Naked Dragon (21 page)

"Yes. Okay. Yes. Fine. Okay, Frank, give me a few minutes."

He handed the phone back to Dave to hang up.

"What?" Dave asked after he did.

As he climbed slowly out of bed Robbie said, "He entered a home to evade us. He killed three people in a house in that cul-de-sac, two adults and a child."

Dave felt his stomach sink. "No ... oh, god no..."

Moving as if he were already on auto-pilot, Robbie began stepping into his suit trousers. Dave hopped out of the bed and helped him get ready, then changed into his jeans and t-shirt and stood by anxiously. "I should come."

"You can't come. You're not on duty. Go back to bed. I'll be back in a few hours."

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"You'll be gone forever, not a few hours. Three murders?

It'll be all morning and into the afternoon."

"Do what you want. I have to go." Robbie hooked his holster on his shoulder.

"Where's your vest?" Dave asked, snapping his waist pack around his hips.

"He's long gone, babe. I'll put it on later."

"No." Dave picked it up and held it out.

"I'm too sore, David."

"Put it on!"

A knock was heard at their door. Dave opened it to the two agents.

"Ready?" Agent Skinner asked.

"He needs to put on his vest," Dave insisted, holding it out.

"Put your vest on, Taylor," Agent Green ordered.

After some mumbled profanity under his breath, Robbie put it on stiffly and then his holster and jacket.

As Dave followed them to the parking garage he whispered to Robbie, "I'll be home until roll call at eleven. Call me."

"Okay."

Then to Dave's surprise he got a peck on the lips in front of the two other men. Slightly unnerved by it, he climbed into his truck and started the engine looking at the three men as they entered that ominous black sedan. "I suppose there's no reason to hide anymore." He shrugged, then headed home to sleep the rest of the morning in his own bed for the first time in over a week.

* * * *

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When Robbie arrived he couldn't believe the chosen house.

They had been parked, standing, and talking directly in front of it when the fire crew had arrived to see to his injuries. It made him sick to his stomach that they were right outside when those poor people were held captive.

In what was becoming a regular occurrence, the agents wove their way around media cameras, spectators, lab technicians, homicide detectives, crime scene tape, hoards of officers on containment, and lastly the primary officer and his sergeant.

"Has anything been touched since you arrived?" Agent Green asked Max the homicide lieutenant.

"No. We waited for you to come by before getting the coroner to remove the bodies."

He nodded in understanding, then tilted his head for Robbie and Agent Skinner to enter.

A television was still playing in the living room.

"We think he was watching the news reports while we were looking for him," the third watch sergeant said.

As Agent Skinner and Green talked to him about the case, Robbie moved slowly between rooms to see each victim. If he didn't know this was the same suspect, he wouldn't have connected the crimes. Since the family was not what the Dragon usually stalked, he didn't bother with his normal theatrics. Just three dead people strangled and lying prone.

The child was only two years old and near its mother.

One thing made it clear who was responsible. A note written on the wall in blood. Robbie knew it had gotten 202

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personal. The note was once again directly about him. It read
Get him off my tail or it'll be forty this time
.

Having seen enough, Robbie left the house and stood exactly where he had been standing when he had flagged Dave down. He was directly in front of that fucking house. It just wasn't fair. How had the dog missed it? How?

A bright spotlight lit his face causing him to narrow his eyes and flinch back. A television camera was aimed at him.

A man with a microphone was trying to relay the story to the viewers at home. In irritation, Robbie twisted away and moved out of the vortex of the action to the perimeter. Very slowly he crept to the furthest outer edge of the spectators ring and investigated each one. It wasn't uncommon for the suspect to mingle with the crowd to view his own handy work.

Considering the early hour, the street was bustling with nosy neighbors and sadistic onlookers who used police scanners to track blood. Was his man here? Could he feel his presence?

