Heart of Fire (10 page)

“I need your help on the down low.” 
The smile of acceptance encouraged his prancing.

“Girl you look good.  Did you find yourself a new friend?”
He walked around her.  “Mhmm, you sure did.  You’re getting yourself some.”  He bobbed his head as he looked her up and down.

“Focus Conner, I will tell you all about my sex life after you help me out.”

“Anything for my favorite dyke honey.”

Danni had to plaster a fake smile to hide her annoyance.  “Has Wendy Travis been in here a lot lately?”

Conner’s face became serious; he knew if she was inquiring about another officer being in the lab, it was serious.  “I’ll be right back,” he said as he reached in the door and grabbed the log book off the entrance table.  “Travis,” he repeated scrolling down the last few weeks on the sign in log.  “Yup, here we go, she started to come down here and helped about a week ago.”

“Really?”
Alarms went off in her head.  “What day was the first time she came down here?”

“Thursday morning was the first time.  I remember that, she had to pass security protocol and I ran it.  Here it is.  I still didn’t file it yet.  We were processing the evidence from the murdered prostitute and she wanted to help.” 
He looked at the sheet and noted the file was from the same day.  “I know why I didn’t file it that was the day the pictures were erased off the flash drive you sent in.  We had I.A. breathing down our backs.  They needed the information on everyone who was in here when it happened.”

“Keep this under wraps Conner.  I need to look into a few more things.  Can I get a copy of what you got?” Her smile disappeared as she
pointed to the papers and the book.

She waited for him to return with the photo copies.  She smiled and patted him on the back when he handed them to her.  “
You want me to call you if she shows up later?”

“Conner, you’re brilliant.  Yes, call me.  I need to find out what she is up to.  Don’t let her near my evidence again.  Understand?”

“Girl I’ll scratch her eyes out if she even tries to get near it.”

“Oh lord, don’t do anything to get your ass kicked.  I’ve seen you fight.” 
She let out a hearty laugh.  “I’ll text you later with my temporary cell number.  Remember don’t let her near my evidence.”  Danni locked eyes with him.  “Oh shit, you can do something else for me.”  The new plan flashed in her head bringing a half smile.  “You think you can run her number and see who she has been calling or who has been calling her?”

“If she comes back I can since we all have to check our mobile devices in the locker.  I can load it and log it and she will never know.”  He
stood satisfied by the deceptive act he had yet to commit.

“Is that the only way?  You can’t just run her phone records?” 
She stood confused as she saw her plan flop.

“If you get me a warrant I can.”

“Dude, this is on the down low, not going to happen.”  The frustration grew with the realization she would have to get it the old fashioned way.

“No promises Pacelli, I’ll do what I can.” 

“That’s all I can ask for Conner.  Thank you, I really appreciate everything you already did.”

His heart sunk when he saw the defeated look on her face.  “You know what.  Leave it to me.  I’ll get it for you.  When all this is over, I want to meet her.” 

“Meet who Conner?”

“Your new friend that has you looking this good,” he puffed out his bottom lip, flipped his hand in the air and walked around her shaking his ass.

Danni leaned in closer.  “When all of this is over, you bring your man, and all four of us will go for a drink.”

“And, you can buy the first round.” 
The sound of his laugh filled the empty hallway.

“I will buy the drinks all night if you get me that information.”

“Oh girl, then you better let me get to work.”  He waved her off as he strutted back in the lab.

“Take my new phone number and call me when you get something,” she said writing it on a piece of paper and handing it to him.

“Girl give me a few hours and I will have what you need,” he half smiled and turned around with his hands on his hips and trotted back into the lab.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The corridor leading to the hotel room was eerily quiet.  Danni assumed all the guests were still in a sound asleep.  She looked at her watch and shook her head, dismayed as the hands came into focus, six a.m. and she had to head back to the station by ten.  “Shit, I better get some sleep.”  The door creaked as it opened, she tip toed in as quietly as she could, and to her surprise Annabel was still fast asleep.  Praying she did not wake her, she was too tired to think any more realistically, there was nothing else she could do until the lab reports came back.

