa safe, I’d have found Lina and made her mine by now.

She can’t know how I feel.

It’s not possible because I haven’t said anything. I’m
still struggling with these feelings I’m having. Half of me wants to make this to death do us part but, the other half is running in the other direction in self-preservation in case she decides I’m not worth it. Neither of us knows shit about maintaining a relationship and I’m certain she’s convinced herself its temporary. If I’m being honest, in the beginning I was too. What sane man wants a relationship with a woman who knows when you’re lying? Thing is, with her I feel no need to lie or watch what I say. The weeks spent watching her caught my interest of course but that all changed when I actually met her.  Over the years I’ve lied to everyone to get what I wanted including, Venessa and Max. The thought of lying to her makes me angry because I have no reason to do it and it pisses me off that she expects me to. Months ago I would have agreed and it would have been second nature, but in that time she’s changed me.

After our kitchen session she went straight upstairs to work. Several times I went up there to assist
, but she didn’t even know I was in the room. Once I even caught her crying but then she started scribbling in her notepad and promptly stopped.  Had I not dragged her out of the house tonight she wouldn’t have eaten today. When she mentioned she went distant, I thought I knew what she meant.  She isn’t just distant. She’s checked out and that’s fucked up.

Standing in the room I watch her facial expressions change. It
is like she is different people. When her face goes red, I call her name, but she doesn’t hear me. She’s not ignoring me, no. She literally does not hear my voice. I’m very close to calling it all off, but the only thing stopping me is if I do, she’ll see no reason to stay.

For now
, she needs a diversion so I’m taking her out for dinner. Casual, quiet and a chance to get her mind off of the mess I threw in her lap. Parking in the gravel lot, she still hasn’t said anything when we walk into Roma’s. Even once we’re seated she looks… blank.

Ordering a bottle of wine, putting bread on her plate
, she just moves it around with her fingers. Having had enough, I lean around the table and…“Ow fuck!” she screams. “Did you just pinch me?”

“I did, thanks for joining the party.”

“Where are we?”

“Are you joking?”

“I almost never joke,” she says, actually looking confused. She takes a moment to look around then goes back to playing with her bread, ignoring the wine and thereby me.

“We’re at Roma’s,” I tell her
, nudging the wine toward her in an effort to get her buzzed so she’ll fucking focus. “Italian seemed like a good idea.”

“Italian is always a good idea
. Thanks for bringing me.”

“
Consider it our second date.”

Our server brings out the sausage and pepper plate I ordered but
, she doesn’t make a play for it. Instead she’s staring at the wall behind me. After putting food on her plate, I reach over and pinch her again.

“
Ow, Fuck!” she screams again. “Did you just pinch me again?”

“This is worse than
Groundhog Day,” I groan. “Yes, I pinched you. Stop zoning out.”

“I’m sorry,” she says quietly
. “I can’t help it.”

“Try and help it,” I order her
. “Now eat.”

Nodding in answer she unravels her napkin, takes out the fork and sticks it in a piece of sausage
, then brings it to her mouth slowly before sinking her teeth in. Yes, I watched every second of it because it’s a beautiful thing to see. She’s a dainty eater. Adding to the list of things I want to explore, one of them now is feeding her with my own hands food that I prepared in her honor.

“
Yummy,” she says, looking up at me and smiling a real smile. “I’ll try harder,” she whispers, taking another bite. Before I can say thank you or praise in her some way, I hear my name. Looking up, a woman is standing next to me like she knows me. But for the life of me, I can’t place her.

“Tony, I thought that was you.”
She says trying to inch closer.

“I’m sorry
? Have we met?”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because she looks from Lina to me, back to Lina and snaps. “Yes we’ve met!” she screeches
. “We spent the night together years ago then you promised to call and didn’t!”

Quietly watching this all play out Lina looks at me
, shrugs and says. “She’s lying.”

“I am not lying!” she screams even louder and fuck is this not the time or the place “Who is this whore?”