In a slightly distracted way, Robbie heard his call sign come out over an officer's radio. Checking his collar lapel, he realized he hadn't remembered to put a radio on. Cursing under his breath, he approached the officer and said, "Can I use your radio a minute?" and showed her his FBI ID. She nodded and took off her shoulder mike to hand to him. He thanked her and then answered.

The dispatcher asked, "Your location, X-Ray 440 Boy?"

"Tell X-Ray 440 Adam, I'm on my way back to his location."

"Copy."

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He returned her microphone and said sarcastically, "Can't leave me alone for a minute."

"I can see why." She winked flirtatiously.

He winked back, then headed to where the other two agents were standing.

"Why do you always disappear?" Agent Green growled.

"I was just checking to see if he was lingering in the crowd."

"And?"

"I didn't get all the way around it when you two called for me."

"Let's take a walk then," Agent Skinner nodded.

With three men in dark suits making their way in and out of the crowd, Robbie knew the suspect wouldn't dare hang around. He liked to attack victims when they were vulnerable and alone. Not when it was a three to one ratio, unless of course two were helpless women and children.

By six a.m. Robbie was sitting in the evidence lab's lounge with a cup of coffee under his nose trying to keep his eyes open. Exhaustion had crept in and his injuries were sapping him of his strength and vitality. He needed to be in bed and resting, but they started their surveillance at eight, so what was the point of trying to sleep?

Seeing Agent Skinner enter the room and stuff coins into a coffee machine, Robbie asked, "Anything?"

"He garroted them with a silk stocking he must have found in the woman's bedroom."

"Fucking hell." Robbie cringed.

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"He rifled through their shit as well. Took some souvenirs.

He's a sick fucker."

"How long do they think he was there?"

"Too long. Cooked himself a steak with the bodies lying around. The guy's got no conscience whatsoever." Agent Skinner blew the steam off the hot cup of coffee.

"When do you want to go out again?"

"Later. The moron's got to sleep sometime."

Robbie nodded, yawned, then said, "What a minute."

"What?" Agent Skinner raised his head curiously just as Agent Green came in and stood in front of the same coffee machine.

"What's the closest shit-hole hotels in this area?" Robbie asked.

Agent Skinner shrugged, sipping the black coffee. "Ya gotta ask a local. I don't fricken' know."

Robbie stood up with an effort and with some discomfort he left the lounge looking for someone who worked there. He noticed a few homicide detectives lingering in the hall. "Max!"

The tired man raised his head and nodded in response.

"Where do people flop around here? What's your local strip?"

"Ahh, either Aurora north or Sea-Tac. Why?"

"I just don't believe our man has signed a long term lease and is renting. My guess is he's on a week to week."

"Makes sense." Max nodded, then rubbed his face tiredly.

"I take it that Sea-Tac is near the airport. Where's Aurora?"

"Right at the north border of the city limits."

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"Is it close to the International District?"

"No. Sea-Tac is closer."

"Right." Robbie returned to the lounge and announced,

"We need a cop to tell us about the Sea-Tac area."

"That's not the city limits. That's unincorporated King County," Agent Green said as he was trying to sip his boiling hot coffee.

"Whatever it is, we need to go there. Now." Robbie removed his mobile phone from his pocket, "Hello, yes, could you give me a phone number for the King County Police department. No, investigations, not emergency."

Agent Skinner dumped his coffee in the sink and sighed,

"Here we go again."

"At least it's an idea," Agent Green said, then added, "And he hasn't been wrong yet."

Robbie hung up and said, "Let's go. We're meeting County in Burien."

"Where the hell is Burien?" Agent Green asked as he dumped his cup in the trash can.

"I'll find the map," Agent Skinner sighed, rolling his eyes.

* * * *

Dave woke without the alarm. Peeking at his clock seeing it was nearly nine a.m. he roused himself out of bed and sat up yawning and rubbing his face. Once the fog lifted from his brain he wondered if Robbie was home yet or still tied up on that triple homicide. He should be home. He wasn't doing the actual lab work. Reaching for his phone, Dave called him and when his answering machine picked up he didn't leave a 206

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message. After he set the phone back down he headed to the shower to get cleaned up and face the day.