Annabel sighed as she felt Danni’s body relax.  She was upset at first when she woke to find Danni gone, but when the morning news reported the events of the night, she knew Danni was there in the middle of it watching everyone’s move.  At first she was upset and paced back and forth, but knew it would raise suspicions if she showed up with Danni when she was supposed to be on leave.  She could not go back to sleep, so when she was sure Danni was not going to wake up, she crept from the bed, and opened the envelope she saw her lay on the table.  She opened it and had to put her hand over her mouth as she looked at the brutal killing.

She could see something was different, to confirm she pulled the previous murder pictures and laid them side by side.  The body placement and wounds were nothing alike.  The murder of Hollywood appeared to be more like a crime of passion, not the planned orchestrated murders in the past, this was different she mused shuffling through the two sets.  She squinted as she eyed Hollywood’s corpse with the magnifying glass, Annabel could see where the killer put her foot and she was sure it was a woman by the size of the imprint it left on her back.  She could see where she was held in place when the final blow was made.  She observed where the foot was, there was no blood splatter which left her with the conclusion it landed on the killers shoes. 

The buzzing from the phone on the nightstand made her jump afraid it would wake Danni up she snatched it off the table.  The name flashed across the screen, Conner from forensics.  “Hello,” she whispered taking it into the bathroom.  “No she’s asleep but I can take a message for her.”  The response was not what she wanted to hear.  He needed to speak to Danni and he needed to speak to her now.  She crept over to the bed and tapped Danni on the shoulder.  “Hey sleepy head, Conner is on the phone and he said it’s important.”

Danni rolled over and took the phone from her and had to clear her voice to be heard.  “Pacelli, what you got for me dude?”  Through the haze that clouded her mind, she listened to his findings, she had to ask him to repeat his last statement because she was not sure he said what she thought, and after he repeated it again, she shot out of the bed.  “You’re fucking kidding me?” She shot a glance towards Annabel.  “Get my other phone!” she demanded as she tried to focus on the rest of the information he was giving her.  “I’ll be there in a few minutes Conner.  Don’t let anyone see what you found.”  The phone flew from her hand onto the bed.  She grabbed her crumbled jeans that lay on the floor.  “Get ready now!” her voice trailed as she ran to the bathroom.

Annabel already had the car engine warmed up by the time Danni got in.  “
What did you find out?” Annabel inquired as she put the car in drive.

“Hollywood was killed last night and before she died she called my cell.  Fuck, I turned the damn thing off to prevent a trace.” 
The tears welled in her eyes as she plugged the phone into the car charger so she could turn it on and listen to the message.

Annabel did not say anything only listened to Danni as she explained what she found out and her suspicions about Officer Travis.  “
I just don’t get what connection Travis has to the Mayor!”

“I think we need to ask what connection she had to Hollywood,” Annabel said, and pulled the picture out of the envelope.  “You can faintly see the shoe impression of a woman’s shoe.”  She pointed to the area on between the shoulder blades.  “You can also see where there is no blood splatter in that section, so our killer has her DNA on her.”

“Why do you think there is a connection?”

“Look at the brutality of the blows, this was an over kill, our killer needed to make sure she died.”  She took a deep breath and sighed.  “We need to find out from the Mayor what the connection between him and Hollywood really is.”

“I agree.”  Danni nodded and sighed.  “We have a lot of unanswered questions, I need to find out now if Travis is either an eager cop trying to make a name for herself, or she’s our woman.  I’m still waiting to get her phone records.  If we can tie her to John Mallory then we will pull her in.”

The wait at the lab was excruciating.  Danni sat legs crossed as she watched Conner run from one side of the room to the other.  “
Got it!”  He smiled as he waved the printout.