The slur doesn’t even faze Lina whereas most women would be ripping her hair out by now, she ignores the strange woman. She must have been hungry because she just looks up and smiles and keeps on eating leaving me to fend for myself.

“I’m out to dinner with my girlfriend… I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“Jessica, you fucking asshole!”

“Jessica,” I mumble and it still doesn’t ring a bell
and that’s shameful to me. “Go, before you embarrass yourself further.”

She rears back and slaps me hard across the face. “Leave
, Jessica. You put your hands on me once I’ll let that one slide but, as a rule I do not hit women.”

Preparing to hit me again Lina pushes her chair back and the entire place goes still
, myself and Jessica included. Now this is a look I’ve never seen and pray to God I never see again. Lina is about to kill someone. I know this because she’s far too calm and her eyes are totally clear. Throwing her napkin down and standing in front of the table, it’s almost hilarious that Lina at full height meets at the woman’s chin. But does that stop her? Fuck no.

“He may not hit a woman,” she says
, cracking her neck. “But I will beat as bitch’s ass.” Then, from out of nowhere, she uses her casted arm and backhands Jessica, sending her to the ground with a sickening thump. No one moves a muscle. Looking over at our server she nods her head asking him to come over.

“Yes Miss?”

“We’re going to need another bottle of wine, Marco,” she says, reading his badge. “I think I just re-broke my hand, wrist or whatever.”

“Right away
, miss,” he says, signaling the bus boy to help the woman up but before she sits back down she squats in front of her and once again I see another facet to her. “You may have had his time Jessica,” she says, while the woman holds her own face crying, “but he didn’t spend the night with you or promise to call. I don’t like liars and I especially don’t like liars who beg for repeats. Now you are going to get up, apologize to Anthony or Tony, if you prefer then, you will apologize to every customer in this restaurant for your behavior. Now, do you need a hand? I’ve only got one but I’ll use it to help you up.”

“Bitch,” she
spits at her, “fucking bitch. You’ll get yours.”

“
I track murderers for a living you twat. You’re going to have to come at me harder than that. Oh and that’s the worst apology ever,” she says, extending her hand once more. “Care to try again?”

Jessica throws a leg out in an attempt to kick her
, but misses. Using her left hand, Lina cold cocks her directly in the chin. “Marco?” she asks, getting our guys attention again. “I’m sure this has happened before, what’s protocol?”

“Protocol
, miss?”

“Yeah, protocol. What do you do with the
trash? Take it out back? Leave it for the rats, what?”

While Marco think
s on it, another man approaches in street clothes coming to Lina’s side. “Long time no see squirt,” he says, bumping her shoulder and I swear to Christ if he’s fucked her too, he’ll be on the floor next to Jessica.

“Hey Mickey! Where
the hell have you been?” she goes on like a woman isn’t sprawled out on the floor by her feet.

“Just
living the dream,” he says. “I was grabbing carry out. I’ll get her out of here and put a call in for you.”

“Thanks Mickey,
just don’t mention my name. That never bodes well for me,” she says, standing up. “I’m on date with this guy, can you believe it?” she asks enthusiastically, pointing over at me and all I can do is watch.

“You deserve it
, love,” he says, giving her a half hug.

“I’m Anthony,” I say
, stepping forward extending my hand. “Her boyfriend.”

“Mickey,” he says
, extending his own. “Good to meet you. I’ll take her outside and let you get back to your date.”

“Thanks Mickey,”
Lina says, sitting back down and she doesn’t even bother to watch him escort her out. Her eyes are totally on me. Vaguely I hear him laugh and say she hasn’t changed a bit, but I don’t comment because my eyes are only on her.

“That’s the kind of women you usually go for?” she asks
, sipping her wine. It’s not accusatory, just curious which I wasn’t expecting.

“I can’t answer that and not getting hit in the face for it, Lina,” I explain
. “I don’t even remember her. What does that tell you? I haven’t been with anyone in very long time.”