Just finishing shaving his face and head, he heard the phone ring and raced to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Dave, my man!"

"Hey, Dennis. Sorry I didn't return your call. I've been really busy lately."

"You a captain yet, bro?" Dennis laughed.

"Not yet. What you been up to?"

"Working, playing, the usual. Hey, I was wondering if you can come out this Friday night? What's your schedule like?"

"Why? What you got planned?" Dave sat down on the arm of a sofa and checked the time again.

"Me and the boys were going out for a drink. Thought you'd like to come. Just some of the old crowd we used to play ball with. It's been too long and we need a catch up."

"It would be nice." Dave smiled.

"Exactly! Me, you, Steve-O, Willie, Barney, all of us. You game?"

"This Friday? You know I'm working till about eight."

"The party ain't even going to begin by then! Come after your shift."

Thinking about it, Dave asked, "Can I bring a friend?"

"Naa, bro, men only..."

"No, it's a guy. A male friend. He's all right."

"Yeah, no prob. The more the merrier. But, he'll be bored with us reminiscing about college ball."

"He'll be all right."

"Cool. We'll be over at Doc Maynard's. See you there."

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"Wait, give me your cell number in case I get stuck on a late call." Dave scrambled to find a pen and paper.

Dennis rattled off the number then said, "It'll be cool to catch up again. Been too long, my man!"

"I'm looking forward to it." Dave said good-bye and hung up, then wondered if Robbie would be interested in a diversion or if he'd be too overwhelmed with the case to cut loose and have a good time for a change.

* * * *

Leaning across the counter of a seedy motel in the Sea-Tac strip, Robbie checked the names on the register and had no problem quickly discerning which were legit and which were not. Agent Skinner and Green yawning in the background, Robbie shook his head no, thanked the manager, and they walked out to the parking lot once again. "He's here somewhere. I know he's here."

Agent Skinner waved to the marked King County unit that was chosen to escort them. The two uniformed men nodded and climbed back into their patrol car to move on to the next one.

Another shabby run-down motel was next door to the last one. The agents drove out and into the parking lot and then scuffed tiredly to the lobby to make the same inquiry.

Flashing his ID badge, Robbie said to the manager, "We'd like to see your list of names of the people registered to the hotel."

He nodded silently, handing it over.

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With his sharp eyes Robbie made a quick scan of the list.

"Bingo!"

"We got him?" Agent Skinner and Green hurried to look over his shoulder.

"Mr. R. Stalker. Room twenty-seven." He pointed to the name in the book. "When did he check in?"

"About a week ago Friday."

"And paid how?"

"Weekly."

"That's when it started," Agent Skinner whispered to Green.

"We'd like a key please," Robbie asked, holding out his hand.

They exited the lobby and waved the two uniformed cops over. Robbie showed them the key. "We think he's in room twenty-seven."

"Right." They both removed their guns from their holsters.

"We need a unit in the rear," Robbie said, then held them back before they knocked. Waiting until they keyed their microphones and requested back-up, Robbie stared at the scarred painted door and covered window of that unit. The curtain was drawn and he couldn't tell if it was vacant or not.

"Run every plate in this lot for a stolen."

The second officer nodded, then sat in his car and began typing in numbers.

"We can't fuck it up," Robbie said to himself. "We have to do this right. Take our time, get the coverage out back, do it right."

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"What if he's already seen the county's patrol car?" Agent Green nodded to the obvious marked patrol unit.

"Shit!" Robbie just realized it himself.

When he took off running up to room twenty-seven the others had a hard time keeping up. Without any warning, Robbie used the key to open it, pointed his gun inside and charged in. Racing through the two rooms of the small motel, he found the window to the bathroom opened and the occupant obviously fled through it.