Danni shot up and went over to him but he waved them in the air above her head just out of her reach.  She jumped up several times to get them.  On the third try she had them in her hand, and then gave him a satisfied grin but quickly turned her back to look at the papers.  The tip of her finger scrolled down the paper, she already had Mallory’s number set to memory.  She winced when the number came into view and the time of the last call coordinated exactly.  “
Shit, I had her.  Conner, get Hagerty on the line, I need him down here pronto.”

Annabel watched her pace back and forth and swore if Hagerty did not get there any time soon she would wear a hole in the floor.  “
There is a God.”  A hearty laugh filled the room as he walked in.

Danni could see the veins in his temple enlarge, “Get me Travis’s file!” he bellowed.  “Get her work log pulled up!”  He pointed to Conner.

“I don’t work in that department sir,” just as the last word slipped he could see the Lieutenants face turn blood red.  “I…I can call upstairs for it sir.”  He cowered as he picked up the phone.

Annabel who accessed the mainframe pulled the file.  “Tell them never mind Connor, I got her schedule pulled up.”  She gave him a reassuring smile and pointed to the printer for him to retrieve it. 

Connor looked at Danni who smiled in appreciation for Annabel’s quick thinking.  I like her was mouthed when she looked at him.  Danni smiled and turned her attention to the profile and picture of the officer in question. 

She raised her eyebrow when she looked at the picture.
“That’s not Travis sir.”  She smacked herself in the head.  “Oh shit or that is the real Travis and the one I met a fake?”

“Get me the surveillance footage of her coming in and out.” 
Hagerty pointed to Conner.  “Pacelli, go to the address we have on file for our missing officer!”  His voice cracked.  “Take a picture of her and show it around.”

Hagerty ran after Danni as she walked the long corridor.  “
Pacelli wait.”  He took long strangling breaths when he reached her.  “Take a picture of the woman impersonating her.  See if anyone recognizes her.”

Stop barking orders you fat bastard is what she wanted to say as he handed her the picture.  “
Yes sir.”  She rolled her eyes as she walked away.  Annabel giggled to herself as she could only imagine what was going through Danni’s mind.  As soon as they were out of the building, she let out a hearty laugh.  Danni just looked at her.  “Oh no, don’t you start with me to!”  Danni nudged her in the side playfully.

There was no answer at the door.  Danni retrieved a ladder she found on the side of the house.  She looked around to see if anyone was watching then proceeded to climb it until she reached the open window on the second floor.  It was apparent by the smell that there was a dead body inside.  She did not climb in, instead she climbed back down to prevent contaminating the crime scene.  “
Get on the radio and call for backup and the coroner.  Tell them there is a possible officer down.”

Annabel did as asked, but when she got to the car, she had to stop and breathe.  Her heart was racing, as she looked down at the mic and back to the house knowing it was one of her own dead inside the house.  She made the call over the radio then sighed as she flipped open her phone to called Hagerty as he ordered before she left.  He scolded her for working the case when she was on medical leave; she assured him she was fine and able to help out.  He told her to get a doctors release but until then she was to stay off the case, she regarded him with a sigh.

She did not risk upsetting him further, so she sat in the car and watched as several squad cars arrived and uniformed officers scurried around and taped off the area.  She felt useless as the forensic team walked in and out of the house carrying bags of evidence.  Danni joined her several times to keep her informed on what going on but warned her not to cross the line into the investigation otherwise they could suspend her or worse, fire her.

She had come too far to throw it all away by doing something stupid, so she sat and watched on, she wanted to slap the mother of the little girl who gasped in horror as they carried the real Wendy Travis from her home on a stretcher.  She felt useless but from her advantage point she noticed as a car pulled up, the person inside looked on, then quickly drove off.  Annabel was sure it was the woman from the picture but only saw her profile.

She ducked down in the seat as the car passed her by she was able to get a better look at the woman, and the likeness was remarkable.  Frantically she tried to flag down Danni, but she had her back to her.  Desperate to not let the woman get away again she jotted down the license plate number and put the car in drive and followed slowly from a distance.  She tried several times to reach Danni by phone but it would ring and eventually go to voicemail.  She left a detailed profile of the woman, the license plate number, the make and model of the car and the location where the woman parked and the address of the house where she casually checked the mail.

“Ten Eighty Five murder suspect entered home, location 3410 S Maple Street, need back-up,” she called over the radio.  She waited patiently but ten minutes passed and there was no sign of back-up arriving.  Impatient, she crept around the dwelling with her gun drawn, she knew she should have waited for backup but she was afraid the woman would get away.  She heard a sound coming from the front.  She stood still as she watched the mail career walk back down the stairs.  Before she could move she gasped for air as she was being thrown up against the brick wall.  She was face to face with her attacker.

“You’re either a rookie or a very stupid cop,” the venom spit from her mouth and she rounded her throat, Annabel tried to move away but the woman held her in place.  Her vision started to blur, she knew it would only be seconds before she would pass out, she had to think quick, she pulled her gun and aimed it to the attackers’ temple, but before she could get a shot off the woman slammed her head into the wall.  She was still conscious and could feel her body being dragged on the concrete and could not stop it.

Meanwhile Danni sped with her lights and sirens blearing as she rushed to the address Annabel left.  Her heart pounded in her chest, she dialed her number but no answer.  She knew she would go after the perp on her own and fearing the worst, she called for backup.  When she pulled in front of the house she jumped out of her car gun drawn.  As she came under the shadow of the porch she heard a gunshot and the most spine-chilling scream coming from
 the side of the house.  She looked over the banister to get a better look and with a few hard tugs she jumped from the porch onto the ground below.  She had very little time to react and ran down the narrow clearing but froze in horror.  All she could see was Annabel’s sweet face showing no sign of life.  Fear and panic ran through her penetrating every nerve as she searched for a pulse.  Images flashed in her head as she radioed for an ambulance.  “Officer down!” she yelled into the radio crying as she held onto her tight. 

“Don’t leave me,”
she yelled almost to the brink of tears.  She conjured all her strength and felt the power of faith run through her.  She could not hold it in no longer.  She let the three words pour from her mouth like a battle cry, “I love you.”

Seconds felt like hours as she held her in her arms waiting for help. From the dark walkway she could see lights flashing as they got closer. She held her never taking her eyes of the surrounding area.

The paramedics ran to where she sat and immediately started life saving techniques on Annabel.  “She coding,” the tall skinny man said quickly lifting her onto the gurney.  “Move aside.”  He pushed Danni out of the way and the shorter of the two paramedics ripped open her shirt and applied the paddles.  “Ready.”  A shock caused her body to convulse.  “We got a pulse,” the taller man shouted and the shorter man jumped behind the wheel and put on the sirens.  He radioed ahead to the hospital while he drove off.

Danni slouched down her tired shoulders leaned against one of the foundation pillars.  With a firm grip she placed both hands on her temples.  She turned her head towards the rooftop.  She could have sworn that she saw a flicker of a shadow or movement.  Then a crashing sound shattered her nerve endings causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise slightly.  Danni knew that sound so well.  It was the sound of a body hitting solid ground.  The screams and gasps from the crowd were enough to tell her that something definitely hit the pavement in front of them.  She stalked towards the shadows more cautiously, ready for a battle if one should arise.  While everyone ran to see what happened, Danni went in the opposite direction.  The assailant was close and she was not going to get away.  Danni could see movement just up ahead.  With her gun in hand she walked cautiously never taking her eyes off of her surroundings, but when she reached the end of the dark walkway who was ever there was now gone.  She strapped the gun into its casing before covering it with her jacket.  She then quickly walked back to her original destination, but stopped and stood horrified when she saw a large dog dead on the ground in front of the crowd.  A good distraction she mused and then realized she was not dealing with a fool.  “
There will be no trial when I find you,” Danni snarled as she got in her car and envisioned putting a bullet between the woman’s eyes.  But, right now, there was no time for the hunt, her only destination now was the hospital to be with Annabel.